Week of September 15, 2022
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DOUGLAS COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
HighlandsRanchHerald.net
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 14 | LIFE: PAGE 16 | CALENDAR: PAGE 17 | SPORTS: PAGE 24
VOLUME 35 | ISSUE 41
Douglas County discusses shelter proposal Pastor of The Rock church outlines program idea BY MCKENNA HARFORD MHARFORD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Douglas County is considering hiring a facilitator to flesh out an idea to make the existing winter shelter network into a more expansive year-round program. At the Sept. 8 meeting of the Douglas County Homeless Initia-
tive, Pastor Mike Polhemus of The Rock church in Castle Rock told the group he was hoping to get help outlining the details of a yearround church shelter network. He said he envisions multiple churches making up the network with one or two families or individuals housed at each location to avoid having a large homeless community. “We want to have one (unit), where we can bring in one person and help them, but have 20 other churches in Douglas County that
each take one, then we have a community in a sense,” Polhemus said. “What we realized is the major need is not shelter, it’s relationships. If we can solve the relationship issue, then we can solve the shelter issue.” Since the expanded shelter network is in the early discussion stages, its unclear which churches might participate, what the services would be in conjunction with the housing and what requirements would be in place for people participating in the program.
Postino Highlands Ranch opens Offering wine and foods BY THELMA GRIMES TGRIMES@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
On Aug. 8, Postino WineCafé, with patio umbrellas and rolling garage-style doors, opened in the Highlands Ranch community. According to the press release, Postino made its debut in Colorado seven years ago when it opened in Denver’s LoHi neighborhood. In Highlands Ranch, the new location opened in the Town Center at 1497 Park Central Drive. This will be the restaurant and wine bar’s fourth Colorado outpost. “We love Denver, and we’re thrilled to be deepening our roots within the area,“ said Lauren Bailey, Postino co-founder. “Over the years, we’ve served many Highlands Ranch residents that visit our Denver-proper restaurants, so when the opportunity arose to open up a location that they could call their own, we jumped.” As part of opening month celebrations, Postino hosted a special invite-only celebration, serving a four-course meal along with wine pairings. Known for creating funky, sophisticated and vintage-inspired spaces, Postino Highlands Ranch is designed with the guest experience top of mind, the company said in announcing the opening. Starting with what the Postino team proudly dubs one of their coolest patios yet – an expansive, umbrella-lined sunken patio that harkens to a ’70s-style conversation SEE POSTINO, P13
The current winter shelter network only serves women and children, while also requiring them to travel to a new church each week that they use the shelter network. Last year, the winter network helped five households. Douglas County Commissioner Abe Laydon was enthusiastic about the idea, noting the community has asked the county to partner with faith-based organizations on the shelter program. SEE SHELTERS, P10
‘Unmasked’ highlights mental-health struggles Olympian Missy Franklin shares story of highs and lows BY THELMA GRIMES TGRIMES@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
With a menu that changes seasonally, Postino works to highlight fresh flavors, PHOTO BY MCKENNA HARFORD including a crispy maitake mushroom dish with tangy yogurt.
Olympic Gold Medalist Missy Franklin talked about her road to recovering from mental-health struggles during a special event held in Castle Pines on Sept. 10. The event, titled “Unmasked,” was hosted by the City of Castle Pines and Mental Health Colorado. The unmasked theme for the night was aimed at removing the stigma of mental health, encouraging more people to come out and get help when they are struggling. Throughout the evening, three women took turns on the microphone to talk about their struggles with mental health and declare that they are officially “unmasked.” One speaker talked about the shame she has suffered after being diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Another, who called herself Lexie, said in her teens she started feeling depressed and was struggling by the age of 13. However, she did not want SEE HEALTH, P6