Commerce City Sentinel Express June 13, 2024

Standing against environmental racism

Frustration inspires grandmother to fight for her community

As a grandmother and resident of Elyria Swansea, Mercedes Gonzalez often expresses her frustration about the lack of attention from the authorities to make radical changes for the well-being of the residents living around the Suncor re nery.

Gonzalez, who is part of the board of the Tierra Colectiva GES coalition known as the Land Back Steering Committee or Banco de Tierra, sat down with La Ciudad at the Earth Day event sponsored

by the grassroots environmental group Cultivando to share her views on the health of her neighborhoods — and her family.

Her grandchildren have been diagnosed with asthma, like many other residents. Gonzalez made a call to those “in charge” to x the problem and provide appropriate access to healthcare.

Gonzalez called for unity among all communities to ght together against environmental injustices. is interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Colorado Community Media: Where do you live and what does the GES Coalition consist of?

Mercedes Gonzalez: I’m from the Elyria Swansea neighborhood and I’m part of the steering committee of the Tierra Colectiva GES Coalition and the land bank. We advocate for a ordable housing

and environmental health. We have a land bank, which is community-led.

We already have, it seems, about 14 or 15 houses where families from the community are already living. It’s a land bank where the prices are not market prices. ey are a ordable prices for the community, but there is a process they have to follow in preparation for those interested in buying these houses.

Our director is Nola Miguel, who is in charge of the land bank. … We no longer need a tax agent to handle our money. It comes directly to the land bank or the GES Coalition. ere is a separation between the land bank and the GES Coalition, but we are all still together because we all work together. We are also supporting Cultivando.

Exploring a vibrant world at Museo de las Americas

BY LONDON LYLE SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

Combining the works of 11 Colorado-based LGBTQ+ Latinx contemporary artists, the exhibit “Espiritu Hermosx – Beautiful Spirit” at the Museo de las Americas depicts themes of resilience, empowerment, and the multifaceted experiences of queer artists.

It showcases how their narratives intersect with broader themes of identity, heritage, and social change. e exhibit highlights the double marginalization that LGBTQ+ Latinx individuals often face; discrimination based on both cultural identity and sexuality. rough their art, these 11 artists advocate for equality and social change, using their personal experiences as a vehicle for intersectionality-informed activism.

Alamosa-based artist Lares Feliciano uses animation to explore systems of oppression. Her work expresses her experiences as a queer Latinx woman navigating both her cultural and sexual identity, as well as the way she sees fellow Latinx queer folks being treated.

Feliciano’s multi-projection digital animation piece, “Un Hogar de Zemis II” is the second in a series of installations honoring Puerto Rican queer folks. She includes photographs of Alexa Negrón Luciano, a trans woman who was murdered in Toa Baja, Puerto Rico, Luis Angel Díaz Castro, a trans man murdered in his home in San Juan, and Chanel Perez Ortiz, a trans woman who was killed in Carolina.

Artist Joel Hernandez‘s art captures moments of joy and love experienced by LGBTQ+ folks. While his work is intimate and personal to his own experiences, it is universal in its themes of love and the search for identity.

Another highlight of the exhibit is Alex Hernandez’s work, which explores cultural and sexual identity.

Mercedes Gonzalez, an Elyria Swansea resident and grandmother, spoke up about the environmental injustices endured by the Latina communities living around Suncor and other polluters.

ROSSANA LONGO BETTER

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Commerce City Sentinel Express (USPS 3886)

A legal newspaper of general circulation in Commerce City, Colorado, Commerce City Sentinel Express is published weekly on Thursday by Colorado Community Media, 143 S. 2nd Pl., Brighton CO 80601.

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BRIEFS

Adams City ‘84 alums seeking missing classmates

Adam City’s class of 1984 is scheduled to host its 40th class reunion at 5 p.m. Aug. 30 at the 30/70 Sports Bar and Grill, 18856 W. 120th Ave. in Westminster.

Organizers are trying to contact a few remaining missing graduates. If you attended ACHS with the class of 1984 or have a family member who did, please get in touch with Susan Zale Vanness (303) 5131333 or vannessrealty@comcast.net or Tracey Snyder (303) 921-2114 tjsnyder07. ts@gmail.com

County seeks Healthy Farmers Markets input Adams County is looking for feedback and opinions regarding the series of farmers markets they helped o er in 2023. Information from an online survey, located at https://bit.ly/4879uzr, will help determine how the markets will operate in 2024.

In 2023, the Adams County Health Department and Human Services partnered to provide Healthy Farmers Markets for residents. e departments are planning to provide those again in 2024, and they’d like to hear from you.

e county helped schedule the markets on Tuesdays and ursdays at the Anythink Library Wright Farms and Huron Street branches. e survey asks about location preferences, dates and timing preferences and what kinds of o erings and other services should be o ered.

Legal self-help clinic

e Access to Justice Committee hosts a free, legal self-help clinic from 2 to 3:30 p.m. on the rst Tuesday of every month. e program is for those without legal representation and needing help navigating through legal issues.

Volunteer attorneys are available to discuss family law, civil litigation, property, and probate law. Call 303-405-3298 and ask for the Legal Self-Help Clinic at least 24 hours before.

Alliance Business Assistance Center grants available

e Alliance Business Assistance Center is excited to announce that 2024 business grants are now available to support your business endeavors. Sta at the center can assist residents by helping to identify grants that align with their business goals and industry, providing guidance through the application process, ensuring that they have the best chance of success and providing other valuable resources for local business. To get started, visit our website at https:// businessinthornton.com/local-business/ small-business-support-programs/business- nancial-assistance.

Photo by Michael Pintar

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Readers Haven’t Come Up With Solutions to the Home Insurance Crisis, Just

Lots of Horror Stories

My May 16 column, “A Full-Blown Home Insurance Crisis Is Brewing,” invited readers to share their personal experiences and also any suggestions they had for solving the crisis, which is getting worse by the minute.

There has been some good national coverage of the subject in the press and on television news programs. The bottom line is that even places like Colorado which don’t experience as many disasters as the two coasts and “tornado alley” are subject to increases in insurance premiums due to payouts elsewhere.

er more foothills areas than they do areas in the plains. Those two ZIP codes encompass 184 square miles — bigger than the 64 Zip codes in Denver, including the airport’s 54 square miles!

According to economist Elliot Eisenberg, “In 2013 and 2014, the number of weather/climate disasters exceeding $1 billion inflation-adjusted was 10. In 2017, the number hit 19, in 2020 it was 22, and… the number reached a record 28 in 2023. The years 2020-2023 have been four of the worst five years, with 2017 also in the top five.”

A May 13, 2024, article in the New York Times detailed the increasing losses by insurers in all 50 states. That included Colorado, where insurers have lost money is all but three years since 2013. The article quoted Dave Jones of the Climate Risk Initiative at UC Berkeley as saying, “I believe we’re marching toward an uninsurable future.” I have posted a link to that Times article at http://RealEstateToday.substack.com

There’s a local problem which we’ve seen here in Golden, where our two main ZIP codes (80401 and 80403) cov-

Some insurance companies are withdrawing not just from individual communities with serious wildfire risk, but from complete ZIP codes containing areas with elevated wildfire risk.

If your home has a mortgage, your lender typically requires insurance, but when there is no mortgage, homeowners can choose not to have insurance, and a growing number of such homeowners are going without coverage — 14 percent according to a March 2024 report from the Consumer Federation of America.

Similarly, if you don’t have a loan on your automobile, you can choose not to have collision, comprehensive or theft insurance on your car, and I’m among those who are taking that risk because of the high cost of those coverages. An article on Forbes.com last week reported that 25% of car owners don’t have collision insurance.

HOAs are being hit especially hard when it comes to master policies. Reader KC Harney wrote me about an HOA in Parker which, following a May 2023 hail claim, raised the premium from $178,000 per year with a $2 million deductible to $337,000 per year with a $4 million deductible. This resulted in a special assessment of $12,000 per HOA member. It should be noted, KC told

Rules for Buyer Agent Agreements Badly Flawed

Last week the National Association of Realtors (NAR) fleshed out the rules it will enforce regarding the written agreement which a buyer and agent must sign before a buyer can be shown a listing.

On the one hand, NAR says it’s important for the buyer agreement to stress that agent commissions are negotiable, but on the other hand it says that the agreement signed by buyer and agent must spell out a fee/commission that cannot be increased by any source.

In other words, I’m required to have a buyer sign an agreement that they will pay me an acceptable ultimate fee for my efforts on their behalf. But if I agree, say, to a 1% or 2% commission agreement and I help them buy a house from a seller will-

ing to pay me a much higher co-op commission (because they want their home to sell quickly), I can only accept from the seller the amount in my buyer agreement.

This is madness! What it will do is drive buyers to work only with listing agents, which is not good public policy. Every buyer deserves to have an agent working on his or her behalf.

What’s also being overlooked throughout this months-long discussion of the NAR settlement is that most buyers are hard pressed to come up with their down payment, so how can you expect them to pay thousands in additional dollars for professional representation? They will not get the representation they deserve by working only with the agents representing sellers.

That is why the old system of sellers paying a commission which the listing agent can share with a buyer’s agent is the only and best way of serving both buyers and sellers — but that ship has sailed, unfortunately. It will be interesting to see the chaos resulting from these new rules.

me, that the May 2023 event cost only $1.9 million to repair, which was less than the $2 million deductible, so the insurance company paid out nothing, yet they raised the premium and the deductible because there was a claim!

Broker associate Chuck Brown told me how insurance costs nearly killed a transaction of his in Evergreen. The buyer was turned down by just about every major insurance carrier before obtaining a policy from Farmers Insurance for $9,000 per year with a $35,000 deductible for fire and hail. The next lowest offer was a $19,000 premium from Highlight.

Colorado Law Passed in 2023 Is But a Limited Solution to Problem

Last May, Governor Polis signed into law HB23-1288, the Fair Access to Insurance Requirements Plan, commonly known as the FAIR Plan. The 9member board of the Plan is still setting up shop and won’t issue insurance policies until early 2025. In essence, the FAIR Plan is an insurer of last resort for homeowners and businesses who cannot get coverage from any insurer operating in Colorado.

Every insurer in Colorado must participate in the Plan. The concept is that all Colorado insurance carriers share the expenses, income and losses, ensuring a fair distribution of costs.

The policies issued under the FAIR

Plan are not subsidized. The premiums are required to be “actuarially sound.” Coverage is limited to $750,000 for homes and $1 million for businesses, which will result in under-insurance for many clients, so it’s not a perfect fix and doesn’t promise seriously lower insurance rates. It only guarantees that homeowners and businesses will be able to obtain insurance.

I’m troubled by the Plan’s requirement that a homeowner or business be unable to obtain insurance. The homeowners and HOA mentioned above were not denied insurance, just overcharged, so they wouldn’t be eligible.

Price Reduced on 3-BR Lakewood Home

$529,000

This bi-level home at 11296 W. Kentucky Drive has been well maintained by the seller. It was painted and walkways replaced in 2006, and a new roof & siding were installed in 2017. The garage door was new in 2009. The seller put in a new, energy efficient furnace in 2014 and new acrylic shower & shower doors in 2007. The backyard is mostly flat and completely fenced. There are lilacs on two sides of the house, and an ornamental plum and two purple ash trees are in the backyard. (See photo.) Briarwood Hills is a very quiet, friendly neighborhood. Most of the surrounding homeowners care about their yards, as does this seller. View a narrated video walk-through online at www. GRElistings.com, then call listing agent Jim Swanson at 303-929-2727 to see it.

Jim@GoldenRealEstate.com 1214 Washington Ave., Golden 80401 Broker Associates: JIM SWANSON, 303-929-2727 CHUCK BROWN, 303-885-7855 DAVID DLUGASCH, 303-908-4835

on giving and the getting will take care of itself.”

‘We

have a proud and noble history’

BY KATHRYN WHITE KATHRYN@DENVERNORTHSTAR.COM

Poet Ricardo LaFore turned the insult, “What have your people ever done?,” into a poem.

“My Ancestors Built the Pyramids” appears in a new anthology to be released this month by the Colorado Alliance of Latino Mentors and Authors (CALMA).

“Ramas y Raíces: e Best of CALMA,” edited by Mario Acevedo, contains essays, poetry and short stories by 24 writers who live or have spent signi cant time in Colorado. e book’s title, which translates as “Branches and Roots,” re ects the

breadth and depth of its themes, as well as the range of genres and literary forms contained within. Seeds for both the anthology and the organization were planted decades ago.

“I grew up at a time when I never ever ever saw a Spanish surname on a book,” said Dr. Ramon Del Castillo, a longtime activist, educator, researcher and poet. “ ere was a void, there was a link missing about who I was, about who we were. Until the advent of Chicano studies in the 1960s during the Chicano movement, when one of the issues that came up was literature and poetry. And out of that, you had the birth of thousands of poets now, and a whole

body of literature that will compete with anybody’s writing.”

LaFore said the anthology seeks to encourage new writers, but also to preserve and protect what’s already been written.

“We felt that there was a void in our community,” LaFore said. “We recognized from the beginning that in a functioning democracy, all voices have to be heard. Our poetry, our literature, our writing, all have to be part of the American literary tradition. Otherwise, we don’t have a functioning democracy that values all voices. We have a proud and noble history, but it’s rarely known beyond our own community. And

we had to x that.”

CALMA itself started with a conversation. It was 2019, and Frank Dávila had published his memoir, “An Outburst of Dreams.” Written largely for his children and grandchildren, Dávila conducted extensive genealogical research in order to preserve and pass along family history. He wove in stories about his growing-up years picking cotton as a migrant worker, speaking Spanish and learning English as his second language. He wanted his family to know about the discrimination he faced.

Dr. Fitzgerald is a comedian, best known for his eleven seasons on the popular Animal Planet television series Emergency Vets, as well as television appearances on mainstream talk shows, NPR’s Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me, and Paul Harvey’s The Rest of the Story. He will bring a wonderful sense of levity to a day of serious subject matter!

at same year, Dávila helped fellow writer Christina Montoya with edits to her rst book.

“We ought to think about forming a group,” Dávila said to Montoya, “where writers can support each other like this.”

Each knew a few others, and a small gathering at Raíces Brewing

Our Family Helping Your Family

Company in west Denver followed. By early 2020, the group had six founders, was hosting Zoom sessions and had grown to more than 30 Latino authors, both published and aspiring.

CALMA went on to host book fairs, lead workshops and make presentations in high school and college classrooms. Several of the group’s members have taken on formal mentoring relationships.

“Since we formed CALMA,” Dávila said, “two Latinos have been in-

ducted into the Colorado Authors Hall of Fame. Manuel Ramos was the rst one ever in 2021. We promoted and advocated for him. And then, Lalo Delgado was selected last year, posthumously.”

Abelardo “Lalo” Delgado (19312004), known as the grandfather of Chicano poetry, published 14 books and inspired many, including Del Castillo and LaFore. In the early 1970s, Delgado visited a classroom at the University of Northern Colorado, where he met

Del Castillo and noticed his poetry.

“It was Lalo who told me, ‘Use everything you’ve got Ramon. Your humor, your sadness, all of it.’”

“Ramas y Raíces” opens with the Mexican proverb, “Quisieron enterrarnos, pero no sabían que éramos semilla ( ey wanted to bury us, but they didn’t know that we were seeds),” setting the stage for a volume demonstrating the many ways love, family, personal struggle and the ght for justice have borne fruit.

Meet third-generation hat shaper Parker Thomas at the Mile High Hoedown

BY JO ANN M. COLTON

Colorado-born Parker omas Orms always envisioned himself growing up and tackling life head-on as an athlete on a sports eld. So, how did he wind up being a hat shaper and owner of Hats By Parker omas? e answer is… fate! Parker’s father Glenn has been a hat shaper all his life following the tradition set by his own father. Parker’s grandpa Dewey started shaping hats 65 years ago in Texas — and did so until his death in 2022.

Parker inherited his passion for playing sports from his mom and her family. His mother Katherine lettered in softball at Northern Colorado in the 1970s.

Parker omas Orms attended Colorado University Boulder (20102013) on a football scholarship and played defensive back for the Colorado Bu aloes football team. He was an engaging presence on the eld and a fan favorite. Parker was on the path to joining the NFL although football-related injuries (shoulder and hamstring injuries and a torn ACL for which he had to undergo surgery) likely ended that pursuit.

In 2015, Parker traveled to Milan to play semi-pro football as a Free Safety Punt Return Man for the Milano Rhinos, Italy’s professional league. But after playing his last football season in Europe, Parker omas came home to his family and the family traditions that are tightly woven into the fabric of his being. So, it wasn’t just a “hat” trick that led him to become a hat shaper and Parker’s success is proving to be far more rewarding than he could ever have imagined.

“I worked with my father and grandfather for eight years. Traveling around di erent rodeos and western-themed events, I shaped and designed cowboy and fedora hats,” said

Parker who has been adding his own sense of style and creativity to traditional hats while shaping his own destiny in the process.

en he opened Hats By Parker omas (https://www.hatsbyparkerthomas.com/) two years ago at 257 Fillmore St., Unit 110, in the Cherry Creek area of Denver where he meets with his clientele by appointment. Parker and his small team of hat craftsmen also shape and sell his hats nationwide at private home parties (with 5-25 people), weddings, corporate gatherings, and community events. Likewise, sports gures and celebrities like Reba McEntire are now a part of his overall customer base. Most of Parker’s bookings are

made through his business location or through Instagram and TikTok. e store and private events keep Parker busy these days but he still enjoys opportunities to be part of community events like the June 29 Mile High Hoedown at the Stampede in Aurora.

“I am really looking forward to meeting people at the Mile High Hoedown,” said Parker who explained that he welcomes every opportunity to support Colorado’s lifestyles and interact with athletes/artists, and all others within its many communities.

“Each hat and design depends on the needs of the customer and the customizations they choose,” said Parker. He stated that although he can

shape any type hat he especially enjoys creating cowboy style hats, which are so very popular throughout Colorado.

“Most hats can be done in around 30 minutes and I will make your hat to order right there at the Mile High Hoedown,” said Parker who mentioned that his custom wool or beaver-blend hats range from $200 to $450. For additional fees he also o ers cleaning, reshaping and branding services.

Music lovers won’t want to miss a beat when Boulder’s very own Sun Jr. brings their “Psych Mountain Rock” sounds to the stage. Dancers will love learning the latest line dances taught throughout the day by dance instructor/choreographer Laurie Burkardt. Attendees can visit vendor booths and print their own shirt or tank top with Ink and Drink, obtain a ash tattoo from Ace of MR. ACE Art & Tattoos, and get interactive with some “not permanent but cool” body art/ face painting and/or hair sparkle accents from Little People Face Painting. Enjoy food truck food/beverages, and stop by and meet with hat shaper Parker omas to purchase your custom hat!

Get the “low down” on the Hoedown (tickets and more) at coloradocommunitymedia.com. Mark your calendars for CCM’s Mile High Hoedown on Saturday/June 29 (11:00am-5:00pm) at the Stampede, 2431 S. Havana Street in Aurora. Socialize with friends and/or family, eat/ drink/kick up your heels—and just have a rip-roaring good time! Tickets are $20/per ticket; $25.00 at the door and includes the entry fee only. For a limited time, CCM is running a BOGO promotion on its website; don’t miss out BUY YOUR TICKETS TODAY!

GONZALEZ

Because we are residents of Elyria Swansea, which is close to the Suncor oil re nery, our community is also a ected by chronic illnesses, especially children and the elderly, due to pollution from these toxic and deadly chemicals.

So we joined them, and they supported us. We support each other because we need that alliance to be able to ght and make our voices heard, so that (Cultivando is) stronger and there are changes in

the system. What worries me most about my community is the people who are being impacted, whether it’s housing because of all the developments that have happened in our community.

ere has been a lot of forced displacement. When there is displacement, there is mental illness from concern, and that goes hand-inhand with environmental health. So it’s all related. It’s very worrying, and we are here to support each other.

We hope the second public campaign coming from Cultivando also sheds light on the lack of health insurance in our communities. Some families are a ected by these chemi-

cals and do not have health insurance.

Here in the United States, health care is very expensive, insurance is unreachable and going to a doctor without having insurance is something very sad. Our people die because they do not have health insurance.

ey have no way to treat themselves.

So, I would like (the authorities) to be aware that there should be a fund for all the people who have been harmed by pollution. I remember when the past Mayor (Michael) Hancock invited people from other cities, from other states to come be-

cause Denver opened its doors to them saying there were going to be a lot of job opportunities. So that was what a ected us tremendously.

CCM: Mercedes, as a resident and a grandmother, what are your recommendations?

Gonzalez: I would like to see real change. In this second Cultivando campaign, the mayor and the governor should be invited to a tour, so that they can experience being in contaminated places themselves. Here we also have the Purina dog food plant, which is also a ecting us a lot.

GONZALEZ

ey would experience all the damage they are causing to our community. ey would be aware of what is happening, and they would listen to our voice, to the women of Cultivando to make the changes for the damage they are causing to our community. We want clean air; we want clean water. We have been a ected. In a study, they did in our neighborhood of Swansea, (pollution af-

fects the area) ve times more than in other communities. Also, the construction of 70th Avenue affected us not only with the pollutants but with all the carcinogenic particles when they destroyed the bridge. Our community is very affected and we do not have pure air or good water.

CCM: You ended up calling for unity and action. Do you think people will become active; that this is a movement that will not stop?

Gonzalez: We are planning a campaign in the media to spread the word about what is happening. ey have to hear our voice, and

we hold press conferences because only in press conferences will they listen to us.

I have hope that one day there will be a change, but we have to unite as a community because if there is no solid community there is no voice. ere will be no attention, our voice matters.  We need to be rm and ght. We have to have that hope so that everything is achieved and there is a little relief for our communities. I know that not everything can be done, but there has to be a change that mitigates all the pain that our community is going through. And

most importantly, low-income people, who are the ones struggling and su ering the most, receive the medical support they deserve.

GET THE WHOLE STORY ONLINE

This question and answer session has been edited to fit the space. To read the full discussions between Rossana Longo Better and Mercedes Gonzalez, visit our website at https://coloradocommunitymedia. com/2024/06/06/grandmotheragainst-environmental-racism/

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EXPLORING

One of his pieces is a quilt that reads, “Estas Cosas Raras de la Vida,” meaning “Weird things in life.” e words are lyrics from songs he remembers his mother listening to as a child. Reminiscing, he said “the lyrics of these songs can feel like another kind of Spanish lesson. is is an experience that a lot of rst gen [ rst generation] kids have in common.”

One of the central themes of “Espiritu Hermosx” is the intersectionality of identity. ese 11 artists wear many labels, many of which intersect, and this is heavily re ected in their work.

e exhibit advocates for honoring the distinct individuals who shape the queer Latinx community and their experience with cultural values, while also highlighting universal experiences among humans; Latinx or not, queer or not.

As exhibit curator Louis Trujillo

explains, “ is exhibition allows visitors to understand what the artists go through in their individual lives and make connections in how we are the same and not as di erent as some believe.”

e exhibit’s goal is to give these artists a platform and to foster a broader dialogue about gender identity and sexuality among members of the Latinx community, said executive director Claudia Moran.

“Espiritu Hermosx” also represents activism through art. e artists use their work to advocate for social change and highlight issues a ecting the LGBTQ+ Latinx community.

e other queer Latinx artists featured in the exhibit are Eliazar Ortiz, Sean Trujillo, Emilio Lobato, Cherish Marquez, Claudia Zapata, and Adrian Raya.

e exhibit runs through July 14, and tickets are $8. Some of the art features explicit content and its recommended for those who are 18+. e museum is also hosting a Saving Queer Lives discussion panel on June 20 for $10.

Legals

City and County

Public Notice

NOTICE OF SUBDIVISION PLAT APPROVAL COMMERCE CITY, COLORADO

Notice is hereby given that the following subdivision(s) will be considered for approval by the City of Commerce City Community Development Director on Tuesday, June 25, 2024.

S23-0008: DCB Construction, on behalf of Oneida LLC, is requesting approval of the 5200 Oneida Subdivision final plat to create two industrial lots and dedicate right-of-way, from approximately 4.56 acres. The property is generally located between East 52nd Place and I-270 and east of Oneida Street, currently zoned I-1 (Light-Intensity Industrial).

S23-0013: Kimley-Horn, on behalf of Delwest, is requesting approval of the Mile High Greyhound Park 8th Amendment final plat to create one lot and one tract, from Tract F, which is approximately 7.77 acres. The property is generally located between East 62nd Place and East 63rd Place and between Glencoe Street and Siegal Court, currently zoned PUD (Planned Unit Development).

The case file(s) and a copy of the Land Development Code of the City together with the subdivision plat are on file for review by emailing the Community Development Department at cdplanner@

c3gov.com. Any owner of property located within 300 feet of the subject property may invoke the public hearing process by submitting said objections in writing to the Director of Community Development in accordance with Sec. 21-3241 by no later than 5 p.m. on Monday, June 24, 2024.

Director of Community Development

Para más información, contacta 303227-8818

Legal Notice No. CCX1353

First Publication: June 13, 2024

Last Publication: June 13, 2024

Publisher: Commerce City Sentinel Express

Bids and Settlements

Public Notice

VELOCITY METROPOLITAN DISTRICT NO. 1

Porteos – PA-9A & PA-9C Streetlights

The Velocity Metropolitan District No. 1 (the “Owner”) is accepting sealed bids for Porteos – PA-9A & PA-9C Streetlights (“Project”). Sealed Bids for the Porteos – PA-9A & PA-9C Streetlights project will be received by the District Engineer (Merrick & Company), at 5970 Greenwood Plaza Boulevard, Greenwood Village, CO 80111, until 10:00 a.m. local time on July 12, 2024. Bids shall be enclosed in a sealed envelope addressed to Velocity Metropolitan District No. 1 endorsed with the name of the Bidder and the Title “Porteos – PA-9A & PA-9C Streetlights”.

The Project will include:

• Streetlights along local roads near southeast corner of Jackson Gap Street and E 64th Ave in the City of Aurora. The project includes 13 streetlights and approximately 2,100 LF of conduit.

Bidding documents can be requested beginning June 13, 2024 at 9:00 A.M. There will be no charge for the bid documents. Contact Barney Fix at barney.fix@merrick.com to receive the PDF documents electronically.

Bids may not be withdrawn for a period of sixty (60) calendar days after the Bid date and time. The Owner reserves the right to reject any and all Bids, to waive any errors or irregularities, and to require statements or evidence of Bidders’ qualifications including financial statements. The Owner also reserves the right to extend the Bidding period by Addendum if it appears in its interest to do so.

For further information, please contact Barney Fix at Merrick & Company at 303-751-0741.

Legal Notice No. CCX1352

First Publication: June 13, 2024

Last Publication: June 27, 2024

Publisher: Commerce City Sentinel Express

Non-Consecutive Publications

Notice to Creditors

PUBLIC NOTICE

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of PRAMOD KUMAR

All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Adams County, Colorado on or before October 13, 2024, or the claims may be forever barred.

Sanjay Singh

Personal Representative

Law Office of Shelley Thompson, LLC

Attorney for Personal Representative 6400 S. Fiddler’s Green Circle, Ste. 300 Greenwood Village, CO 80111

Legal Notice No. CCX1351

First Publication: June 13, 2024

Last Publication: June 27, 2024

Publisher: Commerce City Sentinel Express

Notice

TO CREDITORS Estate of Priscilla Baca, Deceased Case Number: 2024 PR 86

All persons having claims against the above named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to the District Court of Adams County, Colorado on or before September 30, 2024, or the claims may be forever barred.

Dave Roybal, Personal Representative 7560 Locust Street Commerce City, Co 80022

Legal Notice No. CCX1341

First Publication: May 30, 2024

Last Publication: June 13, 2024

Commerce City Sentinel Express

United Power announces scholarship awards

Company o ers $31,500 to students in its service area

BY BELEN WARD BWARD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

United Power awarded more than $30,000 in scholarships to 18 high school students in the company’s service territory, the company announced May 23.

e company also awarded Brighton Futures scholarships to 11 high school students, according to a news release.

e students were selected through a rigorous process that considered their outstanding work grades, test scores, extracurricular activities, community involvement, and written essays.

According to o cials, the application was made available on the cooperative’s website in December 2023, and all applicants underwent a thorough review to ensure the utmost fairness.

2024 scholarship recipients

Harley Baas, Branson School Online, United Power Community College Scholarship, $1,000; Lucas Bu-

rela, Brighton High School, United Power Colorado College Scholarship, $2,000; Lilliana Ritter, Prairie View High School, United Power Technical Scholarship, $1,000; Rachael Schmidt, Frederick High School, United Power Colorado College Scholarship, $2,000; Giselle Sixtos, Fort Lupton High School, Lois Lesser Education Scholarship, $1,000; Alanna Snyder, Horizon High School, Bill Berens Memorial Scholarship, $1,000; Skylar Whalen, Mead High School, United Power Youth Leadership Scholarship, $1,500.

Also, United Power gave a Brighton Futures 11 scholarship for high

school students in its service area for $2,000 each.

Bright Futures scholarships for 2024 awarded to Cody Bydalek, Weld Central High School; Elizabeth Clement, Stargate Charter School; Sydney Dawson, Eagle Ridge Academy; Paige Gibbs, Fort Lupton High School; Josh Goodrich, Mead High School; Colt Lanaghen, Mountain Territory; Devyn Nabarrete, Erie High School; Joaquin Rodriguez, Riverdale Ridge High School; Paige Walker, Prairie View High School; Nicholas Aasmundstad-Williams, Frederick High School; and Owen Woodford, Brighton High School.