Highlands Ranch
Herald
Douglas County, Colorado • Volume 26, Issue 3
December 6, 2012 A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourhighlandsranchnews.com
FOURTITUDE
HRCA survey spurs strong response Residents make their wishes known By Ryan Boldrey
rboldrey@ourcoloradonews.com
Alec Ruth lifts the Class 5A state championship trophy over his head in celebration Dec. 1 after Valor Christian defeated Cherokee Trail 9-0 at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The victory gave the Highlands Ranch school its fourth consecutive state title and first in 5A. All nine of Valor’s points were scored in the fourth quarter. For more on Valor’s championship game, turn to page 19. Photo by Paul DiSalvo | PaulDiSalvoPhotography.com
Brauchler taps veteran DA as assistant Hurlbert spent decade leading Fifth District By Rhonda Moore
rmoore@ourcoloradonews.com The district attorney-elect for the 18th Judicial District compares his choice for assistant district attorney to something like drafting a Super Bowl-quality player. George Brauchler, who in January will take the helm of the largest judicial district in the state, named Mark Hurlbert, the sitting district attorney in the Fifth Judicial District, as second-in-command in the 18th. Hurlbert’s name was at the top of the list for Brauchler, who made his decision final after the November election. “It’s almost like going after Peyton Manning,” Brauchler said. “He has veteran experience and he’s also a change agent.” Hurlbert has served as DA since 2002 in the Fifth District, which encompasses Clear Creek, Eagle, Lake and Summit counties. Among the high-profile cases that have crossed Hurlbert’s desk were the Kobe Bryant rape accusation and the sage of Royal “Scoop” Daniel III, an attorney who vanished for more than four years before going to prison for theft of clients’ money. Hurlbert is a native of Dillon who graduated from Dartmouth College and the University of Colorado School of Law in Boulder. He will finish his final term in the Fifth District on Jan. 7 and begin his service in the 18th the following day. Among the strengths Hurlbert brings to the office is his experience in a multi-county district, he said. From managing people to balancing a budget to working with elected officials from multiple jurisdictions, Hurlbert’s years in the Fifth District will prove invaluable to Brauchler, he said. “They call me the steel in the velvet,”
George Brauchler, left, who will be sworn in as district attorney for the 18th Judicial District in January, named Mark Hurlbert, the sitting district attorney in the Fifth Judicial District, as assistant district attorney. Photo by Courtney Kuhlen Hurlbert said. “Sometimes you have to be hard, sometimes you have to be easy.” For Hurlbert and his family, the biggest change will be moving from a home that sits five minutes from the base of the Breckenridge ski area to a district that serves nearly 900,000 people, he said. For residents of the 18th District, which covers Douglas, Arapahoe, Elbert and Lincoln counties, the changes could be even greater. Brauchler ran on a platform of change in the judicial district and Hurlbert symbolizes the start of those changes, Brauchler said. “This was an office in need of some cultural change and that’s change in leadership,” Brauchler said. “You’re going to
‘They call me the steel in the velvet. Sometimes you have to be hard, sometimes you have to be easy.’
A high percentage of Highlands Ranch homeowners weighed in on the community’s first-ever scientific survey this fall, providing the HRCA with a solid residential pulse as it pertains to consideration of potential future development in the backcountry. Ten percent of the 30,000 households in the community association were given the opportunity to complete survey by mail and 1,307 participated. Registering a 44 percent response rate, Tom Miller, president of National Research Center, reported a margin of error of 3 percentage points. “The results give us an opportunity to hear from a representative cross section of all adults who live in Highlands Ranch,” Miller said. “Typically when we do a survey of this size we receive a response rate between 25 and 45 percent; 44 is high.” With the bulk of the questions pertaining to the backcountry wilderness area, 42 percent of respondents said they would like to see recreational amenities left as they are, and 52 percent said they would like to see no further development in Highlands Ranch’s 8,200 acres of private open space. Of those who would be open to future amenities being developed in the backcountry, 93 percent said they would support more trails for hiking, biking, running and horseback riding; 75 percent liked the thought of fishing ponds being developed; 68 percent would support a ropes course; and 57 percent backed expanded camping. Of those who were open to new development; 74 percent would like to see a nature center in the backcountry; 64 percent liked the thought of an outdoor amphitheater; and 55 percent said a tree farm was a good idea. An overwhelming majority of people opposed the idea of opening up the backcountry to public use. Seventy-six percent of respondents strongly or somewhat agreed that trails should remain private for members and their guests, however, 54 percent were open to the trails being used by any non-member who pays a fee. Regarding the leasing of backcountry property to private entities for public or private uses, 56 percent said no to public use and 66 percent said no to private. “The survey results provide us valuable information and insight into what the community wants to see, and perhaps just as important, what they do not want to see in the backcountry planning areas,” said HRCA Backcountry Wilderness Supervisor Mark Giebel. “It will serve as a useful tool moving forward.”
Other issues
Other developmental questions showed that 39 percent of respondents would support a new arts/cultural center in Highlands Ranch, 37 percent supported Northridge’s outdoor tennis courts being covered, and 25 percent supported the idea of building a fifth recreation center. Eighty-three percent said that the HRCA should maintain state-of-the-art recreation centers that are the equal of private faciliHRCA continues on Page 23
Mark Hurlbert notice key leadership positions that have the ability to change the culture of prosecution.”
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