SEE EARTH DAY

Since South Platte Renew began sponsoring clean-ups four years ago, Wise said community members have become more educated and aware of litter in public spaces and waterways.

“We did a river cleanup just with plant staff closer to where we discharge into the South Platte River and as we were walking along a lot of us commented on how much cleaner it was this year compared to others,” he said. “It’s defi nitely getting cleaner.”

And being such a precious natural resource in Colorado, water is vital to preserve and maintain, Wise said.

“(Water’s) so fi nite that we need to make it as clean as possible,” Wise said. “If people can be on the water and enjoy it then they gain a better appreciation for that natural resource.”

Annie Santos picks up trash around Centennial Lake in celebration of Earth Day. The cleanup was sponsored by South Platte

Renew, a wastewater treatment plant owned by Littleton and Englewood. PHOTOS BY ROBERT TANN

Sarah Ripley joins in with other community members to help South Platte Renew reach its goal of collecting 250 bags worth of trash. Community members scour the grassy bank of Centennial Lake in Englewood for trash. Over 100 people signed up for the cleanup event, according to South Platte Renew spokesperson Erin Bartlett. Mike Theiss with his two children Owen and Evert. “I had an idea to do this just for Earth Day with the kids to show them that it’s important to keep our planet clean,” Theiss said.

MAY 6

MAY 7

Policies vary throughout south metro area

BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

In Centennial, cases of unauthorized camping — a visible sign of regional homelessness — have occurred along the High Line Canal Trail in the city’s west end. They’ve also popped up along the Arapahoe Road corridor, off Interstate 25, and in or near park areas.

The Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Offi ce has made about 245 contacts with people based on Centennial’s camping ban since June 2020, according to the sheriff’s offi ce.

Those contacts have stretched across the city, reaching out east to Smoky Hill Road even though Centennial sits far away from most major resources for unhoused people in the Denver metro area.

“I think it is safe to say that the majority of the contacts are telling people to move on,” said Deputy John Bartmann, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s offi ce.

The vast majority of contacts law enforcement offi cers make at encampments in Centennial don’t result in tickets, according to data provided by Bartmann, which runs through March 11 of this year.

“There have been two tickets and one warning issued,” Bartmann said. “This information comes from our records from when Centennial enacted the camping ban.”

Centennial City Council approved the city’s urban camping ban unanimously in 2019.

Numbers in the most recent annual report by the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative have painted a picture of increasing homelessness in the Denver metro area — a trend that predates the coronavirus pandemic but was likely worsened by it.

Asked whether Centennial has seen an increase in homeless encampments since July 2019, Bartmann said: “Yes, we have seen an increase in homelessness.”

The laws and policies that prohibit camping vary across different cities in the metro area — and they’re also different within Centennial’s own boundaries depending on where a person is.

Where camping is illegal in Centennial

Centennial’s law bans camping on city-owned roads, sidewalks, trails, parks and city buildings or other city property.

The ban also applies to property overseen by the Southeast Metro Stormwater Authority — often called SEMSWA — which generally manages waterways in Centennial. That includes creeks, streams and other drainage areas.

Centennial’s municipal code, or city law, defi nes camping as using public property for “living accommodation,” including, but not limited to, the following activities and circumstances: • Sleeping or making preparations to sleep, including the lying down of bedding. • Occupying a shelter out of doors. In the city’s law, “shelter” means any cover or protection from the elements other than clothing, such as a tent, shack, sleeping bag, blankets or other material. • The presence or use of a campfi re, camp stove, or other heating source or cooking device. • Keeping or storing personal property.

Many park and open space areas in Centennial aren’t city property and still operate under their own rules.

Parks, trails and recreation in the Centennial area are mostly overseen by South Suburban Parks and Recreation in the city’s west and central parts, by Arapahoe Park and Recreation District generally east of Parker Road, and by Arapahoe County Open Spaces. The city owns Centennial Center Park and a small number of other spaces.

South Suburban Parks and Recreation’s rules and regulations prohibit camping in all park, trail and open space areas, except when it is approved through a permitting process, according to spokesperson Becky Grubb.

South Suburban also enforces a park curfew from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m., Grubb said. And waterways on South Suburban property, specifi cally in Centennial, are managed by SEMSWA, according to Grubb.

Park hours are from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. in the Arapahoe Park and Recreation District, whose waterways are also overseen by SEMSWA.

Other than the rule about hours, “APRD does not have rules against sleeping in the park during the day (or) evening, whether with a tent (or) cover or not,” said Delos Searle, the park district’s interim executive director.

Searle added: “I would like to note that APRD has not had an issue with the camping (or) sleeping issue in our parks except for a rare occasion. When an issue does arise, it has been quickly resolved with a courteous conversation.”

Despite its name, the Arapahoe Park and Recreation District is not a part of the Arapahoe County government.

For open spaces managed by Arapahoe County, a resolution approved in 1996 by the county commissioners says it is unlawful to camp or park a trailer or camper for camping purposes in areas that are not specifi cally designated for camping.

The circumstances back then were different — the measure wasn’t put forth as an explicit camping ban targeted at people experiencing homelessness, said Luc Hatlestad, a county spokesperson.

“People who aren’t experiencing homelessness also go camping, and I want to stress that this is but … a single line in a long and comprehensive resolution designed to clarify everything that was permitted and prohibited in our then-nascent open space areas,” Hatlestad added.

Data shows pockets of camping

Spots along Panama Drive, which winds along the High Line Canal east of Broadway, account for 11 instances of the sheriff’s offi ce checking on camping activity, according to the data. Most of those locations sit within several blocks of Broadway, near the west edge of Centennial.

Several other data entries list the High Line Canal Trail as the spot of a camping check. And eight other camping-check entries mark one address on Broadway right next to the High Line Canal.

About 20 entries list locations along Arapahoe Road — including some for the Arapahoe Road Trailhead at Cherry Creek, not far from Parker Road.

In the southwest part of Centennial, 13 entries sit near Otero Avenue and Newport Court, near what the county’s online map labels as an open space area.

About 30 entries are close to the Dry Creek Road and I-25 interchange.

Asked whether deputies always recommend resources to homeless individuals when making contact under Centennial’s camping ban, Bartmann said the sheriff’s offi ce doesn’t track that in its data.

“They will generally ask the individuals if they need help, and if they say yes,” then deputies will provide information about services, Bartmann said. “We have several brochures we give.”

Although Centennial City Council approved the city’s camping ban in 2019, the “Camp Check” encoding that offi cials use to specifi cally track the contacts law enforcement makes regarding camping was started in 2020, so the sheriff’s offi ce has no way of fi nding information prior to that, Bartmann said. The data begins in June 2020.

Tents and other materials sit in an open fi eld March 1 near the Aurora-Centennial

border. PHOTO BY ELLIS ARNOLD

Camping policies vary across cities

Other cities in the south metro area enforce varying policies that may affect people experiencing homelessness outdoors.

SEE CAMPING BAN, P24

Active Adult Healthy Living Expo

Take advantage of free health checks, interactive demos and learn about local resources at the Active Adult Healthy Living Expo.

Friday, May 6 11 am-2 pm Buck Recreation Center 2004 W. Powers Ave, Littleton, CO 80120

FREE admission and open to the public. No registration required. Event sponsored by: