Living Littleton

Beginning July 1st, 2009, all sellers of residential property that contain a fireplace, a fuel-fired heater or appliance, or an attached garage will lbe responsible for assuring that a carbon monoxide alarm is properly installed within 15 feet of the entrance to each room lawfully used for sleeping.  This new law was recently signed by our Governor.  I do support it, but I’m wondering how it will be implemented.  I haven’t read the whole law, so I still have some questions about it that I’m sure will be answered by our various Realtor trade organizations.  It sounds like detectors wouldn’t be required in non-conforming basement bedrooms because they wouldn’t fit the profile of ”lawfully used for sleeping.”  This does put some monetary obligations on the seller but I think it’s for public good. 

I think it’s a better law than some of the recent ones floated such as requiring sellers to install certain energy efficiency features, which was kicked around.  There was also a proposal to require sellers to disclose to buyers the energy usage for a home, but that was also defeated.  This information can be obtained by anyone by calling the energy provider for that particular home and asking them.  There’s also the fact that residents use energy differently.  For instance, do the current residents have several young children where the family is doing three loads of laundry each day, or do they have a portable electric hot tub?  While the usage information can give a clue about a home’s energy consumption, it’s not necessarily the ultimate answer to how much energy a new buyer will be using.

Recently, an engineer friend made me aware of this new engine design that came from Angel Labs located in Lodi, California.  This new engine is a recent NASA design winner from Raphial Morgado.  According to the inventor at “25 pounds, it produces 200-500 horse power at 150 MPG on bio fuel, and the bio fuel is also the lubricant, so it needs no oil.  It’s called the MYT Engine (massive yet tiny).  Get more information plus videos of the engine running by going to their web site at http://www.angellabsllc.com.  Hopefully, this is the kind of technology that actually gets incorporated into everyday life, as we’ve all heard of great tech breakthroughs that promise to change our lives, only to never see them never reach their potential.

One of my favorite Littleton businesses, The Savory Spice Shop, will be featured on the Food Network Saturday morning, March 28, 9:30 AM.  The husband and wife owners will be guest of Paula Dean on her
show, Paula Deen’s Best Dishes, where they introduce her to some new flavors.  My wife and I have been frequenting this business since they opened their first store in LoDo back in 2005.  If you live in the Denver/Boulder area check out one of their stores that’s near you.  There’s the original on Platte Street, down town Littleton, Lowry, and the fourth on the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder.  You will be amazed at the varieties of fresh ground spices they make available.  As an example, you can choose from about five kinds of cinnamon and about the same amount of cocoa powder varieties.  They are available for purchase in small amounts so you don’t have to worry about them getting stale before they’re used up.  Even if you don’t end up purchasing any thing, your nose will  enjoy the experience.

David Morrison has started a support group for career professionals, that are looking for work, where they can connect, support, and network with other like minded professionals.  David comes from the financial services industry and has organized the groups first meeting for March 30th at the Double Tree Denver Tech.  The group goes by the name DTC Career Connect and has a web site at www.DTCCareerConnect.com.   If you want to network with other job seekers, career coaches, recruiters, and others try and make this meeting.  The guest speaker at this meeting will be Mr. Gordon Miller, Exeutive Vice President, Client Services for Denver based Dovetail Solutions.  Gordon is a nationally recognized speaker, whose articles have appeared in over a hundred business publications, as well as having been several appearance on CNN and over 500 radio interviews.  For more information about this event, go to the website for details.

Here’s a most unusual digital clock that not only reports on time, around the world, but other things that people would find noteworthy.  What’s really unique is that it shows instant up-dating of statistics.  You can track births, deaths, car or bicycle production, energy consumption, illnesses, rise of the national debt, and environmental issues.  If you’re a teacher, this would be a great learning tool for your students.  Take a look at   http://www.poodwaddle.com/worldclock.swf.

Well the weeks are sliding past, and if you’re the type that doesn’t buy season passes but would still like to get up the hill to take advantage of the great snow we’ve had this year, you may want to check out some of these sites for ticket deals.  Unfortunately, the resorts aren’t giving them away but you can still find deals that will save you money, and in this economy, every little bit helps.  I’m writing this from Littleton, however, some of these sites are good for ski areas around the country, so check them out.

http://www.liftopia.com for resorts all across the country

http://www.coppercolorado.com is for Copper Mountain Colorado

http://www.skicoupouns.com is for various resorts

http://www.coloradoski.com is for guess where

http://www.ridecme.com  this is from a shuttle service out of Denver International to the Colorado ski resorts and they sometimes have some deals, worth checking out

The Ken-Caryl Ranch Community Center pool will soon be getting a water slide.  This pool was purchased with Jefferson County Open Space money and because of that, it’s open to all Jeffco Residents.  That’s also why the slide will be located at this site because Jefferson County Open Space will also be providing approximately 70% of the funding for the project.  The remaining 30% will be provided by the State of Colorado Conservation Trust.  The estimated cost of the project is $120,000.  Not only will this stimulate many of this summer’s swimmers, it will also stimulate the economy.

If you’re a low income resident of the City of Littleton and have a home that needs repairs but no money to do it, the Littleton Housing Authority is the place you need to go.  They have a rehab program that provides no-interest loans to low income individuals and families, so they can up-grade their homes for reasons of safety or just plain aesthetics.  The Rehab Program will provide loans up to $24,999, that are funded through Arapahoe County.  Payments on these loans can be  deferred until the home is sold or is no longer the primary residence.  If the home is structurally sound, money for improvements can go for things like a new roof, replacing an old inefficient furnace or windows, siding repair, replacing doors, or new carpet, just to name a few.  Littleton Housing acts as the bank and the general contractor so residents don’t have to take on the worry of lining up qualified fairly priced sub-contractors to do the work.  The whole goal of this program is to improve the City of Littleton’s housing stock, many of which are starting to show their age.  If you think this is a program you may qualify for, contact Kimberly Kingston at the Littleton Housing Authority by calling 303-991-5301.

Here’s something you don’t see very often, a Ford   Econoline van that’s been converted into a boat trailer.

This isn’t just any trailer, but one that incorporates the actual boat into the body of the van.  You can see the line in the photos where the boat starts to curve inwards to form the prow.  If you want to check this contraption out, it can generally be found in the back parking lot of the small commercial site at the corner of Bowles and Coal Mine, just east of the Super Walmart.

Recently, a group of civic minded residents got the Ken-Caryl Ranch governing bodies to approve the ranch’s first community garden.  The newly approved site will be on the east side of the present Community Center building, which is located in the east part of Ken-Caryl Valley.  This property is actually owned by Jefferson County as part of their open space portfollio, and is leased to Ken-Caryl Ranch through the Ranch’s Metropolitan District.  Jefferson County gave their OK, and now it was up to the Ranch to also give their blessing.  That blessing came just recently, but with one main cavaet, and that is the resident group needs to raise approximately $84,000 to construct an eight foot high perimeter fence around the garden site to prevent it from becoming a buffet for the area wildlife.  Fund raising has since started with pledges from a local school PTA, individual citizens, and the Ken-Caryl Ranch Foundation.  In it’s present incarnation, the garden will have a total of 4,700 square feet of actual garden area.  Of that, there will be 13 raised beds and 24 grade level beds.  If you want more information go the the web site at; http://www.kencarylcommunitygarden.org.