PIKES PEAK 12.26.12
Courier View Pikes Peak
Teller County, Colorado • Volume 51, Issue 52
December 26, 2012
75 cents
A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourtellercountynews.com
School districts respond to school violence Take another look at security after shootings in Connecticut By Norma Engelberg
nengelberg@ourcoloradonews. com Tragedies affecting schools and children come in all sizes, from traffic accidents that affect just one school district to events so violent that they send shock waves around the globe. Such a shock happened on Dec. 14 when a gunman killed his mother and then, forcing his way into a Newtown, Conn., elementary school, used guns from his mother’s collection to kill six other adults, 20 young children and himself. No matter the tragedy, its size or origin, local schools have to be prepared to deal with security issues, disbelief, fear, anger, grief and recovery. They must also be prepared to answer questions from parents and students about the unthinkable and do whatever they can to make students and parents feel safe. As soon as news went out about the shootings in Connecticut, local school superintendents went into immediate action, making counselors available and sending messages of reassurance to parents and staff, expressing condolences and making suggestions on
how to talk to children about what happened in Connecticut and school violence in general. “As you may be aware, 27 people, including 20 children, were shot today at an elementary school in Newtown, a small town in southwestern Connecticut,” Manitou Springs District 14 Superintendent Ed Longfield states in his letter. “Our hearts go out to the families of Newtown after this terrible tragedy and their incalculable loss. “Some parents have called today expressing their concerns about our own students’ safety in light of these events. While we were not on lockdown today, we were on heightened alert, checking doors and monitoring halls and entrances throughout the day. We will continue our extra vigilance next week as students return. “Please know, as well, that our regular daily security measures include locking all entrances except the main office entrance each day; monitoring that entrance continuously with personnel and camera surveillance; and requiring all visitors to sign in and wear a visitor’s badge. We also practice lockdown procedures school-wide each year and update our emergency procedures with the Manitou Springs Police Department, which is one-half block away from our front door.” “Our hearts and thoughts go
Doors were locked, cameras went up and signs like this one at Cripple Creek-Victor High School went up in schools across the nation in response to several incidences of school violence. In the wake of the violence on Dec. 14 in Connecticut, local school districts are once again taking stock of their vulnerabilities and looking for more ways to keep students safe. Photo by Norma Engelberg out to all of the victims, families, school staff members, and community of Newtown, Conn,” Cripple Creek-Victor RE-1 School District Superintendent Sue Holmes states. “The recent school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School shocked and saddened us as a nation. As a school district, we grieve for the innocent lives affected but we also turn our attention to our priority of safety and security for our children. “We want assure our community that we have many safety measures in place. We conduct regular emergency drills in our
schools (often in conjunction with local police and fire departments), have strict visitor procedures, and utilize video cameras within our district. As a district, we are also very attentive to our students and their behaviors, conversations, and writings. Any red flag that is detected is referred to proper personnel to ensure the safety of all people in our buildings.” The Cripple Creek-Victor District website, www.ccvschools. org, has and information sheet from the National Mental Health Association titled “Talking to Kids about School Safety.”
“We are all in disbelief for this senseless and unthinkable tragedy,” Woodland Park RE-2 School District Superintendent Jed Bowman states. “Our deepest condolences go out to the Sandy Hook Elementary School families, friends and community that will forever be affected. Student safety will continue to be one of our highest priorities. “We practice scenarios every year and continue to hone our procedures. This week we have asked for greater adult diligence by their presence and to help our students feel as safe as possible. We have also worked with local law enforcement agencies to have an increased presence at our school sites. We are fortunate to have both (Woodland Park and Teller County) agencies in close proximity to our schools. Additionally, we are grateful for our partnerships as we all are concerned and committed to student safety. “Parents often ask for guidance on how to talk to their children when dealing with violent acts such as this one. We have provided a summary for parents from the National Association of School Psychologists that can be found under the `Important Announcement’ section on our website at www.wpsdk12.org. Again, we will continue to hone our procedures to keep our students safe.”
Loft House to re-open in 2013 By Pat Hill
phill@ourcoloradonews.com
The clock on the Loft House property has always been a Woodland Park landmark. Despite the rundown condition of the property, the clock remains and will be part of the renovation done by the new owners, Ron and Homer Bullard. Photos by Pat Hill
When Homer and Ron Bullard paid $153,000 for the Loft House in 2010, a motel destroyed internally by vandals and drug dealers, they figured the tax bill would align with the rundown condition of the property. The Bullards purchased the property, which had been in foreclosure, from an out-of-state bank. This month, the father-son team won a kind of victory as Teller County commissioners disagreed with the assessor’s valuation of $268,597 and a tax bill of $6,634. In a unanimous decision Dec. 6, commissioners Bill Buckhanan, Jim Ignatius and Dave Paul settled on a valuation of $195,000. Ron Bullard is still upset, but no doubt he’d be more upset if the assessor’s initial valuation of $405,845 had stuck. “The initial valuation was based on the assumption that there were no environmental concerns,” said the assessor, Betty Clark-Wine, at the public hearing. “At the time of the appraisal we did not know what the environmental condition was.” The hearing followed a series of
The Loft House, once a thriving business under the ownership of Jack Maher, had fallen into disrepair and was lost in foreclosure. Ron and Homer Bullard purchased the property in 2009 for $153,000. Since that time, the Bullards have appealed the county’s initial valuation of $405,845. appeals by the Bullards, their arguments based on a valuation of $75,700 by an independent appraiser. Even more galling for the Bullards was a revised valuation of $50,000 during the arbitration process. “The arbitrator said the land is worth $90,000 and the cost for cleaning up the asbestos is $40,000, therefore, the place is only worth $50,000,” Ron
POSTAL ADDRESS
Printed on recycled newsprint. Please recycle this copy.
Bullard said. There’s no doubt the Loft House is in sub-standard condition but the assessor based the valuation on the income approach, stating in a report to the commissioners that the projected income could be between $400,000 and $441,000 at some time during 2008. Bullard is astounded at the estimate, as the property has been closed since Jan. 1, 2009 and does not meet the requirements for a certificate of occupation until the asbestos and lead are removed. Nonetheless, the Bullards intend to go ahead with the remodel on the Loft House, once the financing for the project is secure. With a target opening date of Memorial Day, 2013, the property will return to its original status as an extended-stay motel, with 13 units and an office. “We expect the remodel to have a standard of
a three-star or four-star motel,” Bullard said. Still burned over the tax abatement, Bullard goes for the last word in the process. “My complaint about this whole thing is that this process took a year and a half,” he said. “Obviously, the county has spent energy on this, and time is money, so every time a county employee has to deal with this, to get penalized by the arbitrator, it cost taxpayer money.” At the same time, Bullard questions the customer-service aspect of Teller County. “By the same token, the tax issue is driving away business people like me. I know we spend at least $40,000 a year as a county on economic development,” he said. “We get them here and then we turn around and spend another $40,000 fighting them on their tax bill. So we drive them away.”