WEEK OF JUNE 19, 2025
VOLUME 36| ISSUE 24
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Barr Lake opens paddleboard and kayak kiosk Self-serve service will be open when the park is BY BELEN WARD BELEN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
rest of our high schools.” The school will span 182,000 square feet, with a capacity of 1,300 students and the ability to expand to 1,800. It will feature a gymnasium, cafeteria, performing arts spaces and a full athletic complex, including a stadium, track and field, all designed for growth. The district will integrate career and technical education programs and STEM pathways from the beginning, following the model used at Brighton, Prairie View and Riverdale Ridge. Ben Dahlman, bond director for 27J Schools, said a future wing has already been accounted for in the building’s design. “When you build a school here, you’re already thinking about modulars and where the next wing will go,” he said. “That’s how fast we grow.”
Barr Lake State Park has opened a new kayak and paddleboard rental kiosk, operated by Whenever Water Sports, as of June 6 “I am very excited to bring the kayak and paddle board rental kiosk to Bar Lake. The kiosk offers rentals seven days a week, making water sports more accessible to the public, especially on weekdays,” said Lisa Gill, the park manager of Barr Lake State Park. Gill said that the opportunity was essentially the reason for offering the paddleboard and kayak rental kiosk at Barr Lake. “5280 Paddle Sports operated at Barr Lake for 10 years and also at Chatfield Reservoir, and we had a great relationship with them. Michelle Seubert is the previous Park Manager who worked with them, and they decided to operate just at Chatfield Reservoir,” Gill said. “It created an opportunity for us to invite someone else into the park, and two groups contacted me; one of them was Whenever Water Sports, which we selected.” Whenever Water Sports’s edge is that the paddleboard and kayak rental kiosk will be available seven days a week, whenever the park is open, Gill said. “It’s easier to try those sports if you don’t own your equipment. When 5280 Paddle Sports operated out of Barr Lake, it was a great company to work with, but they were only available here on the weekends,” Gill said. “Sometimes you’re busy during the day, and you may want to go out after work. We’re conveniently located not only near the Denver Metro area but also close to Denver International Airport. We have a beautiful lake with a prairie landscape.” Gill said it provides accessibility for people who might be unavailable on weekends but are free during the week. She also liked this company, which operates in various states and two other Colorado State Parks. “I trust that their customer service is wonderful. So, if anyone has an issue, we have a liaison right here in the local
SEE ROCKY VISTA, P4
SEE KAYAK KIOSK, P15
District and city leaders fire confetti cannons and dig in their shovels during the June 12 groundbreaking pep rally for Rocky Vista High School in Commerce City. SUZIE GLASSMAN
• Page 9
• Vestas to lay off 200 employees
Spirits soar for Rocky Vista High School BUSINESS
Commerce City’s long-awaited high school promises room to grow, Friday night lights and a new community identity • Page 3
•27J Schools moves online-only Dec. 1
BY SUZIE GLASSMAN SUZIE@COTLN.ORG
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On a dusty plateau in Commerce City, with the Rocky Mountains silhouetted against the evening sun, district leaders, city officials and future students gathered June 12 to celebrate the start of construction on Rocky Vista High School. Cheerleaders rallied, the marching band played, and the unmistakable buzz of possibility filled the air. This was no ordinary groundbreaking, but a fullblown pep rally to launch a new era for Commerce City.
“This is a long-awaited adventure to get Rocky Vista High School built,” said Superintendent Will Pierce, beaming as he stood near rows of heavy machinery. “And we’re just getting started.” Beyond the fanfare, the groundbreaking marks a milestone for 27J Schools, where decades of growth and careful planning are finally converging. The 46-acre site had sat vacant for 25 years — land that Pierce noted was “almost used for Prairie View” before the city’s size justified a second comprehensive high school. School Board President Tom Green pointed to the land behind him and imagined a not-so-distant future. “I just can’t wait till next fall (2027) when a Friday night football game is happening right out there,” he said, gesturing toward the construction site. “This school won’t be shortchanged. It will have the same academic programs, extracurriculars and amenities as the
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