Serving Lakewood, Wheat Ridge and beyond
WEEK OF MARCH 13, 2025
VOLUME 41 | ISSUE 32
$2
Lakewood council revises parkland ordinance JEFFCO SCHOOLS OVERNIGHT POLICY LAWSUIT CONTINUES
Unanimous decision seeks to balance open space and development
P2
BY SUZIE GLASSMAN SGLASSMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
STUDENTS EXPERIENCE STATE COURT OF APPEALS PROCESS P4
WESTMINSTER From left, Dakotah Stakley, Troop Leader Katie Judd, Meghan Judd.
WINDOW PHOTO BY SUZIE GLASSMAN
From cookies to confidence Jeffco Girl Scouts sell their way to Hawaii
BY SUZIE GLASSMAN SGLASSMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
FINDING PIECES OF IRELAND IN THE METRO AREA
P12
2025
MINSTER VOTING STARTS
NOW!
For Meghan Judd and Dakotah Stakley, selling 1,000 boxes of Girl Scout cookies each year is about more than earning badges. This year, it’s about achieving a goal they’ve worked toward for years. Their dedication has paid off, and soon, they’ll be heading to Hawaii, a trip funded entirely by their cookie sales. The idea for the trip started when the troop traveled to California’s Redwood Forest on a previous adventure. “We went to the Redwood Forest in California and earned our tree badge,” Stakley said. “When I got in the ocean for the first time, it was freezing! I looked at my troop leader and asked, ‘Where’s the warm water?’ and she said, ‘Hawaii.’ I asked, ‘How many boxes?’ She said, ‘About 4,000.’ I was like, done. Perfect.” Judd and Stakley, both high school seniors, have been in Girl Scouts for 14 and 13 years,
WINDOW
VOICES: 10 | LIFE: 12 | CALENDAR: 15 | SPORTS: 18
City officials expressed confidence that the new ordinance strikes a fair balance between the needs of residents, park expansion goals and housing development realities in Lakewood. The Lakewood City Council voted 8-0 on Feb. 24 to adopt a revised ordinance regulating parkland and open-space dedication requirements for new residential developments. The council’s decision replaces a citizen-initiated ordinance passed in November, which council members later determined had unintended consequences for city planning and housing development. Community engagement played a critical role in shaping the final ordinance. Public comments at the Feb. 24 meeting lasted nearly two hours, with 71 written comments submitted through the council’s website. Residents and stakeholders expressed a range of opinions, from concerns that the ordinance would limit park space to arguments that it could hinder new housing development, particularly affordable housing. At the same time, council members stressed the need to strike a balance, acknowledging the city’s parkland goals with the city’s need for housing development. Additionally, while the citizen-led ordinance intended to protect open space, it created barriers for affordable housing projects and single-family homeowners.
respectively. Now, as they prepare for their final cookie season, they reflect on what it took to fundraise for the trip of a lifetime. “I actually bring a duffel bag of Girl Scout cookies to my high school every day,” Judd said. “People just know I’m the cookie girl.” For Stakley, selling cookies meant using social media and ensuring she always had inventory. ”I posted online, ‘All the cookies are in my garage, so buy from me, please!’” she said. “I put my goal out there: 500 boxes, so I can get my lifetime Girl Scout membership.” Behind the sales strategies and fundraising goals, Judd and Stakley have gained valuable skills that will last beyond Girl Scouts. ”I can dedicate almost every skill I have to Girl Scouts,” Judd said. ”Time management, business ethics, economics, environmental awareness, even medical knowledge from first-aid training. It’s been everything.” SEE COOKIES, P14
SEE PARKLAND, P7
JEFFCOTRANSCRIPT.COM • A PUBLICATION OF COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA