With the massive facility between uses and temporarily empty, vandals have left their mark at Bandimere Speedway. 

They’ve broken windows, stripped electrical boxes and other devices, and tagged walls with graffiti. Bandimere representatives said people are living in the buildings as well.

Several videos depicting the damage are posted on TikTok and YouTube. 

The speedway’s former facility and operations manager recently shared his concerns with the Morrison town board.

“There have been people all over the suites breaking windows,” said Larry Crisp, who is also son-in-law of the speedway’s former owner, John Bandimere Jr. “Homeless people that have been chased out of here. It’s on all kinds of videos, and it’s kind of the laughing stock of Morrison because there are no cops.”

While two trustees said they agree with Crisp that the issue should be addressed, no formal motion was taken.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said it has no record of vandalism at the site. 

Securing the property

Bandimere hosted its last race in July 2024, and stopped doing any business at its Morrison site in October.

Global auto company Copart plans to operate a vehicle auction center on most of the former speedway site at Morrison Road and C-470. Copart representatives did not respond to requests for comment.

Sheriff’s office spokesperson Karlyn Tilley said Copart has not been in touch with them about issues on the site.

“Someone from the town of Morrison reached out to let us know the new owner wanted to speak with us about securing the property,” said Tilley, estimating that the call came in March. “Since we never heard back from them, we don’t have any official records of it, just what people remember.”

Despite Crisp’s observations, Tilley said the Sheriff’s Office has no information about criminal incidents at the abandoned speedway.

“I couldn’t find any case reports related to vandalism at that address, so that leads me to believe we have not received any requests for us to respond out there,” she wrote.

In addition to an office, the Bandimere site has a VIP tower with four floors. Future plans call for razing the towers, stadium lights and grandstands, leaving only the office for Copart’s use. Its agreement with the town also includes fencing and revegetating much of the speedway site. 

But town manager Mallory Nassau said the company’s site plan is not yet approved.

“Copart is still working on its site plan application,” she wrote in an email. “It is my understanding that once the plan is submitted and approved, construction will begin.”

John Bandimere, Jr., whose family has run the speedway since its 1958 opening, sold the land to move the operation to a much larger site in Hudson. But he agrees with Crisp that there are issues at the Morrison site.

“The land has been annexed into Morrison,” he said. “It’s something they should be paying attention to, and apparently they’re not.

“People have gone through the tower, pulled every wire and everything so they can sell it. It’s ridiculous. And people are living in every building there. You would think Morrison would not want people on the property. They’re making a mockery out of it on TikTok.”

Bandimere acknowledges his family has moved its business interests elsewhere.

“It’s not our responsibility,” he said. “But we were part of the town for years, and we are still tied to it emotionally.”

The property had been in Jefferson County, but Morrison agreed to annex the 125-acre site in August 2024. That deal includes the transfer of 16 acres to the town. 

Morrison disbanded its police department in late 2024, and instead contracts with the sheriff’s office for law enforcement services.

The post Vandals striking abandoned Bandimere Speedway site appeared first on Colorado Community Media.

Morrison is closing the town’s South Park bridge to cars indefinitely. The wooden bridge just off Bear Creek Avenue at South Park Avenue needs a minimum of $1 million in repairs, according to the town, and Morrison doesn’t have it.

The bridge will stay open to pedestrians while the town looks for the money to fix it.

The Colorado Department of Transportation recently identified the bridge as a “high priority” repair during an annual bridge inspection, according to town manager Mallory Nassau.

“The base cost estimate for the bridge was over a million dollars, just for construction and materials,” Nassau wrote in an email. “For a small town with a small budget, the expense isn’t realistic without grants or long-term and intentional saving for the replacement.”

So the town opted to shut it down.

It’s also looking at ways to make the closed structure more aesthetically pleasing.

“We’re trying to figure out a way we can turn it into something that looks pretty in the meantime,” Nassau said. “We are thinking of doing a parklet on the (Bear Creek Avenue) side. It would be temporary, and nothing too fancy, but just a way to build a natural barrier with some plants and seating. And doing something as pretty as possible on the residential side instead of just ‘bridge closed’ signs.”

Neighbor Shea Thomas, whose house is just south of the bridge, said the closure will be a small inconvenience, but noted there’s a secondary access in and out of the neighborhood nearby, just off Canon Street and Highway 8.

“It’s nice to have that access there, but I understand if it’s a safety issue,” she said. “It’s actually easier to make a right turn at the light (on Highway 8 and Bear Creek) than from the bridge anyway.”

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As another 90-degree July day begins, a watering truck makes its way slowly around the Red Rocks Ranch neighborhood, a crew of three stopping to water each young tree. 

The grass around the trees, flowers and landscaping on nearby banks has long since browned and withered, and the crew’s only hope is to save the saplings, they said.

In the nearby park, a cherry red water slide, the centerpiece of a children’s splash pad and playground, is fenced off and silent, with no water to serve it.

And around the Denver metro area and beyond, a reported 30 prospective Red Rocks Ranch homeowners are living in hotels, Airbnbs and with family members, waiting to close on new homes that have no water taps to serve them.

Confused buyers, who say they are getting minimal information about the delay, are exchanging theories on a private Facebook page and pointing fingers in every direction — including at the Town of Morrison, the Mount Carbon Metro District and builder Lennar Homes.

“I’ve been continually told when I talk to Lennar that it’ll be another two weeks,” said Mary Ann Mcshan, who signed a contract to purchase a Red Rocks Ranch home in March. “They say the town of Morrison is going to vote, and then they say, ‘Well, they didn’t approve it. It’ll be another two weeks.’”

Information is scarce

Red Rocks Ranch is not part of incorporated Morrison, but the small town of less than 400 residents is the source of water and wastewater for what will someday be a community more than four times its size. Mount Carbon agreed to build the town infrastructure required to meet the development’s needs, but hasn’t yet completed all that work or finished a required update to its intergovernmental agreement with Morrison.

Despite the information Mcshan says she was given, the town has not posted any recent agenda items on the IGA, or scheduled any special meetings on the issue. Morrison’s attorney is, however, meeting regularly with Mount Carbon’s legal counsel on the issue.

“I don’t understand why it’s so secretive,” Mcshan said. “The homeowners are suffering and the parties involved don’t seem to care that much. They’re not communicating with us, and homes are still being sold.

“I could probably get out of my contract but that’s not necessarily what I want. I love the home. I just want information.”

It’s the second time in less than a year that prospective Red Rocks Ranch homeowners have been left in limbo as the metro district continues negotiating for water with Morrison.

Holding firm

But this time, the town is holding firm — as it warned it would in 2024 — on completion of the IGA between it and Mount Carbon, the agency charged with providing water and sewer to the unincorporated development. 

“The town is disappointed that future homeowners have been put into this situation yet again,” Morrison Town Manager Mallory Nassau wrote in a July 2 email. “The town has been working diligently with MCMD on a restated IGA … There are currently significant infrastructure improvements that must be completed prior to the town issuing additional taps.”

The issue is not new or unknown. As part of its obligations, Mount Carbon paid to improve the town’s wastewater treatment plant and for the construction of a new water treatment plant. 

But the water plant is fed by untreated water from Bear Creek, and while the current supply is enough for Morrison, it isn’t enough for the neighboring development. To tap into additional town water rights, Mount Carbon must pay to build a new diversion on Bear Creek west of the plant, along with a pump station and pipeline to transport the water.

The issue was made clear last fall when the town put the brakes on issuing more taps, saying it’s not obligated to do so until the 2008 IGA is rewritten — an effort that’s been under way for years. It nevertheless held a special meeting in October 2024, granting the district’s request to convert two irrigation meters into 39 residential taps. That allowed 39 homeowners who had also been unable to close to move into the development.

One town trustee issued a warning to Mount Carbon and Lennar at the Oct. 9 special meeting.

“You don’t make promises about water if you don’t have the infrastructure to deliver it,” he said. “I will be pressing the other members of my board to vote ‘no’ for future water taps if we don’t have the infrastructure to deliver it.”

Wearing thin

But Mcshan said Lennar told her a different story.

“The salesperson I worked with said there were five remaining water meters, and if I went under contract that week, I’d get one of those,” she said. “I had the impression I’d be able to close by mid-May. I’ve since learned, it sounds like those five meters were temporary, and used for testing.”

McShan, who sold a home in Denver and is living in her Winter Park condo as she waits to close, said the lack of information is wearing on her and the other prospective homeowners. She also said she and other homeowners are not being compensated for the cost of their temporary living quarters.

“I want to be informed, and to know I’m not making a mistake,” she said. “I feel as someone who’s about to spend a very large amount of money on a home, the homeowners are not the ones who should be caught in the middle of this.”

While Sutton — the trustee who warned Red Rocks Ranch in public about the issuance of future water taps — recently left the board, the town remains committed to ensuring the IGA is in place before it agrees to issue more taps.

“The original IGA dates back to 2008 and limits the issuance of taps based on MCMD completing infrastructure improvements,” wrote Nassau, adding those improvements include ensuring the “town’s water and wastewater systems would be adequately upgraded prior to serving end users.

“We are committed to providing water and sewer to Red Rocks Ranch, noting that this requires MCMD to meet their infrastructure obligations, so we may safely and reliably provide the service to all users.” 

David O’Leary, an attorney for Mount Carbon, said in October 2024 that he believed the new IGA would be ready in about a month.

Nine months later, it remains unfinished and unapproved.

And the conversion of its irrigation meters to residential taps has left Red Rocks Ranch with no water for its landscaping or splash pad.

Meanwhile, Lennar’s Red Rocks Ranch website says it is “actively selling” and offering “incredible deals.”

A representative of Lennar, who identified himself only as “Aaron,” could not explain why Lennar continues to sell homes despite its awareness of the ongoing water problems. He said only that they are “caught in the middle,” and hoping for a swift resolution.

None of the Mount Carbon Metro District’s board members returned requests for comment.

“I don’t know who’s at fault,” Mcshan said. “But I do wonder, what was the situation with the IGA? What did they know while contracts were being signed?”

The post More Red Rocks Ranch homeowners left high and dry  appeared first on Colorado Community Media.

Fifty-five members of the Evergreen Chorale achieved the moment of a lifetime this summer, performing in New York City’s Carnegie Hall.

The local group, ranging in age from 15 to 90, joined their voices June 29 with another 145 singers from across the United States. Together, they sang Elaine Hagenberg’s masterwork Illuminare and Sherry Blevins’ Tipping Point: A Choral Suite on Climate Change, accompanied by the New England Symphonic Ensemble.

“It was very exciting to sing in that beautiful hall in those perfect acoustics with a fabulous orchestra,” said Christine Gaudreau, the Evergreen Chorale’s artistic director. “We just loved it.”

Carnegie Hall, which opened in 1891, has set an international standard for musical excellence and is the aspirational destination for the world’s finest artists. Designated a National Historic Landmark, is famous for its stunning acoustics and beauty. Its smooth interior, half-domes, and dome ceiling were designed to optimize sound quality.

It wasn’t the Evergreen Chorale’s first time singing Illuminare, composed in 2021 and described as taking listeners “through a season of beauty and goodness that has been disrupted by darkness and confusion.” And Gaudreau thinks the group’s initial performance may have been the key to the Carnegie Hall invitation.

“In fall 2023, we worked with Elaine Hagenberg and collaborated on this project with choirs from Colorado Christian University, fellow church and high school choirs to perform her larger piece together with the orchestra,” she said. “We had just a wonderful time working with her.

“Last summer, I received an invitation from Carnegie Hall to travel there to perform Illuminare. It seemed a wonderful opportunity to revisit that piece.”

Sampling the Big Apple

Evergreen Chorale members spent several days in New York City, visiting museums, seeing shows and exploring the city when they weren’t rehearsing. Several family members flew for the performance.

“After the concert, there was a midnight cruise around the Statue of Liberty, and quite a bit of celebration and joy,” Gaudreau said.

The Evergreen Chorale prides itself on drawing a multi-generational group of singers from both the foothills and the metro area.

“People drive far to sing with us,” she said. “They like what our choir offers. We are a large choral group — 80 to 90 on average per concert — and we sing a wide variety of music. We’re very dedicated to excellence in choral music, and I think people also appreciate how many good singers we have. The talent level is quite high.”

Upcoming Evergreen Chorale performances are planned at Evergreen Lutheran Church, Rockland Community Church, Armstrong Hall at Colorado Christian University and Denver’s Welshire Presbyterian among others.

Rehearsals are held at Beth Evergreen and Lakewood.

Evergreen Chorale welcomes new members. While an audition is required, Gaudreau said it is not difficult.

For more information on auditions, contact production manager Alex Woosley at alex@ovationwest.org

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In four years, about 180 wild animals lost their lives on Highway 74 near Evergreen, among them 86 elk and 69 deer. And those only include the bodies reported between 2020 and 2024 by or to the Colorado Department of Transportation.

“It’s common that for every road kill animal, there are another one to five not reported,” said Christie Greene, president of Wild Aware, a group dedicated to mitigating such collisions in the Evergreen area. “Because Evergreen Parkway is so visible, I would bet our ratio is more like one to one.”

Most of the area’s animals are struck by vehicles along the stretch of Highway 74 between Interstate 70 and Evergreen Lake. The numbers do not include livestock or pets.

Colorado State Patrol crash data, which is kept separately from the Colorado Department of Transportation’s data, recorded 646 wildlife-vehicle collisions on Jefferson County roads between 2015-2019. That made Jeffco the county with the second-highest number of wildlife-vehicle collisions. It trails only Douglas County.

30 seconds of open highway

Colorado 74 is particularly tough for animals because of the high level of traffic and lack of wildlife crossings.

“We cannot have a wildlife overpass or underpass on Highway 74 because of land use and ownership,” Greene said. “There is no public land. There’s county open space, Denver Mountain Parks and Jefferson County open space. On either side of any of that are homes and businesses.”

Making it even tougher, an animal needs 30 seconds of open highway to safely cross.

“If the average daily traffic is 10,000 cars, it acts as a complete barrier for them,” Greene said. “The average daily traffic at Lewis Ridge is 22,000 to 23,000 cars. That’s twice as many cars as is considered a physical barrier for an animal.”

Greene said early summer is the most potentially deadly time of year for area wildlife, and when drivers should be particularly attentive.

“June and July are tough up here because of calving season,” she said. “You’ve got bands of elk cows and calves going back and forth across the road.”

Wild Aware recently partnered with the Colorado State Patrol for wildlife/vehicle collision month. CSP has focused its social media on the message, ‘Give us a brake,’ which urges drivers not to honk at wildlife, but to instead flash your high beams, turn on your hazard lights and wait. 

“Animals are unpredictable, so you don’t know what honking is going to make an animal do,” Greene said. “By flashing your lights, you’re warning people that something is ahead. If you come up on animals, use your best judgment. You may need to pull over on the shoulder and wait.”

That can require time and patience.

“Because they go in little groups, they can take 20-30 minutes to cross,” Greene said. “You could go between little groups very, very slowly.”

Greene said animals that are struck by vehicles and killed are not always accounted for, in part because people may not make a report, the animal may run or walk off the road and die elsewhere and because some drivers may take the carcass home.

“You can count road kill, but miss counting animals who were picked up by people who want to bring them home or eat them,” she said.

It’s legal but requires a permit from Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

For more information on their efforts to protect wildlife, visit Wild Aware.

The post Stats show 180 wild animals died on Evergreen’s Highway 74 in four-year period appeared first on Colorado Community Media.

A July 3 evening storm put the kibosh on plans for a hot air balloon glow to commemorate Evergreen’s 150^th anniversary, but the rest of the community’s holiday events — both held at the Buchanan ballfields — went off without a hitch.

The back-to-back celebrations captured the small-town spirit of Evergreen, said Evergreen Area Chamber of Commerce President Nancy Judge.

“My favorite part of Friday was just seeing the kids running around without a care in the world, enjoying the games, the face painting and all the other activities,” she said. “We’re very fortunate to have this little piece of Americana.”

(Please click on arrows to see slideshow of photos below)

The long weekend began with “Illuminate the Past,” a tribute to Evergreen’s history that included booths from local historical and other organizations, turn-of-the-century music, vintage cars, kids’ games and pony rides. The evening’s planned hot air balloon glow did not happen, but balloon operators returned on the morning of July 4 for tethered balloon rides.

Still, Judge said the event was well received.

“Even without the glow, someone told us they’d learned something at every one of the organizations they stopped by,” she said. “That was really the goal. We all learned just a little bit more about the place we call home.”

Judge said this year’s July 4 turnout was significantly larger than in 2024.

“We don’t have official numbers yet, but just standing up on the stage looking out, it was much, much fuller — 20-30% more than last,” she said.

The post Evergreen’s 4th celebrates yesterday and today appeared first on Colorado Community Media.

Evergreen residents are in good hands with their local emergency medical services team. For the third year in a row, Evergreen Fire/Rescue was awarded the Mission Lifeline EMS Gold award from the American Heart Association.

“This is a fantastic emergency service award which is not easily met with the logistics and size of our district,” Assistant Chief Stacee Martin said.  “We definitely are proud, and our community is very lucky to have such a skilled medical team.”

For residents, the award means EFR’s medical team provides “exceptional and timely care” to those suffering a heart attack, responses that can make the difference between life and death, said EMS Chief Dave Montesi. 

“For someone that’s having a heart attack, you know you’re getting the most effective and timely treatment and transport to the hospital,” he said. “We have the best team anyone could ever have the opportunity to work with and are proud of all they do.”

The Mission Lifeline Gold award recognizes agencies that provide swift, accurate assessment and consistent, high-quality care for cardiac patients throughout the year. That includes recognizing when someone is having a heart attack, providing appropriate care, notifying the hospital in advance and getting them to the hospital quickly.

Timing matters

Notifying the hospital in advance that a heart attack patient is en route lets hospital staff prepare to treat the individual immediately.

“There are teams of people ready to go when we walk through the door with that heart attack,” Montesi said.

EFR has participated in Mission Lifeline annually since 2014, earning the Gold award four times. He credits the team’s recent three-year streak to its knowledge.

“I attribute it to training and very experienced paramedics,” Montesi said. “Our paramedics on average, have more than 20 years of experience. So beyond training, it’s that exceptional level of care our paramedics provide.”

Montesi said well-trained hospital staff are also key to winning the award.

“The hospital has a bit of a role in this also,” he said. “The patient has to go into the cath lab within a certain period of time, after the time the patient goes through their doors.”

The cath lab, or catheterization laboratory, is an examination room with diagnostic imaging equipment to visualize the arteries and chambers of the heart.

In total, to qualify for the Gold award, no more than 90 minutes can elapse from the time 911 gets the call until the patient is in the cath lab.

EFR sees between 10 and 15 heart attacks annually, with most patients transported to St. Anthony’s Hospital.

While many of EFR’s paramedics don’t live in the foothills, Montesi believes EFR attracts high-quality staff because of its location and work environment.

“Evergreen is an amazing place to live and work,” he said. “We provide a good environment and good, challenging calls. When you live this far from the hospital, it gives the paramedic the opportunity to treat their patients and see those effects on your patient.

“It’s a completely different set of challenges when you’re with your patient for half an hour or 45 minutes instead of 10 (as in the metro area).”

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Conifer’s biggest event of the year — the 12^th annual Elevation Celebration — is back July 26 and 27, this year with 20 bands and 100 vendors. All are gathering to support Conifer’s local businesses during the free, two-day outdoor festival.

Last year, about 4,000 people attended, and event coordinator Melissa Baker expects a similar turnout for the 2025 event. She attributes the turnout to high-quality music and lots of family fun events.

“We try to be very eclectic with the music so there’s something for everybody,” she said. “And we have a bunch of things for families — a kid’s zone, sports zone and a family zone.”

What started as a Conifer Area Chamber of Commerce event has gotten so large, it’s now its own entity. Today’s weekend fest was originally two separate events.

“We took the former Conifair Festival and merged it with the Conifer Mountain Music Festival,” she said. “We tried to make it the best of those two events and put it where the businesses are so we could help support the businesses and keep it free.”

A dozen years of festivals prove that plan was a success.

“It was a much, much smaller event the first year than it is now, but it was successful immediately,” she said. “Every year we’ve grown the event based on the people who want to participate.”

And every year, there are more who want to be part of Elevation Celebration. That keeps the event free for all who attend, one of the organizers’ primary goals.  

“We have a lot of sponsors,” Baker said. “It’s almost like a who’s-who in Conifer of businesses. They donate money to put the event on. We also charge vendor fees, and make money from day-of-event beer sales.” 

The festival kicks off with a 5K and 10K fun run coordinated by the Conifer Lobos Unified Boosters and the Conifer Area Council Trails. Money from the fundraiser goes to Conifer High School and to expand area trails.

Live music starts at 10 a.m. both days on two separate stages.

“I’m excited to highlight a band called Pretend Friends,” Baker said, pointing out a band set to play at 4:40 on the east stage on Sunday, July 27. “They’re a little bluegrassy. Myself and some of the other people on the committee have been following this band for a couple years at Snowpack Underground. They’re closing us out this year and are just a lot of fun.”

Los Cheesies, a Colorado band that describes itself as “an insanely wild, high-energy band of both gringos and Latinos,” closes out the event on Saturday, July 26.

Their description fits the committee’s daily musical goal.

“We try to close out each day with a party band,” Baker said.

Elevation Celebration runs from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. July 26 and 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. July 27 on Sutton Road in Aspen Park, between the Conifer post office and the Aspen Park Community Center.

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One of Conifer’s most popular eateries and night spots is moving to a larger, more central location. 

Snowpack Taproom, which owner Mike Thompson opened in Green Valley Ranch in early 2017, will move to the Conifer Town Center later this year.

The two-story, 9,700-square-foot space is almost twice the size of the current Taproom. Even better, Thompson will no longer be a tenant as he is at the Green Valley Center location. He bought the new building.

“We’ve way outgrown that space,” Thompson said. “This place is almost three times the size. It’s a great building, and a big upgrade for us. We have a lot of big plans.”

The building, most recently home to Mountain Spas, has historically been a restaurant and still has bars upstairs and downstairs. It served as the original home of Brook’s Place Tavern, and later as Lucille’s of Jersey, Up the Mountain Steakhouse and Sushi Hai.  

Still, it requires repairs, a redesign and some construction to accommodate Thompson’s vision.

“Snowpack has always been Conifer’s meeting place, and we want that to continue here,” he said. “When I started Snowpack, it was a craft beer bar, and we evolved into food. I don’t look at it as a restaurant. I don’t like the idea of people feeling like we’re just turning tables over as quickly as possible.

“We want it to remain a taproom where people can stay as long as they want, where they feel like they can spend hours with their friends.”

Opening in phases

With that in mind, the move to the new site isn’t happening overnight.

Thompson aims to open a pizzeria and a 16-tap bar on the building’s lower level in August, and open the upper level of the building by late fall or early winter. The upper floor will include another set of 16 taps and a separate menu. Together, that’s double the taps of the current Snowpack.

Both levels have outdoor patio space, and Thompson plans to level a grassy area outside for a band shell. Live music has also been a key part of the Taproom’s identity with the Snowpack Underground. That will also continue at the town center site, along with comedy nights, trivia, music bingo and Snowpack’s other popular events.

His business’s success is something Thompson couldn’t have imagined when he left IT several years ago. The Florida native moved to the Conifer area in 2008, answering a personal call to live in the mountains. While he lived where he wanted — even working from his mountain home — the career wasn’t what he wanted.

A visit to the Northwest, well known for its craft beer scene, inspired him to change course.

“I got super burnt out with IT,” he said. “I went to the Pacific Northwest with some friends and thought, ‘I can do this better than most places’. I had no experience in restaurants. I just knew I liked beer, and there was a need up here.

“That’s always been our thing — trying to bring in the highest quality craft beer you can find in Colorado.”

Thompson is known not only for the Snowpack but as a dedicated community volunteer. He served on the Conifer Area Chamber of Commerce board for three years, and works closely with them on the annual Elevation Celebration. He helps several organizations in town with IT work.

“It’s a phenomenal community,” he said. “Everybody supports the local businesses up here. It’s a great place to call home.

“I’m extremely excited about this change. We have solidified our roots in this town.”

The post Snowpack Taproom plans move to Conifer Town Center appeared first on Colorado Community Media.

In a room overflowing with Evergreen-area seniors and park board staff, Seniors4Wellness officially dedicated its new home June 26 at the Buchanan Recreation Center.

Surrounded by those who helped bring the Bristlecone Lounge to life, Seniors4Wellness President Mary Tribby cut a red ribbon signifying its official opening to applause and cheers.

Area seniors have been without an official home for five years, since the former Seniors Resource Center at The Yellow House on Highway 73 closed. In its absence, local senior Vince Ventimiglia founded the nonprofit Seniors4Wellness in 2021, and he, Tribby and others negotiated with Evergreen Park & Recreation District to open a room in Buchanan.   

“We’re so thankful they gave us this space,” Tribby said. “Since The Yellow House closed, there really has been no gathering space for seniors.

“Even if we don’t have an event scheduled here, it’s a place for them to gather as friends.”

Even without a dedicated space, Seniors4Wellness has stayed relevant for area seniors, hosting multiple events each month in various community spaces.

Aging population

The new space will serve far more than the area’s existing seniors, said Seniors4Wellness founder and executive director Vince Ventimiglia. Evergreen has a median age of 46.3, higher than the 37.5 median age of the metro area. Statistics gathered by the county showed that by the year 2040, about 25% of its population will be over 65 — with almost 10% of those over 80 years.

“It’s the largest growing age segment within the community,” Ventimiglia said. “We’re all aging, each one of us every day. So we’re hopeful we can continue to build a robust Seniors4Wellness that will eventually benefit all of us, helping us grow healthier vs just getting older.”

Calming space

Like Tribby, he expressed gratitude to EPRD and others who helped Seniors4Wellness.

“I am so thankful we’ve been able to accomplish as much as we have through the effort and energy of other organizations who recognize the need for paying more attention to a very important segment of our community,” he said.

Seniors who came for the grand opening said they plan to use the space regularly.

“I think it’s beautiful,” said Marilyn Brown, who lives in nearby Rocky Mountain Village Estates. “We can walk down here if we want to, which makes it that much nicer.”

Evergreen artist Chris Krieg painted a mural that stretches across an entire wall of the room, depicting a bristlecone pine, a snow-topped mountain and evergreens at sunset.

“I wanted to help create a calming space,” he said. “I didn’t want to make it too complicated.”

Seniors4Wellness provides not just social connection for area seniors, but also resources and transportation.  

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