Mill Levy and Bond Proposal Update
The Weld Re-8 School District Board of Education is considering asking voters to approve a Mill Levy Override (MLO) and bond to address critical operations and facilities needs across the district.
Mill Levy Override proposal:
MLO would provide sustainable funding each year, about $4.45 million in 2025, primarily for recruiting and retaining teachers and staff and to update curriculum and technology, including:
Teacher and staff recruitment and retention:
• Weld Re-8’s starting teacher salary is $47,500, about $5,000 to $15,000 below neighboring district’s including St. Vrain Valley, Brighton (27J) and Weld Central (Re-3J).
• Teacher turnover averaged 25 percent over the past 3 years.
Curriculum investments:
• Update classroom materials, including online licenses and student books from elementary through high school. Technology support:
• Chromebooks to access online learning resources.
• Teaching boards, digital media and smart screens to enhance classroom learning.
$4.45 million MLO is estimated to cost between $90 and $95 per year—approximately $7.50 to $7.92 per month— for an average price home of $469,000 within the district.
Fort Lupton High School options:
Bond proposal:
The bond would nance recommendations provided by the district’s Design Advisory Group (DAG)—primarily to address the future of Fort Lupton High School and districtwide maintenance needs. Currently, the district is considering asking voters to approve a $210 million bond to address these priorities. The bond proposal will allow the district to:
• Prepare for current and future enrollment growth.
• Provide a modern, secure high school that meets the education needs of our students.
• Address maintenance in all of the district’s schools, including projects at Fort Lupton Middle School and Butler, Homyak Twombly Elementary schools.
• Receive funds to begin work in 2025 to better manage the budget and the impacts of ination and materials costs.
$210 million bond is estimated to cost between $275 and $277 per year—approximately $22.92 to $23.08 per month—for an average price home of $469,000 within the district.
The current high school has signicant challenges that have led the district to plan for a new building. Those challenges include safety and security of the building; lack of adequate classroom spaces, especially for career and technical education; undersized hallways; inadequate cafeteria, bathrooms and common areas; and signicant maintenance costs.
Working with the DAG, architects and construction experts, the district has developed two options for the high school’s future.
Both options would provide classrooms, labs and spaces to support 1,000 students in a new, two-story building. Both options would include:
• Library, cafeteria and kitchen
• Career and technical education spaces
• Special education classrooms
• Auditorium with seating for 500
• Gymnasium, wrestling room, weight room and tness/dance room
Option 1: Existing Site
New, two-story high school building on the current high school site in Fort Lupton.
Visit bit.ly/Weld8DAG for larger images and more information about the high school options
Option 2: New Site
New, two-story building will be constructed on a district-owned 40-acre property at the corner of County Road 14½ and Northrup Avenue.
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How Does Denver’s Real Estate Market in the First Half of 2023 and 2024 Compare?
I had the same question, so I did some research on our MLS, REcolorado. At right are some charts I created. As always, I don’t define metro Denver by counties but rather as an 18-mile radius of downtown Denver. The charts and the statistics below are for that area.
The January-to-June rise in sold prices are remarkably similar, going from the low 500s to the high 500s with little overall gain compared to prior years.
As a result, the months of inventory (not shown) was similar both years, dropping from above 3 months in January to 2 months in March, but diverged in April, staying at just above 2 months from April through June 2023, but rising to almost 3 months from March to June of this year.
The most dramatic change is the number of homes available to purchase despite falling number of closings. That resulted in an increase in the days-in-MLS statistic, which was similar to last year but only through April, whereupon the days-inMLS number rose to 11 instead of staying in the 5-6 day range of last year.
In January 2023, the ratio of closed price to original listing price was 96.2% but rose to 100% for March through July.
January 2024 was better than 2023 at 97.3%, but it rose to 100% for only three months and dropped to 99.4% in June.
The chart below was shrunk ver cally so that the number scales would match.
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The metric which I find more useful than closed price is the price per finished square foot, which rose in 2023 from $298 in January to $320 in June, but it stabilized at that level in 2024, rising from $316 per finished square foot in January to $322 in June.
Price Reduced on Arvada Home Built for Entertaining
Another tell-tale metric of market health is how many listings expire without selling. In 2023, that number for the Denver metro area fell from 651 in January to 581 in June, but the opposite happened this year, rising from 654 in January to 873 in June.
The sellers designed this 4,603-sq.-ft. home at 6714 Field St. in Arvada for entertaining. The price was just reduced from $845,000 to $825,000, which computes to under $180 per square foot. Spaces for entertaining abound both indoors and on the large wraparound deck, which was rebuilt 2 years ago. There is an indoor hot tub in its own room that is well ventilated to avoid moisture-related issues. There is a guest bedroom on the main floor. This home is an early example of passive solar design. In addition to the solar thermal panels on the roof, there are solar thermal panels built into the south wall of the living room to capture solar gain in the winter. There is no HOA. Find more info and pictures at www.ArvadaHome.info.
Development Opportunity in Wheat Ridge
Broker associate Austin Pottorff has just listed 8 acres of agricultural land in Wheat Ridge for $6,000,000, with options on ditch water rights. One parcel at 11221 W. I-70 Frontage Road totals 1.9 acres and comes with the option to purchase six shares of the Brown & Baugh Ditch Company. The larger parcel, with an address of 4745 Parfet Street, is 6.1 acres and has eight ditch water certificates that could be purchased along with the property. Water is deeded separately from this land and can be used for agricultural or other non-residential purposes. In addition, there are several unregistered wells on the properties. Both parcels are within the Fruitdale water district where there are currently no restrictions on the number of taps that can be purchased for new residential development. Currently zoned AG-2, there are numerous allowed usages including boarding four horses per acre and growing feed. More info is available on request. Water & sewer mains border the property and the B&B Ditch runs along the west side. There is a high voltage utility easement that traverses the property north to south. Rarely does an opportunity arise in Jefferson County, offering eight contiguous acres of agricultural land with an optional 14 shares of priority water, all within one mile the new Lutheran Medical Center in Applewood. For more information call Austin at 970-281-9071.
The number of homes under contract
at the end of each month was almost identical in 2023 and 2024. Last year it rose from 2,673 in January to 3,452 in June. This year it rose from 2,538 in January to 3,455 in June.
Want to Escape Urban Life? Look at This.
This 3-bedroom, 2-bath home at 48 Lang Street in Twin Lakes, Colorado, (20 miles south of Leadville at the foot of Independence Pass) could be your escape from the Front Range metroplex! This is a year-round mountain home, not a vacation home, unless you enjoy twelve months of vacation each year! Enjoy the quiet mountain life of Twin Lakes Village. In summer, enjoy the drive over Independence Pass to Aspen. In winter, drive over Fremont Pass to Copper Mountain. Forget about those I-70 traffic jams! Closer to home, enjoy hiking the Colorado Trail, which passes through town. This home was built in 2000 with all the modern conveniences, including solar panels, yet you're in a historic and charming mountain town. If you've been hankering for a slower lifestyle, this home may be your escape, and homes in Twin Lakes are rarely on the market. Visit www.TwinLakesHome.info to take a narrated video walk-through of this home and see lots of interior and exterior photos, then call for a showing!
Jim Smith
$725,000
William Charles Fuller February 1, 1949 - July 1, 2024
William C. Fuller, 75, of ornton, Colorado, died Monday, July 1, 2024 in his home.
Bill was born on February 1, 1949 in Brighton, Colorado to Sherman and Evelyn Fuller. He graduated from Brighton High School in 1967. He attended Colorado State University for 2 years. Bill worked on his cousin’s farm, spent many years as a salesman, mainly in the automotive eld and worked at Denver International Airport. When he retired, he found his true calling as a school bus driver. Bill tackled countless early mornings driving the bus because he loved making the kids smile and keeping them safe as they started their day. He never failed to get a laugh out of his coworkers regardless of the eld he was in and his everpresent smile was always a welcome sight.
On September 29th of 1990, Bill married the woman who would change his life forever, Bonnie Reese. Each chapter of his life following this fateful event would be centered around his newfound family, never missing a chance when he was able to see them and make them feel special. Bill loved sports from an early age. Even in retirement, he rooted for the Broncos during their ups and downs. From 1976 he held on tightly to a pair of Broncos’ season tickets that he eventually passed down through his family. Anytime he wasn’t watching the Broncos or an exciting new action movie he was spending time with his grandkids, who meant the world to him.
Even after turning in the school bus keys he loved to drive, sometimes a little too fast.
e driving was always more exciting for him when he had company to share the ride with or when he was heading to get some ice cream. If no one was available to ride with, Bill would simply call instead to check up on how everyone was doing, and if they wouldn’t answer they could expect to see a text from him when they looked at their phone. Despite living in Minnesota for many years, his heart was always at home in Colorado. He loved the mountains so much that he had them engraved on his wedding band so they could be with him all the time, no matter where he was. Whenever he got to spend time in the mountains he liked to wake up at the crack of dawn and start on breakfast to feed everyone.
At his core, Bill loved people. Whether they were co-workers, neighbors, strangers in line or especially family, he had a charm that made him endlessly easy to talk to and open up to. When you talked to Bill you knew he cared about every word you had to say. Bill made a lasting impression on the hearts of all who knew him and he will be dearly missed. He was preceded in death by his parents, Sherman and Evelyn. He is survived by his wife Bonnie of 33 years; children Christy (Rich) Bach of ornton; Jason (Kari) Soukup of ornton and Nathan (Shelly) Soukup of Owatonna, Minnesota; grandchildren, Tyler Soukup, Zach (Jess) Soukup, Makenzie (Zach) Baker, Jordan (Amanda) Bach, Taylor Anderson, Avery Anderson, Carter Soukup; great grandchildren, Lincoln Baker and coming July 23rd Brecken Baker.
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