Canyon Courier April 25, 2024

Staunton named Colorado’s favorite park P18

On the 25th anniversary of the Columbine shooting, our series continues with a look at how school safety, culture and emergency communications changed P10

Staunton State Park Manager Zach Taylor, front left, accepted an award from Gov. Jared Polis April 16. In the back row, from left, are Friends of Staunton State Park President Je Kresl, volunteer angler Michael Hedgpeth and Friends of Staunton State Park board member Bob Fletcher.

Evergreen Fire/Rescue to host series of wildfire presentations

Trio of events ends with wildfire forum at Evergreen High School

BY JANE REUTER JREUTER@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Colorado’s wild re season was once considered mid-summer. Today, the state experiences large res every month of the year, and the average core wild re season is 78 days longer than in the 1970s, according to the Colorado Division of Wild re Prevention and Control. at’s particularly relevant to people living in the wildland urban interface — including the foothills just outside Denver — which has an inherently higher risk of wild re, according to Evergreen Fire/Rescue. To help educate and prepare peo-

ple for the traditional wild re season, EFR will host a series of presentations on wild res in the next few weeks.

“Most of our residents are on board with the fact that wild re is a risk,” said public information o cer Einar Jensen. “But it’s an ongoing process to improve safety for our families, properties and rst responders. You can’t just do it one year. ese classes will empower our residents to improve their preparation for wild res.”

e trio of classes kicks o at 6 p.m. April 30 with a two-hour “Preparing for Wild re” presentation at EFR’s 1802 Bergen Parkway station. e session will help people learn to improve their home’s chances of surviving a wild re.

A “Firewise Landscaping” presentation is set for 6 p.m. May 9, again at the 1802 Bergen Parkway facility. Jensen compared the two sessions to college-level courses.

“ e rst class is your freshman level, doing your home assessment,” he said. “ e May 9 is more sophomore level. It gets into the nuances of how to still make our properties look amazing while also reducing that wild re risk.”

e nal “Wild re Forum,” planned at 6 p.m. May 22 at Evergreen High School, is focused on evacuations, including the inter-agency collaboration required. e school is at 29300 Bu alo Park Road.

“ is is your grad school-level class,” Jensen said. “We will have not just Evergreen Fire/Rescue but other

subject matter experts in the area to help residents and business owners know how to prepare.”

e nal session will focus on evacuations of all kinds, including those due to wild re, oods, hazardous material spills or other causes.

EFR also plans a 10 a.m. June 8 wild re preparedness open house at Station 8, 33377 Forest Estates Road. at event will focus speci cally on the Brook Forest area neighborhoods, Jensen said.

For more information, visit evergreen rerescue.com, and search for wildland mitigation news.

Evergreen Fire/Rescue will host an upcoming series of wildfire presentations, two at its Bergen Parkway station and the third at Evergreen High School. FILE PHOTO

Improvements in Laundry Machines Is Unending. Introducing Heat Pump Dryers

Over the last 20 years, I have listed many homes on the MLS, and when doing so it’s important to list the energy and water-saving appliances of the home in the MLS. Advertising a “high efficiency washer and dryer” became more and more common.

But now there are three generations of high efficiency that I can think of.

20 years ago, high efficiency meant front-loading. This reduced the amount of water needed compared to the old top-loading washers. New detergents were introduced for them.

Then, unexpectedly, a top-loading machine with no agitator took the title. Who knew that you could clean clothes that way? The washing machine saved water because it sensed the amount of clothes in the machine and adjusted the water use accordingly.

But what about the clothes dryer?

Over the years you really could only choose between gas dryers and electric dryers, although I loved to point out the “solar dryer” in the backyard — a clothesline for drying clothes outdoors. Meanwhile, it has always bothered me

how much hot air a dryer exhausts to the outdoors in the dead of winter instead of using that heat inside the house. An analog solution to that is the indoor lint trap. It is filled with water which traps the lint, and the warm air is exhausted into the room. The device is typically used when a vent to the exterior of the house is unavailable, but you might choose to use one because you want to capture the dryer’s heat instead of sending it outdoors. Remember, too, that the air which your home exhausts must be replaced by outside air coming in through cracks, bathroom/kitchen exhaust piping, etc. So you are not only losing that heat in the winter, you are drawing in cold air from outside. There are multiple solutions to this dilemma. In addition to using the lint trap described above (in which case you’ll want to seal the exhaust pipe to outdoors), you can replace your existing dryer with what’s called a condensing dryer, typically using a heat pump instead of gas or traditional resistancebased electrical heating.

A condensing dryer has the ability to keep the heat within your house through

internal processing. It’s also called a ventless dryer. Google it to learn more and to see where you can buy them (everywhere) and what they cost.

Heat pump dryers use less electricity than conventional dryers because they use an evaporator to remove the moisture and then recycle the warm air so they don't have to heat the ambient air again.

Because a heat pump dryer is ductless, you don’t have to worry about lint buildup in the vent pipe, which could lead to a fire. There are 13,000 household fires caused by clothes dryers every year in the U.S.

Because heat pump dryers are ductless, they can be installed in any room. Perhaps you’d like to have one in your walk-in closet or ensuite bathroom.

A secondary benefit is that because heat pump dryers operate at a lower temperature, your clothes will last longer.

If you want to save space and don’t like stackable washers/dryers, you can buy an all-in-one machine that does both.

TheCoolDown.com offers other suggestions for saving energy and water, and reducing your personal carbon footprint. The single biggest savings is by using cold water unless absolutely necessary.

Also, dryer sheets and fabric softeners, they say, work by adding petroleumbased chemicals to your clothing, which can cause eczema. Dryer balls are a onetime purchase that work better. (We use them.)

We buy detergent in gallon-size plastic jugs, but they suggest buying powder instead since it’s questionable whether that jug, made from petroleum, will be recycled, even if you put it in the your recycling cart.

This article and the one below appeared in last week’s Denver Post column.

You’d be amazed how many older building materials included asbestos. If you disturb asbestos, making it airborne, you endanger the health of yourself, your workers and your children.

Because asbestos doesn’t burn, it was used to wrap pipes and ductwork in older homes, and in other less obvious materials. If your home has popcorn ceilings which you want to remove, you should definitely test for asbestos first.

Asbestos is also present in older adhesives used with vinyl flooring. Older gas fireplaces had inserts made of asbestos. It is also found in older roof shin-

gles and siding, in certain Chinese drywall boards, in vermiculite insulation, and in some ceiling tiles.

Although asbestos materials are safe when left alone, disturbing them can be hazardous. See my post of this at http:// RealEstateToday.substack.com for useful links on this topic.

Archive of Past Columns Is Online

Over the past two decades this column has appeared in the Denver Post, and during that time I’ve written about every conceivable topic related to real estate, You can find and search that archive online at www.JimSmithColumns.com

Staunton State Park moving forward on hunter education shooting range

Park and wildlife o cials plan new use as pilot program in 2025

BY JANE REUTER JREUTER@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Staunton State Park will move ahead with a limited-use shooting range, designated for use specically for students enrolled in statehosted hunter education courses. Dan Mueller, the president of a neighboring homeowners association, said he feels the agencies have largely addressed their initial concerns about the range.

e state park and Colorado Parks and Wild re plan to introduce the use as a pilot program in early 2025 and host another public meeting to re-evaluate it in late 2025.

ey say it will provide a muchneeded convenient site for prospective hunters to demonstrate the rearms competency required for hunter safety certi cations. Students who attend the class at the state park west of Conifer must now do the testing at private land or drive to facilities in the Denver area. Because of that inconvenience, park manager Zach Taylor said many never get their certi cation — a requirement for obtaining a hunting license. He pointed to a recent class held in

March and attended by 18 students. Of those, one-third did not make the drive to take the rearms test.

“Only 12 went down to do the completion of the course in Denver, simply because of that factor,” he said. “ ey will not pass unless they demonstrate they can safely operate a rearm, and they cannot get a license without showing that hunter education certi cation.”

Colorado Parks and Wildlife has hosted ve hunter-education courses at the park’s visitors center since it opened in 2019.  Neighbors initially objected to the proposal, citing concerns about noise and potential accidents, and the appropriateness of it in the state

park.

But a representative of the adjacent Elk Falls Ranch Property Owners Association said it appears the state agencies have addressed their concerns at a late March meeting.

“ ere was some good, productive dialogue,” Mueller said. “Most of the residents that chose to attend were comfortable with the direction.”

Staunton State Park and Colorado Parks and Wildlife created an operation procedures document that outlines the use of the range, limiting to January through May and ve classes of 30 students each. e park will also notify Elk Falls Ranch and park users about when the courses are held.

e document also states its goal is “to ensure that Staunton State Park remains as much a naturalwilderness type park, allowing the peaceful, quiet aesthetics following the last will and testament of Frances Staunton.

“It is the understanding of those signing below that this range will remain in perpetuity solely for the purpose of Hunter Education and will be used for nothing other than the described above.”

Residents requested some additions to the document. Pending those, Mueller said he feels satis ed with the proposal.

“Any sort of acceptance was based on adding a few points of clari cation and additional restrictions,” he said.

Taylor said he and parks sta have done additional noise testing with the low-velocity, low-volume ammunition they plan to use during the courses.

“Right next to the rearm, the decibel reading was 60-68, basically like a phone conversation,” he said. “We tested it as we stood on one of the trails, and in the neighborhood.

“On the trail, you could hear the ping of the ammunition hitting the steel catch box we’ll have, but not the rearm. e sound produced was minimal, but we’re working on a design to reduce it. Overall, it’s going to have extremely minimal impact.”

Hi, I’m Willow.

I’m about 9 months old.

I’m up-to-date with my vaccinations, I’m house trained and ready to move into my forever home. You can meet me at the EAPL Cat Adoption Center located in Chow Down Pet Supplies in Bergen Village.I’m with my Mom too – she’s 3 years old - it would be really nice if we could stay together...

WWW.CONIFERRADIO.COM LISTEN LIVE: Conifer Podcast presents our monthly Chamber Chat

Wednesday, May 1st at 5 pm

Click the “Listen Live” button

Staunton State Park will add a shooting range specifically for hunter education certification in 2025.

PHOTO BY GABRIEL CHRISTUS

HAPPENINGS

We’d like to know about events or activities of interest to the community. Visit www.canyoncourier. com/calendar/ and post your event online for free. Email jreuter@coloradocommunitymedia.com to get items in the newspaper. Items will appear in print on a space-available basis.

THURSDAY

Indian Hills Community Applied Sciences Alliance: 7 to 8:30 p.m. April 25, Indian Hills Community Center, 5381 Parmalee Gulch Road. Discussions of applications of science and technology to life in the foothills. Contact: randy.tagg@ gmail.com

FRIDAY

“Fire ies,” play by Evergreen Players: Weekends through April 28. 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays. Evergreen Players Black Box eater, 27886 Meadow Drive, Unit B, Evergreen. Tickets $30. 720-515-1528 or online at www.evergreenplayers.org.

SATURDAY

27 outside the Evergreen Lake House. Litter cleanup from 9-11 a.m.; 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM: Activities, Education & Giveaways from 10 a.m. to noon.

Stegosaurus Day at Morrison Natural History Museum: 10 a.m.6 p.m. April 27, 501 Colorado Highway 8, Morrison. Free admission.

SUNDAY

Evergreen High School bleachers fundraiser: 1-5 p.m., April 28, Little Bear Saloon,28075 CO 74, Evergreen. Music from the Taylor Scott Band. $30 for one ticket, $25 each for two or more. Tickets at littlebearlive.com, click “tickets” and scroll to April 28.

TUESDAY

closing/celebration ceremony: 4 p.m. May 1, 1928 S. Hiwan Drive, Evergreen. Community welcome.

Evergreen Chamber of Commerce monthly breakfast: May 1, 7:30-9 a.m., Fountain Barbecue, 30790 Stagecoach Blvd, Evergreen.

UPCOMING

Evergreen Chamber of Commerce Women in Business luncheon: 11 a.m.-2 p.m., May 2, Mount Vernon Canyon Club, 24933 Club House Circle, Evergreen.

Wheels of Expression-Art Show & Skatepark Fundraiser: 4-8 p.m., May 2, Evergreen Brewery/Boone’s Lot, 2962 Evergreen Pkwy. Art, food trucks, skate ramps, yard games, music.

Earth Day Evergreen 2024: April

Evergreen Fire/Rescue Spring wild re presentation “Preparing for Wild re:” 6-8 p.m. April 30, EFR Administration Building, 1802 Bergen Parkway, Evergreen. Improve your home’s chances of surviving a wild re. evergreen rerescue.com.

WEDNESDAY

Bergen Meadow Elementary

5th annual Elevating Youth Mental Health fundraiser: 5-8 p.m. May 8, Center Stage, 27608 Fireweed Drive, Evergreen.Resilience 1220 fundraiser, featuring silent auction, hors d’oeuvres, cash bar and the documentary “Ripple E ect,” on the complexities of suicide loss.

Evergreen Fire/Rescue Spring wild re presentation “Firewise landscaping:” 6-7:30 p.m. May 9, EFR Administration Building, 1802 Bergen Parkway, Evergreen. Learn how to strategically place re-resistant plants to resist the spread of re to your home. evergreen rerescue.com.

National Wild re Community Preparedness Day: 9:30 a.m.-12 p.m. May 4, Inter-Canyon Fire Station 3, 8445 S. U.S. 285, Morrison. Information on slash collection, re insurance and wild re safety. Hosted by Homestead Community Ambassador and Homestead Emergency Action Team.

Center Stage 3rd annual trunk sale: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 11, 27608 Fireweed Dr. Evergreen. Vintage clothing, handmade princess dresses and skirts, tote bags, jewelry, fabric and patterns.

Recycling Strategies glass recycling community information workshop: 6-8 p.m. May 15, Ev-

Former mortgage broker opens artisan boutique bakery in Conifer

BY JANE REUTER JREUTER@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

When Diane Simon rst saw Evergreen in the 1980s, she knew she’d found her home. Now the owner of Conifer’s Wicked Whisk Bakery, Simon was visiting Colorado on a business trip when she took a drive up Interstate 70.

“Evergreen Parkway wasn’t even a parkway yet,” she said, recalling her spontaneous decision to take the small highway exit. “I was there 20 minutes, and I thought, ‘I’m going to live and die here someday.’ It was a very strange kind of epiphany.”

In the wake of the 2008 nancial crisis, Simon and her husband Vince nally made the move from Hawaii to Colorado’s foothills. A longtime successful mortgage broker, Simon continued her business in Colorado until she was struck by another epiphany, this one inspired by a series of cancer diagnoses and treatments.

“My health issues made me think about not living in regret, and the value of life and those around you,” she said. “Where to nd happiness becomes most important. I just didn’t want to be a mortgage broker anymore. I’ve dabbled over the

‘A labor of love’

years with baking, I enjoy chemistry, and the challenge of baking at altitude was fun.”

She enrolled in a French pastry school during the pandemic and began seeking space for an artisan boutique bakery, something she thought was missing in the Conifer area.

“Nobody does anything up here like they do down the hill,” she said. “We decided, ‘let’s bring it up here.’”

Simon opened Wicked Whisk in the former Wing Wagon space on

Conifer Road in November 2023.

It’s an operation she describes as “a labor of love.” Most mornings, she’s up by 4 a.m. to start baking the wide variety of items she sells, with help from bakery manager Courtney McGuinness.

“

e process to do so many di erent kinds of things is long,” Simon said. “With just the two of us doing it, we need the time.”

Simon describes herself as meticulous. Both she and McGuinness are dedicated to ensuring her baked

goods are not only tasty but beautiful. Wicked Whisk’s display cases include bagels, breads, croissants, pu pastries, cookies, macarons, cakes, mu ns and hand pies among other artistically crafted items.

“Everything is fresh and by hand, and 95% of it is made the same day. “As a boutique, that just means we do things a lot di erently. We do small batches, custom cakes and cupcakes. It’s not like a King Soopers that has case cakes; I can’t a ord the waste.”

While she is serious about her craft, she’s designed Wicked Whisk to foster relaxation, with comfortable chairs and tables and free internet.

“People can come in, use our internet and do their work,” she said. “I encourage that. You can take and sit down, or take and go.”

While the hours are long and the work is hard, the reward is great, Simon said.

“We get a ton of feedback,” she said. “People tell us, ‘We’re just so happy you’re here.’ ‘Conifer really needed this,’ and ‘Your stu is delicious.’ We’re starting to get a lot of custom orders. Businesses are now coming in saying they want wholesale, so I’m going to get my wholesale license.

“It’s a grind and it’s di cult,” she continued. “But I just really enjoy giving the community something they feel they wanted and didn’t have — and a comfortable, more sophisticated place to come to.”

Wicked Whisk owner Diane Simon and bakery manager Courtney McGuinness show o some of the baked goods available at the Conifer bakery. PHOTO BY JANE REUTER

HAPPENINGS

ergreen Fire/Rescue, 1802 Bergen Parkway, Evergreen. Learn how to properly dispose of glass so that it can be e ectively recycled. Information: Deb Sandler at recyclingstrategies@ gmail.com”

Art Gone Wild fundraiser for Wild Aware: 5-8 p.m. May 17, Mountain Home, 27965 Meadow Drive, Evergreen. Free event featuring wildlife art created by area artists and sculptors for sale to the public, wine and appetizers. Wild Aware volunteers will provide information about the nonpro t’s programs.

Evergreen Fire/Rescue Wild re Forum: 6-8 p.m. May 22, Evergreen High School, 29300 Bu alo Park Road, Evergreen. evergreen rerescue.com.

Medlen School Days historical camp: June 6-8 and June 13-15. For elementary-age children. Sponsored by the Evergreen Mountain Area Historical Society. Camp is located on South Turkey Creek Road. $40. Email MedlenSchoolDays@gmail.com for registration form. For information, call JoAnn Dunn at 303-503-5978.

Evergreen Elks Lodge 2024 charity golf tournament: Hiwan Golf Club, Monday, June 19 – registration opens at 6:30 am & tee time is 8:00 am.

Evergreen Sustainability Alliance spring recycling: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. June 22, Evergreen Lutheran Church, 5980 Highway 73, Evergreen. Bring your hard-to-recycle items like electronics, old paint, block Styrofoam, appliances, glass, toothbrushes/toothpaste tubes, old markers/pens and car batteries to the Evergreen Sustainability Alliance’s Spring Clean recycling event. TVs an additional $25. For more information, info@sustainevergreen.org.

ONGOING

e American Legion Evergreen Post 2001: Meets every fourth Tuesday at 7 p.m., Evergreen Church of the Trans guration, 27640 Highway 74, Evergreen. Serving all military veterans in the foothills communities. Email evergreenpost2001@gmail.com

Evergreen Area Republican Club: e Evergreen Area Republican Club meets at 6 p.m. the rst Wednesday of the month at the Evergreen Fire/Rescue Administration Building, 1802 Ber-

gen Parkway.

Mountain Area Democrats: Mountain Area Democrats meet at 9 a.m. the fourth Saturday of the month January through April at the United Methodist Church of Evergreen, 3757 Ponderosa Drive, Evergreen. For more information, e-mail MountainAreaDems@ gmail.com.

Evergreen Sustainability Alliance is looking for volunteers: Evergreen Sustainability Alliance’s “Let’s Embrace Zero Food Waste” program in local schools and food banks needs volunteers. Volunteers are needed for a couple hours. Call 720-536-0069 or email info@sustainevergreen.org for more information.

Evergreen Nature Center: e Evergreen Nature Center is open from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays next to Church of the Trans guration. Admission is free. For more information, visit www.EvergreenAudubon. org.

Blue Spruce Habitat volunteers needed: Blue Spruce Habitat for Humanity is looking for volunteers. A variety of opportunities and exible schedules are available on new construction

sites as well as for exterior minor home repairs. No previous construction experience needed. Contact volunteer@ bluesprucehabitat.org for information.

EChO needs volunteers: e Evergreen Christian Outreach ReSale Store and food pantry need volunteers. Proceeds from the EChO ReSale Store support the food pantry and programs and services provided by EChO. ere are many volunteer options from which to choose. For more information, call Mary at 720-673-4369 or email mary@ evergreenchristianoutreach.org.

LGBTQ+ teen book club: Resilience1220 is o ering an LGBTQ+ teen book club that meets from 4-6 p.m. the fourth Monday at the Resilience1220 o ce next to the Buchanan Park Recreation Center. For more information and to register, visit R1220.org.

ESA EverGREEN Re ll Station: EverGREEN Re ll Station (re ll your laundry detergent, lotions, soaps and more. We have many sustainable products available). e Re ll Station is open Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and the second Saturday of each month from 1-4 p.m. in the Habi-

If you are old enough you grow to realize that most everything in life ebbs and ows. Markets of all sorts rise and fall. Teams that were winners one season can be losers the next. It is the same in politics. Back in 1937 after Roosevelt’s reelection landslide, there were 105 Republicans in total in both houses of the United States Congress. Republicans were in a super minority status. ey barely had 20 percent of all the seats. Ten years later they were in a majority for the 80th Congress. Fortunes rise and fortunes wane.

What happened from 1937-1947 was that some dedicated action on the part of volunteers and donors occurred to turn the tide. It was intelligent action that persuaded others to help the GOP gain a majority in Congress to push good policy. It did not happen overnight, but happen it did. When I wrote the rst draft of this column out last week, my intention was to state that I have every belief that the Colorado GOP will rise again and gain seats.

After Saturday’s State Convention in Pueblo I cannot say that honestly

BY STAVROS KORONEOS

Driver error

EVERGREEN – Possibly without thinking things all the way through, on the morning of March 7 Silver 4Runner called JCSO to accuse Black Yukon of “getting in my face.” He’d been driving to work along Evergreen Parkway, he told deputies, when Black Yukon “cut me o .”

More than a bit mi ed, Silver 4Runner fell in behind Black Yukon for a while, but soon tired of the pursuit and went to work. Imagine his surprise when Black Yukon turned the tables, showing up at Silver 4Runner’s place of business looking for his shadow. Silver 4Runner “confronted” Black Yukon in the lobby, words were exchanged, on-site authorities chased Black Yukon back out the door, and Silver 4Runner summoned deputies for to punish

VOICES

Parting words

JOE WEBB Columnist

or keep a straight face being optimistic about the future of limited government in Colorado.

e Republicans in the 1930s and 1940s were intelligent and dedicated about getting out of the minority. If today’s Colorado GOP is intelligent about getting out of the minority, as a rst step they should avoid ejecting reporters from their conventions.

Many think the mainstream media has bias and there are ample amounts of tangible evidence in that regard. But if you have nothing to hide then you certainly do not get sheri ’s deputies to eject a reporter from the Colorado Sun who is reporting. is should be common sense. It was for me. I let MSNBC into one of my assemblies and did not bother them. Nothing bad happened. It is an unsavory image ejecting someone that gives rise to the worst thoughts in those who read

Black Yukon’s e rontery. Unfortunately for the complainant, the only useful information about that case that deputies had at hand was Silver 4Runner’s driving status, which was “suspended” on account of “excessive points.” Deputies advised Silver 4Runner to worry less about Black Yukon and more about “getting your driving status gured out.”

Goober eats

EVERGREEN – Leaving his vehicle at the Bergen Park n Ride on the night of March 9, Grand Cherokee returned less than three hours later to nd its grandeur sadly diminished. While his license plate was still in place, its bolts had been “partially removed.” Worse, “food” had been “thrown on the windshield,” a condition aggravated by the theft of his windshield wiper blades. Adding insult to injury, the callous car park caterers left a message scrawled in the dust on the

about it. Among those thoughts are thinking the worst about Republican or conservative candidates.

It was thinking the worst about Republicans that led to the beginning of this little column. I wrote a letter to the then-editor of the Columbine Courier, Michael Hicks about the shooting at the Capitol Baseball Game in 2017 that wounded Steve Scalise. Michael invited me to write for the Canyon and Columbine Courier after we met. It has been an enjoyable and interesting experience.

is is my last column. For a few reasons, I need to turn the page on a few chapters in my life. I have enjoyed it immensely. When I was rst asked to write, the best advice I received was from my great friend Joy Ho man. She told me to keep it positive and I think I have. My reason for soft selling was that I wanted those who read me to see conservatives as people rather than the harsh unfeeling troglodytes that some would make us believe we are. I got personal and shared stu with the readers because conservatives have hard times too. We care about

rear window. “Be careful where you park,” they wrote. inking he had been, Grand Cherokee called JCSO deputies, who didn’t get it either. ere was neither permanent damage to the vehicle, nor an immediate case to be made.

Some reason?

INDIAN HILLS – Finishing his shift on the morning of March 4, Boyfriend called Girlfriend for a ride back to the home they share. Unable to nd her keys, Girlfriend arranged for Boyfriend an Uber ride, instead. “For some reason,” Girlfriend would later tell deputies, “the Uber driver kicked (Boyfriend) out of the car before they got to the house.” Understandably frustrated, Boyfriend got his mom to drive him the remaining distance and arrived home in a bit of a pet. Boyfriend blamed Girlfriend for the morning’s mess, Girlfriend felt herself unjustly

our communities and our neighbors. We wish to make them model places in which to live. We are real people.

I ended my rst column by paraphrasing former Speaker Paul Ryan’s quote about conservatives and Republicans. Here is something that I would like for everyone to remember about conservatives and Republicans. We are young, old and in-between. We have all sorts of religious beliefs and some of us have none at all. We are male and female. We encompass every sociological de nition imaginable. We are your friends, coworkers and neighbors. You know us. We are Americans just like you and we have a right and duty to in uence the future of our country. We do this because we want what is best not just for ourselves and those we love, but everyone in our community.  anks for listening to me, Je co. ank you Colorado Community Media (support it!) and thank you to editor Kristen Fiore.

Joe Webb is the former chairman of the Je co Republican party.

accused, and the debate continued at full volume until Girlfriend picked up the phone and made a hang-up 911 call. Belatedly realizing how paltry their problem might appear to a patrolman, Girlfriend immediate re-dialed, assuring the dispatcher that everything was ne, honest. e dispatcher was glad to hear it, but said that deputies would shortly be by to con rm it. Satis ed that all was well on the home front, o cers advised that the couple retreat to separate corner the next time “issues” arise.

Alternative theory

CONIFER – Returning home from vacation and nding his patio door hanging half open, he suspected robbery and summoned JCSO. Responding deputies found it suggestive that the presumed thieves had

SHERIFF’S CALLS

failed to lch the laptop computer left sitting in plain sight, the plainly visible knife collection and the easily accessible ri e. ey’d also for some reason neglected to search the large

pile of mail on the dining room table for checks or useful personal andnancial information. In fact, the incompetent crooks appeared to have slid the door open about a foot and departed without setting foot inside the house, which was apparent since nothing had been moved even an inch and the small snow drift that had formed on the oor in front

of the door was completely undisturbed. After digesting those observations, the complainant ventured the opinion that the woman who’d been feeding the cat in his absence might have left it open “on accident.”

e deputies agreed that such a scenario would be consistent with the observable facts.

Sheri ’s Calls is intended as a humorous take on some of the incident call records of the Je erson County Sheri ’s O ce for the mountain communities. Names and identifying details have been changed, including the writer’s name, which is a pseudonym. All individuals are innocent until proven guilty.

OBITUARIES

Larry Neal Kilborn

July 30, 1935 - March 26, 2024

Larry Neal Kilborn was a kind and compassionate man with a fantastic sense of humor. His ready smile and hearty handshake helped make others feel at ease. Larry’s quiet kindness, delightful sense of humor, and charming smile will be missed by all who knew him.

National Park, Grand Teton National Park, Ocmulgee National Monument, Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Gettysburg National Military Park, Jean La tte National Historical Park, and the Everglades National Park. Larry had the unique honor of designing the Everglades National Park visitor center twice - once in the late 1980s and again after Hurricane Andrew destroyed his previous work in 1992.

Larry was born on July 30, 1935, in Chickasha, Oklahoma, the only child of E.E. and Ruth Kilborn. He grew up in Chickasha until he attended Wentworth Military Academy in Kansas. After graduating from Wentworth in 1955, Larry attended the University of Oklahoma and received his Bachelor’s of Architecture in 1960. Upon graduating from college, Larry moved to Lakewood, Colorado, where he met the love of his life, Dixie (Fitzwater) Kilborn.

Seven days after Dixie graduated from the University of Nebraska, Larry and Dixie married in Imperial, Nebraska, on June 16, 1962. e couple moved to Lakewood, Colorado, where they started their lives together. In November 1966, Larry and Dixie moved to Evergreen, Colorado.

Larry worked in several architectural rms until he joined the National Park Service in 1974. During his thirty-one-year career with the Park Service, Larry had the opportunity to work on many di erent projects. Larry was on the team that helped the Park Service implement a ComputerAided Drafting System, helping move them into the computer age. Larry’s projects ranged from working on a comfort station at George Washington Birthplace National Monument to ending his career with a new administration and maintenance complex for Tumacacori National Historical Park.

Over the years, Larry worked on di erent buildings in the Carlsbad Caverns National Park, the Canaveral National Seashore, and the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument. Larry also worked on projects for Fort Moultrie at Fort Sumter National Monument, Fort Je erson at Dry Tortugas

While with the National Park Service, Larry was recognized multiple times for his outstanding performance. He received a Certi cate of Excellence Award in 1994 and 1995 and the Outstanding Performance Award in 1999 for contributing to a low-energy and sustainable Zion Canyon Transportation System facility at Zion National Park. Larry retired in January 2004, proud of the work he completed during his career.

Larry’s lifelong passion for baseball and football led to his avid support of the Denver Broncos and Colorado Rockies. Larry and his wife Dixie shared a love of antiques and Navajo weavings. In his retirement, Larry enjoyed researching antiques, Navajo weavings, and collectibles, learning about his ancestry, supporting Dixie in her second career, and spending time with his children and grandchildren.

On March 26, 2024, Larry Kilborn passed away at 88. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Dixie. Larry is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, Jody and Denny Wright; his son and daughter-inlaw, Brad and Sarah Kilborn; and his three grandchildren, Arie Wright, Aaron Kilborn, and Noah Kilborn.

Larry’s service will be held on May 25, 2024, at 11:00 am at the Church of e Trans guration in Evergreen, Colorado. In lieu of owers, the family asks that you donate to the Evergreen Animal Protective League in Larry Kilborn’s name.

Please visit evergreenmemorialpark.com to leave condolences for the family.

KILBORN

Our ‘Columbine at 25’ project

Last week, our newsroom released the rst part of our two-week series “How Columbine changed us.” It looks back on the 25 years since the tragic shooting at Columbine High School, where two armed students took the lives of 13 people before ending their own. e narrative often repeated in the media focuses on the killers and victims, but, as we reported in week one, it overlooks Columbine’s journey of re-

covery, resilience and triumph. In week two, we touch on the issues of safety in “How Columbine changed response.” In the aftermath of Columbine, schools across the country have increased security measures. ese include classroom doors that lock from the inside, single-point entry systems, security cameras, metal detectors, scanners and drills. And, rst responders have changed how they communicate.

Our biggest nding is that the de ning aspect of Columbine is not the shooting, but the response of the community. It is the indomitable spirit that has emerged and evolved at the school and surrounding area since 1999. is spirit is evident in the school’s Day of Service, held every April 20, the anniversary of the shooting. As teacher Mandy Cooke, a survivor of the 1999 incident, puts it, “We have turned that day into some-

thing so positive… making sure that our current students know how to be better humans in the world, instead of this awful, tragic thing that happened to us.” us, inclusive school culture is perhaps the most critical way Columbine changed us.

View the whole project online at coloradocommunitymedia.com/ columbine-at-25.

– Michael de Yoanna and Kristen Fiore, editors

The Columbine High School yearbook, one of many points of pride for students and the community and part of the culture that those close to the school say is also a part of what makes it safer.

COURTESY OF KELLEY KELLOGG

BY HALEY LENA AND SUZIE GLASSMAN

Today, it’s common across the country for children as young as 4 and 5 to participate in active-shooter drills and shelter-in-place lockdowns about as often as they take standardized tests. at includes the Je erson County School District, where Columbine High School resides.

e Columbine of today has classroom doors that lock from the inside and a single-point entry for students, sta and visitors. It’s equipped with many visible and invisible ways to prevent and/or limit the impact of a mass-scale emergency, a kind that had not been on the national radar before the mass shooting.

While many people may believe school security is about physical barriers and policing threats, those working in the building today, including principal Scott Christy and social studies teachers Sam Bowersox and Je Garkow, say safety at Columbine is also about culture. As a result, the sum of those safety measures is far greater than the parts.

“Kids can’t learn if they don’t feel safe, and teachers can’t teach if they don’t feel safe. And so it’s everything. It’s incredibly important,” said Christy. “I think Columbine is the safest school in the world. My hope is that sta and students don’t think about what happened 25 years ago. ey see it as they see their school as a home, a place that they’re proud to be a part of, and a place that they know that they’re loved and cared for.”

Still, security has changed since the April 20, 1999 shooting.

John McDonald wasn’t at Columbine that day, but like countless others, his life was forever changed by the tragedy. Nine years later, he became the executive director of school safety for the Je erson County School District, including Columbine, and, since moving on, has continued to work to make schools safer.

“I hate to say good came out of it,”

said McDonald. “But what came out of (the Columbine shooting) was the commitment to protect kids.”

Before the tragedy, school o cials and security o cers focused on the potential dangers outsiders might in ict on their buildings. Overnight, they had to shift their thinking to consider that students could be threats, too, and how that might impact school safety plans.

Doing so took its toll. Between 1999 and 2008, the school district had multiple executive directors of school safety.

“ e job was di cult,” said McDonald, who held the position for 14 years starting in 2008. “It was overwhelming for people.”

McDonald, who is now the chief operating o cer for the National Council of School Security, was recognized internationally as the architect of the Columbine High School security and emergency management plan.

In April 1999, with no incident command structure in the district, school security consisted of a handful of cameras outside the school and a few school resource o cers. ere was a disconnect with local law enforcement agencies, who were unfamiliar with the insides of the school, critical information that would be useful for saving lives during an incident.

According to a 2018 Federal School Safety Commission report, there was a rush by leaders across the country to add security o cers and speed up response times, among other measures. Security experts also began considering how students, who often hear rsthand about planned attacks or suicidal ideations, might help tip them o . As a result, the Colorado Trust awarded a $375,000 grant to establish the anonymous 24/7 hotline Safe2Tell.

It’s di cult to know precisely how the immediate security changes impacted students. Walking into Columbine in August 1999, Kelley Kellogg said she didn’t focus on the

added security or the changes to the school other than being relieved that the library where the majority of the deaths occurred had been walled o .

Instead, she felt the typical nerves and excitement of any student on their rst day of high school. As a freshman, she hadn’t been there on the day of the shooting, but she knew several classmates who had, including one whose sibling had died.

“Mostly, we didn’t talk about it, even my friend who’d been directly impacted,” said Kellogg. “But I felt incredibly safe. Everyone was super vigilant and protective. Frank DeAngelis (the principal at the time) and all of the teachers took such good care of us, shielded us from the media attention and made us feel loved and cared for.”

A 2021 Students’ Reports of Safety and Security Measures Observed at School published by the National Center for Education Statistics indicated four measures became more prevalent in the ensuing years, from 2009 to 2019.

Students saw an increase in the use of one or more security cameras, a locked entrance or exit door during the day, student identi cation badges and security guards or assigned police o cers.

e sitting Je erson County School District Executive Director for the Department of School Safety, Je Pierson, said that in addition to more alarmed doors, secure classrooms, and vestibules to check identi cation, more information and security is coming with added cameras and security guards.

“I think it sends a message to our kids and our parents that we’ve got an additional set of eyes that are highly trained individuals watching out for and keeping an eye on what’s going on in our buildings,” said Pierson.

Six years ago, McDonald hired Pierson as the district’s director of safe school environments. In this role, he focused on enhancing part-

Columbine High School Principal Scott Christy stands on April 4 outside the Frank DeAngelis Community Safety Center in Wheat Ridge. He spoke to reporters there as part of the Je co Public Schools “media day” in connection with the 25th anniversary of the Columbine shooting.

nerships between schools, district leadership, and the Department of School Safety, seeking to establish a more proactive approach.

Before taking on this role, Pierson was the principal at Standley Lake High School in Westminster and trained in federal and police safety and policing programs. Pierson said having rst responder training and the lens of an educator has helped him break down barriers to how schools should operate.

Far more than the enforced wearing of student IDs and the additional patrol cars posted outside, Kellogg said safety came from a sense of belonging.

“I feel like everyone just kind of tried to get along,” she said. “Because even though this really tragic thing happened, I felt like we were a part of a family. Kids are kids, and stu still happens, but I felt like everyone tried their best to take care of each other.”

PHOTO BY ELLIS ARNOLD

Communications problems led to state’s now-robust radio program

After more than 25 years of build-out, Colorado’s Digital Trunked Radio System has made a di erence, first responders say

BY DEBORAH GRIGSBY DGRIGSBY@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

In the years before the shooting at Columbine High School, Colorado had already started to address challenges within its radio communications system for rst responders. Primarily directed at helping rural and mountainous towns mitigate dead spots in coverage, these e orts were a promising step forward, particularly during wild res, when aid spanned multiple jurisdictions.

But on April 20, 1999, when more than 40 separate agencies descended upon Columbine High School, communication broke down.

As police, re and medical personnel responded to the shootings that took 13 lives, radio frequencies overloaded because so many di erent agencies were all trying to talk at once.

At one point, radios had become so useless that messengers on foot had to relay critical information between agencies, as then-chief of the state Fire Safety Division Kevin Klein told e Denver Post in 2011.

“Go back to Columbine — di erent responding agencies on di erent radio systems that couldn’t talk to each other,” Klein told the Post. “You had paralysis in the initial phase of the incident. We had to use runners to go back and forth to talk about what we’re going to do.”

But a quarter of a century later, many rst responders say that challenges aside, the state’s Digital Trunked Radio System (DTRS) has made a di erence.

Experts describe DTRS as a “system of systems” that connects re, law enforcement, medical, military

Colorado’s interoperable radio communication system for first responders has undergone continuous build-out over the past 25 years since Columbine. More commonly known as the digital trunked radio system (DTRS), this “system of systems” connects firefighters, law enforcement and other responders across a network of radios, both handheld and vehiclemounted. While it has seen its share of problems from inconsistent funding to technology glitches, Larkspur Fire Protection District Fire Capt. Chad Campagnola says he’s confident in the system and in its ability to perform in the event of a largescale emergency.

and federal assets with a network of radios, antennas and specialized software patches to bridge gaps between newer hardware and legacy equipment.

And even school districts can be part of the DTRS system.

“Any agency within the state can go to the system and connect with any other law enforcement or rst responder group that is on the scene of a critical incident,” Jacki Kelley, spokesperson for the Je erson County Sheri ’s O ce, said of the DTRS.

Fire Capt. Chad Campagnola said the Larkspur Fire Protection District has been a part of the state’s DTRS systems since Douglas County transitioned to it in the early 2000s.

Campagnola, who has been with the department since 1992 and styles himself as the “district radio guy,” said that although the DTRS system added more capabilities for his team, the early roll-out was not without frustrations.

As in most jurisdictions, Campagnola cites the standard funding and technology challenges as the most troublesome.

Not only is the radio expensive, but there are also fees for each radio to be on the system and for certain types of software upgrades.

However, with more than two decades of build-out complete, Campagnola says he’s con dent in the system and feels it has evolved into a dependable asset that can help save lives and protect property.

Prior to DTRS, Larkspur had often experienced radio communication di culties due to its local geography and terrain.  ings are much better now.

“It’s de nitely an improvement from 24 years ago,” said Campagnola. “It’s also an improvement from two years ago. In our district speci cally, Douglas County has added more (radio) towers in the past ve years and that’s made an impact, especially for responders in the southern part of the county, as it a ects not just re but law enforcement, but roads and bridges, and the Douglas County School District — anyone operating within the DTRS coverage area.”

PHOTO BY DEBORAH GRIGSBY

into three distinct buckets: funding, planning, and training.

Colorado amply followed up with heavy investment in the DTRS program.

The Columbine Commission Report

Nine months after the Columbine massacre, then-Gov. Bill Owens signed an executive order creating the Columbine Review Commission in response to public outcry for answers. e 10-member board, chaired by retired Colorado Supreme Court Justice William H. Erickson, was charged with identifying lessons learned and how those lessons could prevent future tragedies.

e Columbine Review Commission Report was released in May 2001, nearly a year and a half later.

Anger and accusations ensued in the days after the report’s release as parents, school o cials and others demanded answers, saying the 174page report completely “glossed over” the events that led up to the attack and failed to properly investigate police response.

e commission o ered its recommendations but made no requirements for mandatory implementation. e commission was disbanded after its report was released, further infuriating the public.

However, among the commission’s top recommendations was the need to improve communications and, as a byproduct, more coordination among emergency response agencies. It recommended continuing development of the Digital Trunk Radio System.

Speci cally, the Columbine Commission recommended that “agencies in parts of the state not yet within the statewide system receive funds for the purchase of TRP 100 or similar systems, enabling them to be available in the event of a serious catastrophe in any part of the state.”

While much has changed since 1999, improving the rst responder radio system has been di cult in the decades since. e challenge in building out — and sustaining — Colorado’s interoperable communication system seem to be consistent among agencies and falls

Putting a nger on exactly how much has been invested in Colorado’s DTRS program year-to-date is complicated as multiple sources of funding have been and continue to be employed. A  2016 memo from the Colorado Legislative Council provides an insight into the program’s early nancial history, nearing $250 million at the time.

But piles of money aside, what most didn’t realize is that this project would be far more than just buying new radios and issuing them to rst responders.

Building a statewide interoperable radio system would include the construction of multiple antenna towers — some of them in hard-toget-to mountainous terrain — to bridge growing technology gaps between new and legacy systems. State technology experts would also have to identify and manage radio frequencies, as well as convince jurisdictions to collaborate and share resources.

Legislation to provide interoperable communication funding for schools

In 2011, more than 10 years after the mass shooting, then-Gov. John Hickenlooper signed into law Senate Bill 11-173. e bill addressed the lack of interoperable communications between schools and rst responders during an emergency. It augments the Colorado School Response Framework, created in 2008, to improve school crisis response by clarifying that interoperable communications are included in a school district’s school safety, readiness, and incident management plan.

Senate Bill 18-158 created the School Access for Emergency Response program, which provides schools with grant funding to purchase interoperable communication hardware and software, pay for equipment maintenance and provide training. e goal was to facilitate “seamless communications between existing school communications systems and rst

responder communications systems.”

e state placed the SAFER program within the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and initially funded it with a $5 million transfer from the Department of Public Safety for the 2018-19 scal year. Subsequent years were funded by State Public School Fund transfers through July 1, 2023.

Colorado’s O ce of Information Technology currently oversees the state’s public safety communications network and the DTRS.

But even with millions in local, state and federal dollars invested in the DTRS program, completing — and sustaining — a statewide interoperable radio system still has a few bugs.

While most emergency management and public safety experts say the state’s system has improved dramatically and local governments are more organized and collaborative since the Columbine shooting, there is still work to do.

Other jurisdictions have a similar take.

e Je erson County Sheri ’s O ce — an early adopter of DTRS, joining Douglas County and Arapahoe County in the program in the late 1990s — was among the rst to arrive on the Columbine scene in 1999.

e agency understands, rsthand, what can go wrong when rst responders are unable to communicate. Brad Ingermann, a commander with the Je erson County Sheri ’s O ce Patrol Division, said that while the state’s DTRS still has its challenges, his agency is far better o than it was at the time of the Columbine shooting and now clearly believes it has an interoperable radio system that works.

“While large-scale incidents such as Columbine are far more common than they used to be, they are still very rare compared to events such as wildland res,” he said.

Mobile data terminals or MDTs as they are known, are computers used in vehicles operated by fire, law enforcement and other fields to connect mobile units, such as this fire engine operated by the Larkspur Fire Protection District, to a central dispatch or communications center.

PHOTO BY DEBORAH GRIGSBY

A Day of Service: Columbine teacher assists with reshaping narrative

BY ELISABETH SLAY ESLAY@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Every day Je rey Garkow frequents the halls of his alma mater.

Garkow graduated from Columbine High School in 2006 and now works there as a social studies teacher.

He is one of the rst people to help reshape how the school honors the 13 lives taken on April 20, 1999.

Prior to 2017, the school wouldn’t hold classes on April 20.

“My experience with April 20 on the professional side of things was that it was just a day o ,” Garkow said. “I think that was hard for a lot of people, especially for the sta who were here on April 20, 1999.”

So, in 2016, Garkow said he and other Columbine educators decided to reimagine the day o and launched Day of Service.

“ is, I think, is kind of giving us the chance to control the narrative a little more about what Columbine has been through and what we are now,” he said.

e rst Day of Service was held in 2017. Garkow said about 400 students volunteered to participate. Last year around 1,500 of the school’s 1,700 students participated in the event.

Students, alumni, sta and community members participate in various projects on the Day of Service including volunteering at nursing homes, spending time at animal shelters, cleaning up parks, working with younger students in the district and cleaning up the campus.

In 2019, Gov. Jared Polis signed a proclamation declaring that Colorado will observe a Day of Service and Recommitment on April 20 each year.

Over the years, more alumni have gotten involved with the day and even planned their own versions of the event at other schools or their places of employment.

Frank DeAngelis, former Columbine principal, said people have participated in the Day of Service from beyond the state — even as far

away as Tanzania.

“It’s stu like that that I think is so important,” he said. “Because here’s the thing. ere are kids now that weren’t even born, but there’s certain messages — kindness, saying thank you … How do we make the world a better place?”

Mandy Cooke, a Columbine High School employee and survivor of the shooting, said the Day of Service reects the school’s current attitude of moving forward with hope.

“We have turned that day into something so positive,” she said. “And that is what I am most proud of — is making sure that our current students know how to be better humans in the world, instead of this awful, tragic thing that happened to us.”

For Garkow, the best aspect of Day of Service is the reactions from students who he says have loved participating in the celebration and carry that impact long after they graduate or leave.

“It’s just a really cool thing to hear students talk about that and how much of an impact that made on them and how much they continue to want to do that now,” Garkow said.

Garkow was in fth grade at Governor’s Ranch Elementary School on April 20, 1999. All he really remembers is learning the impact that day had on the community.

Sometimes students ask him about the shooting and Garkow said he is as open as possible with them and does his best to answer their questions.

“ ere is so much misinformation online and on social media or on ReddIt or in news articles about our school and the culture of our school that I think students pick up on,” Garkow said.

Garkow feels protective of his students. He feels they should not have to answer to people who are curious about the school.

“What responsibility do our kids have to own that story when they weren’t even alive during it?” Garkow said. “I think a lot of our kids

have a di erent take on it now because they didn’t experience any of it.”

As a student himself, Garkow didn’t fully comprehend what had happened but did witness how tight-knit the community became.

“I came into the school already as a kid with a lot of pride in seeing what the community did after that and seeing how the community responded,” Garkow said.

He said DeAngelis became the center of that community in many ways.

“I think so much of why we are the community we are today is because of Frank,” Garkow said. “ at guy absolutely gave up everything for himself to take care of the community and made sure every kid felt valued and welcomed.”

Garkow said DeAngelis later hired him to teach at the school. He worked with DeAngelis for a few years before DeAngelis retired.

“I absolutely love being in the school,” Garkow said. “ ere’s 20plus alumni who I think work in the building and I think that speaks a

lot to the strength of the community (and) how much the school means to people.”

Garkow said the community of the school feels almost like a family.

“I think it’s rare to work in a place where so many of the people you were with are just dear friends,” Garkow said. “It’s pretty rare that I feel like I’m coming here just to work.”

Garkow works with a lot of his own former teachers.

“( ey) are mentors and friends and people who I hope I can model myself after as an educator just because they meant so much to me when I was a student here,” Garkow said.

Garkow said he hopes more stories about where the school is now are told rather than only re ecting on the past.

“

ere is so much tragedy but there have also been so many beautiful moments that’ve come out since, that I think it gives a much better picture of who we are now and where we are as a school,” Garkow said.

Social studies teacher and alumnus at Columbine High School, Je Garkow stands at his old locker from his time as a student. Garkow has pride in the school, which he shows each year at the school’s Day of Service on April 20. He assists with coordinating the event and feels it reshapes the narrative of Columbine as a school and community.

PHOTO BY ELISABETH SLAY

PROGRAM

As Ingerman points out, wildland res can quickly spread across multiple jurisdictions and require a medley of rst responders and mutual aid partners — all arriving on the scene and many operating on di erent radio systems and channels.

DTRS helps solve this.

It does so by connecting rst responders by the use of pre-coordinated channels assigned to both day-to-day and emergency operations. Speci c talk groups are allocated based on responder function and assignments, freeing up channels and organizing incident information among multiple agencies and partners.

Hardware alone does not create interoperability

the purchase of equipment hardware: things like handheld radios, car radios, repeaters, antennas and tower systems.

Some experts in the eld recall “radio spending sprees” to purchase the 800-MHz radios — quickly spending grant money to avoid getting caught up in product shortages and back-order delays.

Fran Santagata, a retired U.S. Department of Homeland Security regulatory analyst and former Douglas County emergency manager, said the same was true for Colorado.

But interestingly, over the past 25 years, much of the federal dollars made available to states and local jurisdictions initially went toward

SECURITY

Evolving approach to safety and security

McDonald noted that school districts across Colorado struggled to create cohesive security plans until 2008, when state lawmakers passed a law creating the Colorado School Safety Resource Center “to assist schools in preventing, preparing for, responding to, and recovering from emergencies and crisis situations and to foster positive learning environments.”

“But equipment alone doesn’t create interoperability,” she said. “ ere is a speci c element of coordination and planning required, as well as training. Prociency and comfort in using the equipment are just as important.”

For most jurisdictions, Larkspur included, a signi cant portion of their daily radio tra c occurs over the DTRS, as designed.

emergency channels.

“I think the DTRS got built out, the towers have helped tremendously, and all of the training has helped, but I think we still struggle at every event with the lowest common denominator, which is the individual rst responder only being comfortable using the frequency they use day to day,” she said. “Almost every after-action report usually has a paragraph — or a chapter — on how communications broke down.”

But, as Santagata suggests, many rst responders tend to be more comfortable with their daily comms channels than they are with their

energy at Columbine is relaxed and playful. e school’s 1,668 students walk the halls with ease, chatting with friends and making their way to class.

Additionally, the Standard Response Protocol, created by the I Love You Guys Foundation, was released in 2009 and is now used by countless districts across states. e guidelines made a di erence for the school district because they were an “emergency prepared, not emergency scared program” that everyone understood.

Columbine today

On a bright Tuesday morning, mere days before spring break, the

“I think there’s de nitely truth to that,” said Campagnola. “Dealing with, like, a uni ed command with three agencies where we are, we are very comfortable with our primary work zone or operational zone.”

But Campagnola notes the solution to that is not just the responsibility of the individual radio user.

He said agency leadership also plays an important role in developing good muscle memory for users, looking at the bigger picture and developing relevant training exercises to reinforce those skills.

ey aren’t worried about potential threats or the possibility of something terrible happening. at’s because safety is baked into the very fabric of the school’s culture, and the students know it, explains Columbine SRO Eric Ebling.

Columbine is the only school in Je erson County with two SROs, Ebling and Dan Wonner, who have been there since 2017 and 2019. SRO Joella Gallegos works at one of the feeder middle schools and communicates constantly with Ebling and Wonner. Because of its storied past, Columbine also has more unarmed campus supervisors than others in the Je erson County School District.

recruits in the county’s law enforcement academy and continues with day-to-day use as the recruit enters the force, and with annual exercises that help reinforce radio competency.

“But we are a think-outside-ofthe-box agency,” said Jacki Kelley, spokesperson for the Je erson County Sheri ’s O ce. “We have an initial plan and a backup plan, but as you know, emergencies don’t always go the way you plan or the way you train.”

For the Je erson County Sheri ’s O ce, DTRS training for its personnel begins as early as with new

(Wonner) and me, the sheri ’s o ce or even campus security. If you’re on this property, your job is safety and security.”

But as communities continue to expand and population density increases, more funding will obviously be needed to support and maintain the state’s program.

Overall, most users seem to agree the DTRS system has made a di erence.

Is it perfect?

Not really.

“But I think it’s all good,” said Campagnola. “Like, I have no complaints about anything with our system. We’re continually improving it as a county and as a state, which is allowing for better interoperability.”

Pierson adds that “culture is one of the biggest mitigators.”

“If you have a culture that embeds safety, connections, knowing your student by name, strengths and needs and making sure they have a reporting mechanism for when they hear or see something, those things are easy to implement, and they’re free,” Pierson said.

Columbine sophomore Madison Price sees the school’s security measures but also feels safe because, like Kellogg, who graduated long before her, there’s a sense that everyone in the school is dedicated to taking care of them.

that gives feedback to legislators.  Part of the culture is balancing the ne line between having too much of a physical environment that creates a prison-like mentality and keeping the physical presence there while maintaining a calm, inclusive and safe atmosphere.

“It has to be completely controlled internally,” said Pierson. “Which means student voices, teachers’ voices, parents’ voices, all those stakeholders have to be completely involved and not just involved but invested in what looks like a safe school environment.”

Yet, safety doesn’t come only from the number of o cers.

“It’s people. It’s communication, and it’s philosophy,” said Ebling. “It’s not mind-reading technology or drones. e only reason we can make this work every day is with the mindset that everyone’s job is safety and security. Security is not just Dan

“I do feel safe at school,” Price said. “ ere’s people here to protect us.”

Today, the district’s Department of School Safety, which has over 100 security sta working round the clock, continues to work directly with law enforcement and speak with other districts. It established a group of school safety administrators who meet once a month to discuss hot topics and are also part of a group

e measures in place at Columbine are “night and day from what the security measures were back then,” said Pierson. “But our job is to continue to stay up with the times and keep our buildings as safe as they can be.”

e Columbine tragedy forever changed school safety and security measures as we knew them. Yet, the one thing the massacre couldn’t change was the unbreakable spirit of the Columbine community, which continues to embody former principal DeAngelis’ rallying cry: “WE ARE COLUMBINE.”

2023/2024 PROJECTS

• Regis University Scholarship (WASH)

• Roatan, Honduras Dental Mission

• Global Dental Relief, Cambodia

• School Health Clubs, Kenya

• Micro nance for Women, Honduras

• Rotary WASH Symposium Sponsor

• Kenya Health and Economic Empowerment

• Kenya Anti-Malaria

• Medical Scholarship –University of Colorado

• Project CURE 0 Ukraine Medical Supplies

• Ethiopian Mid-Wife Training

• San Juan de Yanayaku, Peru Water System

UKRAINE POWER-UP

Since November 2022, the Rotary Club of Evergreen has helped deliver twelve solar generators to front line hospitals in Ukraine through its Power Up Ukraine campaign. This perinatal hospital in Kharkiv, on the eastern front, uses its two donated generators constantly for C-sections and other surgeries, to power incubators and infant warmers and even to provide power to patients staying in the basement bomb center.

Service Above Self

SAN JUAN DE YANAYAKU:

Since November 2022, the Rotary Club of Evergreen has helped deliver 12 solar generators to front line hospitals in Ukraine through its Power Up Ukraine campaign. This perinatal hospital in Kharkiv, on the eastern front, uses its 2 donated generators constantly for C-sections and other surgeries, to power incubators and infant warm

EVERGREEN ROTARY CURRENTLY SUPPORTS THREE ORGANIZATIONS AND/OR PROGRAMS IN GUATEMALA.

• We provide grants to the MAIA-Impact School in Solola, Guatemala for university scholarships for its graduates. These funds come from Rotary’s Guatemala Indigenous Women’s Endowment Fund (GIWEF) which is designed to provide annual grants in perpetuity. MAIA has also been the recipient of several other Rotary grants in recent years.

• We serve as scal sponsor for the Quetzal University Fund which provides university scholarships for graduates of MAIA’s predecessor program Star sh One-by-One. Over $600,000 has been provided for scholarships since 2016.

• We also serve as scal sponsor for a relatively new program, ATLAS, which provides supplemental instruction and tutoring for 4th, 5th, and 6th grade students to better prepare them for entry into secondary school. This lls a critical need in reversing the impacts of the pandemic on learning for this age group.

The community of San Juan is located south of Iquitos in northeast Peru on the Yanayaku River, an o shoot of the Amazon River. San Juan relies on the Yanayaku River for water for cooking, bathing, cleaning, and drinking. There is no water ltration nor disinfection and the community frequently contracts waterborne illnesses due to pathogens and pollutants in the river. Children are hit the hardest and end up missing school for medical attention. The Rotary Club of Evergreen, with Nevada Building Hope Foundation, JVA Engineers, and Rotary Club of Iquitos is designing and building water treatment systems to provide the necessary infrastructure.

Our club has more than 100 members from all walks of life. We like to have fun and we organize social functions throughout the year.

• We meet once a week at Evergreen Country Day school, Fridays at 7.00 a.m. for breakfast. There is no meeting commitment – attend as many or as few as you like.

• Our meetings, events and speaker schedules can be found at EvergreenRotary.org, along with details about our local and international committees and projects.

• Questions?

Email us at info@EvergreenRotary.org and we’ll get back to you. Club

Sponsor Spotlight

Our agency understands how to properly insure mountain homes in high re risk areas. We are a full-service agency that advocates for clients when it comes to claims and keeping premiums a ordable. We are local and support the Evergreen Area Chamber and local businesses.

Supporting education programs in Guatemala

Designing and building water treatment systems in Peru

Dental mission to St. Helene, Honduras. Learning how to brush your teeth!

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Simply the Best...

Each year the Evergreen Chamber of Commerce celebrates small businesses in our community at our annual awards gala called Sparkle and Shine in partnership with our title sponsors: 1st Colorado Roo ng and the Caldwell Insurance Agency, an American Family Insurance agency. This year was no di erent and we would love to share with you the awardees of each category.

Nonpro t of the Year: Evergreen Audubon & Nature Center

Young Professional of the Year:

Tara Singapuri of Guided Goat Hikes

New Business of the Year: Wild Rabbit Boutique

People’s Choice of the Year: Chow Down

Business of the Year: Alpen Way Chalet

Ambassador of the Year: Penny Randell

Thank you to all who joined us for the celebration and to all who helped by nominating and voting on each of these categories. We look forward to your assistance again next year!

Staunton named Colorado’s favorite park

BY JANE REUTER JREUTER@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Staunton State Park was voted Colorado’s favorite state park in a contest hosted by Colorado Gov. Jared Polis. Polis visited the park April 16 to present the award.

Staunton edged out Golden Gate Canyon State Park to take the top honor.

Polis created the March Madness Colorado Best State Park contest to highlight Colorado’s 42 state parks, and Coloradans voted for their favorite on social media.

Park manager Zach Taylor, Friends of Staunton State Park board members and park volunteers were on hand to accept the award.

Taylor admits he is biased, but said he agrees with the contest’s outcome.

“ ere’s a lot to do at Staunton and you still have that backcountry feel 45 minutes from the city,” he said. “We provide a lot of educational opportunities, along with hiking and equestrian trails, our track chair program, archery, angling and rock-climbing courses. All those were factors that I think played into this. And the volunteers that support the park are second to none in my opinion.”

Staunton’s Action Trackchairs al-

Staunton State Park Manager Zach Taylor, front left, accepted an award from Gov. Jared Polis April 16. In the back row, from left, are Friends of Staunton State Park President Je Kresl, volunteer angler Michael Hedgpeth and Friends of Staunton State Park board member Bob Fletcher.

POLIS’

low visitors with limited mobility to explore designated trails in the park. e park also o ers 30 miles of multi-use trails.

Taylor’s father also worked for the state parks system, and he is familiar with all the parks.

“I’ve been around state parks for over 40 years and all of them o er di erent amenities so folks can get out and enjoy Mother Nature,” he said, “Staunton is one of the top ones for me for sure.”

Staunton State Park opened in 2013. Located six miles west of Conifer, the property is divided between Park and Je erson counties.

PHOTO COURTESY OF GOV.

OFFICE

HAPPENINGS

Support After Suicide Loss: A safe place to share and learn after losing a loved one to suicide. is group meets every fourth Wednesday of the month from 5:30-7:30 p.m. via Zoom or in person at the Resilience1220 o ce. For ages 14 and up. Suggested donation for this group is $15. Register at resilience1220.org/groups.

Sensitive Collection: Resilience1220 strives to inform and support highly sensitive people to live healthy and empowered lives. It meets the third Wednesday of each month from 6-7 p.m. via Zoom. Register at resilience1220.org/groups.

Caregiver support group: Mount Evans Home Health Care & Hospice o ers a monthly group to provide emotional support services for caregivers helping ill, disabled or elderly loved ones. An in-person support group meets every third Monday from 4-6 p.m. at 3081 Bergen Peak Road, Evergreen. For more infor-

mation, visit mtevans.org/services/ emotional-support/.

Parkinson’s disease support group: A Parkinson’s disease support group meets the rst Friday of the month from 1-3 p.m. at Evergreen Christian Church, 27772 Iris Drive, Evergreen. For more information, email esears@parkinsonrockies.org.

Mountain Foothills Rotary meetings: Mountain Foothills Rotary meets at 6 p.m. Wednesdays both in person at Mount Vernon Canyon Club, 24933 Club House

Circle, Genesee, and via Zoom. Join the Zoom meeting at https:// us02web.zoom.us/j/81389224272, meeting ID 813 8922 4272, phone 346-248-7799.

Beyond the Rainbow: Resilience1220 o ers Beyond the Rainbow, which is two support groups that meet the second Tuesday of the month. One is a safe group for those 12-20 and the other is a group for parents and caregivers wanting support for raising an LGBTQ+ child. For group location and to RSVP, email heather@resilience1220.org.

Golden sophomore midfielder Hadley Nauslar, left, tries to navigate the ball past Conifer freshman midfielder Hattie Manier during the April 17 game at the North Area Athletic Complex. Golden won 10-0.

Lobos lose to Demons 10-0 as soccer season nears end

BY CORINNE WESTEMAN

CWESTEMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Even as the temperature dropped, the Golden Demons were red up.

On April 17, their red-hot o ense took down the Conifer Lobos, as the Demons scored 10 unanswered points and ended the game 11 minutes early due to the CHSAA mercy rule.

With the win, Golden advanced to 7-3 overall and 3-1 in league play — enough for second place behind D’Evelyn. After the April 22 game versus Dakota Ridge, Golden had four games left on its regular-season schedule, including an April 25 away

game at Green Mountain.

Meanwhile, Conifer dropped to 2-8-1 overall and 0-5 in league play, and was last place among the nine 4A Je erson County teams. It was set to visit Northglenn for a non-league game April 22, before closing out its season with three league games against Dakota Ridge, Green Mountain and Littleton.

As the golden hour light faded from the North Area Athletic Complex and vanished over the nearby mountainsides, the Demons kept the Lobos on the backfoot.

Golden forward Sophia Nickel was the rst one to nd the back of the net, scoring about ve minutes into

the game. Striker Jada Goodman followed it two minutes later, quickly putting the Lobos at a 2-0 de cit.

Fittingly, earlier that day, the two seniors signed to play NCAA Division I soccer at the University of Kansas and Mississippi Valley State University, respectively.

eir o ensive output inspired their teammates to follow suit, as Golden scored continually over the next 30 minutes. e Demons ended the half 7-0 thanks to a fastball hitting the net’s top-right corner just seconds before the break.

In the second half, the Demons’ o ense cooled a little bit but settled into a comfortable rhythm. e Lo-

bos defense tried to keep up but injuries and additional goals disrupted their momentum, and the game ended after Golden senior Emi Beer scored goal No. 10.

Senior goalkeeper Adi Avery was the standout for the Lobos, recording at least nine saves on the night. Avery has more than 120 saves this season, according to MaxPreps. Conifer’s nal home game of the season will be 5 p.m. April 29 against league opponent Green Mountain. e game will be at the NAAC.

Golden’s nal 2024 home game will be 7 p.m. the same night versus league opponent Littleton. It will also be at the NAAC.

Conifer freshman defender Stella Hilliard, left, and Golden sophomore midfielder Hadley Nauslar both go for the ball during the April 17 game at the North Area Athletic Complex. Nauslar scored two goals in Golden’s 10-0 win. PHOTOS BY CORINNE WESTEMAN

Conifer freshman midfielder Keira Weeks jumps to head a ball during the April 17 game against Golden at the North Area Athletic Complex. Golden won 10-0.

Little Bear to host fundraiser for Evergreen High School bleachers

BY JANE REUTER JREUTER@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Bleachers may sound like an inconsequential topic, although at Evergreen High School, they’re anything but. Parents say the old, oddly angled, low-capacity bleachers are a liability for EHS’ athletics programs, so they’re working to change that. e committee is hosting a fundraiser from 1 to 5 p.m. April 28 at Little Bear Saloon to help raise $325,000, the cost to purchase and build a new and expanded set of bleachers. With that addition, seating capacity at EHS would expand from 200 to nearly 800 spectators, including space for eight wheelchairs. e current bleachers do not meet the accessibility standards outlined in the Americans with Disabilities Act, parents say.

But seating capacity and lack of accessibility are just the obvious

physical problems with the current bleachers. A series of other issues

are also linked to them, parents say.

“ e current bleachers are so far o the eld, people don’t sit in them,” said Shellene Ellington, mother of two EHS soccer players. “ ere’s no good viewpoint, so you have to sit on the track. I was at a soccer game just last night. All 19 of us in my family carried our own camping chairs in.”

In a presentation about the need for new bleachers, parents said most spectators crowd the track area directly behind the eld on portable bleachers, on the road above the eld or on the handicapped ramp down to the eld.

A bleachers upgrade would be the last in a series of improvements at the EHS elds that started in 2020 with the installation of new turf. at project was paid for by Je co Public

A rendering of the proposed new EHS bleachers. PHOTO COURTESY OF SOUTHERN BLEACHER COMPANY

Schools. Parents rallied again in 2021 to raise $180,000 for new lights. With the addition of upgraded bleachers, they hope more games can be played at EHS instead of Front Range Je Co Schools elds.

EHS athletic director Maddy Hornecker said the district elds typically have nicer facilities, with better security that district schools can use as their home eld.

“ ese bleachers will help us keep our fans in one place, and comfortability,” she said. “ e marching band will have a section

where they can sit. Visting parents will have a section. Home parents will have a section, and students (will have a section). It’ll make for a much better environment.

“We already take care of security on our own. And having the fans in one area allows us to have the home game atmosphere, where playing down the hill doesn’t.”

e home team atmosphere is important for attendance and safety, parents say.

“ e kids in Evergreen and Conifer want to play at their schools,” said parent Tricia Wales. “Our kids come out and support the teams when they’re playing here, but I see attendance really dwindle when we play at Lakewood Memorial or 6th and Kipling.”

Ellington said travel to Front Range elds, often at night, is also a concern.

“We don’t have busing services, and it becomes an issue when we have young athletes driving to these games,” she said. “Playing in the city also takes the spotlight o of Evergreen. We feel it ripple e ects to the businesses. When we don’t have games up here, we don’t go to local restaurants after the games.”

e fundraising is a joint e ort between EHS Project Home Field, a group formed in 2018, and the school’s Parents, Teachers/Sta , and Students. ey have so far raised about $57,000.

Ellington said the group is looking at grants and “turning over every stone for fundraising.”

Even with a successful fundraising e ort, Wales said the bleachers won’t be installed in time to bene t her student-athlete, currently an EHS junior. But that’s not why she’s behind it.

“I will probably be sitting there as a grandparent someday,” she said. “But I want this for the entire Evergreen community. It’ll bring us together whether we have kids in rst grade or high school. I think it’s a lasting legacy we need to leave for the future.”

If fundraising is successful, the goal is to install the new bleachers in June 2025.

e April 28 fundraiser will feature live music from the Taylor Scott Band. Find tickets at littlebearlive.com.

BERGEN PARK CHURCH

Bergen Park Church is a group of regular people who strive to improve ourselves and our community by studying the Bible and sharing our lives with each other. On Sunday mornings you can expect contemporary live music, Children’s Ministry that seeks to love and care for your kids, teaching from the Bible, and a community of real people who are imperfect, but seek to honor God in their lives. We hope to welcome you soon to either our 9:00AM or 10:30AM Sunday service.

Search Bergen Park Church on YouTube for Livestream service at 9:00am

31919 Rocky Village Dr. 303-674-5484 info@bergenparkchurch.org / www.BergenParkChurch.org

CHRISTIAN SCIENCE CHURCH SERVICES

28244 Harebell Lane

Sunday Service & Sunday School 10am

Wednesday Evening 7:00pm, Zoom options available

Contact: clerk@christianscienceevergreen.com for ZOOM link

Reading Room 4602 Pletner Lane, Unit 2E, Evergreen

OPEN TUE-SAT 12PM - 3PM

CHURCH OF THE HILLS PRESBYTERIAN (USA)

Serving the mountain community from the heart of Evergreen Worship 10:00 a.m.

Reverend Richard Aylor

O ce Hours: Tu-Thur 9:00 - 4:00; Fri 9:00 - noon

Bu alo Park Road and Hwy 73 www.churchofthehills.com

WORSHIP DIRECTORY

CHURCH OF THE TRANSFIGURATION EPISCOPAL

In-Church: Sunday Communion Quiet Service 8:00 am & with Music 10:15 am 10:15 am only Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86017266569

In-Meadow: 2nd Sunday of the month at 9:30 a.m.

--June through September—

27640 Highway 74 – ¼ mile east of downtown Evergreen at the Historic Bell Tower www.transfigurationevergreen.org

CONGREGATION BETH EVERGREEN (SYNAGOGUE)

Reconstructionist Synagogue

Rabbi Jamie Arnold www.BethEvergreen.org / (303) 670-4294 2981 Bergen Peak Drive (behind Life Care)

DEER PARK UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

Pastor Joyce Snapp, Sunday Worship 10 AM

Located one mile west of Pine Junction just o Rt. 285 966 Rim Rock Road, Bailey (303) 838-6759

All are welcome to our open/inclusive congregation!

EVERGREEN LUTHERAN CHURCH

5980 Highway 73 + 303-674-4654

Rev. Terry Schjang

Join us for worship in person or on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/EvergreenLutheranChurch Sunday Worship held at 9am. www.evergreenlutheran.org + All Are Welcome!

FELLOWSHIP AT MORRISON CHAPEL

Historic Morrison Church

111 Market Street, Morrison

Non-Denominational- Bible Based Community Church

Featuring Old Time Hymn Singing Live Monthly Bluegrass-Gospel And Cowboy Church 2 Times A Year

Pastors: Kevin Turner And Charles Cummings Sunday Church Services 9:30-11 Am

LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN COMMUNITY CHURCH – EPC

1036 El Rancho Rd, Evergreen – (303) 526-9287 www.lomcc.org – o ce@lomcc.org

Sunday Worship 10:00 a.m., with communion every Sunday

“Real Church In An UnReal World”

A community empowered by the Holy Spirit which seeks authentic relationships with God and others to share the good news of Jesus with Evergreen, the Front Range and the world. Come as you are, all are welcome!

PLATTE CANYON COMMUNITY CHURCH

Located: 4954 County Road 64 in Bailey. O ce hours MWF 8am-1pm 303-838-4409, Worship & Children’s Church at 10am

Small group studies for all ages at 9am

Transitional Pastor: Mark Chadwick Youth Pastor: Jay Vonesh

Other activities: Youth groups, Men’s/Women’s ministries, Bible studies, VBS, MOPS, Cub/Boy Scouts.

ROCKLAND COMMUNITY CHURCH

“Connecting all generations to Jesus”

Please check our website, www.Rockland.church, for updated service times

¼ mile north of I-70 at exit 254

17 S Mt. Vernon Country Club Rd., Golden, CO 80401 303-526-0668

SHEPHERD OF THE ROCKIES LUTHERAN CHURCH

Missouri Synod. 106 Rosalie Road, Bailey, CO

303-838-2161 Pastor Pete Scheele

Sunday Worship Service; 9 a.m., Fellowship Time; 10:15 a.m., Sunday School & Bible Class; 10:45 a.m. www.shepherdoftherockies.org

UNITED METHODIST CHURCH OF EVERGREEN

Rev. Sarah Clark • 303.674.4810 • www.evergreenumc.org

3757 Ponderosa Dr. across Hwy 74 from Safeway in Evergreen

Join us in person every Sunday at 10:00am for worship

“Open Hearts, Open Doors, Open Minds”

1-866-4779045

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PRIORITYONE GROUP LLC Equipment Maintenance1,574.99

QUICK SET AUTO GLASS Commercial Repairs 635.00

RECOVERY MONITORING SOLUTIONS CORPORATIONServices & Charges (Other) 449.00

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OXFORD RECYCLING INC Disposal of Construction Spoils 480.00

RPS PLAN ADMINISTRATORS INCFlex Child Care 208.33

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BANCROFT CLOVER W AND S DISTRICTWater, Irrigation, & Sanitation Services 130.50

Belle Hillenburg Mileage 35.04

BERNADETTE M BERGER Telephone Services 156.69

BPAZ HOLDINGS 15 LLC Building Rent 11,677.65

Brett Coy Mileage 111.22

CINTAS FIRST AID & SAFETY Safety Supplies 192.50

CIPRIANO ORTEGA Programs 300.00

COCAL LANDSCAPE SERVICES INCLawn & Grounds Maintenance 2,135.32

COCAL LANDSCAPE SERVICES INCSnow Removal Services12,576.95

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COMMUNITY LANGUAGE COOPERATIVE Professional & Technical Services (Other) 192.50

CORNER OF SUNSHINE LLC Programs 800.00

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CUSTOM FLAG COMPANY INCGeneral Supplies (Other) 201.00

DIRECT TECHNOLOGY GROUP INCComputer Hardware & Software 12,450.00

EMILY C CROWLEY Mileage 71.89

EMPLOYEE LOAN SOLUTION LLCTrue Connect Loans 170.56

EXCEPTIONAL SWAG LLC Promotional Supplies8,754.00

FEDEX OFFICE Postage 11.45

FEDEX OFFICE Delivery Charges 165.35

FRANCA CERULLI-ROSEN Mileage 13.40

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HAYNES MECHANICAL SYSTEMSHVAC Services 2,430.00

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INSIGHT PUBLIC SECTOR INCSoftware Maintenance Agreement 1,336.52

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JULIANNE M RIST Telephone Services 156.69

JULIANNE M RIST Travel 166.00

KANOPY LLC Library Computer Service Materials11,045.00

KAREN E WALKER Mileage 49.58

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KLEEN TECH SERVICES Janitorial Services 325.91

LAKESHORE LEARNING MATERIALSFurniture & Equipment - Non Capital 32.99

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MARKETABILITY Postage 10,393.68

MARKETABILITY Promotional Supplies 226.50

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MARTIN/MARTIN INC Professional & Technical Services (Other)2,388.75

Matt Griffin Mileage 28.48

ME ENGINEERS INC Building Construction & Design 1,800.00

Mia Dunagin Mileage 103.92

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REPUBLIC SERVICES INC Trash Removal Services3,690.81

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