Life on Capitol Hill 0620

Life On

June 2020

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A CULTURAL NECESSITY Symphony committed P14 to #PlayOn

DENVER’S ECLECTIC TRIANGLE Some Cheesman Park neighbors concerned about proposed plans in Golden Triangle rezone

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‘SCHOOL WAS ON THE ONE OF THE FRONT LINES SPECIAL PLACES’ Colorado Class of 2020 relates what they miss about not being on campus for end of senior year

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janitors rally to demand resources for their services during pandemic

CREATIVE SOLUTIONS Metro State art grads use creativity to move thesis exhibit online

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2 Life On Capitol Hill

Editor’s Note: Business Matters is a monthly column featuring business news in the Life on Capitol Hill and Washington Park Profile coverage areas, which is roughly north-central and south Denver.

In late May, Colorado allowed food-service establishments to open for indoor and outdoor dine-in services with strict social distancing guidelines — food establishments may host up to 50% of the posted occupancy limit, not to exceed 50 people. Such establishments include restaurants and other venues with a fullservice kitchen that are set up to host patrons for meals.

Bars and other establishments that do not serve food are not allowed to open at this time, with the exception of those that partner with a food service business, such as a food truck, that prepares food onsite. Guidelines for such establishments that do not serve food will be evaluated in June.

Denver Mayor Michael Hancock announced on May 25 that the city and county of Denver followed the state’s decision to allow limited dine-in service in restaurants.

In early May, certain Denver businesses were permitted to reopen and throughout the month, they began to reopen but many are operating differently than before the pandemic, such as with a change of business hours and/or implementing additional strict social distancing measures. The June column is a sampling of such businesses, and is not an exhaustive list. Colorado Community Media urges you to reach out to your favorite local businesses

June 2020

Business Matters Christy Steadman | csteadman@coloradocommunitymedia.com — including commercial and retail, fitness, restaurants and salon services — to find out their reopening status.

If you are a local business that would like to announce any updates to your operations, email Christy Steadman at csteadman@coloradocommunitymedia.com.

said in a news release, “but right now we want people to trust that we’re taking care of them by delivering the same energy and workout in the most delicate way possible.”

To learn more about AKT, visit www.theakt. com, or to inquire about memberships at the Denver studios, call 720-250-9155.

NEW OPENINGS AND REOPENINGS

Capitol Hill Books After nearly being forced to close because of hardships brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a Westword article, community members gathered enough support to keep Capitol Hill Books, 300 East Colfax Ave., open.

The independent bookstore is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

Customers are permitted to go into the store and browse, however, masks are required to enter the building and must remain on at all times and only 10 people at a time will be allowed inside. Additionally, all purchases must be paid for by credit or debit card - there will be no cash transactions, and the bookstore is not accepting books for trade or donation at this time.

Capitol Hill Books will also continue to serve customers online for shipment or pickup.

“Thank you for understanding and continuing to support your local bookstore,” states owner Holly Brooks on the Capitol Hill Books website. “Did we mention we’ve been open 39 years? Let’s make it 39 more!”

AKT studio AKT, a dance-cardio fitness concept that opened in Cherry Creek last fall, will open a second studio in Denver mid-June.

It will be located at 2813 Blake St. in RiNo. AKT, which stands for Anna Kaiser Technique, offers a fitness program created by celebrity trainer Anna Kaiser. Both the studios in Denver are owned and operated by Shannon and Bruce Jaeger.

Amid the coronavirus, AKT pivoted its business model to incorporate on-demand video workouts and live streaming of classes led by various instructors and Kaiser herself.

AKT in Cherry Creek reopened on May 15 with a pared down schedule, only allowing four people in each class to maintain social distancing. Virtual classes remain an option for those enjoying workout sessions from home.

The RiNo studio will temporarily be used for virtual classes so patrons can get a sneak peek of the 2,009 square-foot studio until doors open.

“We look forward to the day when we can have full-capacity classes,” Shannon Jaeger

Charlie Brown’s Bar & Grill Charlie Brown’s Bar & Grill announced it will be re-opening the beginning of June, tentatively.

The venue, which offers a full food menu, “is preparing for strict compliance with Colorado’s social distancing requirements,” according to a Facebook post.

Charlie Brown’s is a classic piano bar, located at 980 Grant St. in Denver’s Capitol Hill neighborhood.

Common Threads Common Threads, a consignment store located at 1575 S. Pearl St. in Denver, reopened May 12 and announced its summer hours — 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays and closed on Mondays.

Along with limiting the numbers of customers allowed in at one time and a face covering requirement, the store is asking shoppers to use the fitting rooms only for items they have a serious interest in purchasing. Once an item has been tried on, it will be set aside for 24 hours and then thoroughly re-steamed before going back on the floor.

Common Threads began accepting consignments by appointment or drive-thru on May 16. All items must be freshly laundered, on hangers or neatly folded and untouched for seven days prior to being brought to the store.

Common Threads staff will not go through items if they are not clean.

More information on shopping and consigning can be found on the Common Threads website: https://www.shopcommonthreads. com/.

JW’s Salon on 6th JW’s Salon on 6th, 1134 E. Sixth Ave., reopened for business on May 9.

The salon is operating by appointment only and will not accept walk-ins. Appointments can be made by calling or sending a text to 720-240-8587.

All clients must wear a mask and practice social distancing. The salon is also asking for patience between appointments, as staff will clean and disinfect after each appointment.

Mutiny Information Café On May 20, Mutiny Information Café announced its in-store business hours on Facebook. They are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays.

Shoppers must adhere to social distancing measures and masks are required.

Mutiny Information Café, 2 S. Broadway, is a new-and-used bookstore that also offers records and comic books, with a coffee bar.

The shop’s Coffee Hole is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Orvis Cherry Creek Orvis Cherry Creek, an outdoors/nature adventure retail store, is now open for shopping inside the store.

The hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday; and noon to 4 p.m. on Sundays. The store is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Call 303-355-4554 to learn more. Orvis Cherry Creek is located at 2770 E. Second Ave. in Denver.

Orvis, which has locations nationwide, is also continuing its online editorial and educational content. Visit the Orvis blog at https:// news.orvis.com/ to find articles and videos on fly fishing, wingshooting, dogs, conservation and more. The online Learning Center, https:// howtoflyfish.orvis.com, also has a comprehensive collection of online videos and resources devoted to teaching the world how to fly fish.

Tattered Cover Book Store Though all the stores continue to remain closed to in-person shopping, on May 12, the Tattered Cover Book Store started offering limited hours for prepaid curbside pickup at its Colfax Avenue location, 2526 E. Colfax Ave. Pickup hours are noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays. Customers are asked to wait for confirmation that an order is ready before coming to the store. “We cannot promise same day order and pick up, but we will process your request as fast as we can,” states the Tattered Cover’s website.

Orders can be placed online at www.tatteredcover.com.

The bookstore also opened its Colfax Avenue location’s phone lines for inquiries and ordering. The phone line hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The phone number is 303-322-7727.

Ya Ye Ya Ye re-launched its meal delivery program on May 22.

Ya Ye is an organic, plant-based health and wellness company that offers nutritious, readyto-eat meals that are free of dairy, gluten, refined sugars and GMOs. The eatery opened its first café location inside Zeppelin Station, 3501 Wazee St. Suite #100, on Feb. 1. Its meal delivery program was operational for only about two weeks when Zeppelin Station closed its doors mid-March because of the pandemic.

To celebrate the re-launch of the meal delivery program, Ya Ye is offering $20 off your first order with promo code: PLANTS. Zeppelin Station is located in Denver’s RiNo neighborhood, but Ya Ye’s meal delivery program serves a 20 to 30-mile radius of the downtown area.

SEE BUSINESS, P3

Life On Capitol Hill 3

June 2020

BUSINESS FROM PAGE 2

CLOSURES 3 Kings Tavern 3 Kings Tavern, 60 S Broadway, announced mid-May it will not reopen.

3 Kings was a live music venue that during its 14-year run became a mainstay for local rock-and-punk musicians. It was one of the participating venues in the annual Underground Music Showcase on South Broadway. The venue also hosted comedy & burlesque shows.

Westword reported that the establishment got behind on rent during the COVID-19 shutdowns.

12 @ Madison Near the end of May, 12 @ Madison, 1160 Madison St., announced it would not reopen.

“Our quaint Congress Park restaurant was designed to thrive on intimacy — from shared small plates to human interactions. That model is just not sustainable for the foreseeable future,” states a May 27 Facebook post. “Stay tuned as we hope to offer some pop-ups and private dinners but for now, we say farewell.”

La Cour French Bistro & Jazz Club On April 10, owner Janet Poth announced on La Cour French Bistro & Jazz Club’s website and Facebook that it will not be reopening.

Sometimes referred to as “Denver’s Art Bar,” La Cour, 1643 S. Broadway, was a French bistro and jazz club in Washington Park that regularly hosted live jazz music performances. It opened in 2014.

“The community of musicians, artists, French ambiance fans, conversation lovers, has been outstanding and Joe and I feel privileged to have helped create a welcoming venue for that community,” Poth wrote. “Our sincerest wish is that there are one-or-two young professionals who would like to take over the business and the venue. We feel it has solid and substantial long-term prospects and what a great community to be a part of.”

Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom The Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom located in the northwest corner of Denver’s Virginia Village won’t reopen, BusinessDen reported on May 21.

According to BusinessDen, the closure of the 1280 S. Colorado Blvd. Old Chicago follows a March Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing by the restaurant’s parent company, Craftworks Holdings.

CAPITOL PROTESTS

BUSINESSES ENGAGING IN CHARITABLE CAUSES RoseBud Ice Cream RoseBud Ice Cream is partnering with Denver Homeless Out Loud and SOS Socks to provide socks to the community’s homeless population.

Sock collection bins will be set up at select RoseBud Ice Cream retailers. In Denver, these include the 12th Avenue Market, 2620 E. 12th Ave. in Capitol Hill; and Curtis Park Deli, 2700 E. Sixth Avenue, unit B, in Cherry Creek.

Additional locations outside of Denver or those that confirmed after press time can be found on the RoseBud website and social media.

A sock collection bin will also be set up at Denver Homeless Out Loud, 2260 California St. Additionally, throughout June, RoseBud Ice Cream will donate a pair of socks for every piece of apparel purchased from the RoseBud website. These socks will be manufactured by Broomfield-based SOS Socks.

Voodoo Doughnut Voodoo Doughnut is partnering with Generosity Feeds to launch the new Brainiac Doughnut. A portion of proceeds from every Brainiac sold will go to Generosity Feeds, an organization that is focused on making an impact against childhood hunger.

The Brainiac is a raised yeast doughnut topped with strawberry frosting, lemonade dust and Nerds candies.

The Brainiac is available at only four operating Voodoo Doughnut locations across the U.S. In Denver, it is available for pickup and takeout until June 30 at Voodoo Doughnut - Colfax, 1520 E. Colfax Ave., which borders the Cheesman Park and City Park neighborhoods. The store’s hours are 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day.

Crowds gather on the steps of the Colorado Capitol in Denver on May 28. Protests broke out in Denver and other cities in response to the death of George Floyd, who died May 25 while in police custody in Minneapolis. Video shot by a bystander showed an officer kneeling on Floyd’s neck for several minutes despite his protests that he couldn’t breathe. In Denver, the first few days of peaceful protests became more destructive at night, prompting Denver Mayor Michael Hancock to impose a curfew. He called for calm in a tweeted video. “I certainly understand everyone’s frustration and sense of pain and disgust following the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis,” Hancock said, “but I want to plead to everyone. Let’s demonstrate, but let’s demonstrate peacefully.

Leave the weapons home.”

CHRISTY STEADMAN

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4 Life On Capitol Hill

June 2020

An evolutionary explosion captured in rocks DMNS scientists joins team studying in the Grand Canyon

By Clarke Reader Special to Colorado Community Media

J

ust like we all use a calendar to mark time and the important events in our lives, scientists use one that stretches back millions and millions of years.

But while the daily calendar we use is fixed, the ones scientists use isn’t.

“To be able to determine cause and effect of events, we need to locate things in their place and time,” said James Hagadorn, Denver Museum of Nature & Science’s curator of geology. “We’re always fine-tuning, and know there’s more fine-tuning to go.”

That scientific calendar will be getting more precise thanks to a new research project happening in the Grand Canyon to study sedimentary rock layers from the Cambrian Period. The project will feature a team of scientists from the museum, including Hagadorn; Boise State University; the University of New Mexico; Utah State University; the University of Calgary; and the

A May 2016 photo shows Dr. James Hagadorn with the Cambrian Tapeats Sandstone in the Grand Canyon. Hagadorn is currently coordinating a team of paleontologists for a new research project to study sedimentary rock layers from the Cambrian Period in the Grand Canyon.

SEE SCIENCE, P5

COURTESY OF DENVER MUSEUM OF NATURE & SCIENCE

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CCM garners 13 awards in annual state contest Journalists won pair of first-place honors for coverage of STEM School shooting Staff report

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Colorado Community Media won 13 awards, including nine first-place honors, in the Colorado Press Association’s annual Better News Media Contest.

CCM’s newspapers competed in Class 4, the classification for the state’s largest nondaily publications. Work entered in the contest was published between Nov. 1, 2018 and Oct. 31, 2019. The winners were announced in early May. Here’s a look at CCM’s awards: Breaking news/deadline reporting — first place: Alex DeWind, Jessica Gibbs, David Gilbert, Ellis Arnold, Nick Puckett, for coverage of the STEM School Highlands Ranch shooting Classified section — first place: Karen Earhart, Erin Franks, Tina Meltzer Editorial special section (newsprint) — first place: David Gilbert, Shanna Fortier, Kayla Cornett, Alex DeWind, Joseph Rios, for “Columbine: 20 years later”

Editorial special section (glossy or magazine) — second place: Scott Andrews, Erin Franks, Glenn Wallace, Christy Steadman, Shanna Fortier, for “The Golden Guide 2019”

Editorial writing — second place: Ann Macari Healey, for “Hope amid grief ” Headline writing — first place: Chris Rotar, for “Slow his row” and other headlines Informational graphic — first place: Kayla Cornett, for “Policing the suburbs” Photo essay — second place: Stefan Brodsky, for “Honoring veterans” Series — first place: Christy Steadman, Casey Van Divier, Glenn Wallace, for “Jefferson Parkway” Serious column writing — second place: Ann Macari Healey, for “The gift of a lifetime” Sports column writing — first place: Jim Benton, for “Overtime” Story/picture combination — first place: David Gilbert, for “Protests converge outside immigrant detention facility” Sustained coverage — first place: Alex DeWind, Jessica Gibbs, for coverage of the STEM School Highlands Ranch shooting CCM’s coverage of the STEM School tragedy also earned three awards (first-, secondand third-place honors) in the Society of Professional Journalists’ four-state Top of the Rockies contest.

Life On Capitol Hill 5

June 2020

How to protect and preserve Denver’s urban canopy

S

GUEST COLUMN

Michael Swanson

pring has officially sprung in Denver. Flowers are in bloom, birds are busy building nests and with social distancing recommendations in place, people are more eager than ever to spend time outside, in their yards or enjoying neighborhood walks under Denver’s beautiful trees. But did you know that our urban canopy isn’t just picturesque and doesn’t just provide respite for wildlife? It’s actually critically important for our overall quality of life.

Trees produce oxygen, reduce air pollution, cool our neighborhoods and homes, and increase our property values. Yet most trees are not native to our city and the ones that we’ve planted and cultivated — no matter for how long — are fragile. They are susceptible to our sometimes extreme climate and insect infestations. In short, Denver’s urban canopy relies on us to be kept healthy, protected, preserved and replenished.

So, when the City and County of Denver learned that the emerald ash borer (EAB), which has destroyed millions of ash trees in the Midwest, is currently making its way to Denver, we leapt into action. There are an estimated 1.45 million ashes in the Denver metro area, including 330,000 in the City and County of Denver.

That means one in six Denver private property trees are ash trees, and they can be found everywhere in the Mile High City — with the majority on residential properties.

You may be familiar with the Be A Smart Ash campaign, which aims to actively educate and enlist the help of you - our Denver residents - in the process of identifying, treating and replacing ash trees.

For our part, we are taking care of ash trees located on city property, including parks, and in the public right-of-way. We ask that you do the same, with any

ash trees on your private property. Visit BeASmartAsh. org for an interactive ash tree map, information about ash tree treatment options and resources to find a tree care professional. You can also apply for a free tree for the right-of-way adjacent to your property that can help bolster and diversify our urban tree canopy.

When it comes to identifying, treating, removing or replacing your trees - ash or otherwise - remember that only licensed and insured tree care professionals should actually treat, replace or prune a tree. There are many tree professionals that are licensed by the Office of the City Forester who can lend a hand, leaving you time to tend to your garden, take another walk or literally just stop and smell the roses.

Michael Swanson is a city forester with Denver Parks and Recreation

Emissions testing resumes, with safety measures Staff report Vehicle emissions testing has resumed at 10 Air Care Colorado emissions inspection stations, according to a news release.

Testing volume is expected to be heavy in the first few weeks. To help reduce wait times, motorists with registration renewals that are due in May are being urged to wait until June to get their inspections.

Because of the 30-day grace period following the last day of each renewal month, May registrations will not be late, the release said.

Motorists who applied for and received registration extension letters from the Divi-

Science FROM PAGE 4

University of Chicago. The project received a three-year, $815,000 grant from the National Science Foundation’s Sedimentary Geology and Paleobiology program.

According to information provided by the museum, part of the project will be “to find new occurrences of fossils like trilobites, brachiopods and microfossils, to measure how ocean chemistry changed in lockstep with fossil extinctions, and to apply new techniques for precise dating of rock layers to figure out how fast this all happened.”

As a geologist and paleontologist by training, this is exactly the kind of work a “detective in deep time” like Hagadorn lives for.

Rather than use traces like DNA and fingerprints, he makes use of isotopes and structures in rocks to determine what happened at different moments in Earth’s history.

“We can’t time travel back to the moment to know what happened, but we can reconstruct the moment with some of the clues we find,” he said. “The dating of the rocks in the Grand Canyon doesn’t just affect those rocks — the whole Cambrian dating system changes. As a result, the work in the Grand Canyon changes the whole geologic calendar we use.”

The Cambrian Period - also known as the “Cambrian explosion of life” - was when many animals first burst on the scene. As Hagadorn explains it, the life up to this point was generally small, slimy and had no backbone.

The Cambrian period is when life starts to biomineralize and build-up skeletons — it’s when animals start eating each other, competing against each other and burrowing into the land. With so many evolutionary events hap-

sion of Motor Vehicle are also being urged to wait to get their inspections until June. Those motorists will have until June 26 to register their vehicles.

March and April renewals should get their inspections as soon as possible. No late fees will be assessed for a short period after the emissions program resumes, the release said.

Extensive safety procedures are in place to help ensure social distancing during the testing process and limit contact points to help reduce the threat of coronavirus transmittal between staff and customers. Emissions inspectors will wear masks and gloves at all times, practice social distancing as much as

“We can’t time travel back to the moment to know what happened, but we can reconstruct the moment with some of the clues we find.”

possible, and periodically clean and disinfect surfaces. Motorists will be required to wear masks, practice social distancing, and be limited to only one person per vehicle.

Customers with vehicles from model year 2000 and newer or model year 1981 and older will pay from their vehicles. Customers getting emissions tests for vehicles between model years 1982 and 1999 will wait in a booth while their vehicles are tested. No more than three customers will be allowed in a booth at one time, and they will maintain 6 feet of distance at all times. Only one customer will pay at a time as they exit the booth.

“While we are expecting an unprecedented number of vehicles, ACC is committed to getting all motorists through the testing process as safely and quickly as possible,” Air Care Colorado Program Manager Chuck Purnell, according to the news release. “If necessary, this could include extending or changing testing hours - our priority is protecting Coloradans and their health and well-being.”

Motorists can find new testing procedures, safety information and suggested times for testing at aircarecolorado.com and by calling the Air Care Colorado hotline at 303-4567090.

¶ Quality Senior Living ¶

— James Hagadorn, Denver Museum of Nature & Science’s Curator of Geology

pening so close together, learning more about the when, how and why could be profoundly important.

Which is what is inspiring Hagadorn and the rest of the scientists to tackle this giant, millions-year-old puzzle. Not only will it provide glimpses into the past, it will inform our present and future.

“The work we’re doing is standing on the shoulders of our predecessors, and 20 years from now, some young punk is going to wonder at how we did things. It’s part of process,” Hagadorn said. “We want to create informed citizens of the planet. We all have the power to care, and that translates in the ability to do.”

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6 Life On Capitol Hill

June 2020

Celebrating 2020’s graduates Michelle CastroCarbajal, Denver South High School

The Class of 2020 missed out on prom and many did not have a graduation ceremony because of shutdowns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Colorado “Not being able to finish the year on Community Media reached out to the campus, not having time with the staff and friends that pushed me through my students virtually to find out what they successful four years at South. I will miss the fact that I didn’t get to say goodbyes to missed most about not spending the my teachers and coaches. Even though I don’t necessarily talk to all the seniors in the class, we last couple of months of their were all part of such a great community and it is sad that we couldn’t share our future goals and accomsenior year on campus. Here plishments together in one place. I wish everyone in my class great success as they head into the wherever the is what they had to say: future takes them. I am proud to be a Rebel.”

Castro-Carbajal will be attending the University of ColoradoBoulder and plans to major in sociology.

Rashmi Ryan-Brundin, East High School “I miss seeing my teachers and classmates, and all the fun endof-year celebrations that seniors get to do, such as senior checkout and prom.”

Ryan-Brundin plans on studying humanities at the University of Toronto in Ontario, Canada.

Jordie Cunnien, DSST: Cole High School “One thing I’m going to miss the most is the chance to spend time with my friends and teachers, given it will be the last time I would have been able to physically hang out with some of them. School was one of the special places that I could hang out with my peers and educators, and it’s painful not having the ability to spend the remaining few months of my high school career with them.”

Cunnien plans on studying a mathematics subject at a four-year university.

Paola Gascot, DSST: Byers High School “Being part of the founding class of my very rigorous school, I speak for most of my peers in that not being able to spend the last few months celebrating our accomplishments with friends and staff has been the most disappointing. It’s one thing not wanting to go to prom, graduation, senior signing day, senior sunset, etc., and another being told that you can’t go.

These are events that happen once in our lives as high school students that we will most likely not experience again. Some say that they are not important and that we may not remember these memories, however, that is easier to say when you have already experienced these events.

These events are the closure we need in the transition into adulthood.”

Gascot will be attending the University of Denver and plans to double major in environmental studies and Spanish.

Life On Capitol Hill 7

June 2020

Emma Hoeschler, Denver South High School

Nate Kingdom, Denver South High School

“What I miss most about not being on campus for senior year is my teachers. I made great connections with so many teachers at my school and not being able to truly say goodbye to them at school is very difficult.

They’ve supported me for the last four years and I feel like the least I can do is say goodbye to them properly, which I haven’t been able to do whatsoever.”

“I just miss seeing the people and being in the community. I miss the teachers and I just miss the experiences I wasn’t able to have like my peers before me.”

Kingdom is taking a gap year to move to Israel and will enroll at the University of Colorado upon return.

Hoeschler is going to attend the University of ColoradoBoulder to pursue a degree in secondary education with a teaching licensure in social Studies and English for the high school level.

Gwen Scott, Denver School of the Arts “These are my last few months in the state of Colorado with all of my friends, and it’s really hard to not be able to spend more time with them before I move.”

Scott will be moving to Chicago to work in the film industry.

Annie Welch, Denver South High School “I miss my friends and the teachers that made my high school years so fun, fulfilling, educational and memorable.”

Welch will be attending the Colorado School of Mines as a Harvey Scholar, a merit-based scholarship program that recognizes and rewards merit in academic performance, outstanding character and leadership, and fosters excellence in academic and life pursuits.

Marina Santos, George Washington High School “What I missed most was saying goodbye to my teachers in person, and not having my International Baccalaureate art exhibition.”

Santos will be attending Wellesley College in Massachusetts.

8 Life On Capitol Hill

LOCAL

June 2020

VOICES

Snapshots: worth more than 1,000 words

W

FROM THE EDITOR

Christy Steadman

ell before the pandemic came about, Colorado Community Media — publishers of the Washington Park Profile and Life on Capitol Hill monthlies, as well as 18 weekly newspapers across the metro area — was selected to participate in the Colorado Media Project #GivingNewsDay Challenge.

The challenge’s overall goal was “to help inspire more individuals to support homegrown, local Colorado news” and “to help Colorado newsrooms get closer to the communities they serve,” according the Colorado Media Project’s website.

Participating newsrooms were challenged to raise funds through reader donations to get a dollar-fordollar match from Colorado’s Gates Family Foundation of up to $5,000. Jerry Healey, publisher/owner of Colorado Community Media, decided our funds would go toward new cameras and photojournalism trainings.

So, the editorial team, myself included, posted on social media and spread the word wherever we could.

Our former photography equipment was a hodgepodge, and it got the job done, but new cameras — combined with the trainings — will help us broaden our horizons with a camera and strengthen our photojournalism skills.

Our efforts were a success, and mid-May, all nine of the beat reporters received a new camera — a Canon EOS 77D. The newsroom also got some additional shared equipment for unique assignments that may require a special lens, for example. In addition, future photojournalism seminars and trainings are in store for us.

June marks six months that I have been with the monthlies. I’ve been enjoying it, but I realize I’m just getting started and there is so much more for me to explore.

In my first column, I asked you to tell me your story. Everyone’s got one. And you responded: I had a couple local business-owners reach out to me, newstips about community do-gooders and even some reader-submitted articles.

Now is the time for a green stimulus for jobs

W

atching a virus ravage our society and expose our systemic inequity has been difficult.

Black, indigenous and people of color are making up ENVIRONMENT larger portions of those infected and WITH EAN dying. We are seeing armed protests at state capitols without consequence. In juxtaposition, the Capitol 38, including me, were arrested at the Colorado Capitol in January for signing in protest Ean Thomas Tafoya to environmental justice. Early scientific evidence from Harvard University is linking increased rates of death to small particle air pollution. People across the nation are crying out to demand that we do not go back to a normal that leaves many in environmental sacrifice zones.

On May 21, during a U.S. Senate Environmental and Public Works Committee hearing, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler testified about the environmental rollbacks released during the pandemic, and their decision to relax enforcement on polluters during the crisis. In this hearing, Demo-

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cratic Sen. Tom Carper of Delaware stated, “What we need is an EPA that harnesses all of its resources to help us better understand any links between air pollution and COVID-19 risks and takes steps to address them. Instead, what we have is an agency taking actions that will increase air pollution and put public health at even greater risk. In recent weeks, EPA has rolled back critical protections for public health under the guise of industry relief and economic growth.”

What Carper states so well is what we are feeling — an administration and society that does not wish for a new normal where environmental justice is center. Locally we are seeing austerity as a response to this crisis. Budget cuts to city and state environmental health programs. It is likely that most, if not all, environmental bills at the state capitol, including bills that would seek to improve the lives of fence line communities, will die due to budget concerns. How will this impact compliance of large polluters? How will this help us meet our climate goals? The answer is simple. It won’t. There are lots of solutions on the table for a Colorado and Denver Green New Deal, and it is time to fund a green stimulus for job creation and economic growth. It is a winwin, to grow the economy and improve public health, which lowers costs on our SEE ENVIRONMENT, P9

A photo of a tulip, nearing the end of its bloom, that I took with my new camera outside of the Denver Botanic Gardens.

In this column, with a new camera in tow, I’m asking again: Tell me your stories. I can’t wait to hear them, write them — and capture them in photos that sometimes tell more than words ever can.

We need an equitable recovery

T

here is no question our economy will have to be rebuilt following the disruption caused by COVID-19. The question is, how? Do we try to replicate the way it was before, or do we seek to reshape and GUEST rebuild in new ways?

COLUMN The social, racial and economic disparities facing Denver and our country have been vividly illuminated by the toll that COVID-19 has wrought. Although the virus is not biased, the ability to minimize the risk of contracting it, to fight it, get treatCouncilmember ment or mitigate the Robin Kniech economic effects of the crisis it caused are all shaped by long-standing, institutional biases. Those biases are baked into employment patterns, workplace standards, health care access and more, resulting in higher infection rates, more hospitalizations and more deaths for people of color and those who are low income. For instance, in May, 54% of the total COVID-19 cases in Denver were in the Hispanic or Latino community, while that demographic only represents 30% of the city’s population. Similarly, 8.5% of Denver’s population is black, but 16.8% of all COVID-19 deaths in Denver have occurred in that community.

Immigrant workers provide the backbone of our service industry, working in restaurants, hotels and entertainment concessions that have

closed. Despite paying taxes, those without documents are ineligible for Unemployment Insurance or CARES Act payments, leaving them in greater financial distress. A disproportionate number of people of color and women work in “essential” low-paying jobs that can’t be done from home, like in grocery stores, and unless the jobs are unionized, don’t provide affordable health care. They keep the rest of the community fed and safer at home, but they’re more at risk of contracting the virus. In spite of a temporary federal rule and emergency state order providing some limited sick leave for some workers, there are huge gaps in these orders and in Colorado, uncovered workers are still required to choose between losing pay or coming to work sick, or risk losing their job for calling in sick. Access to childcare, safe transportation and the inequity of our criminal justice system which disproportionately jails people of color who are then more likely to face unsanitary conditions behind bars, all contribute to the disproportionate impacts we see. Homelessness has always come with health risks, but we now understand more than ever that home equals health.

These inequities aren’t inevitable. Twelve states and the District of Columbia, and 32 local governments, require all employers to provide paid sick leave — reducing the spread of colds, flu and deadly coronavirus. Five states and the District of Columbia provide paid family leave so that sick children or elders can be cared for without financial devastation. Several U.S. Senate bills would have SEE KNIECH, P9

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Life On Capitol Hill 9

June 2020

Black Democratic Legislative Caucus and Colorado Latino Democratic Caucus provide joint statement on the police killing of George Floyd GUEST COLUMN Rep. Leslie Herod, D-Denver; Rep. Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez, D-Denver; and Sen. Robert Rodriguez, D-Denver

F

or generations, Black Americans are harassed and killed by racist police officers and vigilantes, and every year communities cry out and voice concerns about the unjust treatment of people of color. When it comes to seeking justice, the motives of black people are questioned, even during simple activities like taking a jog, watching TV in their own homes or picking up trash around their front yard. Our criminal justice system gives the benefit of the doubt to those who have committed hate crimes, stolen lives and robbed families of their children, spouses, parents and loved ones.

The lack of accountability for the vast majority of perpetrators is rooted in the racist history of our country, including slavery, Jim Crow laws and the suppression of voting and other civil rights. This legacy has had lingering and devastating impacts on black communities and continues to cast black individuals as not worthy of justice, of full protection by the law or of basic civil rights.

This has been seen once again in our nation through the brutal killing of George Floyd by an officer of the Minneapolis Police Department that knelt on his neck while Floyd gasps that he could not breathe. Witnesses called for the officer to stop, but the officer ignored their pleas. The officer was then able to walk about freely and live his life for four days before he was charged and arrested. This is not what justice looks like.

We, the members of the Black Democratic Legislative Caucus of Colorado and the Colorado Democratic Latino Caucus, jointly condemn the tragic killing of George Floyd at the hands of law enforcement, and the slow response for justice in the arrest of the officer that took his life. This is a continuation of the systematic racism that has plagued our nation since its inception. This must come to an end. We continue to commit ourselves towards working together on solutions that bring equality and stops the fear, hurt, pain and loss of life that minorities experience every day because of the color of their skin.

Kniech FROM PAGE 8

provided paths to citizenship for those who help build and maintain our communities. Protecting workers from retaliatory, anti-union tactics could allow them to bargain more equally for fair pay and benefits. Millions of gig workers are benefitting from a taxpayer-funded, emergency unemployment system that their Uber, Lyft, Grub-hub employers never paid a penny to fund, but those companies could be required to pay their fair share going forward. Whether it’s a “Public Option” where families without employer coverage could access a Medicaid-like program, or Universal Health Care, there is no question that our counterparts in countries with proven, comprehensive health care coverage models have fewer pre-existing condition complications and better health outcomes than the United States.

As we look to the future, and we rebuild, we can and must recover equitably. We must build a better economy and safety

While this took place hundreds of miles away in another state, we recognize that hate takes place here, too. In the most recent hate crimes report of statistics released by the FBI, there were “123 reported hate crimes in Colorado [in 2018] compared to 106 in 2017.

Of those 123 incidents, 78 were based on race, ethnicity or national origin” (Westword). And with hate crimes on the rise, we also mourn all of the deaths of minority Coloradoans who lost their lives from the inexcusable actions of law enforcement — Elijah McClain, Marvin Booker, Michael Marshall, Jessie Hernandez and De’Von Bailey, to name a few. Our respective caucuses are deeply concerned by the increase in bigotry and racism not only across our country, but across Colorado.

Just as Latinos and immigrants ask for support from all Coloradans against an increase in xenophobic and racist hate crimes, as the Colorado Democratic Latino Caucus, we call on Latinos and allies to show collective support and solidarity for the survivors of hate crimes and of police brutality. We mourn the senseless deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and countless other black individuals who do not feel safe simply being black in public or at home. We applaud the recent arrests and investigations of alleged perpetrators of these hateful acts, but rue the fact that arrests and investigations only take place after gruesome video footage is released. A person’s murder should not have to be broadcast in order to achieve some semblance of justice.

Furthermore, we the members of the Black Democratic Legislative Caucus of Colorado call on the support of African Americans throughout Colorado to stand together for the multitude of families of those that have lost loved ones due to police brutality and hate crimes across this nation. They are our sons and daughters, they are brothers and sisters. Our lives and our liberties must not be stolen from us. We will not accept a double standard. We demand justice and equality. And in our call for justice, we remind those that demonstrate their grief to do so in a manner that uplifts

nets than we had before. We do that by aggressively pursuing community-focused, common-sense policies that are crafted with every member of our community in mind.

Sadly, some have already begun to pit workers-versus-businesses by claiming businesses cannot “afford” fair wages, sick leave or family leave now. This has always been a false either/or division, but the evidence now is greater than ever how very reliant businesses are on the health and contributions of workers, and how our economy benefits when they are in balance.

And let’s be clear: Trillions of federal, taxpayer dollars are already being invested into every level of business recovery, and trillions more are likely to follow. These dollars are necessary, but it’s appropriate for them to reflect the public values and outcomes we expect to see in a post-COVID economy. It will be much easier to reshape these systems at the front end, rebuild businesses around a new, more equitable set of expectations, than to try to re-insert them later. Widespread, similar expectations will create a more level playing field for businesses, and evidence from early-adopters shows that

they will benefit from reduced turnover, improved morale and productivity. The right policies will also lower risk of spread of infectious disease among co-workers and customers, thus reducing risk of future closures.

We rebuild better by making sure that if you have lost your job, you have equal access to safety nets and can still access affordable, quality healthcare. We rebuild better by making policy decisions that dismantle racial disparities. We rebuild better by pursuing a world where what is good for low-income workers is also good for our overall economy.

When we stand united as a community, we are powerful and possess the capacity to enact rapid and transformative change. Together, we can make sure Denver, Colorado and the United States rebuild a more equitable, prosperous and sustainable economy for everyone.

Robin Kniech is an at-large Denver City Council member. She was first elected in 2011, and was re-elected in 2015 and 2019.

She can be reached at Kniechatlarge@denvergov.org.

our united cause peacefully; our demands for justice must be justifiable in their own right.

Our caucuses together ask that all Coloradans stand up against racism, speak up and report hate crimes in your communities; and support each other as neighbors, as communities and as Coloradans to build a brighter, less fearful Colorado for our increasingly diverse children and future generations. Join us in putting in the effort to make Colorado more inclusive and welcoming for all people: the effort we put in today will save lives tomorrow.

Rep. Leslie Herod chairs the Black Democratic Legislative Caucus of Colorado, and Rep. Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez and Sen. Robert Rodriguez co-chair the Colorado Democratic Latino Caucus Black Democratic Legislative Caucus of Colorado State Representative Leslie Herod State Senator Rhonda Fields State Representative Janet Buckner State Representative James Coleman State Representative Tony Exum State Representative Dominique Jackson State Representative Jovan Melton State Senator Angela Williams Colorado Democratic Latino Caucus State Representative Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez State Representative Monica Duran State Representative Adrienne Benavidez State Representative Alex Valdez State Representative Bri Buentello State Representative Yadira Caraveo State Representative Sonya Jaquez Lewis State Representative Donald Valdez State Representative Kerry Tipper State Senator Robert Rodriguez State Senator Julie Gonzales State Senator Leroy Garcia State Senator Dominick Moreno

Environment FROM PAGE 8

healthcare system, too.

In this vein, The Denver Climate Action Task Force is expected to release recommendations following their last meeting on June 11. The task force was assembled to strengthen Denver’s work to address the climate crisis equitably. You can tune in at the Denver Climate Action, Sustainability and Resiliency Facebook page to watch meetings live or review the process. Here is a quick recap: the task force is looking at three phases of implementation and multiple revenue sources that will be recommended. Without funding, we will not be able to actually meet any of these goals. We know the sums may give people sticker shock, but they are likely to be eclipsed by the costs of response to cascading global disaster.

One last thing: Don’t forget to take the census and to vote in the Colorado primary by June 30.

Ean Thomas Tafoya is a climate and government activist. He can be reached at @BelieveEan on Twitter.

10 Life On Capitol Hill

June 2020

Denver resumes in-person city council meetings Staff report Denver resumes some parking enforcement In March, Denver suspended some of its parking rules and regulations as part of the city’s response to COVID-19 and the Stay at Home order.

Parking enforcement will resume in a phased approach, per Denver’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI) recommendations.

The first phase began on June 1.

Parking meters Parking meters in the downtown will be operational between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. and people using a metered parking space downtown must pay the meter and adhere to posted time limits during those hours. Parking meters outside of the downtown area will operate at the price and time limits posted on the meters.

Residential parking programs Enforcement of time-limited, non-metered parking spaces and residential parking programs will resume.

Residents who are eligible for residential parking permits should apply now and can check their eligibility at www. parksmartdenver.com. Existing permit holders are encouraged to renew expired permits. For those who are eligible for residential parking permits but who are unable to provide necessary documentation due to COVID-19, DOTI can issue 90-day temporary permits via an online application.

A second phase begins on July 1.

Parking restrictions for street sweeping DOTI is asking residents to move their cars so that street sweepers can effectively operate.

72-hour parking limits Residents should move vehicles parked that are parked in one spot for 72 hours.

The city will continue to suspend parking rules until further notice for the following: large vehicle parking on the street in non-residential areas; school bus loading zones, until school is back in session; booting; and citations to remove a car for street paving operations, however, cars left on the street when work begins will be moved.

Enforcement of certain parking regulations were not sus-

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pended during COVID-19. Continued enforcement of such regulations includes, but is not limited to, “No Stopping” or “No Parking” zones to promote safety, fire hydrant zone clear areas, loading zones and RTD transit stops.

Denver City Council resumes public meetings Denver City Council resumed in-person meetings in council chambers on May 11.

A face covering is required to enter the City and County Building. Council members also asking that anyone attending a city council meeting adhere to social distancing.

City council meetings are still available live streaming online on the city’s website, and/or Denver residents can watch city council proceedings live on Denver 8 TV. Those who would like to provide public comment during a hearing, but cannot attend a city council meeting in person, may still submit written comment electronically by emailing DenCC@denvergov.org. All public comments received electronically are included as part of the official record.

Denver’s Legislative Services Office can be reached at the email address above or by calling 720-337-2000. Visit www. denvergov.org/citycouncil for more information on Denver City Council.

Vote delayed over proposed split in United Methodists

By Casey Van Divier and Elliott Wenzler This May, the United Methodist Church was slated to end 50 years of disagreement over the role of LGBTQ people in the church.

But because of the pandemic, which postponed a scheduled vote to potentially split the church, now, they have to wait a bit longer.

If the vote went through, the church would have been divided in two: one group would allow LGBTQ people to get married and ordained in the church and another more traditional group would not.

But with the vote postponed as the denomination plans to set a new date for 2021, each local church in the UMC will continue as one entity for at least a year, even as some practice sacraments that are technically against the church’s laws. The UMC’s Book of Discipline, the church’s codified rules, disallow the ordination and marriages of LGBTQ people, but some churches oversee these practices anyways.

Colorado’s own bishop, Karen Oliveto, goes against the rules by refusing to reprimand these churches. It’s this clash and others that have brought both sides of the UMC to seek a resolution.

“The postponement of the UMC General Conference is disappointing to everyone involved, but certainly understandable,” said Rev. Bob Kaylor of Tri-Lakes UMC in Monument, which follows the more traditional belief.

For the past few months, Kaylor’s and other Methodist churches in the metro area have set their focus on addressing the effects of the pandemic first and foremost.

“There’s a lot of time and energy figuring out how to be the church right now. That has completely and utterly taken up the oxygen in the room,” said Rev. Ben Hensley at Lakewood UMC, which holds the more progressive belief. “Six months from now, perhaps the sentiment will have changed.”

But even though the postponement is not currently the churches’ primary focus, they’re still grappling with its effects.

With the issue unresolved, the disagreement within the international faith community will continue to fester. Some churches will continue to break the rules — Hensley, for instance, said

he will oversee LGBTQ unions if asked — and others will continue to find frustration with the inconsistencies in the denomination.

Rev. Mark Feldmeir of St. Andrew UMC in Highlands Ranch — whose church also subscribes to the progressive belief — worries ordinations could also be affected.

“The disappointment comes from knowing there were people all across the country who were hoping to pursue ordination and because this has been delayed, they will have to wait another year or longer,” Feldmeir said.

And once the pandemic subsides, it still may not be an ideal moment to confront this disagreement.

“Post-pandemic, we still have to deal with this when in fact, the post pandemic world is going to demand of the church at large a lot more focus on things that include sexual orientation but also go beyond that,” Feldmeir said. “Our problems are going to be much more complex ... and this complicates it even more, which is somewhat tragic.”

Despite some negative fallout, pastors also expressed there are potential silver linings to pushing the vote back. The General Conference typically occurs every four years, meaning it consistently falls on the same year as a presidential election. Holding the vote a year after the election could ease some tensions, Hensley said.

As for Feldmeir, he believes that extra time to mull over the issue could also be beneficial.

“There are good conversations happening,” he said. “Even as we push the pause button on the General Conference, I think we are having good conversations about how to push the debate further.”

Hensley agreed, saying the pandemic has highlighted the perks of being a united body.

Small UMC churches have had quick access to resources, guidance and grants because of their affiliation with the large entity of the UMC, and that may ultimately change how these churches feel about pulling away, he said.

“This is kind of a wake-up call for churches right now, and with that comes a renewed perspective on the importance of our connection as a Methodist church,” he said. “I’m willing to hope that even if we still end up separating, (we separate) in a more holy, more effective way than the way we would right now.”

Life On Capitol Hill 11

June 2020

Colorado janitors rally to raise awareness May 19 car rally took place in downtown Denver

By Christy Steadman csteadman@coloradocommunitymedia.com

Janitors from across the metro area participated in a car rally in downtown Denver on May 19 to raise awareness of their struggles and to demand justice for the essential workers who are keeping buildings clean and sanitized during a public health crisis.

The work that janitors do is important all the time, but became especially crucial during the COVID-19 pandemic, said Eva Martinez, who has worked as custodial staff at Denver’s Republic Plaza, 370 17th St., for 25 years.

“We’re on the frontlines, cleaning all the buildings,” she said. “We want to demonstrate a message to our cities that the janitors are here, but we need additional protections.”

About 2,500 Colorado janitors are members of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 105, which organized

the car rally, said David Fernandez, a spokesperson for the SEIU. According to the SEIU website, Local 105 represents more than 8,000 people who are employed in healthcare, janitorial, security and airports throughout Colorado and the southwest U.S. Internationally, the union consists of 2 million people throughout the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico, states the SEIU website.

Negotiations for a contract extension “that will set the tone for how companies respond to compensating essential workers for their hazardous labor during this pandemic” are currently taking place, Fernandez said.

He added that contract negotiations occur every four years, but this year, the negotiations happen to be occurring during a global pandemic.

On topic of the negotiations this year are personal protective equipment, including gloves and masks for janitors; proper cleaning and sanitizing disinfectant; wages; and maintaining healthcare benefits, Fernandez said.

“It has been difficult for us,” Martinez said of being an essential worker in the janitorial industry during the pandemic. “But it’s our job. We have families and we need to be able to put food on our tables.”

A man wears a mask as he drives his car in the downtown Denver area during a car rally on May 19 hosted by the Service Employees International Union Local 105 to bring awareness of janitors’ needs during a global health crisis.

Jimpa, a retired state employee who is a social justice Christian-Catholic who requested that only his nickname be used, holds a sign during a car rally on May 19 that was hosted by the Service Employees International Union Local 105.

Sandra Lopez participates in a car rally on May 19 hosted by Service Employees International Union Local 105 to demand better wages, improved health care benefits and necessary safety protocols and resources that janitors need to provide services during the COVID-19 pandemic.

PHOTOS BY CHRISTY STEADMAN

A large number of cars filled the downtown Denver area on May 19 in a car rally to ensure janitors earn fair wages, receive improved health care benefits and other necessary safety protocols and resources needed to provide cleaning services during the COVID-19 pandemic

Thomas Weiler participates in a car rally on May 19 hosted by Service Employees International Union Local 105, which took place during contract negotiations for janitorial workers.

12 Life On Capitol Hill

June 2020

Using creativity to display art in a new environment MSU art students’ Spring 2020 thesis exhibition moved to virtual gallery

By Christy Steadman csteadman@coloradocommunitymedia.com

Lauren Bassett created a performance art piece that she intended to perform on opening night of the Spring 2020 Metropolitan State University of Denver’s BFA Thesis Exhibition. However, Bassett filmed the five-minute presentation for the online exhibition, which entailed her removing chains — representing a veil — from her face, which symbolizes acceptance and moving forward from the past.

COURTESY PHOTOS

RECYCLE RIGHT CORRECT • Recyclables are loose • Cart lid is open no more than 45 degrees • Carboard boxes are flattened

INCORRECT

• Recyclables are bagged • Cart is overflowing • Cart lid is open more than 45 degrees • Cardboard boxes are not flattened For more information, visit DenverGov.org/Trash or call 311 (720-913-1311).

A benefit for having an art student exhibition online is that all world has access to the work.

The downside, however, is that a thesis exhibition is often one of the first experiences an art student, and/or recent graduate of the arts, has to exhibit his or her work in a gallery.

“It’s a huge deal to have a gallery showing for students who don’t have a lot of experience with that,” said Celeste Utke, a Capitol Hill resident who graduated in May from Metropolitan State University of Denver with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in drawing.

The BFA Thesis Exhibition is the apex of MSU’s Studio Art and Communication Design students’ education, states a news release. It typically takes place at the Center for Visual Art, 965 Santa Fe Dr., in Denver’s Arts District. However, the Spring 2020 event had to be moved online because of the COVID-19 closures.

“The promise of exhibiting in a coveted gallery space motivates students who often plan their work to respond meaningfully to that site,” said Deanne Pytlinski, chair of MSU’s Department of Art, in a statement on the website for the online BFA Thesis Exhibition.

“When we are thrown a curve just before the thesis exhibition gets installed, it can feel like a jarring crash where all of our plans lie piled up in a ruin. But, as artists and designers, that is when we have to use all of our creativity to find solutions, to shift to a new environment, to use new tools.”

So, that is what the students did.

“We all came together, and made something that seemed impossible, possible,” said Lauren Bassett, who earned a BFA from MSU in art education and is looking into doing her student teaching this fall.

“Students made adaptations that in many cases strengthened their work,” Pytlinski added in her statement, “responding now to their own domestic spaces or a virtual environment in thoughtful and poignant ways.”

Utke, for example, whose piece is titled “Of The Echoing Self,” created nine 2 ½ by 5 foot canvasses — about the size of her body — with depictions of nature-themed elements and on them, such as roots and topography maps.

“They (the patterns) came from different places in my head,” Utke said, “representing emotional wavelengths when I’m in nature.”

The piece, she said, is a “self-reflection of how my body interacts with the natural world.” Originally, in a gallery setting, the works would have been displayed in a circle, to create the idea of the interconnectedness of humans and nature. For the online gallery, however, Utke set them up outdoors and photographed them. It changed the perspective a bit, Utke said, but it provided the opportunity for the canvasses to interact with nature.

Bassett created a performance arts piece that she intended to perform on opening night, but ended up filming it for the online exhibit.

Entitled “The Chain/The Veil,” Bassett, 33, made a chain of 12,040 individual links — one for each day of her life up to project completion — that symbolized “the chain

VIEW THE VIRTUAL EXHIBIT There are 35 students who have work displayed in the online Spring 2020 Metropolitan State University Denver Bachelor of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition. A variety of of media is represented, including ceramics, communication design, digital media, painting, photography and sculpture.

The exhibit went live on May 1 and is available for viewing through October. The link to the gallery is https://www.msudenverbfathesis.com/.

reaction of thoughts, behaviors and consequences that have led me to this point in the present,” she said.

“The chain, the veil of my past, needs to be removed, in order for me to heal and move forward in life,” Bassett said.

A friend helped her apply the chain to her face, which Bassett wore for about three-tofour hours prior to filming its removal. In the five-minute video, Bassett removes the chain piece-by-piece, which symbolizes acceptance and moving forward from the past.

For Bassett, it was a reflection on the loss of her grandfather and her divorce, but also good events in her life, such as her travels in Europe.

“There was a lot of reflecting and pain, but healing, also,” Bassett said. “We all have a past and experiences that might burden us and keep us from moving forward. It’s OK to accept and reflect, and let go and move forward.”

Madison Sierra Faulkner, who graduated in May with a BFA from MSU in communication design, had an image in her mind of people interacting with her work at the gallery.

“Luckily, I had started work on my project last fall and was mostly complete by the time we were asked in March to move to the online exhibition,” she said. “I was able to reorganize my small, one-bedroom Capitol Hill apartment in order to hang and document my crafted empathetic environment.”

Her piece, “The Wall Protecting Me from You,” incorporates positive coping mechanisms for those who suffer from complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD), which can develop in adulthood when a child is raised by narcissistic parents in a mentallyabusive environment, Faulkner said.

There are three elements to Faulkner’s work — a quilt that expresses the relationship between dysfunctional family dynamics and mental health; the word `YOU,’ representing anxiety for which the wall protects; and a knitted suit that serves as body armor, and using craft as a coping mechanism.

“One method of coping I’ve adopted to overcome CPTSD symptoms, is craft,” Faulkner said. “If I start to feel the familiar waves of dread or if I catch myself wide awake in the middle of the night, I turn to creation.”

Most of the students who have work displayed in the online exhibition are hoping to someday display their pieces together in a gallery. It may be that they rent a space in Denver somewhere after COVID-19, Bassett said.

For Faulkner, the online exhibition acts more as the educational element “to introduce audiences to the invisible trauma of living in a narcissistic environment,” she said.

“I am eager to show my work in its originally-intended state,” Faulkner said, adding she feels her work can truly help someone process trauma. “I’m willing to wait for the right opportunity for that.”

Life On Capitol Hill 13

June 2020

ECLECTIC GOLDEN TRIANGLE UNDERGOING A REZONE Group concerned towers would obstruct view from Cheesman Park

Views of the mountains are a “source of great civic pride,” said Brad Cameron, president of the Registered Neighborhood Organization, Neighbors for Greater Capitol Hill. A rezone is proposed for Golden Triangle and the RNO is concerned that development of point towers in the southern portion of the Golden Triangle would threaten the mountain views from Cheesman Park, specifically of Mount Evans from the park’s pavilion. CHRISTY STEADMAN

By Christy Steadman csteadman@coloradocommunitymedia.com

The Denver Art Museum, Colorado State Capitol and Civic Center Park.

These iconic landmarks along with the unique restaurants, cafés and retail shops; schools; residential buildings; and interesting museums and art galleries all make up Denver’s Golden Triangle.

There’s a bank, a gas station and many other amenities, said Anne Lindsey who has lived in the Golden Triangle since 2001.

“You name it, we’ve got it,” she said. Lindsey added there is a dynamic mix of big and small buildings intermingled with some old-andhistoric buildings and some that are new and modern. “It’s truly an eclectic area.”

The Golden Triangle is about 45 city blocks outlined by Colfax Avenue on the north, Broadway/Lincoln Street on the east and Speer Boulevard that runs diagonally on the west.

Still in early phases of the process, a rezone is planned for the entire Golden Triangle.

Though the Golden Triangle possesses urban architectural diversity, the most recent development — within the past 15-to-20 years or so — has largely been residential, said Kristofer Johnson, a principal city planner with Denver Community Planning and Development. The city is trying to “move away from the one-sizefits-all” zoning that currently exists in the Golden Triangle, he said. e “We want to make sure developments are contributing to the neighborhood in a meaningful way,” he said. “Particularly with larger projects.”

The Golden Triangle Neighborhood Plan was adopted in 2014, but the existing zoning was adopted in 1994. It has a focus on residential, and what Johnson described above as one-size-fitsall, meaning all development projects adhere to the same requirements and limitations, no matter the size of the lot, for example, he said.

Residents have voiced concerns that the mass, scale and design quality of the recent developments don’t contribute to the activity of the neighborhood, Johnson said.

A rezone will provide for a variety of development, such as for office and retail, as well as residential, Johnson said, which encourages “complete neighborhood” development — a place where “you can live, play and work,” he said.

One proposed change the city is considering is allowing point towers — a building design that is tall and slender as opposed to short and boxy.

“The city has looked at this quite extensively,” Johnson said.

He added that point towers are valuable because they typically allow for more sunlight and air to pass through the cityscape, particularly at the pedestrian level.

“The whole idea of a point tower is to try to make sure there is some view, light and air for everyone,” Lindsey said, who holds a degree in architecture and serves on the city’s volunteer Golden Triangle Advisory Committee.

Allowing point powers is a relatively new discussion in the proposed rezone, but it is the one that causes concern for the nearby Neighbors for Greater Capitol Hill, which is a Registered Neighborhood Organization, said Brad Cameron, the

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RNO’s president.

The RNO is concerned that construction of a point tower would threaten the view plane of the mountains from Cheesman Park, Cameron said.

“We believe there can be reasonable development projects in the Golden Triangle,” he said, “but they don’t need to detract from mountain views.”

One of the city’s adopted view plane ordinances, which are in place to protect views of the Rocky Mountains, is the Cheesman Park-Denver Botanic Gardens View Plane, Cameron said.

It protects the views from roughly the Denver Botanic Gardens and west to the Cheesman Park Pavilion.

However, the ordinance ends at Broadway and potential construction of a 300-foot tall point tower on the southern end of the Golden Triangle could potentially obstruct the iconic views from Cheesman Park, specifically those of Mount Evans and the adjacent foothills, Cameron said.

“One of the things that makes Denver special is our view of the mountains,” he said. “It’s a source of great civic pride. We treasure it and we want to preserve it.”

He added that the current zoning in the Golden Triangle allows for a building height of about 200 feet which is “well below the limit

LEARN MORE To learn more about the proposed rezone in the Golden Triangle, visit https:// bit.ly/2MauT3d.

that would exist if the Cheesman Park-Botanic Gardens mountain view ordinance extended past Broadway to Speer Boulevard.”

On April 11, the RNO’s board of directors unanimously approved a resolution to oppose zoning that permits point towers in the Golden Triangle, and to support expansion of the Cheesman Park-Denver Botanic Gardens View Plane.

Another RNO, Capitol Hill United Neighborhoods, also engaged with city planners on the issue. CHUN’s president Travis Leiker provided the following statement: “CHUN feels it is very important to be mindful of the perspectives and opinions shared within the neighborhood of particular concern — the Golden Triangle in this case — particularly after city planners and neighbors conducted a robust engagement and feedback process. Moreover, gathering all facts from the appropriate parties is especially important in our shared effort to avoid misunderstandings and to fully gather the particulars of an issue. Certainly, this is the type of strategy CHUN adopts regularly ... Denver’s dynamic quality of life and access to stunning parks and open spaces are essential to the city’s future. We can balance smart development with preserving access to unparalleled views.”

The process to update the zoning began in March 2019, Johnson said, but added that it is still in preliminary phases. It is estimated that a draft of the proposed changes will be ready this summer, which will allow time for public review prior to the adoption process this fall. The adoption process is when the proposed rezone will be in front of Denver’s planning board and then city council for vote on adoption. A public hearing will be entertained by both governmental bodies.

“Rezonings are about modernizing the rules and guidelines — and making sure we are all in agreement with what the area should look like,” Lindsey said. “It’s to get a better design, at the end of the day.”

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14 Life On Capitol Hill

June 2020

Colorado Symphony continues to #PlayOn

By Christy Steadman Whether it is performing at a Rockies baseball game or a Broncos football game, composing original music for the state government or putting on a small concert at a brewery, the Colorado Symphony is uniquely Colorado.

“We celebrate what we are as a community and all things Colorado,” said Anthony Pierce, the Colorado Symphony’s chief artistic officer.

“The orchestra is committed to doing everything it can to be there for the community.”

The Colorado Symphony is a not-for-profit organization that consists of 80 full-time musicians. Though based in Denver, the orchestra performs more than 150 concerts across the

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The Colorado Symphony’s #PlayOn, a collection of videos available for free streaming, can be found at coloradosymphony.org. state to fulfill its mission to “inspire, educate, support and entertain,” Pierce said.

Social distancing orders because of the COVID-19 pandemic have prohibited gathering of large crowds, including live music and concert venues, so the Colorado Symphony has gotten creative on its offerings to fulfill its mission during this time, Pierce said.

One way is continuing to provide music virtually through various social media platforms, as well as the orchestra’s website, with the hashtag #PlayOn. Its March 23 posting of #PlayOn: Colorado Symphony’s Digital Ode to Joy generated 559,037 views as of May 11.

“Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony is an ode to humanity, to peace over desperation, to universal kinship and, of course, to joy,” the Colorado Symphony posted. “We hope that this small tribute stands as a reminder that community is powerful and together, despite the anxiety and separation, we will come back stronger than before.”

Expanding on its weekly #PlayOn Virtual Music Hour, the Colorado Symphony is also launching its MusiCurious Instrument Interview Series. MusiCurious is one of the symphony’s education programs.

“Sharing the art is one thing,” Pierce said, but “education is also a big part of what we do.”

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featuring video demonstrations by Colorado Symphony musicians on their respective instruments. The videos are available for streaming on ColoradoSymphony.org and will be released on a bi-weekly basis.

The first one launched on May 13, and features Yumi Hwang-Williams, violinist and concertmaster of the Colorado Symphony, who is celebrating her 20th year with the orchestra this season.

The Colorado Symphony continues to be a progressive ensemble and is “in the forefront of the symphonic world,” Hwang-Williams said, pointing to movie score performances and projects involving collaboration with local artists.

“When we’re on stage, the most important thing is to deliver our best and share our love of music,” Hwang-Williams said. But for now, she added, “we’re happy to be working on the virtual offerings and keeping the audience engaged during this time.”

The Colorado Symphony’s musicians truly care about their audiences, said Jason Shafer, the orchestra’s principle clarinetist.

“We’re doing something that makes them very happy (and) we’re looking forward to bringing live music back to everyone as soon as we can, safely and creatively,” he said. “But it’s amazing what we can do with technology.

It is wonderful that we can still bring the happiness and emotions of a live concert to your home computer.”

Because the Colorado Symphony is adventurous with its programming, it offers something for everyone of all ages, said Carolyn Kunicki, second horn with the Colorado Symphony. Everything from symphonic classics to performing with well-known rock bands such as The Flaming Lips or The Lumineers, for example; and featuring up-and-coming artists as well as performing alongside local musicians such as a tango group and others, Kunicki added.

“People need to experience live music (and) that emotional level and community will all be there when we get back,” Kunicki said of live performances. “An orchestra is a cultural necessity. Denver would not be the same city without its world-class orchestra.”

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Life On Capitol Hill 15

June 2020

By Melanie Asmar, Chalkbeat Colorado

Faced with having to cut tens of millions of dollars from the school district budget next year, some Denver school board members are asking questions about the size of the district administration and just how much the superintendent shrunk it last year to pay for teacher raises.

After a three-day teacher strike, Superintendent Susana Cordova said she would cut $17 million and 150 positions from the Denver YPublic Schools central office. The district did cut millions of dollars in staff positions and saved millions more through consolidating different functions.

But skepticism about the depth of the cuts has remained. Many central office employees were rehired into new jobs, sometimes with higher pay, as part of a broader reorganization. Critics who long accused the district of being top-heavy don’t think enough has changed.

The issue has gained urgency as the coronavirus decimates the Colorado economy. School districts are bracing for steep decreases in state education funding next year, and the Denver school board is discussing drastic budget cuts, including possibly freezing teacher pay.

“Unless we can get this cleared up, it’s going to overshadow everything we do with the budget,” school board President Carrie Olson said of the central office cuts.

Denver Public Schools is Colorado’s largest school district, and it operates on a $1.1 billion budget. A Chalkbeat analysis based on historical data found that Denver had more administrators than the statewide average in the 2016-17 school year and had gotten more top-heavy over time.

The Denver teachers union went on strike in

February 2019 for higher wages and a different pay structure. They won both. Cordova, a former teacher who’d been hired as superintendent just a month earlier, vowed to cut from the top to pay teachers.

By June, the school board approved a budget for this school year that included $17 million in cuts from the academics division of the central office and an increase of $53 million in school budgets, most of it for teacher salaries, according to documents provided by district finance officials.

Almost immediately, teachers and community members began checking whether the district had done what it said. Retired Denver teacher Margaret Bobb, in particular, filed several open records requests in search of information about the administrative cuts. She spent over a year analyzing the data, and recently posted her findings on social media.

Bobb compared a list of people whose jobs were cut to a list of people who currently work in the central office. She found that more than 90 administrators who were cut are still there. In addition to getting new jobs and titles, she found that many of them got raises.

All in all, Bobb calculated that the staff cuts were less than $17 million. She found that the salaries of the central office employees who left the district for good added up to just $6 million.

Other central office employees whose salaries accounted for $4 million got jobs in schools as teachers and principals. Total staff cuts to the central office added up to $10 million, she found.

Already distrustful of the district, Bobb said her findings only further cemented that belief.

“They claim they’re poor, they claim they’ve streamlined, they claim they’ve cut, and they’re giving each other raises down in the executive

level,” Bobb said.

Bobb’s salary data is correct, and her count of employees is close to the district count. But district officials said her analysis doesn’t account for other savings that add up to more than $17 million.

In the end, Denver cut the equivalent of 117 full-time positions from the central office, said Jim Carpenter, the district’s chief financial officer.

That number is lower than the 150 positions originally cited because some people worked part-time and other positions were funded by grants. Cutting 117 positions from the district’s general fund saved $10.8 million, Carpenter said.

Another $6.9 million in cuts came from savings other than district salaries, officials said.

The central office cuts were part of a bigger

administrative reorganization by Cordova, who made streamlining the organization one of her objectives. For instance, she collapsed several departments in the academics division into one.

Those changes resulted in sizable savings, said Chuck Carpenter, the district’s executive director of finance. Instead of rolling over the previous year’s budget, each streamlined department started at zero and built a budget from there.

Certain third-party contracts were canceled, and fewer employees meant less money allocated for travel, technology, and copying.

The first statement a district spokesperson made about the cuts in February 2019 mentioned streamlining. “We will consolidate or SEE BUDGET, P16

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16 Life On Capitol Hill

June 2020

City Park Golf Course anticipated to open this September

By Christy Steadman csteadman@coloradocommunitymedia.com

Playing golf at Denver’s City Park Golf Course will be a modernized blast from the past.

There will be some nostalgia, said Scott Rethlake, director of Denver Golf, adding that playing the new course will remind players of the old holes.

The City Park Golf Course has been closed since November 2017 to undergo a water detention project.

The Denver Golf website states that “City Park Golf Course was selected for water detention because it will protect significantly more homes and businesses, enhances an existing city asset, reduces the need for private property acquisition and provides for future stormwater needs.”

Budget FROM PAGE 15

realign central office teams to align with Superintendent Cordova’s vision and core beliefs and eliminate redundancies in our work,” it said.

But while the cutting of positions got a lot of attention, including from central office employees who felt vilified by the call to cut them to pay teachers, the non-salary savings did not.

A department-by-department comparison of the 2018-19 and 2019-20

Currently in the phase of turf grow-in, anticipated opening for the new course is this September.

The turf “has to have a whole growing season before it can withstand the stress of people playing on it,” Rethlake said.

Nighttime temperatures need to reach 60 degrees for the turf to grow properly, which usually doesn’t happen until May and continues through August, Rethlake said.

The property is 135 acres and the course is 18 holes par 70. Though it will be reminiscent of the old course, Rethlake believes the new course will be a more interesting experience for golfers.

The new design incorporates a lot of the existing corridors, but it also includes new landscaping with water features and bunkers — not

to mention a brand-new clubhouse, maintenance facility and a full driving range.

Budget for the project was $45 million with a $4 million retainage, and the project was on budget as of mid-May, Rethlake said. Because it was a water detention project, the funds came out of the city’s stormwater fund.

City Park Golf Course attracts golfers of all levels who come from about a five-to-10-mile radius of the course, Rethlake said. Prior to its closure, it entertained about 48,000 rounds a year, Rethlake added. The course also hosts youths involved with the First Tee, a youth development program that uses the game of golf to “build character and instill life-enhancing values,” states its website.

Built in 1918, “people grew up playing on it,” Rethlake said of City Park Golf Course. “We wanted to save those memories (in) the new design.”

Jennifer Bater has been playing golf for about 30 years, and about 25 of those have been spent playing at City Park Golf Course when she moved to the Capitol Hill neighborhood.

“I love being outdoors,” she said, “and the challenge of the shots.”

Bater is also involved with a women’s golf league — the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Amateur Golf Association — which, prior to its closure, played the City Park Golf Course every week in the summers, Bater said.

She served on the course’s Design Committee, which consisted of

neighborhood residents, golfers and people with knowledge of the course’s history.

Bater believes the new course includes the best of both worlds — the familiarity of the old course paired a “fantastic, exciting and challenging” new design, she said.

As soon as it opens, the first thing Bater is going to do is book a tee time, buy a bucket of balls and hit her driver on the new driving range, she said.

But she added she is also looking forward to the 19th hole with the others on her women’s league. The 19th hole is what golfers say in reference to enjoying a drink after a game, Bater said.

“The city has many nice courses, but City Park is close to my heart,” Bater said. “It’s a city treasure.”

budgets recently prepared by district finance officials and provided to Chalkbeat shows the changes.

But that document wasn’t available at the time. Instead, district officials summarized the budget changes in slide decks they reasoned were more understandable for the general public.

“We thought it was more digestible to move to the more summarized schedules,” said Chuck Carpenter. But he acknowledged that sharing more detail is sometimes necessary: “The more that folks question things, the more you need to get into the raw detail.”

Board members have been frustrated

by how difficult it’s been to sort this out — and at least some of them still have questions about how Bobb’s analysis compares with the district’s explanation. Olson said she spent the better part of a recent Saturday trying to understand it.

“I have a Ph.D. in quantitative research. I sat here and I thought, `I don’t get it,’” she said.

“At the end of the day, I don’t believe that the people in the budget department are trying to pull a fast one on us,” Olson said. But when she started digging into which positions were cut, she said she found herself wondering,

“Is this really what we intended?”

Olson and board Vice President Jennifer Bacon said Bobb’s detailed analysis drew their attention to aspects of the reorganization that hadn’t been as clear before, including that, on average, lower-paid central office workers were laid off while higherpaid administrators were hired back into new positions as part of Cordova’s reorganization.

As the board looks to slash what could be as much as $60 million from next year’s budget in the face of decreased state funding, it has enlisted the help of a budget advisory committee

made up of teachers, principals, parents, and community members. While further cuts to the central office weren’t initially identified as a possibility, the district is now listing it as an option.

“What we spend money on is a demonstration of our values,” Bacon said. “Have we seen what we want to see from that investment? That, for me, is what this whole conversation has opened up.”

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