WEEK OF MAY 25, 2023
VOLUME 21 | ISSUE 26
FREE
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Heading to Harvard Laydon accepted to program
P5
Record breaking YouTuber attempts largest ice cream cone P10
Looking over East Mainstreet in Parker.
SHUTTERSTOCK IMAGE
Parker expands community response program BY HALEY LENA HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
The Parker town council unanimously approved several ordinances and resolutions for town improvements and updates on May 15. In continuing the effort to focus on residents’ mental health, the council approved two ordinances that will expand the Community Response Team in Parker. The first was the Douglas County ARPA Beneficiary Agreement. The American Rescue Plan is providing the town with $75,000 in funding to purchase a second vehicle for the Community Response Team. Community response teams are used to provide assistance to law enforcement dealing with calls for people suffering
from mental health issues. The teams consist of officers and qualified clinicians. According to Town Attorney Kelsey Hall, the county already budgeted for the car and therefore will be acting as a revenue replacement. The county also received $167,880 from the Colorado Department of Criminal Justice to assign an officer - which has also been budgeted - to the new community response vehicle, said Hall. The council approved the Intergovernmental Agreement to expand the Community Response Team, which will last for one year. The funds include equipment, training and other costs. “When we get the second added,” said Chief of Police Jim Tsurapas. “We’ll have coverage seven days a week.”
CALENDAR: 11 | VOICES: 12 | LIFE: 14 | SPORTS: 22
Town council also readopted and renewed items for updates in the town. Parker has award-winning parks and recreation and in order to be re-accreditied once again by the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CARPA) and the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), town council approved a resolution to readopt the Parks, Recreation and Open Space Master Plan as part of the Parker 2035 Master Plan. The resolution includes minor text updates to the Town of Parker Parks, Recreation and Open Space Master Plan 2018-2022 to remove the 2018-2022 date range on the cover to reflect relevancy and meet fundamental standards.
Discs, skates and walls, oh my! Unique sports abound across Front Range
P14
Congrats grads The future in 100 words P17-21
SEE RESPONSE P6
PARKERCHRONICLE.NET • A PUBLICATION OF COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA