by Megan Quinn
May 06, 2010

Bob Loveridge and incumbents Jim Whitfield and Ken Harrell were elected to the Apex Park and Recreation District board of directors Tuesday, May 4.
Six candidates ran for three open seats on the board.
Whitfield received 415 votes, Loveridge received 328 votes and Harrell received 263 votes. The three were the top vote-getters.
Other candidates were T.O. Owens with 221 votes, Brian McLaren with 189 votes and Jim McKee with 120 votes.
The elections drew 1,536 voters out of a pool of 81,2069 potential registered voters, said election official Luann Levine. Votes were up from 2008, when only about 400 people voted, Levine said.
The Apex Park and Recreation District is a special district that serves the majority of Arvada. Board discussions include facilities use, maintenance, sports clubs and recreational activities.
New members will be sworn in 6 p.m. Thursday, May 6 at Indian Tree Golf Course, 7555 Wadsworth Blvd during the Apex Park and Recreation District board meeting. Board members hold a four-year term.
All three elected board members said they are looking forward to figuring out where to move the Garrison Street Sports Complex, a facility that holds activities such as arena football, soccer and gymnastics.
The building currently sits in a floodplain and must be relocated.
“The Garrison Street Sports Complex plays a vital role for the community, and we want to relocate it without disruption,” said Whitfield, who is currently president of the board.
The board is eyeing a section of the Stenger-Lutz sports fields for the move.
“There are challenges ahead of us, and within two years, the building will have to come down,” said Harrell.
The elected members also said they will work together to plan another recreation center for the eastern parts of Arvada. The plan is part of the district’s long-term goals, said Loveridge, who will fill a seat vacated by Susan Miller.
“I’m looking forward to keeping the district moving forward in the next four years,” said Loveridge, who served on the board two years ago. Loveridge was on the board when it voted to extend term limits, making him ineligible for him to run for a consecutive term.
“I’m pleased to be back,” he said.
Facilities

Apex Park and Recreation District runs several facilities within the city. They include:
Apex Center, 13150 W. 72nd Ave.
Arvada Tennis Center, 6430 Miller St.
Community Recreation Center, 6842 Wadsworth Blvd.
Garrison Street Sports Center, 9191 Ralston Road
Meyers Pool, 7900 Carr Drive
Indian Tree Golf Course, 7555 Wadsworth Blvd.
Lake Arbor Center and Pool, 7451 W. 83rd Way
Secrest Youth Park, 6820 W. 66th Ave.
Stenger and Lutz sport complexes, 10664 West 58th Ave.

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Dear Apex District Constituents.

It has been my sincere pleasure and privilege to have served you these past four years. The district has made significant achievements and I am proud to have been a part of its success. In the end we all win since so many great recreational programs and activities continue to offered to you. Although I would like to continue to serve as a board member with such a great team and staff and run for re-election, my personal situation has changed.
I wanted to take a moment and recommend the re-election of both Director Jim Whitfield and Director Ken Harrell. They have done a fantastic job of serving you these past four years and the district would be well served by returning them to the Apex Park and Recreation Board of Directors. I strongly encourage you to vote for and re-elect these two gentlemen.

sincerely,
Director Susan Miller

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Tomorrow at 4:30 P.M. is the deadline for mail-in requests for a ballot if you would like it mailed to your home address.
Mail in ballot requests can be faxed to 303-420-7397.

Friday is the final deadline to turn in mail-in requests for a ballot assuming you would retrieve your ballot from the Apex
Center.

Otherwise May 4th is your day to come to the Apex or Community Center to Vote !

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We usually don’t get too much feedback via email but it is campaign season. We just got some input on the Segways we are trying out at Indian Tree golf course so I thought I’d share some recent correspondence.

Dear Sir,

Sure. First of all the units are on a lease and are not currently being purchased. We got an extremely good deal on the lease and we think it will be something that makes Indian Tree distinctive, which will in turn keep the net income higher at this course relative to other public courses.
In fact, our analysis suggests we may see an increase in interest and subsequent revenue. Public golf is a competitive business.
If you compare the fiscal management of Indian Tree to other local courses you will see what we mean by “fiscally responsible”. In fact paying off the Indian Tree bonds early was a great win for the district’s tax payers.
Hope this explanation helps. I don’t think any of the candidates (Brian Mclaren, Jim Mckee, T.O. Owens, Bob Loveridge, or Ken Harrell) would be in opposition to this recent decision but you are welcome to ask.

Jim

Begin forwarded message:
From: A A
Date: April 12, 2010 2:02:06 PM MDT
To: whitfijb@hcwt.com, susanm@apexprd.org, leeh@apexprd.org, kenh@apexprd.org, jeffg@apexprd.org, proabrams@yahoo.com
Subject: Fiscal responsibility

I would like to know how you justify buying 4 Segways at Indian Tree Golf Club, which I understand to be a course that operates in the red most years? Can you tell me what the estimate time-line for paying these of might be because I figure it’ll take the better part of 4-5 years? All the while, that’s money that could be used in much better ways.
A few of you are running for re-election and claim to be ‘fiscally responsible’ and to ’save tax-payers money.’ I don’t see this as either.
I’ll let you know how I feel about this decision with my vote in May.

Anonymous

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Here are some of the reasons why I feel I am the most qualified candidate for the Apex Park and Recreation Board of Directors (Although I would admit the Director Ken Harrell comes in a very, very close 2nd on some of my reasons.)
1. Has a very strong commitment to the district community and its success.
2. Has the most recent executive board experience of any of the active board members.
3. Has the most up-to-date understanding of pending transactions and projects that are active.
4. Has the skills to help facilitate the implementation of the district’s master plan.
5. Has endorsements from key City and community leaders.
6. Has an inverted pyramid leadership style (i.e. wins by helping others succeed first).
7. Has a proven track record of results for district tax-payers.
8. Actively participates and represents the District’s “Get Active, Stay Active” mission.

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If you were to be elected…..

1. What changes in priority would you make to the master plan that was recently published by the district ?
2.  Is it your intention to ask for a mil levy increase or tax-bond issue during your four year term election ?
3. What initiated your desire to run for the board ?

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Here are some critical items for the upcoming election:

• Election day is May 4th, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and there are two polling places open for voting:
• Apex Center – 13150 W. 72nd Avenue   and the Apex Community Center – 6842 Wadsworth Blvd.
• You can obtain a  mail-in ballot by filling out the mail-in ballot form and getting it mailed or turned in by April 27th.
• There are some important strategic issues in play for youth sports and recreation in general for this election.  Please vote !!

All of this information and more is on my election flyer

**** If you are a registered mail-in ballot voter with the County that DOES NOT COUNT.
You still need to complete one of the Apex mail-in ballot forms !! ****

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“As a member of the Arvada City Council,  I have worked closely with Jim in his role as Board President of the Apex Park and Recreation District. Jim is a “can do” guy who brings alot of energy and thoughtful ideas to our shared community. Jim is an asset, and the community would be well served by returning him to office.”
Marc Williams, City of Arvada Council Member

“Jim is a visionary leader who brings balance and integrity to our board.  He is an outstanding public servant.”
Jeff Glenn, President – Arvada Midget Football & Apex Board member

“Jim is sharp, articulate and an effective board member. He stays focused on what is good for the community and does not let extraneous factors or issues deter him. He is willing to reach out to find common ground.”
Shelley Cook, City of Arvada Council Member

“It has been a pleasure working with Jim on several community events that benefit the kids not only in our soccer program, but all children in the community.”
Todd Gette, General Manager, Colorado Edge

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No successful organization is successful without a team effort and this is very apparent with the success of the Apex Park and Recreation District.  My contributions over my last term are only a part of the total success by Apex Staff, Board, and Foundation members.  Here is a summary of the team’s and my performance since 2006.

1)       Financial

1. Prepared and campaigned for two ballot issues with staff and board members to present to the voters in 2006.  The capital and operational mill levy that was approved enabled to the District to stabilize its finances operationally and to make capital improvements to many facilities in need of repair.   This was the first successful mill levy increase effort in the 50 year history of the District.
2. Refinanced Apex and paid off Indian Tree bonds that will enable a tax savings of over $1,000,000 to the district’s residents.

2)       Inter-Governmental - Re-negotiated the inter-governmental agreement with the City of Arvada that had expired in 2003.  This agreement determines how recreational facilities are operated and how costs are shared between Apex and Arvada.  The new agreement is now in place to 2013.

3)       Planning – worked with district, City Council, City APAC, and held community public sessions to finalize and master plan for the district.  The master plan was documented and presented to the community in written, and video format.  (see www.apexprd.org)

4)       Improvements.

1. As a result of the approval of the Capital and operational ballot initiative that was approved by the voters improvements were made to nearly all the District’s owned or operated facilities.
2. New turf fields have been added at Long Lake Ranch, proper public facilities are being implemented at the Stenger Sports Complex.

5)       Sustainability – This District has taken a leading role in the Denver Metro Area by implementing a comprehensive sustainability program. This program was initiated in 2006.  New lighting fixtures, insulation, active and passive solar initiatives, and other actions have been implemented to save both power consumption and reduce carbon emissions for the District.

6)       Leadership

1. As Board President I have negotiated agreements, led board meetings and presentations, advised new board members on District history and policy, and have minimized conflict and facilitated board discussions successfully.  I have worked with other groups like the Arvada Chamber, North Metro Chamber, Arvada Economic Development Association, and the Arvada Urban Renewal Authority on projects and community events relevant to the District.
2. Implemented the annual Fathers Day 5k race with the help of Director Susan Miller which netted nearly $5,000 towards recreational improvements and continues to grow in popularity as a fund-raising activity for the District.
3. I have worked with District, City, and other board members to identify and resolve any “outstanding” issues.
4. Led the “tough decisions” effort to determine and finalize the future of the Fisher pool property given the fact that the ballot issue to replace the pool was not approved by the voters.  The un-repairable and 50 year old pool had to be razed in preparation for future development.

7)       Community – I have taken an active recreational role within the community by participating in District events and actively coaching youth within the district.

This is our track record over my past four year term.  I feel that this performance would warrant your vote to allow me to serve the District for another four years.

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There will likely be a lot of discussion this election regarding neighborhood versus regional recreational services.  APEX, for the most part, has implemented a more sub-regional recreational strategy.  That is, APEX has centralized and offered services so that it can operate efficiently and provide high quality recreational services to as many people as possible.   An opposing position, although more expensive, would be to build neighborhood recreation centers across the district that would provide fitness, swimming, and other recreational activities.  The reality of this position is that is not financially feasible to build neighborhood recreational centers and maintain existing APEX facilities and programs without a tremendous tax increase to the Arvada Community !!  The other option, of course, would be to provide a neighborhood center in only one neighborhood while hood-winking the rest of the district community into thinking theirs is just around the corner.    This strategy would also be devastating to the existing sub-regional facilities.

Since the APEX District is only 30% supported by district property taxes the remaining 70% must be generated by fees, fundraising programs, adverstising, and partnerships.   The APEX staff work hard every day to keep fees low, stay within budget and be fiscally smart, and yet provide the best possible recreational programs possible to our community.

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