Herald HIGHLANDS RANCH 1/17/13
Highlands Ranch
Douglas County, Colorado • Volume 26, Issue 9
January 17, 2013
A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourhighlandsranchnews.com
READY FOR ANOTHER TERM
School board member resigns Gerken’s seat will be filled within 60 days By Jane Reuter
jreuter@ourcoloradonews.com
Douglas County Commissioner Jill Repella thanks her children after being sworn in Jan. 8 and jokes about their heights the last time she was sworn in. Repella was re-elected in November for District 3, which includes Highlands Ranch. She was selected as the 2013 board chair. More coverage, Page 10. Photo by Courtney Kuhlen
Accidents increase at Broadway/C-470 Authorities beef up police patrols in response to crashes By Ryan Boldrey
rboldrey@ourcoloradonews.com It wasn’t long ago that two construction workers were killed when a driver lost control of his car near Broadway and C-470 in Highlands Ranch. But that doesn’t mean other drivers are proceeding with caution. Seven accidents occurred in the work zone in the two-week period surrounding the new year, including one Jan. 7 nasty enough to prompt Douglas County Traffic Engineer Dennis Lobberding to discuss the situation with both the Littleton Police Department and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. “We’ve had very good cooperation with both departments,” said Lobberding, who is overseeing the yearlong project. “They had been out there a couple times a week, but after talking to them Monday they are upping that to a couple times a day just to try to have more of a presence.” Lobberding said all of the recent wrecks have been rear-end accidents caused by people who were going too fast and not paying attention. “The traffic stops in front of them and they don’t stop,” he said. “It seems like it’s the worst in the morning with people getting to work.” Although the construction zone exists between Dad Clark Drive on the south and County Line Road on the north, the 25 mph work zone expands from Plaza Drive in Highlands Ranch to Southpark Drive in Littleton. A handful of signs on both ends inform drivers that fines double in the construction zones — increasing a 10-over speeding ticket from $135 to $270 — but that hasn’t deterred many commuters. Jason Clukies, who drives through the construction zone five to six times a week on the way to work at Outback Steakhouse in Highlands Ranch, said traffic is either really backed up or people are driving the normal 45 mph speed limit, ignoring the
There have been multiple traffic accidents in the construction zone surrounding the interchange of Broadway and C-470 in recent weeks, prompting an increase in patrols by both the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and Littleton Police Department. Photo by Ryan Boldrey
‘Our school zones are our No. 1 priority.’ Sheriff ’s Sgt. Ron Hanavan posted work zone limits. “It’s madness over there,” Clukies said, adding that people are also “flying down the off-ramps (and onto Broadway) much faster than they should be going.” The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office issued 58 tickets on Broadway between Dec. 1 and Jan. 8, most of which were handed out in the construction zone, spokesman Sgt. Ron Hanavan said. With increased patrols those numbers are likely to go up. “Our school zones are our No. 1 priority and then after that we get into construction zones,” Hanavan added. “Our No. 1 complaint across the board in the county is traffic-related issues, hands down.”
CONSTRUCTION UPDATE The projected timeline for the Broadway/C-470 construction project is October 2012 to October 2013, and according to Project Manager Dennis Lobberding, workers are on track to finish the project ahead of schedule. The project, which entails the complete rebuild of Broadway between Dad Clark Drive and County Line Road, includes upgrading the storm drainage system, widening the road in both directions to lengthen left-turn lanes for the C-470 on-ramps, and the addition of bike lanes. No new lanes for motorists are being added. Workers are wrapping up the storm drainage upgrade and widening on the east side of Broadway. They will begin the same work on the west side of the road late next month or in early March. Once that is complete in April or May, workers will spend the next 100 days reconstructing the main body of Broadway in two phases. One phase will force all traffic in both directions to the northbound side of the road and the other will force all traffic to the southbound side. During that time the on-ramps will be closed at Broadway and C-470. The off-ramps will remain open at all times. For more information, tune to 1620 AM for weekly updates or visit www.douglas.co.us and search for “Highlands Ranch road improvements.”
Douglas County School Board Vice President Dan Gerken resigned the week of Jan. 7, and already has stepped down from his seat. He cited growing family and work obligations. Board President John Carson said the group will begin the process of finding his replacement during the Jan. 15 board meeting. Gerken was elected to the board in 2009, and his term was set to expire in November. He did not return calls for comment, Gerken but Carson said there is no mystery surrounding his resignation from the education reform-focused board. “We depend on people being willing to take a lot of time out of their lives and work and families to do this,” he said, noting board members invest at least 20 hours a month to the unpaid post. “Dan has served selflessly in that capacity for over three years now. I greatly appreciate what he’s done for our school district.” Carson said Gerken first approached him about resigning shortly after the new year. “I tried to talk him out of (resigning), but he made his decision,” he said. Though the board has often been criticized for its fast-paced reform efforts, Carson said he doesn’t believe that was a factor in Gerken’s resignation. “If you run for office, you have to be prepared for that,” he said. “Speaking for myself, the reason I got involved in public education was to make some changes in public education that I think have been needed for a long time. I know Dan felt that way as well.” In seven years on the board, Carson said this is the fourth vacancy filled by appointment. “It’s not an infrequent occurrence,” he said. The board has 60 days to fill the empty seat. Any candidate must live in Gerken’s district — District D — which extends from Castle Pines to the southeast corner of the county. Potential school board candidates must be at least 18 years of age, a 12-month resident and registered voter of the district, and have no direct or indirect interest in district contracts. All current school board members are registered Republicans, but the office is officially nonpartisan. “We’re just looking for people that are interested in improving public education, continuing to make our school district the best, and keep making it stronger,” Carson said. Gerken, a father of two, lives in Castle Pines with his wife, Gina. He is chairman and co-founder of Gerken Taxman Interests, a commercial real estate investment and development company.
Printed on recycled newsprint. Please recycle this copy.