South Platte River Corridor Vision - Our Future on the River

Photo courtesy of Arapahoe County

Interested in what the future might look like along the South Platte River? Check out the South Platte Working Group's South Platte River Corridor Vision. It outlines the challenges along the river today and opportunities to improve the corridor for recreational, educational, and habitat use, among others. Some of the ideas are pretty exciting, and they are achievable!

Some highlights related to Sheridan:

E. Hampden to Oxford.

This area primarily encompasses the relatively new River Point development, as well as a mobile home park south of Hampden, near the Bear Creek confluence. Presently, River Point is not well connected to the River, and there are a number of pad sites as yet unrented. Opportunities exist to work with the developer leasing these sites to encourage tenants who might benefit from a river presence, such as kayak and canoe rentals, restaurants, outerwear and gear stores (for example, similar to REI) and the like. This could benefit the developer and local economy, while encouraging more river-oriented activities.

Creative programming of the amphitheater (called for in the River Point PUD), for example, river-themed concerts and festivals, could also complement a focus on recruiting retailers who benefit from a river presence.

 
F. Oxford to Union: Sustainable Industry.


This stretch contains significant heavy industry, on sites with relatively large footprints. As discussed above, these businesses remain here due to their dependence on the cost effective transportation afforded by the railroad and truck. While the size of these sites would, over the long term, accommodate significant mixed-use development, over the short term, partnerships should be cultivated with these business owners. Opportunities exist to make the river edge both more visually attractive, as well as safer for users, by creating greater separation between these heavy industrial users and recreationists. Reasonably small actions, such as acquiring a river edge easement, terracing the edge, and installing murals and public art, could be a "quick win" that benefits the recreational community and the business owner.

Opportunities also exist to leverage the sustainable nature of these recyclers, including Oxford Recycling, Western Metals, and Waste Management immediately to the south, to attract other eco-industrial businesses to the area. Plans might be developed for an eco-industrial park that might support incubator businesses that focus on sustainable products or practices.

Retail marijuana packaging

Do you know how to tell if a product contains retail marijuana? Colorado has placed stringent requirements on marijuana products sold at retail, including labeling. Among other requirements, products should be "child-resistant" and stored in an opaque container. They should also display a mark from the Department of Revenue. See this announcement for further details.

The City of Sheridan has a ban in place on retail marijuana establishments, but since some of our neighboring communities allow these sales, residents should be aware of what to look for.

Tax Help Colorado Free Tax Sites Filing Taxes for Individuals & Families

27 free tax sites operating statewide

Tax Help Colorado's free tax sites are open across the state to help hard-working families become more financially secure by providing free tax preparation assistance. A partnership of The Piton Foundation and the Colorado Community College System, the Tax Help Colorado program has a presence on 18 college campuses and operates 27 free tax sites statewide. Click here for Tax Help Colorado's operating schedule.

 

To be eligible for free tax filing, individuals must have household incomes less than $50,000. More than 30% of Colorado families are eligible to participate in the program, which was created to help alleviate the financial burden of tax preparation on families while helping them claim valuable tax credits like the Earned Income Tax Credit.

A list of all the Tax Help Colorado sites, as well as locations of other free tax assistance sites in Colorado, is available by dialing 2-1-1 (it's a free call), visiting Piton's website, and finding Tax Help Colorado on Facebook and Twitter.

 

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Proposal For City-Wide Trash Service

City Council has been looking at making a contract with a single trash hauler for the city for several years now, and we are heading into the home stretch. We recently voted to enter into negotiations with Republic Services/Allied Waste based on their response to our request for proposal.

Republic put forward a proposal that will reduce most residents' rates because of the economies of scale of serving our entire city. In addition, recycling service and the bin for recycling will be included in the price of service, which will still be lower than what most residents pay today. On top of that, we will have fewer trash trucks making noise and degrading our streets.

Here is my personal comparison:

Current service:

• $21 per month, based on paying a year in advance and getting a 10% discount.
• I have a 96-gallon bin and, even with a family of 5, never fill it more than two-thirds of the way except when I do yard work.
• Recycling is included, but no bin is provided. My family recycles way more than we make waste.
• There are various rates for large-item pickup, but they are all over $20. I paid $109 to get three items picked up in the last year.
• One large-item pickup day per year by the City at $25 per truckload.

My yard on trash day - notice the large amount of recycling

Republic Services:

• $19.97 per month if I get a 96-gallon bin. $12.48 per month if I get a 64-gallon bin (and I will).
• Extra yard waste pickups seasonally for FREE.
• 96-gallon recycling bin is included in the price, and I can get a second one if I need it.
• Large-item pickup is $15 per item.
• Special FREE large-item pickup days twice per year.

So, just on my monthly service, I will save at least $91 a year.

You can see why I like this proposal! To me, giving up the choice of waste carrier is small beans compared to the great deal we will get and the positive changes on our streets. I also like encouraging diversion of waste from landfills to recycling.

In many other cities, people do not have a choice of waste carrier, just like we don't have a choice of electricity company or police department. Some services benefit from standardization across a community. I believe changing Sheridan to a single waste hauler will provide us with many benefits.

I hope you will take a few minutes to compare for yourself, and let me or your councilmember know how it comes out for you. The chart below shows the proposed rates. 

A few other notes on the chart:

• EOW = every other week
• YW = yard waste
• The ($6) option in the "Pricing & average price" field is for the smallest-sized bin (32-gallon), picked up every other week instead of every week. This is intended to provide a low-price option for singles and others who may produce very little trash.
• The other rates are $7.80 for 32-gallon, $12.48 for 64-gallon, and $19.97 for 96-gallon.
• Recycling would be picked up every other week.
• The (+$7) is the monthly price for an additional 96-gallon bin for those who produce a lot of waste.

Election Day is November 5th

Mail ballots are going out this week. You can mail back your mail ballot or drop it off at Sheridan City Hall, 4101 S. Federal Blvd.

All city council seats are uncontested, except for the race between Don Smith and Bonnie Dickinson Parker in Ward 1. Don Smith has been an asset on council in the past and a pleasure to work with. His background in construction and on the Planning Commission gives him useful hands-on and technical expertise to share.

I'm so pleased to continue working with Mayor Dallas Hall. We've been making great strides in Sheridan under his leadership.

Sheridan Celebrates Parade Announcer Contest

Got talent? Contest open for Sheridan Celebrates Parade Announcer. Applications accepted through Aug. 12. http://www.ci.sheridan.co.us/DocumentCenter/View/521