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Week of August 25, 2022
JEFFERSON COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 12 | LIFE: PAGE 14 | CALENDAR: PAGE 15 | SPORTS: PAGE 16
VOLUME 18 | ISSUE 10
Jeffco School District eyes elementary closures Declining enrollment means some schools are at less than half of capacity BY RYLEE DUNN RDUNN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
School is back in session — potentially for the last time at some Jefferson County elementary schools.
As enrollments fall and classrooms stand empty, Jefferson County Public School District Superintendent Tracy Dorland was set to make a recommendation to the school board on Aug. 25 suggesting which schools could be closed after the 2022-2023 school year. Jeffco Schools have a capacity for 96,000 students. Currently, the district has 69,000 students enrolled. Jeffco Schools Chief of Strategy and Communication Lisa Relou said
the district is looking into a number of factors when making the decision on which schools to close, including enrollment and building utilization. According to data provided by the school district, nine Jeffco Schools use 50% or less of their building capacity: Peck Elementary, Swanson Elementary, Thomson Elementary, Emory Elementary, Glennon Heights Elementary, Lasley Elementary, Lukas Elementary, Bergen Meadow Primary and Weber
Arvada Days brings family fun to Clear Creek Valley Park
Elementary. Of those nine, four have projected enrollments under 200 students as of Aug. 15: Peck (38% building utilization, 159 projected students), Thomson (39% building utilization, 193 projected students), Glennon Heights (43% building utilization, 138 projected students) and Bergen Meadow (44% building utilization, 193 projected students). SEE CLOSURES, P2
City council approves Howard Ranch rezone Seventh iteration of mixed housing proposal earns council approval despite neighbors’ concerns BY RYLEE DUNN RDUNN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
The train passes through Clear Creek Valley Park.
Fifth iteration of festival offers live music, face painting, inflatables BY RYLEE DUNN RDUNN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Clear Creek Valley Park was filled with families enjoying live music, inflatable obstacle courses and
balloon magic on Aug. 20 for the fifth-ever Arvada Days festival. The festivities lasted from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and the event was free to the public. Arvada Days is funded by the city
of Arvada along with a host of sponsors. The festival began in 2017 and is organized by the Arvada Festivals Commission. The COVID-19 pandemic shuttered the 2020 event. It returned last year alongside the Ralston House .5k Endurance Challenge, which was not held this year.
The seventh time’s the charm for Denver-based developer redT Homes’ Howard Ranch proposal. Arvada’s City Council unanimously passed a rezone proposal needed for Howard Ranch to move forward at its Aug. 15 meeting. A 13-acre parcel of land located at the southwest corner of West 64th Avenue and Indiana Street was rezoned from RA- Residential Agricultural to R6- Residential 6 District. Howard Ranch — which will include 22 single-family detached homes, 12 cottages and 20 duplexes — is set to occupy the infill parcel between existing subdivisions Wildflower Ponds and the Lakes at Westwood Villas. The proposal laid out by redT on Aug. 15 was the seventh iteration of the Howard Ranch development plan presented to city staff. At a May 17 meeting of the Arvada Planning Commission, the commission voted 6-1 against the proposal, citing
SEE MORE PICTURES ON P4
SEE REZONE, P5
PHOTO BY RYLEE DUNN