The mountain area’s newspaper since 1958
WEEK OF MARCH 13, 2025
VOLUME 66 | ISSUE 17
Evergreen Campfire employees tell their side of recent restaurant closures BY JANE REUTER JREUTER@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Employees at Evergreen’s Campfire restaurant are reeling from the unexpected closure of the business, even as staff at the last of owner Jared Leonard’s restaurants recently walked out en masse — on the same tax issues that allegedly shuttered the Evergreen site. Two former employees at the Campfire in Evergreen say that while Leonard was withholding taxes from their pay, it doesn’t appear he was remitting those taxes to the Internal Revenue Service. That leaves former staff members without the ability to get unemployment, and uncertain how to file their taxes.
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FIRED UP FOR THE FUTURE P2 Conifer-area residents give feedback on Jeffco’s future plans for parks BY JANE REUTER JREUTER@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
SEE CAMPFIRE, P12
INSIDE THIS ISSUE FOOTHILLS ELECTIONS P2
RESILIENCE DIRECTOR P4
2025
VOTE NOW March 1st - April 15th
Denver firefighter Burke Benton shows Evergreen Middle School student Stone Rowland the ropes of being a firefighter during the EMS Career Fair. While middle school may seem young to start pondering COURTESY PHOTO careers, research shows middle school is the perfect time.
VOICES: 10 | LIFESTYLES: 13 | LIFE: 22 | SPORTS: 25 | PUZZLES: 27
Jan and Ron Schmidt are huge fans of Jefferson County Open Space parks, so much so they volunteer for JCOS. The Conifer couple came out for JCOS’s March 3 West Jeff Middle School open house on its Conservation Greenprint 2026-2030 — thefirst in a series set throughout the county. “We’re passionate about the parks and we’re really pleased to see the county interacting with the community on this,” Jan Schmidt. The draft Conservation Greenprint includes projects and plans for all 27 JCOS parks, including specific actions and timelines. But the public can help determine some of those decisions with their feedback, which JCOS is seeking at its open houses. JCOS set up boards with maps and themes including “Enhance Visitor Experience” and “Support Ecosystem Resilience” on stands throughout the middle school lobby, then asked guests to leave sticky notes with their thoughts on each on the board. The Schmidts are happy with Jeffco’s management. If anything, Jan Schmidt said, they’d like to see more. “I love seeing additional protected lands,” she said. Conifer’s Susan Morgan said she also wants to see more. In her case, that’s increased communication and programs for the public. SEE OPEN SPACE, P8
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