Westsider Westsider 4/4/13
North Jeffco
North Jefferson County, Colorado • Volume 12, Issue 13
POSTAL PATRON
April 5, 2013
A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourwestminsternews.com
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Water plan approved By Ashley Reimers
areimers@ourcoloradonews.com
Larry and Sandra Volf are the owners of Dickey’s Barbecue Pit in Westminster. The couple opened the restaurant last November, and since then have enjoyed serving up Texas-style barbecue to the community. Photos by Ashley Reimers
Serving it up Texas-style BBQ restaurant offers Texas-style food and small-town service By Ashley Reimers
areimers@ourcoloradonews.com
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arry and Sandra Volf aren’t just serving up quality food at Dickey’s Barbecue Pit in Westminster, the couple is also serving up a taste of small-town hospitality. Both grew up in small towns in Nebraska and are now extending their way of life to their customers. “What sets us apart from other barbecue places is the atmosphere. We offer a different experience, one where people can enjoy the friendliness of a small town,” Larry said. “We want to get to know our customers by name and be a place where people can come and visit with one another.” Larry and Sandra have always had a love for barbecue, and had plans to open their own restaurant. But after friends took them to a Dickey’s in Louisville, the couple was hooked. “We had lunch there, and I ended up liking their barbecue better than mine, so here we are,” Larry said. “Why try to re-invent
David Trujillo, morning butcher at Dickey’s Barbecue Pit in Westminster, slices up a juicy piece of meat. The restaurant serves up Texas-style barbecue and has been open since last November. the wheel. They do a good job.” Larry and Sandra opened Dickey’s, at 8715 Sheridan Blvd., last November. They spent six months gutting and remodeling
the building, really making the restaurant their own. Sandra said, although it was a lot of work, it feels good knowing the work done was their own. Now the couple is serving up Texas-style barbecue, and savory sides like macaroni and cheese, baked potato casserole and coleslaw. “The pulled pork and the brisket is by far the most popular items on the menu,” Sandra said. “And the coleslaw is the best I have ever had, I eat it every single day.” Keeping with their small-town roots, Sandra and Larry had also made a point to be part of the community by participating in fundraisers and offering up their services to nonprofit organizations. Larry said he plans on donating every Monday’s sales to local causes. “We feel it’s really important to get involved in the community,” Larry said. “We can’t donate to every cause, but we have a facility we can offer to people, we have equipment and we know how to make barbecue. So we can host fundraisers and other events.” Larry and Sandra also offer free meals to children on Sundays as well as daily specials at a cheaper price. Dickey’s Barbecue Pit is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day of the week. For more information visit www.dickeys.com.
Westminster City Council unanimously approved the city’s water conservation plan at its March 25 meeting. The plan will provide a roadmap for the city to reach conservation goals in the Comprehensive Water Supply Plan. Since 2010 city staff has been updating the city’s water conservation plan and staff also encouraged the community to make comments on the plan before the plan was finalized and approved during the meeting. The plan has also been reviewed by the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) and if approved by CWCB, the city will qualify for future funding from the state board. “The plan develops long-term strategies for water conservation programs, implementing and tracking water savings to assure attainment of the water conservation goals required to meet the city’s future build-out water needs,” said Stu Feinglas, city water resources analyst. According to the staff report, the city has a goal of conserving another 2,200 acre-feet of water by build-out, which represents a 6 percent reduction in build-out water demand due to future conservation savings. Feinglas said the city has been doing water conservation for a long time, and in turn, the city has saved quite a bit of water. Most of the city’s conservation needs will be met through passive conservation, like customers purchasing efficient washers and toilets and following the city’s landscape regulations, he added. “Our customers are already using water at a very efficient level,” Feinglas said. “People are buying efficient appliances and using the city’s free irrigation audit to learn how to effectively irrigate their yards with the appropriate amount of water.” Feinglas said the city is also going to increase the amount of information on the customers’ bills so people can learn more about their water usage. Programs like the leak alert system, which alerts customers via e-mail about water leaks and recommends a course of action and a landscape water budget program, which will provide an estimate of expected water use based on the irrigation and landscape, are both available to Westminster residents. During the council meeting, councilor Herb Atchison reminded the public that the water conservation plan does not mean the city is requiring any type of water rationing. “This plan is how we protect the water we have and the water we need for buildout,” he said. “It’s not a restriction, we are just looking at the long-term and how we handle the city needs.” Councilor Scott Major commended the city staff for their work on the plan and said it’s important for the community to conserve in order to sustain the city and the business in the future.
State Senate approves overhaul of school finance Republicans balk at $1 billion cost By Vic Vela
vvela@ourcoloradonews.com A bill that would lead to immense changes in how Colorado schools are financed passed the Democratic-controlled state Senate on April 2, following a partyline vote. Democrats see the “School Finance Act” as an opportunity to modernize an antiquated school finance formula, and to create a more equitable structure by which districts are funded.
But Republicans argue that the 200-page bill does nothing to put in place the reforms that the state’s education system needs. And they cringe at the $1 billion price tag that accompanies it. Senate Bill 213 would fund full-day kindergarten, provide preschool for at-risk children, and would increase needs-based programs for special education and for students who are learning English. The bill also expands funding for students who are involved in gifted and talented programs at schools, and it gives school districts the opportunity to have extended school years and school days, if they choose to do so. In addition, the bill would make changes to per-student funding for school districts
across the state. If the overhaul is implemented, it would result in the most sweeping change to the school finance formula that the state has seen in decades. “This is a once-in-a-generation chance to rewrite the way we fund the single largest, most complex and most important part of the state government, which is how we fund K-12 education,” said Sen. Mike Johnston, D-Denver, a bill sponsor, during an April 1 debate that preceded the final vote. Democrats believe the time has come to help school districts that have had to deal with years of budget cuts, ones that have left students and teachers trying to fend with limited resources. Sen. Linda Newell, D-Littleton, said the
five school districts in her legislative district “absolutely will benefit from this new formula.” “There are schools that are desperately in need,” she said. “I don’t want to see education so poorly funded in Colorado, and this is one way to get there that is equal, but fair.” But Republicans slammed the bill as Finance continues on Page 19
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