Sentinel NORTHGLENN 1.10.13-20
Northglenn -Thornton
January 10, 2013
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A Colorado Community Media Publication
ournorthglennnews.com, ourthorntonnews.com
Adams County, Colorado • Volume 49, Issue 22
Cities collect trees, recycle into mulch By Darin Moriki dmoriki@ourcoloradonews.com The holiday season is over, but the work has just begun for environmental services employees
from the cities of Thornton and Northglenn. As families work to take down their Christmas decorations and welcome in the New Year, these employees are beginning to col-
lect and sort natural trees as a part of each city’s annual Christmas tree recycling program. Northglenn Solid Waste Foreman Keith Kovach said the city officially kicked of this year’s re-
Keith Kovach, solid waste foreman for the city of Northglenn, loads trees onto a flatbed at Jaycee Park on Irma Drive where residents drop off Christmas trees for recycling Jan. 3. Photo by Andy Carpenean
cycling program on Dec. 26 and is currently accepting Christmas trees at the Green Waste Recycling Center, 12301 Claude Court, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Friday. To provide more options than in previous years, Kovach said residents with valid proof of residency identification, such as a water bill, may also bring their trees to two city locations: Northwest Open Space by the city’s water treatment plant, at West 112th Avenue and Ranch Drive, and Jaycee Park, located at Leroy Drive and Irma Drive. Kovach said the city will also accept disassembled trees placed in polycarts on residential city curbs. In all, Kovach estimates that Northglenn collected about 400 trees last year, which were later shredded and provided to residents, city parks and neighboring cities as mulch. “We started this program about 10 or 11 years ago to just keep the trees out of the landfill by reducing the stuff going there,” Kovach said. “It works out pretty well because it makes free mulch for the
residents here in Northglenn, plus we give it to Westminster, Broomfield and whoever wants to use it.” Thornton Environmental Services Supervisor Howard McGee said the city has a similar program in place and will accept natural Christmas trees from Thornton residents from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday at the city’s maintenance center at 12450 Washington St. McGee also said natural Christmas trees will be collected from residential curb sides through Friday for city trash customers only on regular trash collections days. In all, McGee said the city’s Christmas tree recycling program collected a total of 1,815 trees last year that were later shredded and turned into mulch. For more information about Thornton’s Christmas tree recycling program, e-mail the city’s Environmental Services division at environmentalsvcs@ cityofthornton.net or call 720-9776200. For more information about Northglenn’s Christmas tree recycling program, call 303-450-4004 between 7 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.
Northglenn to decrease spending, up salaries By Darin Moriki
dmoriki@ourcoloradonews.com A 2 percent pay increase for most city employees and a decrease in non-grant funded spending for capital improvement projects are among highlights reflected in Northglenn’s budget for the 2012-13 fiscal year. The city’s $37,448,976 budget, which was approved by a 7-to-2 vote during City Council’s Dec. 10 regular meeting, outlines a mixture of upturns and downturns that have been attributed to the city’s ongoing reliance of sales and use tax revenues.
Ward IV Councilmembers Gene Wieneke and Kim Snetzinger voted against the proposed budget, citing concerns with a projected $190,000 city fund balance deficit and a 17 percent vacancy rate expected for next year. City Finance Director Jason Loveland said about 40 percent of the city’s total revenues are generated through the collection of sales and uses taxes, which are contingent upon consumer and business spending patterns. At issue for the city was the economic downturn, marked by a period of time between December 2007 and June 2009, when the city experienced an 8.8 per-
cent decrease in annual sales and use tax collections. However, Loveland said, sales and usetax collections are expected to reach prerecession levels this year following several years of gradual improvements in the nation’s economic climate. To address an anticipated 2.3 percent non-grant revenue decrease next year, Loveland said the 2012-13 fiscal year budget includes a decrease in planned, nongrant funded projects by 17.8 percent or $1.4 million. Northglenn city employees will also receive one of the first pay raises in the past
three years following a three-year-long pay and hiring freeze that was implemented in 2008. The freeze, which was later repealed by the council in mid-2011, was followed by small market adjustments and step increases for city employees last year. Loveland said this year’s budget includes a maximum 2 percent market adjustment for all positions surveyed below current industry levels; a maximum 2 percent step increase for all non-sworn employees; and a 6 percent step increase for all sworn police personnel.
Brittany Hill opening delayed, repairs continue By Darin Moriki
dmoriki@ourcoloradonews.com Prospective Brittany Hill patrons who were waiting to enjoy the famed Sunday brunches once served at the hilltop event venue will have to wait a little longer. Jay Byerly, the owner of Golden-based event-planning company Crystal Rose, announced last month that his company had acquired a new 12-year lease on the sprawling 17,241-square-foot restaurant at 9350 Grant St. in Thornton, and was accepting event reservations beginning in the first week of this month. However, Byerly said last week that his company will have to delay the opening for another month while repairs continue in certain parts of the restaurant. POSTAL ADDRESS
“We are doing many things to make the restaurant better and try to get things so it’s totally done,” Byerly said. Thornton Development Director Chris Molison said city building and fire staff inspected the Brittany Hill site with several Crystal Rose representatives a few weeks ago and discovered that there were several issues that needed to be resolved before the restaurant could reopen. Molison said all the previous kitchen equipment has been removed and is being replaced, but explained that certain parts of the kitchen must still be brought up to The reopening of Brittany Hill under new management is under way as work continues on the restaurant. Photo by Andy Carpenean city code standards. He said cooking for events will not be allowed until the fire suppression system is is installed and calculations are provided linens, and was in the final process of havre-installed in the hoods over the cooking regarding the electrical and gas loads re- ing the aging chairs in the restaurant reequipment, the air handling equipment is quired for this equipment. done. re-balanced, the new cooking equipment Byerly also said he is in the process of Molison also said the restaurant’s bar area has also been deemed “unsanitary scheduling an appointment with the Triand unusable” by the Tri-County Health County Health Department to inspect the recent renovations completed on the resDepartment. “We really hope that (Byerly) will follow taurant’s bar area and working with the Printed on recycled through,” City Manager Jack Ethredge said state and the city to transfer the restaunewsprint. Please during a Dec. 4, 2012 city council planning rant’s liquor license from Anaheim, Calif.recycle this copy. session. “It’s better to have the site open based Specialty Restaurants, which still than it is closed, but on the same token, he owns the Brittany Hill property. If everything falls into place, Byerly said is going to have to meet the city codes in he is currently planning to open the restauorder to get it opened.” As of last week, Byerly said the Crystal rant for brunch sometime around the first Rose had laid down new carpet in the res- week of next month and is only booking taurant, received a new shipment of table private events starting at that same time.