Arvada Press December 19, 2024

9th Annual Olde Town Eggnog and Cider Competition sees bolstered attendance despite snow

BY RYLEE DUNN RDUNN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

A chilly dusting of snow didn’t keep merrymakers out of Olde Town Arvada for the 9th Annual Eggnog and Cider Competition, which saw record-setting attendance this year.

600 folks came to sample the nest sips in the historic district, up from the event’s previous cap of 500 attendees, Olde Town Arvada Business Improvement District Director of Marketing and Events Stephanie Paul said.  is year’s winners in the competition, which was held on Dec. 9 and determined by a vote of the attendees, saw the Bluegrass Lounge win in the Traditional

Eggnog category and Flights Wine Café earn top honors in the Traditional Cider Category.

Meanwhile, in the non-alcoholic category, Hunter Bay scored top Non-Alcoholic Eggnog honors, while La Dolce Vita took home best Non-Alcoholic Cider.

A total of 238 votes were cast this year. Bluegrass earned 67 in the hotly contested eggnog category (Marmalade Lounge nished second with 53 votes), while Flights got 93 votes for their cider, Hunter Bay scored 106 tallies for their non-alcoholic eggnog, and La Dolce Vita nished with 90 votes for their nonalcoholic cider.

Paul said that the additional tickets

were added due to the demand and that even with the added capacity, the event sold out faster than usual.

“We added an additional 100 tickets just due to the supply and demand we have had, and we completely sold out faster than we ever have, which is amazing,” Paul said. “We really appreciate the Arvada community supporting the Olde Town Business Improvement District, as well as the local businesses.”

New to the competition this year were Fuzzy’s Tacos, the Grandview Tavern, Homegrown Tap and Dough, and Lady Nomada, which all participated for the rst time.

FREE HOLIDAY GEODES

Arvada City Council appears split on city’s role in addressing homelessness

BY RYLEE DUNN RDUNN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Arvada City Council held a study session to discuss the city’s approach to dealing with homelessness within its borders and came out of it appearing no closer to a resolution than when the session began.

Councilmembers appeared divided on the central question of the day, which revolved around what the city’s role in handling homelessness should be going forward.

Councilmember Bob Fifer, for one, suggested that the city adopt language meant to hone in the scope of the city’s involvement in the issue, which he proposed to the group to a mixture of agreement and derision from the rest of the elected o cial present at the Dec. 7 meeting.

“To build an inclusive and resilient community where everyone has access to safe, stable and a ordable housing by fostering collaboration, innovation and support to eliminate homelessness and address housing challenges for Arvadans,” Fifer’s suggested “North Star” direction read.

Councilmember John Marriott disagreed with Fifer — and, in turn, the other four councilmembers, who seemed to support Fifer’s view, at least in part — stating that he views the problem di erently.

“I don’t think the city has any stake in a ordable housing,” Marriott said.

Eggnog is passed out outside the Arvada Tavern.

PHOTO BY RYLEE DUNN

OLDE TOWN

Paul said that despite the snow, everyone who bought tickets came out, and there were no cancellations.

“It was great to see the community come out and support the cider and eggnog competition and Lagniappe,” BID Director Joe Hengstler said. “And we thank all the businesses for their support and participation in this event.”

Record-setting Small Business Saturday

On Nov. 30, some other local records were set, as a number of local businesses — including e Bluegrass (which is currently featuring its NOEL Christmas Pop-Up Bar), Adiluna, Electric Cherry and Outside the Box and Outside the Box Too! all reported record-breaking sales as part of the annual Small Business Saturday festivities, which lead into the annual Olde Town tree lighting.

“We had customers lined up before we opened each day at both stores,” Outside e Box and Outside e Box Too! Owner Dorn Nienaber said. “It was one of the proudest moments we have experienced to date. Walking up from the parking garage, standing at the corner of our block, and seeing a line at each store.”

Electric Cherry donated 10% of its pro ts from the occasion to Hope House Colorado, a nonpro t that helps teen moms work towards self-su ciency.

“Between Record Store Day, Black Friday and Small Business Saturday, we had our best November yet,” Electric Cherry Owner Ally Skiba said. “It was absolutely a record-breaking weekend for Electric Cherry and with the community’s e ort to shop small this past weekend, Electric Cherry will be able to donate more than $300 to Hope House Colorado by purchasing items for teen moms and their kids o of the Hope House Holiday Shopping List.”

Check out the Arvada Press Holiday Events Guide and new events preview to learn about more holiday happenings in the historic district this year.

A line goes out the door at La Dolce Vita.

La Dolce Vita manager Josh Crouch pours nonalcoholic cider.

A carriage ride during the Annual Eggnog and Cider Competition.

Folks get samples at Secret Level.

PHOTOS BY RYLEE DUNN FROM PAGE 1

What Are the Costs of Buying or Selling a Home? Homeowners & Investors Need to Know

This is one article you’ll want to read at http://RealEstateToday.substack.com, where the buyer and seller settlement statements at right appear much larger on your computer screen. I have anonymized the actual closing statements from a property I sold for $698,000 this year which had an HOA, a seller loan to pay off, and a buyer loan to fund. This should cover most of the expenses that a buyer or seller might encounter when closing on a home sale or purchase.

We’re blessed in Colorado when it comes to the cost of buying and selling real estate. In many states, there are transfer taxes imposed by state or local jurisdictions, but not here by Colorado or in metro Denver. Also, in some states, both buyer and seller need to hire a lawyer, not just a real estate agent to complete a transaction. Long ago the State of Colorado passed a law giving licensed real estate brokers limited legal authority to explain state approved contracts, so it’s rare for a client to spend money on a lawyer. The exception is when a buyer purchases a new home, because builders have lawyers create their own contracts, and we would be practicing law without a license if we were to interpret those contracts and their provisions for our buyer.

ance renewal), but that escrow can't be credited on your closing. You’ll pay for the property taxes at closing and get a refund of your escrow balance from your lender 30 days or so after closing. On this seller’s settlement statement, the HOA dues are also pro-rated to the date of closing, and since the closing was on the 30th of August, the statement refunds two days’ worth of HOA dues, which the seller had paid on August 1st.

The biggest deductions for the seller (other than property taxes) are the real estate commissions and the title insurance policy. The purchase contract specifies whether the buyer or seller will pay for the buyer agent’s commission and the owner’s title insurance, but it is still common for the seller to pay both agents’ commissions plus the title policy, as in this case.

There are HOA fees which can also be paid by either party but are typically paid by the seller. Typically, the title company which is closing the transaction pays those fees (for status letter, documents, transfer fee, and more), so those fees are shown here as being reimbursed to the title company rather than paid to the HOA.

statement. If the buyer were paying cash, he or she would have very few expenses other than recording the deed for $10. The biggest costs associated with buying the home are related to the loan, especially if the seller has paid the buyer’s real estate agent and paid for the owner’s title policy.

So let’s look at the seller’s settlement statement first. Not all the debits on this statement are considered the cost of selling. For example, the property taxes for the current year, pro-rated to the date of sale, are not a cost of selling. Since property taxes are paid in arrears (not due until April of the following year), you’re always going to find that pro-ration of property taxes on the settlement statement. If selling in December, that’s almost an entire year’s tax bill. In January through April, if your taxes haven’t been paid, you will find the full year’s taxes plus a portion of the current year’s taxes deducted from your proceeds.

If you have a mortgage, your lender has probably been charging you each month to escrow for next year’s tax bill (and insur-

In addition to paying off the seller’s loan, based on payoff numbers the title company obtains directly from the lender, the closer will deduct a few extra days of interest to cover the time it takes to get the payoff to the lender. If that’s an overcharge, the seller will get a check for the surplus from the title company within a few weeks.

The title company will also escrow a few hundred dollars to pay the final water and sewer bill (unless water is included in the HOA dues), and will refund the excess after they pay the final water/sewer bill. This is the only utility which the title company pays and transfers on your behalf, because an unpaid water/sewer bill would result in a lien against the property, and the title company’s job is to assure the buyer that they are getting the home clear of any liens.

Now let’s look at the buyer’s settlement

Moving, Even Locally, Can Cost You a Lot

At Golden Real Estate, we like to save you money wherever we can. For example, we have a handyman who can help you get your home ready to show or fix inspection issues at a client-only rate of $30/hour.

We also have a box truck which you can use prior to, during and after closing, not just for moving to your new home, but making those dump runs or runs to Goodwill for donating all that stuff you accumulated over the years!

packing material, including bubble wrap, so don’t buy any of those items yourself.

We’ve been offering the use of this truck since 2004. In fact, this is our second truck. It’s hard to estimate how much money this perk has saved both our buyers and sellers, but it must be several hundred thousands of dollars.

We also provide free moving boxes and

We also make the truck available free to non-profits and local organizations, such as Family Promise and BGoldN, which uses it to pick up food from Food Bank of the Rockies for their Golden food pantry.

Those loan costs are large and varied, as is detailed in the buyer’s settlement statement above. There’s the origination fee, from which the loan officer is paid. There is also the cost of appraising the home (in this case paid prior to closing), underwriting, credit report, flood certification, and a couple other lesser fees.

The buyer’s lender wants to be sure the home is insured, so you see that debit on the last line of the buyer’s settlement. (A cash buyer might choose not to insure.)

Not only does the buyer have to pay all those expenses, the buyer is charged for a title policy that covers the lender for the amount of the loan ($500 in this case) and a loan closing fee ($450). The lender will probably want to escrow for property taxes and insurance and will require a deposit for both those expenses that will vary depending on when in the calendar year the clos-

Each year, the FHA raises the limits on its federally guaranteed loans. The limits are based on the median sale price of homes in each county.

Because the Denver metro area’s median home price was calculated by FHA at $710,000, the loan limit for single-family homes was raised to $816,500 this year. That is the loan limit, not the purchase price, although FHA only requires a 3.5% down payment.

The loan limit for a duplex/2-family home was raised to $1,045,250. For a three-family home it was raised to $1,263,500, and for a four-plex, it was raised to $1,570,200.

Boulder County’s limits in each category are slightly higher, starting at $856,750 for a single-family home.

In the country’s lowest-cost counties, the loan limit is $498,257 for a single-family home, and in the highest-cost areas (Alaska, Hawaii and the U.S. Virgin Islands), the limit is $1,724,725, rising to $3,317,400 for a 4unit property. (Whether 1-unit or 4-units, the borrower has to live in the subject property.)

ing takes place. In this case the buyer is being debited for 3 months of insurance coverage and 5 months of property taxes. There is one big credit which the buyer receives from the seller. The funds which were deducted from the seller’s proceeds for the current year’s property taxes are credited to the buyer, not paid to the county. That’s because the buyer will paying the current year’s entire property tax bill when it becomes due. You see that credit — almost $3,000 — near the top of the above settlement statement.

There could also be a concession for repairs that the seller agreed to in the inspection resolution, although not in this case. Sometimes that concession takes the form of a price reduction, which does not appear as a line on the settlement statement.

Notice that the closing services (notary) fee of $360 is shared 50/50 in this case, as is commonly done, $180 for each party. As mentioned above, visit our blog for more readable copies of those documents and more discussion of transaction costs.

Non-FHA (“conventional”) loan limits are slightly lower for 2024. In most areas, the conforming conventional loan is limited to $766,550. Alaska, Hawaii and high-cost areas have a conforming conventional loan limit of $1,149,825 for a single-family home. FHA loans are attractive because they only require a 580 credit score (as low as 500 with a 10% down payment), and your debt-toincome ratio only needs to be below 57%.

The biggest negative of FHA loans is that they require a mortgage insurance premium (MIP) of 1.75% at closing, plus an annual premium which varies based on your loan-tovalue ratio. MIP is for the life of the loan, unless your downpayment is at least 10%, and remains in effect no matter how low the loan-to-value ratio falls (i.e., how much your equity increases). If your down payment was 10% or higher, the MIP goes away after 11 years. Otherwise, most 15- or 30-year FHA mortgages should be refinanced once the owner can qualify for a conventional loan, hopefully at a better interest rate, to get rid of the MIP.

Station 1 takes home top honors at 2024 Arvada Firehouse Chili Cooko

Event raises over $2,000 for Friends of Arvada Fire, a nonprofit that supports the fire department

BY RYLEE DUNN RDUNN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Perfect chili weather — a dash of frigid snow that makes one long for the feeble hearth of warm ingestion — was on hand for the Annual Arvada Firehouse Chili Cooko , which saw Station 1 take home top honors for their homemade chili.

Just behind Station 1 — which earned the most votes of the night with 47 — was Station 9, which nished with 31 votes, and Station 2, which ended up with 27 votes. e festivities were hosted by the Arvada Elks at their Olde Town Lodge on Dec. 9.

Sue Steward, President of the Board of Directors for Friends of Arvada Fire, the nonpro t that hosts the event and supports the Arvada Fire Protection District, said the event raised about $2,100 in donations.

“We had great weather for a warm cup of chili and another wonderful turnout from the community despite some snow,” Steward said. “ is is one of our marquee events and the donations we receive from the cooko allows us to support Arvada Fire and community safety

in several ways. We’d especially like to thank the Arvada Elks for hosting and Arvada CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) for volunteering.” is year’s silent auction was sponsored by a number of donors, including Snooze, Mangiami, Echter’s Garden Center, Enstrom’s Candies, the Arvada Center, La Patisserie Francaise and others.

This year’s Firehouse Chili

for Friends of Arvada Fire, a nonprofit that supports the

The DeAngelis Center Foundation offers a variety of trainings and services supporting school and community safety. Our mission is to teach proper response and past lessons learned to help prevent and avoid

Chili is passed out at the cooko .

PHOTOS BY RYLEE DUNN

Each fire station entered their own home cooked chili to be judged by attendees.

Cooko raised over $2,000

fire department.

Station 1 took home top chili honors in the popular vote.

HOLIDAY WORSHIP

FROM

ALL OF US AT COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

Judge denies injunction in Je co Schools’ transgender rooming policy case

BY SUZIE GLASSMAN SGLASSMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

A federal judge has denied a preliminary injunction sought by Je erson County parents against a school district policy allowing transgender students to room according to their gender identity during overnight trips.

U.S. District Judge Regina M. Rodriguez ruled on Nov. 1 that the plainti s didn’t provide enough evidence to show they were directly a ected by the policy or at risk of immediate harm.

e lawsuit, led in September by Serena and Joseph Wailes, Bret and Susanne Roller and Robert and Jade Perlman, centered on concerns about sharing rooms, beds or bathrooms with transgender peers during school-sponsored trips, drawing widespread attention due to its implications for parental rights and student privacy.

e denial of the preliminary injunction means that Je co’s policy remains in e ect as the case progresses.

Background of the case

e plainti s allege that Je co’s policy violated their fundamental right to direct the upbringing and education of their children. ey contend that the district’s approach to room assignments during school-sponsored overnight trips compromised their children’s privacy and con icted with their religious beliefs.

e Alliance Defending Freedom, a legal organization known for advocating parental rights and religious freedom, agreed to represent the parents when the Wailes family reached out to them after their daughter had been assigned to room

with a transgender student during an outof-state trip in June 2023.

According to the lawsuit, the Wailes were told their daughter would share a room with three other fth-grade girls. However, upon arriving in her hotel room on the rst night, she discovered she was assigned to share a bed with a transgender girl, according to the lawsuit.

e Roller family’s 11-year-old son was assigned to a boys’ cabin during a schoolsponsored trip but felt uncomfortable when supervised by a transgender man, including during shower times, according to the documents.

e case also states that the Perlman family joined the lawsuit to express concerns about potential privacy issues for their children on future trips, emphasizing their need to participate in such activities for personal growth and academic opportunities.

The policy in question

e school district’s policy, titled “Equal Education Opportunities – Transgender Students,” allows students to be “assigned to share overnight accommodations with other students that share the student’s gender identity” rather than their biological sex.

According to the policy, accommodations are made on a case-by-case basis to “maximize the student’s social integration, provide equal opportunity to participate in overnight activity and ensure the student’s safety and comfort.”

e policy further states that transgender students “should be assigned to share overnight accommodations with other students that share the student’s gender identity consistently asserted at school.”

Private accommodations are also available for any student requesting them, regardless of gender identity.

However, the plainti s argued that the policy infringes upon their rights by not informing parents about the speci c rooming arrangements, hindering their ability to make informed decisions regarding their children’s participation in such trips.

Plainti s’ concerns

e plainti s requested that Je co be prohibited from assigning their children to share rooms, beds or bathrooms with transgender students during upcoming trips, including a sixth-grade Outdoor Lab program and a 2025 Washington, D.C. trip. ey contended that such arrangements would cause harm.

“Plainti s allege P.P. (the Perlman’s child) will be harmed on the Outdoor Lab trip because he will be required to share a bed, bedroom and shower facilities with students of the opposite sex assigned at birth on that trip,” the ruling states.

However, the judge found no evidence to support this claim.

“Based on the record before it and Jeffco’s speci c representations as to measures that will be taken on this trip, this alleged harm is neither certain nor substantially likely,” Rodriguez wrote.

Alternative accommodations e court noted that the district has policies in place to address privacy concerns for all students. Accommodations include the availability of private rooms, gendersegregated sleeping areas, and day participation for students uncomfortable with overnight stays.

REVERSE MORTGAGES

Je erson County Public Schools argued in the motion that accommodations for privacy are readily available and that families with concerns are invited to communicate with trip leaders.

“Je co’s policy does not require students of the opposite sex to share accommodations; rather, the policy o ers accommodations for transgender students to ensure Je co’s compliance with ‘Colorado law and District policy, (which) require(s) that all programs, activities and employment practices are free from discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity and expression,’” Rodriguez wrote.

Je co argued that accommodations for privacy are readily available and that families with concerns are invited to communicate with trip leaders.

“Families who have a need for some other kind of accommodation for student travel are invited to consult directly with their trip leader,” the district stated in a letter cited by the court.

Cold weather, big risks: How winter can impact heart health

BY SUZIE GLASSMAN SGLASSMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

When snow blankets the streets around the Denver metro area, it’s not just roads that become treacherous — your heart might be at risk too. e combination of cold temperatures, reduced physical activity and sudden strenuous tasks can create a “perfect recipe” for heart attacks, according to Dr. Akhil Reddy, an interventional and structural cardiologist with HCA HealthONE in Denver.

Many might assume the cold itself is the problem, but Reddy clari ed that it’s not so much the temperature as it is the activity people undertake in the cold.

“ e more common scenario is people shoveling snow and exerting themselves and having an active myocardial infarction, or heart attack,” he explained.

According to the AHA, intense physical effort combined with cold temperatures forces the heart to work overtime. Blood vessels constrict in the cold, causing blood pressure to rise.

When paired with the sudden cardiovascular demand of activities like shoveling snow, this can trigger heart attacks, especially in people with pre-existing risk factors like high blood pressure, high cholesterol or diabetes.

Physical exertion in cold weather can be deceptively dangerous

Shoveling snow may look like a mundane household task, but research shows it’s a workout that rivals intense cardio.

“Shoveling a little snow o your sidewalk may not seem like hard work,” said Barry Franklin, the lead author of the American Heart Association’s 2020 scienti c statement regarding exercise-related acute cardiovascular events. “However, the strain of heavy snow shoveling may be as or even more demanding on the heart than taking a treadmill stress test, according to research we’ve conducted.”

“ e movements of snow shoveling are very taxing and demanding on your body and can cause signi cant increases in your heart rate and blood pressure,” Franklin told the AHA. “Combined with the fact that the exposure to cold air can constrict blood vessels throughout the body, you’re asking your heart to do a lot more work in conditions that are diminishing the heart’s ability to function at its best.”

According to Reddy, the danger lies in the sudden increase in demand on the cardiovascular system, particularly for people who are not regularly active. e heart, especially one that hasn’t been consistently active, is not ready for sudden, intense exertion.

“When it’s cold outside, you’re more sedentary,” Reddy said. “You just don’t have the ability to understand your own limitations. It’s like asking a Toyota Camry to race on a NASCAR track. You’re not going to do well,” he said.  Reddy emphasized that even those who don’t have symptoms of heart disease should consider getting a stress test before starting new, intense physical activities.

“If you haven’t exercised in a while, that’s a reason to see a doctor and ask, ‘Is my heart OK to do this?’” he said.

The role of hypothermia in heart health

While heart attacks from exertion are the most common winter concern, Reddy also discussed the dangers of hypothermia, which occurs when the body’s core temperature drops.

He explained that prolonged exposure to cold weather, particularly if someone is wet or underdressed, can lead to dangerous changes in heart rhythm.

“Hypothermia can lead to bradyarrhyth-

mias, a condition where the heart beats too slowly,” he said. “You can end up passing out or having a cardiac arrest.”

How to recognize the warning signs of a heart attack

Recognizing heart attack symptoms early can mean the di erence between life and death. Reddy noted that while most people know to watch for chest pain or tingling in the left arm, symptoms for women and people with diabetes can be more subtle.

Reddy stressed that symptoms that appear during physical exertion — rather than at rest — should not be ignored.

“Peak exercise bringing about any sort of symptom, to me, is an ominous sign,” he said.

“ is can include shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting or abdominal pain. If you’re noticing activities you normally do without symptoms are now causing shortness of breath or other symptoms, that’s your red ag to seek care.”

e AHA agrees, noting that women often experience heart attack symptoms di erently than men. Instead of classic chest pain, women may feel fatigue, nausea, or back and jaw pain. People with diabetes may also have “silent” heart attacks without obvious chest pain.

Reddy highlighted the importance of listening to your body during exercise.

“If you’re shoveling snow and you feel o , that’s not the time to push through,” he said.

6 ways to protect your heart this winter

With cold weather here for the next few months, you can take proactive steps to safeguard your heart health. Here’s advice from Reddy and the AHA on how to stay safe:

1. Stay active year-round: e best way to avoid cold-weather heart strain is to maintain regular physical activity throughout the year. “Try to be active at home, like going up and down stairs, doing jumping jacks or using an indoor bike,” Reddy suggested. Keeping the heart conditioned prevents it from being “shocked” by sudden, intense activity like snow shoveling.

pressure, diabetes or a family history of heart disease.

3. Dress warmly to avoid hypothermia: Protect yourself from extreme cold by wearing layered clothing, gloves and hats. e AHA emphasizes that keeping your head and extremities covered prevents heat loss. Stay dry if you’re planning outdoor activities since wet clothing increases the risk of hypothermia.

4. Know your limits when shoveling snow: Break up snow shoveling into smaller sessions, and don’t be afraid to ask for help. e AHA recommends using a smaller shovel to avoid lifting heavy loads of snow, which reduces strain on the heart. Take frequent breaks and stay hydrated.

5. Schedule annual health checkups: “If you’re over 40, you should be getting yearly checkups,” Reddy advised. A physical exam can detect heart murmurs, a potential sign of valve disease and identify other cardiac risk factors. If a doctor hears a murmur, they may recommend an echocardiogram or further testing.

6. Recognize heart attack symptoms: Watch for classic heart attack signs, but don’t overlook subtle symptoms like nausea, lightheadedness or back pain. Women may experience heart attacks di erently from men. If symptoms occur during physical exertion — even if they seem mild — seek medical attention immediately.

2. Get a stress test before new exercise: If you plan to start a new activity like running, CrossFit or even shoveling snow, consider a stress test. is step is particularly important for people with risk factors like high blood

A publication of

Call first: 3540 Evergreen Parkway, Evergreeen, CO, 80439

Mailing Address: 750 W. Hampden Ave., Suite 225 Englewood, CO 80110

Phone: 303-566-4100

Web: ArvadaPress.com

To subscribe call 303-566-4100 or Scan this QR Code

LINDA SHAPLEY Director of Editorial & Audience lshapley@coloradocommunitymedia.com

KRISTEN FIORE West Metro Editor kfiore@coloradocommunitymedia.com

RYLEE DUNN Community Editor rdunn@coloradocommunitymedia.com

ERIN ADDENBROOKE Marketing Consultant eaddenbrooke@coloradocommunitymedia.com

LINDSAY NICOLETTI Operations/ Circulation Manager lnicoletti@coloradocommunitymedia.com

BUSINESS INQUIRIES

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

CORRECTIONS

Colorado Trust for Local News asks readers to make us aware of mistakes we may have made.

Email linda@cotln.org if you notice a possible error you would like us to take a look at.

Shoveling snow can be demanding on the body and blood pressure.

PHOTO

Jim versus the Christmas trees

One of the most encouraging things we can do is laugh, so I hope you enjoy this story.

Let me preface by saying that I would love to say my wife, Beth, was my partner in this so that I could change the title to “ e Roomes versus the Christmas Trees” but unfortunately, I am the only constant in the stories and therefore must claim this debacle as my own.

My unintended battle with Christmas trees began innocently enough in 1991. As December neared, Beth and I moved into our rst house in Englewood. e house, built in 1900, had wonderful architectural designs with a cherrywood entry, archways and French doors. We loved it.

As the holidays approached, my brother-in-law Ed suggested that we go with his family into the foothills to cut down a Christmas tree. Beth and I were excited about the idea and the chance to take our 10-month-old Katie for an adventure. As we drove, we realized we had no saw or tape measure, but decided it was OK. We had an ax, Ed had a saw, and who really needs a tape measure for a Christmas tree?

While wandering through the trees, we realized we had no idea how high our ceilings were in our new home. We decided that a house built in 1900 must have 10-foot ceilings. We found the perfect tree. It appeared to be just under 10 feet tall but there was no way to know for sure. We cut it down with Ed’s help, placed it on top of our car, tied it down and headed back to Englewood. e sun was going down as we returned to the house, put Katie inside and started to bring in the tree. Once the tree was wedged in the entryway, partway inside and partway outside, we discovered

we had 8-foot ceilings and needed a saw.

We did not yet know the neighbors, Ed’s saw was two hours away and I was not willing to go knock on a stranger’s door and say “Hi, I’m Jim, your new neighbor and I have no saw,” let alone, “I have a tree wedged in my front doorway.” So, we called my sister and her husband, and about 20 minutes later they were there with a saw. Turns out, three feet of tree is a lot of tree. After removing the extra height, we set up the tree in our living room. Beth took the extra branches, soaked them in the bathtub for a couple of days and made gorgeous displays for our front hallway, stairwell, living room, tables... e adventure ended happily, but after that, Beth’s enthusiasm for tree hunting had diminished.

In 1994, our second daughter Carly was born and by 1997, Christmas tree hunting had become a daddy-daughter adventure. We would go to a tree farm, search the lot for the perfect tree, cut it down, take it to the checkout station where they tied it to the car and then head home to show Beth our accomplishment. I did in fact know the height of our ceilings by then. We switched from the practice of going to a tree farm when we moved to Colorado Springs, so the daddy-daughter Christmas tree adventure stayed in town. I loaded the girls in the car and we headed to a Christmas tree lot ve miles from the house. We wandered the lot, found the perfect tree, and paid for it. is time the tree lot employee did not help me

tie the tree on the car. ey pointed at a box of twine and left me to my own devices. I had no idea how to tie a knot that would keep something attached to the roof of a car, because I had, in fact, never done that alone before. Undeterred, I started the task and felt accomplished as I jumped in the car and started to drive us home.

Partway home we veered from the city street onto an on-ramp that would put us on I-25. e evening was beautiful, there were little bits of snow falling and few people out on the roads as I drove the car onto the ramp and began to curve with the road. Partway through the curve I watched in horror as the tree slid o the roof, twirling as it passed the front window and hood, and shot o the car. Our spinning bundle of Christmas joy came to rest on the on-ramp next to the barrier.  I looked around and realized the streets were empty. I jumped out of the car, grabbed the tree, and in what felt like one uid motion, threw it on top of the car, climbed in the vehicle, rolled down my window, grabbed hold of the tree and twine still attached to it, and very slowly drove home, clutching twine and tree. I was thankful I had gloves. e next year when it was time for our daddy-daughter adventure, we headed back to that same Christmas tree lot and found a great tree. I was determined to see the tree stay on the car roof so I put the girls in the car, rolled down the windows, and began passing the twine through the windows to the girls who, in their booster seats, would hand it to me on the other side of the car. Feeling con dent the tree would not move, I nished the job and stood admiring my work. Twenty feet of twine and some ingenuity defeated anything that tree could throw at me.

Understanding the homelessness crisis in Arvada and why we must work together to work together to end it

“People who are homeless are not social inadequates. ey are people without homes.”

— Sheila McKechnie

Per my column last week, this column serves as Part 2 of the moral imperative to address homelessness through a navigation center in Arvada.

First I’d like to provide information on the “root causes” of homelessness that have already been outlined by many organizations across the U.S. and globally as well as studies by Heading Home Je co, which have been collaborating with the City of Arvada, nonpro ts, as well as local concerned citizens. According to ComicRelief.org, a non-pro t organization that works to end poverty and homeless globally and in the U.S., there are four types or root causes of homelessness:

Transitional Homelessness is the most common cause of homelessness due to a catastrophic event or major life change. ese life changes might be job loss, a health condition, divorce, domestic abuse, a substance use disorder, or personal or family crisis, among many others, resulting in people being in unhoused situations for less than a year.

Episodic Homelessness pertains to

those who have experienced at least three periods of homelessness within the last 12 months. Like transitional homelessness, many of those facing episodic homelessness are younger or dealing with a disabling condition. ese conditions could be substance use disorder, mental illness, and other mental and/or physical health conditions. In some cases, some episodically unhoused people have seasonal or minimum wage income jobs. Chronic Homelessness is de ned as an unaccompanied homeless individual with a disabling condition who has been homeless for more than one year. is makes up only about 17% of the homeless population and tends to be older individuals with complex histories. Hidden Homelessness pertains to individuals who live with others without a permanent home (Couch sur ng). Many in the “hidden homeless” population are younger people who have experienced a sudden catastrophic life change, trauma,

Once I stopped admiring my work and pulled on the door handle, I realized I had tied the doors shut with my children inside the car! Ultimately, I decided to go with it. I climbed through the window, shimmied into the driver seat, and rolled up the windows. Imagine my dismay when the tree lot attendant required me to climb out again to pay. We drove home. e tree never moved.

Once home and not wanting to admit to Beth another tree fail, I climbed out the car window, raced into the garage, found scissors, cut the tree free from the rope, and was helping the girls out of the car when Beth stepped outside to see the fruit of our victorious adventure. Of course, the rst thing the girls told her was that Daddy had tied himself out of the car.

For reasons that should be completely obvious, we now have an arti cial Christmas tree. It is safer, but the daddydaughter adventures, the contests with the Christmas trees, and the decades of smiles about the adventures will be with us forever.

I hope you will nd joy in this story. I would love to hear about your holiday traditions, adventures and misadventures. ank you to all who have shared stories with me so far. I can be contacted at jim.roome@gmail.com.

Jim Roome lives in Arvada with his wife Beth. He spent 34 years in public education. Lessons learned from the one two punch of being diagnosed with MS shortly before his best friend was diagnosed with terminal cancer led him into a new pursuit as a freelance writer and speaker. He uses his life experiences and love of stories to inspire, educate and encourage local, national and international audiences.

ABOUT LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Colorado Community Media welcomes letters to the editor. Please note the following rules:

or challenges as a result. Youth are often harassed and discriminated against when they seek alternative housing, which contributes to their disproportionately high rate of homelessness.

In November of 2023, a national comprehensive study on eviction showed that women with children are twice as likely to be evicted and mothers with babies or toddlers are most at risk for eviction. According to the National Alliance to End Homeless, “People aged 50 or older are the fastest-growing group of people experiencing homelessness in America and their numbers are estimated to triple by 2030! Additionally, the hidden homeless tend to be youth under at 24 are one of the fastest growing populations, often due to low wage jobs, seasonal work and the inability to pay rent.

What does this mean for our community?

Data from Je erson County’s 2024 Point in Time count showed that 1 in 2 of the 925 unhoused people counted across Je co are newly homeless. 1 in 2! And the No. 1 reason for their homelessness is the inability to pay rent/mortgage.

• 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 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 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 negative 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.

• We will edit letters for clarity, grammar, punctuation and length and write headlines (titles) for letters at our discretion.

WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT

Jim Roome

GUEST COLUMN

Also Arvada accounts for one third of the total homeless population in Jeffco; many homeless people have family ties here. Plus many “hidden” homeless don’t get counted — workers couch surfing or paying to sleep in motels, families doubled or tripled up, or people sleeping in their cars are just not being counted. Why is this important? Because we have an opportunity to make a real difference in people’s lives and prevent chronic homelessness by understanding the root causes and providing services while also catching people early in their unhoused journey to prevent chronic homelessness,

So what works?

According to the National Alliance to End homelessness, response systems work e ectively. ey provide temporary and permanent beds in shelters and have the capacity to connect people experiencing homelessness with permanent housing programs, such as rapid re-housing and permanent supportive housing, and other stable housing options.

Our city government has researched and proposed aNavigation Center, which isa response system that can provide wrap around services to include mental health and crisis intervention, drug rehabilitation, and medical care. In addition to ongoing counseling, social work and education such as GED, Job Skills, Resume & interview coaching, as well as providing support with housing applications, Medicaid/Medicare and temporary & permanent housing placement. What we know is that a 9-1pm program is limited in its capability and we need a 24/7 center with security to support our homeless population. However, we need to take into consideration root causes and types of homelessness, so we can build a response system that works to quell the anxieties of the residents of Arvada.

Listen, as a mother of an elementary student and caretaker of a family member with dementia, I want our commu-

HOMELESSNESS

“What this is really about is that 25 wretches on the corner of Olde Town with their shopping carts screwing up the world for everyone who goes there. And the rest of this stu is highbrow community building stu , and what the residents are wanting solved is a completely di erent subject.”

Councilmember Shawna Ambrose then cited the Strategic Plan, which stipulates that the city should have a hand in dealing with homeless services outside of Olde Town.

Marriott countered with the suggestion that the scope of the Strategic Plan’s outlook is not in line with what is desired from the city on behalf of Arvada residents.

“If you ask Arvada residents, ‘What should we do about homelessness?’ What those Arvada residents are concerned about are the 20 wretches pushing their shopping carts around,” Marriott said. “ at’s what they’re worried about. We ought to be developing a strategy to deal with that… we should be trying to get those 20 people o the street.

nity to be safe, but data reveals that the critical population of homelessness are those in the transitional and episodic phases. With women with young children (babies and toddlers) being the most at risk for eviction and our young people below the age of 24 being the fastest growing population of hidden homeless and single adults above the age of 50 being the fastest growing of episodic homelessness — due to the inability to a ord housing.

We must come together — it is our civic duty, a social responsibility, a moral imperative — to work to end the homeless crisis.

With that, I want to remind the community that the City of Arvada made a commitment to Je erson County and the Denver Metro Area to provide a navigation center here. e one in Lakewood is already up and running. We must hold true to our word. e Early College Location is on the edge of a residential community with a commercial district spanning across the street and south. Less than a block away will be the new community table, across the street is the G Line and a block west is Sheridan a major thoroughfare with bus routes and other conveniences. Additionally Early College is zoned to house this type of service. It already has many of the resources needed to create a navigation center — classrooms for GED and Career counseling, o ces for personnel to support with placement in permanent and temporary housing, and so much more.

In closing, I want to commend our mayor and city council members who have been diligently involved in researching and working toward a thoughtful solution. Now let’s meet with the community as soon as possible to get feedback so we can move forward. We must be proactive!

Barbara J. Dray has been a resident of Arvada for over 10 years. An activist at heart she received her Ph.D. in Bilingual Special Education studying Anti-Racist, Abolitionist ways of knowing and supporting schools & districts to reduce disproportionately in Special Education. Her 30 year career in education centered equitable practices in multilingual and high poverty schools.

“I suggest you get the guys with shopping carts o the streets, that would be my goal,” Marriott continued. “You guys can have others, but as soon as it gets too big, you’re going to have no ability to do it. And if you’re going to have a community conversation, you have to be honest with the community about it.”

No

“North Star” vision was adopted at the Dec. 7 meeting. Next steps are as of yet unclear, but there is a possibility of more study sessions, behind-the-scenes work by the city team and/or a public workshop before the public is engaged.

Arvada Mayor Lauren Simpson works with unhoused members of the community. FILE PHOTO

BY HALEY LENA HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

While the holiday season marks a time to relax with family and friends, the lead-up to the moment can often feel chaotic and overwhelming, and nding time to get and wrap gifts can be di cult.

However, there are businesses around the Denver metro area that provide gift-wrapping services to those who are overwhelmed by the holiday hustle and bustle.

“People shouldn’t feel like they have to do it all,” said Megan Trask, co-founder and CEO of TULA Life Balanced. “It’s more important to enjoy the season than to feel stressed or burdened by all the things that come with the holiday to-do list.”

TULA Life Balanced is an on-demand personal and family assistance platform that operates similarly to companies like Uber. TULA matches clients with an assistant to complete tasks ranging from grocery shopping and laundryto meal prep.

Having a to-do list to complete when people get home from a regular job can be overwhelming, and Trask said TULA aims to give busy people and their families a little more time in their days to do what matters most to them.

“(It’s) to create a way that people could ask for help without feeling kind of guilty about it,” Trask said.

While the assistants — who are fully vetted — are available year-round, Trask said the business sees about a 30% to 40% increase in services starting in October to mid-January.

During the holiday season, TULA Life Balanced can source gifts, wrap them and deliver them. Also, based on certain preferences, the company can create a list for the client to be able to quickly make purchases.

e clients pay for the materials, whether they provide wrapping materials or the assistants stop at a store to pick up supplies.

Although she is the co-founder of the business, Trask loves to wrap gifts and said she is more than happy to take gift-wrapping requests.

“It’s kind of like a nice break to just wrap somebody else’s gift beautifully,” Trask said. “What better gift to give than somebody getting the gift of time back?”

Always looking for ways to be creative, Kammy Witulski, a Highlands Ranch resident, also loves gift wrapping for others and started her home business, Wrap Paper Scissors, about a decade ago.

Witulski used to be an area manager for a high-end retail company in which one of the services provided was gift wrapping. After she had her daughter, Witulski felt she needed to take a few years o .

One of Witulski’s friends from her retail job had reached out to Witulski because she no longer had the ability to wrap the gifts herself. Witulski told the woman she would wrap gifts for her. While the two chatted, one thing led to another, and the idea of the

“It just started as a holiday type of job,” said Witulski. “It’s built up and now we operate year round — but the bulk of our business still comes from the Christ-

Witulski o ers several types of services. People can call, make an appointment and tell Witulski what they would like to see, such as certain colors or styles. ere is also no charge for canceling an

From the paper to the tag, Witulski provides all the supplies and will even remove price tags. However, people can also bring their own supplies. In those cases, the client will only be charged for the actual service.

Witulski does a majority of the wrapping herself as she said it brings her joy to meet people and help others during the holiday season. Nonetheless, Witulski has a team of four to ve people she can call when she needs help with big requests like corporate events or

Kammy Witulski, the owner of Wrap Paper Scissors, wraps around 2,000 gifts a year for customers who need help wrapping gifts.

From the paper to the ribbons to the tags, Kammy Witulski of Wrap Paper Scissors provides all the supplies, however, people can also bring their own materials.

One of the most important things when it comes to gift wrapping is to not leave the task to the last minute.

PRESENTS

Gift wrapping tips and tricks

For those who have time to wrap gifts or enjoy the task, Trask and Witulski have some helpful tips.

e rst one is to invest in quality supplies like sharp scissors and thicker-grade wrapping paper.

“While you are saving money on the less expensive paper and scissors, the time that it takes you to correct the tearing or sometimes needing to rewrap is where you end up spending more time and more money,” Witulski said.

While searching for wrapping paper online can be good due to the variety of patterns and colors, Witulski said it’s important to pay attention to the dimensions of

Gift wrapping experts recommend investing in quality supplies, which includes sharp scissors and thicker grade paper.

the wrapping paper. e dimensions for a standard roll of paper can di er depending on the brand type and type of paper.

Trask agrees that measuring before wrapping is the foundation to beautiful gift wrapping. Once the paper is picked out, measure straight lines before cutting the paper to ensure a clean look. It’s also helpful to have all of the supplies in one place instead of making multiple trips to stores as you are wrapping.

One of the most important tips from Trask and Witulski is to not leave gift wrapping to the last minute and to take 10 to 15 minutes to wrap gifts as you purchase them. And don’t forget about those gifts you’ve been hiding in the closet, attic or under the bed.

“ at’s much easier to do than to try to block out like three, four hours on Christmas when you’re already trying to clean your house, cook for company or maybe you’re having a party,” Witulski said.

To learn more about their services, visit TULA Life Balanced at tulabalanced.com and Wrap Paper Scissors at wrappaperscissors.com.

PHOTOS BY HALEY LENA

Paul Davis Classic

Caring for Colorado Energy Workers Did

Arvada West senior Jordan Stremel (13) drives past Cherokee Trail junior Caleb Jensen (11) during the first game of the Paul Davis Classic on Thursday, Dec. 5, at Green Mountain High School. The Wildcats took an 87-55 victory.

Thu 12/26

Beyond Laser Light Experience @ 4pm Denver

Tony Medina Music: Thursday Nights at The Bluegrass-Old Town Arvada @ 6pm

The Bluegrass Coffee & Bourbon Lounge, 7415 grandview ave, Arvada

Otis Taylor @ 9pm

Dazzle Denver, 1080 14th Street, Den‐

ver

Fri 12/27

Taylor Scott Band live at Little Bear @ 7pm

Little Bear Live, 28075 CO-74, Ever‐

Tech N9ne @ 7pm

Fillmore Auditorium, 1510 Clarkson St, Denver

Buckstein: The Little Bear @ 3pm

Little Bear Live, 28075 CO-74, Ever‐green

The Yawpers @ 9pm

The Oriental Theater, 4335 W 44th Ave, Denver

Kursa @ 9pm The Black Box, 314 E 13th Ave, Denver

green

Stylie @ 8pm

Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom & Other Side, 2637 Welton St, Denver

2024 Wrapped Party @ 9pm Bluebird Theater, 3317 E. Colfax Ave, Denver

Sat 12/28

Live @ The Rose - Quiet Riot @ 7pm / $58

Buffalo Rose, 1119 Washington Avenue, Golden. information@buffalorose.net

Jason Ross @ 10pm Temple Denver, 1136 Broadway, Denver

Sol y Luna @ 6:30pm

Cheap Perfume @ 7pm Hi-Dive, 7 S Broadway, Denver

Sun 12/29

Holiday Weekend Fête @ 12pm

Studio Loft at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, 980 14th Street, Denver

Colorado Ballet - The Nutcracker @ 1pm Ellie Caulkins Opera House, Speer Boulevard and Arapahoe Street, Den‐

ver

Bevin Luna @ 5pm Larimer Lounge, 2721 Larimer St, Denver

Crow Cavalier @ 8pm HQ, 60 S Broadway, Denver

The Iceman Special @ 9:30pm

Studio Loft at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, 980 14th Street, Denver

Mon 12/30

Remy Le Boeuf: Alex Heffron | Dazzle @ 6:30pm Dazzle Denver, 1080 14th Street, Denver

Tue 12/31

Denver New Years Eve Bar Crawl @ 6pm / $24.01-$35.78

The Passport, 1437 Market Street, Denver. info @pubcrawls.com

Slim Cessna's Auto Club @ 8pm Hi-Dive, 7 S Broadway, Denver

Potions @ 8:30pm

Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom & Other Side, 2637 Welton St, Denver

Lot 46 Music Bar, 5302 W 25th Ave, Edgewater

Audien (21+ Event) @ 10pm Temple Nightclub Denver, 1136 Broadway, Den‐ver

Jeremy Mohney: NYE at Mercury Cafe @ 10pm Mercury Cafe, 2199 California St, Denver

Wed 1/01

New Year's Day 5K or 1M Virtual RunArvada @ 9am / $27-$27 Jan 1st - Jan 2nd Arvada area, Arvada

Resolute Runner 5k @ 10am / $29

8155-8161 W 59th Ave, Johnny Roberts Memorial Park, Arvada

Keith Oxman @ 6:30pm Dazzle Denver, 1080 14th Street, Denver

Veteran news innovator to helm CCM

Brooke Warner brings vast experience in digital transformation

Brooke Warner, a veteran news industry innovator who has guided legacy organizations toward a more resilient future, has joined Colorado Community Media as its executive director.

In this role, Warner will lead CCM’s continued transformation into a sustainable community news business. She comes to CCM with extensive experience in digital media, organizational transformation and revenue growth.

“We’re thrilled to have Brooke Warner

take the helm at Colorado Community Media,” said Elizabeth Hansen Shapiro, CEO and cofounder of the National Trust for Local News. “She brings a passion for our mission along with deep experience in digital media, leading transformational change, and diversifying revenue. Our organization will bene t from her leadership as it works to create a sustainable future for community news in Colorado.”

Prior to joining CCM, Brooke served

Cas general manager at Swift Communications in Nevada, where she managed a portfolio of 25 local media brands. She also was vice president of Draper Digital Media and WBOC-TV in Maryland, where she launched the rst interactive division at one of the state’s largest television stations.

“I’m thrilled to join Colorado Community Media. It has been my mission to help local news companies grow and thrive to meet the needs of readers, advertisers, and communities,” Warner said. “With the support of the National Trust, I’m excited to lead CCM’s continued development into a sustainable community news business for Colorado.”

e National Trust for Local News started in Colorado in 2021 with the acquisi-

tion of Colorado Community Media, the primary source of local news for communities across the Denver metro area. Over the last two years, the National Trust has unveiled a comprehensive overhaul of CCM’s websites and digital news products, and expanded its news o erings to serve growing bilingual audiences in greater Denver.

e Trust also just announced the launch of the Trust Press to print CCM’s newspapers and o er commercial printing services for news organizations and other clients throughout the region. Warner will oversee those operations, as well. Warner’s position replaces the publisher role recently vacated by Linda Carpio Shapley, who is now CCM’s director of Editorial and Audience Engagement.

Scrooge hits di erent at Miners Alley

harles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” is largely responsible for so much of what Christmas looks like in modern times. ere have been so many interpretations of the story on screen and stage and for Miners Alley Playhouse, it’s all about nding the right balance of humor and heart.

“ is is our fth year doing the show with mostly the same cast and crew and this year we’ve made the show even more Christmasy,” said Len Matheo, Miners Alley artistic director. “We’ve adjusted the script a bit and tightened it and made it funnier. ere’s more of a wink in this version — even as it gets serious, at any moment, something funny

is going to happen.”

“A Christmas Carol” runs at Miners Alley, 1100 Miners Alley in Golden, through Sunday, Dec. 29. Performances are at 7:30 Wednesday through Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday.

Beloved actor Jim Hunt is back to play Scrooge, and he’s joined by a familiar and muchloved cast of actors, including Lisa DeCaro, Jason Maxwell, Josh Hartwell, Koi Matheo and Meredith Young, who have

become a kind of family over ve productions of Hartwell’s delightful adaptation.

“ is is e ectively the fth Christmas we’ve spent together and it goes through the whole holiday season,” Hunt said. “We really are a family and it’s just magical that we’re here again. Seems so unlikely it would happen, but it is.”

is is the rst time Miners Alley has staged “A Christmas Carol” in its new space and the larger theater allows everybody both in front and behind the curtain to go bigger and better. As Matheo said, there’s more room to create “theater magic.”

“One of the biggest changes is sound design, but we also have some great pro-

jections, costumes and more,” he said. “ e magic is much bigger than it has ever been because everybody has taken it to the next level.”

Everybody leveling up also includes Hunt, who has found new layers to Scrooge. Both Hunt and Matheo see a particular resonance this year in the character, a man who picks money over love and family only to realize he is full of regret and searching for a fresh start. All the theater magic the cast and crew have summoned up is in service to a story that still has the power to move people more than 100 years after it was written.

Brooke Warner

IT TAKES A VILLAGE

Finding cold weather shelter for homeless

Locations across region o er unhoused folks a warm place to stay

BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

During cold weather in the Denver region, people without homes may struggle to nd a safe, warm place to go — and that can be a matter of life and death.

Unhoused Coloradans face the risk of hypothermia, a sometimes-deadly condition caused by exposure to cold temperatures. Staying outside also can cause frostbite, a freezing of body tissues that can lead to amputation.

e nonpro t Severe Weather Shelter Network, a program that kept people warm in a large swath of the Denver metro area, recently shut down permanently. But several programs in Adams, Arapahoe, Denver and Je erson counties, and beyond, o er shelter.

Here’s a look at where you may be able to nd a warm place amid cold weather.

Adams and Broomfield counties

In a large part of the north metro area, the Severe Weather Activation Program, or SWAP, provides hotel vouchers to the unhoused.

e program generally activates when temperatures reach 32 degrees and wet, or 20 degrees and dry, according to the website for Brighton-based organization Almost Home.

People with documented ties to Broom eld or Adams County may qualify for the program. See the website at almosthomeonline.org/swap or call 303659-6199 for more information.

O cials in Adams also o er transportation to help people reach a safe destination.

“Adams County believes that transportation should not be a barrier to lifesaving shelter. We o er bus passes and no-cost Lyft rides through our municipal and nonpro t navigators to help low-income community members access necessary resources,” said Nikki Kimbleton, a spokesperson for Adams County. “For those who need transportation to stay with friends or family in another community, we can purchase bus, plane or train tickets to reunite folks with friends, family and housing.”

e public can email PovertyReduction@adcogov.org for more information on long-distance travel.

Thornton

When temperatures drop below 32 degrees for daytime highs and below 20 degrees for nighttime lows, ornton opens a “warming center” at the Margaret Carpenter Recreation Center at 11151 Colorado Blvd. — near 112th Avenue — according to the city.

When active, the warming center is open from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday through Friday and from 6 p.m. to 8 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday, according to Gary Hobbs, deputy chief of administration with ornton Fire Department. “ is program does not o er services such as warm meals, showers, bunk rooms, storage for belonging, etc., that are typically provided by emergency shelters,” Hobbs wrote in a statement. “If a community member requires longer-term emergency sheltering, sta will work to nd a sheltering solution.

Typically, this includes relocating the person(s) to a shelter in another jurisdiction or working to acquire a SWAP voucher.”

Anyone in need of a place to warm up can drop in without an appointment anytime the warming center is operational, Hobbs said.

Westminster

Westminster activates a cold-weather shelter when weather is projected to be zero degrees or sustained wind chill below zero degrees for six hours or more, said Andy Le, a spokesperson for the city.

e shelter will stay open for at least 48 hours, Le said.

e city converts e MAC recreation center — at 3295 W. 72nd Ave., a short walk west of Federal Boulevard — into a temporary shelter.

You can call ahead of time to check availability at 303-426-4310, according to the city.

Hotel vouchers are also part of the local strategy for addressing homelessness.

“Our Homeless Navigator program helps distribute hotel vouchers provided by Je co and Adams County for people experiencing homelessness,” Le said. “Westminster provides additional vouchers when the weather drops below 10 (degrees) to provide additional support for our most vulnerable population.”

Northglenn

ere are not any city-managed coldweather shelters in Northglenn, said Diana Wilson, spokesperson for the city.

But the Crisis Response Unit, or CRU, is available by appointment or during open o ce hours from 9 a.m. to noon on Fridays at the Northglenn Justice Center’s west door entrance at 50 Community Center Drive — east of Huron Street and 112th Avenue.

CRU o ers some services and resources. See tinyurl.com/CrisisResponseUnitNorthglenn. Transportation and shelter

passes are available on a limited basis, Wilson said.

Call 720-822-0558 or see the link above for more information.

Commerce City

Commerce City operates two emergency shelters when conditions warrant, said Kristen Knoll, a spokesperson who provided information for the city.

e city’s two shelter locations are the Eagle Pointe Recreation Center at 6060 Parkway Drive — near U.S. Highway 85 and 60th Avenue — and the Bison Ridge Recreation Center at 13905 E. 112th Ave., near state Highway 2, according to Knoll.

Each location has capacity for up to 30 beds and o ers kitchen and sanitary facilities, Knoll said.

is capability is intended to meet the short-term — no more than three nights or four days — needs of up to 30 residents per location in the event of various emergency situations, Knoll said.

“Once the location, timing and capacity have been determined, Community Well-Being division sta and Police Department sta will contact known people experiencing homelessness and assist with transportation, if needed,” Knoll said.

e following criteria trigger activation of at least one shelter, Knoll said. e same criteria will be used to activate an overnight shelter if one of the below scenarios occur between the hours of 7 p.m. and 7 a.m.:

• Anticipated cold below 10 degrees

• Wind chill below zero

• Winds or blizzard conditions

• “72/48/24/12-hour alerts” and warning from the National Weather Service. At least one of the criteria needs to be met — or anticipated — for shelter to be activated, Knoll said.

Brighton

e City of Brighton does not have a standing cold-weather shelter program,

said Jared Putnam, a spokesperson for the city

“Almost Home is the only such program in Brighton,” Putnam said. See the website at almosthomeonline. org/swap or call 303-659-6199 for more information.

Fort Lupton

Fort Lupton pointed to a handful of resources.

“At this time, we do not have any designated cold weather or warming shelters under the city’s operation,” said Juan Arellano, a spokesperson for the city. e city encouraged people to reach out to Hope at Miracle House in Fort Lupton, Almost Home, or United Way of Weld County, or call 2-1-1 for listed sheltering services that may be nearby.

Hope at Miracle House describes itself as a year-round emergency shelter assisting families that are experiencing homelessness in south Weld County. For more information, call 720-676-9697, see hopeatmiraclehouse.org or email programdirector0236@gmail.com.

Lakewood

Lakewood’s homelessness navigation center at 8000 W. Colfax Ave. — a short walk west of Wadsworth Boulevard — serves as the city’s severe-weather shelter.

When the shelter is open, it operates from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. the next morning, said Stacie Oulton, spokesperson for Lakewood.

ose needing shelter do not need to arrive until the 7 p.m. opening, Oulton said.

“No registrations or referrals are required for shelter services that are available to adults, and service animals/pets may be accommodated if they do not disrupt the comfort or safety of other guests,” Oulton said.

People walk through snowfall in November near Union Station in Denver.

PHOTO BY ERIC HEINZ

SHELTER

“Once the shelter is open and has reached capacity, the contractor may coordinate transportation to other locations,” Oulton added.

e city will consult the National Weather Service for two thresholds that may activate the shelter: when overnight low temperatures are forecast to be 32 degrees or lower and arrive with active, accumulating snowfall; or overnight low temperatures are forecast to be 20 degrees or lower with or without active snowfall, Oulton said.

“Lakewood retains the discretion to activate or not activate outside of these thresholds, but decisions generally are based on these weather conditions,” Oulton said.

For a countywide view of resources, see Je erson County’s Heading Home webpage at headinghomeje co.com/ get-help.

Arvada

e Rising/Mission Arvada will be open when temperatures fall below 20 degrees and/or 6 inches of snow falls from November to the end of March, Colorado Community Media has previously reported.

e Rising church sits at 7500 W. 57th Ave.

See more about shelter in Je erson County at tinyurl.com/Je coShelterUpdate.

Wheat Ridge

ere are no programs o ering coldweather shelter in Wheat Ridge for people experiencing homelessness, but the city participates in a “countywide sheltering model,” said Amanda Harrison, spokesperson for Wheat Ridge.

“Je erson County Public Health determines shelter activation based on a centrally located National Weather Service station and will alert all concerned parties in the region, including the homeless navigator at Wheat Ridge,” Harrison said. e “best way to stay up to date is to subscribe for email updates about activations.”

e public can subscribe to the Heading Home newsletter at headinghomeje co.com, Harrison said.

Wheat Ridge navigators give their clients — and anyone else seeking shelter — bus tickets, Harrison said.

Evergreen

e EChO Shelter in the Evergreen area is an overnight-only shelter open each night from 6:15 p.m. to 7 a.m. from October to late April, said Tim Clancy, the shelter manager.

All shelter guests must rst be registered by an EChO case worker at the EChO o ce. To make an appointment to register, call 303-670-1796.

Shelter guests are welcomed with services such as dinner, shower, laundry, and a quiet, safe place to sleep, and in the morning, they are provided a breakfast and a sack lunch to go, according to Clancy.

All EChO shelter guests meet with a case worker for further needs, he added. When EChO is closed, people needing shelter should call the sheri non-emergency line at 303-277-0211, according to Clancy.

See more information at tinyurl.com/ EChOshelter.

Englewood-Littleton-Sheridan area

Homelessness Awareness and Action Task Force, or HAAT Force, and Move-

ment 5280 will be the primary overnight shelters for the Tri-Cities area, according to the City of Englewood.

HAAT Force is to serve as the main shelter, with Movement 5280 serving as an over ow shelter, according to the city. ey activate under the following conditions, according to the city:

• e shelter is activated on severeweather nights from Oct. 1 through April 30 when temperatures are expected to reach 20 degrees or below with no active moisture, or 32 degrees or below with active moisture.

• Temperature and moisture must be projected for three hours or more during the overnight hours from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.

• Moisture is de ned as predicted rain or snowfall. It may not include previously fallen moisture remaining on the ground.

Clients can call the hotline — 720-4837864 — daily at 9 a.m. to get the weather determination, according to the city.

If open, registered clients must call to reserve their spot between 10 a.m. and noon, or until full, for shelter that night. Reservations for unregistered clients “begin from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.” only if rooms are still available, according to the city.

e hotline will be transferred to Movement 5280, which will respond to requests for shelter from 2-5 p.m., according to the city.

Movement 5280 will open the doors for shelter at 6 p.m., and doors will be closed for the night at 9 p.m., according to the city.

HAAT Force sits at 4300 S. Lincoln St., o Quincy Avenue near Broadway, in Englewood. Movement 5280 is located at 3190 S. Grant St., o Eastman Avenue a short walk east of Broadway, also in Englewood.

For more information on the two shelter programs, see Colorado Community Media’s earlier coverage at coloradocommunitymedia.com/2024/11/15/severeweather-shelters.

For warming center information for Littleton and Sheridan, see tricitieshomeless. com/need-help.

Centennial

Generally, there are no shelters in Centennial, according to Allison Wittern, a spokesperson for the city.

“However, we’ve recently created a resource brochure that we give to various organizations and those unhoused,” Wittern said.

at can be found at centennialco.gov/ homelessness.

Aurora

e Aurora Day Resource Center is available for shelter amid severe life-threatening weather. e center is located at 13387 E. 19th Place and serves as an overnight shelter for adults 18 years or older on a rst-come, rst-served basis, according to the City of Aurora. e center can accommodate close to 200 people per night and is managed by Advance.

During cold-weather activation, no one will be turned away, according to Advance’s website.

To receive alerts about cold-weather activations at the center, text “Advance” to 38276.

e center sits a few blocks north of Colfax Avenue and a couple blocks west of Interstate 225 — north of Children’s Hospital.

Call 303-343-7808 or 303-341-9160 for more information. Sta at the center will provide referrals to families for familydesignated shelters, such as Comitis Crisis Center.

At Aurora Day Resource Center, overnight cold-weather sheltering starts at 5 p.m., and there is not a cuto time for when people need to show up in order to

get shelter for the night, according to Matt Brown, who served as a spokesperson for the city when Colorado Community Media reached out.

At the center, the threshold of weather conditions that trigger the cold-weather shelter to open is 20 degrees and below, or cold and precipitating, Brown said. e center will be providing a coldweather shelter program through the end of the year, and the city is looking at

ST. JOANOF ARC

Proclaiming Christ from the Mountains to the Plains www.StJoanArvada.org 12735 W 58th Ave · 80002 · 303-420-1232

Daily Masses: 8:30am, Mon-Sat

Confessions: 8am Tue-Fri; 7:30am & 4:00pm Sat

Saturday Vigil Mass: 5:00pm

Sunday Masses: 7:30, 9:00, 11:30am, 5:30pm

“Find Connection…Discover Faith” All Are Welcome

Green Mountain Presbyterian Church 12900 W Alameda Pkwy Lakewood, CO 80228 303-985-8733 www.gmpc.net Sunday Worship 10:00AM

alternatives for sheltering in the new year, Brown said.

“If there is an alternative cold-weather sheltering option, the ADRC will no longer operate as an emergency cold-weather shelter but will still operate day services. No matter the outcome, emergency cold-weather sheltering will be provided,” Brown said.

SEE SHELTER, P23

Advertise Your Place of Worship HERE

Living Water Spiritual Community (Unity)

LGBTQ+ SAFE

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

People walk through snowfall in November near Union Station in Denver. PHOTO BY ERIC HEINZ

READER

“

ere are very few stories people want to hear every Christmas, but this is denitely one,” Hunt said. “ ere’s something about this version and the changes that have been made that makes it more than a story you don’t mind hearing every year. It’s something you want to hear again.”

For more information and tickets, visit https://minersalley.com/shows/achristmas-carol-2024/.

Eva Noblezada celebrates Christmas at Lone Tree

Music is a great way to celebrate the season and the Lone Tree Arts Center,

SHELTER

Denver

During the cold-weather months, Denver shelters generally see more people coming indoors and often provide overow capacity to help meet the need, according to the city.

“We really encourage people in need of shelter to go to Denver’s ‘front door’ shelter access points,” which expand capacity for cold weather, said Derek Woodbury, a spokesperson for the Denver Department of Housing Stability.

ose “front door” shelters include:

• Denver Rescue Mission Lawrence Street Community Center at 2222 Lawrence St. in the downtown area for individual men

• Samaritan House at 2301 Lawrence St. in the downtown area for individual women

• And Urban Peak at 1630 S. Acoma St. for youth ages 15-20.

Denver’s cold-weather program also

10075 Commons St., is hosting a special performance by Broadway star Eva Noblezada. e performance will be at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 20.

Noblezada is currently playing Daisy in “ e Great Gatsby” on Broadway and has received a Grammy Award and a Tony Award nomination for her portrayal of Eurydice in the musical “Hadestown.” She’s also received a Tony nomination for the title role of “Miss Saigon.” Attendees can expect a mix of classical holiday tunes and contemporary tracks.

Get details and tickets at www.lonetreeartscenter.org/whats-on/eva-noblezada-holiday.

Ascend to a higher artistic place at Walker Fine Arts

Winter is a time when many people focus on tranquility and fostering con-

provides extra shelter at the Stone Creek shelter — the former Best Western hotel — at 4595 N. Quebec St. and at city facilities located at 2601 W. 7th Ave., and 375 S. Zuni St.

e Quebec Street location is just north of Interstate 70.

Families in need of shelter should call

e Salvation Army Connection Center at 303-295-3366, according to the city.

According to the city, Denver opens the extra shelter when capacity is exceeded in the existing homeless shelter system and one of the below criteria is met:

• Forecasted overnight low temperature of 25 degrees or below or

• Two inches or more of snow are forecasted for Denver; existing snow accumulation will also be taken into account, and activation will depend on amount and city’s ability to clear snow from roads, sidewalks, and bus stops; or

• A cold weather advisory, extreme cold watch, or extreme cold warning is issued for Denver by the National Weather Service.

Denver’s threshold for opening emergency cold-weather shelter for the

nections with friends and family. at’s what makes Walker Fine Arts, 300 W. 11th Ave., No. A, in Denver, newest exhibit, “Ascension,” such a great show for the end of 2024.

It runs through Saturday, Jan. 11, and features the work of Gail Folwell, Elaine Coombs, Bryan Leister, Laura Guese and Julie Maren. Each artist created ethereal installations, surreal landscapes and celestial skyscapes that encourage visitors to take a break from the bustle of life and re ect on moments of peace.

For more information on the seasonally-perfect show, visit www.walkerneart.com/ascension.

Clarke’s Concert of the Week — Annie Booth Trio at Dazzle

If you’re a long-time reader of this col-

homeless used to be when temperatures fall to 20 degrees, but as of October this year, the city raised the threshold to 25 degrees, Woodbury said.

Still, the city prefers that people make the “front door” locations their rst stop rather than going straight to the Quebec, Zuni and 7th Avenue locations, according to Woodbury.

“We strongly recommend that individuals go direct to ‘front door’ shelters during these conditions, where connections — and transportation if needed — is provided to available beds in our shelter system,” Woodbury said.

For more information, see the city’s shelter webpage at tinyurl.com/DenverColdWeatherShelter.

Douglas County

Douglas County runs its Homeless Engagement, Assistance and Resource Team, or HEART, to help address homelessness. For any available resources, call 303-660-7301.

To complete an online referral form, see tinyurl.com/HEARTreferralDouglas.

umn, then you know there’s only one concert I can recommend the week of Christmas: the Annie Booth Trio at Dazzle Denver, 1080 14th St., performing the best Christmas music — Vince Guaraldi’s soundtrack to “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” e annual performances begin on Monday, Dec. 16 and run through Tuesday, Dec. 24. Booth will be joined by bandmates bassist Patrick McDevitt and drummer Alejandro Castaño and jazz vocalists Jenna McLean, Marion Powers, Kathryn Radakovich and Bailey Hinkley Grogan.

Tickets and information can be found at www.dazzledenver.com/#/events.

Clarke Reader’s column on culture appears on a weekly basis. He can be reached at Clarke.Reader@hotmail.com.

Clear Creek County

Generally, Clear Creek County considers opening warming centers or emergency shelters when forecasts predict more than 2 feet of snow accumulation, or snowfall rates exceeding 1 inch per hour for consecutive hours, said Megan Hiler, spokesperson for the county.

“ is threshold is weather dependent, and plans may change if conditions worsen,” Hiler said in late November.

Potential sheltering sites are spread around the county, according to Hiler.

“We have several pre-identi ed sites that have agreed to partner with the county in case of emergency sheltering needs,” Hiler said. “ ey are strategically located in our higher-density population areas and include Idaho Springs, Georgetown and Empire.”

Should an emergency shelter need to be opened, messaging will be pushed through county, sheri ’s o ce and state channels, Hiler said.

Check via the links to webpages or phone numbers throughout the story for any updated information. is list of resources is not necessarily exhaustive.

unpaid on account of such claim.

OF