Herald
Englewood 8-23-2013
Englewood
August 23, 2013
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A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourenglewoodnews.com
Arapahoe County, Colorado • Volume 93, Issue 27
Council OKs sale of depot Vote clears path for letterpress museum By Tom Munds
tmunds@ourcoloradonews.com
see what we can do with music and see how far-reaching and how many people can be touched by our songs,” she said after the concert. “We have a great team of people working together and it is neat to see how much can be accomplished when people put their talents together.” She said she has always had a heart for people with mental or physical needs that probably had its roots in the fact that both her parents were teachers working with special-needs students. “However, I have been much more educated about the challenges of spinal cord injuries and mobility issues in the five years
The for-sale sign can come down, because the Englewood City Council gave approval to the final reading of an ordinance selling the Englewood Depot. The buyer, Denver resident Tom Parson, plans to restore the building and make it home to a living letterpress museum. The Aug. 19 vote approving the sale was 5-2. Mayor Randy Penn, Mayor Pro Tem Jim Woodward and Councilmembers Linda Olson, Bob McCaslin and Jill Wilson voted in favor of the sale, while Councilmembers Joe Jefferson and Rick Gillit voted against it. The decision came near the end of the long council meeting. For more than an hour, councilmembers listened to 18 unscheduled visitors, including 15 who opposed the sale and almost an hour of comments and discussion about the proposal. Like many residents opposing the sale, resident Norma Weir preferred the depot be sold to the Englewood Historic Preservation Society to further the organization’s plans to turn it into a museum. Other opponents said the sale was illegal because the 2006 Parks and Recreation Master Plan listed the depot land as a park and the charter says voters must approve the sale of park land. However, City Attorney Dan Brotzman stated there is no record of the required ordinance designating the land under the depot as a park. Since it wasn’t officially park land, he said, there was no requirement for residents to vote on whether or not to sell the depot and land under it. When it was time to vote on the issue, Penn said he would vote to approve selling the depot, but added he still would try to assist the historical society to find a building for a museum, and Mayor Pro Tem Jim Woodward said he was voting for the sale because he felt it was the best course of action for the city. Jefferson said he was voting against the sale because he didn’t agree with selling city-owned land and would prefer to lease the property. He added that he wasn’t voting against the Parson proposal and felt it could be an asset for the city. Rick Gillit, District 4 council representative, was the most outspoken opponent of the sale. “My vote not to sell the depot doesn’t mean I am against the Parsons’ proposal. They will probably do an excellent job with the depot,” he said. “However, I have always said I will never agree to sell city land. In this case, I think it is a bad deal for the city. The land is worth a lot more than the $30,000 being paid and the Parsons’ proposal will not bring taxes to the city. For that reason, I will vote against the sale of the depot to the Parsons.” After the meeting, Tom Parson said he is pleased the city approved the contract to sell him the depot. “I am excited to begin work on setting up a letterpress museum and library that I feel will attract designers, printing historians and others,” he said. “I have dreamed of setting up a living letterpress museum for years. Since I began the process to buy the depot, I have received a lot of support, including offers of the donation of valuable
Singer continues on Page 7
Depot continues on Page 7
Singer Michelle Murray, right, talks with Craig patient Stephen Ryder and his girlfriend, Nicole Boyer, during the singer’s Aug. 14 concert and visit to Craig Hospital. Murray is on a tour promoting a documentary about paraplegic IndyCar owner Sam Schmidt. Photos by Tom Munds
Singer performs at Craig Hospital Michelle Murray also signs autographs, visits patients By Tom Munds
tmunds@ourcoloradonews.com Staff and patients applauded enthusiastically as singer-songwriter Michelle Murray filled the air with her music during an Aug. 14 visit to Craig Hospital. “We frequently make stops at hospitals and visit patients to talk about the documentary and the music,” Murray said about her itinerary on her 50-state, 50,000-movie premiere and music tour for “My Finish Line.” “My Finish Line” is a documentary about former Indy Racing League driver Sam Schmidt’s near-fatal accident that left him a quadriplegic, and how he overcame the challenges so he is now a successful IndyCar team owner. Murray said Schmidt’s experiences and her work with him inspired her to team up to write the song, “It Won’t Be If But When (Sam’s Song).” “Visiting Craig is very special to us because this was where Sam was treated after his car crash in 2000,” she said. “I know Sam was here 13 years ago, but I still feel inspired to come to Craig, talk to the patients and see all they do here.” John Dowell said he enjoyed the concert and he said he was touched by Murray’s emotional facial and body language when she sang “Sam’s Song.” “My uncle is a paraplegic and an outpatient here at Craig, and I think this song reflects his determination to again do some of the things he used to be able to do,” Dowell said. “I have a copy of the DVD of the movie and I plan to get a copy of the song for my uncle because it touched me and I believe it will inspire him.”
Michelle Murray plays the opening tune during her Aug. 14 concert at Craig Hospital. The singer made the stop during her 50-state, 50,000-mile movie premiere and music tour titled “My Finish Line.”
‘My uncle is a paraplegic and an outpatient here at Craig, and I think this song reflects his determination to again do some of the things he used to be able to do.’ John Dowell Murray began performing when she was a 4-year-old as a singer and a violinist. “I had a career as a singer and I don’t think the ‘My Finish Line’ project has changed things, but it has just been fun to
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