Centennial
Citizen
Arapahoe County, Colorado • Volume 12, Issue 1
November 23, 2012
A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourcentennialnews.com
School district’s needs mount Bond election under consideration By Jennifer Smith
jsmith@ourcoloradonews.com
While Santa was off greeting hundreds of well-wishers at The Streets at SouthGlenn, his reindeer take a much-needed break from the excitement, posing for pictures in Commons Park. A community tree-lighting ceremony held on Nov. 16 helped kick off the holiday shopping season. Photos by Deborah Grigsby
Centennial greets the season Tree-lighting ceremony draws crowd, including Santa By Deborah Grigsby
dgrigsby@ourcoloradonews. com Twinkling lights, live entertainment and, of course, a visit from the season’s biggest celebrity packed holiday well-wishers into Commons Park for the fourth annual tree-lighting ceremony at The Streets at SouthGlenn. Arriving by horse-drawn carriage, Centennial Mayor Cathy Noon joined Santa Claus center stage Nov. 16 to light the center’s 25-foot Colorado Christmas tree and officially welcome the holiday shopping season. And of course, Santa’s got an app for that, lighting the entire park via a special giant iPhone, only available to certain North Pole residents. A brief Main Street parade
Two-year-old Jackson Nidy of Centennial, with his mother, Brittany, takes in the wonder of the season after the tree-lighting ceremony at The Streets at SouthGlenn. around Commons Park featured local civic leaders and the big brass sound of the Arapahoe High School marching band. Live reindeer were also on
Just in from the North Pole, Santa Claus takes center stage at The Streets at SouthGlenn. The jolly old elf joined Centennial Mayor Cathy Noon to throw the switch at a special tree-lighting ceremony.
display throughout the evening. “We really look forward to this event each year, and it’s nice that it happened before Thanksgiving,” said Tony Allen of Littleton. “This is such a better atmosphere than some of the other, more crowded malls.” The Streets again are home to The Cube, one of Colorado’s few outdoor ice skating rinks, which will be open through Feb. 3. Admission prices are $7 for adults, $4 for children 4-12 years of age and free for kids 3 and younger. There is a $3 charge for skate rental. “We’re from New York, and I always enjoyed skating outdoors as a kid, and this is just the greatest thing,” said Miriam Ramirez. “This could be a new family tradition.” Santa will be at The Streets though Dec. 24 in the Guest Services area. Visitors are encouraged to bring their own cameras
‘It’s never too early to start celebrating Christmas. Never.’ Brittany Nidy for photographs. “It’s never too early to start celebrating Christmas,” said Centennial resident Brittany Nidy. “Never.” More information about The Streets at SouthGlenn’s holiday programs, Santa’s schedule, as well as hours for The Cube Ice Rink can be found online at www.shopsouthglenn.com.
With the average age of its buildings at 49 and funds running short, Littleton Public School officials are starting to whisper the words “bond election.” “We have about five segments of roof that I’m not sure will make it until 2014,” said Diane Doney, chief operating officer. That’s the year she expects an election to happen, if the school board decides to go that route. She said there’s about $60 million in needs; the last bond question in 2002 raised $80 million. By far the largest expense is in mechanical and HVAC upgrades, estimated at nearly $10 million, followed by roofing at about $7.5 million. Surveying the needs of the district was led by volunteer David Metcalf, who also sits on the city’s planning board and worked on LPS bond elections in 2002 and 1995. He warns that it’s not worth preserving assets the district can’t afford to replace in an emergency situation. “If you have 20 projects and can only pay for half of them, you can either meet half the needs or find not-good ways to meet the needs,” he said. “Maybe you ought to be thinking about doing 10 of them well.” Doney said attention would be paid to projects that require initial outlay but would save the district money in the long run, like energy- and water-saving projects. “We need buildings that are flexible enough to educate children for jobs that have not even been thought of yet,” said Doney. Board member Renee Howell noted that by 2014, a new board will have to make the decision to move forward or not, but she wondered what could be included in the proposal to make people proud of their schools other than just maintenance. “Those items will be teased out as we go,” said Doney. “But you do need something that makes the public want to move forward.” The last time LPS went to the voters was in 2010, when they passed a $12 million mill levy, or property-tax increase. That money has maintained the district’s current level of service, despite continued decreases in state and federal funding. It will likely be several years until another there’s another one. By 2026, the amount available will be $9.7 million, more than $2 million less than in 2010. A bond is not a tax, rather more like a loan that has to be repaid with interest. As with raising taxes, government entities need voter permission to accrue large amounts of debt.
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