Neighborhood Gazette – November 2017 by Neighborhood Gazette

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WHEAT RIDGE NEWS Anderson Park at Bat: Bye Bye Baseball Field

2017 NEIGHBORHOOD DINING Special section featuring local dining opportunities Pages 9-12

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WHEAT RIDGE | APPLEWOOD | MOUNTAIN VIEW | LAKESIDE November 14 – December 18, 2017 • ngazette.com • FREE

How Wheat Ridge Voted & Spent This Election n By

J. Patrick O’Leary

y the time you read this, it’s old, well-traveled news: William “Bud” Starker beat out Joseph DeMott for mayor of Wheat Ridge, Zachary Urban retained his District II seat against challenger Rachel Hultin, and Leah Dozeman prevailed over three contenders for the District IV seat to be vacated by Genevieve Wooden. Eleven days before the election, the candidates had raised a total of $70,147 and spent $55,732, with fundraising and spending bearing no clear relationship to victory. Turnout was low, with the least participation in the most crowded race. The fi nancial information available only refl ects part of each candidates’ campaign spending. Data used is from the fi rst candidate fi nance report, due Oct. 27; the second and fi nal report is due Dec. 7. Copies of the fi lings can be found on the City of Wheat Ridge website. Vote totals are unoffi cial, and the offi cial abstract of votes from the county are not due until Nov. 24. Election returns are available from the Jeff erson County Clerk’s website. Continued on page 15

START OFF YOUR HOLIDAY SEASON WITH CAROLERS, hot cocoa, crafts, Santa and Mrs. Claus, train rides and more at the City of Wheat Ridge Holiday Celebration, Saturday, Dec. 2, 3 to 7 p.m., at Stevens Elementary, 7101 W. 38th Ave. PHOTO BY LOCALWORKS

Local Holiday Activities and Celebrations n By

Elisabeth Monaghan

f you’re looking for activities to celebrate the holidays locally, the your cities, libraries, nonprofi ts and churches have got you covered. Here is a rundown of the activities taking place through midDecember:

Fall Vendor Event Saturday, Nov. 18, Wheat Ridge Recreation Center, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., 4005 Kipling St., Wheat Ridge The Fall Vendor Event will have products you can purchase and take with you, and products you can order. Businesses include: Color Street, Damsel in Defense, HELO, LipSense, Life Designs Real Estate, LuLaRoe, Monat, Norwex, Origami Owl, Pampered Chef, PartyLite, Premier Designs, Red Bandana Bakery, Serve the Line Foundation, Shaklee, Stitchin’ A Dream, Usborne, Wildtree and Young Living. Just in time for holiday shopping! Come and buy local and support some home-based businesses.

Fun family activities include free hot chocolate, cider, and cookies; live holiday music; free horse drawn carriage and train rides; free professional photo with Santa; live reindeer petting; Artisans Market with handcrafted holiday gifts; arts and crafts for the whole family; and local restaurants and food trunks. The tree-lighting ceremony will begin in front of Stevens Elementary at 6:30 p.m. This is the city’s offi cial tree-lighting ceremony with more than 12,000 multicolor bulbs to light up the spectacular 25foot evergreen! Please bring a nonperishable food item to donate to a local food bank! For more info, call 720-259-1030.

Holiday Open House & Kids Craft Party Saturday, Dec. 2, Wheat Ridge Library, noon to 4 p.m. Start your holiday season with us at our festive holiday open house and create fun holiday crafts! Get your face painted between noon and 2 p.m. Suitable for all ages. For details, visit www.jeffcolibrary.org.

DIY Holiday Gift ‘Buffet’ Sunday, Dec. 3, hOMe Collective, 1 to 4 p.m., 6101 W. 38th Ave., Wheat Ridge

Saturday, Dec. 2, Stevens Elementary, 3 to 7 p.m., 7101 W. 38th Ave., Wheat Ridge Start off your holiday season with carolers, hot cocoa, crafts, Santa and Mrs. Claus, train rides and more! Localworks and the City of Wheat Ridge are excited to kick off the season with the sixth annual Holiday Celebration on Ridge at 38.

For more information, visit www.homecollective.org. Continued on page 20

N E I G H B O R H O O D F E AT U R E

Holiday Sharing Lights the Darkness n By

For details, call 303-231-1300.

City of Wheat Ridge Holiday Celebration

Learn how to handcraft a thoughtful set of gifts for yourself or your loved ones this holiday season! Master herbalist and Reiki healer Alana Watanabe will off er a widely varied “buff et” of handcrafted gift tutorials including herbal salve, essential oil massage candles, exfoliating scrub, shaving lotion for all genders, aromatherapeutic cologne, chakra balancing blends, handcrafted herbal tea, and much more. Each item costs $10, please complete a minimum of three items per person. To enroll, you must fi rst purchase a ticket.

Nancy Hahn

he last few months have been disastrous for many people in our country and heart-rending for all of us. We witnessed hurricanes, massive fi res, and manmade disasters of shootings, more shootings, and trucks driven into crowds. Faced with a fl ood of disasters we can’t control and can’t forget, we all can raise the good by fi nding ways to do something worthy and helpful in our own communities. With the holiday season approaching, there are many ways to do just that. There are ways to give your time in volunteer activities. KNITTING FOR COLLIER HOSPICE AT IPIE in Wheat Donating food, toys, clothing and other items can add an extra boost of Ridge every Saturday are Linda Salazar, Amanda Pe- comfort and joy for someone’s holiday, also.

nock, Donna DeVisser and Emilie Leman. PHOTO BY NANCY HAHN

Continued on page 2

NEIGHBORHOOD GAZETTE – NOVEMBER 14 – DECEMBER 18 2017 – ngazette.com

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LETTER TO THE EDITOR Thank You, Wheat Ridge Community, For Your Support Dear Wheat Ridge Community, My son, Skyler Cooper Holland, was hit and killed on Friday, Oct. 6, on Wadsworth Boulevard and Wide Acre Road. The tragedy is devastating to our family. It will take time to soften the shock. His loss will always be with us. Skyler was quiet and fun loving. He was a deep thinker who often presented insightful and thoughtful ideas for problems that he perceived around him. I can only imagine the awesome adult he would have been. He would have been an advocate for a kinder humanity. In all this sadness I have been overwhelmed by the Wheat Ridge community’s support. I have to say that people I knew, people I was acquainted with, and people I didn’t know came forward in support and kindness and compassion. Considering the divisive nature of our country, it is comforting to know that the Wheat Ridge community IS a community. Many people were there for me. A few stand out as outstanding. The BCS Community Credit Union provided water, Kleenex, and access to their restroom after hours on the day Skyler died. Christian Mucilli, who witnessed the accident, stopped in the hopes of providing

Holiday Sharing

Financial Advisor

Continued from page 1

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The Action Center at 8755 W. 14th Ave., Lakewood, provides needed support for struggling families and, also, for the homeless across Jefferson County. The holidays put an extra strain on families who are already barely getting by. The Action Center can make the difference between a happy holiday and no holiday. Nonperishable food items, as well as, jackets, winter boots and sleeping bags, are in short supply. The center packs thousands of Thanksgiving food boxes for families and hosts a Santa Shop, too. Parents can visit the shop without their little ones and choose the perfect Santa presents for Christmas morning. Donations of winter clothes, toys and school supplies are always needed. An abundance of both donations and volunteers are important during this busy season. For more information, check out the Action Center online at theactioncenter.org or call 303-237-7704.

Wheat Ridge Optimists’ Blue Santa Toy Drive The Wheat Ridge Optimist Club is guided by the Optimist vision to provide hope and a positive outlook in young people. Their activities encourage youngsters to have an active interest in their communities and civic activities. The Optimists sponsor a Junior Optimist’s club at Everitt Middle School. Two Thursday mornings a month, the Optimists meet at Stevens Elementary School from 8:40 to 9:10 to pack backpacks for students and welcome volunteers to lend a hand. The Blue Santa Toy Collection will take place at the Lakeside Walmart at 5957 W. 44th Ave. on Nov. 25. From 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Optimist members, and Wheat Ridge and Edgewater police, will be collecting toys from shoppers. Volunteers are welcome to help wrap gifts at Wheat Ridge City Hall, 7500 W. 29th Ave., on Dec. 15 from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Optimists and police will deliver gifts the next day. There is more information about dates, times and activities at www. wheatridgeoptimist.org.

first aid, and attended every memorial event for Skyler. Courtney Kline, a Wilmore Davis mother, set up a Go Fund Me page to help support me and Skyler’s father financially. The Wilmore Davis Elementary School teachers and staff were genuinely saddened and able to honor Skyler and support his sister, Billie, during this time. Clancy’s, particularly Jeff Hurlburt and Joe DeMott, orchestrated a fundraiser to support expenses. The Michael Collins Pipe Band played a bagpipe tribute at Clancy’s to honor Skyler’s memory. The Wild Mountain Band continued the entertainment at Clancy’s. Colorado Plus and Right Coast Pizza helped support the success of the fundraiser at Clancy’s by handing out flyers to their customers. The Wheat Ridge city council announced the Clancy’s fundraiser during a meeting. Brian Billmaier of Praying Mantis Tattoo generously donated memorial tattoos for me and Skyler’s dad. The Office Max in Arvada (53rd and Wadsworth) was very generous with their services, time and expertise. There are more that elude me. Certainly during my deepest moments of sorrow I was unaware of the kindness around me. To those I failed to mention, I thank you. Rosalind Cooper, Wheat Ridge

Sponsor a Family Holiday Gift Drive The Jefferson County Human Services Department encourages the public to help give a hand up to families during the holiday season. Nov. 1, they began a Sponsor a Family Holiday Gift Drive. This program supports children and families who otherwise might have no gifts this season. Many of the children have experienced abuse or neglect, but all those children still have Christmas dreams. Visit www.jeffco. us and enter “sponsor a family holiday gift drive” in the search box on the site to find out more about the program.

Toy Drive at Prospect Valley Elementary Prospect Valley Elementary in Wheat Ridge is holding a toy drive until Dec. 8. This is the second year for the drive, which provides gifts for children who might otherwise have no new Christmas toy. School professionals identify children within the school who might benefit from the toy drive and the Optimist Club identifies children outside the Prospect Valley community. The community is invited to bring donations of new toys to the school at 3400 Pierson St., Wheat Ridge, during school hours.

Lakewood Needs Volunteers Lakewood has a bounty of volunteer opportunities listed on the Lakewood.org website. Check them out if you’re looking for a one-time volunteer opportunity or more regular volunteer activity. If you enjoy an old-fashioned holiday, Lakewood Lights is Friday, Dec. 1, and Saturday, Dec. 2, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Heritage Center might be a perfect event for you to volunteer. Volunteers will print photos with Santa, help children make ornaments, and serve hot chocolate and cookies. There are limited volunteer positions so check them out soon. “We are currently looking to fill our Municipal Court Bailiff positions during the week,” said Karla Garland, Lakewood’s volunteer coordinator. “Also, we are Continued on page 5

Have a news tip or story idea? Send it to editor@ngazette.com

ngazette.com – NOVEMBER 14 – DECEMBER 18, 2017 – NEIGHBORHOOD GAZETTE

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the genuine good cheer evidenced in our residents. But the cordial atmosphere of our discussions does not mean that there are s this election season ends, I want to not real differences in opinion about public recognize and celebrate the citizens of policy options and how to move our city Wheat Ridge who cast their ballots in this forward into the future. This diversity is not year’s election. Regardless of who those a weakness but a measure of our strength as votes were cast for, the most important fact a community. is that they were cast at all. The right to vote We face many challenges and is one of the fundamental cornerstones of opportunities going forward as a city. The our democracy – necessary for the liberties creative solutions to these that follow. I urge everyone who challenges will come from meets the qualifications as an many directions. The best elector to take the opportunity to opportunities for the future register and be ready to vote in will be embodied in seeking out next year’s elections. these good ideas regardless of I also want to recognize all their origins. the candidates who ran in this As your mayor I will seek year’s election. It takes a great to foster an atmosphere of fair deal of courage to step into the and open dialogue. I will do my public eye as a candidate and lots best to be a good moderator, of time, hard work and resources promote constructive and to mount a campaign without any Bud Starker pragmatic discourse, seek certainty of victory. But without creative alternatives. The these women and men ready solutions to the challenges that face us will to risk electoral defeat, our rights at the be solved as we talk with one another, not ballot box are diminished. They deserve our past one another. respect and our thanks. I am honored and humbled by the trust To those returned by the electors to that has been placed in me as your mayor. office, I offer my congratulations and look I will be active in our community and hope forward to serving together. I want to you will join me on this journey by your recognize my opponent for an honest, hardparticipation in our civic dialogue. I welcome fought campaign and hope he will continue your communication. You can reach me by his long record of leadership and service to email, telephone or regular mail. our community. Thank you. The thing I liked best about this Contact Wheat Ridge Mayor Bud campaign was the opportunity to knock Starker at bstarker@ci.wheatridge.co.us, on my neighbor’s door, introduce myself 303-235-2800, or City of Wheat Ridge, and listen. I was awed by the courtesy and 7500 W. 29th Ave., Wheat Ridge, CO respect I was shown at the door, the honesty 80033. and intelligence of our discussions, and n By

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LOCALWORKS UPDATE Calling Community Leaders: Wheaties Academy 2018! who care as much about your city as you do, the work is rewarding and fruitful. Past projects have included the Connect2Creek o you love where you live? Most mural and #WheatiesLove campaign. people are quick to answer “yes” but The Wheaties Academy application often don’t know why or how to get more asks applicants to define community. It’s involved. Wheaties Academy was created an important question and one we should to empower residents who are looking for a all ask ourselves. Below is a fun and meaningful way to step response from a 2016 Wheaties up and to take action with other graduate which I think captures passionate neighbors. our city and the value of Launched in 2015, this Wheaties Academy: innovative grassroots leadership “Community is a place program is hosted by Localworks that people enjoy living, and designed to turn inspiration working, supporting each into ideas and then to turn ideas other and improving the area. into action from the ground Community is where we come up right here in Wheat Ridge. together to encourage each Over the course of five months, other, promote each other’s Wheaties Academy participants well being, care for one another connect with artists, business Rachel Hultin and appreciate life together. owners, neighbors, civic leaders, Community is also where we learn from each rabble rousers, mentors and other Wheaties others differences and respect diversity.” to explore what it means to love where you We invite you to become part of live and how to build community by working the Wheaties Academy community! together. Applications for the 2018 Wheaties We start by learning more about our Academy being accepted through Dec. 18. city’s heritage and how big ideas from 50 The program runs Jan. 23 through June 19, years ago created the community we love 2018, including six interactive sessions, a today. From there, we explore corners in retreat and extracurricular activities. need of some love and find people in need For more information and to apply visit: of connection. Wheaties harness these to www.WheatiesAcademy.org or attend the design and implement a community project informational happy hour on Tuesday, Dec. demonstrating how we all love where we 5 at Discovery Tap House (4990 Kipling St.) live. from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Make no mistake, figuring out how to Rachel Hultin is the founder of Wheatmake a difference from the ground up is ies Academy. challenging. But when you work with peers n By

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ngazette.com – NOVEMBER 14 – DECEMBER 18, 2017 – NEIGHBORHOOD GAZETTE

ASK THE EXPERT Beware of Fraudulent Wire Transfer Information at Closings Dropbox, can be used for sharing or signing sensitive documents. Emails and texts are he Federal Trade Commission (FTC) not secure methods to transmit financial and the National Association of Realtors information. If you do send financial documents via email, make want to make you aware of a sure it is password protected. national cyber-scam that steals Do not conduct money directly from homebuyers business over public Wiand sellers. Fi: Don’t click on links to get Here's how the scam to websites. Instead, search to works: Hackers break into an find the company and directly email account of a real estate link to their website from your professional, title company, or search. consumer to search for upcoming Use Secure websites real estate transactions, contact for financial information: information and closing dates. Confirm that the websites Then, hackers pose as the agent in which you input financial or title officer and email the Wanda Norge information are secure. Look for homebuyer with last-minute changes to wiring instructions. They may the URL to start HTTPS, the “S” stands for slightly modify an email address. Such a secure. minor change can go unnoticed. By the time Update your computer: Keep your anyone realizes that something is wrong, operating system, browser and security the money has gone to an untraceable bank software up-to-date. account, leaving people at the closing table If this type of scam does happen to you, know that your bank can initiate the with no funds to purchase the home. This happened to a couple from Financial Fraud Kill Chain (FFKC) if it meets Longmont earlier this year that were these criteria: 1) the wire transfer occurred selling their home and buying a new home within the last 72 hours, 2) is international, in Parker. They lost $272,000 – their 3) the amount is $50,000 or more and 4) proceeds from the sale that was to be used a SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank as their down payment. This case turned Financial Telecommunication) recall notice into a lawsuit involving the bank, real estate has been initiated. This FBI program is designed to agents, title company and lender. Here are a few things you can do to recover funds for customers who have been make sure you don't fall victim to this scam: victimized by fraudulent international wire Verbally contact the person/Be schemes. Any wire transfers that occur alert: Prior to wiring any money, verbally outside of these thresholds should still be contact the title company person handling your reported to law enforcement. transaction. Confirm the wiring information is Wanda Norge, Mortgage Consultant, accurate. Your real estate broker or loan officer Certified Divorce Lending Professional, can get you the correct title person contact Equilane Lending, LLC (NMLS: 387869), number, but this is also located on your title 20-year Evergreen resident, lending for 14 years. Phone: 303-419-6568, loans@ documents from the transaction. Use secure document technology: wandanorge.com, www.wandanorge.com. DocuSign, RightSignature, zipLogix, NMLS:280102, MB:100018754

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Holiday Sharing Continued from page 2

recruiting for museum tour guides and museum gift shop volunteers.” Garland can be reached at KarGra@ Lakewood.org or at 303-987-7868.

Family Tree, Treasure Trunk Thrift Store The Family Tree at 3805 Marshall St., Wheat Ridge, provides services designed to change the picture of domestic abuse and to combat homelessness. They provide a Domestic Violence outreach Program, Homeless Emergency Services, Family Stabilization Services, and many others. Among their services, they provide a place for supervised visitation with children. Family Tree uses volunteers in a wide range of positions. If you are interested, check out the “Volunteer Opportunities” link on the website for more information. Treasure Trunk Thrift Store at 5892 W. 44th Ave. in Wheat Ridge also belongs to Family Tree. The store is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 4:30 p.m. Donations for Treasure Trunk can be brought during those hours, but check their website, first, for items they accept.

Kullerstrand Elementary Miracle Shop Kullerstrand Elementary at 12225 W. 38th Ave. in Wheat Ridge is accepting donations of toys or cash for their Miracle Shop for Christmas. Donations make a wonderful difference for a struggling family. The Miracle Shop enables parents to shop for their children for Christmas. Tim Weaver, Kullerstrand Family Liaison, explained parents with very limited funds are able to purchase brand new toys and gifts for a very minimal amount. Parents feel good, because they paid for the gifts. Children feel good, because they have new toys.

Lakewood Police Department Gift Drive Just before Christmas, the Lakewood Police Department delivers gifts to children in Lakewood whose families would not be able to buy presents. Organizing a new toy drive in your neighborhood, donating, or sponsoring a family are some ways Lakewood citizens can help with this effort. New toys, new clothing, or new books will certainly brighten someone’s Christmas. Toys, books, hair accessories, school supplies, board games, skateboards, or cash donations can help with the program. Donations can be mailed or left at the Lakewood Police Department at 445 S. Allison Parkway. For more information, contact LPDVolunteerCoordinator@ LakewoodCo.org or call 303-987-7105

Knitting for Collier Hospice If you are looking for a volunteer opportunity and you enjoy knitting or crocheting, Knitting for Collier Hospice might be a group you’d enjoy. The group began when Jacqueline Whittaker, a nurse at Collier Hospice, asked a friend if her knitting and crocheting friends might be willing to make a few blankets or shawls for hospice patients. Whittaker explained that the only time her days at work are hard are the days when “we have patients who just cannot get comfortable or patients of families we cannot please.” The first batch of blankets and comfort shawls given to the Hospice was everything that Whittaker had hoped they would be. Patients loved the soft coziness and their families loved the homey touch to warm up the hospital atmosphere. The group meets in Wheat Ridge at Ipie on Saturdays and Mighty Joe’s Kitchen on Wednesdays to knit and enjoy good conversation. Events are posted on Facebook and NextDoor. You can, also, send your name and email to knittingatcollierhospice@gmail.com for more information.

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My Mother is More Sustainable Than Your Mother n By

Guy Nahmiach

ow do you measure sustainability? Can you become better at it than your neighbor? Can one city be a “more sustainable” than others? In a world where not only humans feel a need to compete, but also corporations want to sell you the next best thing, how does one determine what or who is truly “best?” If I capture every single drop of rain falling on my roof, will I be better or will I simply flood my yard with overflowing rain barrels? How much garbage can I recycle and how exactly do we define what garbage is? We can agree that pretty much anything in our house can be converted to some kind of plant container. But isn’t that just moving unwanted things around your home? Don’t we at some point have to declutter as to avoid becoming hoarders? Of course there are ways to measure sustainability. It is very much a science. There are benchmarks, indexes, audits and numerous ways to count and assess. The United Nations of course has their own way to measure using Circles of Sustainability, used for cities and urban locations, setting an initial goal of reducing, reusing or simply extending a lifespan. Like the term organic, where standards vary all over the world. How do you and I measure what we do at home right here in Wheat Ridge? Obviously the more we recycle (plastics and glass) the less we throw away every week with our trash collection. But it does

mean paying for a separate pick up. Harvesting rain water requires a special barrel that will keep the water sealed from mosquitoes and their larvae. The goal of course, is to avoid opening your tap to provide more water for your garden. The glass and plastic leaves your home, but is in fact recycled into a different product or just holds a different liquid, basically, avoiding the need to produce more. You can follow that chain as far as you can. I am currently planning to cover my large den wall with various wood panels. At the same time my contractor, who is replacing my hail-damaged vinyl siding, found the original cedar planks from 1965 still attached underneath it all. I am now able to clean off the cedar and reuse it inside my house. Not only can I measure the dollars saved by not having to buy wood, but I can also count the trees that would have to be cut down to replace the wood I am buying at Home Depot, and can show off the original 50-year-old wood that is still attached to the house, except from the inside. Speaking of which, I am also finally replacing the solar panels that were destroyed in the hail storm as well. With dark winter months here, I will need all 36 panels making as much power from the shorter days. I’ll leave you with a question: What if the city gave credits for permits to homeowners that reused building materials?

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Here’s Why Your Train Has Not Arrived n By

Jennifer LeDuc

passenger train eight cars long, going 75 miles per hour, will make three, five-minute long stops before arriving at the station, 11 miles away. Another train, 85 cars long and carrying several hundred tons of freight, is traveling 25 miles per hour and is 8 miles away from the station. Calculate not just how long it takes for each train to stop (factoring in weight, of course) but predict when each train will pass through the crossings (factoring in, of course, unexpected delays like a passenger holding the doors open and delaying departure from a stop) and synchronize your calculations with wireless technology and global positioning satellites orbiting the earth, harmoniously collaborate land access, radio frequencies, public utilities and traffic signals with the appropriate agencies, municipalities, and other railroads, and then synchronize and transmit all of that data, commanding the safety gates to drop, and rise again, within seconds of the train passing. And please, no train whistle. Confused? You should be. This is not a sinister twist on the algebra equation you never did quite master. This is what might be considered a barbaric, if not rudimentary, explanation of the technological ballet that is the RTDs multi-billion-dollar commuter line project. And this is why, for those anxiously awaiting the G Line, your train has not arrived. The G Line, formerly known as Gold, is 11 miles long and will make seven stops from Union Station to Ward Road in Wheat Ridge in 25 minutes. Originally slated to open in October of 2016, the line, while not stalled as some may suggest, is nearly a year delayed due to testing and technological differences that have overshadowed the RTDs inagural A Line, which offers roundtrip service between Union Station and DIA. Although the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) gave approval on Oct. 12 to resume testing on the G Line, RTD still awaits approval of the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), which, in September, rejected RTD’s application to finish testing. While these delays and the emotions surrounding them have received prominent attention locally, the revolutionary technology that is federally mandated to

rule the nations railways – including RTD’s Positive Train Control – has not. “We have a system working as it was intended to,” explains John Thompson, a rail industry veteran and the executive project director of Denver Transit Partners (DTP), the private consortium in partnership with and contracted by RTD to finance, develop and manage the A, B and G lines. “What we have to do is get regulators comfortable with the new technology.” This “new technology” had been conceptually on the radar of the rail industry for several years, when on Sept. 12, 2008, in Chatsworth, Calif., 25 people were killed. A Metrolink commuter train traveling about 40 mph crashed head-on with a freight train traveling about the same speed, which five seconds earlier emerged from a tunnel. The engineer of the freight train pulled the emergency brake lever on his 100 tons of metal two seconds before impact. An investigation by the National Transportation and Safety Bureau revealed the engineer of the commuter train, who perished in the accident, had been sending text messages throughout his shift that evening and missed a series of red signals that should have prevented him from proceeding on the single track section. Further, the conductor on the commuter train could have pulled an emergency lever – known as a dead man’s switch – when he failed to receive a signal report from the engineer, as are the operating rules when there is only one engineer. The following month, on Oct. 16, the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 was signed into law after swift passage through Congress. The act mandated a number of safety measures, most significantly installation of “new technology” called Positive Train Control, across the nation's railway system by December 2015. Positive Train Control (PTC), as explained by the FRA “uses communicationbased/processor-based train control technology that provides a system capable of reliably and functionally preventing trainto-train collisions, overspeed derailments, incursions into established work zone limits, and the movement of a train through a main line switch in the wrong position.” Essentially, if the the engineer does not slow or stop the train appropriately anywhere, for any reason – distraction, impairment, misjudgement, etc. – the system overrides human control, applies the brakes and stops

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the train, theoretically averting disaster and saving lives. It is widely accepted that if Metrolink had functioning PTC in place at the time, the crash most likely would have been avoided and no lives lost. But, unfortunately, at the time of the crash, and certainly not a month later upon passage of the Rail Safety Act, PTC was hardly a fully developed technology and both freight and commuter railroads, including Amtrak, were now required to invest millions to do so, despite rail travel being one of the safest forms of travel in this country. According to the Department of Transportation, between the years 2000 and 2007 the average number of train accident fatalities, excluding deaths due to trespassing and at grade crossings, was 12. Between 2009 and 2016 the average was eight. Still, since 1960, the total number of train accident fatalities is 394, less than the number of people killed riding a bicycle in any of those years, and still less than the 559 pipeline-related deaths deaths between 1962 and 2016. Between millions of dollars awarded in government grants, development, construction, implementation and improvement costs, taxpayers have spent a lot of money on PTC. While it’s impossible to quantify a life, neither the FRA nor the DOT were available to answer why. Metrolink completed its implementation, testing and approval of its $200 million PTC system in 2016 after a year of disastrous glitches and delays. While the first commuter line to do so, many other freight and commuter rails around the nation have not despite millions of dollars invested, and like RTD, have extended deadlines with the FRA. “It’s so complicated,” said Nate Currey, senior manager of public relations at RTD, explaining the technology and the exceptional levels and degrees of collaboration required among agencies. “You just don’t think about everything that’s involved.” Like radio frequencies, signaling systems, gate crossings, land easements, utility access, satellites, wireless communication, and hardware and software that performs consistently and exactly in an environment with extreme weather and temperature variations. To further complicate things, Currey

explained that PTC is just “one layer of three systems” that DTP has put in place. “We are the only ones in the country with this unique technology. “We got ambitious when we put the bid out,” said Curry. “We thought ‘this is going to be the future so we may as well put it in now.’” PTC is one layer, and Automatic Train Control (ATC) – a century-old but fairly reliable standard method of speed control – is the second layer, and thirdly are the electric signals at gate crossings. That third layer – the at-gate crossing functionality – has been the crux of the issue with the A Line. Not just in working out timing and software issues and other kinks that are par for the course when developing anything, but in relation to being tested and approved by the FRA and CPUC. It’s so new, explained Curry, that the agencies initially looked at it and said, “Wow. How do we regulate this?” Although the approval process has been and will continue to be slow, both Curry and Thompson are effusive in their confidence with the technology and implementation, and despite being still stuck at a very long red light with the FRA, RTD and DTP are proudly reporting the A and B lines are operating on time, with stats better than the commuter rail’s cousin, light rail. In northern California, the SonomaMarin Area Rail Transit has recently completed a very similar system to the RTD’s, and was, until mid-August, reporting similar delays in federal approval despite satisfactory performance. However, at the end of August their system was finally given the green light and their new service is up and reportedly running smoothly. The FRA was not available to answer inquiries into the SMART’s system or the approval of it. As PTC implementation and technology has evaded the public’s understanding in relation to RTD’s challenges with the A and G lines, so to has understanding as to how very different the the A, B and G lines are from RTD’s light rail network. Why are there not the same technological and regulatory issues on the W Line that are hampering the G Line? Why didn’t RTD contract with the same firm behind the W Line’s development? Continued on page 7

School Board Wins and Losses: What it Means n By

Mike McKibbin

efferson County School District R1’s board of education will remain the same, after voters returned all three incumbents in the Nov. 7 general election. In District 1, Brad Rupert was retained by a 73,684-48,209 tally over Matt Van Gieson; District 2 incumbent Susan Harmon defeated Erica Shields by a 72,632-49,190 count; while incumbent Ron Mitchell was unchallenged for his District 3 seat. He had 96,438 votes. The board has five members, elected to alternating four-year terms. Rupert said he was relieved and excited “that the voters approved what we’ve done for the last few years.” “We can’t ever assume that everything we do is the right thing to do,” he said. Two years since Rupert and several others were elected in a controversial recall election, the district has stabilized, he added. “I think we’ve reminded ourselves of the importance of caring for our schools and we’re back on a constructive course,” Rupert said. “I’m not trying to beat my chest and say I’ve done everything right, but we have a chance to get this district to a great place.” “I wanted to bring a voice of the people that wasn’t being heard” by the current board, Van Gieson said. “I think I helped do that.” Van Gieson said he and Shields got their opponents to admit the district has an

over $1 billion budget. That figure had been disputed by Rupert and Harmon. The acknowledged split between the challengers and incumbents on issues such as vouchers and the pending move of most sixth-grade students to middle schools should not be a distraction to the school board, Van Gieson added. “It’s kind of a necessary evil” to have differing points of view, he said. Harmon said she “had a good feeling as (Election Day) got close.” “But I’m also kind of excited to put it behind me and re-engage with our new superintendent and board members and start moving the district forward,” she added. Harmon said she did not see stark differences between herself and Shields. “We disagreed about things like vouchers and the sixth-grade move,” Harmon added. “But overall, I’m not sure how much difference there was.” Shields said she ran to offer voters a choice to the current board’s direction. “A school board should be diverse and work together with communities,” she said. “This board is now a 5-0 majority on one side, so it will be interesting to see if that’s a good thing or they end up working against people.” “I hope they continue to listen to the 40 percent who voted for us and make sure the decisions they make are the right ones for all of Jefferson County,” she continued.

ngazette.com – NOVEMBER 14 – DECEMBER 18, 2017 – NEIGHBORHOOD GAZETTE

Anderson Park at Bat: Bye Bye Baseball Field n By

J. Patrick O’Leary

here is no joy in Anderson Park: mighty baseball has struck out. Despite impassioned testimony by Wheat Ridge’s baseball community and an attempt to delay the vote till November, Wheat Ridge City Council on Oct. 23 voted 4-3 to approve the Anderson Park Master Plan recommended by the Parks and Recreation Commission, which replaces the existing baseball diamond with a multipurpose field. At its Sept. 20 meeting the commission recommended approval of its preferred plan, but at council’s Oct. 16 study session a consensus of council members asked for an alternate plan to retain the existing, 50-plusyear-old baseball field – the only regulation diamond in Wheat Ridge – and replace its aging lights when funding became available. The flip vote a week later was the result of District III representative Tim Fitzgerald changing his mind, as well as District I representative Janeece Hoppe (absent from the study session) showing up and voting against the change. Additionally, District II representative Kristi Davis, a ballfield proponent, was absent from the regular session. No other elements of the $5.4 million preferred renovation plan were challenged by council members or the members of the public speaking at the meeting. The renovation of Anderson Park is one of four “Investing 4 the Future” projects funded through the November 2016 2E ballot initiative, which raised the city’s sales tax by a half cent. In March, council awarded a contract to MIG, Inc. to prepare a concept plan for the park, including concept designs for improvements to the Anderson Building and outdoor pool bathhouse. Although the commission argued the preferred plan was the result of an extensive public input process and would meet demands for an additional grassy area for play and festival events, youth classes and athletic league practices, baseball proponents claimed the process neglected them and the would erase a part of Wheat Ridge’s history. The contest opened with District II representative Zachary Urban moving to delay the vote until the next council meeting so Davis could be present to vote. After Parks and Rec Director Joyce Manwaring indicated a delay might jeopardize the park opening in time for the August 2019 Carnation Festival, Hoppe noting people were waiting to comment, and Mayor Joyce Jay noting a “healthy quorum” was present, the motion failed 3-4; Fitzgerald, Hoppe, District III representative George Pond and District IV representative Genevieve Wooden voted no. Staff presented the details of the plan and fielded questions for 50 minutes before 35 minutes of public comment began. Don Ryan, residing on Everitt Street, six house away from the baseball field, told council that baseball was the soul of American sports, and said there many soccer fields and asked “so why pay big dollars to take it out?” Wheat Ridge High School baseball coach Adam Miller (of Golden) said Anderson field is where the freshmen practice. “Without this facility, with or without lights, I’m not sure where they would play,” said Miller. “It’s a great facility and I’d hate to lose that.” Pomona High School head baseball coach Eric Mapps (of Arvada) echoed Miller’s comments and urged council to retain the baseball field. “When a field like that goes away, it’s hard to get it back.” “There are three on council who came to me for your vote…now I come to you for your vote,” to save the ballfield, said Rolly Sorrentino of Wheat Ridge, asking why there was no outreach to the baseball community, and stating that the three soccer fields in front of his Teller Street house were not used much. Another Wheat Ridge resident, and a Lakewood resident who stages baseball

tournaments, spoke in favor of keeping the ballfied. Three Wheat Ridge residents – Guy Nahmiach, Brittany Fitzsimmons and Rachel Hultin – spoke in favor of keeping the original plan, warning council against ignoring the public who did participate in the process. “Not only have you insulted those citizens, you also put candidates in upcoming elections in an awkward position,” Nahmiach said. “No one in the community asked for baseball, that’s why it’s not included in the plan.” Fitzsimmons said in the past the city has created community groups for input, only to ignore them, and that that council was attempting to change, at the last minute, what the community worked hard to create. “If we ask citizens to participate in the public process and disregard, it will create apathy,” Hultin said. Council members asked questions for a dozen minutes before Mathews moved to amend the resolution, to keep the ballfield. “This was an open process, all the way along,” said Wooden. She said the plan would allow the greatest number of people to use the park. Pond said he believed the public process was fairly executed, but did not believe single use of a ballfield was “a prudent choice for the extraordinary demands on our facilities.” Hoppe also defended the public process, and said a single-use baseball field was “no longer a prudent use of the park.” Fitzgerald confessed that he responded emotionally at the study session in asking to keep the ballfield, but had changed his mind since. Although he expressed reservations about the process, he believed the city tried to be inclusive, and that it must honor the choices of those who showed up to the meetings and not delay the project. Urban said that the baseball users were shut out of the process, and that he was concerned that no replacement field would be found. Duran said she respected the public process, but that more voices needed to be heard, and their concerns should not be dismissed. Mathews suggested that the city had a predetermined outcome for the public process, and that had it informed users of the ballfield, there would have been more participation. Jay said she was concerned that the city staff and their opinions were not being respected. The motion to keep the ballfield failed 3-4, with Fitzgerald, Hoppe, Pond and Wooden against. The following motion to approve preferred plan passed 4-3, with Mathew Urban and Duran opposing.

RTD Delays Continued from page 6

Why do gates on the W Line work when the A Line’s do not? If the light rail is a Schwinn cruiser bicycle, the commuter rail is a BMW motorcycle. They both have two wheels, and are ridden, but the similarities stop there. The commuter rail is built around a 70ton, steel-bodied train car manufactured in South Korea by Hyundai-Rotem. RTD purchased 66 cars for the A, B and G lines. The commuter lines run on tracks that are parallel to, but do not share, freight rail. The level of comfort and accommodations differs on the commuter rail, with capacity for more passengers, and it is markedly faster than the light rail, traveling up to 79 mph. The light rail lines have more frequent stops, enabled by the light rail’s ease at accelerating and deaccelerating quickly, although its top speed is 55 mph. The light rail operates along more urban corridors. Since the commuter line shares corridors – and crossings – with the freight railroad, the compliances and the required operating technology necessary to be in accordance with the 2008 safety act are vastly different.

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NEIGHBORHOOD GAZETTE – NOVEMBER 14 – DECEMBER 18 2017 – ngazette.com

Call Them Merriam’s or Rio Grande, But Never Dumb n By

Sally Griffin

o you ever wonder were turkeys got their name? Did they come from the country Turkey? The answer is yes and no. Guinea hens and cocks were fi rst imported into England from Africa by way of the area of Turkey and came to be called turkey cocks and hens. When the Pilgrims became acquainted with “our” turkeys, they confused them with the African version and gave them the same name – Turkey. When, many years later, scientists tried to diff erentiate between the two birds, they also got things wrong and retained the name of the African bird for our American model. Maybe, this name confusion explains why turkeys lost by one vote to the bald eagle to become our national bird. Benjamin Franklin, in a letter to his daughter, said, “For in Truth, the Turkey is in Comparison (to the bald eagle) a much more respectable Bird, and withal a true Native of America … He is besides, though a little vain and silly, a Bird of Courage, and would not hesitate to attack a Grenadier of the British Guards who should presume to invade his Farm Yard with a red Coat on.” Our fi rst close-up encounter with a certain turkey was when he was defending his territory — not from the British — but from what he thought was another tom turkey. We had a house built into the hillside and one window was on ground level. When the sun hit just right, this window functioned as a mirror and this tom, on seeing his own refl ection, did not hesitate to attack and attack quite noisily. Unfortunately, the mirror eff ect usually worked in early morning and our household often had a rude awakening. Evidently, the tom wasn’t too embarrassed by the window episodes and settled into our yard with seven or eight hens. They would spend their days scrounging up insects to eat. We must have had quite a few insects, because they stayed

around for some time. Once, as we were quietly watching them from the window, our neighbor let the dog out. He started barking and, much more quickly than we could have imagined for such big birds, they fl ew into nearby trees and perched motionlessly. They were amazingly well disguised. If we hadn’t known where they had perched, as long as they stayed still, we could never have found them. Eventually and sadly, they ate up the insect population around our house and moved on. When we researched our turkey fl ock, we learned some interesting things about turkeys. They can burst into short fl ight at over 55 mph and they can hit this speed very quickly. Although we never saw this, they can also run at up to 30 mph. “Wild turkeys are cunning, wary birds,” said Ed Gorman, small game manager of Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW). “They have excellent eyesight and they can move very fast to avoid predators. These characteristics have been bred out of the game-farm and commercial turkeys served at Thanksgiving dinner.” Wild turkeys mate in the early spring. The mating begins while they are still fl ocked together for the winter. The toms compete with each other in an elaborate mating dance. The toms strut from left to right with their breast outthrust, head drawn back, wingtips dragging and tail feathers spread as wide as they can make them. After the hens have made their choice, I’m not exactly sure what happens next. But when it is time for egg-laying, the hens scratch depressions in the ground and build their hidden nests. Laying an egg for up to 20 days, the hen returns to courtship ritual each morning. After an incubation period of less than a month, the hens will have sole responsibility for the chicks until the next spring. The chicks are little bundles of fuzz that can run as soon as they hatch and can make short fl ights at the tender age of two weeks. This

is good because before their fi rst year, they are on their own for the rest of their lives. While the hens are rather dull looking, the full-grown tom turkey can be quite spectacular. His feathers have hints of red, purple, green, copper, bronze and gold iridescence. The tom’s head becomes bright red during mating season, in sharp contrast to the rest of his plumage. Many Native American tribes thought highly of turkeys and often made coats and other clothing of turkey feathers. The turkey was so important to the Aztecs that they revered the turkey as a god. Southwestern tribes buried their dead in turkey-feather robes so that the turkey could guide their loved ones into the next world. Colorado has two distinct kinds of turkeys: the native Merriam’s Turkeys and the Rio Grande Turkeys, which were introduced to the state in 1980. The Merriam’s species are primarily found in open meadows with nearby ponderosa, oak brush and pinion juniper stands. They like more mountainous zones west of I-25. The Rio Grandes like cottonwood and rough areas next to agricultural lands. These are more likely to be found in the eastern

parts of our state. The reintroduction of wild turkeys in Colorado has proved so successful that CPW has increased hunting licenses to help manage turkey populations, because, in some areas, they have actually been thriving too well. Wild turkey now live in 53 of our state’s 63 counties. Colorado’s program ranks among the most successful species conservation eff orts in CPW’s history. Their burgeoning numbers do not mean that you can hunt the wild turkeys that you spot in your neighbor’s backyard. They do require a permit and can only be hunted in designated area. The CPW hunting guide for turkeys points out that wild turkeys are wary enough that you can seldom come upon them by surprise. They recommend that you scout out a good spot and use turkey calls to lure them to you. It is the domestic turkeys that have given rise to some of the derogatory use of the name. Any bird, like the domesticated turkey, that can drown by looking upward during a rain storm, perhaps, deserves a bad name (and to be the central part of Thanksgiving dinner), but not the unique, resilient and crafty wild turkey.

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Gazette NEIGHBORHOOD

Neighborhood Dining 2017

JOYRIDE BREWING COMPANY BREWMASTER DAVE BERGEN tastes a pint of the blueberry-rich brew, So Fresh And So Cream. PHOTO BY GWEN CLAYTON

KAREN CARPIO-THOMAS OF DISCOVERY TAP HOUSE pours a pint of the chocolate/coconut Thursday Special from 3 Barrel Brewery. PHOTO BY GWEN CLAYTON

Beer, Coffee Brew Up Seasonal Flavors n By

Gwen Clayton

umpkin spice, gingerbread, maple and chocolate are famous fl avors in autumn’s kitchen and bakery, but most locals know those delights are equally at home in the taphouse and coff ee bar as part of everyone’s favorite seasonal brews. The holiday brew season kicks off with Allegro Coff ee Roasters on Tennyson Street where roastmaster Nathan Fulton and his team are preparing specialty drinks such as ginger snap lattés and Galapagos La Tortuga special roast. Allegro makes their own fl avored syrups and roasts beans onsite. One of the most popular requests every year at this time is the maple cold brew. Allegro adds pure maple syrup to the single-origin java sundahejo as the coff ee is being kegged. “Cold brewing is perfectly made for the winter,” Fulton said, explaining that the drink’s origins trace back to Nordic communities where people took coarsely ground coff ee and let it extract in cold water over a period of 12 to 24 hours, a process that decreases the coff ee’s acidity.

“There's still some of the acids in there, but they’re not going to be as bright in the fl avor,” Fulton said. “That slower process brings out a cleaner cup in the end.” The addition of maple gives the cold brew a seasonal touch, and the darker roast adds a bold fl avor and body. The low acidity minimizes the stomach problems often resulting from the holiday season’s hustle and bustle. Beer lovers can head down a little ways to Joyride Brewing Company in Edgewater. The brewery’s So Fresh and So Cream is a blueberry-fl avored American style cream ale that has a little bit of maize in it for texture as well as to dry it out. “By itself, it’s a very nice lawnmower beer,” said Joyride’s brewmaster and co-owner Dave Bergen. “And then we add a little more than 400 pounds of blueberry puree, so it has a beautiful purple hue to it with pink foam.” The beer also serves as a fundraiser for Pints for Prostates. One dollar from each pint sold will be donated to fi ght prostate cancer. Bergen’s mother is a breast cancer survivor, and his father survived prostate cancer. The October and November seasonal beers have a

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special meaning for him. “Pints for Prostates is an awesome organization that combines everyone’s love of beer with making sure we’re taking care of men’s health," Bergen said. “We recently just fi nished off our batch of Breast in Show Saison, which is our breast cancer benefi t beer. November is National Men’s Health Month, so we chose to do Pints for Prostate.” Other seasonal brews at Joyride include a Belgian dubbel that pairs well with the traditional turkey meal with all the fi xings. This year’s batch of dubbel will feature 400 pounds of black currants. It’s scheduled to be released the week before Thanksgiving. Further on in December, Bergen and his crew will be coming out with their annual Naughty and Nice holiday porter releases. Naughty is brewed with cherries and chocolate, while Nice features vanilla and oak. “I always look forward to when they bring back Naughty and Nice,” said Meghan Logue, a regular Joyrider. “It’s the perfect holiday beer with all of the right fl avors.” Over in Wheat Ridge, the new Discovery Tap House has opened its doors just in time

for the holiday season. Karen Carpio-Thomas started the business in August of this year with her husband, Gary. They currently have two seasonal milk stouts on tap: Left Hand Milk Stout out of Longmont, and Factotum Slogger Sweet Stout from Denver. Their other seasonal tap includes a Peach Habanero Imperial Red Ale from Crabtree Brewing Company out of Greeley. “We don't have set beers,” Karen said. “Taps rotate. They’re replaced with new beer and new breweries. There’s always something new.” Karen said when she and Gary are selecting a beer, they look for uniqueness, variety and a Colorado locale. “We want a style that we haven't had on the tap wall before,” she said. “Our goal is to bring small breweries that were a little further out.” Discovery Tap House is located at 4990 Kipling St., Suite 7, in Wheat Ridge. Joyride Brewing Company’s address is 2501 Sheridan Blvd., in Edgewater. Readers can fi nd Allegro Coff ee Roasters at 4040 Tennyson St., in Denver.

2017 NEIGHBORHOOD DINING

NEIGHBORHOOD GAZETTE – NOVEMBER 14 – DECEMBER 18 2017 – ngazette.com

The Ins, Outs and Awes of Holiday Catering n By

Tawny Clary

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A Wee Bit?

Fried Mac & Cheese | Corned Beef, White Cheddar, Creamy Red Gravy Roasted Vegetable Hummus | Black Olive Tapenade, Broccoli, Cucumbers, Carrots, Celery, and Flatbread Irish Nachos | Corned Beef, Braised Lamb, Tomato, Onion, White Cheddar Sauce, Green Onions, Sour Cream, House Potato Chips Fried Pickles | House Pickles, Grain Mustard Ranch Avocado and Asparagus Fries | Avocado and Asparagus Spears, House Ketchup, Grain Mustard Aioli, Lemon Greens Avocado and Asparagus Fries Avocado and Asparagus Fries | Avocado and Asparagus Spears, House Ketchup, Grain Mustard Aioli Usinger’s Sausage and Cheese Board | Beef Sausage, Provolone, Swiss, Cheddar, Whiskey Mustard Sauce Drunken Irishman Wings | Buffalo, BBQ, “Bloody Hot”, House Bleu Cheese Dressing. 6, 12 or 24 Dressed or Naked Clancy’s Sampler | Potato Skins with Green Chili, Irish Spring Rolls, Fried Pickles, Fried Mac and Cheese, and Asparagus Fries

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A Bit O’ Greens

*Add Chicken, Shrimp, Salmon Cobb Salad | Greens, Bacon, Pickled Red Onion, Turkey, Ham, Avocado, Egg, Tomato, Bleu Cheese. Choice of Dressing Smoked Salmon Salad | Romaine, Egg, Goat Cheese, Sweet Onion, Heirloom Tomatoes, Rye Croutons, Sundried Tomato Vinaigrette Spinach Salad | Berries, Bleu Cheese, Sweet Onion, Crisp Bacon, Candied Pecans, Raspberry Vinaigrette Balsamic Chicken Salad | Balsamic Grilled Chicken Breast, Carrots, Heirloom Tomatoes, Green Apple, Sweet Onion, Goat Cheese Clancy’s House Salad | Greens, Marinated Tomatoes, Pickled Red Onion, Cucumber, White Cheddar, Tomato Herb Vinaigrette

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eady or not, the holidays are here. Rather than finding our loved ones the perfect gift for the perfect price (which let’s face it, is sometimes more exciting than the gift itself), some of us have to worry about what we are going to feed our loved ones during the holidays. Even more so, some of us feel inclined to host, but have no desire to cook – due to either lack of time or lack of successful preparation outcome (that’s right; those of us who are terrible cooks). Thus, we enter the magical world of holiday catering. Luckily, this area of metro Denver is filled with a variety of businesses that specialize in just that. If you are not sure where to begin, let’s break it down into catering types. There are locally owned restaurants where customers can have their favorite meals brought to their homes for parties. Then there are local chain restaurants and grocery stores (i.e., Boston Market, King Soopers, Whole Foods, etc.) that have pre-designed packages to serve classic holiday meals. Finally, there are the catering companies who are here to help custom design any type of holiday event you put forth. Still not sure which direction to go? Well, maybe it would help to hear from the professionals. We sat down with Marvin Williams, the General Manager of Abrusci’s Fire & Wine Restaurant. He gave us some insight on the catering styles of Abrusci’s as well as tips in general for anyone looking to cater a holiday event. Abrusci’s is a local sit-down restaurant in the Applewood area that focuses on Italian style and wood-fired cuisine. They

offer catering pick-up from the restaurant, drop-off at the home or in-home buffets with servers. When it comes to planning a catered event in your home with servers, Williams points out a common oversight that people don’t always account for is the set-up time before the event and tear down afterward. He says customers may think they are only paying for three hours of the servers’ time when in actuality they pay for five – this includes the hour before event time and the hour after. As for placing the order, Williams says to call two to three days in advance for pick up; at least a week in advance for drop-off and at least two weeks for in-home parties with staff. Allergies and dietary restrictions are generally not a problem. In fact, they are happy to make meals gluten-free for an additional charge. If you are on a tight budget, they can work with you. Williams says the key is to “minimize stuff as best you can.” Finally, remember it’s the holidays. Be Continued on page 12

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Choice of Wafﬂe Fries, Cup o’ Soup, House Salad, Slaw, Market Fruit, Potato Salad, Chips or Champ Reuben | Corned beef, Swiss Cheese, 1000 Island, Kraut, Marble Rye Clancy’s Grilled Cheese | Swiss, Pepperjack, Irish Cheddar, Tomato, Irish Bacon, Mustard Sauce, Sourdough Clancy’s Club | Turkey, Ham, Bacon, Lettuce, Fresh Tomato, Swiss, Mayo, Sourdough Beyond Meat Chicken Wrap | Gluten Free Meatless Chicken Strips, Lettuce, Tomato, Avocado, Red Onion, White Cheddar, BBQ Ranch Clancy’s Cheesesteak Dip | Prime Rib, Caramelized Onions, Cherry Peppers, Swiss, White Cheddar Sauce, Irish Loaf, Au Jus Usinger’s Specialty Sandwiches | Smoked Beef Sausage or Bratwurst ﬁnished in Beer, Spinach, Pickled Peppers and Sauerkraut, Whiskey Mustard, Irish Loaf Irish Castro | Grilled Corned Beef, Pastrami, Whiskey Mustard, House Pickles, White Cheddar and Provolone, Irish Loaf O’ Malley | Pastrami, Guinness Swiss, House Pickles, Horseradish Mustard Sauce, Marble Rye

A Treat to Nibble or Share

Granny Goat Flatbread | Granny Smith Apple, Goat Cheese, Onion Conﬁt, White Cheddar Sauce Pulled Pork Flatbread | BBQ Sauce, Onion, White Cheddar Cheese, Scallions Margherita Flatbread | Red Gravy, Cherry Tomatoes, Mozzarella Cheese, Chiffonade of Basil Wafﬂe Fries $5| Served with House Ketchup Shepherd’s Fries | Topped with Mixture of Lamb, Beef, and Vegetables in Savory Gravy, Topped with White Cheddar Green Chili Fries $10| Topped with our Pulled Pork Green Chili, Tomatoes, and Cheese

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Links | Pepperjack Cheese, Bacon, Guacamole, Jalapeno, BBQ Ranch Blarney | Swiss, Corned Beef, House Kraut, Whiskey Mustard Sauce Connery | Whiskey Cheddar, Bacon, Fried Onions, BBQ Sauce Black and Blue | Black Pepper Sauce, Blue Cheese, Irish Bacon, Tobacco Fried Onions Portabella Paddy | Grilled Marinated Portabella, Pickled Peppers and Goat Cheese, Served on a Bed of Spinach

A Bit O’ The Ocean

Clancy’s Fish and Chips | White Fish, Tartar Sauce, Lemon Bleu Cheese Slaw, Malted Wafﬂe Fries Salmon | Rice Pilaf, Lemon Pepper Seared Salmon, Tarragon Bier Blanc, Grilled Asparagus

A Bit More

Includes House Salad Whiskey BBQ Baby Back Ribs | House Whiskey BBQ Sauce, Wafﬂe Fries, Lemon Bleu Cheese Slaw Shepherd’s Pie | Seasoned Ground Beef, Braised Lamb, Onions, Mushrooms, Peas, Carrots, White Cheddar Mashed Potatoes, Savory Herb Brown Gravy Bangers and Mash | Usinger’s Bratwurst, Grilled Asparagus and Carrots, Champ, Onion Conﬁt, Demi Glaze Corned Beef Hash | Corned Beef, Onions, Potatoes,Two Eggs any Style, Whiskey Mustard White Cheddar Cheese Sauce Roasted Half Chicken | Roasted Half Chicken, Champ, Grilled Asparagus and Carrots, Roasted Mushroom Demi Glaze Pork Loin Chops | Champ, Honey Glazed Carrots, Wilted Spinach, Apple Fig Compote

2017 NEIGHBORHOOD DINING

ngazette.com – NOVEMBER 14 – DECEMBER 18 2017 – NEIGHBORHOOD GAZETTE

How to Have Your Meals Delivered for the Holiday n By

Elisabeth Monaghan

s the holidays approach, there will be more articles and blog posts about shopping for ingredients without spending too much money, how to cook the perfect turkey, or making those delicious side dishes that will have everyone coming back for seconds. Some are likely to clip these helpful tips, while others are busy coming up with their own. Then there are those who seek new options for holiday meals they can serve at home – especially options that don’t involve shopping for ingredients or, even better, don’t involve much preparation beyond stirring food or cooking it in the oven. Fortunately, there are meal delivery services that can accommodate the busiest people or the “cooking-impaired.” The trick is to know what it is you want to eat, how many people you wish to feed and how much you can aff ord to pay for the ingredients (or complete meal). Not all delivery companies off er options for traditional holiday feasts, but the convenience of having food delivered during a season of extended-hours shopping, holiday work parties, and jam-packed social calendars can be enough incentive to use such a service. When exploring meal delivery services like HelloFresh, Blue Apron or Home Chef, it is clear from the start that the only way to research them is to fi rst provide an email address. Once the company has received that email, they let the prospective customer tool around their site to learn about their packages and pricing. Meals are based on how many recipes per week a customer would like for how many people. For example, HelloFresh off ers a Family Plan of three recipes each

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week to feed four people. The weekly rate is $104.88, but by entering a promo code the fi rst week would cost $74.88. To receive three meals a week for four people Blue Apron typically charges $107.88. With its discount for fi rst-time subscribers, the cost would be $87.88, while Home Chef charges $119.40 for three meals a week for four people. With their new-subscriber discount, that fee drops to $89.40 for the fi rst week. Some services include delivery or shipping fees, while others add those fees on top of the cost of the meals/recipes. For a traditional Thanksgiving dinner that either is ready to serve or requires minimal preparation, one option is Martha Stewart’s Marley Spoon. For $159.99 (plus shipping), Marley Spoon, ships a kit with all of the ingredients, along with cooking instructions, for a 12- to 14-pound turkey, gravy, four sides and one dessert to feed between eight and 10 people. Send a Meal provides complete, prepared meals that simply require heating. For Thanksgiving, Send a Meal’s

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2017 NEIGHBORHOOD DINING

NEIGHBORHOOD GAZETTE – NOVEMBER 14 – DECEMBER 18 2017 – ngazette.com

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Holiday Catering Continued from page 10

fl exible! Williams humbly reminds us that “holiday seasons can be hectic for everyone, including restaurants…. just have patience.” Speaking of patience, Natalie Sears of Relish Catering & Events near West Colfax points out that dates fi ll up quickly in their business during the holidays. Relish Catering is specifi cally a catering company that has the products from scratch. Sears says when their calendar fi lls up they recommend customers consider planning events on Sundays or even weekdays, as Fridays and Saturdays during the holiday season usually sell out well in advance. She also said if customers can plan closer to Christmas Day instead of the early part of December, there is usually more availability as well. Relish does have a minimum amount

Meal Delivery Continued from page 11

gourmet dinner off erings for up to 10 costs $255.95 (discounted from $334.92). The meal includes a 10-pound, oven-ready basted turkey that will require cooking, along with gravy, dressing, green-bean casserole, red potatoes and pumpkin pie. Shipping is free. Compare this to Gourmet Grocery online, who will feed eight to 10 people with its 10-pound, oven-ready whole basted turkey and three side dishes for $169.95. (This is a sale price, as its usual rate is $239.95.)

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for catered events. However, they can work within budgets that meet that limit. Sears’ advice for keeping the catering budgetfriendly is a more limited menu because it will require a more limited staff . She also says buff ets tend to be more budget-friendly than hors d’oeuvres. With so many holiday menu options, choosing what’s best for your party can be overwhelming. Sears says that customers can be involved “as much or as little as they want.” As it seems to be the trend among most restaurants and catering companies, they are happy to hold your hand through the whole process or let you take the reins. So, if you are looking for a quick and easy catering solution, you can always go online and order from local grocers and restaurants, but if you are looking for something a little more your style, don’t feel intimidated. Just ask your favorite restaurants or your local catering companies. They are happy to accommodate and serve you at home for your next holiday get-together. Another option is Denver-based SupperBell, which has partnered with local chef and restaurant owner Frank Bonanno to off er its “Frank Bonanno Thanksgiving.” For $149.95, they will send half of an herbbrined roasted turkey with fi ve side dishes. This is enough to serve four to six adults, or four adults and four children. Delivery is free. While this is not a comprehensive list of options available to those who lack the time or desire to prepare a Thanksgiving feast, it should be enough to give a sense of how much a person will need to budget for a meal delivery service – whether it is a one-time special occasion or an ongoing need.

REACH UP TO 25,000 READERS MONTHLY! Call Tim Berland 303-995-2806 tim@ngazette.com

ngazette.com – NOVEMBER 14 – DECEMBER 18, 2017 – NEIGHBORHOOD GAZETTE

SCHOOL CROSSING Thank You For Your Patience and members of the community discussing the future of Wheat Ridge schools. What do his month’s election has further tested they look like and how do we as a community our abilities to live in a community improve their direction and make the student where so many have varied opinions and the focal point of every single change? How beliefs. Tolerance, patience and acceptance do we make a systemic move as to make of others are drastically different depending education relevant and something students on where you live on this planet. What is can be passionate about? This was Jeffco’s allowed by law and tolerated by society and Superintendent Jason Glass’ guideline. what isn’t. Number of lanes, Empowering us to not only bike paths and sidewalks have dream of the improvements, been part of our conversation but find a way and make way lately, but I couldn’t imagine for these changes. Brenda anyone here killing others over Carlson (Achievement Director) this issues. emphasized the need to consider When I moved to Wheat not one grade at a time but “from Ridge from New York, the K to gray” – an entire spectrum bickering over four lanes was a of a student’s levels of education. far cry from watching a plane My favorite of the evening hit the second tower on that came from Karen Quanbeck, September morning before my who heads the achievement Guy Nahmiach eyes. How do we ask people that director’s team: she described won’t accept our way of living to kindly move students as “passionate consumers outside of school” and yet “passive consumers inside along and not harm our citizens? Teaching of schools.” We have kids at home that latch our children to accept others must be part of onto something and might research it on the conversation everywhere. YouTube videos for every minute detail, but New WRHS Principal Josh Cooley is ask them about Pythagorean theorem and turning his seniors into ambassadors to they’ll simply recite its definition with no work for credits in the elementary and emotions at all. middle schools to help students get caught We have two more days of this and up and be better prepared for high school. I’m already excited about defining the it’s only one of many items on his long tochallenges, discussing solutions and plotting do list, but it’s not all bad news. He is on a new path for our Wheat Ridge students. a mission and is bringing all of us on his I also met TJ McManus, new principal bus – reading interventionists, marketing at Stevens Elementary, a place that’s specialists, district officials, counselors and, moving forward with the help of parents of course, amazing teachers. The goal: to and teachers. Great things are happening bring back most of the 500 students that over at Stevens. In fact, Mr. Dotterrer is live in Wheat Ridge but choose to attend building a MakerSpace in his sixth grade other neighboring high schools. They GT (Advanced Learning) classroom: a team each bring with them about $4,500 to environment process that combines design, whichever school they enroll in. Last year’s engineering, science and art. That’s what 66 additional students brought in an extra it’s all about – students getting hands-on $300,000. He’s already transformed the learning. open house night to an inspiring evening Congratulations to our Jeffco Board of with teachers sharing their passion for Education’s Mitchell, Rupert and Harmon their craft. Inviting those families shopping who kept their seats with large majorities around for schools to come and learn about – a clear message from voters as to which the amazing programs inside these walls. direction we want to be heading. The Those attending were truly impressed by the continued positive momentum is being felt professional presentation. From top notch throughout the district. AV to the well prepared staff. Long gone Finally, wishing you all a wonderful was the overemphasized sports program, Thanksgiving. Look around you and take replaced by sciences, music, languages, time to acknowledge the great people in history and of course STEM and STEAM. your lives. Well received by the parents and students. As always, thanks for reading. Some committing to enroll that evening. Contact Guy Nahmiach at 303-999 Last week began the WR Futures 5789 or Guy@NostalgicHomes.com. Conference: Jeffco staff, teachers, parents n By

Guy Nahmiach

SCHOOL VISITOR PASS Excited About Sixth-Grade Transition n By

Ali Lasell

am excited for more Jeffco sixth graders to have the opportunities those in the Chatfield, Evergreen, and Conifer area already experience. After much discussion and 12 community forums in Spring of 2016, Jeffco Schools is beginning to move ahead with the middle school model in August of 2018. This greatly increases the benefits for our students. A three-year experience means more choice for students. Currently, Jeffco sixth graders attending middle schools with the 6-8 model participate in two or three electives each day, while those in the K-6 model have one elective each day. During my 26 years as a middle school teacher, I saw firsthand that electives are key to keeping students engaged. Content areas are also critical, and in the 6-8 model students are taught by content specialists who have the benefit of planning with other experts at all three grade levels with more resources. In addition, sixth graders have

access to lab science, and all accelerated students attending a 6-8 model can take advanced math classes, such as algebra and geometry. Finally, a three-year experience brings greater stability, avoiding back-toback transition years for our students. One of the biggest keys to making this transition a success will be our elementary school teachers. I hope to see them choose to make this move. This does not require new certification to teach sixth grade. Teachers with 25 college credits in a content area are considered “highly qualified” in that subject to teach seventh and eighth grade. As a sixth grade teacher back when Adams 12 transitioned to the 6-8 model, I saw what a positive change this was for our students and our educators. I look forward to more consistent experiences for Jeffco sixth graders, and a stronger middle school experience for all. Ali Lasell is 1st Vice President for the Jeffco School Board. Questions for this guest writer or suggestions for future guest writers should be sent in to Guy@NostalgicHomes.com

Ask the Superintendent Questions For Jeffco Education Superintendent Dr. Jason Glass Since your first day with us here in Jeffco, you’ve been listening to community members from all sides of every issue. One on one, newly formed committees and write-in forums. While parents have rolled up their sleeves digging into the work. Have you received any kind of push-back from within the district? Comments like “Jason’s giving the store away?” Or, “This is not how we’ve always done that.” To be honest, I haven’t really gotten a great deal of resistance or push-back from inside Jeffco Public Schools. There are a couple of reasons for this and they were not by accident. First, I’ve worked hard to try and understand the context and work underway in Jeffco. Jeffco was operating under a strategic direction called the Jeffco 2020 Vision that had an accompanying strategic plan which ran from 2015-2017. At its heart was an effort to change the student experience. Specifically, it was about moving toward learning that was authentic, engaging, and which gave students the chance to practice important skills such as collaboration, creativity, problem-solving, and taking responsibility. While factual knowledge is still important, schools in Jeffco were working to change the student experience to more closely match the things our kids will need once they leave our schools. This is absolutely the right work and our new vision document (called Jeffco Generations) picks this effort up and puts it on overdrive. I think a second reason is that I am deeply respectful of our education and support professionals. I care deeply about our people and want the best for them. We have fantastic professionals working Jeffco and I think they know they have a supporter in me. I’ve never been about tearing people down or threatening folks into improving. I think every school system has a built-in and powerful drive to get better and that’s the children. So, I’ve been focused on unleashing and supporting people who want to do great things. I think the only pushback I’ve gotten is that I’m moving fast, making decisions, and pushing Jeffco to adapt and change faster than I think the organization has previously experienced. While this might be a strain on some, the board of education brought me here to get something positive done and move this community and its schools forward and into a better place. So, I bring a sense of urgency to that work. It’s important to me that we get something meaningful, lasting, and significant accomplished here and there is no time to waste in making that change a reality. Jason E. Glass, Ed.D. Superintendent & Chief Learner Jeffco Public Schools www.jeffcopublicschools.org If you have a question for our new Superintendent please submit it to Guy@ NostalgicHomes.com or call it in to 303-999-5789.

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44th Avenue Project Completion n By

Patricia Lilliston

n Arvada couple was overheard commenting on their recent local eastbound travel along 44th Avenue 6789 W. 44th Ave. (Corner of 44th Ave. & Pierce St.) from Wadsworth to Sheridan Boulevard. Wheat Ridge • 303-424-1881 Enthusiastic comments included the verbiage “amazing,” “such an improvement,” visionsingold.com | gems@visionsingold.com and “great job.” Who could imagine that 2015 Wheat Ridge Business of the Year the ardent comments regarding the 44th Avenue resurfacing project were generated during an October women’s fundraising event in Olde Town Arvada? Originally announced to Mountain View residents and businesses in June, the repair and maintenance of 44th Avenue was anticipated as a two-week project, tentatively scheduled for September or October. The street project established the resolution and partnership with Wheat ACCEPTING NEW PATIENTS! Ridge, Lakeside and Mountain View for both the infrastructure undertaking and 7110 West 44th Avenue funding. 720-593-1994 According to John Pughes, Mountain walnutridgefamilymedicine.com View Public Works Director, the project began in early October and was completed ahead of schedule with all aspects moving along smoothly. ABC LAUNDRY ABC LAUNDRY Pughes also notes that the cooperation Always Bright & Clean among the three municipalities was Always Bright & Clean significant. “Wheat Ridge led the project The cleanest and friendliest laundry in town management aspect of the undertaking, but all three municipalities worked well Drop your laundry from 7-11 am together so the project could be completed Weekdays & we’ll do it for you! The cleanest and friendliest laundry in in town a timely manner,” said Pughes. $1.50/lb. “This was a long overdue project. The Ready in 2 business days! results Drop your laundry from 7‐11 am Weekdays &of the 44th Avenue resurfacing is 9990 44th Avenue • Wheat Ridge great for business and the traveling public.” on 44th east of Kipling south $1.50/lb. sidewe’ll do it on fortheyou!

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Shop Locally With the holiday shopping days now in countdown mode, ideas and organizational checklists begin to clarify need, want and desire. Do you realize the need for a dog holiday photo, day care or overnight boarding? Does someone on your gift list want a membership to a local gym? Will the annual family gathering be hosted at your home creating the desire for food preparation in a kitchen other than your own? Visit the 19 unique shops along 44th Avenue and Sheridan Boulevard to satisfy your holiday checklist. Access and convenient parking is readily available. Each location is distinct in its product offering or service. Business owners and managers are friendly and knowledgeable. Restaurants provide dining-in or take-out selections. Gift certificates, stocking stuffers, and personal or household gifts and services can be found at our Mountain View businesses. For a listing of all businesses and retail contact information, refer to the Business and Development section of the Mountain View website, http://mtvgov.org.

ngazette.com – NOVEMBER 14 – DECEMBER 18, 2017 – NEIGHBORHOOD GAZETTE

Shelter Network Has New Intake Site, But Volunteers Needed n By

Alexander Rea

he City of Arvada will be providing a building for the Severe Weather Shelter Network to use during its shelter season. On declared severe weather nights, the network off ers shelter to single men, single women, and couples without children who live on streets across Denver. The network has plans to utilize the building as a “warming site.” The warming site’s purpose is to provide a meeting place to verify registered guests, check them for intoxicants, and eventually wait for transportation to a participating host church. “Once a guest arrives, they will be checked off the registration list,” said Severe Weather Shelter Network’s Executive Director, Lynn Ann Huizingh. In order to be permitted access to the site, a guest must register for the season, in person, at one of the network’s registration sites. “Volunteers would arrive at 5:30 and get everything ready, coff ee and such. Guests would arrive at 6, and would be asked to relax and not to worry before the vehicles show up at 7,” added Huizingh. Guests would be transported to one of the three Arvada host churches, where they

WR Elections Continued from page 1

Big Bucks for the Big Race

The contest for Wheat Ridge mayor drew $43,883 in contributions and spent $32,645 – almost two thirds of the total raised, and 60 percent of the spending. Only 8,172 (35 percent) of the 23,345 registered voters in the city cast ballots. “Bud for Mayor” raised $28,935 and spent $18,372 by the end of October, and Starker gathered nearly 54 percent of the 8,172 votes cast (4,326). DeMott raised about half the funds of his opponent – $14,948 – and spent about 22 percent less, $14,273. Starker had the support of the Apartment Association of Metro Denver, the Realtor Candidate Political Action Committee and the Metro Housing Coalition Political Committee, each contributing $1,000. DeMott’s largest contributor was himself, with a total of $11,329 cash and non-monetary contributions. Of note was a $300 contribution from Citizens for an Inclusive Wheat Ridge, a political issue committee formed to support Ballot Initiative 300, which placed restrictions on the city’s use of Tax Increment Financing. (The committee amended its registration in July to be a political action committee in the this year’s mayoral and council election.)

Expensive Four-Way Fight in District IV

The most expensive council race – $18,301 contributions and $15,797 spending – involved four candidates vying for Wooden’s District IV seat. Those fi gures are about a quarter of the totals raised and spent in the city. Yet it had the lowest turnout: only 1,414 (26.5 percent) of the District’s 5,335 registered voters cast ballots.

are given a roof over their head and a warm meal for the night. The building that will serve as the warming site is located off of Ralston Road and Balsam Place in Arvada. The placement of the site is valuable, as it not only stands close to the host churches, but it must be within fair walking distance from where possible guests are camping. It is also close enough to the Wheat RidgeArvada border that it also remains accessible for people at the edge of Wheat Ridge. “We have been working with Arvada since the end of July,” said Huizingh. The city approached the network with the building, to contribute to the construction of a sheltering network in Arvada. The network’s Arvada branch is in its third year of development, but still needs more volunteers to kick off the operation. “We really need volunteers on all facets,” Huizingh said. “We need drivers, overnight hosts for all churches, and warming site volunteers.” The network was hoping to open its Arvada wing earlier, but due to lack of volunteers at the moment, they are shooting for a early 2018 opening. For more information, including volunteering, visit www.swshelternetwork.com.

Of those, 541 (40 percent) put Leah Dozeman into the seat, after her campaign raised and spent $5,987 and $4,001 – about one-third and one-quarter of money in that District. Of note, her campaign received $500 from the Realtor Candidate Political Action Committee, as well as $300 from Citizens for an Inclusive Wheat Ridge. Despite Val for Wheat Ridge 4 raising $8,240 and spending $8,027 – 38 and 100 percent more than Dozeman – runner-up Valerie Nosler Beck received just under 30 percent of the votes (402). That’s 45 percent of the contributions raised, and 51 percent of spending in the district. Andrew Rasmussen raised $2,489.19 and spent $2,183.37, and received 300 votes, or 22 percent of ballots cast. Neighbors4Ruth raised and spent the least in this race – $1,584 and $1,584, respectively. For that, candidate Virginia Ruth Baranowski garnered 118 votes, just under 9 percent.

THE GREAT OUTDOORS Happy Trails: Exploring Colorado in the Winter Months n By

Meghan Godby

long with the holiday season, November ushers in cooler temperatures. While the mountains have already seen substantial snowfall, it’s only a matter of time before the metro area becomes a winter wonderland. Many residents will take to the slopes for skiing or snowboarding, but there’s no need to feel trapped indoors if that’s not your style. If you’re a fan of hiking in the summertime, snowshoeing is a great way to explore those trails in a diff erent atmosphere. Jason Wood, a certifi ed exercise physiologist at the Wheat Ridge Recreation Center, says snowshoeing is not only an excellent workout, but also a great way to get outdoors during the cooler months. “It can be adapted to the person’s ability. Beginners can start with a short, fl at hike, while someone more advanced can pick more challenging trails,” he points out. “The picking up and planting of the foot is also a great way to build leg strength.” Interested in learning more? You might want to pay a visit to Larson’s Ski and Sport. Located at 4715 Kipling St., in Wheat Ridge, the friendly staff can answer questions, help with fi tting gear and off er suggestions on trails in the area. Paul Morrison, General Manager, explains that very little is needed to get started with snowshoeing. “Assuming the participant has proper winter clothing, the only thing needed (other than the snowshoes) is a decent

pair of hiking boots or winter boots,” Paul shared. Don’t have any snowshoes of your own? You can rent a pair from Larson’s for $15 a day. If you’re interested in making an investment, a new pair will cost you anywhere between $150 and $600. “The price diff erence is related to the design and materials,” Paul explains. Essentially, there are diff erences in the size and weight of the snowshoe, depending on the size of the user and how they will use the equipment. “Poles are optional, but advisable in rougher terrain,” he adds. The best part about snowshoeing is that a person can get started without any real training. “There really isn’t any technique involved beyond walking,” Paul explains. “An avalanche class is always a good idea, but not required.” If you’re a little wary about hitting the trails on your own, consider checking out the Colorado Mountain Club (cmc.org). It’s a great resource for information on outdoor activities and often hosts classes on a variety of outdoor sports. Meetup (meetup.com) is also a great place to fi nd local groups in your area. So don’t let the snowy streets make you stir-crazy – get out there and start exploring! The Front Range has no shortage of trails suitable for snowshoeing, but Mathews/ Winters Open Space, White Ranch, and Brainard Lake are a few locations to consider.

Have a news tip or story idea? Send it to editor@ngazette.com

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In District II, $7,962 had been raised and $7,289 spent in the weeks prior to the election. It had the highest turnout of the council races, with 2,169 (38.1 percent) of 5,689 registered voters casting ballots. Urban retained his council seat by 46 votes, earning 51 percent (1,086) of the votes cast. His challenger, Hultin, raised 75 percent more in contributions ($5,071.26 to Urban’s $2,891.17, 64 percent of total) and spent 53 percent more ($4,406.51 to $2,882.50, 60 percent of total). Urban was his own largest campaign contributor at $1,416.17, and also received $300 from Citizens for an Inclusive Wheat Ridge. 6340 biggest West 38th Ave. Hultin was also her own booster Wheat Ridge, Colorado 80033 at $775, followed by the Denver Metro Call today for Realtors Candidate Committee, which an application provided $500. 303.424.9401

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NEIGHBORHOOD GAZETTE – NOVEMBER 14 – DECEMBER 18 2017 – ngazette.com

Less Stress, More Cheer This Holiday Season

MEDICALLY SPEAKING ‘Catching’ Infectious Diseases after your fever is gone except to obtain medical care. The best way to prevent the flu, which he change in seasons means that there is kills up to 50,000 Americans each year, greater potential for “catching” influenza is to get a flu vaccine. It’s especially or other respiratory or gastrointestinal important for those at risk for infections. The truth is we have serious complications, such infectious diseases all year as people with lung or heart long, however, being indoors disease, weakened immune and in close quarters - schools, systems, those over age 65 dormitories and at home - raises and pregnant women, but the our risks for passing them to each CDC recommends a flu shot other. for anyone over the age of 6 We are entering flu season, months. which started early this year. If, despite your best Common cold viruses, whooping efforts, you or a family member cough, norovirus and other gets a common viral infection, respiratory and digestive viruses Jeff DesJardin, MD you can treat the symptoms: can be expected to make the • For colds, get plenty of rest and fluids. rounds in our community through spring. • For older children and adults, use In healthcare, we are always vigilant over-the-counter medications such as about the possibility of new or emerging acetaminophen, ibuprofen, throat lozenges, infectious diseases. In our community, cough syrups or decongestants. local health departments and healthcare • For gastrointestinal viruses, get plenty providers, including Lutheran, have worked of rest and fluids, and eat small amounts of together diligently to prepare for such an food until symptoms resolve. event. We are all committed to the safety Check with your doctor if: and well-being of our patients, community, • Symptoms persist more than three staff and physicians, and to delivering highdays quality care under all circumstances. • Symptoms grow more severe - a fever It’s important to understand how of more than 102° F, severe headache, infectious diseases are transmitted from vomiting or abdominal pain, difficulty one person to another, and what steps can breathing be taken to prevent them. • If you or a family member is at greater Many common viruses are spread risk of influenza-related complications, such through droplets (in mucous or saliva) as those under age 2, over age 65, pregnant or potentially on surfaces. Avoiding close or with some chronic medical conditions or contact with sick people, washing your a weakened immune system hands frequently, covering coughs and Dr. DesJardin is an infectious disease sneezes (in your sleeve or a tissue, not specialist with Lutheran Medical Center your hand) and keeping surfaces clean will and Western Infectious Disease Consulprevent transmission of most viruses. If you tants. are sick, you should stay home for 24 hours

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n By

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t’s the most wonderful time of the year, right? Holiday sights and sounds are e-v-er-y-w-h-e-r-e: the perfect turkey, the perfect tree, the perfect kids, the perfect bank account, the perfect in-laws, the perfect time. It seems like from the moment the last kid rings the doorbell on Halloween to the second or third day of the new year, every store, every magazine, every commercial reminds us, oh so constantly, how wonderful and perfect this time of year is for everyone – but you, and maybe the president. But in truth, the holidays are a challenging season for many people across all ages, walks of faith and stages of life. Families are messy, bank accounts are tight, decorating the tree becomes a fiasco when kids bicker or couples disagree about little things – like where to put the penguinon-the-sled ornament that his mother gave him and you can’t stand. Or carving the turkey on Thanksgiving – the denouement of the most indulgent day – becomes a bloody butchering because someone drank too much and got sloppy with a carving knife and they need stitches. Or it’s your first holiday season alone after the divorce and you aren’t sure what you’re feeling. Or there’s going to be an empty seat, or the feeling that someone is missing, because they are, and the holidays can bring up some raw feelings after the passing of a loved one. “How do I make it through when everyone seems joyful,” is a question Dr. Patty Luckenbach, associate minister at Mile Hi Church in Lakewood, hears often this time of year. “The holidays in our culture represent family, love, joy, abundance. Those are qualities a lot of people aren’t experiencing, or from their experiences have deep rooted resistance to allow themselves to just be joyful,” she explained. As each of us is different, so to are the triggers and situations that give rise to inner stress, sadness and anxiety. While a chaotic shopping trip or a disastrous dinner can certainly shake us up, Luckenbach said for some, “It could be as subtle as falling leaves or snow, or hearing Christmas carols – anything in our humanness” that reminds us of a loss or

sadness when we’re being asked to “rekindle navigating the holidays.” So do we cancel Christmas? Humbug. Luckily, the first, and most crucial step in navigating the holidays is the remember that you are not alone. What comes next? Well, you have options, and lots of them. And if along the way, one of them isn’t working, always go back to step one. Among the many resources that Mile Hi Church offers to everyone, regardless of faith, is support. Every early November Luckenbach leads a bereavement workshop for those navigating loss and sadness during the holidays, and many places of worship offer support services to connect the community with spiritual guides and, as Luckenbach emphasized, with one another. Connecting with others and allowing yourself to share your story helps with that first step in realizing you’re not alone. Colorado-based author and director of the Center for Love and Life Transitions Dr. Alan Wofelt offers some tips in his brochure “Helping Yourself Heal During the Holidays” that are valuable whether you have experienced loss or not, like planning ahead for holiday gatherings and deciding what traditions may not have a place anymore and creating new rituals and traditions. Creating a “holiday stress audit” is one of several suggestions that Jenna Glover, Ph.D., and director of Psychology Training who specialize in traumatic stress, parenting and other childhood behaviors at Children’s Hospital Colorado, which offers several holiday stress guides on their website. By auditing – or reviewing – expectations, commitments and traditions if it causes you stress and anxiety every year, why are you doing it? Glover encourages us to ask ourselves, “Does this bring me joy?” And by taking empowered steps to eliminate those stress-generating elements, even if that’s something that breaks with tradition – like not sending holiday cards, or over the river and through the woods to grandmother’s house you don’t – forgoing a frenzied feast for stopping over for a relaxing dessert – you will be better for it Continued on page 19

11 Ways To Navigate Holiday Stress 1. Remember you are not alone: no matter what your friends’ social media looks. 2. Plan ahead: create a support system for yourself now – through friends, rituals, enrolling in a yoga or exercise class – so you have tools available should something challenging arise. 3. Conduct a “Holiday Audit”: Examine what brings you joy, what brings you stress. 4. “No” is a complete sentence and it’s OK not to say yes to every invitation or gift request. 5. Exercise: a brisk walk, a game of tag with kids, parking farther from the store entrance, taking the stairs, a quick hike with a friend before hitting the mall. 6. Create new traditions and rituals that are meaningful: lighting a candle at the table to remember a loved one, skipping the office party for a more fulfilling volunteer opportunity. 7. Whole body health: Getting enough sleep, proper nutrition and nurturing your body and mind with healthy practices like prayer, meditation, massage, or taking in an uplifting book or movie. 8. Unplug: disconnect from the news, social media, email. Embrace uninterrupted you and family time. 9. Get local: there are numerous resources for navigating this time of year, from food and nutrition workshops at grocery stores, holiday support services at religious and spiritual centers, special holiday offerings at fitness centers … Pick-up store event calendars or look up holiday specials for opportunities that speak to you. 10. Set limits: Limits help balance expectations within yourself and for others. Setting up healthy boundaries with family members, work through wish list with children and explore what are meaningful gifts, create a realistic budget 11. Be grateful: Numerous scientific studies support an association between gratitude and happiness. Even in the most challenging dysfunctional, or seemingly disappointing situations, find something to be grateful for. Studies support that if we can find something to be grateful for, our well-being follows suit. For those experiencing an emotional crisis, there are mental health support centers throughout the state and Jefferson County. To connect with someone who can assist you confidentially, anytime, call Colorado Crisis Support line at 844-493-TALK or text TALK to 38255. – Jennifer LeDuc

ngazette.com – NOVEMBER 14 – DECEMBER 18, 2017 – NEIGHBORHOOD GAZETTE

Better Mental Health for Kids – That’s LAUNCH Together n By

Sally Griffin

have a new granddaughter and I am responsible for her one day a week. The rest of her family are teaming up to ensure that she has a healthy childhood. This is a big responsibility and one I want to make sure that we do right. I found out some important information that every parent, grandparent and child-care provider in our area should know: • According to the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child (2004), “As young children develop, their early emotional experiences literally become embedded in the architecture of their brains.” • The early years (birth to age 3) are among the most sensitive periods for brain development. All aspects of a young child’s development – mind, body and relations with others — are interconnected, and healthy development in each of these areas provides a foundation for long-lasting health as a child grows. • While 26.5 percent of Colorado’s parents have concerns about their child’s emotions or behaviors, less than half of such health problems are detected before children enter school. • Research shows that high-quality birthto-five-years programs for disadvantaged children can reduce the likelihood of problems later in life. These programs cause significant gains in future educational attainment, health, social behaviors and employment for these children. • These points are especially important because Colorado, between 2000 and 2014, had the eighth-fastest growing child population in the country. Luckily, Edgewater and Wheat Ridge and other parts of Jefferson County have a wonderful collaborative project for the young children in our communities. This is one of four such initiatives in the state.

LAUNCH (Linking Action for Unmet Needs in Children’s Health) Together is modeled after Project LAUNCH, a first-inthe-nation initiative designed to improve social, emotional, behavioral, physical and cognitive outcomes for young children and their families. The LAUNCH Together initiative serving Edgewater is led by the Jefferson County Partners, a collaboration of community partners with Jefferson Center for Mental Health at the helm. LAUNCH Together is completely funded by a unique collaboration of eight Colorado-based foundations. This program supports communities in enhancing mental health practices for young children, in helping communities to coordinate their systems, and in developing partnerships that will provide the infrastructure for early childhood mental health services. Decades of research show that programs that support families are effective and, ultimately, result in significant cost savings for taxpayers. When communities adopt evidence-based programs that focus on healthy development in early childhood, the result is increased family self-sufficiency, lower costs for health care, reduced need for remedial education and for incarceration. “LAUNCH Together recognizes that no matter how we interact with young children — whether we are parents, grandparents, health care professionals, friends, or neighbors — we all play an important role in giving children a strong start in life,” said Dr. Catherine Greisch, Psy.D., project coordinator at Jefferson Center. LAUNCH Together is in the second year of the grant that funds the program. The first year was spent in careful planning with a wide range of community partners. This year, they are focusing on: • Raising awareness of the importance of early childhood social and emotional

WEST METRO FIRE Realistic Training for Real Life Emergencies n By

Ronda Scholting

n the back of the ambulance, the 18-monthold patient was awake, his breathing regular and normal. Suddenly, he went into a seizure and the firefighters seated around him reacted quickly, diagnosing the patient’s symptoms and deciding on a course of treatment as they headed to the nearest hospital. All the while, cameras watched and recorded every movement and every decision. The scenario played out dozens of times over four weeks as West Metro Fire Rescue partnered with Children’s Hospital Colorado to focus on pediatric emergency medical treatment and training. The patient was actually a high-tech, high-fidelity mannequin, with a beating “heart” and a “pulse,” able to breathe, blink and react to treatment. The ambulance, part of a mobile laboratory. “It’s so important for our firefighters to train as realistically as possible,” said Mike Binney, EMS Training Lieutenant with West Metro. “And the high-fidelity mannequin was a big part of that. But, even more valuable was being able to work with doctors from Children’s Hospital Colorado. They were able to provide our crews with great insight on evaluating and treating pediatric patients.” Like most fire agencies, the majority of West Metro’s calls are medical emergencies. In 2016, West Metro crews responded to more than 32,000 calls – 22,000 were medical calls. And, far and away the majority of patients are adults and many are elderly. “We know on a national level on average, that just about five to 10 percent of the calls that EMS providers see are pediatric and a much smaller percent of those are true

health and development. • Relationship building with community partners in the early childhood field, including Early Care and Education, Home Visitation, Pediatric Medicine, and Parent Support organizations. • Training for early childhood providers, parents and caregivers, and community members. • Enhancing early childhood work through a variety of settings and services. What do social and emotional skills look like in childhood? A child with these skills makes friends easily, is able to wait patiently (a least for a little while), and shows caring for others. They also know how to resolve conflicts peacefully, control their emotions, and follow the rules. These skills are all critical in a child’s ability to learn, have academic success, and grow into a successful adult. Mental health in early childhood is characterized by secure and loving adult relationships, the ability to experience and manage a range of emotions, and the opportunity to explore and learn from their environment. For the families within the 80214 ZIP code (32nd to 6th avenues; Sheridan to Carr streets), the Jefferson County Partners have several efforts that promote healthy children. They provide training and consultation to nurses and other health care workers that perform home visitation services. They also plan to work with the Edgewater Collective and Families First to connect parents with each other for peer support in raising healthy children. They work with three early learning centers to provide embedded consultation and help for parents. They are developing curricula that can be used to train early childhood teachers and caregivers in how to recognize early mental health problems and how to provide supportive environments for young children.

They are collaborating with other integrated care projects to help pediatricians understand mental health issues with those in their care and which of these children may need screening, intervention or support. As if these services were not enough, LAUNCH Together is also looking to influence policy makers and legislators to find ways to continue to provide these services after the end of the grant period and to provide them to ever-expanding populations and communities. The one thing that is becoming increasingly self-evident is that these services are needed. Early childhood providers are seeing much more significant behavior problems with younger and younger children. There are 3-year olds that are being suspended from day care because of challenging behavior. It is clear that we as a community need to get better at recognizing stressful situations in our communities, and we need to help make families and children more resilient and strong. Parents, are you feeling stressed? Then your children are probably stressed as well. Learn more about the program at www. LAUNCHTogetherColorado.org/Jefferson. If you are an early learning provider or a parent of a child in early care in Jefferson County and would like more information about social emotional consultation, call 303-432-5455.

Help Support heat Ridge WR W Community CF Foundation

WEST METRO FIRE RESCUE partners with Children’s Hospital Colorado to focus on pediatric emergency medical treatment and training, here using a hightech, high-fidelity mannequin in an ambulance. PHOTO BY WEST METRO FIRE RESCUE emergencies,” said Dr. Kathryn Rappaport, Children’s Hospital Colorado. “So we need to give them the exposure and training so that when they do see those kids, they’re prepared.” While working inside a lab with a mannequin is a controlled situation, firefighters are still able to use their training and experience to solve the challenges of diagnosing an illness while under pressure. During the scenario, they’re forced to make decisions quickly, just like they would in a true emergency. And, they’re able to utilize all the members of the team to bring about a successful outcome. “By being able to run these trainings and working with doctors, we think it translates into better patient care,” said Binney. “And it achieves our most important goal – giving more confidence to our providers.” Ronda Scholting is West Metro Fire Rescue’s Communications/Media Relations Specialist.

coloradogives.org coloradogives.or g and donate to these ﬁne Wheat Ridge community programs FEED THE FUTURE WRCF GENERAL FUNDS CURTIS J. GILMORE SCHOLARSHIP WRHS VARSITY CHEER WRHS STEM PERFORMANCES IN THE PARK ARTS AND CULTURE PROGRAMS

NEIGHBORHOOD GAZETTE – NOVEMBER 14 – DECEMBER 18 2017 – ngazette.com

What’s Happening in the WRBA

LOCAL BUSINESS NEWS Discovery Tap House Open for Business

Cheryl Brungardt, Brandy Zamudio & Christine Jensen recently bagged food at Stevens Feed the Future. WRBA members bag food the 1st and any 5th Thursday of each month all school year.

Wheat Ridge Mayor Joyce Jay cuts the ribbon at Discovery TAP HOUSE, 4990 Kipling, #7, Wheat Ridge. Co-owners Gary Thomas and Karen Carpio-Thomas held the ribbon.

Annual Holiday Luncheon Date: Tuesday, December 12, 2017 Time: 11:00 am-1:00 pm Location: Wheat Ridge Recreation Center – 4005 Kipling St. Cost: $20 for WRBA Members, $150 for corporate table of 8 SPEAKER: Tim O’Shea TOPIC: The Agent of Change”

Please register for this meeting before 5pm on Thursday, Dec. 7

wheatridgebiz.com/wrba-events/

The Discovery Tap House at 4990 Kipling St., #7, in Wheat Ridge officially opened its doors with a ribbon cutting on Oct. 27. Owners Gary Thomas and his wife Karen left corporate jobs to open the new tap house that will serve beers from across Colorado. Discovery Tap House offers 20 rotating taps and a wide variety of beers including some from smaller breweries. To learn more, visit www.facebook. com/DiscoveryTap

Elected Officials Meet & Greet, Nov. 29 The Jefferson County Business Lobby and The West Chamber of Commerce will host a meet-and-greet with elected officials, Wednesday, Nov. 29, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., at the Rockley Foundation Community Recital Hall, 8591 W. Colfax Ave., Lakewood. There will be no formal presentation, just a chance to talk with the elected officials from Jefferson County, its municipalities and other elected officials. Light appetizers, beer and wine will be served. Admission is $10 per person in advance; $15 at the door. Register by Nov. 22 at www.westchamber.org.

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Join the Wheat Ridge Chamber of Commerce for its Power Hour on Dec. 7 from 9 to 10 a.m. The Power Hour provides the professional development you need to thrive in our ever-changing economy. This intense and collaborative 60-minute segment offers you the opportunity to learn from industry leaders, successful business professionals and your peers in business. Learn more or register at www.wheatridgechamber.org/events/details/wheatridge-power-hour-298

GEICO Opens Wheat Ridge Office GEICO has opened an office at 5145 Kipling St., in Wheat Ridge. Michael Martinez, a 15-year insurance industry veteran, will lead a team of four licensed agents at the new location. Martinez serves as a board member for Fundación Internacional Amigos del Niño con Cáncer, an organization that brings Latin American children to Disney World who are recovering from cancer. The new office has Spanish-speaking agents on staff. For more information, visit www.geico. com/insurance-agents/colorado/denver/ michael-martinez/

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Wheat Ridge Power Hour Strikes on Dec. 7

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Feel the Beat Brings Dance and Music to Those With Special Needs The ribbon cutting and grand opening for Feel the Beat, 5451 W. 32nd Ave., was a huge success! The nonprofit is dedicated to bringing the expressive world of dance and music education to the lives of children who are deaf, hard of hearing and those with different special needs. The ribbon cutting and networking event took place Nov. 1, and the grand opening Nov. 12, featuring dance, painting, food and a silent auction. Visit www.feelthebeatdance.com for more information.

WRBA Serves Up Annual Holiday Luncheon Dec. 12 At Wheat Ridge Business Association’s Annual Holiday Luncheon, Dec. 12, corporate comedian and self-defense expert

Tim O’Shea will present “Top Secrets Revealed: The Funny Way We Think,” providing key insights into how to avoid making assumptions to handle conflict, manage change, and have more successful outcomes. It takes place 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Wheat Ridge Recreation Center, 4005 Kipling St. $20 for members, $150 table for eight; register by Dec. 7. To learn more and to register go to www.wheatridgebiz.com. Call 720-5882317 with questions.

Business Classes, Events From Jeffco Business Resource Center The Jefferson County Business Resource Center, located in Denver West, is offers helpful presentations and workshops every month. “Start-Up 101: What You Need to Know Before You Consider Starting a Business!” is held at the JBRC, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 9 to 10:30 a.m. This class covers entrepreneurial characteristics, feasibility of business ideas, which business structure is right for your business, who do you need to know, why business planning is crucial for your success, financing options, banking, bookkeeping, taxes and business liability. Free, but registration requested. For more information about Jeffco BRC and their business education programs, contact Amira Watters, Executive Director, at 303-996-8976, or visit www. jeffcobrc.org.

Gift Exchange at Applewood Holiday Luncheon, Dec. 14 A holiday gift exchange will take place in lieu of a guest speaker at Applewood Business Association’s holiday luncheon, Thursday, Dec. 14, starting 11:15 a.m. at Rolling Hills Country Club, 15707 W. 26th Ave., Golden. Luncheon guests should bring item for the gift exchange; cash, check or charge card to buy gift “steals” as well as bid on auction items; and a non-perishable food item for the local food bank. The Applewood Business Association helps businesses in Applewood start, grow and flourish, is engaged in the community, and encourages businesses from outside Applewood to join. Guests are welcome, with the first lunch free (but not the Holiday Luncheon). Newcomers may visit the meetings twice before they must join. Cost for the luncheon is $25 for members and nonmembers. The deadline to RSVP is 5 p.m. on Friday before the meeting date. The Association cannot guarantee a meal after that time. For more information, visit www.applewoodbusiness.com or call 720-460-1539.

WR Chamber Leads Group, Nov. 16 & Dec. 7 The Wheat Ridge Chamber Leads Group meets the first and third Thursdays (Nov. 16, Dec. 7) of each month, 11:30 a.m. at Pietra’s Pizza, 9045 W. 44th Ave. A Leads Group, or networking group, is a group that meets regularly to create partnerships and build relationships with the members in that group, with a goal of referring business to each other. It’s a great way to build your network, grow your business and help other members grow their business. In order to participate, you must be a member of the Wheat Ridge Chamber of Commerce. If your industry is already represented in this group, the Chamber will put your name on a waiting list and start a second group once we have five or six names on the list. If you are interested in joining, email dot@ wheatridgechamber.org. Visit www.WheatRidgeChamber.org for more information.

ngazette.com – NOVEMBER 14 – DECEMBER 18, 2017 – NEIGHBORHOOD GAZETTE

WHAT’S HAPPENING Wheat Ridge Citizens Police Academy Graduates 12 The Wheat Ridge Police Department graduated its Fall 2017 Citizen Police Academy (CPA) class last month: Beverly Agy, Terrel Agy, Michael Gates, Barrlomiej Kurpet, Valerie McNamara, Susan Parker, Julie Calvetti, Mary Young, Andrea Prall, Vincent Becraft, Katie Altschwager and Richard Blackburn. The purpose of the CPA is to give people who live or work in Wheat Ridge an opportunity to learn first-hand about the inner workings of the police department. Police and civilian personnel present lectures and demonstrations providing participants with a better understanding of the department’s mission, practices, and operations. “CPA provides a unique opportunity for people who work or live in Wheat Ridge to learn more about the dedication and training it takes be an officer with the Wheat Ridge Police Department,” said Chief Dan Brennan. “This class of graduates reported they not only learned a lot but had fun in the process. It’s gratifying that members of our community care enough to apply and participate in CPA each year. Graduating from CPA is the first step in becoming a volunteer for our department and we hope to see many of these folks in our 2018 Volunteer Academy.” The next CPA is scheduled to begin in the summer of 2018 and classes are held from 6 to 9 p.m. every Wednesday night for 12 weeks. Watch for announcements on the Wheat Ridge Police Facebook page and the City of Wheat Ridge at www.ci.wheatridge.co.us.

City Council Survey Seeks Input on Residential Construction Residents have until 11:59 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 19, to participate in Wheat Ridge City Council’s online survey on residents’ preferences on height and scale of residential housing. Survey questions were compiled by council to help identify preferences related to the development and appropriate scale of single- and two-family homes in Wheat Ridge. The survey was created in response to a meeting that city council representatives Monica Duran and Larry Matthews held in District I last month. “It is informal and the intent is to encourage and ensure input from our entire community,” said Duran in an email notice. The topic will be discussed at city council’s Monday, Nov. 20, study session, 6:30 p.m. at the Wheat Ridge City Hall, 7500 W. 29th Ave. The survey is available at https://www. surveymonkey.com/r/HousesInWheatRidge.

Christmas Child Shoebox Gift Collection Through Nov. 20 Wheat Ridge families can donate colorfully wrapped shoebox gifts to be sent to children around the world now through Nov. 20, when Operation Christmas Child's National Collection Week concludes. The Samaritan’s Purse project collects shoebox gifts filled with toys, school supplies and hygiene items, which are delivered to children affected by war, disease, disaster, poverty and famine. The West Denver Area Team volunteers have a goal of collecting more than 11,800 gifts during the week, part of the national goal of 12 million. Participants can donate $9 per shoebox gift online through "Follow Your Box" and receive a tracking label to discover its destination. Those who prefer the convenience of online shopping can browse specific age and gender, then finish packing the virtual shoebox by adding a photo and personal note of encouragement. For more information on how to participate in Operation Christmas Child or to view

Focus on Wheat Ridge Business

Ananda Art and Tattoo

GRAND OPENING FOR FRUITDALE LOFTS took place Oct. 19, with more than 200 people celebrating the conclusion of the multi-year rehabilitation and preservation project to revitalize the Temple Buell-designed Fruitdale Elementary School into a 16-unit residential building. Left to right: Steve Art, Wheat Ridge Economic Development; Susan Ely, Hartman Ely Investments; Planning Manager Lauren Mikulak; Ron Abo, Abo Group Architects; Steve Turner, Executive Director of History Colorado; Mayor Joyce Jay; Ken Johnstone, Wheat Ridge Community Development; Jim Hartman, Hartman Ely Investments; City Manager Patrick Goff; Janice Thompson, Wheat Ridge Housing Authority; Treasurer Jerry DiTullio; and city council members Genevieve Wooden, Tim Fitzgerald, Kristi Davis and Monica Duran. PHOTO BY SARA SPALDING

gift suggestions, call 303-745-9179 or visit samaritanspurse.org/occ.

Night Out with Your Legislators, Dec. 4 Join the Jeffco League of Women Voters at the Iron Rail Tavern, Monday, Dec. 4, to socialize with the Colorado State Legislators representing Jefferson County and hear them present their legislative priorities for the upcoming legislative session. The free, open-to-the-public event takes place 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at 4111 Kipling St. No reservations required. The League of Women Voters is a nonprofit that encourages public participation in local government, educates voters and advocates on public policy. The League is nonpartisan and doesn’t endorse or oppose political parties or candidates at any level of office. For more information, call 303-2380032 or visit www.lwvjeffco.org.

Fudge Workshop, Holiday Markets at Four Seasons Market Four Seasons Market will host a variety of special events in the coming weekends, at its 7043 W. 38th Ave. venue. Four Seasons will celebrate its second anniversary the following Saturday, Nov. 25. The Holiday Arts and Crafts Fair will take place Saturday, Dec. 2, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Cookie decorating with Old World Pantry takes place Saturday, Dec. 9, starting at 10am, Christmas Carols and Songs by the Westsiders.

Holiday Stress Continued from page 16

and enjoy what the holidays are about. And kids feel it, too. Glover emphasizes commitment to routines like meals and bedtime and being more selective about what activities you and your child commit to. In children, Glover explained, stress shows up differently than in adults, who may more easily observe their own feelings. Changes in a child’s sleep and eating habits are two signs that parents can be cognizant of throughout the holiday season. Mindful indulging in addition to exercise is also important for both children and adults, stressed Glover.

Four Seasons Farmers and Artisans Market is open year round, Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with Open Shop Tuesdays through Fridays, noon to 6 p.m. Find more information or RSVP at www. fourseasonsfam.com.

LWV Jeffco Book Club Announces ‘Inequality’ Selections The Jefferson County League of Women Voters nonfiction book club will examine the topic of inequality by reading varied and sundry books and articles this month. A few of the recommended books are “The Broken Ladder: How Inequality Affects the Way We Think, Live and Die” by Keith Payne; “The Fate of the West: The Battle to Save the World’s Most Successful Political Idea” by Bill Emmott; “Dream Hoarders: How the American Upper Middle Class is Leaving Everyone Else in the Dust, Why That Is and What to Do about It” by Richard Reeves; and “One Another’s Equals: The Basis of Human Equality” by Jeremy Waldron. Choose one of these - or any other you’ve come across - and come ready to discuss what’s happened and ideas to solve the problem. A discussion group will meet Saturday, Nov. 18, at 9:30 a.m. at Westland Meridian, 10695 W. 17th Ave., Lakewood 80215. For more information call Lynne at 303-985-5128. LWV Jeffco is a nonpartisan organization that neither endorses nor opposes candidates.

Ananda Art and Tattoo is a full custom tattoo studio and art gallery on West 38th Avenue between High Court and Teller Street. They currently have four artists doing a full range of custom work. Willie Stewart, the owner and tattoo artist, specializes in nature themed tattoos, such as animals and flowers. Mikey does a lot of fine dotwork black tattoos, as well as brightly colored traditional tattoos. Keith is the shops newest addition. He likes to do a lot of traditional and Japanese influenced work. Finally, Jenny is Ananda’s apprentice, and she will be ready to tattoo soon. The shop also features local fine art work with rotating artists. Stewart started tattooing in 2001, and originally opened Ananda in Denver’s LoHi neighborhood in 2009. However, he ran out of space and parking and decided to make the move over to Wheat Ridge in 2012. “We like being on 38th Avenue in Wheat Ridge,” said Stewart. “It is pretty convenient for many of my clients. It’s not far from downtown Denver, and it’s close to I-70, Golden, and Lakewood.” Stewart also enjoys this location for its ample parking, small community charm, and nearby restaurants and bars. “We are fortunate to be right across the street from a lot of local events like RidgeFest, movies in the park, and -- our favorite-- the annual Holiday Celebration and Christmas tree lighting ceremony,” said Stewart. This year’s Holiday Celebration will take place on Saturday, December 2 from 3-7 p.m. Ananda Art and Tattoo will provide cookies, temporary tattoos for the kids, and a new selection of art for sale. According to Stewart, “You can find a truly unique gift for the hard to shop for art lover!” Ananda Art and Tattoo is open Monday through Saturday from noon until 9 p.m. and Sundays from noon until 6 p.m. Stop in the shop or call for an appointment at (720)335-6940. You can also find examples of their work at anandatattoo.com and on Instagram at @williestewanandatattoo.

For more information visit www.lwvjeffco.org or call 303-238-0032.

“Exercise is one of the most effective ways to handle mood and depression and for a variety of reasons I encourage people to make it a habit,” Glover said. Making it “fun and doable” with even just 15 minutes a day not only supports our response to stress, but offers valuable quality time to reconnect and unwind with your child or your own thoughts – be it with a game of tag, playing catch, or just a walk around the neighborhood. Lastly, make gratitude a ritual. Both Luckenbach and Glover encourage practicing gratitude with yourself and with your family. By creating a daily ritual with your family, Glover explained, you can find joy and appreciation for the season by looking at “gifts of the day that aren’t materially based.”

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NEIGHBORHOOD GAZETTE – NOVEMBER 14 – DECEMBER 18 2017 – ngazette.com

Holiday Activities Continued from page 1

Gingerbread House Decorating Saturday, Dec. 9, Wheat Ridge Library, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., 5475 W. 32nd Ave., Wheat Ridge Prepare for the holidays by decorating a festive gingerbread house during winter break! Show off your artistic engineering and decorating skills with your friends! Suitable for: Tweens and Teens. Limited to 10, registration required at the library, jeffcolibrary.org or 303-2355275.

White (Elephant) Christmas Party Thursday, Dec. 21, Wheat Ridge Active Adult Center, noon to 2:30 p.m., 6363 W. 35th Ave., Wheat Ridge Back by request! Strive to be the one who brings the most coveted white elephant gift, wrapped of course, for this hilarious gift exchange. A tasty lunch will be served and then the fun will begin! There will be a short presentation on The Seeing Eye Organization, by Rick and his seeing eye dog, Chekov. Registration is $8.

To register call 303-205-7500.

Thanksgiving Dinner at Mountair Christian Church Thursday, Nov. 23, 1390 Benton St., Mountair Christian Church, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. This is the 33rd Thanksgiving Dinner held at Mountair. In collaboration with Lakewood LDS, Two Creeks Neighborhood Organization, St. Bernadette’s Catholic Parish, and community volunteers, Mountair Christian Church prepares dinner for those who need community in giving thanks. The meal is free. Meals will also be delivered within three miles of the church to the disabled and elderly only. Call 303237-5526 to make a reservation for delivery meals. Limit four meals per address. If you leave a message, please provide your name, address, phone number and how many meals are needed. Meals may be requested to pick up at the church. No reservations for pickup or delivery accepted after 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 22. Contact the church at 303-237-5526 for more information.

The Christmas Craftapalooza Saturday, Dec. 2, New Life in Christ Church, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., 1380 Ammons St., Lakewood The Christmas Craftapalooza is a

WHEAT RIDGE RINGS IN THE HOLIDAY SEASON with an annual tree lighting ceremony and celebration, this year on Saturday, Dec. 2, starting at 6:30 p.m., in front of Stevens Elementary School, 7101 W. 38th Ave. PHOTO BY LOCALWORKS. different kind of craft fair. Vendors not only sell their own handmade items, but also present a mini-workshop where participants make their own crafts! The fair is free to attend, and vendors pay a very low table fee plus 10 percent. Vendors are asked to bring a simple craft for fair goers to make that would be suitable for gift giving for a low fee – $5 to $10 – or even free. The Craftapalooza targets families with children who are mid- to low-income and is presented at a facility that provides

a cold weather shelter for families. This is an excellent opportunity to minister to individuals and families who have fallen on hard times, and may not have an opportunity to give their families and loved ones a special Christmas. To reserve a table as a vendor, please call 303-406-1917.

Holiday Open House Wednesday, Dec. 6, Edgewater Library, 3 to 6 p.m., 5843 W. 25th Ave., Edgewater Come enjoy food, get your face painted and talk to Santa! Fun for all ages! Visit www.jeffcolibrary.org for more information.

Edgewater Holiday Lighting Ceremony Friday, Dec. 8, Edgewater Recreation Room, 5 to 8 p.m., 5845 W. 25th Ave., Edgewater

For details, call 720-763-3010.

Fifth Annual Holiday Market Saturday, Dec. 9, The Conflict Center, 1 to 5 p.m., 4140 Tejon St., Denver Come shop from unique local vendors offering a variety of gift items just in time for the holidays! Twenty percent of all vendor sales supports The Conflict Center’s work for more restorative practices in schools and better access to skill building classes for all groups of people. For more information, visit www.conflictcenter.org.

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