ADU, Auxiliary Dwelling Unit, granny flat, carriage house, guest house. Many names with many uses. But, of course, many opinions. For years it was a can kicked down the road by previous city councils here in Wheat Ridge. Finally, a new group is focused on addressing and creating a set of rules where citizens can
The Marshall Fire really started a conversation around the #GoBag. If you had just five minutes to evacuate and leave your home, what would you take with you? Food? Water? Just how much can you take? I’ve been asking my friends, family and clients, even strangers on chairlifts I meet every Wednesday. The most common
There’s something to be said about a “Good thing worth waiting for” or “Patience is a virtue” and “Good things come to those that wait.” These days “the long game” has been on my mind for many reasons. The growth of Wheat Ridge has been slow and steady. From the amazing recreation center on Kipling
For many families with school age children, it’s enrollment time of the year again. And while for many it will just be a repeat action, we are seeing more parents considering new options. It wasn’t that long ago that families found themselves needing to create a classroom environment in their own homes – competing, of
We keep hearing about the supply chain: boats stuck in harbor without labor to unload or deliver goods to retail and food distributors; not enough servers and kitchen staff to prepare and deliver the food to your table. In our case the issue came to a head over the holidays. Getting a notice that after
When I initially wrote this article, I realized I had been writing about 2020 instead of ’21. But like so many, these last two years feel like one long one. We seem to have a 12- to 18-month time lapse. We plant memories around important dates and events. Like Christmas (that we missed), birthdays (not
By the time this is printed, the elections will have been counted and a winner declared in my hotly contested District 3 City Council race in Wheat Ridge. The two different-styled candidates are equally caring and capable but, interestingly enough, both attract extreme views, actions and opinions that often taint their original message. Being a
As humans we crave communication in some fashion or another. As parents we look for regular news from our grown kids, maybe from each other as well. As employees, we look for regular communication from our bosses and coworkers. As citizens we look for updates from our city and local politicians – politicians that eagerly
While Prospect Valley’s website shows an old black-and-white photograph of the original school building back in 1898 at 32nd and Pierson, the PV most of us know is the one built in 1967. It has a rounded network of hallways and open concept classrooms with no doors, and walls low enough for laughter and excitement
August was a tough month and I’m glad it’s over. I spent two weeks in bed fighting COVID-19. Thankfully, I was surrounded by knowledgeable and caring people who checked in on me throughout the ordeal. I still can’t smell a thing and I’m physically feeling beat up, but I’m not dead. That’s most likely because
The debate over Gifted and Talented (GT) education has gone on for years. From the outside of the community, it is often expressed with questions like, “What’s the gift?”, “What’s the talent?” And even, “What makes your kid so much more special than mine?” Sometimes the complaints came from principals and teachers who wanted to
Employees tend to want to stay in their position when you encourage them and reassure them that they are needed and that the environment and mission as promised are intact. This goes back to over a year ago when Dr. Glass (Jeffco Superintendent) and Jeena Templeton (Manning principal) planned to reinvent Everitt Middle and provide
Who was the greatest of all time (GOAT)? Always a fun debate. How do you compare athletes, artists, even presidents in different times with different equipment and conditions? These conversations always included athletes that have passed away or have retired. But now we are insisting on placing that label on young people and pushing enormous
School districts are designed with networks and pathways, starting from daycare and pre-K, then into elementary, middle and high school. Districts need to calculate and anticipate how dollars will flow to and from schools, from year to year. Using Student Based Budgeting, principals structure spending, hiring and class sizes in their buildings. Such has been
Hold the presses! 72 percent of Wheat Ridge citizens point to the Neighborhood Gazette as their main source of news and information. That was one of the findings in the latest city census – up from 68 percent in 2018. When I bought the Gazette, friends and business associates warned me that apparently, “No one
As the front wheel of my scooter sank into the pothole, the rattling inside my helmet was loud and from the corner of my eye I watched in slow motion as my phone flew off into the air, landing on the asphalt to its catastrophic demise. This was the beginning of my long weekend that
With three days left in the school year, I invited three amazing principals to meet for lunch and discuss a year they will never forget and hope to never re-live: Trina “TJ” Jones of Stevens Elementary, Jeena Templeton of Everitt Middle, and Josh Cooley of Wheat Ridge High. It was no Zoom or other digital
