PHONE: “Flashy” can be costly

“How can that be due pro-cess?” Kuhn asked.

A representative for Fort Col-lins-based Neenan did not im-mediately respond to a requestfor comment.

The board, which falls underthe jurisdiction of the state De-partment of Regulatory Agen-cies, opened an inquiry intoHowell’s work after a DenverPost report detailed a litany ofproblems with a Neenanschool building in Meeker.

According to public docu-ments, Howell worked on atleast 19 schools for Neenanfrom his hiring in December2007 to his firing last month onthe day DORA launched its in-quiry.

Neenan has declined to iden-tify all the schools Howellworked on as a structural engi-neer, saying, “We do not putour clients’ names in the news-paper without their explicitpermission.”

Tuesday’s action requiresHowell to stop practicing engi-neering until a hearing severalweeks from now, said DORAprogram director Angie Kin-naird Linn.

She said only once before inher 17 years on the job has theboard suspended a license —involving a structural engineeron a collapsed building in themid-1990s.

The board did not accept out-side remarks, and neither How-ell nor his lawyer appeared atthe emergency board meeting,which included a 1-hour, 40-minute session that was closedto the public.

During the open part of themeeting, board member DanDonegon, a structural engineerwith HCDA Engineering Inc.in Colorado Springs, said a re-view of the engineering on theMeeker project found “serious

issues” that pointed to work“below the standard of prac-tice.”

The review by StructuralConsultants Inc. found the$18.9 million school had beendesigned to a seismic categoryof 1 — typical for a storage shed— instead of the code 3 re-quired for schools.

The firm also concluded thebuilding was susceptible to col-lapse in high winds or an earth-quake.

“I can’t understand whyyou’d be using category 1 for aschool,” Donegon said. “It justdoesn’t happen.”

“It raises the question ofwhether he actually did the cal-culations or just wasn’t payingattention at all when thesewere done,” said board mem-ber Jeffrey Olson, with Den-ver’s Fentress Architects.

Board member Billy Harris,of the Denver engineering andland-survey firm Harris Koch-er Smith, asked whether therewas pressing need to act orwhether more documentationwas needed.

“As far as this licensee is con-cerned, if we just look at one in-cident, it may not give us a bigenough picture,” he said. “But Idon’t want to go on a fishing ex-pedition of everything he’sever done, either.”

Kinnaird Linn noted theboard already had requesteddocuments from Howell lastmonth, and she said it was herunderstanding that he “had theability to get the documentshad he chosen to do so.”

Howell did not have a valid li-cense for a period while work-ing on the Meeker project, butNeenan has said it was valid bythe time he put his stamp onthe designs.

Howell also was the engi-neer of record on the SargentJunior-Senior High School inthe San Luis Valley, which a re-view found needs repairs be-cause a beam supporting theroof in one area cannot with-stand snow loads.

Eric Gorski: 303-954-1971 oregorski@denverpost.com ortwitter.com/egorski

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The utility will respond tothe critics in filings Jan. 5,Mark Stutz, an Xcel spokes-man, said in a statement.

There is a broad consensusamong those opposing the in-crease — from consumer ad-vocates to big businesses —that Xcel has failed to showthat it would be hurt financial-ly by waiting for a full rate-case hearing.

There has to be “some dem-onstration of harm beyondthe sheer fact of lagged recov-ery,” said the Colorado Ener-gy Consumers, a coalition ofbusinesses. “The company’s fi-nancial integrity is not remote-ly at risk.”

Xcel said in its rate requestthat under the 2010 law, a sec-tion of theClean Air-Clean JobsAct, a utility had only to show itwould be “adversely affected”to get an interim increase andthat since this was a new law,there was no precedent.

“These statements are incor-rect and misleading,” saidFrancis Shafer, an analystwith the state Office of Con-sumer Counsel, in a filing.The counsel represents resi-dential and small-businesscustomers.

The PUC always has hadthe power to grant interimrates and has done so — butonly in cases of extreme finan-cial need, such as in 1980when the credit rating for Pub-lic Service Co. of Coloradowas downgraded, Shafer said.

If the commission feels itneeds to give Xcel an interim

increase, it should be the mini-mum amount necessary togive the company its allowedreturn, Shafer said.

The major component ofthe overall rate request is $52.5million to cover the cost of ab-sorbing 300 megawatts of gen-eration Xcel had been sellingto Black Hills Energy, whichserves Pueblo and southeast-ern Colorado.

Xcel let the wholesale powercontract lapse and planned touse the power for its custom-ers. But it’s taking on the pow-er generation at a time when italready has excess capacity.

Xcel’s two largest custom-ers — Rocky Mountain Steeland Climax Molybdenum Co.— in a joint filing questioned“whether retail customersshould bear the full burden ofwhat apparently turned out tobe a bad decision.”

“Because utilities are mo-nopolies within their certifi-cated service territories, the

Commission’s duty is to pro-tect customers from exces-sive rates,” the two compa-nies stated.

While opposing the interimrate increase, the PUC staffalso took issue with the $100million price tag.

Among the items thatshould be addressed in thefull rate case are $16 millionfor pensions and $23 million inincreased property taxes. Thestaff said the local tax bills arenot due until April 2013.

The staff said the commis-sion should consider an inter-im rate increase of no morethan $57.1 million.

On average, the PUC hasawarded about 46 percent ofthe amount requested in elec-tricity-rate cases, and Xcel isseeking 70 percent of the totalrate request in the latest case,the commission staff noted.

Karen Hyde, vice presidentforrates inXcel’sColoradosub-sidiary, said in testimony to thecommission that if the finalrate increase was less than $100million, the company would is-sue credits to ratepayers.

A refund in the spring afterstruggling to pay bills throughthe winter “does not adequate-ly protect consumers,” AARPargued in its filing.

Xcel has one supporter forthe interim rate increase:Black Hills Energy.

Black Hills said that if thePUC approved the Xcel inter-im rate request, it too wouldfile for interim rate hikes.

Mark Jaffe: 303-954-1912 ormjaffe@denverpost.com

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“I have eight mental disor-ders, so I use it to talk to mydoctors,” said Labarr, who wor-ries that his doctors will have aharder time finding him.

His smartphone also keepshim connected with his casemanagers, therapists andchurch, and the community col-lege where he is enrolled. Healso uses the calendar to keeptrack of appointments andclass schedules.

With Labarr homeless, andwith his family in Pennsylva-nia, his phone is his lifeline.

The study, conducted by pro-fessor Eric Rice of the Schoolof Social Work at the Universi-ty of Southern California,showed that 62 percent ofhomeless youth owned a cell-phone, and 51 percent used it tostay connected to friends athome.

Thirty-six percent used it tocall a potential or current em-ployer; 17 percent to call a casemanager; and 41 percent to stayconnected to parents.

The study, “Cell Phone UseAmong Homeless Youth: Po-tential for New Health Inter-ventions and Research,” wasfunded by the National Insti-tute of Mental Health.

Because cellphones are near-ly ubiquitous among Americanadolescents, the study said,this technology can give fami-ly, friends and providers newways to keep connected tohomeless youth, a populationthat is highly transient.

Unlike adults who are home-less, teenagers have fewer men-tal-health and substance-abuseproblems that can stop themfrom getting off the streets.

Aaron Roth, 19, finds that hiscellphone is critical to keepingin touch with places — restau-rants and retailers — where hehas applied for work.

“You don’t want them callinga homeless shelter,” he said,“and if you’re not there whenthey call, it looks bad already.”

But there is a potential down-side witnessed by people suchas Christina Mijares, who worksat the Urban Peak shelter.

“The only thing I worryabout is the bills racking up,”she said. “If they don’t havesteady employment, they

should not be allowed to havethe higher plans.”

While some kids get thelower-budget prepaid monthlyplans, others get the latest mod-els and most elaborate plans.

“It’s wrong when kids comein with flashy phones,” said Mi-jares, who worries that gettingin over their heads will resultin bill collectors and other fi-nancial headaches.

Still, with prepaid plans, shesees a definite upside.

“They can stay connected toresources, like if they’re tryingto get a bed for the night or ajob interview,” she said. “Some-times friends and family areable to talk them down andhelp them not overreact tothings.”

Rice said smartphones aren’tcheap, “but they are more at-tainable than a car, jobs or aplace to live, and they helpthem get all of the otherthings.”

Also, he said, even if calling isdisabled on a smartphone, thedevice functions as a Wi-Fi-en-abled device, allowing the teensto access free hotspots and con-tinue to maintain connectionswith family, caseworkers andpotential employers.

“It’s not a panacea,” Ricesaid, “but it is a new tool thathelps them to make connec-tions and access resources andbe consistent in how they dothese things.”

Rice’s initial data were col-lected in 2009, but anecdotallyhe sees cellphone use amonghomeless youth increasing.

His ongoing research sug-gests that homeless youth whokeep up with positive influenc-es in their lives — even at a dis-tance — have a better chanceof getting off the streets.

“They are doing better,” hesaid. “They are less likely to en-gage in prostitution and morelikely to look for jobs. Theyhave lower rates of mental-health issues and substanceabuse. Things just go better ifthey are actively engaged inthe process of connecting, us-ing these devices.”

Labarr said his cellphone is“a mood stabilizer” that helpshim stay connected with oth-ers when he feels angry or sad.

And for Daniel, an 18-year-old homeless teen who did notwant to give his last name, it’s away to set up meetings with hiscase manager and stay in touchwith his brother and sister.

“My sister is helping me,” hesaid. “She brought me here andwants to know how I’m doing.Before, I had to ask to use thephone here or ask to borrowfrom a friend, and sometimesthey wouldn’t let me. It washard to contact her, and sheworried.”

Colleen O’Connor: 303-954-1083or coconnor@denverpost.com

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XCEL: New law iscited in interim bid

“The interimincrease justisn’t justified.This shouldn’t beput on the backsof ratepayerswithouta full review.”Steve Merrill,an advocate forColorado AARP,a senior-citizensorganization

Homeless teens and cellphones

Data collected by USCresearcher Eric Rice in 2009of 169 homeless youth inLos Angeles showed:

62 percentof homeless teenshad a cellphone85 percentwere using the Internetat least weekly27 percentgot a phone using moneyearned at a job20 percentreceived a phone as a gift15 percentpurchased a phoneby panhandlingor street performing

Data collected by Universityof Denver researcherKimberly Bender in 2008 of50 homeless youth ages18-24 in Denver and 50 inLos Angeles showed:

92 percentused technology weekly41 percentused technology daily81 percentcommunicatedprimarily with friends62 percentcommunicated with family21 percentcommunicated with employers4 percentcommunicatedwith service providers

Harlan Gary HowellEDUCATION: Bachelor of science, architectural engineering, Uni-versity of Colorado.WORK EXPERIENCE: 35 years. Licensed in Colorado; formerly li-censed in Missouri and Oklahoma. Hired by the Neenan Co. ofFort Collins in December 2007 as staff structural engineer.NEENAN SCHOOL PROJECTS: Vanguard High School, ColoradoSprings; Sterling High School, Sterling; Campbell ElementarySchool, Sterling; Ayers Elementary School addition, Sterling;Brush Elementary School, Brush; Brush Middle School, Brush;Weld Central Elementary School, Keenesburg; Fort Morgan HighSchool, Fort Morgan; Miami-Yoder High School, Rush; WestGrand Elementary School, Kremmling; Fraser Valley ElementarySchool, Fraser; Granby Elementary School, Granby; Meeker Ele-mentary School, Meeker; Sargent Junior-Senior High School,Monte Vista; Alamosa Elementary School K-2 Campus, Alamosa;Alamosa Elementary School 3-5 Campus, Alamosa; Mapleton Ear-ly College and Expeditionary School of the Arts, Thornton; YorkInternational School, Thornton.Sources: State of Colorado, the Neenan Co.

NEENAN: Suspensions are rare

6 the denver post B denverpost.com B wednesday, december 28, 2011 NEWS «13A