WEEK OF DECEMBER 26, 2024
VOLUME 20 | ISSUE 26
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Mission Arvada gives away Christmas presents for 1,500 children
2024 in rewind for Arvada Up-and-down year sees turnover at city hall, on the council dais
BY RYLEE DUNN RDUNN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Serenity Ridge Park was welcomed into the Arvada parks network this year. BY RYLEE DUNN RDUNN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
A
lot can change in a year, and that sentiment surely rings true in Arvada. 2024 saw the city expand, new parks come to fruition and turnover in key positions at city hall — including at the helm of the city team and on the city council dais. This year saw Arvada continue to grow into its own in unprecedented ways, as the city’s transformation from a small agricultural town into a large metro area suburb with a distinct identity of its own appears to be in full swing. Updates on projects like the settlement of the Jefferson Parkway lawsuit and the completion of the Arvada Aquatics Center entered new phases. Meanwhile, new issues like the city’s purchase of the former Early College of
Arvada building and plans to turn that site into a homeless navigation center reared their heads for the first time. It’s been a busy year in Arvada. To review, let’s start at the top. Arvada expands westward
Shortly after the first of the year, Arvada expanded westward,finishing the last round of annexations and rezonings for the parcel of land that would come to be known as Canyon Pines. The city began annexing land in the Canyon Pines area in 1997. The new residential development will, for the first time, mean that Arvadans live west of Highway 93. The land that would become Canyon Pines wasfirst purchased by Terry Ten Eyck in 1980 as a possible homestead for his family, though that plan never materialized. Ten Eyck had the distinction of naming the streets in Canyon Pines,
VOICES: 8 | LIFE: 10 | CALENDAR: 13 | SPORTS: 16
PHOTO BY RYLEE DUNN
which he used as an opportunity to honor the area’s ties to the Union Pacific railroad line that runs adjacent to its borders. Homes in the newly formed neighborhood, which are currently on sale, range in price between $2.5 and $6.million. Arvada parts ways with City Manager Lorie Gillis
Unexpected news came out of city hall this year, as theCity of Arvada parted ways with former City Manager Lorie Gillis after less than two years on the job. Gilis’ resignation from the city as accepted by city council at an executive session in July, and the city’s governing body laterapproved a $320,000 severance package — more than Gilis’ $260,000 base salary when she was working for the city. SEE REWIND, P2
On a cold winter’s day in Arvada, hundreds of families lined up outside The Rising Church in Olde Town, anxiously anticipating one of the largest gift drives of the year. This year’s Christmas Joy event, held on Dec. 14 by Mission Arvada — the homeless ministry that operates within The Rising — gave away Christmas presents to 1,500 children, the most prolific year in the event’s history. The milestone is perhaps a bittersweet one; the event usually serves around 500 children, but ballooned in size this year due, in part, to harsh economic traditions, which threaten to put a damper on holiday festivities. “Maybe because we’ve had success in previous years, but also because of the need, unfortunately,” Mission Arvada Director Karen Cowling said when asked about the uptick in children this year. Mission Arvada Team Lead Christine Thurston said the event has been steadily gaining attendees over the years — which, in the past, has caught the event organizers off guard. This year, they were prepared for the influx. “It’s always been around 300 kids,” Thurston said. “And then one year, social media jumped up, and everyone was sharing it. And then we got about 500 two years ago. We weren’t prepared for it. I went to the end of the line and I just brought out stuffed animals and took their name and information, and I said, ‘We may or may not (have gifts for you).’” Part of the draw towards Mission Arvada’s event, rather than other similar gift drives in the area, is the low barrier for entry. A simple registration questionnaire is all that’s needed to shop around the donated gifts — providing a birth certificate or proof of income and/or residency are not required. “We’re going to help as many people as we can where they’re at,” Thurston said. “And we go based on personal ethics. What they say honestly of how many kids they have — compared to other places where they ask for the birth certificates; there’s a lot more red tape. So, there’s little barrier on their end.” SEE PRESENTS, P4
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