Sentinel Lakewood
LAKEWOOD 2/21/13
Jefferson County, Colorado • Volume 89, Issue 28
February 21, 2013
A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourlakewoodnews.com
Community gets update on Lamar Station Apartments will be first constructed along W Rail Line By Clarke Reader
creader@ourcoloradonews.com The Lamar Station Crossing development is moving steadily along, and neighbors received an update on the project Feb. 13. An open house was held at the home of 40 West Arts, 1560 Teller St., which gave residents and surrounding businesses a chance to learn about the progress being made on the project. The Lamar Station Crossing is a housing project by Metro West Housing Solutions, which will be the first apartment community constructed along the former West Rail Line, officially renamed the W Rail Line. There will be around 110 apartments, with 80 percent affordable rentals and 20 percent market rentals. “We wanted to open up to the neighborhood and bring them up to speed on what we’ve been doing,” said Executive Director and CEO of Metro West Tami Fischer. Scott Koop, “We’ve had lots of Ward 2 meetings about the project, and as councilman we’ve built, we’ve been able to give more and more detail.” Fischer said some of the progress that has been made since the last meeting include some changes in the design and color palette, which were on display for residents to view. Options for the logo design were also on display, and visitors were encouraged to vote on which one they liked the most. Bunny Malm, who has been working with the project for years, said that it’s not often one has the chance to get in on the ground floor of something like this. The apartments will be close to the light rail, which will allow for a lot of transit, education and employment opportunities, and there are other features. There will be a gym, business center and community room, and will be classes on first time homeowner preparation, fitness and cooking. “I’ve been involved and sitting in on meetings, and I really appreciate how included the neighborhood has been,” said Ward 2 Councilman Scott Koop. “It’s really important to hear what residents are thinking. They have a lot to be proud of.” For more information on the project, visit www.mwhsolutions.org.
‘It’s really
important
A special needs student plays piano with music teacher Catherine Mahoney at Rockley Music Friday, Feb. 15, in Lakewood. Photo by Andy Carpenean
Program on helping beat New classes will focus on students with special needs By Clarke Reader
creader@ourcoloradonews.com
R
ockley Music Center is building on its reputation as a music education hub with a new program for special needs students. The 11-week special learners course will start March 2 at Rockley, 8555 W. Colfax Ave., and will be taught by Catherine Mahoney. “This is something we wanted to get to when we were at the point where we could offer music education for all students,” said Liane Rockley, who owns the shop with her husband Tobin. “We happened to stumble upon Catherine, and saw she had experience working with children with special needs, and thought it would be a great fit.” Mahoney has a bachelor’s degree from Berklee College of Music, where she had a chance to study music education and therapy. She has worked at a special education facility in Boston, where students with de-
‘We seem to have found a really good niche for the community.’ Liane Rockley, owner velopmental disabilities use music to interact and express themselves. So far at Rockley she has one student with Down syndrome, but is excited to start a program that will allow for more students. “I have been trying to get a jump off for something like this, but it’s hard to find marketing and the facilities,” Mahoney said. “That’s why the relationship with Rockley has been great.” Students will be separate into two age groups — 6 through 12 and 12 through 18 — and will meet for an hour on Saturdays. What kind of music and instruments are used will depend on the students that enroll, Mahoney said, but she said drums and percussion will probably
feature heavily. “I’ve found that hand-drums and drum circles work across all ages. They help to build rhythms and connections,” Mahoney said. She also added that the rhythm and and repetition of drums has been known to help stroke victims. Learning an instrument can also help develop fine and gross motor skills. Liane said that the education center has been reaching out to schools and the community to let them know about this opportunity. There are only room for about six students in each class, which she said is to give the students the most time with Mahoney. “It’s important that we have enough students to work on social skills, but we don’t want too many so that some students feel overwhelmed or left out,” Mahoney said. Liane said there is a lot of excitement and momentum building around Rockley’s education centers, which made starting this program possible. “We seem to have found a really good niche for the community,” she said. For information and registration, call 303-233-4444, ext. 119.
Jefferson County Sheriff’s facility on budget Construction contract approved this week By Glenn Wallace
gwallace@ourcoloradonews.com The construction phase of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Complex expansion and remodel project is about to get under way and reported on budget. Jefferson County Board of Commissioners approved a $26,209,592 construction contract with Haselden Construction during the Tuesday meeting. Phase One of the project, the preconstruction design and cost estimations, has been under way since January 2012, and contracted to Haselden Construction.
Half a year earlier, county staff had warned the sheriff’s complex was estimated to come in as much as $8.6 million over budget. Value engineering and construction design savings were credited with bringing the project back in line. Most recently, Haselden’s Phase Two bid was actually $915,000 less than initially estimated after plan revisions. Facilities and Construction Management representative Anne Panza told the commissioners that “long term efficiency, and building quality was preserved” during the engineering cost savings changes at a staff briefing a week ago. At that briefing, Special Projects Chief Jeff Shrader with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said the plans for the new
facility would greatly aid the agency, noting expanded evidence vault area with a doubling of usable space as one example. “We think it’s going to provide us with space for the next 20 to 40 years,” Shrader said. He added that gun and DNA lab space are still included in the revised complex design. One feature of the sheriff’s complex not included in the new design is an impound yard. Shrader said the department has privatized most of that operation, and already shifted about 80 percent of impounded vehicles offsite. Shrader said the freed-up space would be used to help stage for the coming construction. Construction could begin as early as March, and is expected to take 15 months.
to hear what
residents are
thinking.
They have a lot to be
proud of.”
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