Transcript Wheat Ridge
Jefferson County, Colorado • Volume 29, Issue 18
October 25, 2012
50 cents
A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourwheatridgenews.com
TREATS AT THE MARKET
Jefferson County District 2 candidate Casey Tighe, left, and appointed incumbent John Odom, right, spoke Friday at a candidate forum held by the Arvada Chamber. Photo by Glenn Wallace
Jeffco candidates differ on beltway Commissioner candidates sound off By Glenn Wallace
gwallace@ourcoloradonews.com
Szabi Bujdoso of Chimney Cake Bakery waits on a customer while standing behind a display case of pastries at a farmer’s market on north Wadsworth in Wheat Ridge Thursday. Photo by Andy Carpenean
Brewing new beginnings By Cassie Monroe
cmonroe@ourcoloradonews.com Rick Abitbol has two great passions — music and beer. He has been active in both ventures since the mid-1990s, after a gig with his band in Lone Tree when the band mates were led through a brewery’s grain room to the stage on which they would perform. Technically it was Abitbol’s wife, Jaqua, who discovered what would later become a distinguishing factor in their brews. As she waited for him backstage, in the grain room, she tasted a few pieces of grain from a torn bag. “I was surprised to find they were sweet,” Jaqua said. “So, I said, ‘Rick you’ve got to try this.’” Rick Abitbol hopes to combine music and beer with the opening of his own brewery, Rickoli’s Brewery, 4335 Wadsworth Blvd. in Wheat Ridge. “I want to bring those experiences together in this place,” Rick said. “I want to bring out the rock star in everyone.” The projected opening will be in mid-November, but no date has been set yet. Abitbol said he hopes POSTAL ADDRESS
to have eight of his original creations ready by then. What sets the Abitbol’s brews apart from others is the hoppycitrusy-fruity taste that only comes from taking advantage of the hops at an early stage in growth, Abitbol said. He explained a lot of beer with high hop content have a bitter taste, but not their brews. Both Abitbols have worked with several master brewers to develop their expertise. After placing well at a few competitions they got their first professional brewing work at the Shamrock Pub in Pueblo, to Golden City in Golden, until Rick landed a job at Rock Bottom in Lone Tree — the same place where his band had performed years before when Jaqua found some tasty grain to snack on.
Colorado Plus
Colorado Plus Liquid Art Works co-owners, Jesse Duplessis and Eugene Khang, love Colorado craft beers so much it will be the only thing on tap at their brewpub. But with 56 taps customers may have a hard time growing tired of the local brews. Of those, four beers will be cre-
ated in their brew pub, which is at the old Valente’s restaurant, 6995 W. 38th Ave., Wheat Ridge. Adam Draeger, who is the head brewer at Yak and Yetti in Arvada, will also be the brewer at Colorado Plus. Khang is the former owner of Vern’s Liquors, 44th and Wadsworth, Wheat Ridge. His liquor store was known to have a great craft beer selection and he plans to bring his expertise in the subject to the Wheat Ridge community. Khang’s interest in craft beers began to grow in 2004. He said one of his favorite things about brew pubs in Colorado is their ability to sell local brews without having to go through a corporate office. “That really keeps it local,” he explained. Draeger said his brews will have some stiff competition once matched up against the great Colorado stock the pub will carry. “We will have the most Colorado beers on tap in one place in the world,” he said. Draeger said he is looking to develop a niche for his beers to fall into that aren’t already heavily represented in the Colorado craft beer market. His plan is to rotate his brew with two new beers every week, starting with a Belgian-style ale. He will also create many with higher alcohol content and some sours. Colorado Plus will have a 20foot bar downstairs, a second bar upstairs, and a rentable banquet room upstairs. They are planning to open in January and will partner with Right Coast Pizza, across the street, for customers to eat will enjoying their Colorado original beer.
It was the last face-toface match between the two candidates for the 2nd district seat of the Jefferson County Board of Commissioners, establishing their policy differences on audits, the beltway and the budget. Appointed incumbent John Odom and challenger Casey Tighe spoke before the Arvada Chamber of Commerce’s Friday morning candidate forum. Incumbent Republican Faye Griffin from District 1, who is running unopposed this election, also attended the forum and gave a short speech. Democratic Tighe spoke first. The retired CDOT audit director laid out his resume, which includes a bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado, and a law degree from Creighton University in Nebraska. From 2007 to 2011 Tighe served as the chair of the Jeffco Audit Committee. “Unfortunately, last year the audit committee was dissolved by the current board of county supervisors. I think that was a mistake, and I want to bring the committee back,” Tighe said. Odom, a Republican, touted the current BCC for “keeping our fiscal house in order,” pointing to the county’s strong credit rating, and clean audit reports. He was appointed to the Board of County Commissioners (BCC) in 2011 when Commissioner Kevin McCaskey stepped down. The small business owner has a bachelor’s degree in Chinese from Metro State, and an MBA from Thunderbird School of Global Management. “It’s been an interesting almost two years, and I
look forward to continuing in that role,” Odom said. The biggest policy difference between the candidates was revealed by the forum’s first question, asking if they supported the Jefferson Parkway project. “I am unabashedly in favor of finishing not just the Jeffco parkway, but the entire beltway,” Odom said, adding that though part of the project is tied up on a lawsuit, he expected progress to be made on the issue before the end of the year. Tighe said he agreed with the need for the beltway, but was critical of how the current BCC had handled it, particularly in supporting a piece of legislation, the Beltway Economic Enhancement Project. “The problem with that law was it was taking away local decision-making, creating another level of bureaucracy in an effort to complete the beltway,” Tighe said. He said the county should work to bring opposition communities like Golden and Superior back to the negotiation table. Both candidates were asked if they would support modifying or abolishing Jeffco’s Business Personal Property Tax. Tighe said he would like to, perhaps by using audit practices to find additional savings in county operations that could be used to offset the lost revenue. Odom said he would favor lowering the tax, and would be happy to use a new state law that would allow the BCC to offer business tax waivers to help attract and keep businesses in the county.
Printed on recycled newsprint. Please recycle this copy.