August 2011 - 2nd half

My next Town Hall Meeting on Saturday, August 20, 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m., at the Standley Lake Library, is a back-to-school special event. We will have a panel of educators – including Cindy Stevenson, the Superintendent of Jeffco Public Schools – as well as representatives from the PTA and College in Colorado to give you tips to help our students be successful. In addition, we will collect materials for a classroom supply drive. Immediately following the presentation, in conjunction with Children’s Hospital, there will be a FREE Concussion Recognition Training for coaches and parents to learn the signs and symptoms of concussions. I supported SB 40, the Jake Snakenberg Concussion Recognition Act, this past year, and I am happy to help provide the training required by that new law to keep our student athletes safe.

The first-ever Jeff West Community Forum will be held on Friday, August 26, 7:30-8:30 a.m., at the American Legion Post 11-11, 9959 Old Wadsworth Blvd.  “Jeff West” means the Jeffco portion of Westminster. As I mentioned in my last newsletter, I am creating this forum to make Jeff West more visible, to help Jeff West residents feel more connected to our city and county, and to keep Jeff West better informed about what the area’s organizations and agencies are doing. This first meeting on August 26 will be to discuss the organization and leadership of the forum. The forum will then continue to meet on the 4^th Friday of each month, except November and December.

 

As mentioned in my last newsletter, RTD will receive a large federal grant to help pay for the Gold Line commuter rail to be completed. Arvada has been waiting for this many long years! The signing ceremony will occur on August 31 at 2:30 p.m. in Olde Town Arvada. Secretary Ray LaHood from the U.S. Department of Transportation and Peter Rogoff, administrator of the Federal Transit Administration, will probably be joining us for the celebration. The President and Vice President of the United States have been invited (because part of the funding is a unique Public-Private Partnership Pilot Program), and if either of them comes, the ceremony might be moved to downtown Denver.

 

Throughout the interim, I hold “office hours” at the Capitol several times a month so you can come speak with me or arrange for me to take you on my “insider’s tour” of this beautiful, historic building. The Capitol Quilt Show ends on August 19, so hurry if you want to see it! I will hold my next August office hours on the 18^th from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., but that will probably be the last time for nearly a month because of a busy schedule of committee meetings. I will be at the Capitol on August 24 and 30 for meetings of the School Discipline Task Force and across the street at the Colorado Department of Education on August 29 for the first meeting of the Educational Success Task Force.

These are some of the things I’ve been doing as your State Senator since my last newsletter:

·         Accepted the invitations of constituents to attend a couple of National Night Out events in Westminster.

·         Went to the Rocky Mountain Energy Epicenter Conference sponsored by the Colorado Oil and Gas Association to learn more about current oil and gas issues in the state.

·         Participated in the first 2011 meeting of the Transportation Legislation Review Committee (TLRC), as Vice Chair of the committee for this year.

·         Gave input to the Reapportionment Commission at its public hearing in Jeffco regarding the proposed new map for my Senate District.

·         Gave a report about the TLRC meeting to the Jefferson County Transportation Action and Advocacy Group (JEFFTAAG) at its monthly meeting.

·         Participated in the final planning meeting of the Arvada Chamber’s Business Education Alliance for the programs BEA will offer at Arvada’s five high schools this school year.