Sentinel
LAKEWOOD 1/3/13
Lakewood
Jefferson County, Colorado • Volume 89, Issue 21
January 3, 2013
A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourlakewoodnews.com
Education key to Kerr, Pettersen Legislators prepare to face challenges By Clarke Reader
creader@ourcoloradonews.com Education is a top issue for Brittany Pettersen and Andy Kerr as they prepare for new roles in the legislative session. Pettersen is a freshman, representing House District 28 as a Democrat, and campaigned hard on making education and education opportunities better for all Colorado residents. She was named to the education and judiciary committees by speaker-designee Mark Ferrandino, and said she is looking forward to the work that can be done there. “As a freshman I’ve very humbled to be on these committees. The education committee is very exciting because that was my top committee pick,” Pettersen said. “We’re going to be working on school finance, the implementation of Senate Bill 191 and the adjustments we’ll need to make because of it.” Meeting with teachers and other groups invested in education is key for moving forward, Pettersen said, and she plans to bring all stakeholders to the table when discussing all issues. Kerr, also a Democrat, is familiar with the way the session works, but since this is his first year in the Senate for District 22, he said he is seeing things through a new lens. “After talking to so many people this summer, I truly believe I know what is on the mind of my district,” he said. “Everyone wants the economy to turn around, but more people talked to me about investing in education.” Kerr is looking forward to working on a partnership with the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) and the Colorado Commission on Higher Education (CCHE) to streamline the process for high school graduates to apply to Colorado higher education institutions. “There are similar information that are
Colorado Sen. Andy Kerr, District 22, inside Senate Chambers. Photos by Andy Carpenean required on all applications, so if we can help with the application forms, that would be very useful, especially for first generation higher-ed students who don’t have parents who can help them fill out the applications,” he said. Kerr also wants to work on legislation that would require new schools to be built and designed to meet the highest energy efficiency standards, which will in turn cost as little as possible to operate. Pettersen said that another key issue she wants to work on is making sure the regulation of Amendment 64 doesn’t override everything else on the agenda. She also wants to work hard to bring both parties to the
‘Everyone wants the economy to turn around, but more people talked to me about investing in education.’ Sen. Andy Kerr, District 22
table whenever possible. “Through the freshman training I’ve met a lot of the freshman Republicans, and I want to continue to build these relationships,” she said. “There are many people I respect, regardless of their affiliation.” Kerr said he stands firm in his support of legalizing civil unions, and believes that it won’t be raise as much attention as it did last year. Issues like the budget and Amendment 64 will also comes up, but he said he has learned how to balance this necessary work with what he would like to accomplish. “I have the experience needed for this, because I know that you put your agenda in place, but there are always things that come up, and they need to just be Incorporated into your agenda,” he said. All the new people at the Capitol is bringing a lot of ideas and passion to the table, Kerr added. “I’m very excited about meeting my new colleagues — the new legislators bring all kinds of fresh energy and ideas to the work Colorado State Rep. Brittany Pettersen, District 28, on the we’re doing,” he said.
third floor of the state Capitol.
Another snag for Jefferson Parkway land swap Land plan remains contested in the courts By Glenn Wallace
gwallace@ourcoloradonews.com The long and winding story of the Jefferson Parkway took two sharp corners recently, as one federal court ruled in favor of allowing a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service land swap to move forward, only to have an appeals court announce a temporary injunction last week. A federal judge on Dec. 21 dismissed the lawsuit that sought to stop the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from transferring a 300-foot right of way, 617 acres along the eastern edge of the Rocky Flats Wildlife Reserve. Five days later, an appeals court ordered the temporary injunction. That strip of land is proposed to become a 10-mile toll road called the Jefferson Parkway. The new road would connect Highway 128 in Broomfield to Highway 93, about three miles north of the city of Golden, as
part of the continuing effort to complete a ring road around the Denver Metro Area. A year ago, the cities of Superior and Golden, along with two environmental groups, all filed lawsuits to halt the land swap, arguing that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had not done adequate environmental review to justify the sale, specifically mentioning the possibility of buried radioactive materials that could be disturbed as a result. Bill Ray, the interim executive director of the Jefferson Parkway Public Highway Authority (JPPHA), called it ironic that environmental groups were asking the court to halt a plan that he says would dramatically improve the Rocky Flats Wildlife Reserve. He added that the land swap, including a provision to add 600 acres of open space to the reserve, was vindicated by the ruling. “The decision is very comprehensive. It is very clear, very thorough that none of the arguments presented by the plaintiffs were accepted by the federal government,” Ray said. According to Ray, the land swap deal,
which includes about $17 million in funding from multiple agencies and municipalities, had been set to close escrow on Dec. 31. The city of Superior, along with the environmental groups WildEarth Guardians and Rocky Mountain Wild, immediately appealed the lawsuit to the 10th Circuit District Court of Appeals, and filed an emergency motion to stop the deal. According to the temporary injunction, the JPPHA and fellow defendants had until Dec. 27 to file a response to the injunction. After reading that response, the 10th Circuit court judges decided that the plaintiffs would have until noon on Dec. 28 to file a rebuttal, which they did. The court’s injunction was scheduled to lift one hour before the escrow deal is set to close, on Dec. 31. If the judges do decide to extend the injunction past the 31st, Ray said it could imperil the entire land swap deal. He said more than one of the involved agencies had expressed doubts about sticking with the deal if there were any more legal delays. Ray added that even with the court’s
blessing, the parkway would still be years and several environmental studies, away from breaking ground. “The granting of the injunction preserves the status quo for now, and Golden can review its options, which I think is a good thing,” said Golden Pro Tem Joe Behm. Behm said the Golden City Council would have to discuss whether to join in the appeal of the lawsuit, as well as how to proceed broader negotiations with the county and the Colorado Department of Transportation about future transit improvements. He said that the city continues to be concerned about overall 470 beltway plans. “It’s because out of the 150 miles of planned road, the five proposed miles in Golden are really the only section that bisects an established community, so it really is critical for us,” Behm said.
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