I need help, thus I’m being a bit hoggish. The President of ACCORD has appointed a committee to study “Growth Initiative No. 26” This initiative is to be voted on by all Colorado citizens in the November elections. After the committee reports back to the ACCORD body, the ACCORD President will ask ACCORD to take a public position on “Growth Initiative No. 26” I believe this is a “hot-button” issue. If I am correct then I should have input from the people I represent. I do not want to commit our community to a community position without community input.

I have obtained a copy of “Growth Initiative No. 26”. It is 6 pages long, the summary is 1 1\2 pages. Both are to long to be incorporated into this or any Foxtales issue. Since I need your input you can find the initiative on the internet at http://www.ourcolorado.org . If you don’t have internet access, call 303-573-7474 and select the option to talk to a person and they will help you get a copy of the initiative.

If growth control is an issues you have concerns about, I need to know your position. Please contact me at the e-mail address below or the phone number below and leave message on recorder. [email protected]. All small letters except it is the number 1 after name. Phone: 303-770-8714. LD

From around Foxridge:

Improvements to County Line Road, from Quebec to Colorado Blvd., are expected to begin in October. The two-year project will include widening County Line Road from two to four lanes and grading the road to improve traffic flow and visibility.

The first phase of the project will likely include water line work from just west of the Stein Mart shopping center to Niagara Street Later phases of work will include the installation of a water tap at the Foxridge entrance at Niagara Street and County Line Road The cost for the water tap is estimated at $10,000 and will be paid for by the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT). Native seeding, which includes a wildflower mix, will be sprinkled at that entrance. Landscaping will be coordinated by the Foxridge Improvement Association, following the project.

Niagara Street will also be re-graded from Philips Place to County Line Road, a distance of approximately 230 feet. The construction of the 10-ft. sound abatement wall, which will run along the southern perimeter of Foxridge, is also slated to begin this fall. The wall will be built five feet south of the current fence that parallels County Line Road Residents whose yards back up to County Line Road may gain an additional five feet of yard if the current fence is removed, following an agreement with Arapahoe County. Look for more information in Foxtales about a groundbreaking ceremony this fall.

Use Care on Mineral Avenue

Mineral Avenue has several blind spots approaching Foxridge Park, the Foxridge Pool and Racquet Club and the various paths entering the street. Encourage your household drivers to go slow along this busy street. The county traffic engineers are aware of the perils (street grades are in poor directions at several key turns), but the three recent accidents into the fence at the corner of Mineral Avenue and Niagara do not warrant their intervention at this time. Please use care, we cannot carproof kids or pets!

We’d Like TO KNOW YOU!

If you are new to the neighborhood (or if we have your name wrong on the address label), please fill out the dues form and return it to the specified address. This is the only way we know who has moved in. Dues are not mandatory at this time, but your contribution is important. Dues run from February to February. Thanks!

Quality design work for your home or office at competitive prices. Custom window treatments, blinds and shutters; all types of remodeling, flooring, furniture and accessories. Call Kathy Rice at KR Designs for an appointment today!

KR Designs: 303-779-6920

Need Landscaping? For tree and shrub trimming, removal, aerating and most of your landscaping needs, call Bill at 303-779-6744. I’ve been a Foxridge resident for over 20 years.

Condo with great view in Frisco! 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom. Deck faces Mount Royal, Peak 1. Indoor pool, hot tubs, saunas, racquetball. Five blocks to Main Street, 50 yards to bike path. Call Curt or Katie Huber at 303-721-6817.

Mail ads, with payment, to:
Foxtales, C/O Publisher
6635 E. Jamison Ave.
Englewood, CO 80112
Questions? Call 303-221-5819

By Anita Joseph-Conkling

Living in a covenant-protected neighborhood simply provides a framework to help everyone do what’s best for the overall neighborhood. The purpose is to help each other be better neighbors, and not to provide clean-up services. Therefore, it is the job of each and every one of us to stop someone from carelessly leaving trash around our streets, and also to clean it up. Besides, it’s just good manners!

If the "trash" is becoming too regular, is too big for you to remove, or causes a hazard of some kind to the neighborhood, try speaking to the neighbor at that house. If that doesn’t work, then perhaps our covenants can help alleviate the concern. For example, you see a car engine discarded at a corner: (1) This may be in violation of our covenants and pose a hazard to children, on the other hand, (2) it may be lying out there for a removal that day. So, please be active in speaking with your neighbors and opening the doors for better communications and understanding.

And speaking of a better understanding, some people are confused about the role of Terry Riester. In addition to being a good neighbor, who has volunteered many years to Foxridge, he heads the enforcement of Foxridge covenants. This is not a nice job, as anyone who has ever been in any kind of enforcement will tell you. Our covenants were written in the late ‘70s and early ’80’s to protect against almost anything that could possibly ever happen that may deter from the beauty and desirability of Foxridge. Some of the infringements (and Terry is charged with identifying every one) have been called "nit-picky." Some people point out neighbors who are not in compliance as proof of why they shouldn’t have to comply. Does this make sense?

We have a homeowners association at Foxridge and we are all members. We have a Board who volunteers because we plan to live here for a very long time want to maintain a happy environment. And we are seeing many new faces at our monthly meeting (Many Thanks!) helping to rekindle enthusiasm. Another purpose of these meetings is to hear discussions from homeowners and attempt to facilitate resolution. If you believe you have a question about covenants or have been notified of a covenant infringement that you think is nit-picky, please don’t take it out on Terry. Instead, bring it to the attention of someone on the Board and let’s talk about it. There is a solution.

At our next FIA meeting on August 21, we will have some legal advisors to address covenant questions. And we’ll be discussing some wonderful ideas, such as neighborhood picnics, social committees or bridge clubs. Mark your calendars, it will be the best 2 hour investment you’ll make all month! You can reach me at 303-694-1057, 303-771-1710 or by e-mail at [email protected]

Remember, we’re neighbors … building our community together, one conversation at a time. AJC

In Brooklyn, New York, Chush is a school that caters to learning disabled children. Some children remain in Chush for their entire school career, while others can be main-streamed into conventional schools. At a Chush fund-raising dinner, the father of a Chush child delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended.

After extolling the virtues and perfections of the school and its dedicated staff, he cried out, "Where is the perfection in my son Shaya? Everything God does is done with perfection. Why has Shaya been left out of this perfection?

My child cannot understand things as other children do. My child cannot remember facts and figures as other children do. Where is God's perfection?

The audience was shocked by the question, pained by the father's anguish and stilled by the piercing query. "I believe," the father answered, "that when God brings a child like this into the world, the perfection that he seeks is in the way people react to this child."

He then told the following story about his son Shaya:

One afternoon, Shaya and his father walked past a park where some boys Shaya knew were playing baseball. Shaya asked, "Do you think they will let me play?"

Shaya's father knew that his son was not at all athletic and that most boys would not want him on their team. But Shaya's father understood that if his son was chosen to play it would give him a comfortable sense of belonging. Shaya's father approached one of the boys in the field and asked if Shaya could play.

The boy looked around for guidance from his teammates. Getting none, he took matters into his own hands and said "We are losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him up to bat in the ninth inning."

Shaya's father was ecstatic as Shaya smiled broadly. Shaya was told to put on a glove and go out to play short center field. In the bottom of the eight inning, Shaya's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shaya's team scored again and now with two outs and the bases loaded with the potential winning run on base.

Shaya was scheduled to be up. Would the team actually let Shaya bat at this juncture and give away their chance to win the game?

Suprisingly, Shaya was given the bat. Everyone knew that it was all but impossible because Shaya didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, let alone hit with it. However as Shaya stepped up to the plate, the pitcher moved a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shaya should at least be able to make contact.

The first pitch came and Shaya swung clumsily and missed. One of Shaya's team-mates came up to Shaya and together they held the bat and faced the pitcher waiting for the next pitch. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly toward Shaya. As the pitch came in, Shaya and his teammate swung at the ball and together they hit a slow ground ball to the pitcher.

The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could easily have thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shaya would have been out and that would have ended the game. Instead, the pitcher took the ball and purposely threw it far beyond reach of the first baseman.

Everyone started yelling, "Shaya, run to first. Run to first."

Never in his life had Shaya run to first. He scampered down the baseline wide-eyed and startled. By the time he reached first base, the right fielder had the ball. He could have thrown the ball to the second baseman who would tag out Shaya, who was still running. But the right fielder understood what the pitcher's intentions were, so he threw the ball high and far over the second baseman's head.

Everyone yelled, "Run to second, run to second." Shaya ran towards second base as the runners ahead of him deliriously circled the bases towards home. As Shaya reached second base, the opposing short stop ran to him, turned him in the direction of third base and shouted, "Run to third." As Shaya rounded third, the boys from both teams ran behind him screaming, "Shaya run home." Shaya ran home, stepped on home plate and all 18 boys lifted him on their shoulders and made him the hero, as he had just hit a "grand slam" and won the game for his team.

"That day," said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, "those 18 boys reached their level of God's perfection."

Funny how this is so true and shame on us for not following their example more often! Funny how simple it is for people to trash different ways of living and believing and then wonder why the world is going to hell. Funny how the lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene pass freely through our culture, but the public discussion of morality is suppressed in the school and workplace. Funny isn't it?