1-Color
May 15, 2014
50 cents Adams County and Jefferson County, Colorado | Volume 69, Issue 27 A publication of
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A wet and wild run
Road bill passes House Measure in response to U.S. 36 construction contracts By Vic Vela
vvela@coloradocommunitymedia.com
A group of competitors take a ride down the water slide during the inaugural Hard As Nails Obstacle Mud Run in Westminster, Saturday. The mud run featured physical challenges, lots of water and of course mud. Photo by Ashley Reimers
Merge planned for two fire departments By Ashley Reimers
areimers@colorado communitymedia.com
‘In the past we’ve only had two-person firefighters, but
The Southwest Adams County Fire Protection District, SWAC, and North Washington Fire Protection District have plans to merge into one department to be called the Adams County Fire Protection District. The process is under way with both departments currently working together in trial runs allowing firefighters the opportunity to train together and get familiar with each other’s districts, stations, equipment and techniques. Last month North Washington’s board of directors approved the inclusion of SWAC into their district and approved the name of the merged department. And coming up on May 21 SWAC’s board of directors will conduct a public meeting to consider excluding and transferring jurisdiction to the Adams County Fire Protection District. The meeting will start at 6 p.m. at SWAC headquarters, 3365 W. 65th Ave. in Denver. North Washington Deputy Chief Stuart Sunderland said the idea to merge has been on his mind and in the minds of others in his department for many years, but a merge can be difficult when both departments have chiefs on staff. Both departments started seriously thinking about the merge two years ago after SWAC Chief George Ditolla started considering retirement, he added. Ditolla retired in January.
with the merge we’ll be able to increase the number of firefighters on the engines. We’ll have three to four firefighters per fire engine, which is a great benefit.’ North Washington Chief Pat Laurienti “When we talked to Chief Ditolla he also saw value in a merge and with him retiring in the future at that time, it was the perfect window because it’s just one less hurdle to get over,” Sunderland said. “His retirement was one little piece that helped push us over the edge, along with better service and it making better financial sense for both departments.” North Washington Chief Pat Laurienti said combined the fire districts will cover approximately 19 square miles and serve about 100,000 people. He said merging resources and reducing costs will allow for a more effective and efficient service. There are no layoffs planned, reduction in staff in the future will come through attrition, he added. “In the past we’ve only had two-person firefighters, but with the merge we’ll be
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able to increase the number of firefighters on the engines,” Laurienti said. “We’ll have three to four firefighters per fire engine, which is a great benefit.” Residents in both districts won’t see an increase in taxes after the merge, in fact, SWAC residents will be see a decrease in taxes because SWAC’s mill levy will go down. Sunderland said some stations will be combined for better service. “We’re not quite sure what we’ll do with buildings we don’t end up using,” he said. “We’ll take a good hard look at the whole picture and figure out what make sense. We can either use the buildings for other uses, or we can sell them.” After the merge, Laurienti will be the chief of the Adams County Fire Protection District and the board of directors will be made of up three residents from the North Washington area and two residents from the SWAC area. Final approval of the merge is anticipated this summer, but the entire process to combine all tax dollars and assets will be not finalized until Dec. 31. The public is welcome at the upcoming meeting on May 21. Anyone with concerns regarding the merge can submit their concerns in writing to the board or speak during the meeting. For more information contact Sunderland at 303-539-6806.
Private-public road construction partnerships moved one step closer to having greater oversight with a bill that passed the House on May 5. Senate Bill 197 is a response to grumblings over the U.S. 36 road construction process, perceived by some as being too secretive. “This is what we heard loud and clear, that people wanted transparency in this project; that people wanted to be informed and involved Report and they wanted the legislature more involved in the process,” said Rep. Tracy Kraft-Tharp, D-Arvada, a bill sponsor. The bill increases public notice and legislative oversight of public-private partnerships of Colorado Department of Transportation road projects. The legislation also requires a CDOT board to hold public meetings throughout the road project process and keep the Legislature and other local elected officials informed along the way. Under the bill, any road project that exceeds 35 years must be approved by the Legislature. And the bill also requires that CDOT post the terms of the partnership agreement on its website. The bill was spurred by fallout from the $425 million U.S. 36 road project, one that will widen the lanes of the highway and incorporate toll lanes. Because it is a private-public partnership, much of the road funding will come from private financing. Supporters say that’s important, given the lack of tax payer-backed road funding that is available for all the state’s construction projects. But Rep. Mike Foote, D-Lafayette, said that’s also something that requires some watching. “Out-of-state financiers are not accountable to public,” Foote said. “As the Legislature, we are accountable to the public. They aren’t.” There have been concerns that the public was kept out of the loop along the way. Many residents of communities that rely on U.S. 36 for transport said they didn’t know many of the details of the 50year project. “I think that transparency is really important and I think when the voters in my district tell me they have a strong concern here, I need to follow the voters in my district,” said Rep. Max Tyler, D-Lakewood, who supported the bill. The bill passed with bipartisan support in the Senate, but a couple of Democrats joined all Republicans in voting against the bill in the House. Critics of the legislation included the Colorado Contractors Association, a group that expressed concerns that the bill would have an adverse impact on road
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