Arvada City Council hears updates on Climate Action and Sustainability Plan
BY LILLIAN FUGLEI SPECIAL TO THE ARVADA PRESS
As concern for environmental sustainability is on the rise, Arvada City Council is looking at ways to make Arvada a more sustainable city.
In a meeting on Sept. 16, council heard a presentation on the city’s upcoming Climate Action and Sustainability Plan. e presentation focused on community input and possible strategies the plan could include.
Arvada’s Climate Action and Sustainability Plan has been in the works since the beginning of 2024. e plan is meant to help guide Arvada’s work to create a more sustainable and environmentally friendly community over the next 25 years.
e presentation — given by representatives from Lotus Engineering & Sustainability, who the city is working with to create the plan — gave city council a look at what could be included in the draft plan, which will be presented in a council meeting on Dec. 9. e rst step in developing the plan was community feedback, which was collected at events like the Kite Festival and Taste of Arvada. e city also collected feedback on social media. Many respondents emphasized the need for better public transit, water conservation and expanding recycling and compost services.
During the presentation, representatives from Lotus discussed strategies for each of the six sectors of the plan: Energy & the Built Environment, Water Quality and Conservation, Land Use & Urban Design, Transportation, Waste Reduction & Diversion and
Arvada Center reimagines the classic tale of ‘Dracula’
‘This is one of those Halloween, over-the-top, ridiculous bloody shows’
BY LILLIAN FUGLEI SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
e Arvada Center is bringing a spooky story to the stage just in time for Halloween. Filled with vampires and vampire hunters, “Dracula” is mostly made up of one thing: men. However, that
won’t be the case on stage.
“Dracula: A Feminist Revenge Fantasy, Really” o ers a twist on the classic tale, with several characters — such as Ren eld and Van Helsing — played by women. e show reimagines Dracula’s story, with women at the center of the ght against him.
“I think that borrows a little bit of like Bu y the Vampire Slayer vibes,” said Jessica Austgen, who plays Rein eld. “We now have these women kicking ass and beating the bad guy.”
While Ren eld and Van Helsing are now women, women from the
original story — Mina Harker and Lucy Westenra — also get to step into the spotlight.
“(Women) are there to be pretty and be safe, to give the men something to love and ght for, and somebody to rescue,” said Austgen, referencing the original story. “In this show, Van Helsing, aided by Nina, now does a lot of the rescuing. I think giving those folks power to complete the mission of defeating Dracula, it’s really impactful to see that.”
Colorado’s multimillion dollar investment in quantum gets 70-acre campus in Arvada
Millions committed to new Quantum COmmons campus includes build out of shared clean-room facilities, labs and o ces as part of Colorado’s quantum computing Tech Hub
BY TAMARA CHUANG THE COLORADO SUN
Two months after winning a $40.5 million federal grant to invest in a quantum computing hub in Colorado, members of a local consortium have acquired a 70-acre property in Arvada, attracted millions more in funding commitments, and, on Monday, put shovels to the ground. at’s relatively quick in a realm where private industry must rely on public agencies and area universities to make decisions.
“Colorado and the Mountain West are on top not just because of the amazing scenic views but ultimately because of decades of innovation and startups that are right around risk taking and smart policy and startup entrepreneurialism,”
Zachary Yerushalmi, CEO of the Elevate Quantum consortium, told a small crowd during the ceremonial groundbreaking. “Entrepreneurship is, of course, no stranger to Gov. Polis, and the support for this e ort and wider advanced technology policies of the state going back decades is why we stand here today.”
e business park, dubbed the Quantum COmmons, is the next phase of the state’s Tech Hub effort, which became o cial in October after Elevate Quantum beat out hundreds of other applicants. e U.S. Department of Commerce program stemmed from the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 to bring tech manufacturing back to the U.S. and spread tech expertise around the country.
But the real plan in the DenverBoulder corridor is to take all the super brain power spawned during the decadeslong existence of federal labs and schools like the University of Colorado — four Nobel Prize laureates for physics hail from CU — and connect it to the dozens of startups and private companies
working to commercialize quantum right now. Another goal is to create tens of thousands of jobs, not all of them requiring an advanced degree.
Get that formula right and the region, as more than one person alluded to, could become another Stanford Research Park, a 1950s partnership between city and industry that became a cornerstone of high tech’s Silicon Valley.
“Quantum gives us a path to end infectious disease. It will cure cancer. It’ll turn back the clock on climate change. e things we know it can do will fundamentally transform civilization,” said Corban Tillemann-Dick, founder of Denverbased Maybell Quantum, which makes super-cold refrigerators to slow atomic motion so quantum computers can e ectively operate. “ at’s why this place matters. e Quantum COmmons isn’t just these 70 acres. … It’s our Bell Labs, our Stanford Research Park, our Apollo program.”
School of Mines is developer, landlord
A 70-acre property that housed oil-shale company Tosco in the 1980s was acquired by the Colorado School of Mines in August 2024 to support the Denver-Boulder corridor’s development as a quantum computing Tech Hub. The property, located o Highway 72 in Arvada, includes a 180-foot-tall lift pipe originally used by Tosco to research how to extract oil shale from rocks.
Enter the Colorado School of Mines, a consortium member eager for the advances and opportunities quantum will o er to students.
On Monday, though, the Arvada site looked like a neglected, 1970sstyle industrial park, with dilapidated asphalt roads and worn-down parking lots. ere’s about 60,000 square feet of buildings, including one with labs in need of updating. e property, just o Highway 72, is covered with wildgrasses and overlooks residential neighborhoods and a railroad track to in the south. It’s hard to miss with a 180-foot-tall landmark on site, according to the property broker. at’s the old lift pipe tower originally used by oil-shale company Tosco in the 1980s to research how to extract oil shale from rocks. But then Tosco left town and while property owners tried to keep it leased to science and research tenants, the site has been for sale for years.
“We knew that a requirement for any successful proposal was going to be to have a location where companies could get together, advance their technologies, share resources,” said Paul C. Johnson, president of the School of Mines. “ at’s where we jumped in and said, ‘how about if we do that for you to make your proposal more competitive?’ ey got very excited about it.”
Johnson said that the school had been aware of the site for years but hadn’t found the right use. And then came quantum. He’d kept the board in the loop this year and let them know they may have to approve the purchase fast. e federal award was announced in July. Mines completed the purchase in August.
e school’s commitment is likely to be “in excess of $20 million by
the time we’re done in the next 18 months,” Johnson said. at covers the cost of buying the property for $14 million, xing up the existing 60,000 square feet of labs and o ces (“Maybell’s going to have quantum refrigerators down in the basement that feed the upper oors,” Johnson said) and developing a shared clean-room fabrication facility, which is critical for companies building such sensitive instruments that might get messed up if someone sneezes. It sounds like a coworking space for startups and tech companies that can’t a ord to build clean rooms of their own. Mines is the owner, operator and developer of the property and at some point, it does hope to get some of the investment back. Payback could be in the form of cash, as the property develops and is leased to companies, much like Stanford Research Park.
COURTESY OF COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES
Some Thoughts on Keeping Your Death From Being an Undue Burden on Your Heirs
Seniors don’t want to be a burden to their children while they’re alive, and there are ways to reduce their burden after they die.
If you’ve ever served as a “personal representative” (aka, “executor”) for a person who has passed, you know that it can be a long and burdensome process. There are actions that you can take now so that handling your estate is less burdensome. First, of course, you need to write a will, and make sure that it can be found upon your death. You can find law firms that specialize in estate planning which can help you with composing a will plus other tools such as a medical power of attorney, living will, living trust, and, for real estate, a beneficiary deed.
gave unused bicycles to the Optimist Club’s Bicycle Recycle Program, and took several car loads of clothes, dishes, silverware, small appliances and you-name-it to Goodwill. Since I was our own Realtor in the transaction, I cleverly inserted in the contract of sale that “the seller can leave anything he doesn’t want,” which included countless tools and other stuff in our garage. That was in addition to selling most of our furniture to the buyer for $10,000 paid by check outside of closing.
An unbelievable sense of lightness and peace of mind filled Rita and me from the experience of disposing of so much stuff that would have only been a burden to our heirs if we had died while living in that home.
Is a Heat Pump Right for You? Here Is Some Info.
More and more builders and homeowners are looking at the possibility of switching from gas forced air to heat pumps for heating homes and domestic hot water, especially with the huge tax credits offered under the Inflation Reduction Act.
The following is adapted from an article I saw on CustomBuilderOnline.com
How do heat pumps work?
A heat pump moves heat, it doesn’t generate heat.
A furnace combusts fuel — oil, gas, or propane — and that fuel heats a metal component called a heat exchanger. A fan blows air over it, and that’s how a home heats up, explains Matt Rusteika of the Building Decarbonization Coalition.
pump,” says Rusteika.
How much does switching to a heat pump cost?
With rebate incentives from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), switching to a heat pump could be more attainable.
Thanks to the IRA, heat pumps are now affordable for low-income households and we’re seeing a lot of heat pumps in those homes now, says Unger. Rebates under the IRA are as high as $8,000 for the heat pumps and $6,500 for the wiring to support them, he says.
Searching for “estate planning” on the internet produces an abundance of easy-to-understand advice from multiple trust-worthy websites ranging from wikipedia.com to fidelity.com to the American Bar Association, nerdwallet.com and the National Council on Aging. One website I clicked that had excellent and thorough advice was investopedia.com. A good piece of advice I read was to add the person you designate as your personal representative to your bank accounts, the title of your vehicles, and to your credit card accounts, so those are not frozen and unavailable to him or her after your death. And you might want to dispose of excess property that is otherwise cluttering up your basement and garage.
When Rita and I downsized from our 4,000-sq.-ft. home to an 1,100-sq.-ft. apartment, we did our heirs a great favor, because doing so required us to dispose of an immense amount of stuff that was cluttering up our basement. We
Notice that I did not advise you to add your heirs to the title of your house. If you do, your heirs will not only inherit the house, they will also inherit your capital gain when they go so sell it. The better strategy is to create a beneficiary deed naming your heir(s) as the beneficiary. A beneficiary deed, also known as a transfer-on-death (TOD) deed, is a legal document that allows a property owner to transfer ownership of their real estate to a designated beneficiary after they die. The deed is effective upon the owner's death and bypasses the probate process. This approach, like leaving the property to your heirs in your will, allows your heirs to avoid the capital gain on your home, because its value is “stepped up” to the value of the home at the time of your death. If they sell the home soon, they will probably owe zero in capital gains tax.
For more estate planning advice, contact a lawyer specializing in that field. I can recommend one if you’d like.
List With Me & Get Totally Free Local Moving
It has long been my practice — and that of some of my broker associates — that if you hire me to list your current home and to purchase your replacement home, I will not only reduce my commission for selling your current home but provide totally free local moving using our company moving truck (similar to a large U-Haul) and our own moving personnel. We also provide free moving boxes and packing paper/bubble wrap.
using traditional moving companies, you know that our totally free moving can save you thousands of dollars, even for a move within the metro area.
In heat pumps, there is a compressor which moves a liquid/gas through copper pipe coils located outside and inside the home, operating on two laws of physics: gases get hotter under pressure, and heat moves from hot to cold. Compared to combustion, the heat pump doesn’t burn fuel, rather, it uses energy from the pump and compressor to harvest heat and move it.
“Heat goes into the coil, gets pumped through the compressor, the compressor puts it under pressure so it’s very hot. It goes inside, air blows over the inside coil, deposits the heat in the house, comes back outside, and starts the cycle again,” explains Rusteika. During cooling operation, the cycle is merely reversed, pumping heat out of the house.
What are
the negatives of heat pumps?
Heat pump efficiency drops as temperatures get colder, explains Russell Unger, principal at Rocky Mountain Institute. Early heat pumps were not efficient at very cold outdoor temperatures, and some contractors are unaware of the improvement in efficiency that is now common. Nowadays there are cold-weather heat pumps which can draw heat out of the air even at subfreezing outdoor temperatures, says Unger. He points to the state of Maine, which has very cold winters but has the highest percentage of homes heated with heat pumps.
In 2019, Maine Governor Janet Mills announced a goal to install 100,000 heat pumps in the state by 2025. That goal was achieved in July 2023, and now Gov. Mills has a new goal of 175,000 more by 2027.
“When you look for a heat pump, you need to look for a climate-appropriate heat
When a homeowner needs to replace an existing heating system, the wisest move may be to install a heat pump. The Department of Energy estimates that efficient electric heat pumps can save families approximately $500 to $1,000 annually.
Heat pumps are being installed in great numbers in Maine because the marginal cost of switching to a heat pump is pretty small, explains Unger. Where there is a need for both heating and cooling, a heat pump provides a complete solution. The heat pump replaces two separate components — a furnace and A/C compressor — with a single component using the same ducts. And if a homeowner installs solar, earning additional IRA tax credits, there’s great synergy, since the heat pump uses only electricity and uses it very efficiently.
How popular are heat pumps?
Revised building codes have increased the adoption of heat pumps within the last few years. Still, a lot of HVAC contractors remain skeptical. Many of them tried older heat pumps and it didn’t work as well in cold climates, so getting them to revisit the option has proven difficult, but needs to be encouraged, says Unger.
Heat pumps have outpaced furnace sales every month for the past two years, in addition to solar generation increasing about 40% in the last 20 years, and battery sales up 70% in the last 10 years,
“There’s a big shift happening right now. To remain competitive, to get ahead of what customers want, this is something for contractors to start paying attention to,” says Unger.
In the posting of this article online at http://RealEstateToday.substack.com, I have added hyperlinks to Maine’s experience and the rebates available under the Inflation Reduction Act.
Just pack and unpack. We will even pick up your flattened boxes and packing materials after you unpack!
If you have ever priced moving costs
I bought our first moving truck in 2004. We replaced it with a newer truck (above) in 2016. I calculate that we’ve saved clients hundreds of thousands of dollars in moving costs over the years.
INVESTMENT
e other return is the opportunity for students.
“Our goal is to make this successful so they continue to get funding and Colorado does become the world’s epicenter of quantum technologies. at’s our rst goal,” he said. “But we’ve already had discussions about students having internships with the companies up there and students doing senior design projects. It may not be a formal classroom kind of education, but we’ve certainly already talked about having students there getting experiential learning opportunities.”
The money behind the quantum project
Of course, the $40.5 million isn’t going to cut it. But everyone knew that from the start. e federal funds weren’t going to be enough. If Elevate Quantum had been thinking that small, there probably wouldn’t be anything to write about today. e U.S. Economic Development Administration, a bureau of the Department of Commerce that oversaw the Tech Hubs rollout, expected a lot from applicants. It wanted commitments from the entire ecosystem of schools, investors, private businesses and local governments. e federal grant prevented Elevate Quantum from buying property itself, forcing it to work with others to get that done.
“It’s absolutely crucial for us to invest in ways that we can level up and drive dollars from the private sector to accelerate the pace of the work we’re doing here,” said Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves, who was on site Monday for the ceremony.
No Tech Hub received the full $75 million o ered in federal implementation grants. Graves called Colorado’s win “appropriate for what this is going to be able to do.”
“But our expectation is that this is going to bring in hundreds of millions, up to maybe a billion dollars or more of additional funding. at’s really what we’re trying to focus on,” Graves said. “And that doesn’t mean that this is the only grant that this Tech Hub will get from the EDA or the Department of Commerce. … My expectation is, as this is built and grows, you’ll see a slew of additional grants from the federal government.”
Financial commitments to the Colorado Tech Hub look something like this, according to its grant application and consortium members:
$40.5 million from the U.S. Commerce Department $44 million from Colorado in refundable tax credits to help the buildout of the fabrication plant and lab facilities by CU and School of Mines $30 million from Colorado for loan-loss reserves, intended to encourage banks to make loans to quantum startups A $10 million match from New Mexico to support workforce development and infrastructure $6 million from CU to build the University Quantum Incu-
bator geared at very early-stage startups (an additional $1 million was donated from a private philanthropist) More than $1 billion of private capital Cody Moore, vice president at Caruso Ventures in Boulder, con rmed the “matching commitment” by the venture capitalist community. ere’s already a growing amount of venture investment in local quantum computer companies, with Boulderbased In eqtion raising $193.21 million to date; Quantinuum in Broomeld at $325 million; and Boulder’s Atom Computing raising $90 million, according to PitchBook, a market researcher that tracks venture investments. Atom also just partnered with Microsoft to “build the world’s most powerful quantum computer.” Moore wouldn’t share exactly how committed Caruso Ventures is nancially. ey have, however, invested in several local companies, including Atom Computing, In eqtion and Maybell Quantum.
“I can’t give you a number but what I can say is the factors that investors look for … are here and they continue to improve when it comes to having a diverse talent pool, talent that is well paid and talent that wants to be here,” Moore said. “We feel as if we’re ambassadors for the state of Colorado, not just for quantum but for what we feel is a new Silicon Valley. We completely understand that Silicon Valley won’t be touched but we feel that Colorado can be a top-three market for capital and scale up activity in the next 10 years.”
Count Chris Ballance in. e founder of United Kingdom-based Oxford Ionics, which is building quantum computers, just opened an o ce in Boulder, the company’s rst outside of its U.K. headquarters. ere were many reasons why he picked Boulder, he said, but there was also a primary one.
“It’s for science talent and engineering talent,” Ballance said. “When we decided on Boulder, we really said, ‘Where in the world can we put an o ce that has the largest number of interesting people in a commutable radius?’ … e fact that there’s people there working in industry, in academia, on comparable technologies with similar skill sets, it really means that people can change their commute slightly rather than change their state or continent.”
Ionics employs about 60 in the U.K. and plans to triple its sta in the next 18 months with many of the new hires in Boulder. e Arvada campus also was part of the consideration, he added.
“ ere’s a very good reason we’re building up our team base before we decide on the nal location for the build-out of our o ce,” he said. “Broadly speaking, o ce space is easy. Lab space is where you really plant roots and it becomes very expensive.”
is story was printed through a news sharing agreement with e Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned nonpro t based in Denver that covers the state.
GREEN HOMES TOUR
Saturday, October 5, 2024
Self-Guided Tour 9am–4pm • $15/adult $25/couple
Beautiful, Comfortable, Healthy Homes
Register online at: MetroDenverGreenHomesTour.org or register in person at Jefferson Unitarian Church (JUC) • 14350 W. 32nd Ave • Golden, CO 80401
Electric Vehicle Roundup
3pm–5pm
JUC Parking Lot: 14350 W. 32nd Ave • Golden, CO
Reception & Green Expo
4:30 – 6:30pm at JUC
FREE Appetizers & Local Beverages
Live Music! • Renewable Energy & Sustainable Living Exhibits
“Real people telling real stories about their path to electrification.” – Mark N.
“There’s simply nothing more inspiring than seeing green homes features in person!”
— Angela K.
“The tour gave me a lot of ideas for improving my older home.” — Kelsey Z.
For more information: support@NewEnergyColorado. com
DRACULA
“Dracula: A Feminist Revenge Fantasy, Really” places women front and center in the ght against Dracula. However, it’s still the same story, and it’s lled with plenty of blood.
According to costume designer Clare Henkel, the show’s bloodiness proved to be its own challenge.
“Sometimes the blood is coming out of somebody’s mouth, so it has to be edible,” Henkel said. “Other times it’s fresh. Dried blood looks di erent than fresh blood.”
For Henkel and the rest of the creative team, blood posed a special challenge because it was used in so many di erent ways throughout the show.
“We have charts, we have graphs,” Henkel said. “We’ve tested blood on all these di erent fabrics. It’s a lot.”
Preparations for the show even included a “blood rehearsal” — a special rehearsal before the dress rehearsal where all the blood-related e ects were practiced.
“ is is one of those Halloween, over-the-top, ridiculous bloody
shows,” Austgen said.
While the show makes some changes to the classic “Dracula” tale, it’s still the same story.
“You’ll get the whole ‘Dracula’ story, all of that,” Henkel said. “It’s very bloody. It’s really scary, but it’s also very funny. So it’s, got something for everyone. It’s just really fun.”
For patrons who may be wary of the show’s title, Austgen says not to worry.
“I think some people are immediately put o when they see the word ‘feminist’ because they think it’s going to be uptight and no fun and male bashing,” Austgen said.
“But our version isn’t that. If you like Bu y the Vampire Slayer or True Blood, where you can have all of these kick-ass men and women, this is the show for you. is is not a lecture. is is an adventure.”
“Dracula: A Feminist Revenge Fantasy, Really” runs from Sept. 26 through Nov. 3, with performances at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday as well as 1 p.m. on Wednesdays and 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
Tickets and more information can be found on the Arvada Center’s website.
FROM PAGE 1
“Dracula: A Feminist Revenge Fantasy, Really” reimagines Dracula’s classic tale-with women front and center. COURTESY OF LESLIE SIMON
Je erson County seeks voter approval to retain tax revenue for public safety
If passed, the county would keep more than $30 million in additional revenue
BY SUZIE GLASSMAN SGLASSMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
e Je erson County Board of Commissioners is asking taxpayers to approve a ballot measure in November allowing the county to retain the total revenue it collects from property taxes. e additional revenue would go toward public safety services, including re and ood mitigation, crime reduction, road repair, child nutrition programs and addiction and mental health services, according to the county. e measure doesn’t increase taxes or the mill levy rate. Instead, it allows the county to keep the 24 cents per dollar it already collects for designated projects and eliminates the revenue cap set by TABOR, the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights.
If passed, the county would keep more than $30 million that currently must be refunded to taxpayers under state law.
“While the refund amount di ers yearly, the average person receives around $22,” Je erson County Treasurer Jerry DiTullio said. “Corporations with many properties can receive large refunds, like Xcel Energy, which received around $500,000 last year.”
For anyone questioning what the county would do with the additional revenue, DiTullio stressed that accountability is built into the county’s request.
“ e ballot language is very speci c,” DiTullio said. “It must be invested in transportation and infrastructure and public safety programs like wild re and ood mitigation and response, addiction and mental health programs, crime prevention programs and strategies and other county public safety functions.”
e measure also sets up a citizen’s advisory committee of volunteers to provide input on where and how to spend the additional revenue.
e county has cut its general fund budget by $24.8 million since 2020 due to economic losses incurred during
the pandemic, and county leaders fear more cuts would be necessary if revenue doesn’t increase.
“Je erson County is at a crossroads,” said Commissioner Lesley Dahlkemper, speaking to the Je erson County school board about the ballot initiative. “We’re seeing a growing population and escalating costs to maintain essential services, all while facing serious funding challenges.”
Je erson County Sherrif Reggie Marinelli echoed Dahlkemper’s concerns.
“We’re basically working the street right now with about the same amount of deputies who were working in 2003, but the county has grown tremendously,” Marinelli said. “We can’t keep cutting.”
In August, when the Quarry re erupted within striking distance of hundreds of homes, DiTullio said he got a call from budget nance asking him to cut a $653,000 check to pay down the county’s credit cards because they were maxed out and needed to be used to cover re ghting expenses.
“ at $653,000 wasn’t budgeted,” DiTullio said. “So that’s where the money we’d receive if the measure passes
would come in.”
Marinelli said since she’s taken ofce, the department’s main drive has been to be scally responsible and spend taxpayer money wisely. But without emergency reserves, when the Quarry re began, she feared she might be unable to feed the re ghters coming in from all over the county.
MEET TATER TOT!
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For advertiser or vendor questions, please email our business department at accounting@ coloradocommunitymedia.com
Columnists & Guest Commentaries
Columnist opinions are not necessarily those of the Press. We welcome letters to the editor. Please include your full name, address and the best number to reach you by telephone.
Email letters to lkfiore@coloradocommunitymedia.com
Deadline Tues. for the following week’s paper.
Arvada press
A legal newspaper of general circulation in Je erson County, Colorado, the Arvada Press is published weekly on Thursday by Colorado Community Media, 3540 Evergreen Parkway, Evergreen, CO 80439.
POSTMASTER: Send address change to: Arvada Press, 750 W. Hampden Ave., Suite 225, Englewood, CO 80110 Call first: 3540 Evergreen Parkway, Evergreeen, CO, 80439
A voter drops o their primary ballot June 25 at the Je erson County Government Center’s main ballot drop box. FILE PHOTO BY CORINNE WESTEMAN
SEE BALLOT, P9
UPDATES
Community Vitality & Economic development. Each sector of the plan is meant to target a di erent area where sustainability can be improved. e strategies prioritize working with Arvada’s current plans — such as the Water Conservation Plan or Arvada Comprehensive Plan — to ensure that those plans are sustainable, but not make big changes to the work Arvada is doing. It also prioritizes educating community members on Arvada’s e orts to be sustainable.
“It’s good to have a plan that’s based o of what you guys are doing, and supporting and encouraging that,”
said Hillary Dobos, who works for Lotus. “ ere are a lot of things that you guys are doing really, really well that we wanted to elevate and highlight.”
While the strategic plan is still being nalized, Arvadans have more opportunities to provide feedback. On Nov. 14, a community open house will be held at the Arvada Library to gain more community insight. Following this, a draft plan will be presented to city council on Dec. 9.
During the meeting, Arvada City Council also issued two proclamations. One recognized Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15. e other recognized National Preparedness Month, which takes place throughout the month of September.
REVERSE MORTGAGES MADE EASY
Arvada City Council recognized September as National Emergency Preparedness Month. PHOTO BY LILLIAN FUGLEI
BALLOT
“I’m telling you what, there’s nothing like an Italian woman who freaks out when you cannot feed your people,” she said. “It’s my responsibility as the sheri and the re warden. I’ve got to make sure they’re fed the proper calories and the right kind of food. So when our credit cards don’t work, I’m freaking out.”
Je erson County is one of only two counties in the state that do not allow for some level of revenue retention over the limit imposed by state law. e lack of an approved relief
measure means that county departments can’t seek state grants to help cover budget shortfalls because they would hit the revenue cap and be forced to refund that money.
“I really want to stress to Je erson County residents that because citizens in Douglas County, Arapahoe County and Adams County have passed measures that eliminate revenue caps, they are the ones bene tting from state grants that Je erson County is helping to fund,” Marinelli said.
ose opposed to the ballot measure, including Natalie Menten, the Republican candidate for District 2 County Commissioner, are against any e ort to eliminate TABOR.
“I will work to the end to defeat this measure they want to get passed, which will eliminate our property tax caps and it is a tax increase, eliminating our TABOR refund forever,” Menten told the Je co Transcript in July.
Menten is also a member of the TABOR Foundation, a group that defends e orts to weaken or overturn TABOR.
DiTullio said the ballot initiative doesn’t eliminate TABOR.
“If this passes in November, the Je erson County government or any special district would still have to go to voters to approve any mill levy (property tax) increases,” he said. “Passing this measure also wouldn’t a ect anyone’s state tax refund.”
SPONSORED CONTENT
‘Je erson County is at a crossroads. We’re seeing a growing population and escalating costs to maintain essential services, all while facing serious funding challenges.’
Lesley Dahlkemper, Je co Commissioner
Colorado workers have questions about paid family and medical leave.
Here’s what you need to know.
Colorado’s Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI) program allows eligible Colorado workers to get up to 12 weeks of paid time off each year.
By Tracy Marshall
(DENVER) – Coloradans no longer have to choose between caring for themselves and paying the bills.
The new Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI) program gives Colorado workers pay replacement when they need to step away from their jobs to care for themselves or a family member.
It’s a benefit available to almost everyone who earned at least $2,500 in Colorado in roughly the last year – including self-employed and gig workers. Workers in Colorado can now get up to 12 weeks of partial pay replacement per year after certain life events, such as the birth of a child or a serious medical condition.
But many Coloradans don’t know about this new benefit and how to get it. Here’s a quick overview, so you know that when life happens, FAMLI has you covered.
Where did FAMLI come from?
Colorado voters approved FAMLI in 2020. We’re actually the first state in the country to enact paid family and medical leave through a ballot initiative.
How does it work?
Employers and employees in Colorado
have been paying into the FAMLI program since January of 2023. Premiums are set to 0.9% of the employee’s wage, with 0.45% paid by the employer and 0.45% paid by the employee.
Nearly every Colorado employer is required to comply with the FAMLI Act’s requirements – by either participating in the state program or providing a private plan of equal or greater benefit.
Only local governments have the option to vote to opt out of participating in the program. (Employees of opted-out local governments can still participate if they wish; they simply agree to pay the employee portion of the premium for three years.) Federal employers and some railroad employers are fully exempt from the program.
Family and medical leave isn’t new – the national Family and Medical Leave Act, which took effect in 1993, grants 12 weeks of job-protected leave for many. But it’s unpaid leave and excludes many part-time workers, workers at small-sized businesses and those who have worked less than 12 months.
What life events make someone eligible for paid leave?
Colorado’s FAMLI program covers workers who need to temporarily step away from work for the following reasons:
• Bonding with a new child (including adoptions and foster care/kinship care placements)
•Managing a serious health condition
• Caring for a family member with a serious health condition
• Making arrangements because of a military deployment
• Dealing with the immediate needs and impacts from domestic partner violence, sexual assault or stalking.
How much does FAMLI pay?
Employees can receive up to 90% of their wages, based on a sliding scale. So if you make $500 a week, your FAMLI benefit would be $450 a week. Benefits are capped at $1,100 per week.
This cap is proportional to the average weekly wage for Colorado and may increase over time. We have a calculator on our website (famli.colorado.gov) to help families get a rough estimate of both their paycheck deductions and potential benefit payments.
What
if my employer won’t let me go?
Colorado voters made sure that employers can’t fire people just because they need to
take FAMLI leave. The law prohibits employers from interfering with your right to take paid medical leave, and it says they have to keep your information confidential.
Even better, the law includes important job protections that kick in after you’ve worked somewhere for 180 days, or roughly six months. After that, employers are required to reinstate workers on FAMLI leave to the jobs they had before (with some exceptions, such as seasonal work that was scheduled to wind down anyway.)
We’ve got lots of resources on our website to explain exactly how FAMLI job protection works.
What are my next steps?
Supporting Colorado workers who need FAMLI leave is our passion. You can file your claim online, with lots of how-to guides and videos to help you through the process.
For personalized assistance, you can call us any weekday between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. at 1-866-CO-FAMLI (1-866-263-2654).
Tracy Marshall is the Director of the new paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI) Division at the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE). Tracy has been a Registered Nurse for over 30 years and holds her Bachelors in Nursing from the University of Wales.
Casa Bonita set to begin taking reservations
Iconic Lakewood restaurant taking names for Oct. 1 public debut
BY SUZIE GLASSMAN SGLASSMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
For more than a year, those wanting a glimpse inside Lakewood’s newly renovated Casa Bonita needed to win the lottery. While receiving an exclusive invitation to dinner at the iconic Mexican restaurant wasn’t quite akin to winning the Powerball, the odds of being cho-
sen in Casa Bonita’s lottery system weren’t exactly in their favor.
Hundreds of thousands who signed up hoping to receive an invitation still remain on the waitlist, making it one of Denver’s most exclusive dining establishments.
All of that is changing. After decades of walk-in-only dining, the beloved establishment, nicknamed the “Disneyland of Mexican restaurants,” famous for its cli divers, immersive theme park atmosphere, and, more recently, its new ownership by “South Park” creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, is set to begin accepting reservations for the rst time in its history.
According to the website, the restaurant plans to announce additional changes based on guest feedback as they are introduced. Since re-opening in June 2023, guests are no longer required to pay for their meal before entering the dining area and instead receive table service.
Walk-in dining remains unavailable.
Parker and Stone o cially bought Casa Bonita in September 2021. e purchase came after the restaurant led for bankruptcy in 2020 due to nancial struggles exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
e pair, who were long-time fans, famously catapulted Casa Bonita to cult-like status after featuring the restaurant in a 2003 “South Park” episode. During a 2023 interview,
Parker joked that they went over budget by $40 million upgrading the kitchen, improving safety features, modernizing lighting and sound systems, and making the restaurant ADA-compliant while keeping its nostalgic charm.
Parker and Stone also hired award-winning chef Dana Rodriguez to elevate the menu and provide a better culinary experience.
Reviews on Yelp since the restaurant’s soft opening in June 2023 are mainly favorable. More than half of the 456 responses gave it 4 or more stars out of 5, while one-third gave the experience just one or two stars.
For those who can’t get enough of Casa Bonita, a new documentary titled “¡Casa Bonita Mi Amor!” is now playing in select Denver-area movie theaters. e lm explores the restaurant’s history and cultural signi cance, along with the deep love and a ection fans and employees have for the restaurant.
Casa Bonita entrance.
FILE PHOTO BY JO DAVIS
Lakewood Cultural Center celebrates 25th season with diverse lineup
BY SUZIE GLASSMAN SGLASSMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
e Lakewood Cultural Center is celebrating 25 years of arts and cultural programming. Situated just 15 minutes from downtown Denver, the 320-seat theater regularly hosts performances in various genres, including dance, theater, music and visual arts.
“ e 25th anniversary season reects the mission of the series, which is to feature the diversity of artists, culturally, ethnically and in terms of artistic discipline and to bring these great performances to the Lakewood community,” said Rita Sommers, administrator for the Lakewood Cultural Center.
e 2024-2025 season includes 14 performances, from illusion shows to classical ensembles and multicultural collaborations. Highlights include “VITALY: An Evening of Wonders” featuring master illusionist Vitaly Beckman, Trio con Brio Copenhagen, a renowned piano ensemble blending classical and contemporary music and e Red Willow, a collaboration between Grammy-winning quartet ETHEL and Native American utist Robert Mirabal.
Sommers said the center is excited to present fan favorites like “Nobunto” and artists new to the center like Chicago Tap. e 25th anniversary also includes a special holiday performance of Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas.”
Tickets went on sale on Aug. 1, and subscription packages are available for discounts. For more details on the schedule and tickets, visit the Lakewood Cultural Center’s website. e Lakewood Cultural Center 2024-2025 season presents:
VITALY: An Evening of Wonders
7:30 p.m. Sept. 27 and 2 p.m. Sept. 28
Featuring master illusionist Vitaly Beckman, this show promises a theatrical experience that Penn and Teller say is “ingenious.” From photographs coming to life to paintbrushes painting on their own, audience members are in for a magical evening.
Trio con Brio Copenhagen
7:30 p.m. Oct. 11
is award-winning piano trio has performed all over the world, including at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and Wigmore Hall, according to the group’s biography. e trio will perform a mix of classical music and original arrangements. Erik Levi of BBC Music Magazine writes, “ e Trio’s demonic energy almost takes your breath away.”
Ethel + Robert Mirabel: The Red Willow
7:30 p.m. Oct. 12
Grammy Award-winning artists Ethel, a string quartet, and Robert Mirabel perform their latest collaboration, “ e Red Willow.” rough music and storytelling, the show honors the Taos Pueblo community, of which Mirabel is an elder.
Chicago Tap: Unleash the Beats
7:30 p.m. Oct. 17
Unleash the Beats is a celebration of tap from the 1920s to the future. e music features work by Duke Ellington, David Bowie, Daft Punk and more. e Chicago Stage Standard calls the performance “A collision of unparalleled footwork, live music and storytelling that dares the rest of the tap world to elevate its game.”
MISSING CAT
Nobuntu
7:30 p.m. Nov. 1 and 2 p.m. Nov. 2
Zimbabwe female a cappella group Nobuntu promises to delight Lakewood audiences with an imaginative performance ranging from traditional Zimbabwean songs to Afro Jazz to Gospel. e quartet uses minimal percussion, instruments, and authentic dance moves to create a memorable experience.
Rocky Mountain Stocking Stu ers: Home for the Holidays – Thanksgiving, too!
7:30 p.m. Nov. 8 and 2 p.m. Nov. 9
Blues, country and cowboy musicians, e Rocky Mountain Stocking Stu ers kick o the holiday season with a mix of classic and original
holiday songs.
Irving Berlin’s White Christmas
2 p.m. or 7:30 p.m. Dec. 6-22
Performance Now eatre Company, in collaboration with the Lakewood Cultural Center, presents Irving Berlin’s White Christmas. e performance is a wholesome, uplifting musical featuring wellknown holiday songs like “Blue Skies,” “How Deep is the Ocean,” and the title song, “White Christmas.” e story follows along as two WWII vets follow a pair of singing sisters to a Vermont lodge that happens to be owned by their former army commander.
The prestigious prize-winning Trio con Brio Copenhagen will perform at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 11. at the Lakewood Cultural Center.
COURTESY PHOTO
LINEUP
Maeve Gilchrist
7:30 p.m. Feb. 13
Originally from Scotland, Gilchrist has played the Celtic harp in the United States for 17 years to great fanfare. She’s collaborated with prestigious artists like the Silkroad Ensemble, Nic Gareiss and more. Guitarist Kyle Sanna joins her for this performance.
ARC Circus: A Bee Story
2 p.m. Feb. 22
“A Bee Story” is an Australian physical theater show for children and families, incorporating circus, acrobatics, dance, and live music. e audience is treated to an enchanting performance featuring the “world’s most versatile insect.” e message incorporates environmentalism, sustainability, and community spirit.
‘The Pied Piper’
1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. March 1
Join the Missoula’s Children’s eater as they present the original musical adaptation of the classic story “ e Pied Piper.”
Larry & Joe
2 p.m. March 2
Larry Bellorín and Grammynominated Joe Troop make up this
“latingrass” duo. Together, they perform a fusion of Venezuelan llanera music and Appalachian bluegrass on harp, banjo, cuatro, ddle, guitar, maracas and “whatever else they decide to throw in the van.”
Baroque Chamber Orchestra of Colorado: Fanfares and Flourishes
7:30 p.m. March 7 and 2 p.m. March 8
Proclaiming the Lakewood Cultural Center’s 25th anniversary, Fanfares and Flourishes features the Baroque trumpet in its storytelling performance. Audience members are treated to the lighthearted and spiriting piece “Fencing School” and a playful musical depiction of scenes from the classic novel “Don Quixote,” along with original work in honor of the 25thanniversary celebration.
‘Fiddler on the Roof’
2 p.m. or 7:30 p.m. March 14-30 e Lakewood Cultural Center, in collaboration with Performance Now eatre Company, presents the iconic musical that tells the story of Tevye, a Jewish dairyman living in the Russian village of Anatevka in 1905. As Tevye navigates his family’s changing dynamics and the pressure to preserve tradition amidst political and social upheaval, the musical brings to life classic songs like “If I Were a Rich Man,”
“Matchmaker,” and “Sunrise, Sunset.”
Takács Quartet
7:30 p.m. April 5
Edward Dusinberre (violin), Harumi Rhodes (violin), Richard O’Neill (viola) and András Fejér (cello) of
the world-renowned Takács Quartet close the 2024-2025 season with a program of Beethoven, Janá ek, and Dvo ák. e quartet has been a long-time resident at the University of Colorado Boulder, contributing to music education through teaching and performance.
Vitaly Beckman
PHOTO BY GALINA SUMANEEVA
Grammy Award-winning artists Ethel, a string quartet, and Robert Mirabel perform their latest collaboration, “The Red Willow” on Oct. 12. PHOTO BY TIM BLACK
VOICES
De La Tierra tells story of Upper Río Grande Region
There isn’t just a single layer to history. Events and stories are built on top of each other, inuencing the future in ways both expected and surprising. De la Tierra: Re ections of Place in the Upper Río Grande, a new exhibit at the Colorado History Center, uses a blend of art, culture and artifacts to explore the historical and societal region of southern Colorado and northern New Mexico.
“ is exhibit provides the opportunity to re ect on past and contemporary works and see how they interpret traditions from the region,” said Lucha Martinez de Luna, associate curator of Hispano, Chicano, Latino History and Culture with Colorado History. “When visitors walk into the exhibit space, they will be transported to this region and its cultures.”
De La Tierra is on display at the History Colorado Center, 1200 Broadway in Denver, through April 6, 2025. e center is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
According to Martinez de Luna, the area is the northernmost frontier of the Spanish empire and later Mexico and includes the San Luis Valley. To put together the exhibit, she and Jeremy Morton, exhibition developer and historian for History Colorado, worked with contemporary artists who are either from or have family ties to the Upper Río Grande region.
“ is is a multi-generational artistic exhibit, which highlights the continuation of the region’s cultural traditions in contemporary art,” Martinez de Luna explained. “We’ve broken it into three themes: land and water, cultural expressions and lifeways.”
Visitors will get to learn about the daily tasks of the people who lived
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Missed opportunity
COMING ATTRACTIONS
in the region by checking out historical artifacts, like tools for shearing sheep, textile work and cooking. When paired with a range of artistic works, the exhibit is more clearly able to provide a glimpse into life and the e ects of colonization in the Upper Río Grande.
For Martinez de Luna, who herself has ties to the region and artistic community, working on De La Tierra was an opportunity to work on one of her true passions — presenting voices from the community that usually aren’t featured in museums.
“Many people in the community were co-curators on the exhibit, donating photos, images and more. It’s an important reminder that museums are for the people,” she said. “When I started working at museums, I dreamed of opportunities like this.”
e hope is that when people leave the exhibit, they’ll have learned something new about Colorado history and gained a greater appreciation for the state’s diversity.
“ ere’s been a continuation of cultural erasure for a long time, so I’d love it if people walk away understanding how complex and diverse Colorado is,” Martinez de Luna said.
“We’re still striving for many of the same things now that people were back then. We’re really not as di erent as some would like us to believe we are.”
More information is available at www.historycolorado.org/exhibit/ de-la-tierra.
Silent Film Festival returns for 11th year
Denver Film’s annual Silent Film Festival is the best way to experience these unique and groundbreaking lms: on a big screen with live musical accompaniment. is year’s event runs from Friday, Sept. 27 through the 29th at the Sie FilmCenter, 2510 E. Colfax Ave. e festival includes nine silentera feature lms and a shorts program, and features live music from local musicians like the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra, e Dollhouse ieves and more.
Schedule and tickets are available at https://www.denver lm.org/denver-silent- lm-festival/.
‘James & The Giant Peach’ sails into Northglenn
Author Roald Dahl is responsible for some of the most popular stories for children and young adults (let’s be honest, adults, too). Everyone has their favorites, and I’ve always been partial to “James & e Giant Peach.” So, I was really excited to see “James & e Giant Peach Jr.” is coming to Northglenn’s Parsons eatre, 1 E. Memorial Parkway, from Friday, Sept. 27 through Sunday, the 29th. Staged as part of the city’s Northglenn Youth eatre Jr. program, the
musical takes audiences on a magical journey across the ocean on a colossal peach. Get information and tickets at https://northglennarts. org/upcoming-events/.
Clarke’s Concert of the Week — The Zen Diagram Tour at Fiddler’s Green e National and e War on Drugs are two of indie rock’s biggest bands. Each has its own approach — e National has been around for more than 20 years and are experts at music that can go from moody and introspective to sweeping and magisterial, while e War on Drugs makes heartland rock that can feel as vast as the landscape itself.
It’s a truly inspired idea to pair the groups for e Zen Diagram tour, which stops at Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre, 6350 Greenwood Plaza Blvd. in Englewood, at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 28. For an opener, audiences will be treated to a performance by Lucius, an indie pop band that has been a constant presence in the scene for years.
Get tickets for a guaranteed great night at www.axs.com.
Clarke Reader’s column on culture appears on a weekly basis. He can be reached at Clarke.Reader@hotmail. com.
I was at Standley Lake Library on Saturday picking up a book. I’ve been following the Standley Lake Trailhead construction over the past months. I’m disappointed that the City of Arvada missed a
unique opportunity with the landscaping of the new project. Rather than putting the usual bluegrass sod and trees into the trailhead landscaping, I feel it would have been better to think outside the box and use native vegetation and water-
wise landscaping. I’m sure Arvada has access to wonderful landscapers who specialize in native plants, water-wise gardens and pollinator friendly landscaping. e City of Arvada could have used this trailhead as an educational tool. e library
could have set up a special area of books and information on incorporating native plants and water-wise landscaping into residential yards which would tie into the trailhead planting. Maybe next time?
Toni Rautus, Arvada
Clarke Reader
Colorado electrical co-ops lead nation in federal grants
Three Colorado electrical cooperatives will be getting chunks of a $9.7 billion federal program designed to aid rural America in making the transition to a clean energy economy.
Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, which delivers power to 41 member cooperatives across four states, 16 of them in Colorado, is in line to get $679 million. at award is in the underwriting stage. Tri-State is con dent it will be awarded.
“We are optimistic that our application will move forward and be fully funded,” said Lee Boughey, the vice president for communications at Tri-State.
United Power, an electrical cooperative based in Brighton that has 112,000 members in northern Colorado, expects to get $261 million. Until May, it got all but 5% of its electricity from Tri-State.
CORE Electric Cooperative, which is based in Sedalia and serves Castle Rock, Parker and a large swath of land both east and west, also was named a recipient. It was invited to apply for up to $225 million in program budget authority to procure renewable energy sources including wind, solar and batteries through several power purchase agreements, subject to the nal funding process. Colorado was the lone state to have multiple winners. e other 15 recipients span the country from New Jersey and Florida to Arizona and Alaska.
e money comes from a program called New ERA (Empowering Rural America), which was funded through the In ation Reduction Act passed by Congress in 2022. e program has been called the most important investment in rural America since President Franklin Roosevelt in 1936 signed the Rural Electri cation Act. at law provided funding to promote electri cation of widely dispersed customers in rural America that investor-owned utilities had found too expensive to serve.
In remarks in Wisconsin on ursday to celebrate the funding, President Joe Biden also drew comparisons to the legislation that created the interstate highway system in 1956. ere, Dairyland Power Cooperative,
BIG PIVOTS
which has 24 member cooperatives in Wisconsin and three other states, is to get $473 million from the New ERA program.
Uday Varadarajan, senior principal on the electricity team at RMI, said the New ERA funding will have impacts far larger than the dollar amounts. One key provision of the In ation Reduction Act allows electrical cooperatives to access money for clean energy that was previously unavailable to them because of their nonpro t status. Tax credits for clean energy development were available to for-pro t developers and utilities but not rural cooperatives.
electric-
is, Varadarajan said, was a fundamental inequity. It put electrical cooperatives serving rural America at a disadvantage. Now, provisions in the In ation Reduction Act will level the playing eld. “ ey are now nally able to take advantage of those clean energy tax credits,” he said.
“ ere are strong reasons to believe that the program over time will increase their nancial con dence in really moving more aggressively to take advantage of clean energy, which is increasingly competitive and reliable,” he said.
New ERA funding will allow rural electric co-ops to overcome their reluctance to go into further debt and by reducing the burden of their old debt. With less aversion to taking on new debt, Varadarajan explained, they can feel more con dence about investing in new renewable generation — and owning it instead of mostly buying the generation through power-purchase agreements.
Varadarajan credited Tri-State in making the pivot from being just a big cooperative to now becoming a leading cooperative in aggressively taking advantage of the incentives to move thoughtfully and carefully to transition their system from fossil fuel generation to renewable resources.
Allen Best
BY HALEY LENA HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Since the 1950s, pop culture has had a profound in uence on the idea of extraterrestrials and mysterious ying objects. Whether exemplifying the public’s fears or hopes of the existence of another life form, TV shows, movies and comics have helped form a fascination with the unknown.
As we develop into a more digital world, some confusion has accompanied the fascination, building a culture of conspiracy, assumptions and growing questions, according to an Enigma Labs consultant Alejandro Rojas.
“ e public really wants to be part of the club that has seen something extraordinary,” said Seth Feinstein, president and state director of the Colorado Mutual UFO Network.
COMUFON is a chapter of an international nonprofit organization, MUFON, which has been around since 1969 to investigate sightings, collect data and establish a worldwide database in hopes of educating the public.
e idea of “ ying saucers” became a national interest in the late 1940s when a rancher in Roswell, New Mexico found remnants of a ying object.
“fish-shaped”
black
object can be seen in the sky above a traditional commercial aircraft. Kevin Benham, who provided the photo, has been investigating Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena for years after seeing one in Aurora, Colorado. COURTESY OF KEVIN BENHAM
CURIOSITIES
By 1952, the U.S. Air Force coined the term UFO — unidenti ed ying object — as part of Project Blue Book, a program that investigated and analyzed UFO reports. e project was closed in 1969 and since then, the records have been with the National Archives.
Just like “ ying saucers,” the term “UFO” became synonymous with alien spacecraft. In an e ort to avoid speculation, investigators have now been referring to them as UAPs – unidentied anomalous phenomena – as they do not know the nature of the objects.
As documentaries and novels studying the phenomena continue, there has been more transparency from the national level.
ere have been multiple Congressional hearings surrounding the topic, the Director of National Intelligence writes annual reports on UAP sightings by the military and NASA as a UAPindependent study.
Earlier this year, the Department of Defense’s Alldomain Anomaly Resolution O ce put out a statement that the department doesn’t believe sights of UAPs are of “extraterrestrial activity.”
Whatever it may be, people are interested in the unknown. As researchers continue to gather information, many residents across the metro area are attending talks and studying the subject themselves.
“It’s part of the mystery,” Rojas said.
Did you see that?
e mystery is what attracts people.
e Highlands Ranch Historical Society sponsors over ten programs on various topics throughout the year, one that focuses on UFOs and the supernatural. Each year, it’s the most attended program, said McKeag.
Over the summer, the so-
ciety invited researcher, investigator and author Katie Paige to speak about strange occurrences that have happened along the front range.
Paul McKeag, a former board member of the historical society, had known of Paige and has had an interest in the phenomena from an early age.
“I have never seen one, but I’ve had close family members that have experienced them,” McKeag said.
He grew up in a sparsely populated area of Nebraska on a farm. When he was about ve years old, his parents had friends from out of state visit. One night, he had gone to bed when his parents heard the cattle making strange noises.
McKeag said when his parents went to look, the cattle were circling around the young and there was a sulfur smell in the air. at’s when they noticed a disc shaped object not making any noise, but slowly rotating. He remembers them telling him the next morning that they watched it for some time before it shot straight up in the air.
Sara Lebofsky, a current Highlands Ranch Historical Society board member, was a skeptic up until a little over a decade ago.
“I have become more and more convinced that we’re not alone,” Lebofsky said.
Lebofsky rst became interested when she saw a ballot measure in Denver calling for the city to accept reports of UFO sightings. Although the measure failed in 2010, it was enough for Lebofsky to start reading about the phenomenon.
One day, Lebofsky’s husband was looking out the front door and suddenly called her over. After she rushed to the door, she said they both saw a large object with lights on the bottom. She recalls the object moving straight up and down, then to the east and back before suddenly disappearing.
“We just stood there trying to come up with what
it could be,” said Lebofsky. “But everything that we tried to think that it might be was not possible.”
In 2020, numerous reports were coming in across the metro area.
Micki Trost, strategic communications director of the Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management said the division worked with local law enforcement and most reported sightings were identi ed as Starlink Satellites, aircraft landing at Denver International Airport and drones used by utility companies.
When asked how the division handles reports of sightings, Trost said in an email that the division recommends if someone has a safety concern to contact local law enforcement through the non-emergency phone number if it isn’t an immediate life safety issue or 911 it is a life safety issue.
“(People) should always report any concerns to local law enforcement,” Trost said. “Our role is to support local law enforcement and government.”
Using science to understand what’s going on
When Kevin Benham witnessed a solid black sphere with no lights or sound moving at an incredible speed in 2014 near southeast Aurora, he wanted to learn more.
Benham, now retired, became a eld investigator with Colorado Mutual UFO Network in 2016.
“Everybody who’s involved in MUFON is passionate about the truth behind UFOs,” said Seth Feinstein, state director.
All eld investigators are trained in the most up-todate programs.
Using the scienti c method, the investigators use the Jacques Valet classi ca-
tions as a guide and a photo analysis team analyzes photos to authenticate the image or video to help identify the object.
Feinstein, who is also the Case Management System coordinator and leader of the Photo Analysis Team, became interested when he was a teenager with friends in a suburban Long Island, New York park when he said a silent craft with “lights swirling all around” ew silently over them.
Now, he has been studying the subject for about 35 years, adding that the use of cell phone cameras has created a shift in the amount of sightings being reported.
Cell phone cameras are essential to what is being done at Enigma Labs. e company, based out of New York, describes itself as a “community-driven product” that aims to provide tools for analyzing and discussing sightings with an overall goal of being the rst unidenti ed anomalous phenomena sightings alert network.
“We would like to have a real time alert system so people can be noti ed when
something’s being seen near them,” Rojas said.
With hundreds of reports being uploaded to their app per week, Rojas said Enigma has built a community where researchers can crowdsource the data as scienti c investigation and data collection is critical.
For nearly two decades, Rojas has been working with di erent nonpro t organizations, writing and researching the topic. But before that, he was a Colorado journalism student, with a focus on science, and he was skeptical about the subject.
“I started hearing about a lot of stories that I didn’t see in the news where there were credible people claiming incredible things,” Rojas said. “It took o from there.” ere is a perception that UFOs or UAPs mean alien spacecraft. While Rojas doesn’t believe there is strong enough evidence to determine that, there is the ability to collect and analyze more data, just as the Department of Defense and NASA are doing.
As characteristics are beyond any known commercial or military technology, Enigma Labs suggests UAPs can manifest in various forms. Some hypotheses include: natural weather phenomena, human time traveling from the future, interdimensional entities, ancient probes from prior civilizations or arti cial intelligence that is further ahead than society realized.
However, there are people who are convinced that it’s aliens visiting.
“If they have a strong belief that they know what it is, they should be encouraging science to do more data collection and analysis,” Rojas said. “Because if they’re right, science will prove them right.”
Here’s why
BY JACKIE RAMIREZ SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
Now is the time to celebrate Latin American culture and traditions
Hispanic Heritage Month, running from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, celebrates the histories and cultures of Hispanic and Latino communities. is month of celebration goes hand in hand with the independence anniversaries of several Latin American countries, highlighting their historic struggles and achievements toward independence.
Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua celebrate their independence on Sept. 15; Mexico is the next day, Chile celebrates Sept. 18 and Belize celebrates Sept. 21.
As the month progresses, many celebrations of Hispanic and Latino contributions to society begin in Colorado and beyond. is year for many Mexicans, Las Vegas is the place to be: icon Luis Miguel is scheduled to perform the day before Mexico’s Independence Day at Caesar’s Palace.
Celebrations in other countries
Some Latin American countries honor their independence movements around mid-September, which according to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino, “occurred in the Age of Revolutions, a period from the late 1700s to the mid 1800s, when several countries fought for and gained their independence.” By 1836, most Latin American countries, except Puerto Rico and Cuba, had gained independence.
In one of Costa Rica’s oldest tradi-
tions known as the Lantern Parade, children bring light to the streets on the eve of its Independence Day, according to the Tico Times, an English-language newspaper there. Before the parade, many sing the national anthem in their homes or outside and television and radio stations broadcast the national anthem.
In Mexico’s Independence Day Eve tradition, “El Grito,” a ceremony is led by the president of Mexico and the bells of the National Palace are rung as they recreate one of Mexico’s most important historical moments, according to the ocial government website of Mexico. “El Grito de Dolores” was when Father Hidalgo urged the people of Dolores to rise up against Span-
they could not stay passive during a time of struggle. e Mexican ag is waved and honors the country’s heroes. As the president lists their names, the Mexicans who are all at the main square of Mexico City, called El Zocalo, shout “Viva! Viva!” It’s an expression that represents the respect and admiration from the nation toward those heroic gures.
Chile celebrates the days leading up to its Independence Day by having Fiestas Patrias, which o cially happen on Sept. 18-19, but Chileans start celebrating at the start of September. e parties leading up to the o cial Independence Day celebrations involve food, music and a folk dance called “pie de cueca,” according to Chile Travel, the Chilean government’s o cial tourism website. Cumbia music and dance is also included in the Fiesta Patrias.
Similar to how Americans celebrate the Fourth of July, many countries celebrate independence by eating their country’s cuisine, listening and dancing to their music and honoring all things related to their country.
Similar to the U.S. tradition of reworks, Guatemala has a torch marathon, where its joined by other
countries including Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua to run the “Antorcha de la Independencia” (torch of independence), to pay honor to a tradition that began Sept. 14, 1821 when, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, “María Dolores Bedoya ran through the Guatemalan streets carrying her lantern as a symbol of hope for the liberated nations.”
Hispanic Heritage Month at History Colorado
Are you interested in learning more about achievements and contributions of the Chicano, Latino and Hispanic communities throughout history? From Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, History Colorado has you covered with exhibitions and guest speakers to help Coloradans “expand their understanding of history and lived experiences of the Centennial State’s diverse populations and celebrate Hispanic Americans who motivated others to succeed.” History Colorado o ers various opportunities for learning throughout the state, from Denver to Fort Garland, and online. Go to their website for admission costs and other details.
A dancer at the Viva Southwest Mariachi Conference on the Metropolitan State University Auraria Campus in April 2024.
FILE PHOTO BY ARMANDO GENEYRO/KUNC
Thu 10/03
Youth Climbing Class, Thu, 4:30pm @ 4:30pm Oct 3rd - Oct 24th
Buchanan Park Recreation Center, 32003 Ellingwood Trail, Evergreen. 720-880-1000
Kimberly Akimbo
@ 7:30pm Buell Theatre, Denver
Fri 10/04
Moody Good
@ 7pm
Sleeping Beauty w/ Colorado Ballet
@ 7:30pm
Ellie Caulkins Opera House, Den‐ver
Mon 10/07
6arelyhuman @ 8pm
Meow Wolf Denver Convergence Station, Denver
Sat 10/05
Juice O'The Barley @ 1pm
Talnua Distillery, 5405 W 56th Ave Unit C, Arvada
Nate Hixson @ 1pm
Talnua Distillery, 5405 W 56th Ave Unit C, Arvada
The Runaway Wild: SynthBanger's Fest 2024 @ 7pm
Flatland Cavalry @ 6pm
Red Rocks Amphitheatre, 18300 W Alameda Pkwy, Morrison
Zomboy @ 7pm
Red Rocks Amphitheatre, 18300 W Alameda Pkwy, Morrison
Abhi The Nomad
@ 8pm
The Oriental Theater, 4335 W 44th Ave, Denver
Upsahl @ 8pm
Meow Wolf Denver Convergence Station, Denver
Sun 10/06
LIGHTCODE by LSDREAM @ 10:30am
Red Rocks Amphitheatre, 18300 West Alameda Parkway, Morrison
Eric Golden @ 1:30pm Little Bear Live, 28075 CO-74, Evergreen
LSDREAM @ 7pm
Meow Wolf Denver Convergence Station, Denver
Red Rocks Amphitheatre, 18300 W Alameda Pkwy, Morrison
Wed 10/09
Red Rocks Amphitheatre, 18300 W Alameda Pkwy, Morrison
Tue 10/08
Miss May I @ 6pm
The Oriental Theater, 4335 W 44th Ave, Denver
Meghan Trainor @ 6:30pm
PawPaw Rod @ 6pm
Red Rocks Amphitheatre, 18300 W Alameda Pkwy, Morrison
Still Woozy @ 7pm
Red Rocks Amphitheatre, 18300 W Alameda Pkwy, Morrison
Mildlife @ 8pm
Meow Wolf Denver Convergence Station, Denver
Red Rocks Amphitheatre, 18300 W Alameda Pkwy, Morrison
powered
And Colorado’s prominence among the recipients also re ects on the state’s political leadership and the grassroots support, he said. Tri-State lobbied hard for a carveout in the In ation Reduction Act that would allow it and other cooperatives that serve predominately rural areas of the United States to get assistance in the energy transition. Based in Westminster, TriState had become heavily anchored in coal- red generation and was weighted down in the transition by the debt on some of these coal plants.
e federal money will be used by Tri-State to support the retirement of 1,100 megawatts of coal- red generation. It shut down one coal plant in New Mexico in 2019 and has plans to close the three coal-
burning units it operates at the Craig Generating Station from 2025 to 2027. It had originally planned to close Springerville 3, a coal plant in Arizona, in 2040, but the promise of the federal funding has given Tri-State the comfort to pay o undepreciated debt in the plant and move up its retirement to 2031. It has made plans not to divest from generation at the Laramie River coal plant in Wyoming.
e award will help Tri-State procure 1,480 megawatts of renewable energy in the form of solar, wind and battery storage. is conversion will reduce member costs an estimated $422 million over 20 years.
e original letter of intent for New ERA funding, submitted by Tri-State a year ago, was for $970 million. Because of the number of applications from across the country, Tri-State and other applicants were advised to moderate their requests. Tri-State was invited to sub-
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mit a proposal for $679 million. rough a mix of low-interest loans and grants, Tri-State would look to leverage this budget authority to support investments that could total more than $2 billion for 18 di erent projects. It plans to issue a request for proposals in September.
In an interview, Duane Highley, the chief executive, said that TriState began getting news in early August that it was in line to receive funding. at, along with news from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission that aligned with Tri-State’s plans, made it his single best week since he joined Tri-State as chief executive in April 2018.
e nancial award is also making Tri-State more attractive in the eyes of Wall Street analyst. Highley said Tri-State had been in conversation with Standard & Poor’s and the two other credit agencies. “ ey are extremely excited,” he said. e federal money will result in “less risk, a stronger balance sheet and lesser rates” for Tri-State’s members, he said.
give Tri-State the tools it needs to fully transition rural communities o of the coal and gas plants that are fueling the climate crisis. I’m glad to see it,” he said.
“ is is such exciting news,” said Je Delaney, a resident of Crested Butte. “Rural communities have been looking in from the outside as the country transitions to clean energy, and this funding opens the door for our communities to be able to reap the bene ts of the move to renewable energy and leave the harm of fossil fuels in the rear-view mirror.”
Chad Franke, president of Rocky Mountain Farmers Union, called out the plans by Tri-State to spread the projects it plans across its territory, bene tting farmers and ranchers and rural communities across several states.
Advertise Your Place of Worship
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We meet in person with extraordinary live music on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of each month from 10:30a.m. to noon at: Activity Options, 7401 W. 59th Ave., Arvada, 80003. All other Sunday meetings are on zoom from 10:30a.m. to noon.
Please phone: 720-576-9193, or email: livingwaterspiritualcommunity@gmail.com
Our website is: www.livingwaterunity.org
To advertise your place of worship in this section, call Erin at 303-566-4074 or email eaddenbrooke@ColoradoCommunityMedia.com
Tri-State’s ratings had been declining in recent years as member cooperatives left Tri-State to pursue what they consider to be greener pastures elsewhere. Kit Carson Electric, in New Mexico, left in 2016 and has succeeded greatly. It was followed by Delta-Montrose Electric in Colorado and then, on May 1 this year, United Power. ree others are now in line to leave.
In rural Colorado, the announcement was welcomed by individuals who get power from cooperatives supplied by Tri-State.
“ is is a big deal for Coloradans who get their electricity form rural electric coops on Tri-State’s system,” said Je Fiedler, a Lake County commissioner who is also a board member of Buena Vistabased Sangre de Cristo Electric Association, a Tri-State member. “Our communities have supported Tri-State’s recent moves to catch up in the energy transition, and make sure we don’t get left behind and miss out on cleaner energy and lower bills for rural residents and businesses.”
From Silverton, Scott Fetchenheier, a commissioner in San Juan County, had said his mountain county — alone among Colorado’s 64 counties with no irrigable acres — is already experiencing the impacts of climate change. “It’s a relief to know this federal funding will
Also a big winner in this week’s announcement is United Power, which has 113,000 members from the foothills to Colorado’s oil and gas Wattenberg Field. It became independent of Tri-State on May 1 and now generates its own power. e green portfolio of the Brightonbased cooperative currently represents more than 300 megawatts of renewable energy from solar, hydropower and wind.
Another 470 megawatts of solar generation expected to be online will include 160 megawatts from a member’s agrivoltaics project.
Also cited in United Power’s presentation is the cooperative’s Community Bene ts Plan, which it says demonstrates investment in a skilled, long-term workforce needed to power the energy transition. is includes an apprenticeship program and line-worker scholarships.
“ e New Era funding comes as a direct result of our business model change to a lower carbon future as outlined in Our Cooperative Roadmap three years ago,” said Mark Gabriel, United’s chief executive. “We will continue the critical work necessary to receive the funding in developing our Community Bene t Plan. is money is directly tied to our independence as a distribution cooperative.”
CORE Electric will also get an award that will be used to procure approximately 550 megawatts of new wind and solar renewable energy along with 100 megawatts of energy storage.
Loveland Ski Area to start making snow in early October
Popular ski destination in Dillon will start using snow guns in anticipation of the upcoming season
BY CHRIS KOEBERL CKOEBERL@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Loveland Ski Area will make it snow in early October in anticipation of opening its rst lifts by early November, according to Marketing Manager Dustin Schaefer.
e ski area’s plan is to start making snow using snow guns at the top of Chet’s Dream ski run and work their way down to the base as con-
ditions allow, Schaefer said. e ski area also recently announced a price freeze from last season’s 4-Paks and 3-Class Passes, meaning rates won’t go up for the 2024-25 season e price deadline for season passes is Dec. 5, and the deadline for 4-Paks is Nov. 24.
“Loveland’s opening day terrain will include Catwalk, Mambo and Homerun, o ering 1,000 vertical feet of tree-to-tree coverage with an 18inch base,” Schaefer said.
An exact opening date is yet to be announced and will depend heavily on the weather conditions, Schaefer said. Last year’s opening day was Nov. 10.
It typically takes about two weeks of continuous snowmaking to get the mountain ready, Schaefer added.
Loveland Ski Area will start making snow in early October for the upcoming ski season.
COURTESY PHOTO
Panthers beat Rams in first meeting since 1991
BY DENNIS PLEUS JEFFCO PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Big Black is back.
After a 3-17 record over the past two seasons playing in Class 5A, Pomona’s football program picked up a huge win on ursday night that very well could be a sign that the Panthers could be in the mix for a 3A state championship this season.
“It has been a long road the last two years, but this is what we’ve been building for,” Pomona Coach Nate Johnson said after the Panthers took a dominant 33-7 victory over Green Mountain at the North Area Athletic Complex. “You see we will have some kinks to work out, but I do believe we are working toward being a state contender.”
Pomona (2-1 record) was coming o a close loss on the road against a strong 4A team in Pueblo West last week. Getting the convincing victory over Green Mountain — back-toback 3A state semi nalist the previous two seasons — shows what the Panthers are capable of playing in 3A.
“I always knew we were a good team, even when we struggled going 1-9,” Pomona junior quarterback Emmit Munson said. “I have always believed in this team. It really feels good to get this team win. It has been a long time coming.”
Munson got Pomona going with a big 68-yard touchdown pass to senior Bauer Swazo on the Panthers’ rst o ensive possession.
SPORTS
Pomona football gets signature win over Green Mountain
“He is no longer a freshman or sophomore,” Johnson said of Munson, who has played on varsity since his freshman season. “He isn’t nely tuned yet, but he is a lot more ecient with a smarter football IQ. We need that eld general on the o ensive side. Emmit is our guy.”
Green Mountain (1-2) drove into Pomona territory for the second time early in the second quarter, but junior Jaydon Molina snatched
Pomona junior quarterback Emmit Munson (33) had a touchdown run and pass during the Panthers’ 33-7 victory over Green Mountain on Thursday, Sept. 12, at the North Area Athletic Complex.
the momentum back with a 54-yard inception return for a touchdown with 9:20 left in the second quarter to give the Panthers a 13-0 lead.
“Early in the game they ran the same play. I was expected it, but I dropped it,” Molina said. “I had to come back the next time to get it. e second time I caught it. It felt great.”
It was the rst varsity touchdown for Molina. It was also the rst of
three interceptions by Pomona’s defense. Junior Sebastian Reyes picked o Green Mountain senior quarterback Simon Lunsford in the third quarter and junior Cotton McKay sealed the win with an interception on the Rams’ nal drive.
e pressure put on Lunsford by Pomona’s front-seven helped lead to the interceptions.
“One of our strengths is our de-
fensive line,” Johnson said. “We are going to bring the juice.”
e likes of seniors Izaya Hawkins and Michael Tischler were in the face of Lunsford all game long.
“It gives us a lot of energy to the team when we see those hits on the quarterback before the ball gets out,” Molina said.
PHOTO BY DENNIS PLEUSS
FOOTBALL
Pomona’s o ense nished o the rst half in style with a pair of touchdowns in the nal four minutes. Junior Luis Santana had an eight-yard touchdown run and Munson strolled into the end zone from 4 yards out to give Pomona a commanding 27-0 lead just before halftime.
Green Mountain did get on the board with under a minute to play in the second quarter with a 10-yard touchdown run by senior Drennan Dowell. However, the momentum stayed with Pomona in the second half with the Panthers’ defense shutting out the Rams.
Besides the two second-half interceptions, Pomona’s defense forced a pair of turnovers on downs when Green Mountain failed to pick up a
rst down on fourth down.
Junior Ethan Vu put the nishing touches on the win with a 11-yard touchdown run in the nal minutes to push the lead to 33-7.
“When I saw Green Mountain was on our schedule I was ready to play them Week 1,” Munson said. “To beat Green Mountain like this with how good they have been in the past in 3A. It feels good. We aren’t coming anymore. We are here.”
Pomona squares o another Je co foe in a non-league game next week. e Panthers host (4A) No. 6 Dakota Ridge at 4 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 20, at the NAAC.
Green Mountain will celebrate homecoming next week and face Northridge (0-2) at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 20, at Je co Stadium.
Despite Green Mountain and Pomona both being Je co Public Schools, ursday was the rst meeting on the gridiron between the Rams
and Panthers since 1991. Pomona defeated Green Mountain 49-23.
Green Mountain won a pair of 4A state championships (1995 and 1999) under legendary coach Don McGatlin. e Rams have had great success in recent years advancing to the 3A state semi nals the past two seasons under coach Jesse German, who left after last season to take the head coaching job at Eaglecrest High School.
Pomona became a 5A powerhouse under former coach and alumni Jay Madden. e Panthers were 5A runner-up in 2009, 2015 and 2016 under Madden. Pomona nally captured the state title in 2017 with a dramatic 56-49 victory over Eaglecrest at Mile High.
Dennis Pleuss is the Sports Information Director for Je co Public Schools. For more Je co coverage, go to CHSAANow.com.
Green Mountain senior Demetreus Padilla (middle) is tripped up by a host of Pomona defenders during the non-league game on Thursday, Sept. 12, at the North Area Athletic Complex. In the first meeting between the Panthers and Rams on the gridiron since 1991, Pomona took a 33-7 victory.
PHOTO BY DENNIS PLEUSS
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Terumo BCT, Inc. seeks SW Engineer in Lakewood, CO to design develop, code, test & debug new SW or significant enhancements to existing SW for internal & external customers. Salary: $161,886 - $178,000/yr. Partial telework allowed but must live within commuting distance of Lakewood, CO. Benefits info avail at terumobct. com/careers/total-rewards. Send resume to RecruitingHR@terumobct.com ref SE424 in subject line.
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e only other Western state to get New ERA funding in this rst round of awards is Arizona. Arizona Electric Power Cooperative, which provides electricity to 40
ABOUT LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Colorado Community Media welcomes letters to the editor. Please note the following rules:
• Email your letter to kfiore@coloradocommunitymedia.com. Do not send via postal mail. Put the words “letter to the editor” in the email subject line.
• Submit your letter by 5 p.m. on
electrical cooperatives and public power districts in Arizona, Nevada, California and New Mexico. Money will be used for investments in 730 megawatts of solar, 2,910 megawatthours of battery energy storage, and 70 megawatts of wind.
According to the funding formula, Tri-State and other larger electrical providers were to get 60% of the $9.7
Wednesday in order to have it considered for publication in the following week’s newspaper.
• Letters must be no longer than 400 words.
• Letters should be exclusively submitted to Colorado Community Media and should not submitted to other outlets or
billion, with mid-sized cooperatives getting 20% and smaller cooperatives the nal 20%. Several smaller Colorado cooperatives also submitted letters of interest to RUS for New ERA funding. ose recipients have yet to be announced.
Holy Cross Energy, the Glenwood Springs-based electrical cooperative serving the Aspen-Vail-Battle-
previously posted on websites or social media. Submitted letters become the property of CCM and should not be republished elsewhere.
• Letters advocating for a political candidate should focus on that candidate’s qualifications for o ce. We cannot publish letters that contain unverified nega-
ment Mesa area, is not among them. e coop chose not to apply for assistance because it is already far along on its decarbonization path. In May, it achieved 80% emissionsfree energy and expects to surpass 90% sometime early in 2025.
See more stories about Colorado’s energy transition at BigPivots.com
tive information about a candidate’s opponent. Letters advocating for or against a political candidate or ballot issue will not be published within 12 days of an election.
• Publication of any given letter is at our discretion. Letters are published as space is available.
NOTICE OF FINAL SETTLEMENT
Notice is hereby given that disbursements in final settlement will be issued by the Finance Director at 10:00 a.m., October 8, 2024 to Arrow-J Landscape and Design, Inc. for work related to Project No. 23-VCN-027 Holistic Health and Fitness Park and performed under that contract dated July 18th, 2023 for the City of Arvada.
Any person, co-partnership, association of persons, company or corporation that furnished labor, material, drayage, sustenance, provisions or other supplies used or consumed by said contractor or his sub-contractors in or about the performance of the work contracted to be done by said Arrow-J Landscape and Design, Inc. and its claim has not been paid, may at any time on or prior to the hour of the date above stated, file with the Finance Director of the City of Arvada at City Hall, a verified statement of the amount due and unpaid on account of such claim.
Dated this September 11, 2024
CITY OF ARVADA /s/ Kristen Rush, City Clerk
Legal Notice No. 419048
First Publication: September 26, 2024
Last Publication: September 26, 2024
Publisher: Jeffco Transcript
Public Notice
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING AND AVAILABILITY OF THE FIRST SUBSTANTIAL AMENDMENT
TO THE 2023 ANNUAL ACTION PLAN
FOR PUBLIC REVIEW AND COMMENT
The City of Arvada is soliciting comments on its proposed First Substantial Amendment to its 2023 Annual Action Plan. The Substantial Amendment proposes the reprogramming of an amount not to exceed $450,000 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding previously allocated to and unspent by the Essential Home Repair Program to Habitat for Humanity for its Griffith Station project, a 20-unit, for-sale, affordable townhome development.
Document Available for Review and Public Comment
The First Substantial Amendment to the 2023 Annual Action Plan will be available in draft form for review by any interested citizen from September 26, 2024 through October 25, 2024. A copy of the document is available for public review at the following location during regular business hours between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday– Friday.
City of Arvada Housing Division 8101 Ralston Road Arvada, Colorado 80002
A copy of the First Substantial Amendment may also be downloaded from the City of Arvada’s website: https://www.arvadaco.gov/418/Human-Services-and-Community-Development.
Written Comments
The City invites all citizens, public agencies, and other interested parties to review the proposed First Substantial Amendment to the 2023 Annual Action Plan and provide comments. Written comments or suggestions may be addressed to Nicholas Ashmore, and mailed to 8101 Ralston Road, Arvada, Colorado 80002, or emailed to nashmore@arvada.org. Written comments will be accepted until October 25, 2024.
Public Hearing Notice
The City of Arvada will conduct a virtual public hearing on October 15, 2024, from 5:30 - 6:00 p.m. The purpose of this hearing is to solicit public comments and answer questions about the proposed First Substantial Amendment to the 2023 Annual Action Plan. The public hearing can be accessed using the following link: https://www.google.com/url?q=https:// arvadaco-gov.zoom.us/j/83876868536?pwd%3DpKKDOGfJAkF7a9aHvOWuLk8YDhZpFq.1&sa=D&source=calendar&ust=1726427181704345&usg=AOvVaw3Fz4K8wRC9Cxm5Eg2M7_2F
Other Information
Persons with disabilities or who otherwise need assistance, including those with Limited English Proficiency, should contact Nicholas Ashmore at nashmore@arvada.org or by phone at (720) 898-7497 or 711 Relay at least 48 business hours in advance of the hearing.
The City of Arvada is an equal opportunity agency (employer).
Legal Notice No. 419049
First Publication: September 26, 2024
Last Publication: September 26, 2024
Publisher: Jeffco Transcript
Metro Districts Budget Hearings
The Board of Directors (the “Board”) of the SABELL METROPOLITAN DISTRICT (the “District”), will hold a public hearing via teleconference on October 8th, 2024, at 2:30 p.m., to consider adoption of the District’s proposed 2025 budget (the “Proposed Budget”), and, if necessary, adoption of an amendment to the 2024 budget
(the “Amended Budget”). The public hearing may be joined using the following teleconference information:
The Proposed Budget and Amended Budget are available for inspection by the public at the offices of CliftonLarsonAllen, LLP, 8390 East Crescent Parkway, Suite 300, Greenwood Village, CO 80111.
Any interested elector of the District may file any objections to the Proposed Budget and Amended Budget at any time prior to the final adoption of the Proposed Budget or the Amended Budget by the Board.
The agenda for any meeting may be obtained at https://sabellmetrodistrict.com/ or by calling (303) 858-1800.
BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS: SABELL METROPOLITAN DISTRICT, a quasi-municipal corporation and political subdivision of the State of Colorado
/s/ WHITE BEAR ANKELE TANAKA & WALDRON
Attorneys at Law
Legal Notice No. 419036
First Publication: September 26, 2024
Last Publication: September 26, 2024
Publisher: Jeffco Transcript and the Arvada Press
Public Notice
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING ON THE PROPOSED 2025 BUDGET AND NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING ON THE AMENDED 2024 BUDGET
The Board of Directors (the “Board”) of the
HANCE
(the “District”), will hold a
hearing via teleconference on October 8th, 2024, at 1:30 p.m., to consider adoption of the District’s proposed 2025 budget (the “Proposed Budget”), and, if necessary, adoption of an amendment to the 2024 budget (the “Amended Budget”). The public hearing may be joined using the following teleconference information:
The Proposed Budget and Amended Budget are available for inspection by the public at the offices of CliftonLarsonAllen, LLP, 8390 East Crescent Parkway, Suite 300, Greenwood Village, CO 80111. Any interested elector of the District may file any objections to the Proposed Budget and Amended Budget at any time prior to the final adoption of the Proposed Budget or the Amended Budget by the Board.
The agenda for any meeting may be obtained at https://hanceranchmetrodistrict.com/ or by calling (303) 858-1800. BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS:
