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October 22, 2015 VOLUM E 70 | IS S UE 50 | 50 ¢
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A DA M S C OU N T Y & J E F F E R S ON COU N T Y, COLOR A D O
WestminsterWindow.com
New buses use compressed natural gas Four buses donated to district by oil and gas company By Corrie Sahling csahling@coloradocommunitymedia.com
M
apleton School District received four compressed natural gas buses on Oct. 13 — the first new buses in 20 years — that were donated by Noble Energy and Regional Air Quality Control, an oil and gas drilling company. Each bus costs about $150,000. The donation was made as part of a grant program seeking to add school buses with fewer emissions to Adams County to improve air quality for children and reduce fuel costs for schools. The company that makes the buses, Blue Bird, explains the advantages of compressed natural gas:
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Compressed natural gas is cheaper: It is typically 25 to 45 percent less per gallon than the cost of diesel fuel. It is better for the environment: Natural gas can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about 20 percent compared to diesel, according to the California Air Resources Board. Nearly all compressed natural gas in North America is domestic: About 98 percent of the natural gas used in the United States comes from North America, with the states producing nearly 85 percent and Canada producing about 18 percent. Reliable performance and easy maintenance: Blue Bird assures that the buses are easy to maintain and will give the best performance. The low-carbon content of natural gas also means longer time between oil changes.
Mapleton hosted a special ceremony on Tuesday, Oct. 13, to thank partners at Noble Energy and Regional Air Quality Control for donating funds to bring four compressed natural gas school buses to the District. The event, held at the Skyview Campus, was attended by representatives from Noble Energy and Regional Air Quality, Thornton Mayor Heidi Williams, City Council member Jan Kulmann, and Mapleton staff. After sharing a few comments about the new buses, Mapleton Public Schools Superintendent Charlotte Ciancio invited guests to tour the new buses. The CNG buses are the first new buses Mapleton has received in more than 20 years. Courtesy photo
Garden offers more than plants POSTAL ADDRESS
Rose Roots Community Garden, off of West 84th Avenue and part of Denver Urban Gardens, received a $10,000 grant from Wells Fargo recently. The grant recognized Wells Fargo employee Theresa McKinney’s continued efforts, alongside other community garden volunteers, to donate fresh produce to area food banks. Back row from left: Theresa McKinney (Wells Fargo), Ryan Zender (Wells Fargo), Laura Worzella (Wells Fargo), Harry Fuller (Arvada Food Bank board member), Lorie Sutherland (Wells Fargo) and John Chisum (Rose Roots Community Garden leader). Front row from left: Jodie Steeves (Arvada Food Bank board member) and Kathy Plattner-Jones (Wells Fargo). Courtesy photo
Rose Roots spot draws old and young to help By Crystal Anderson canderson@coloradocommunitymedia.com A web of partnerships in Arvada has bound the city, Rose Roots gardeners, farmers and neighbors in the Five Parks development together to grow a simple community garden into a Garden continues on Page 17
WESTMINSTER WINDOW
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PL E ASE RECYCLE T HI S C OPY
Taekwondo teacher inspires loving tribute Montano receives final visit with students before cancer takes life By Corrie Sahling csahling@colorado communitymedia.com Barney Montano started working for Thornton Rec Center in 1994 as a part-time employee, teaching taekwondo on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Twenty-one years later, Montano was named as the most tenured part-time employee — but more important was the impact he had on many lives. Montano, 70, died Oct. 13, following a short battle against pancreatic cancer, and a few days after saying good-bye to students who came to his home to honor him. At the beginning of the summer, Montano was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer with a poor prognosis. He stayed strong for a while, but in August had to give up teaching.
“A few months ago, he was the normal Barney we all knew,” said Mike Coulter, Thornton recreation coordinator, who hired Montano in 1994. According to Robert Martin, a taekwondo teacher in Arvada who knew Montano well, the cancer took a quick turn for the worse. “I got a call late Friday night (Oct. 9),” Martin said. Montano’s daughter, Rebecca, was flying to Denver from her home in Ontario and needed some help. “She asked if we could put something together, an event in front of the house to try and lift his sprits, and so his students could see him one last time.” Martin helped to email invitations and put together a Facebook event to spread the word — but he was worried the event would get too big, so it was scheduled for Sunday morning (Oct. 11), a time that might be difficult for some to make. Rebecca “said if we waited until Tuesday, it would be too late,”
Longtime Thornton taekwondo teacher Barney Montano greets former students who came to his home a few days before his death from pancreatic cancer. “He had a good time,” said Robert Martin, a taekwondo teacher who knew Montano well. “He spoke to each one of his students, probably about a dozen, privately and personally.” Courtesy photo Martin said. About 40 people came to demonstrate taekwondo patterns in the street outside of Montano’s house, but the event was kept short. “We spent no more than 30
minutes there,” Martin said, “which was probably too much.” Montano watched the demonstration from his garage and then individually greeted each person Tribute continues on Page 3