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December 26, 2013
50 cents Adams County, Colorado | Volume 50, Issue 20 A publication of
northglenn-thorntonsentinel.com
COMFY AND COZY ARE WE
New roadway to ease traffic, may draw in development By Ashley Reimers
areimers@ourcoloradonews.com
Ashley Barringer, her 2-year-old son Kaden and Michelle Barringer, all of unincorporated Adams County, sit on a sleigh sculpted out of ice during the city of Thornton’s annual WinterFest Friday, Dec. 13. Photo by Tammy Kranz
Construction has begun on an eight-month project to build Orchard Parkway, a secondary roadway to run parallel to Huron Street in north Westminster from 144th Avenue to 136th Avenue. The $7.2 million project will build a four-lane road from 144th Avenue to 142nd Avenue and a two-lane road from 142nd Avenue to 136th Avenue. Westminster deputy city manager Steve Smithers said the decision behind the project came after new developments were built in the area, including the new hospital complex under construction on 144th Avenue. He said the city anticipates future private developments in the area, which will cause a need for Orchard Parkway to be complete to allow access to those areas in a coordinated fashion. “We knew the road needed to be created to allow that corridor to develop in a way that made sense from the Huron Street to Interstate 25,” he said. “We were concerned that if we developed it bit by bit it wouldn’t create a road that is needed for that development to happen in the most coordinated and logical manner possible, so we decided to build the whole thing at once.” Smithers said as new developers come into the area, they will pay a fee to help pay back the $7.2 million cost of the roadway.With the city paying the cost upfront, Smithers said it puts
Roadway continues on Page 5
An hour of computer skills goes a long way By Ashley Reimers
areimers@ ourcoloradonews.com Second- and third-graders at Arapahoe Ridge Elementary School know the code, the technology code that is. The students recently participated in the nationwide Hour of Code event during annual Computer Science Education Week, a celebration geared to encourage interest in technology and show that anyone can learn basic computer skills. Partnering with the Statewide Internet Portal Authority, SIPA, a self-funded government organization serving as the oversight body of the Colorado.gov portal, Arapahoe Ridge hosted their first Hour of Code event on Dec. 12. Students spent one hour learning computer science skills during their math classes with SIPA volunteers helping them along the way. John Conley, SIPA executive director, said it’s important to engage young students in technology and the Hour of Code event was a great opportunity not only to teach students more technology skills, but also a time for SIPA employees to give back to the community. “We really wanted to get kids excited about math, science and technology and being able to do that through the Hour of Code was really great and the kids really enjoyed it too,” he said. “We were able to POSTAL ADDRESS
expose the kids to computer programming by using the popular game Angry Birds, which worked out great.” Through the Angry Bids game, students learned basic concepts of computer science with drag and drop programming. Conley said students had to complete a number of levels before their program was finished. He said seeing the students faces light up after a level was complete was the best part. “There was one second-grader who made it through all 20 levels and that was fun to see,” he said. “But the most encouraging thing out of it was that he went and helped another classmate who was not progressing at the same pace.” Bianca Porter, Arapahoe Ridge assistant principal, is a big advocate for technology in the school and said with the pace of technology changing so rapidly, the Hour of Code event was a great way to incorporate computer skills into the school, while encouraging students to engage in technology. “We are always looking for ways to motivate our students and empower them and the Hour of Code did that,” she said. “Students were empowered by the fact that they had to complete the code and for some, it was an opportunity for them to discover their interest in technology.”
John Conley, executive director of the Statewide Internet Portal Authority, SIPA, teaches students at Arapahoe Ridge Elementary School basic computer skills during the Hour of Code event on Dec. 12. Courtesy photo
NORTHGLENN-THORNTON SENTINEL
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OFFICE: 8703 Yates DR., Ste. 210 Westminster, CO 80031 PHONE: 303-566-4100 A legal newspaper of general circulation in Adams County, Colorado, the NorthglennThornton Sentinel is published weekly on Thursday by MetroNorth Newspapers, 7380 Lowell Blvd., Westminster, CO 80030. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT WESTMINSTER, COLORADO. POSTMASTER: Send address change to: P.O. Box 350070, Westminster, CO 80035-0070. DEADLINES: Display advertising: Fri. 11 a.m. Legal advertising: Fri. 11 a.m. Classified advertising: Tues. 12 p.m.
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