Gazette NEIGHBORHOOD
WHEAT RIDGE | EDGEWATER | APPLEWOOD | MOUNTAIN VIEW | LAKESIDE September 20–October 17, 2016 • ngazette.com • FREE
Enough Trump & Clinton: What About Local Ballot Issues? n
By J. Patrick O’Leary
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lthough some of you, dear readers, may be wringing hands or posting diatribes on social media over this year’s very contentious national presidential race, we at the Neighborhood Gazette would like to remind you there are important questions your cities, county and school district would like you to consider on this November’s ballot. There’s also the question of a fire district merger, with a special election set for Oct. 4 – see story on page 12. Infrastructure Improvements in Wheat Ridge – 2E Wheat Ridge voters will be asked to approve a temporary, 12-year sales tax increase of half a percent, and increase city debt by up to $33 million, to pay for four major infrastructure projects. Property taxes will remain unchanged. Improvements to Anderson Park are tagged at $4 million, and include renovation of the Anderson building and pool locker rooms; replacement of the pavilion; removal of the baseball field; and replacement of the two front parking lots. Reconstruction of Wadsworth Boulevard between West 35th Avenue and Interstate 70 will cost $7 million. It will include three travel lanes in each direction; 10-foot-wide sidewalks on each side; 10-foot-wide tree lawns on each n
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KIDS FLOCKED TO THE FIELD GAMES AREA, hosted by Vitruvian Fitness, at RidgeFest 2016, where they were able to participate in all kinds of different activities including a tug-of-war. With clear skies, it was the perfect day for over 6,000 people to show up to sample local beer, listen to live bluegrass music and hangout for some fun in the sun. PHOTO BY JOYCE JAY
Young Volunteers Make a Difference at Lutheran Medical Center n
By Elisabeth Monaghan
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he estimated hourly amount a volunteer is worth equals $23.56, according to the 2015 Bureau of Labor Statistics. At Lutheran Medical Center in Wheat Ridge, there are approximately 550 volunteers who dedicate time to working with the hospital staff and patients. Last year, those volunteers gave 63,000 hours helping at Lutheran, its Cancer Centers of Colorado, Colorado Lutheran Home, West Pines or Lutheran Hospice. This is the equivalent of $1,413,600 in donated time. At any one time, there are at least 30 volunteers on the Lutheran campus. You can find volunteers assisting in nearly every department, performing tasks like baking cookies for labor and delivery, running the surgical reception desk, greeting people as they enter the hospital, serving as Eucharistic ministers, or wheeling patients who have just been discharged. The ages of the volunteers at Lutheran range from 14 to 93. Of those, 20 percent are high school students, or “Juniors,” as the Volunteer Leadership team refers to them. “It’s a good feeling to see these youth disproving what everybody says about their generation,” says Ron Scott, chair of Lutheran’s Volunteer Leadership Council. “I know I didn’t volunteer 300 hours when I was in high school. These students soften up the hospital so much. This is a place when you come in, you’re nervous, you’re scared and antsy. Low and behold, you walk in and see a 17-year-old Junior smiling at you
and offering to help. It helps calm everyone down.” The Juniors come from about eight different area high schools, including some from as far as Conifer or Evergreen. While volunteers receive tremendous gratification as their reward for their time, they also receive a number of perks. All volunteers receive discounts to Water World, select Rockies and Avalanche games, and select shows at the Arvada Center. Those Juniors, who volunteer a minimum of 350 hours by
April of their senior year of high school, can qualify for a one-time scholarship of up to $2,000. The Volunteer Leadership Council sets aside $20,000 per year for this scholarship program. Before they can begin their first shift, volunteers must attend a two-hour orientation, which is held on the first Saturday of the month, from 9 to 11 a.m. During orientation, volunteers receive training on how to avoid injuring the patients or themselves. They also learn
about HIPAA regulations, as well as training on the nine emergency codes that are announced over the facility’s speakers. To maintain a steady, if not growing volunteer staff, the hospital aims to draw at least 200 volunteers each year. Scott says they could easily place 50 new volunteers today. Currently, Lutheran has the greatest need for volunteers to work in the gift shop, Continued on page 8
N E I G H B O R H O O D B U S I N E S S B E AT
Harvest Time on Wheat Ridge’s Urban Farms n
By Nancy Hahn
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5 FRIDGES FARMS, 11100 W. 38TH AVENUE, will host a honey tasting Oct. 2, 2-5 p.m., to benefit the Urban Bee Project. The event will include a tour, lectures and a honey tasting featuring over 20 different varieties. Everyone will go home with a small jar of honey! Tickets are $60 for individuals or $100 per couple. All of the proceeds go to the CU students involved in the project for 2017. Email info@5fridgesfarm.com early to reserve your space, there are only 30 spots available. PHOTO COURTESY 5 FRIDGES FARMS
heat Ridge began as a farm community and continued to be primarily farms and orchards until the 1960s. Housing took over and agriculture declined, but Wheat Ridge residents never quite gave up on growing their food. Walk around our neighborhoods and you will see pumpkin vines along driveways, rows of corn along fences, salad greens by the mailboxes, and tomatoes growing in pots on apartment balconies. Much larger scale urban agriculture, though, is booming now in Wheat Ridge, too. Although urban agriculture comes in many varieties; autumn and harvest time is an important time for all urban farmers. Continued on page 10
First Edgewater Chili Cook-off, Sept. 24
Candidate Meet & Greets, Sept. 27 & 29
West Metro, Wheat Ridge Fire Merger Vote
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see page 12