AUGUST 16, 2018
ALL INKED UP Tattoo culture is evolving in the metro area P14
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ARAPAHOE COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
City caught ‘flat-footed’ with flood
Dennis Peters tends the grill for those visiting the Aug. 7 National Night Out party he and his wife were hosting. Each year police officers and city officials stop by to visit with residents at National Night Out events. The Peterses’ party was among more than 30 events taking place around the city.
Steps being discussed to prevent future tragedy in Englewood BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
He said in his years at the church he has seen changes in the neighborhood as more young families move into the community. The Burton family hosted a National Night Out party in the 4100 block of South Acoma Street. They had barricades at both ends of the block so all the kids could safely ride their bikes up and down the street. “We have been doing this for quite a few years,” Burton said. “We make it a potluck event so there is always a lot of very good food. I enjoy it because I get to sit and talk with many longtime friends plus get a chance to make friends with people new to the neighborhood.” Joanne Whitaker and her family hosted a large National Night Out party on the Stanford greenbelt, invited residents from a number of blocks and as usual had 50 to 80 people stop by the event.
In 1998, a report by an outside company outlined areas of Englewood that could be flooded during a so-called “100-year” storm. The map was rough, and the study acknowledged it shouldn’t be used to establish flood-area regulations. But included on that map was a slice of the 4600 blocks of South Acoma and Bannock streets, an area among the hardest hit by the July 24 flooding that displaced several and affected at least 25 housing units in the city — and took one woman’s life — in a storm the city has acknowledged it was ill-prepared to withstand. “We were caught flat-footed with this,” said Eric Keck, city manager, on Aug. 6 in front of Englewood City Council at the first regular meeting since the flood. Keck noted the city’s need for a new emergency-operations plan, Englewood’s lack of an emergency manager, that its storm-drain system was built in the 1950s to 1970s and that it lacks a communications system for disasters — a gap that caused a slow response for recovery efforts, Keck wrote in a report to council. Among the dozens who saw damage in the flood, Vicki Hoffmann, owner of a property on South Bannock Street, vented her frustration to city council weeks after her tenants were displaced and their basement damaged.
SEE NIGHT OUT, P20
SEE FLOOD, P9
TOM MUNDS
Night out aims for camaraderie Englewood residents gather in parks, homes, churches for yearly community event BY TOM MUNDS TMUNDS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Activities varied from a few residents gathering in a one house to much larger events during the Aug. 7 National Night Out celebrations in Englewood. In keeping with the night against crime theme, police officers, city officials and firefighters traveled from NNO event to NNO event. Police officers had stick-on badges and generally kids flocked to the fire trucks so they could sit inside the engines. Dennis Peters and his wife Sandy hosted a National Night Out party in the 4500 block of South Delaware St. “We started hosting the party four
years ago,” Peters said as he flipped the hamburgers on the grill. “We had some problems in the neighborhood and the people of our neighborhood worked with the Englewood Police Impact Team to successfully resolve the issues. The impact team members suggested we host a National Night Out party.” He said he invites neighbors in his block and several other area blocks to the party. Peters said sometimes 40 or 50 people attend the event. He said it is fun hosting the event and a great reason to have a potluck dinner. Pastor Bob Hays and Englewood Bible Church on South Logan Street annually host a National Night Out party. “We started holding the National Night Out event about 1992,” Hays said. “We at the church feel it is a great way to reach out to the people of the neighborhood. There are many people who come every year and we get to meet new people every year.”
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DID YOU KNOW INSIDE
Arapahoe County was established in 1861 as one of Colorado’s 17 original counties. Source: Arapahoe County
VOICES: PAGE 12 | LIFE: PAGE 14 | CALENDAR: PAGE 23 | SPORTS: PAGE 26
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VOLUME 98 | ISSUE 26