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September 18, 2015
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303-887-FARM • www.denverfarmersmarket.com CentennialCitizen.net A R A P A H O E C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O
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Climbing rents raise frustration
TASTY EVENT ALSO SPOTLIGHTS MENTAL HEALTH
Denver market brutal for apartment tenants By Jennifer Smith jsmith@coloradocommunitymedia.com
Hatch burritos are packed with poblanos at Colorado Chilefest. Photo by Taryn Walker
Chilefest spices things up Weekend event raises money for mental health treatment By Taryn Walker twalker@coloradocommunitymedia.com Things got spicy last weekend with all kinds of chiles taking center stage at the Colorado Chilefest and Salsa Festival in Centennial Center Park. Vendors lined the parking lot, serving tamales, burritos,
poblanos, green chiles and salsa sure to make your face turn red. Local chefs competed, while crafts, kid’s activities, live entertainment and beer breweries kept the crowd going. The event staff recently partnered with Second Wind Fund, an organization that benefits youth at risk of suicide by providing mental health treatment. According to Chilefest’s website, 100 percent of profits made during the Sept. 12-13 event supported that cause. Chilefest continues on Page 5
Arapahoe libraries tax going on ballot Board of trustees moves forward with initiative
By Taryn Walker twalker@coloradocommunitymedia.com The Arapahoe Library District board of trustees passed a resolution to add an initiative to the fall ballot that would increase taxes by $6 million annually. Trustees discussed estimated revenues for 2016 at the Aug. 18 board meeting. Michelle Cingrani said the increase would mean $2.39 per month for the owner of a $300,000 home and would be the result of increasing the mill levy from 4.2 to 5.4 mills. An Arapahoe Library District web page offers facts about the ballot initiative; go to arapahoelibraries.org/voteinfo. Serving 250,000-plus patrons with eight community libraries, a jail library and the Library on Wheels, the library district hopes to increase resources, as it’s been 12 years since the last tax increase, executive director Nicolle Davies said. Since then, the entity has gone to the voters three times for a mill levy increase without succeeding. “We manage the budget well,” Davies said. “Trustees have had great oversight to make money last and we’ve found
Millennials flocking to Colorado for jobs and new, more liberal social policies. Baby boomers retiring in droves, looking to downsize. Those are just a couple of reasons there are long lines of prospective tenants at apartment leasing offices, competing for rare vacancies in the Denver metro area. Apartment rents are up at least 5 percent in most metro-area cities since summer 2014, but there is no shortage of people willing to pay them. In south metro-area communities, renters and those still looking for a place are faced with some of the highest rates in the state, with the average one-bedroom going for more than $1,000 a month in most places. For two bedrooms, it’s generally around $1,500 or more, according to apartmentlist. com. Meanwhile, available units are hard to come by. The vacancy rate in the metro area was 4.5 percent as of June, according to the Metro Denver Economic Development Corp. The national average is about 7 percent, the U.S. Census Bureau reports. Those who are comfortably ensconced in a single-family neighborhood with a 30-year mortgage, perhaps paid off, might not think rent is an issue that will affect them. But who does it affect? Faces of renters Well, there’s J. Renee Smith. The single mom is paying $950 a month for a small, two-bedroom apartment near Littleton High School. She works two jobs and gets what she calls a “measly” amount of child support. “Since my ex left, I have struggled to finish school, pay off loans and keep bills out of my credit, which has also declined,” she said. “When I had to look for an apartment, prices soared sky-high even for a one-bedroom, and maintenance has been very bad. … Fortunately I was able to grab a second job, thus wearing myself thin on top of Rents continues on Page 11
Joesph Howard, left, of Centennial gets some work done at Koelbel Libary. He and his wife, Maria, support Arapahoe libraries’ ballot iniative to increase taxes to improve resources. Photo by Taryn Walker ourselves in a time that the cost of doing business has increased.” Lately, resources — specifically eReaders and online books, magazines and audio streaming — have made a big impact on business, she said. The
vendors who sell those resources to public libraries don’t do it for cheap. All e-resources sell at a much higher rate, Libraries continues on Page 7
Scott Willey and his girlfriend pay $1,190 a month for a 650-square-foot apartment in Englewood. Courtesy photo