March 5, 2015
SouthPlatteIndependent.net
A R A P A H O E C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O A publication of
Election coverage online: Results of the March 3 Littleton special election were not available by press time. Go to littletonindependent.net for coverage.
Pumba and Boris, therapy pigs who make their way to Alzheimer’s and dementia patients in the south metro area, get in their wagon Feb. 25 after an hour-long visit with residents, part of the Intermissions Program at Wind Crest in Highlands Ranch. Photo by Christy Steadman
Take a look: Eye of the Camera exhibit puts fine photography on display. See Page 16
Pigs bring smiles, memories Pumba and Boris visit people with cognitive impairments at local facilities By Christy Steadman
csteadman @coloradocommunitymedia.com
Tourney time: The high school basketball playoffs are in full swing. See Page 23
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Opal Vollbaum had a memory of something. She remembered she grew up on a farm in Texas. On that farm, they grew corn, and there were horses, cows and pigs. More than 100 pigs, she said. Vollbaum remembered her dad took care of the pigs, her friends didn’t want to touch the pigs, and sometimes, she and her two sisters would chase them. Other times, she and her sisters got chased by the pigs. She lives at Highline Place in Littleton, an Anthem Memory Care community for people with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Vollbaum can’t always remember a lot of things, but two special pot-bellied pigs, Pumba and Boris, help spark Voll-
Pigs continues on Page 4
Superintendent finalists named
F IND AL L OF OU R ADV ERTIS ER S O NL INE
P L E AS E S UPPORT OUR LOCAL ADVE RTI SER S FOR T HE I R CONTR IBUTION TO K EE PI NG OU R C OMMUNIT Y CONNECTED
Four candidates in running for Littleton Public Schools post Staff report
G ET SOCIAL WITH US
For Koda the K9 and little Natalie Ryan, it was love at first sight at last summer’s National Night Out event. File photo
P LE AS E R ECYCLE T HIS COPY
Group aims to help 4-legged officers Citizens academy alums raise funds for Littleton Police K9s By Jennifer Smith
jsmith@coloradocommunitymedia.com PRSRT - STD ECRWSS US POSTAGE PAID LOVELAND, CO PERMIT #167 EDDM POSTAL PATRON
Opal Vollbaum tentatively pets Boris, a 50-pound therapy pig, last summer at Highline Place in Littleton. Boris and his companion, Pumba, visit the residents of Highline Place, an Anthem Memory Care community, every Sunday. Courtesy photo
baum’s memory of having fun on that farm in Texas. “Pumba and Boris like attention and they like people in particular,” pig owner Erin Brinkley-Burgardt said. “The biggest thing is they bring cheer to an atmosphere that can be a pretty dark place.” Pumba, a 10-month old male weighing about 40 pounds, and Boris, a fullgrown male at 1 ½ years old and about 55 pounds, are therapy pigs that live at Hog Haven Farm in Denver. BrinkleyBurgardt, whose grandfather had dementia when he died, volunteers her time to bring Pumba and Boris to Highline Place every Sunday. The pigs also have monthly therapy sessions at Wind Crest, a retirement community in Highlands Ranch, during the Intermissions Program, which is offered to Wind Crest residents living with some level of dementia. “The program is all about putting a smile on their faces,” said Kathy Krajecki,
Sitting in the back seat of a police cruiser eyeballing his officer’s french fries, Koda doesn’t look much like a four-legged use of force. But have no doubt, the 2-year-old German shepherd/Belgian Malinois mix will take you out should the need arise. “People love the dogs, but people have a miscon-
ception about the dogs,” said Joe Hanson. “They can be vicious, but they aren’t vicious. They are trained to be aggressive when they need to be.” Hanson and his wife, Sue, are heading up the effort to make the Littleton Police Department’s K9 unit self-sustainable. Members of the Littleton Police Citizens Academy Alumni Association, they formed a subgroup in 2013 called Friends of Littleton K9 thanks to a generous $12,000 donation from fellow LPCAAA member Sue Otto. “She was just really enamored with the dogs,” said Joe Hanson. K9 continues on Page 4
The search for a new Littleton Public Schools superintendent has been narrowed to four finalists. The names announced at the Feb. 26 Littleton Board of Education meeting are Amy Oaks, Littleton High School principal; Clay Abla, Littleton director of secondary education; Brian Ewert, Englewood Schools superintendent; and Jackie Kapushion, Mapleton Schools deputy superintendent. The candidates will be interviewed on March 14. Initial interviews will be conducted by two superintendent selection advisory committees made up of Littleton faculty, staff members and community residents. The boards will advise the Littleton Board of Education, which will conduct the final interviews. Plans are for the board to announce its selection shortly after the round of interviews. The school district is conducting the search for an individual who will fill the superintendent vacancy created by Scott Murphy’s decision to retire at the end of the school year. Murphy has been the superintendent since 2006.