Serving Lakewood, Wheat Ridge and beyond
WEEK OF AUGUST 10, 2023
VOLUME 40 | ISSUE 3
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Morrison South Jeffco Rotary remembers Marcellina Otii, the Rotarian who built a school in Uganda officials approve rezoning parcel for a pot shop BY DEB HURLEY BROBST DBROBST@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
for the walls of the building. The South Jeffco Rotarians were early supporters. “I mean, we’re starting back when it was still school being held under a tree,” Lacy said. “Today they have a building. Our very latest project is for hygiene, to put in bathrooms for both adults and children and a hand washing station.” Lacy is in Uganda with other
A one-acre parcel in Morrison has been rezoned to allow a marijuana company to build a store there, despite the concern of some neighbors in Red Rocks Ranch that the shop will add to the traffic and parking woes in the area. The Morrison Board of Trustees on Aug. 1 voted 5-1 to rezone the property on the northeast side of Morrison Road and C-470 just north of the wastewater treatment plant from planned development to mixed-use commercial and office. Trustee David Wirtz voted no because he said he didn’t believe a marijuana shop should be allowed in the town. Trustee Sean Forey was absent. In July, the Morrison Planning Commission unanimously recommended that the land be rezoned. Fifteen neighbors of the property made their case during the meeting, saying people already drive too fast on Morrison Road, and a retail marijuana shop would just make things worse. They also said people now park in their subdivision on their way to Bear Creek Lake Park, and when residents want to walk to
SEE MARCELLINA, P2
SEE REZONING, P6
Parents and community members work the garden on the Mother Earth Montessori School grounds. The produce sales are another COURTESY MOTHER EARTH MONTESSORI ON FACEBOOK source of income for students’ families and the school. BY JO DAVIS JDAVIS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
The South Jeffco Rotary recently took a meeting to memorialize Marcellina Otii, a longtime educator and school founder who died July 8. Amongst the stories told were about Otii’s time in Colorado and how she convinced the Denver Metro Rotary Clubs to sponsor a preschool in her hometown of Gulu, Uganda. Two of the South Jeffco Rotary
members shared some stories about Otii’s work with the club. “Marcellina was a longtime educator,” Rotarian Pamela Lacy said. “She wanted to be able to partner with Rotary to help support her school. And we agreed this was a great idea.” Lacy described a few projects that the South Jeffco Rotary undertook to help with the Mother Earth Montessori School in Gulu City, Uganda. These include funding grading for the school building site and bricks
WESTMINSTER VOICES: 14 | LIFE: 16 | CALENDAR: 19 | SPORTS: 22
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