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All America City award recognizes collaboration to meet challenges
Lakewood Edge on June 22nd, 2011
LAKEWOOD – The National Civic League selected Lakewood as one of its 10 annual All-America City Awards, citing three major projects that required significant cooperation and collaboration between City Hall, community organizations and citizens.
The group also gave Lakewood its first Diversity Award for what a City Hall spokeswoman called “extraordinary and innovative success in advancing diversity and inclusiveness in the community.”
The All-America City Award is given 10 communities each year and is based on establishing to meet the challenges in their communities. The announcement of the 10 cities came late last week in Kansas City, Mo.
“This is a meaningful award for the City of Lakewood and all its partners in the community,” said Mayor Bob Murphy. “This award reflects the culture of Lakewood, which is that our residents, our businesses and our nonprofit organizations work together to find better ways to serve those who live and work in the city. That culture remains unchanged from the time when the city’s incorporation was founded on our eclectic neighborhoods coming together to create Lakewood.”
Twenty-three cities from densely populated cities such as Buffalo, N.Y. and Fort Worth, Texas to Taylor Landing, Texas, with a population of 228, sought the award. Each submitted a written application, then gave a presentation to an 11-member panel. To see Lakewood ’s presentation, visit: http://lakewoodco.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?publish_id=398 on the City’s website.
Lakewood’s presentation focused on the West Colfax urban renewal project and the associated light rail project, the Greening Lakewood Business Partnership and the newly opened Boys and Girls Club at O’Connell Middle School.
The West Colfax project included nearly 1,000 residents, the city spokeswoman said, and involved a “multi-year and multi-pronged planning effort to renew West Colfax Avenue by providing new zoning that expands land-use opportunities” and planning for the coming West Corridor light-rail line and rail stations.
The Greening Lakewood Business Partnership is intended to prompt energy-efficient modifications to more than 1,500 older, existing office and commercial buildings in Lakewood.
The opening of the Jefferson County branch of the Boys and Girls Club at O’Connell resulted from a community effort to save the school, which was on a school district closure list
“I couldn’t be prouder of our community,” said City Manager Kathy Hodgson . “All of these projects are examples of the residents, businesses and nonprofits taking action and the City providing the help and support it could to accomplish what the community wanted.”
Aurora and Colorado Springs are the only other Colorado cities that have made the All-America City list. For more information on the award visit:www.AllAmericaCityAward.com.
Lakewood Wins All-America City Award
The National Civic League has named Lakewood one of its 10 winners of its All-America City award this year.
City leaders are to receive congratulations from Gov, John Hickenlooper in his office Wednesday morning, the city said in a media release this afternoon.
The award recognizes Lakewood’s “collaboration with a wide range of community organizations and residents,” according to a media release from the city.
“This is a meaningful award for the city of Lakewood and all its partners in the community,” Mayor Bob Murphy stated in the release.
“This award reflects the culture of Lakewood, which is that our residents, our businesses and our nonprofit organizations work together to find better ways to serve those who live and work in the city.”
The National Civic League also awarded Lakewood its inaugural Diversity Award for “extraordinary and innovative success in advancing diversity and inclusiveness in the community.”
Lakewood was one of 26 cities from across the country to be named a finalist, and the only one in Colorado to make the cut this year.
Each city applied in writing and made a presentation to an 11-member jury of experts in civic engagement and collaboration between government and nonprofit or charitable organizations, according to the Lakewood media release.
Aurora won the award in 2008 and was a finalist in 1988, and Longmont was a winner in 2006, and Fountain was a winner in 2002. Hillside won in 1997, as did Greeley in 1989, and Colorado Springs in 1981.
Other winners this year were Kenai, Alaska; Dublin, Calif.; Belleville, Ill.; South Bend, Ind.; Scott City, Kan.; Tupelo, Miss.; Fayetteville, N.C.; Eden, N.C.; and Fort Worth, Texas.
The sponsors of this year’s award include the Gay & Lesbian Fund For Colorado and Southwest Airlines.
Previously occupied homes become greater bargain
by Derek Kravitz, The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — A new home, the dream of many would-be buyers, makes less and less financial sense in many places.
A wave of foreclosures has driven down the cost of previously occupied homes and made them even more of a comparative bargain. By contrast, new homes have become more expensive.
The median price of a new home in the United States is 48 percent higher than that of a home being resold, more than three times the gap in a healthy housing market.
Such a disparity can be a drag on the economy. New homes represent a small fraction of sales, but they cause economic ripples, bringing business to construction and other industries.
“A lot of people are saying, ‘If I can get a great deal on a home already on the market, why go through the headaches of getting a new home?’ ” said Mark Vitner, a senior economist with Wells Fargo. “There’s a relatively small group of people who have the credit, have the down payment and are secure in their jobs that can go out and buy new.”
The gap is widening because prices of previously occupied homes are falling fast, pulled down by waves of foreclosures and short sales. Short sales occur when lenders let homeowners sell for less than they owe on their mortgage.
The median price of a new home has risen almost 6 percent in the past year to $230,600, even though last year was the worst for sales in nearly a half-century.
Read more: Previously occupied homes become greater bargain – The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_17677088#ixzz1Hx0Wugny
Read The Denver Post’s Terms of Use of its content: http://www.denverpost.com/termsofuse
Pending Home Sales Increase
Washington, March 28, 2011
Pending home sales increased in February but with notable regional variations, according to the National Association of Realtors®.
The Pending Home Sales Index,* a forward-looking indicator, rose 2.1 percent to 90.8, based on contracts signed in February, from 88.9 in January. The index is 8.2 percent below 98.9 recorded in February 2010. The data reflects contracts and not closings, which normally occur with a lag time of one or two months.
Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, says it’s important to look at the broader trend. “Month-to-month movements can be instructive, but in this uneven recovery it’s important to look at the longer term performance,” he said. “Pending home sales have trended up very nicely since bottoming out last June, even with periodic monthly declines. Contract activity is now 20 percent above the low point immediately following expiration of the home buyer tax credit.”
Yun notes there could have been some weather impact in the February data. “All of the regions saw gains except for the Northeast, where unusually bad winter weather may have curtailed some shopping and contract activity.”
The PHSI in the Northeast fell 10.9 percent to 65.5 in February and is 18.4 percent below a year ago. In the Midwest the index rose 4.0 percent in February to 81.1 but is 15.9 percent below February 2010. Pending home sales in the South increased 2.7 percent to an index of 100.3 but are 5.3 percent below a year ago. In the West the index rose 7.0 percent to 105.6 and is 0.6 percent higher than February 2010.
“We may not see notable gains in existing-home sales in the near term, but they’re expected to rise 5 to 10 percent this year with the economic recovery, job creation and excellent affordability conditions providing confidence to buyers who’ve been on the sidelines,” Yun said.
The National Association of Realtors®, “The Voice for Real Estate,” is America’s largest trade association, representing 1.1 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.
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*The Pending Home Sales Index is a leading indicator for the housing sector, based on pending sales of existing homes. A sale is listed as pending when the contract has been signed but the transaction has not closed, though the sale usually is finalized within one or two months of signing.
The index is based on a large national sample, typically representing about 20 percent of transactions for existing-home sales. In developing the model for the index, it was demonstrated that the level of monthly sales-contract activity parallels the level of closed existing-home sales in the following two months.
An index of 100 is equal to the average level of contract activity during 2001, which was the first year to be examined as well as the first of five consecutive record years for existing-home sales; it coincides with a level that is historically healthy.
Each February, NAR Research conducts a normal review of PHSI seasonal adjustment factors and fine-tunes monthly data for the past three years; revisions are posted in the Research area of Realtor.org.
Bear Creek area youth honored for volunteerism
DENVER – While many kids are focused on sports, video games and their iPods, a small group of kids were honored Saturday for their involvement in the community.
The nine kids selected for the 9Kids Who Care award were invited to 9NEWS Saturday afternoon for a special luncheon in their honor. While the honorees vary in age from 10 to 17 years old, they all have one thing in common: a passion for volunteering. Each of the kids spends countless hours after school and on weekends focused on cause. They volunteer doing everything from fighting bullying, to preventing suicide, to educating other kids about epilepsy.
Congratulations to this year’s 9Kids Who Care:
Kaitlyn Bentivegna
14 years old
Castle Rock
Amber Beserra
17 years old
Boulder
Gage Crispe
17 years old
Lakewood
Walker Crowley
14 years old
Englewood
Brooks Fisher
12 years old
Fort Collins
Amina Salat
17 years old
Denver
Owen Schneider
10 years old
Fort Collins
Carly Stafford
17 years old
Littleton
Caterina Zagona-Prizio
16 years old
Boulder
All nine of the kids received a special trophy and $200 they can spend any way they wish. As you might guess, many of the previous winners have spent the money on whatever topic they volunteer their time to. All of the kids will be featured in stories, which will air during Four O’clock @ 9NEWS later this month.
Jeffco schools considering $40 million in 2011-12 budget cuts
Charley Able on March 11th, 2011
JEFFERSON COUNTY – Nearly $40 million in budget cuts looms for schools in the county, including the loss of more than 200 jobs, the closure of two elementary schools, suspend the district’s popular Outdoor Lab program, imposition of busing fees and higher athletic fees.
School Board President Dave Thomas announced the proposed cutbacks in the 2011-12 budget at a press conference Friday morning, saying the belt-tightening measures were forced by the state’s budget crisis and the resulting loss of $375 million in state aid for Colorado’s K-12 public schools.
“We recognize that some of these recommendations will be difficult for our community, but they are the right decisions during tough economic times,” Thomas said. “The employee summit demonstrated bold leadership on the part of our employee associations, our board and our district administration.”
The package of recommended cutbacks in what originally was a $667 million proposed 2011-12 budget includes a three percent reduction in compensation that will be achieved through furloughs and a reduction in teacher workdays. The recommendations were proposed after a “summit” of representatives from the school board, the district’s three employee associations and district administration officials. Last weekend’s meeting included a federal mediator.
The proposed reduction in teaching days would be achieved by reducing the number of working days by four and adding two furlough days on regular school days.
“Our staff is absorbing the brunt of the reductions with the loss of jobs and the loss of compensation in order to have the least impact on our students and the quality of education they are receiving,” said Dr. Cindy Stevenson, Superintendent of Jeffco schools.
But some district residents fear the cuts would come at the expense of students.
“Clearly the two-day union/board ‘summit’ yielded resulted in union and adult-driven goals taking precedence over those of children, parents, and taxpayers,” said Tim Neville, spokesman for Taxpayers’ Responsible School Budget. “By cutting four work days and implementing two furlough days versus rolling back all salaries, the board ‘kicked the can’ down the road into next year.
“Planned layoffs by design will affect the newest teachers with lower salaries while protecting higher salaried permanent union members. Board member Paula Noonan’s suggestion to ‘make the cuts hurt’ was heeded with fee hikes for transportation and sports and to end popular programs like Outdoor Lab,” Neville said.
The proposed 2011-12 cutbacks include raising athletic fees and imposing a fee – likely $175 – for bus transportation.
Neville’s group bills itself as “A voice for taxpayers in Jefferson County Public School budget policy.”
Community activist Regan Benson, a frequent critic of school district spending policy, agreed with Neville.
“Clearly, the districts response for reduction proposals is the sole work of employees. The two-day ‘summit’ on March 4th and 5th produced anything other than result-oriented goals for children,” Benson said.
Friday’s announcement followed two meetings – a Tuesday forum at Lakewood High School and a Thursday meeting of the school district’s Strategic Planning and Advisory Council – that focused largely on the prospect of sending a tax increase to district voters.
The panel at Tuesday’s forum, which featured a presentation from Carol Hedges of the Colorado Center on Law & Policy, ended with a loose consensus of panelists agreeing that there is little public appetite for a tax increase in the near future.
“Having attended the presentation by the CCLP director Carol Hedges this past Tuesday at Lakewood High School where 44 percent and 51 percent of ninth and 10th (grade students), respectively, are not proficient in math, it was again evident of a type of employee summit where school district employees filled the auditorium to support the ‘spend more for better results’ propaganda,” Benson said.
Other proposed cutbacks include closing Martensen and Zerger elementary schools; moving Long View High School staff and students to McClain High School; and suspension of the weeklong Outdoor Lab visits to the district’s Mount Evans and Windy Peak centers.
And the proposals include elimination of 212 jobs, including 53 elementary school teachers, 17 middle school teachers and 40 high school teachers. Most of the cuts in high school staff would be achieved by elimination of foreign language courses as a graduation requirement.
The final decision on the proposed budget cuts will be made by the Board of Education later this spring.