FREE
Week of November 17, 2022
JEFFERSON COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 12 | LIFE: PAGE 14 | CALENDAR: PAGE 17 | SPORTS: PAGE 24
VOLUME 18 | ISSUE 22
Remembering Nancy Young: Arvada’s historian The authority on all things Arvada, Young was a dogged researcher and an incomparable friend BY RYLEE DUNN RDUNN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Nancy Young loved Arvada in a way that made you fall in love with it too. As she put it, Young was born in Arvada on Jan. 7, 1952, “When the Arvada Square was a field, the Arvada Plaza was a field and you knew
it was a small town because everyone knew everybody’s business.” Young was an intrepid researcher who became the foremost expert on Arvada history during her lifetime. Young died in her home on Nov. 4 after fighting an illness. She was 70 years old. Young is survived by her sister and brother-in-law, Susan and Dan-
iel Westervelt — both of whom live in Alaska — as well as many neices and nephews. She is preceded in death by her parents, Kathryn and Jack Young, and her brothers John and Thomas. A 17-year board member of the Arvada Historical Society, where she contributed swaths of original research on the city’s history, Young frequently volunteered at the McIlvoy House and helped preserve the Historical Society’s archives. More than anything, Young enjoyed sharing history with others.
“She just loved sharing the history with visitors who came in,” Arvada Historical Society President Karen Miller said. “She was our go-to person when we needed an article written or researched, when people call or have questions about the history of a house or their family. I would always refer them to Nancy.” “It’s like Nancy and Arvada are synonymous to me,” Susan Shirley, a friend of Young’s, said. “Almost everything I know about Arvada SEE REMEMBERING, P10
Holiday events coming to Olde Town Arvada Jeffco Board Ice skating rink, tree lighting, of Education lagniappe and Saturdays votes to close with Santa highlight holiday happenings 16 elementary schools BY RYLEE DUNN RDUNN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
If you’re looking for some holiday cheer, Olde Town Arvada’s upcoming slate of events has got you covered. Olde Town Arvada Business Improvement District Executive Director Joe Hengstler provided details for holiday happenings including a maker’s market, an ice-skating rink, an eggnog and cider competition, Saturdays with Santa and more. Without further ado, here are some of the special events taking place in Olde Town over the next few months:
Ice Skating Rink: Nov. 18 to Jan. 29 Arvada will have an ice rink for the first time since 2020. The Olde Town BID purchased a 40-foot by 60-foot synthetic ice rink from KwikRink, a manufacturer based in Minn. which will be set up in Olde Town Square. From Nov. 18 to Jan. 29, the rink will be open 3-7 p.m. Mondays through Wednesdays, 3-9 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturdays and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sundays. Skate rentals will be available and Hengstler cautioned against using your own skates due to the nature of the synthetic rink. SEE PREVIEW, P2
BY ANDREW FRAIELI AFRAIELI@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Children skating at the old ice rink in Olde Town Square in 2020. This year’s rink will difCOURTESY OF OLDE TOWN ARVADA BID fer substantially from the one piloted in 2020.
The Jefferson County Board of Education unanimously voted to close 16 elementary schools on Nov. 10, approving a consolidation plan initially presented to the Board by the District on Aug. 25. Under-enrollment and lack of resources were continuously cited by the District and Board over the last three months for why the consolidations are necessary, with specific attention to inequity in school programs due to stretched District resources. An hour-long public comment before the vote showed no parent, teacher or community member speaking in support of the decision, though. “Closing 16 schools with no public process or input the way you have done it is not appropriate,” Sarah Stites, a local business owner and former Jeffco teacher said. Many parents and community members see the decision as rushed and lacking sufficient input from the community, calling the community meetings and public SEE CLOSING, P3