WEEK OF JULY 10, 2025
VOLUME 23 | ISSUE 31
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Parker Water offers ways to save H2O, money BY HALEY LENA HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Its goal is to end discrimination against people with intellectual disabilities and provide opportunities for physical fitness and courage. Special Olympics aims to offer year-round sports training and athletic competition in various sports.The organization also provides opportunities for individuals to demonstrate courage and improve their health. The organization boasts millions of athletes across the world, and there are nearly
Although summer is already underway, there are still ways to reduce irrigation use on your landscape and save both water and money. With July and August reaching the highest temperatures of the year, it’s a time when residents’ landscapes need the most water. But, Heather Johnson, a water efficiency specialist at Parker Water and Sanitation District, said the summer also has the highest potential to conserve water. “If we can learn how to irrigate efficiently without leaks, without broken heads or just wasting water, we can save a lot of water for homes,” said Johnson. “It also affects our pocketbooks.” While the water district encourages conservation efforts, there is a difference between water efficiency efforts and conservation. Conservation refers to measures that provide verifiable, permanent water savings or a reduction in the amount consumed. Efficiency focuses on reducing the amount of water waste and only using the minimum amount needed to accomplish a task. Therefore, the Parker and Water Sanitation District, which serves customers within the Town of Parker and surrounding communities, offer programs and rebates for purchasing and installing irrigation products that use less water. “These rebates are applied to your water bill,” Johnson said. Customers can receive rebates for installing EPA WaterSense approved smart irrigation devices. One is a rotary nozzle head. Customers can receive a rebate of $5 per head, up to $100. They can also receive a rebate of $50 for purchasing a rain sensor. The sensor is a controller that attaches to your house and connects to the irrigation box. When it rains, if a certain amount of rain is collected, it will send a signal to the irrigation controller to have it skip a cycle. There is another $50 rebate for customers who purchase a smart irrigation controller. This controller is connected to weather data and adjusts the homeowner’s irrigation schedule based on realtime conditions. “Depending on how you set it up, it will reduce your water use if it’s raining or if we’ve had low temperatures, and increases when we have extra high temperatures,” Johnson said. Funds for these devices are given on a first-come-first-served basis, Johnson said, and the offer will close when the funds have been used for the calendar year.
SEE TIP-A-COP, P4
SEE WATER REBATE, P5
Aislyn Ball, Michael Iranfar and Stephanie Gherbaz with the Parker Police Department stand together in a Chili’s restaurant while taking part in an PHOTO BY HALEY LENA annual Tip-A-Cop fundraising event.
Cops swap badges for aprons Parker police help raise funds for Special Olympics Colorado BY HALEY LENA HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
When you’re greeted at a Chili’s restaurant, you typically don’t expect your server to be wearing a police uniform. But for one day at the Chili’s on Twenty Mile Road in Parker, smiles were exchanged, fist bumps were given and stories
were shared as officers with the Parker Police Department traded in their badges for aprons for a good cause. “When an officer is walking up to your car, it might be a different situation,” said Jan Gordon, Special Olympics Colorado’s chief development officer. “But when they’re walking up to your table (in a restaurant), it’s really a way for them to get to know their community and for the community to get to know them.” The Parker police, including cadets from its Explorers program, were among numer-
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ous law enforcement agencies across the state participating in the annual Tip-A-Cop event, a nationwide fundraiser for Special Olympics. Whether it was pouring drinks, serving food, washing dishes or talking with customers, the officers served alongside athletes to raise funds and awareness for the organization. Founded in 1968, Special Olympics, which is a nonprofit organization, has become the world’s largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities.
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