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After seven years of leading the City of Englewood and a 28-year career in municipal government, Englewood City Manager Shawn Lewis has announced his retirement, slated for Aug. 31. 

Lewis joined the City of Englewood in 2019, after serving as the assistant city manager for the City of Longmont. His leadership saw the city through some of the largest infrastructure projects in city history, including major stormwater improvements, rehabilitation of aging water infrastructure, significant street investments and voter-approved renovations to parks and recreation facilities.

While Colorado has many outdoor adventures to offer to residents, it can be hard to find someone to enjoy those adventures with. South Suburban Parks and Recreation (SSPRD) is trying to help everyone get the chance to enjoy nature in community through its Outdoor Clubs. 

SSPRD’s Outdoor Clubs are a drop-in way to make new friends while exploring outside. Each club is different, and participants can try the clubs out as a one-time experience or attend them regularly, building friendships and community. 

While a dip in the pool can be one of the best ways to beat the summer heat, as each summer goes by, pools can start to suffer from wear and tear despite maintenance. Pools like Morse Park Pool, which has been a Lakewood mainstay for generations, eventually reach the end of their lifespan and need a replacement — with the help of the community. 

The City of Lakewood is currently seeking input from the community for the design of the new Morse Park Pool. The pool, one of the oldest and most popular in the city, is in need of a complete replacement, and Lakewood wants neighbors to help design it. 

Hey y'all! I'm a reporter covering Lakewood, and I was wondering if there was any kind of nickname for Lakewood residents (similar to Arvadans or Littletonians, that kind of thing) that anyone has heard or uses? Thanks!

Outside the General Store 45, a small plastic box filled with stickers, toys, keychains and other knickknacks stands at eye level, attached to an electrical pole. A sign inside invites visitors to trade: take one item, leave one item. Several other such boxes are scattered throughout the city, one outside of Lollygag Antiques and Boutique, another at Sisters Sweet Treats Candy Shop. 

The whimsical boxes are all part of Trinkets of Littleton, Sarah Benjamin’s effort to brighten the town, one trinket at a time. What is now five boxes throughout the city started in Benjamin’s own front yard as a toy swap. 

When books take to the big screen — especially classics that have been passed down for generations — their premiere can be a hot ticket. Now, for fans eagerly anticipating the premiere of “The Odyssey,” their ticket can help make the world better, at the Jefferson County Library Foundation (JCLF) Books on Film. 

Books on Film’s fifth installment is set for July 17, with a special premiere of “The Odyssey.” The film premiere is a fundraiser for the foundation, which supports programming at Jefferson County Public Libraries with the funds raised each year. JCLF was founded in 1966 and has now been supporting the library district for 60 years. 

When Kathi Hasfjord and Maddie Nichols joined the Two Creeks Neighborhood Association in 1996, they hoped to one day bring a park to their neighborhood, where families could play together and enjoy Lakewood’s outdoors. Little did they know that the park would open nearly three decades later. 

Two Creeks Park opened in late 2025, with a recent celebratory ribbon-cutting ceremony held on June 11. The park — one of Lakewood’s 115 across the city— is home to a playground, looping trails, interactive water play and 111 new trees. 

Lakewood City Council is starting to figure out a path forward for city zoning after a special election in April overturned council’s updates to city zoning. 

During a June 15 city council study session, council discussed a path forward for the city’s zoning, identifying what needed to be prioritized in future updates to the zoning code, now that the zoning code changes made in October 2025 had been reversed. 

Every day, volunteers help keep Lakewood’s beloved cultural institutions running. Spread across the Lakewood Cultural Center, Heritage Lakewood Belmar Park and Washington Heights Arts Center, there are over 250 volunteers who keep the day-to-day operations and special events running smoothly. 

Now, with a funding partnership between Lakewood Heritage, Culture and Arts and the Colorado Gives Foundation, volunteers are getting something back. The funding will be used to support the volunteer program in order to reduce isolation and create spaces where everyone feels a sense of belonging. 

While school is out for the summer, that doesn’t mean that learning is on hold. High schoolers at Red Rocks Community College learned how to stop the bleed, perform stitches, measure blood pressure and even got to try their hand at performing ultrasounds. 

The group was RRCC’s inaugural Health Science Leadership Academy class, a new program designed to give high school students hands-on learning experiences in the medical field to explore options for their future healthcare careers. 

Centennial voters who visit Trails Recreation Center to hit the gym, swim some laps, get their steps in or just have fun can now make their visits multipurpose and get their vote in as well, with a new ballot box installed at the recreation center. 

Arapahoe County Elections recently added a 24-hour, video-monitored ballot drop-off box at Trails Recreation Center to help give Centennial voters another option for casting their vote. 

Children kicked their way across the pool, arms filling up with bracelets — each to mark yet another lap — during Empowering Vision Foundation’s swimathon. While the scene looked like typical summer fun, each lap was swimming for a cause. 

On June 11, Empowering Vision Foundation held a swimathon fundraiser, raising over $25,000. The foundation supports vision services for people ages 3 to 21 who have visual impairments and additional disabilities. 

Investigators with the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office are seeking help to find missing 63-year-old Kevin Bailey, who has been missing for five days. 

Bailey was last seen on June 12, at approximately 2 p.m. at the front desk of Woodland Estates Senior Living Center, located at 2500 S. Roslyn Street, where he lives. Bailey told an employee that he wanted to ride the bus to visit friends. He also told family members that he was riding a bus and looking for work. 

In response to increased U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity, Lakewood City Council has passed a resolution outlining steps the city will take to ensure public safety for residents. 

During a June 8 city council meeting, the resolution was passed 10-0, with Councilmember Liz Black absent. The resolution follows a proclamation issued by council on Feb. 23, which acknowledged lives lost in connection with ICE and federal immigration enforcement actions, as well as stating council’s responsibility to ensure the city was safe for all residents. 

With Pride Month festivities underway across the country, Lakewood is getting in on the celebrations. 

This year, Lakewood will hold its first Pride celebration as a city. Lakewood Pride, planned by community members, grassroots organizers and local businesses, is set for June 20, with events throughout the day in the Belmar Shopping District. 

While school is out for the summer, Littleton High School was a bustling building on June 5 as the school received security upgrades — and a bit of beautification, too. 

LHS was chosen as one of Convergint's “Step Up for Schools” grant program recipients, allowing the school to get free security upgrades. On the company’s annual “Social Responsibility Day,” during which Convergint shuts down operations for the day and volunteers its time to give back to the community, over 80 volunteers helped install security updates at LHS. 

The Northwest Hawthorn Good Neighbor Committee (GNC), which was formed to create the Good Neighbor Agreement (GNA) between controversial homeless facility The Hub at Movement 5280 and surrounding neighbors, has wound down operations, after a decline in participation. 

The GNC was formed after concerns arose in March 2024 from neighbors of Movement 5280, citing issues such as increased criminal activity, drug use, public intoxication, loitering and other disturbances. The GNC was composed of representatives from the neighborhood and Movement 5280, and meetings were hosted by a mediator hired by the city. The group worked to create a GNA, a document outlining one-time projects and initiatives, as well as ongoing monitoring activities by both parties, in order to address the concerns raised by neighbors. 

A portion of the land that Englewood City Council voted to terminate the city’s ground lease on is now listed for sale by the developer, for the price of $10.6 million. 

The ground lease was terminated by city council in October 2025, in order to allow New Englewood LLC to redevelop the property. The termination is phased, meaning that New Englewood will only receive certain parts of the CityCenter property after successfully redeveloping other parts of the property. 

While many patrons may think of the library as a spot to pick up a book temporarily, Bemis Public Library’s year-round Used Book Store gives visitors a spot to find a new read — and build up their home library. 

The Used Book Store is operated by the Friends of the Littleton Library and Museum, and raises funds for the nonprofit, which in turn uses those funds to support programming at the Littleton Museum and Bemis Public Library. 

While finding childcare can be a struggle for young families in Colorado, Stepping Stones Academy’s move has made it a bit easier for Englewood families. 

Stepping Stones Academy has moved into a new location, doubling the number of students the early childhood education center is able to serve. The move was celebrated on June 1, with a ribbon cutting ceremony attended by local families, community leaders and even Gov. Jared Polis.