Transcript WHEAT RIDGE 3.14.13
Wheat Ridge
March 14, 2013
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A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourwheatridgenews.com
Jefferson County, Colorado • Volume 29, Issue 38
Proposed Crown Hill changes draw crowd Options to local favorite discussed By Clarke Reader
creader@ourcoloradonews.com About 200 Lakewood and Wheat Ridge residents — some wearing stickers that read “Crown Hill Open Space Forever” — considered proposed changes to Crown Hill Park during a meeting conducted by Jefferson County Open Space. The meeting was Monday at the Wheat Ridge Active Adult Center. The 242-acre park, between Lakewood and Wheat Ridge in unincorporated Jefferson County, has been slated for some updates, including adding a pergola-seasonal shade area, new fitness stations and three nature play areas for children that have sparked a passionate community response to keeping the park as is. “No decisions are going to be made tonight,” said Tom Hoby, director of Jefferson County Parks and Open Space. “What we want to do is provide some clarity on information and receive more feedback on the decision making process.” Attendees gathered in small groups of six to 10 people and discussed some of the key questions about the park, particularly about the proposed shade area and the
Jefferson County Open Space has put construction at Crown Hill Park, 9307 W. 26th Ave., on hold until it receives more public input on what should happen at the park. The park, which is a more natural park, was originally slated to receive a shade area, new fresh air fitness stations and “Nature Place” natural play areas for children. Photo by Sara Van Cleve construction of the nature play areas. Susan Watkins, of KezziahWatkins project consultation and strategic planning, ran the meeting, which was largely devoted to the small groups examining the issues and sharing their opinions on the proposed changes. As the groups worked, discussions could
be heard on a variety of topics, from how the changes would affect the park’s wildlife, the lack of available parking to preserving the land for future generations. Most groups agreed that creating a covered shade area would interfere with the nature of the park and some of the views it offered, and several suggested that tress
should be planted instead, which would in time create a natural shade source. Similarly, the majority of residents were opposed to constructing nature play areas for children, citing the fact that the construction and noise made by children could disturb local wildlife, as well as the fact that the park should serve as more of an open space than a recreation center. There are other parks very close to Crown Hill that have children play areas, and the residents said those should be used, thus maintaining Crown Hill’s more wild atmosphere. “We want to preserve Crown Hill as it is. It should be maintained, not expanded and new structures would certainly do that,” said resident Kan Mann. “We don’t want to change the atmosphere of the park, because it is beautiful as is.” After the meeting, all the input will be collected and examined. There is also an online survey that can be taken until March 21. There will be another meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 30, at the Wheat Ridge Recreation Center, where all the results of Monday’s meeting and the internet survey will be discussed, and any other changes debated. For more information on the project, visit www.co.jefferson.co.us/openspace/ openspace_T56_R7.htm.
Jeffco schools alter district boundaries
BEYOND THE WAR ZONE
By Glenn Wallace
gwallace@ourcoloradonews. com
Army Spec. Cody Jones, a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2008-09 sits with girlfriend Sondra Welsh. The Twelve Topics in 12 Weeks story features a look at challenges after returning from deployment. See Page 20. Photo by Andy Carpenean
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By 3-2 vote, the Jefferson County School District’s Board of Education changed district lines. Board members Laura Boggs and Paula Noonan voted against the redistricting, saying they did not approve with how the new lines bisected some school articulation areas. The vote came during the board’s March 7 meeting, and alters the board district lines that were established in 2003. State law requires school districts to update district lines at least every four years. The state statute reads: Director districts shall be contiguous, compact, and as nearly equal in population as possible. Board members are elected by all members of the school district, but represent a specific section of the district. The version of the new boundaries was reviewed at the board’s Feb. 28 meeting. Among the larger changes,
District 5 now extends west to take in Morrison in exchange for more of Littleton to go to District 2, along the western side of C-470. District 3 also gained the Pleasant View and Denver West neighborhoods near Golden. In the new population distribution, District 5 would have the least population,105,656; while the smallest geographic district, District 4, would represent the most people, 109,434.
New districts
District One: Treasurer Robin Johnson, representing Westminster and Broomfield. District Two: Second Vice President Laura Boggs, representing Evergreen and Conifer. District Three: Secretary Jill Fellman, representing Arvada and Wheat Ridge. District Four: Board President Lesley Dahlkemper, representing Lakewood. District Five: First Vice President Paula Noonan representing the Morrison and Littleton area. Population of 105,656.
Lawmakers’ bill eases acquisition of public records Staff Report Gov. John Hickenlooper has signed into law a bill that attempts to make public records easier to acquire. House Bill 1041 requires government agencies in Colorado to email, fax or send by traditional mail records that a person does not want to inspect at the records custodian’s office. The bill, signed by the
governor March 8, allows for an agency to charge for postage if records are mailed but states that no transmission fees shall apply if they are emailed. It also permits fees to be assessed for making paper copies of records and for time spent researching and collecting the information, as already allowed under state law. Critics of the legisla-
tion contend it will only make it more difficult to obtain records by allowing government agencies’ custodians to charge exorbitant fees. The bill has also drawn fire for stating that records will not be delivered until fees are collected. The Colorado Press Association supports the legislation, saying that while it’s not perfect, it
is a positive change. “There’s much work to be done with clarification of CORA (Colorado Open Records Act) and fees, but this is a great first step,” a statement on the CPA’s Facebook page says.
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