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Week of September 1, 2022
ARAPAHOE COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
LittletonIndependent.net
VOLUME 134 | ISSUE 6
Heralding national climate bill, young leaders push for local action Group partners with council BY ROBERT TANN RTANN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
The same day President Joe Biden signed into law the largest climate change bill in United States history,
a committee of young Littleton residents stood before their elected officials and urged swift environmental action. “We see climate change as something that we’re experiencing right now today,” said committee member Susie Lanners, 36, during the Aug. 16 city council meeting. “If we wait
too long it’s going to be too late. The city needs to take action now to secure the future of all generations of Littleton.” Lanners is one of 13 members of the Next Generation Advisory Committee — commissioned by city council to give residents aged 16 to 36 a voice in local government
— which recently unveiled a twopronged plan to fight climate change in Littleton. The proposal calls for city council to form a new citizen committee — which could eventually be expanded to a board — dedicated SEE CLIMATE, P22
Resident survey shows concern for crime, affordability High marks for quality BY ROBERT TANN RTANN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Denver’s present day-successes goes largely unnoticed. The City Ditch, an irrigation waterway that begins in what is now present-day Chatfield Reservoir, is by some historians’ accounts the “oldest working thing” in the modern metro area. Originally running 26 miles
A recent survey of nearly 700 Littleton residents shows that crime has risen as a top concern for citizens — and that affordability as a reason for living in the city has dramatically declined over the past 10 years. The findings, presented during a city council meeting Aug. 23, come after questions were mailed randomly to 5,000 Littleton households, with a response of 688 between June and mid-July. A second, online-only survey was also conducted and open to anyone. It received 128 responses and — unlike the mailed survey — offers purely qualitative data, though “affordability” and “cost of living” as well as “crime” and “homelessness” appear frequently throughout responses to a question about issues facing the city. Jade Arocha, who works for a Boulder-based research institute
SEE DITCH, P12
SEE SURVEY, P2
An open section of the 160-year-old City Ditch in Littleton. A plan from the City of Englewood would see sections of the ditch in both Littleton and Englewood covered. PHOTO BY ROBERT TANN
What to do with the ‘oldest working thing’ in Denver? Group looks to protect ditch BY ROBERT TANN RTANN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
The City of Denver has seen many incarnations, each carrying over into its next.
From mining town to bustling urban center of the high plains, the metropolitan area has transformed in its roughly 160 years as a city, with an expanding web of suburban communities creating a mosaic of character. But as the break-neck pace of growth continues to manifest in new businesses, towering buildings and expanding tourism, the instrument responsible for
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 14 | LIFE: PAGE 16 | CALENDAR: PAGE 19 | SPORTS: PAGE 28
SECOND HAND LOVE
Finding prizes at unique thrift shops P16