Herald Highland Ranch 8-29-2013
Highlands Ranch
Douglas County, Colorado • Volume 26, Issue 41
August 29, 2013
A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourhighlandsranchnews.com
Surveyor, commissioners at odds Court battle focuses on definition of job By Ryan Boldrey
rboldrey@ourcoloradonews.com A month after Douglas County Surveyor Dale Hamilton was sworn into office in 2011, he discovered that hundreds, if not thousands of witness corners had been destroyed in Highlands Ranch during sidewalk replacement projects in 2005 and 2007. Witness corners, also known as reference monuments, are small metal discs secured by a nail in the sidewalk placed at a specific distance from a property corner to help determine property lines. According to Hamilton, as well as state statute, it is illegal to remove these reference monuments without proper and professional replacement. After bringing the issue to the commis-
sioners’ attention in February 2011, Hamilton was told he would need to bid for the work. Despite being an elected official, Hamilton, who has been in the surveying business for 51 years, only gets paid $5,500 annually for his position, and all county surveying work is traditionally contracted out. The witness corners need to be reset, Hamilton says, in order to protect property owners from possible issues ranging from neighbors building or tearing down fences on their land to planting or removing trees — or worse, selling land that doesn’t belong to them. Hamilton made requests for funds in March and April 2011 to the commissioners and received no response. In May the commissioners acknowledged the destruction of the monuments, agreed the witness corners should be reset and again asked Hamilton to submit a competitive proposal for the work. After a proposal in August again got no response, Surveyor continues on Page 9
Douglas County Surveyor Dale Hamilton is involved in a legal battle with the county over what he feels his job entails vs. what the county says it does. Hamilton says he is unable to perform his duties without an office or a budget, which is currently the situation. Photo by Ryan Boldrey
Fire chief announces retirement Department staff excited about idea of fresh start By Jennifer Smith
jsmith@ourcoloradonews.com
Becky Yarberry, right, dedicated much of her time to CURE International while she was alive, traveling to countries such as Honduras to help children in medical need. The Sept. 7 “Run For One” in Highlands Ranch will benefit CURE International as well as Becky’s Blessings, a local nonprofit set up in her memory. Courtesy photo
Mother carries on daughter’s dream ‘Run for One’ to raise funds for CURE International By Ryan Boldrey
rboldrey@ourcoloradonews.com When Becky Yarberry was killed in a car accident six years ago outside Vail, her mother began to dedicate part of her own life to fulfilling Yarberry’s. Yarberry, employed as an EMT and three weeks shy of her 28th birthday, was heading westbound on Interstate 70 en route to a doctor’s appointment when a woman driving eastbound hit the median, flipped over it and landed her vehicle on top of Yarberry’s. The young woman who had dedicated her life to helping others was pronounced dead on the scene. Much of that time she had spent helping others had been with CURE International — a nonprofit organization that operates hospitals and programs in 25 developing countries worldwide. As part of the program, patients receive surgical treatment regardless of gender, religion, ethnicity or ability to pay. Yarberry had taken numerous trips with
the organization to places such as Honduras, where — fittingly — money raised from her memorial went to fund a 20-bed hospital wing in San Pedro Sula, one of the most dangerous cities in the world. Yarberry had spent a lot of time talking with her mother, Littleton resident Margie Schoedel, about CURE, and Schoedel had made plans to go with her on her next trip. While the two were never able to go together, Schoedel, a teacher at Castle View High School, picked right up where her daughter left off and began taking her own trips. “She gave me a lot of gifts and that was one of them,” said Schoedel, who last spring took five Castle View students with her to the Dominican Republic, in addition to raising $12,000 for CURE during the school’s “make a difference” week. “She was a hard worker, very outgoing, and had a heart for helping others, especially those less fortunate,” Schoedel said of her daughter. “What I’m trying to do for Becky is get the word out about CURE International and raise awareness about the types of diseases these kids are facing such as cleft palate, hydrocephalus and clubfoot.”
One of the ways Schoedel is getting the word out is through the Sept. 7 “Run for One” 5K/2K family fun run and walk at Mountainview Community Church in Highlands Ranch. The event, which raised $2,100 for CURE last year through Becky’s Blessings Foundation — a nonprofit founded by Schoedel in 2012 — is in its second year in Highlands Ranch. Schoedel had helped organize triathlons in Avon the previous three years, but thought it would be nice to do something local and more family-focused. “Strollers are welcome, dogs on leash are welcome and we’ll have a bouncy house for the kids, a DJ and a silent auction,” she said. “It’s really a community event. Students who are looking to pick up community service hours can also come and volunteer.” The event is from 9 a.m. to noon Sept. 7 at Mountainview Community Church, 40 E. Highlands Ranch Parkway. To register, visit www.runforone2013.eventbrite.com. To learn more about the nonprofits, visit www.beckysblessings.org and www.cure. org. If you wish to donate to the silent auction, contact beckysblessings@comcast. net.
Littleton Fire Rescue Chief John Mullin announced his retirement on Aug. 23, four months after the firefighters’ association formally declared their lack of confidence in his leadership. He announced his decision in an email to all Littleton city employees: “I want to thank (director of public works) Charlie Blosten for his wisdom in hiring me, for the friendship and support that I have enjoyed here and the great adventure that I experienced as a member of Littleton Fire Rescue. “I am retiring on April 1st, which will mark my 40th year. My last day at work will be December 31st. “Thanks for the memories. “Wishing you all the best.” Mullin Littleton Fire Rescue serves most of Highlands Ranch. Joel Heinemann, president of the Littleton Firefighters Association, said the department is looking forward to a new start. “We wish him well in the next chapter of his life,” he said. “We’re excited about moving forward with the future of the Littleton fire department with new leadership.” He did call the timing of Mullin’s announcement suspect, given that South Metro Fire Rescue is expected to release next month its study on the feasibility of bringing LFR and its partners into its fold. The association feels that would be the best fix for a department that’s been under a lot of tension. “The vote of no confidence was a Mullin continues on Page 9
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