Transcript Wheat Ridge
WHEAT RIDGE 12.20.12
Jefferson County, Colorado • Volume 29, Issue 26
December 20, 2012
50 cents
A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourwheatridgenews.com
Reaching out to others Beth Eden Baptist School students spend week serving community By Sara Van Cleve
svancleve@ourcoloradonews. com This is the season for giving, and students from Beth Eden Baptist School spent all last week doing just that. The school hosted its first Helping Hands Serve-a-Thon from Dec. 10 to Dec. 14, and students from first grade through 12th grade served others through community service. “We want our community to know we have a heart to serve other people,” said Beth Eden Administrator Ed Francis. “It’s an important value to the character development of our students.” The students took time away from preparing for finals and impatiently waiting for winter break to serve the greater Denver community in a variety of ways. Some students sang Christmas carols and visited with residents at senior living facilities, others went shopping for children’s bedding
for the nonprofit Sweet Dream in a Bag. A couple high school classes volunteered their time at the Ronald McDonald House, doing chores and wrapping gifts for children who are staying there, while a class of first-graders baked cookies and made Christmas cards for the Wheat Ridge Police Department. “It’s a new experience for all of us,” said senior Lynnae Moore as she and four of her classmates wrapped presents for children at the Ronald McDonald House. “It’s kind of fun.” While the students shared laughs as they wrapped the presents, they learned a valuable lesson. “We can all take time away from our schedule to give back to others,” said senior Allie Glaban. A couple days later, excitement filled the classroom as the firstgrade class of Pam Francis colored stocking cards as they waited for their cookies for the police officers to bake. “It’s fun. It gets kids involved and more aware of the community,” Francis said. “At this age, it’s good to have them thank people who are working for us, and it’s important for them to rec-
Emily Scudder, left, and Allie Glaban, seniors at Beth Eden Baptist School, wrap presents for children staying at the Ronald McDonald House in Denver as part of the school’s inaugural Share-A-Thon. During the Share-A-Thon, students donated their time to the community through a variety of projects. Photo by Sara Van Cleve ognize what they’re doing for us every day. It’s been a lot of fun for the kids.” First-grader Elijah Pilchard said he thinks it is important to thank the men and women who keep his city safe. “I like it, and it’s fun,” Pilchard said. “We’re doing it to help
our community because they help us be safe.” After the cookies were baked and the cards were made, the firstgraders walked over to the police station to make their special delivery. In addition to teaching students about community service,
the Serve-a-Thon was also a fundraiser, during which the school’s families collected donations from family, friends and neighbors to help support the school. The school plans on doing another Serve-a-Thon next year closer to Thanksgiving, Ed Francis said.
I-70 transit ideas rolled out Various technology concepts seek to stem freeway congestion By Glenn Wallace
gwallace@ourcoloradonews. com State of the art transportation west of Denver used to mean saddling up a horse. But at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds Dec. 13, the public was given a look at what the future of travel up the I-70 corridor might look like. The public tech expo was hosted by the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) as part of the $1.8 million Advanced Guideway System (AGS) feasibility study. The study has three phases, according to CDOT Special Projects Manager David Krutsinger. The first step is to gather proposals from around the world about what type of rail/guideway system might work in the Rockies. Second, CDOT will analyze what type of alignment those technical options require. Questions to be answered, Krutsinger said, include whether they could follow the freeway, and how much land would be needed for the tracks, and stations. Phase three will look at how to pay for the estimated $15 billion cost.
Concept image of a American Maglev tram. Photos provided “Today’s forum is the culmination of our exploration of the first one,” Krutsinger said. A total of 18 firms proposed their versions of a rail technology that could stretch from Denver International Airport to the Vail Airport, and carry people faster and more efficiently than another lane of asphalt. The 40-member study commission compared the proposals using several key criteria, including safe-
POSTAL ADDRESS
ty, proven technology, capability even in wind and weather, and the ability to be operational as early as 2017. Those criteria narrowed the field to proposals from 10 firms, and eight of those attended the expo. Krutsinger said the public expo helped CDOT keep the public informed about the progress of the study and gather input from regional stakeholders. He said it was also just to share “the wow factor of seeing what these technologies are capable of.” CDOT anticipates any new tram system becoming at least partially operational by 2025.
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An image from Talgo, one of the presenters at the Dec. 13 tech expo.
Among the expo attendees were some study commission members, along with city representatives for mountain communities, including Idaho Springs and Empire. • American Maglev Transit of Powder Springs, Ga.: Magnetic levitation and linear induction of large passenger cars of approximately 200 passengers along with their luggage. • Flight Rail of Ukiah, Calif.: A passenger tram along an elevated guideway, powered by vacuum air pressure built up in the pneumatic tube that the tram will ride above. • General Atomics of San Diego and Colorado Maglev Group: Large guiderail tram proposal, designed in collaboration with the Federal Transit Administration. This system could carry standard truck containers. • MegaRail of Fort Worth, Texas: A system that looks a bit like a raised motorway. Electrically powered, rubber-tire vehicles move freight and large passenger cars, while other users could drive their own vehicles onto flatbed cars for transit.
• PPRTC of Colorado Springs: A Personal Rapid Transit approach, with pod-cars that seat up to six, on a fixed guideway. Each pod car is elevated on a cushion of compressed air and propelled forward magnetically. Pods act as taxis, going directly to the desired stop. Each pod is fed power, generated through hydrogen fuel cells, at station stops. • SkyTran of Longmont: Also a point-to-point service, using small three-seat pods to move passengers directly to their destinations. The pods hang below the guideway, and the system uses a magnetic, linear motor system for motion. • Swift Tram of Boulder: Another hanging train design, it uses adjustable passenger compartments to move up to 38 passengers. • Talgo of Seattle: Possibly the most traditional proposal, Talgo trams would use energy from the power grid, traction motors and conventional adhesion. Regenerative braking, like that used on hybrid vehicles, would be used to minimize energy needs.