Washington Park Profile 0820

WashParkProfile.com

AUGUST 2020

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CLIMBING FOR A CAUSE DU student summits 14ers to benefit disaster relief organization

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‘MUSKRAT LOVE’ Muskrats populate Grasmere Lake

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SCOOPING FOR METRO CARING Rotary Club, volunteers portion food to help anti-hunger organization

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DENVER’S UNIQUE STORIES Historic Denver offering its annual Walking Tours

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August 2020

Business Matters Christy Steadman | csteadman@coloradocommunitymedia.com 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 central-north and south Denver.

Businesses are beginning to reopen after being closed — for some, several months — because of COVID-19. Colorado Community Media urges you to reach out to your favorite local businesses to find out their reopening status, or to check if they are operating slightly differently upon reopening.

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

OPENINGS/REOPENINGS Ace Eat Serve Ace Eat Serve, a restaurant that features modern Asian cuisine, has announced its Peking Duck Thursday is back with limited availability and must be preordered.

The August dates for the Peking Duck are Aug. 13, the pre-order must be made

by Aug. 7; and Aug. 27, which must be preordered by Aug. 21.

Peking Duck is available for dine in or takeout. It includes a whole duck, mu-shu crepes, scallions, cucumber, apricot chili sauce and hoisin for $42.

To reserve a Peking Duck, call 303-8007705. Ace Eat Serve is located at 501 E. 17th Ave. in Denver’s Uptown neighborhood.

On July 27, the restaurant also announced that its chef, Thach Tran, has launched Ace at Home frozen meal kits.

To learn more, visit www.aceeatserve. com.

Adrift Tiki Bar & Restaurant Adrift Tiki Bar & Restaurant, 218 S. Broadway, reopened on July 9 for dine-in with an expanded patio called The Hurricane Lounge. Reservations are required for dine-in service.

The restaurant’s emphasis is to provide “a magical island getaway,” states a news release.

Seating on the new patio is spaced to meet Colorado’s state regulations, and offers colorful picnic tables adorned with lei designs by Jolt, a local street artist; and beachy buoys, tiki boats and lanterns donated by a local collector.

Adrift originally opened in September 2016 and closed in late March because of COVID-19. During the closure, Adrift launched its Covid Cocktail To Go, which features many of its best-selling cocktails.

Because of its popularity, Adrift will continue to offer Covid Cocktail To Go for takeout.

“As we embark on this ‘New World’ journey, we do so with care, respect, empathy and safety as our top priorities,” said owner Loren Martinez in a news release.

“We realize that some of our guests will still be happier having their luau at home, so we want to bring the Adrift party to them, wherever they feel the safest.”

To make a reservation or to view Adrift’s menu, visit www. adriftbar.com.

Punch Bowl Social The Broadway Punch Bowl Social, 65 Broadway in Denver’s Baker neighborhood, recently reopened and recently expanded seating into the parking lot with picnic tables and large umbrellas.

Hours are 4-10 p.m. daily and reservations are encouraged.

To learn more, visit https://punchbowlsocial.com/ and select Denver in the locations search bar.

The Adrift Tiki Bar & Restaurant’s management teams stands outside of the restaurant at 218 S. Broadway, which reopened early July with an expanded patio. From left is owner Loren Martinez; Monica Stephens, bar manager; and Joshua Duncan, general manager.

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Broadway Market Broadway Market, a food hall located at 950 Broadway which borders Denver’s Golden Triangle and Capitol Hill neighborhoods, reopened for in-person dining on July 23.

It reopened with socially-distant tables both indoors and on the patio, and a new outdoor dining space on the sidewalk along Broadway. Reservations are recommended but walk-ins are accepted. Guests are required to wear masks when not seated at their assigned table.

The food hall’s bottoms-up beer wall is available via a beertender during select hours.

Broadway Market opened in February 2019, and closed a few weeks after celebrating its one-year anniversary because of COVID-19. Curbside pickup and delivery offerings began on June 12.

Hours for dine-in are 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Tuesday to Thursday, and 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Friday and Saturday. Groups are limited to eight people.

To learn more about the restaurants at Broadway Market, visit www.broadwaymarketdenver.com.

Pete’s Restaurants Three of the five Pete’s Restaurants’ have reopened.

Pete’s Kitchen, 1962 E. Colfax Ave., is open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily; Pete’s University Park Café, 2345 E. Evans Ave., is open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily; and Pete’s Central One, 300 S. Pearl St., is open from 5-9 p.m. daily.

With the reopenings, a new outdoor patio has been built Pete’s Kitchen and the yet-toopen Pete’s Satire Lounge.

The locally owned restaurant concepts got their start back in 1962 with Pete’s Satire Lounge, located near Colfax Avenue and Race Street. The family now owns and operates five restaurants — Pete’s Satire Lounge, Pete’s Kitchen, Pete’s University Park Cafe, Pete’s Greektown Cafe and Petes Central One. To learn more about the restaurants, visit www.petesrestaurants.com.

Route 40 Café and the Colfax Museum Route 40 Café is now open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays.

Located in the Lowenstein Complex at 2550 E. Colfax Ave., the café is also home to the Colfax Museum.

Westword reported that history buff and memorabilia collector Jonny Barber has “been collecting Colfax-related artifacts for more than 15 years.”

According to Westword, Barber made a connection with Charlie Woolley, owner of the Lowenstein Complex, though the History Colorado center. Woolley introduced Barber to Mark Whistler, who at the time, was looking to bring more focus to his restaurant — formerly called the Goods, and now the Route 40 Café.

The Route 40 Café is open for dine-in, curbside pick-up, delivery, and also offers grab-and-go items.

To learn more about the restaurant or the museum, visit http://route40cafe.com.

Trouts Fly Fishing Trouts Fly Fishing, a locally owned fly shop, opened its new location in Lincoln Park on July 10, BusinessDen reported.

Trouts Fly Fishing opened shop on Old South Gaylord Street in the spring of 1995, according to its website. It served the greater Washington Park community for about 10 years when longtime Trouts customer Tucker Ladd purchased the store to keep it from shuttering. The business outgrew its first location, and in 2007, moved into a 19th-century Victorian home in Denver’s Country Club neighborhood, states the website.

The shop is now located at 1025 Zuni St. and backs up to the South Platte River.

Along with being a full-service fly shop, Trouts Fly Fishing also offers a wide selection of fly-fishing classes, guided trips and destination travel options. To learn more, visit https:// troutsflyfishing.com.

SEE BUSINESS, P3

A new outdoor patio adorns the parking lot between Pete’s Kitchen, 1962 E. Colfax Ave., and Pete’s Satire Lounge.

COURTESY OF ALEX BARAKOS/PETE’

Washington Park Profile 3

August 2020

Business FROM PAGE 2

CLOSINGS The Frye Co. The Frye Co., a leather shoe retailer, has closed its Cherry Creek location at 200 Fillmore St., Unit 108, BusinessDen reported.

According to its website, the company was founded in 1863 in Marlborough, Massachusetts, by John A. Frye. Its ecommerce site launched in 2000, and the company opened its flagship store in 2011 in New York City.

BusinessDen reported that the Cherry Creek location opened in 2016. According to BusinessDen’s article, the location’s landlord, Western Development Group, was awarded possession of the premises by a judge after suing in June, citing that The Frye Co. “owed $35,819 for rent and other costs associated with the unit.”

MILESTONES/OTHER Live Local initiative Storyvine, a Denver-based video technology company, has partnered with 9News’ Colorado & Company to create the Live Local initiative.

The purpose of the Live Local initiative is to “allow local businesses to create free, professional videos as they reopen their doors to the community,” states a news release.

To learn more about Storyvine, visit www.storyvine.com.

Eighth & Fork Eighth & Fork, a Denver dining club, is celebrating its first year in business.

Within its first year, the dining club has supported 60 local restaurants and establishments and donated 520 meals

to Denver Rescue Mission, states a news release.

“Restaurants have been some of the most hard-hit (by the COVID-19 pandemic), as a result, we have seen a dramatic shift in the way they are operating due to the uncertainty in the world,” said Lori Hoest, founder of Eighth & Fork, in a news release. “In our second year in business, we want to continue to encourage people to support their local restaurants and establishments and give back. Our members are making a huge impact by supporting local businesses, helping those in need, and saving some money while they’re doing it.”

To learn more, visit www.eighthandfork. com.

PaintCare PaintCare, a national nonprofit that makes it easy for consumers and businesses to recycle leftover paint, is celebrating its five-year anniversary in Colorado.

Since 2015, Coloradans have recycled more than three million gallons of unused and unwanted paint, states a news release.

According to the news release, the program helps protect the environment by diverting paint from landfills.

PaintCare drop-off sites are located mostly at paint and hardware retail stores, which accept all paint brands, regardless of when or at which store in Colorado it was purchased. Items that can be dropped off for recycling include most house paints, primers, stains, sealers and clear top coatings such as varnish and shellac.

There is no charge to drop paint off for recycling — a nominal fee is added to the price of all new paint sold in Colorado to fund all aspects of the PaintCare program, including paint collection, transportation, recycling, public education and program administration.

For more information about the PaintCare program or to find a PaintCare dropoff site in Colorado, visit www.paintcare. org/colorado.

The 21st annual Donor Dash took place on July 18 in Washington Park. Rather than the regular 5K run/walk, this year’s event took place throughout the week and culminated with a car parade.

COURTESY OF DONOR ALLIANCE

Donors ‘dash’ to save lives 21st annual Donor Dash takes place as car parade in Washington Park The 21st annual Donor Dash took place on July 18 as a car parade in Washington Park. The event takes place each year “to honor the lives of organ, eye and tissue donors; celebrate the lives of organ, eye and tissue recipients; and recognize those who continue to wait for a lifesaving transplant,” states a news release.

The Donor Dash is normally 5K run/walk in

Washington Park, but this year, was converted into a weeklong celebration during which participants could run their own race if they wished.

It culminated with the July 18 car parade, and participants decorated their cars with Donate Life colors — blue and green — and drove through Washington Park, beginning and finishing their route where the Donor Dash start line would normally be.

To learn more about becoming a donor, visit www.DonateLifeColorado.org. Coloradans can sign up to become an organ, eye and tissue donor at the time of death by selecting “yes” when obtaining or renewing a driver license or state ID, or online at the above website at any time.

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August 2020

Girl Scouts offer new Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion program Entire community invited to participate in Colorado effort Staff report The Girl Scouts of Colorado organization has launched a new program, and any youth in the community can participate.

The program is called Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. It is “designed to help participants start the conversation about race and racism by learning to appreciate diversity and honor and celebrate differences,” states a news release.

Anybody is welcome to participate in the program — it is not limited to Girl Scouts, and is designed for families, communities, schools, religious groups and other social engagement groups. The programming includes hands-

on activities, reflective writing, discussions on understanding and more, states a news release. The activities ease the way for having “meaningful conversations with youth starting at kindergarten through 12th grade,” states the news release. All activities are available in Spanish.

A comprehensive list of the activities for each age level can be found on the Girl Scouts of Colorado’s website: www.girlscoutsofcolorado.org. Everyone who completes the activities for the program will earn the “Diverse.

Inclusive. Together.” patch. A digital version of the patch is available for those who are not Girl Scouts.

The programming is brought to the community through a partnership between the Girl Scouts of Colorado, Children’s Hospital Colorado, Colorado Mountain College, Denver Public Schools and Denver 7.

In addition to the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion activities, the program also includes virtual roundtables for anyone who would like

to participate. Called Conversation Starters: Let’s Talk Differences, the virtual roundtables will provide families with the “tools they need to begin talking about issues related to race and racism,” states a news release.

A Conversation Starters session for parents and caregivers was held in late July, but a second session on Aug. 13 is “specifically designed to answer questions on these topics directly from children,” states the news release.

“The Girl Scout movement has been about social justice, equity and inclusivity from its very beginning, and part of the Girl Scout mission is to make the world a better place,” said the Girl Scouts of Colorado’s CEO Leanna Clark. “As an organization, Girl Scouts of Colorado is recommitting to that mission.

That’s why we’re opening up this programming beyond girls and beyond our Girl Scout community to make it available to as many people as possible. We hope families will take part together to deepen their understanding of themselves and others.”

The Girl Scouts of Colorado has launched a new program called Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for which the entire community can participate. Any youth who completes the activities for the program will earn the new “Diverse.

Inclusive. Together.” patch, of which a digital version is available. COURTESY PHOTO

Group Living Zoning Code Updates making its way to legislative review process

By Christy Steadman csteadman@coloradocommunitymedia.com

With expected increased evictions because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the city of Denver believes it is important to allow flexibility for all

types of housing and households.

“There is a very high cost of living” in Denver, said Andrew Webb, a city planner and the project manager for the Group Living Zoning Code Update. “It is important that the code is not preventing all types of housing where appropriate.”

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Denver’s Group Living Zoning Code Update is currently making its way to the city’s legislative review process. If it passes, the updates would allow more unrelated people to reside as a household unit under one roof.

It is expected to go to Denver’s Planning Board late August, and city council in October. There will be public hearings at both meetings.

The code update, commonly known as Group Living, will determine “who can live where, and what types of residential” housing are allowed, Webb said.

It is meant to bring existing rules up-to-date and define the “city’s overall strategy to provide more and better housing opportunities for all residents,” states the project’s website.

The current zoning code was adopted in 2010, with some of the language having been transferred from the previous code that dates back to the 1950s. An update will clarify and eliminate the outdated and/or confusing language, and will address the city’s changing housing needs. Examples of the latter include new types of housing such as tiny homes; expansions such as those for ADA; and some unique housing needs such as nursing homes, homeless shelters and community corrections.

One of the biggest issues in the current code is the definition of a household, Webb said. Currently, only two unrelated people are allowed to live together in Denver — a rule that city staff and Denver residents, in general, feel is outdated.

The latest proposal is to allow five unrelated persons and any number of their relatives to live together in any dwelling unit. Structures larger than 1,600 square feet will be allowed to have one additional unrelated person per 200 square feet up to a maximum of 10 unrelated persons in a 2,600 square foot or larger home.

Capitol Hill United Neighborhoods addressed Denver City Council with a letter dated June 29 that supports the proposed updates to the Group Living Zoning Code.

“We believe that the proposed Group Living Zoning Code Amendments are a much-needed update to our code and will assist in creating more safe, accessible, diverse places for people to live within CHUN’s geographic boundaries and our beloved city,” states the letter. “Moreover, we support the categorization of residential care and group living homes by size rather than the type of facility or services being provided, to advance people’s ability to live in places accessible to transit, jobs and other community-based services.”

Denver resident Christine O’Connor, who cochairs Denver Inter-Neighborhood Cooperation’s

LEARN MORE To learn more, visit www.DenverGov.org/ groupliving Zoning & Planning Committee, feels that not all Denver residents have been able to fully educate themselves on it — perhaps because of distractions brought on by the pandemic.

She said the process has been going on for two years, but a lot of people didn’t know about it, despite that the proposed changes would affect all Denver residents and every neighborhood in Denver.

“I believe most residents who have learned of this work understand the importance of the issues identified by the (city’s) Group Living Advisory Committee,” O’Connor said. “They want to see these solutions evaluated and discussed by residents of all council districts since the amendments apply citywide.”

The Denver INC Zoning & Planning Committee on July 25 discussed the proposed changes to the Group Living Zoning Code and drafted a resolution to advance to the Aug. 15 INC delegate meeting for a vote. The resolution suggests that Denver City Council provide additional time — while still being mindful of how the pandemic is affecting residents — “for further consideration of the proposal in order to allow council members to make sure that their constituents are educated on the proposal and its implementation/effect.”

It also suggests that the various issues of the updates be “unbundled to allow full consideration of each material aspect of the proposal and, when outreach and compromise is achieved to the satisfaction of council members, such portion should be adopted separately.”

Washington-Virginia Vale resident E.J. Lorimer believes it is important to note that comments about the proposed changes are separate from current needs connected to COVID, she said.

“While current needs are critical without question, the ordinances will be permanent changes post-COVID,” Lorimer said. “Those who intertwine the issues are not considering future impact once COVID is resolved.”

She is also concerned about the “so many unknowns” and “unanswered questions” that may come up should the proposed changes be adopted.

“There are layers of complexity. We need to make sure this works correctly,” Lorimer said.

“I’m worried because Denver is changing. I want those changes to reflect the beautiful city that it can be.”

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August 2020

COLORCON F E A T U R E S

all-female lineup

By Christy Steadman csteadman@coloradocommunitymedia.com

The second annual COLORCON will take place this year on Aug. 28 in the alleyway behind 1112 Broadway.

This year will feature a lineup of 13 Colorado female artists.

COLORCON debuted in 2019 and is an annual mural event hosted by the Golden Triangle Creative District in partnership with local businesses.

Its purpose is to “reimagine alleyways as iconic destinations,” states a news release.

It is free to attend COLORCON, but this year, special ticketing arrangements have been made to keep the event socially distanced. Attendees must reserve a ticket for a time slot on the event’s website: www.coloradocolorcon.com.

Attendees and artists will also be required to wear face masks for the duration of the event.

A full list of this year’s participating artists can also be found on the event’s website.

Here is a sneak peek at what a few of them have to say about the event.

“It is not common to see an all-feminine lineup in a mural festival. Typically, we are the minority. It is exciting to be painting together for a project like this. I am looking forward to having a big art party with some of (my) greatest friends and favorite creatives.”

— Moe Gram of Verbena Park, Denver

“One of street art’s primary benefits is to its community members who might not visit museums. Many people think that art is a very serious endeavor, but after seeing that artwork can be outside and temporary, visitors are often more open to exploring their creativity simply for fun. An often-overlooked bonus is to the artist community — the public who witness artwork being made appreciate not only the art, but also artists and our efforts.”

— We Are Wild, a collaboration of Meredith Feniak of Capitol Hill and Risa Friedman of northeast Denver COURTESY PHOTOS

“COLORCON is a beautiful way to invite community members and artists into a gallery of their own neighborhood. It brings artists out of traditional spaces and allows them to express their creativity where anyone can view it. It is my hope that events like this continue to inspire communities to tap into their own creativity while making once-overlooked spaces come alive.”

— Kendall Rose Kippley of Golden

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“In my experience, people love watching artists make work, and it’s a rare thing to be able to witness a piece being created from start to finish. One of the reasons painting murals is important to me is because it’s artwork that belongs to everyone. An event like this helps to create the feeling of ownership and involvement in the work that people see every day in their community.”

— Olive Moya of Englewood

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August 2020

Grasmere Lake muskrats indulge in summer of love Animals may multiply their number this fall in Washington Park

By Kirsten Dahl Collins Special to Colorado Community Media

This summer, visitors to Washington Park may catch themselves humming a truly awful ‘70s pop hit called “Muskrat Love.” Why? Because more of these semi-aquatic rodents have been spotted in and around Grasmere Lake.

And that may be a very good sign.

Once plentiful in North American marshes, muskrat populations have declined over the past few decades. Scientists are beginning to pay attention. The National Institutes of Health has tagged muskrats as a sentinel species for environmental contamination, and studies are now underway to discover exactly what these furry creatures are telling us about our wetlands.

Locally, muskrats are paddling around Grasmere Lake with enthusiasm. Cleaner water and the lake’s relatively new wetland areas are probably a big draw. This rotund rodent eats one-third of its body weight every day in cattails, sedge and water weeds.

With long whiskers, buckteeth and amiable gaze, the roly-poly muskrat resembles an absent-minded professor on a swim. The animals are not closely related to rats, despite their name. The Colorado Parks and Wildlife website describes the muskrat as “an overgrown, semi-aquatic vole.” They generally weigh two to four pounds and measure about two feet long, almost half of which is tail. Early English colonists knew them as “mushquash,” probably derived from the Algonquin Indian name “muscascus,” which refers to the reddish tint in their brown fur. Sources seem a bit confused as

A muskrat swims around in Grasmere Lake in Denver’s Washington Park. to whether the “musk” in muskrat was derived from their Indian name or from the musk glands they use to mark their swampy territory.

In 19th-century America, trappers sought muskrats for their soft, thick, water-repellent fur. Fancy restaurants along the Eastern seaboard served muskrat meat under the pseud-

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onym “marsh hare,” according to one New Hampshire conservationist. Today, seasonal muskrat dinners are still popular in southern New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland — at least with people who like meat described by some as “dark, fishy and bony.”

The creatures were equally important to Native American tribes. Several tribal creation myths credit the muskrat with diving deeper into the primordial floodwaters than any other animal, where it retrieved enough mud to construct a new world for mankind.

Muskrats are well-equipped for such an important mission. Although awkward on land, they excel in water. They can stay under the surface for 15 minutes or more, propelled along swiftly by large hind legs with partially webbed paws. Their long, scaly tails, vertically flattened, act like rudders.

Underwater, muskrats stay busy eating plants, which helps keep waterways clear. Less

COURTESY OF TIM COLLINS

helpfully, however, they often burrow into the banks of lakes and streams with their long front claws, damaging the shoreline and infuriating property owners. But from a muskrat’s point of view, a submerged burrow entrance is the best kind of home security system. Not only does it help them evade such predators as owls, coyotes and enthusiasts for seasonal muskrat dinners, it also provides a safe place to raise their little ones.

And usually there are lots of little ones to raise. While The Captain and Tennille’s hit “Muskrat Love” was voted one of the 10 worst songs of the ‘70s by Rolling Stone readers, its title is right on the mark. Muskrats are both loyal and prolific mates, producing two to five litters annually, with an average of six kits each time.

So keep an eye on Grasmere Lake this fall.

Muskrats may be multiplying — because they have a lot of love to give.

One of Many

T

he world has changed drastically in such an unexpected way, who could prophesy life would be like this today.

POEM

COVID-19 has spread rampantly,

one after another, the pandemic directed ubiquitous human tragedies.

Facing this ferocious and insidious enemy, University of Denver has been backing us with much understanding.

Accommodations for virtual meetings, greetings from advisors, and pandemic updates from the chancellor.

All the faculty genuinely care about students’ well-being.

Holly (Liyu) Huo

I owe them a debt of gratitude for the benevolence.

Despite the many challenges, DU coordinated many activities — panels, club events, internship opportunities, as well as counseling.

Last few months left, I will be graduating.

I, solely one of many in the community.

Wish there could be a way to defuse the crisis promptly, by then all together will be reunited.

Holly (Liyu) Huo is an international student from Tianjin, China. She plans to graduate from the University of Denver at the end of this year with a major in finance and a minor in business analytics.

Washington Park Profile 7

August 2020

Debut novelist claims two top awards Harper McDavid’s ‘Zapata’ blends romance and suspense

By Clarke Reader Special to Colorado Community Media Writing a book is a difficult proposition.

Once it’s completed, getting that book published is also no easy task. But doing both of those and winning awards for it on your first

try has to be akin to winning the lottery.

Yet Morison-based author Harper McDavid did just that with her debut novel, “Zapata.”

The novel won the 2020 Colorado Book Award in the romance category and a 2020 Writer’s Award from the Colorado Authors League. Both award presentations were held virtually, which allowed authors to be honored for their works, despite the pandemic.

“Zapata” is a blend of suspense and romance that takes place along the Texas/Mexico border. It follows engineer Avery McAndrews as she accepts a job in Zapata, and has a range that includes drug cartels and an examination

of the challenges women in STEM fields face in the professional world.

We spoke with McDavid about the book, her awards and what’s next.

(Interview edited for brevity and clarity).

Tell me about how you got into writing.

I don’t have much of a writing background — I spent most of my adult life working in geology in one aspect or another. My mother was a huge writer, and I’ve always been a huge reader, but this is my first book. I’d been messing around with a young adult manuscript that wasn’t going anywhere. But then I had this crazy project in Zapata and the story was so wild, I thought, I had to do something with it.

Tell me about “Zapata.”

The beginning of the book is based exactly on what I had to do when I was in Zapata. I do environmental work with oil companies, and when I got to the site, we discovered there was a problem — crude oil was disappearing, and we couldn’t figure out why. Eventually we found out someone who had worked there previously had been murdered, and the cartel had been dipping into the oil. I just went with it, even though it was really different than the book I was working on.

I didn’t start out intending to write a romance — it was more like writing a suspense novel with romance elements. I started working on it in 2017, and eventually joined the Romance Writers of America and entered one of their contests. I made it to the finals, and one of the judges offered me a contract.

You received two awards for your debut novel. What was that experience like?

The Colorado Book Award is something I’ve followed for years, so I always knew about it, and I entered “Zapata” in the romance category. It was different this year because of the pandemic, and we did online readings instead of in-person ones, and the award ceremony was kind of like “Hollywood Squares” on Zoom. It would’ve been more festive to do the

Harper McDavid won the 2020 Colorado Book Award in the romance category and a 2020 Writer’s Award from the Colorado Authors League for her debut novel, “Zapata.”

COURTESY PHOTO readings at the BookBar like normal, but I’m not complaining, because I’m very happy to have won that award.

The Colorado Author’s League award was the same way. It’s all very surreal. It’s just started to sink in, and it’s very humbling.

What lies ahead for you?

I’m working on a second book, but it’s been tougher. I’ve had a fascination with Mexico for a long time, and I love it there — there’s so much color. The next book will also take place there. As I writer I haven’t quite found out where it all goes yet.

What’s your favorite part about the Denver literary scene?

Denver and Colorado have the best writing communities. There are groups like the Lighthouse Writers Workshop and the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers which provide support that is just great. I have a fabulous critique group that really made a difference for me.

Colorado is full of readers and writers.

Visit www.harpermcdavid.com for more information and find the book at your local bookstore.

“Zapata” by Morrison-based author Harper McDavid won the 2020 Colorado Book Award in the romance category and a 2020 Writer’s Award from the Colorado Authors League.

COURTESY IMAGE

Staff report Colorado Book Award winning authors read from their works at a Facebook Live celebration event that was viewed by more than 1,000 viewers.

Special guests were Colorado Humanities and Center for the Book Board Chair Thor Nelson, a partner at Holland & Hart LLP; and Larry Ryckman, managing partner of The Colorado Sun. Sponsored by Outskirts Press and The Colorado Sun, the Colorado Book Awards recognize contributions by Colorado authors, editors and illustrators in 16 categories.

Learn more at coloradohumanities.org, or call 303-894-7951.

This year’s winners are: Anthology/Collection — Rise: An Anthology of Change, edited by Northern Colorado Writers (Northern Colorado Writers, LLC) Children’s Literature — “Truman” by Jean Reidy, illustrated by Lucy Ruth Cummins (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, Simon & Schuster) Creative Nonfiction — “Deep Creek: Finding Hope in the High Country” by Pam Houston (W.W. Norton & Company) General Fiction — “The Gifted School” by Bruce Holsinger (Riverhead Books/Penguin Random House) General Nonfiction — “Taste the

Sweetness Later: Two Muslim Women in America” by Connie Shoemaker (Amity Bridge Books) History — “Scholars of Mayhem: My Father’s Secret War in Nazi-Occupied France” by Daniel C. Guiet and Timothy K. Smith (Penguin Press) Juvenile Literature — “Tree of Dreams” by Laura Resau (Scholastic Press) Literary Fiction — “Burn Fortune” by Brandi Homan (CLASH Books) Mystery — “Celtic Empire” by Clive Cussler and Dirk Cussler (G.P. Putnam’s Sons) Pictorial — “Bird Parade” by Patrick Loehr (Centipede Press) Poetry — “How To Dress a Fish” by Abigail Chabitnoy (Wesleyan University Press) Romance — “Zapata, Book 1: The Border Series” by Harper McDavid (Soul Mate Publishing) Science Fiction/Fantasy — “An Illusion of Thieves” by Cate Glass (Tor Books) Short Story Collection — “Not a Thing to Comfort You” by Emily Wortman-Wunder (University of Iowa Press) Thriller — “The Dead Girl in 2A” by Carter Wilson (Sourcebooks) Young Adult Literature — “There’s Something About Sweetie” by Sandhya Menon (Simon Pulse, Simon & Schuster Children’s Division)

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8 Washington Park Profile

August 2020

Local musicians perform for unity

The Pink Hawks, a Chicano hip-hop/Afrobeat band from Denver, performs during the Songs of Freedom: Unification through Music event on July 18 in Civic Center Park.

PHOTOS BY CHRISTY STEADMAN

By Christy Steadman csteadman@coloradocommunitymedia.com

A

musical protest/demonstration called Songs of Freedom: Unification through Music took place on July 18 at the Greek Amphitheater in Civic Center Park in Denver. A variety of musical guests performed; and the free, threehour event also included vendors; speeches, including one for Elijah McClain; and a violin vigil.

Reggae artist Harry Mo performs during the Songs of Freedom: Unification through Music.

Two people dance to Los Mocochetes, a cumbia/funk band from Denver, during the band’s performance for the musical protest/demonstration on July 18.

A woman dances with a demonstration sign during the Songs of Freedom: Unification through Music event.

A person juggles at the musical protest/demonstration on July 18 at the Greek Amphitheater in Civic Center Park.

Washington Park Profile 9

August 2020

Colorado rent, mortgage assistance program launched Program to allieviate economic impact of COVID-19 up and running Staff report A program to help Coloradans make their rent and mortgage payments is live, the governor’s office and state officials an-

nounced in mid-July.

“COVID-19 has affected every aspect of our lives — undermining not only our personal health but our economic well-being as well,” said state Sen. Rachel Zenzinger, DArvada, in a July 17 news release. “Countless Coloradans are facing eviction or foreclosure if they don’t receive help, which is why I am proud to see this program launch and for families to get the relief that they so desperately need.”

Gov. Jared Polis and the Colorado Depart-

ment of Local Affairs announced the Property Owner Preservation program, resulting from state House Bill 20-1410, a recently signed act that provides $20 million in direct rental and mortgage assistance to Coloradans experiencing financial need, including $350,000 for legal aid for renters at risk of eviction.

Landlords and property owners can apply for assistance on behalf of multiple tenants, and tenants can also apply on their own. Visit cdola.colorado.gov/rental-assistance or call 303-864-7810 for the steps to apply.

Income restrictions may apply based on the chart listed at tinyurl.com/IncomeRequirement. For example, the maximum monthly household income for the month prior to a request for assistance in Denver metro-area counties is $4,579.

House Bill 20-1410 allocates $19,650,000 to the Housing Development Grant Fund administered by the Division of Housing within the Colorado Department of Local Affairs, according to the governor’s office news release.

16th Street Mall renovation moves forward Council’s CdeBaca wanted funds diverted to schools

By Alayna Alvarez Colorado Politics

Denver residents tend to agree that the 16th Street Mall is due for an upgrade, but some debate has swirled around whether now — amid a pandemic and an economic crisis — is the right time to move forward with a major and long-planned makeover.

After more than an hour of discussion, the Denver City Council decided it is.

The council on July 20 extended the deadline from 2022 to 2027 for receiving reimbursements of the $56 million in funding secured from tax increment financing, a mechanism of generating revenue from future taxes on a property to pay for its improvements.

The city has secured more than $100 million overall through various funding streams to renovate the nearly 40-year-old mall.

The plan includes repairing the rundown, problematic pavement and eliminating the median to expand the sidewalks on either side of the street. The city will also plant more trees along the Mall and replace a centuries-old water line.

In an 11-1 vote, with Councilwoman At Large Debbie Ortega absent, Councilwoman Candi CdeBaca of District 9 was the sole dissenting vote.

Her decision aligned with the more than 3,000 people who have signed a Change. org petition to redirect $33 million in tax money from the renovation project and funnel it into the Denver Public Schools system, whose budget was recently slashed by $65 million to help cushion the blow of the coronavirus pandemic.

CdeBaca insisted that the TIF dollars should be used to address the “immediate

needs” of the city.

But Tracy M. Huggins, executive director of Denver Urban Renewal Authority, clarified that the funds would not be available for about 2 ½ years due to an underlying contract that precludes DURA from distributing the money before Dec. 31, 2022.

The city’s transportation department reports that the mall generates $46 million a year in property tax, with nearly $30 million going toward DPS annually. By improving the Denver business district’s main street, the agency maintains, the long-term gain from increased property-tax revenues will “far exceed” any gain in the short term.

Sources familiar with the issue say there was also a lack of clear interest from the DPS administration to have the funds returned. No DPS official spoke at the July 20 council meeting, nor the week prior when the agreement was up for a first reading.

DPS spokesperson Winna MacLaren told Westword that DPS did not have an official position, but that individual board members were in contact with council members.

The council — a handful of whom said they had “skin in the game” with kids at DPS or being DPS alumni — overwhelmingly agreed that because of the more than two-year wait, the mall’s “poorly constructed and failing pavement system,” as the city’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure notes, has remained a safety hazard and liability and should therefore be prioritized.

Councilman Chris Hinds, who represents District 10 in which the mall sits, uses a wheelchair and says he has fallen “multiple times … because of the broken and uneven tiling on the mall.”

Councilman Kevin Flynn, who represents District 2 in southwest Denver, maintained that the renovation — which has been planned over a 10-year period — is “needed, and in a time of recession and high unemployment, it provides good-paying skilled trades jobs to working families.”

If council had voted the DURA amendment down Monday, Flynn said it would be

Denver’s 16th Street Mall on New Year’s Eve 2019. “another decade before the funding sources could be assembled again, if at all, while the mall would continue to deteriorate past its 50th year of service.”

Furthermore, Flynn and several other council members pointed out, $20 million in federal funds have been secured “only after substantial struggle and conflict with suburban counties and jurisdictions at the Denver Regional Council of Governments, who wanted those funds to go outside Denver.”

By rejecting the DURA amendment, council members said, the federal dollars would be lost and Denver’s credibility for future needed improvement projects could be jeopardized by its decision to down a project in the final hour.

Additionally, they argue, Denver Water would not be able to renovate the 1880s

SHUTTERSTOCK IMAGE

water line that runs under 16th Street, and the Regional Transportation District’s $12.8 million contribution to the 16th Street Mall project through two Federal Transit Administration grant awards would also be lost.

Paul Vranas, a DPS parent who started the online petition, wrote on Facebook following the vote: “8 community members bravely showed up to speak at City Council, 3,000 of you signed our change.org petition, multiple newspaper articles were published. City Council asked DPS to attend and literally no one showed up. It was a huge embarrassment for DPS.” This story is from Colorado Politics, a statewide political and public policy news journal. Used by permission. For more, visit coloradopolitics.com.

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10 Washington Park Profile

I

FROM THE EDITOR

Christy Steadman

LOCAL

VOICES

Where did all the quarters go?

never realized how dependent I am on coins — quarters, specifically — until recently with the national coin shortage.

USA Today on July 21 reported: “As the spreading coronavirus and resulting business closures crippled economic activity in the United States, the circulation of coins dropped off significantly.

The U.S. Mint, which manufactures the nation’s coin supply, also decreased staffing in response to the pandemic.

As the nation’s businesses have reopened, demand for coins has exceeded the available supply.”

The condo complex I live in has a shared laundry facility. Luckily, the machines accept card payment as well as quarters. So, between doing some handwashing-and-hang-drying — for my summer blouses, for example — and using my debit card to use the machines for the bulkier items — hoodies and jeans, for example — a coin shortage did not affect my ability to do laundry.

Then the day came earlier this month that I needed air in my tires. The tires did not need to be serviced or replaced — the in-dash gauge read that the rear two

were simply getting a little low.

My boyfriend and I decided to take care of putting air in my tires while out running our regular weekend errands. We went to the grocery store and afterwards, stopped at an air pump at a nearby gas station. Without thinking about a coin shortage, I went in, bought fountain soda and asked for a couple dollars to be exchanged for quarters. The clerk could not fill that request, as he said he didn’t have any quarters in his cash register drawer.

This was one of the hotter days this past July, so mindful of the melting ice cream purchased during the grocery store errand, I decided to go home, unload the groceries and Google what to do about the air-in-mytires-situation.

My boyfriend’s parents live in Platteville, and my parents live in Bailey, so we have an hour commute to go visit either one of our families. Pre-pandemic — perhaps it was over the holidays — I remember stopping to get air in my tires on the way during one of these visits. The station had a high-tech, digital air pump, and I figured surely one of these would accept card payments.

Bloom times and variety

W

August 2020

hen it’s time to shop for fall bulbs, it’s easy to grab the first pretty tulips and daffodils you see — and that’s OK if you like GUEST spontaneity and just COLUMN want a bit of color here and there.

Jennifer But if you’ve ever wished your spring Miller display lasted longer or filled in more, stop to consider when they bloom and what you’d like to pair them with.

Tulips and daffodils, the most popular of fall bulbs, come in a host of early-, mid- and late-blooming varieties, from the early hybrids with water lily-like flowers to the long-necked lily-flowering types that bloom until late May. I like to select a variety of shapes and heights to fit my color scheme — typically two or three complementary or analogous colors and two neutrals, such as white and lime green. Then I go bloom time by bloom time, and choose varieties in those colors.

As you select tulips and daffodils for each bloom time, keep your eyes out for award winners and upand-comers in the cut flower farm industry — they can be especially stunning, long-blooming and color fast.

Once you’ve chosen your tulips and daffodils, browse other kinds of spring bulbs in each of the bloom

times, both dwarf varieties for the front of the border and tall for the back. These should not only complement those that you’ve selected, but also add layers of texture.

You’ll also want bulbs that stretch the season of bloom. For example, Galanthus elwesii (giant snowdrops), early Crocus chrysanthus and Iris reticulata bloom before the first tulip or daffodil, while Allium schubertii, with its 12-inch sparklerlike blooms, bloom after they’re gone.

Next, I find hardy biennials or perennials to dress up the spaces in between. Some I plant in fall with the bulbs, such as the wallflower, Erysimum “Sugar Rush,” and Iceland poppy, Papaver nudicaule “Champagne Bubbles.” Others live in the bed all year, such as Euphorbia polychroma, a non-invasive type of cushion spurge.

Euphorbia polychroma forms green mounds with glowing yellow bracts and adds pop and substance to a bulb bed. It’s especially lovely among bright-colored Darwin and lily-flower tulips. After blooms fade, I shear the foliage by one-third to form a tidy green mound for summer.

For early tufts of spring green or blue green, I turn to cool-season grasses. Alopecurus pratensis “Aureovariegatus” (Golden Foxtail Grass) and Helictotrichon semervivens (Blue Oat Grass) begin leafing

Back to July, I searched online for such a digital air pump in the vicinity of my condo, with no luck of locating one.

So, the next day, a Sunday, my boyfriend and I got back in my car to drive around and search for either an air pump that accepted a card, or somewhere that would have $1.50 in quarters to spare. We stopped at probably three different gas stations and it was the same response each time — there were no quarters to be found anywhere. We even drove to the brand-new car wash down the street, but they were closed and did not have an outdoor quarter dispenser. Finally, quite desperate at this point, we went into a small, familyowned laundromat. The employee — not sure if she was the owner — was sympathetic, and exchanged two, dollar bills for quarters. She said “just this once,” and asked that we come back and do some laundry.

Though I would typically take a trip to either my parents’ or my boyfriend’s parents’ house later in the fall for the task of laundering the winter blankets, I think this year, I will be doing that chore a little early… at the little laundromat where they were kind enough to spare much-needed quarters during a national coin shortage.

A solution can be found for safe camping in the city

I Daffodils and Glory of Snow.

PHOTO BY JENNIFER MILLER

out in late March as bulbs emerge and provide a soft contrast to stiff tulip stems. They also hide bulbs as they start to fade.

Sometimes when I need more contrast, I add in cool-season edibles in mid spring after most bulbs have emerged. The most effective have clean, uniform shapes. Some of my favorites are big clumps of chives, rosettes of chartreuse lettuce, deep green kales, red mustards, curly parsleys and bright-stemmed chards.

With a little planning ahead, you can have a vibrant, continuous display that feels lush. Just remember to spread out bloom times, pick from a range of bulbs and add in a few spring perennials to pool around them or pop in between.

Jennifer Miller is a horticulturist with the Denver Botanic Gardens

CORRECTION

n the midst of COVID-19, it seems like every day presents new public health guidelines, new struggles and new environmental issues. One of these issues is safe ENVIRONMENT camping and the benefits WITH EAN of organized encampments for the health and well-being of our city and those individuals who are experiencing homelessEan Thomas Tafoya ness.

There was an opportunity just months ago during the stay-at-home orders for Colorado Gov. Jared Polis to exercise his executive emergency powers to take over hotels or other vacant properties for our growing housing crisis. The annual Point in Time survey — an annual national snapshot of homelessness, overseen in the Denver region by the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative — found that 4,000 people experienc-

ing homelessness were in shelters during the 24-hour period in which the Point in Time was conducted.

Denver Homeless Out Loud produced its own count, which estimates that about 2,000 people are living outside or in their cars.

Matt Meyer, the executive director of the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative, said the pandemic, which has slowed the economy and led to massive job loss, had likely worsened the crisis of homelessness.

According to the Eviction Defense Project analysis, “almost 500,000 Coloradans may face eviction risk in the months ahead, with further increases anticipated as unemployment increases and stayat-home orders are extended.” An analysis by the Party of Socialism and Liberation-Denver estimates there are more than 1,200 vacant empty apartment units in 10 apartment buildings alone. For years, activists have been pushing politicians to use these vacant spaces as homes for the unhoused. The resistance to that action has instead shifted elected officials to organize safe outdoor camping as an immediate SEE ENVIRONMENT, P11

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

The boathouse on the south shore of Smith Lake was misidentified as the headquarters for Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado in the July edition of the Washington Park Profile. The nonprofit is headquartered in the Dos Chappell Bathhouse, which is on the north shore of the lake.

A publication of

Mailing Address: 750 W. Hampden Ave., Suite 225 Englewood, CO 80110 Phone: 303-566-4100 To subscribe call 303-566-4100 or visit www.washparkprofile.com/subscribe

Wear a mask: It’s simple, it’s responsible, it’s a no-brainer. Please get everyone on board… it’s the right thing to do.

Bill Loper, resident of Denver’s Capitol Hill neighborhood.

JERRY HEALEY President

ERIN ADDENBROOKE Marketing Consultant

Columnists & Guest Commentaries

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Deadline 5 p.m. on the 20th of each month for the following month’s paper.

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Columnist opinions are not necessarily those of the Profile.

We welcome letters to the editor. Please include your full name, address and the best number to reach you by telephone.

Washington Park Profile 11

August 2020

The Climate Action Task Force

T

he year 2020 is only half over, and already it has been a year like no other. The first six months were dominated by a health crisis due to COVID-19, an economic crisis as a result of the pandemic and a global civil rights GUEST movement after the COLUMN murder of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis.

Amidst these issues, a local task force — launched in 2019 to tackle how Denver should be responding to the climate crisis — grappled with that global Councilmember issue, with 2020 as Jolon Clark a new backdrop.

They had to adapt to virtual meetings and outreach, when in-person had been planned; and although they had put race and social justice at the front of their work before George Floyd was murdered, it took on a new level of urgency as their recommendations came together.

The task force has finalized its work into Denver’s Climate Action Recommendations Report. The report is an aggressive call to immediate action to prepare Denver to cut emissions in order to combat the worst effects of a rise in global temperatures, and to adapt to a climate that is already changing. COVID-19 has taught us how quickly we need to adapt and respond to a crisis in order to save lives, and just how disproportionately communities of color are affected when we don’t act. Our community, state and the country have not addressed the climate crisis adequately, but with this report, we have a roadmap for Denver to step up to meet this challenge head on.

Last year, I brought forward legislation to create a separate office dedicated to tackling the climate crisis, putting us in line with most other major cities that are taking the necessary steps to combat climate change. The Denver Office of Climate Action, Sustainability & Resiliency was officially launched on July 1. Over the past months, I sat in on and listened to the

Climate Action Task Force meetings. They were charged with the enormous challenge of how Denver should respond to climate change equitably and with broad community support. The task force represented many different backgrounds including small business interests, real estate, Xcel Energy, the solar industry, the oil and gas industry, environmental groups, religious institutions, transportation organizations, youth-led organizations, communities of color and more. Most importantly, the task force was comprised of community leaders who hosted numerous meetings to hear from under-resourced communities, who will suffer the most damaging effects of climate change if we do nothing or fail to do enough. The task force spent hours and hours over months debating these issues, but in the end, was able to reach consensus for bold action.

The task force made it clear that the goal is not to return to normal as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, but to emerge from this crisis with a more just, equitable, healthy and sustainable community. Climate action is intertwined with racial justice and is a necessary part of building a better, cleaner and more just Denver.

For this reason, the report is focused on equity, the cost of inaction, and support for under-resourced communities; and broken down into specific goals and recommendations for buildings and homes, transportation, electricity supply, consumption and waste, and adaptation and resiliency.

The most difficult ask for the task force was to deliver a package of revenue streams to fund the work of the new office, without negatively impacting vulnerable communities. Too often, low-income folks face extra burdens and pay more than their fair share, so the task force made it a priority to generate revenue and directly reinvest the money in these under-resourced communities.

To generate the largest amount of this needed funding, the task force recommended that city council refer a .25% sales tax — a quarter on a $100 purchase — to generate $40 million a

Environment

Camping on asphalt in August. Directly adjacent to some of the highest levels of air pollution in the state. Not to mention the small particles being dug up for the construction of the I-70 ditch in the midst of a pandemic. It is illogical to place campers here where high temperatures lead to higher levels of ozone creation from the volatile organic compounds emitted from the highway during a respiratory pandemic. Let me be clear, the residents of Globeville Elyria Swansea also deserve protection from air pollution in this pandemic.

Dating back to 1914, people used campsites at City Park. Denver Homeless Outloud is calling for small campsites in neighborhoods across the city. This type of distributed camping would make life easier for those with jobs and seeking employment because they could cut down on commute time. It seems humane and equitable for each community to be able to take on shade and basic amenities instead of a concrete jungle.

I have worked in the large events industry for a decade. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, there are many unemployed event producers with direct skills to safely manage campsites.

They also have experience with resolving mental health crises without involving the police.

Safe camping is a win-win to put people back to work and to protect the constitutional and human rights of those experiencing homelessness during this global health and economic crisis.

FROM PAGE 10

policy solution.

It is a real shame here in Colorado that we have such inequity in use of public lands and camping. If one has the means and the transportation, then they can access public lands and camping with amenities. Denver Mountain Parks maintains campsites that provide water, showers, bathrooms and waste disposal.

When there is a plan for the management of waste, our waterways and the public health of those camping is protected.

For a long time, our city has needed public water fountains, public restrooms and a welldeveloped trash receptacle system. In fact, in 2015, I campaigned for Denver City Council District 9 on meeting these basic needs, and since then, only a handful of mobile restrooms were constructed. It seems reasonable that if these types of camping amenities are provided to those with means, then a solution can be found for safe camping in the city. Every human has the right to access these utilities.

Of the 11 sites identified by members of Denver’s city council that potentially could serve as a campsite, at least seven are uncovered asphalt.

Take, for example, the Denver Coliseum parking lot. I understand that this selection is tied to the fact that Denver owns the facility and wouldn’t have to pay substantial rent for its use, but I believe smaller distributed sites would be more suitable than this location.

SEE CLARK, P15

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

Time is now to invest in Western water infrastructure

T

he coronavirus crisis reminds those of us in the water world of the importance of the systems which sustain us.

Our water systems GUEST are among the very most important. The COLUMN need for effective Christine Arbogast planning, preparation and Patrick O’Toole and implementation of water policy and infrastructure is critical, as we manage the engines which drive our economy, our health and our safety. It is most certainly a primary focus of the Western water community, which develops and manages the water infrastructure so critical to every individual and every economic sector.

Our organizations and other industry leaders have long anticipated the potential crisis if we fail to invest soon in the aging systems which store and deliver water for safe drinking, for agriculture production and for industry. We will face another crisis if we fail to invest in new water storage infrastructure to save water for use in dry years. Years of recurring drought conditions in Western states, and the economic and human impacts of drought, require us to look ahead.

But as we have seen in the health crisis of the spring of 2020, anticipation on paper isn’t enough. We must prepare, and

we must invest.

An investment in water infrastructure is a powerful investment in our economy, our communities and our health. Since 1902, the investment in Bureau of Reclamation infrastructure has been about $20 billion. Annually, this infrastructure spurs $62 billion in direct and associated economic activity. Between 2010 and 2013, every dollar invested in Army Corps of Engineers Civil Works generated $16 in economic benefits. Every year, our economy recoups its investment in water infrastructure multiple times over.

For the 17 Western states studied in a 2015 Family Farm Alliance economic report, the total household income impacts from irrigated agriculture, associated service industries and food processing sectors was $172 billion annually.

Irrigated farming and ranching is a huge economic driver in the West, particularly in rural communities. However, this economic force would virtually disappear, along with the rural American communities dependent on farming and ranching, if the water infrastructure that supports it crumbles.

Infrastructure needs offer an immediate and long-lasting way to stimulate our deeply troubled economy. We saw the SEE WATER, P13

“Learn How To Put An End To Knee Pain Even If It’s Been Years of Misery, All From The Comfort Of Your Living Room”

By Leading CO Back Pain Doctor of Physical Therapy, Brooke Olsen

Denver - If I were to get bad knee pain again, here’s what I would do differently…

First, I wouldn’t wait and hope it just goes away.

That only made it worse. I wouldn’t try to stretch, or get adjustments on it. I definitely wouldn’t get an injection (very dangerous long term).So what would I do?

Hi, my name is Dr. Brooke Olsen.

I’m a national knee pain expert. I’ve made a career for myself helping hundreds of active adults end their knee pain naturally, and I help them do it all over the world. But that wasn’t always the case. Early on in my career, I had bad knee pain. I previously tore my meniscus, MCL, and part of my ACL when I was young. They removed a big portion of my meniscus when I was 17.

I had so much swelling and pain when just walking up and down stairs in the hospitals, nonetheless trying to go for a hike or walk around the park.

I tried what felt live everything to help, and it just wouldn’t go away.

You can imagine the frustration and hopelessness that set in. I asked my colleagues for help, but most of what they tried did nothing for me.

When it got really bad and I still had to work, I took Advil, and sometimes wish I had something stronger. (I hate

pills by the way, so that’s really saying something).

Desperate for a return to my normal life, I set out on a journey. I traveled the country, in search of learning from the best and brightest. I took many courses, and eventually found a mentor who had some answers. I learned that in order to fix knee pain permanently and naturally, which is the holy grail, it’s really not that hard.

The secret is fixing the root cause, which is the thing that’s causing your knee to hurt in the first place. Most treatment options just focus on relieving the pain where it hurts, without ever questioning why it hurts and what other areas could be affecting it.

So if I ever got bad knee pain again, I would immediately start fixing the root cause of my pain, rather than waste time on temporary band-aid fixes.

If you are wondering how you find what your root cause is, and how you can fix it once you find it, you can join me on a free training webinar that will show just that. There is no cost to attend, and you can watch from the comfort of your living room. Just go online to this link:

www.ThePhysioRevolution .com/WPP and I’ll see you on the webinar! We only have room for 50 people before we have to take it down, so don’t wait and miss it!

12 Washington Park Profile

August 2020

University of Denver graduate student Brittney Woodrum is pictured climbing Colorado’s Little Bear Peak in the Sangre de Cristo Range. Through September, Woodrum will be climbing all 58 of Colorado’s 14,000-foot mountains to benefit ShelterBox USA’s COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund.

Woodrum pauses for a photo as she makes her way up Longs Peak.

Woodrum is an outdoor enthusiast who has a passion for helping others.

Brittney Woodrum, an outdoor enthusiast who has a passion for helping others, smiles as she summits Blanca Peak in the Sangre de Cristo Range. Woodrum, who is pursuing a master’s degree at the University of Denver, is climbing all 58 of Colorado’s 14,000-foot mountains to benefit ShelterBox USA, which is an international disaster relief organization.

COURTESY PHOTOS

DU student ‘climbing for a cause’ Woman summiting fourteeners to help ShelterBox

By Christy Steadman csteadman@coloradocommunitymedia.com

A University of Denver graduate student has found a way to combine her love of the outdoors with her passion for helping others.

Brittney Woodrum, 27, is an ambassador for ShelterBox USA — an international disaster relief organization that “focuses on providing shelter to those who have lost it,” Woodrum said. A ShelterBox is a container of essential items to sustain displaced people.

To bring awareness and raise money for the organization’s COVID-19 emergency relief fund, Woodrum has embarked on her Climbing for a Cause: the Fourteeners Project — she will be climbing all 58 of Colorado’s 14,000foot mountains.

And she’s climbing them with a 60-liter teal ShelterBox on her back.

“ShelterBox ambassadors tend to do crazy challenges with the box,” Woodrum said, adding the box accompanies them on the physical challenges for awareness purposes. “Physical challenges are nothing new to me (and) I’m always looking for opportunities to combine my passions.”

Woodrum is a triathlete and in the past has participated in physical challenges for various fundraising/awareness events. She became an ambassador for ShelterBox after learning

about the organization as she was researching humanitarian groups that she could get involved with as she pursued her master’s degree.

Originally from Kentucky, Woodrum earned her undergraduate degree in nonprofit administration and Spanish from the University of Kentucky. She lived abroad for about five years — most of the time was spent in southeast Asia — and moved to Denver about a year ago to earn a graduate degree in humanitarian assistance from DU. Colorado was particularly attractive to her because of the state’s abundance of outdoor recreation, she said, pointing out that she had heard of Colorado’s iconic fourteeners.

ShelterBox is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, and was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in both 2018 and 2019. It got its start as a project by a Rotary Club in England.

What ShelterBox does is provide people who have been displaced because of natural disaster or conflict with the essential items needed to set up a household, said Kerri Murray, president of ShelterBox USA. These items include a tent, in addition to other basic needs such as water filtration, solar-powered lights, warm blankets, cooking equipment and even a children’s activity set, Murray said.

“They’re little things,” Woodrum said, “but they play a big role in keeping vulnerable communities safe.”

ShelterBox has responded to at least 300 disasters around the globe, Murray said, including the 2015 earthquake in Nepal and the earthquake in Haiti in 2010. Since 2012, ShelterBox has provided emergency shelter to

about 250,000 displaced Syrian refugees.

“The need for ShelterBox has grown because of COVID-19,” Murray added. “And it has also had to adapt because the needs are different for this (public health) disaster.”

One adaption is including water basins and soap in the box, Murray said.

Woodrum had originally planned on doing her Fourteeners Project after she had graduated from DU. But then the coronavirus hit and began to spread worldwide.

“Disasters haven’t stopped just because COVID is happening,” Woodrum said. “It was challenging to be stuck at home and not able to help. I felt this was the time to do this project. It’s something I can do without putting others at risk” of spreading the virus.

Woodrum is camping on public lands about 97% of the time, and the other three percent will be at a private residence - no hotel/motel stays are part of the excursion, Woodrum said.

She also spent May and June dehydrating food to minimize trips into towns, she added. The ShelterBox she is hiking with is mostly empty, with the exception of water, snacks and extra layers of clothing, Woodrum said. It weighs about 10 pounds, Woodrum said, adding everybody always wants to know how much it weighs.

Woodrum’s goal is to fundraise $1,400 per peak, for a total of about $80,000, all of which will go to ShelterBox’s COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund. A special peak sponsorship is available for people or a group of people who donate the entire $1,400. Calling such a supporter a mountain hero, Woodrum will climb the mountain with an item or keepsake that

MORE ABOUT PROJECT ShelterBox USA is an international disaster relief organization that provides emergency shelter to those who have been displaced because of natural disaster or conflict.

Brittney Woodrum, an ambassador for ShelterBox and University of Denver graduate student, is climbing all 58 of Colorado’s 14,000-foot mountains to benefit ShelterBox’s COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund.

Woodrum’s goal is to fundraise $1,400 per peak for a total of about $80,000, all of which will go to ShelterBox. To learn more about ShelterBox and Woodrum’s Climbing for a Cause: the Fourteeners Project, or to donate, visit www. shelterboxusa.org/Fourteeners.

Follow Woodrum’s progress on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/the14ersProject. the donor provides and take a photograph of herself at the top with the item. And/or they can choose to get a name mention by Woodrum in a video at the summit.

She began on July 10 and about five days later at the time of the interview, guessed that she will have climbed 15 or 20 mountains by the beginning of August. Woodrum expects to finish the challenge with Pikes Peak near the end of September.

Woodrum “wants to make a difference in the world,” Murray said. And “what’s so touching is that ambassadors work to help people who they’ll probably never meet in their lifetime.”

Washington Park Profile 13

August 2020

SCOOPING AND CHATTING

Denver Cherry Creek Rotary Club portions bulk food to help Metro Caring serve community

By Christy Steadman

GET INVOLVED

csteadman@coloradocommunitymedia.com

T

he Denver Cherry Creek Rotary Club is a small club, but its 30 members are dedicated to making a big impact.

“Our motto is ‘Service Above Self,’” said said Joel Russman, a Washington Park resident who has been a Rotarian for more than 15 years. “When the pandemic hit, we were looking for something we could do.”

Early on, the club heard about the toll that the COVID-19 virus was taking on healthcare providers, and began delivering meals to five Denver-area hospitals. This effort continued for about six weeks — roughly from late March to early May — until the need was not as great, Russman said.

But the group wanted to do more, Russman added. So, having a previously established relationship with Metro Caring — a nonprofit anti-hunger organization located in Denver’s City Park West neighborhood — the Rotary Club reached out to see if they could help during the pandemic.

“What they needed,” Russman said, “was help portioning food.”

Pre-pandemic, Metro Caring offered a Fresh Foods market for choice shopping. During COVID-19, however, the organization began providing pre-packaged boxes of food to people as a drive-up service to adhere to social distancing measures.

“We quickly saw a large disruption in the dry goods supply chain,” said Tommy Crosby, food access manager for Metro Caring, “and needed a creative way to meet the requests of our community for staple items such as rice, beans, oats and flour.”

All “shelf-size” dry goods were going to grocery stores, he said, but Crosby was able to procure dry goods in bulk. Still, there was the predicament of having the extra volunteers and volunteer time to get the goods into smaller portions. Metro Caring also did not have the space to do the repackaging work.

This is where the Rotary Club comes in.

Russman knew of a warehouse in the Northeast Park Hill neighborhood that had approximately 20,000-sqaure-feet of space that was not being used. He was able to make

Water FROM PAGE 11

positive impact of such investment after the recession of 2008.

Across the West, there are hundreds of small, non-federal dams which store water for domestic and irrigation purposes in rural areas. Many are under state restrictions and cannot store water to capacity because they are not safe. In Colorado, for instance, the cost of many of these dam repairs is $1 milliion to $3 million each. That infrastructure investment is one-time and would not require ongoing federal cost.

Let’s do it.

Many existing storage facilities, federallyowned and provider-owned, could easily be expanded to store more water when the semi-arid West is blessed with good precipitation. Enlarging existing facilities has a more immediate impact on supplies, is an affordable way to expand supplies, and enjoys significant public support.

Let’s do it.

We’ve seen technologies develop which increase the efficiency of water delivery for both domestic and irrigation purposes. Increasing the manufacture of these technologies and providing incentive for applying them to municipal water systems and agricultural production can conserve finite water resources. In this way, they can be made available in drought periods and can be used for economic development across the board.

Let’s do it.

And we know that, while we are unlikely

The Denver Cherry Creek Rotary Club arranged for a 20,000-square-foot warehouse space to host volunteers who can help portion dry goods. The food in bulk comes from Metro Caring, a nonprofit anti-hunger organization. The volunteers repackage it into smaller portions so that Metro Caring can then provide it to the community.

COURTESY OF SARAH WERNER/DENVER CHERRY CREEK ROTARY CLUB

an arrangement to use the space free-ofcharge.

Metro Caring then provided the equipment needed for the food portioning and repackaging; and the training for proper food handling such as cleanliness and sanitary procedures, as well as food portioning guidelines.

“This is the type of thing Rotarians enjoy doing,” Russman said. “We like rolling up our sleeves and doing things.”

Everything was up and running by the first week of June, Russman said. He expects the effort to continue until either the space is rented to an outside party or Metro Caring no longer has the need to portion the bulk food.

“It’s likely to keep going for the foreseeable future,” Russman said.

He added that the Rotary Club is seeking

volunteers to help with the effort. The space allows for 16 to 20 volunteers at a time to maintain social distancing measures for a three-hour shift. Volunteers must be under the age of 65 and in good health. Minimum age is 14, unless accompanied by an adult, and there is a maximum of two children per adult.

It is a great volunteer opportunity for an individual, couple or a group such as a faithbased organization, a sports team, a book club or a Girl Scouts or Boy Scouts troop, Russman said.

“A lot of people want to do something, but don’t know how to help,” he said. “This is just scooping, and chatting. But it gets food out to hungry people. The volunteers look at the food they processed in three hours, and they’re proud of it. They walk away charged.”

to building another Hoover or Grand Coulee Dam, the long-term value of developing more storage is certain. It must be done in an environmentally sensitive and strategic way. And it must be done cooperatively between the federal, state and local water agencies which ensure the water supply which absolutely is our lifeblood.

Crisis — be it a health crisis, a drought crisis, a flood crisis — compels us to work together.

Partnerships are a critical piece of infrastructure investment, and can reach beyond the three levels of government to private sector involvement as well. Policies on infrastructure investment would be most effective if a cooperative development and management structure were a requirement.

The infrastructure investment conversation has been loud and clear in recent years.

But the actual infrastructure investment has not been made.

The time is now. Let’s do it.

We understand the fiscal difficulty of a large infrastructure stimulus package. But we also understand the historical proof of its effectiveness If indeed our leaders are unable to reach consensus on a large-scale infrastructure investment plan, we have other specific opportunities for the administration and Congress to invest in Western water infrastructure. Bills like Senate Bill 1932, the Drought Resiliency and Water Supply Infrastructure Act; and Senate Bill 2044, the Water Supply Infrastructure Rehabilitation and Utilization Act, address needs long anticipated

by Western water resource managers. The biannual Water Resources Development Act, currently teed up in the House and the

Senate, affords the opportunity to anticipate and act on Western water needs if it includes a title for Bureau of Reclamation programs and projects, as it has in recent years.

The importance of anticipating a potential crisis, and effectively preparing for it with solid planning and investment, can mitigate or even avert the crisis. We in Western water have done that. The federal government needs to be our partner.

Let’s do it.

Christine Arbogast is president of the National Water Resources Association, which

The Denver Cherry Creek Rotary Club is seeking volunteers to help portion and repackage dry goods from bulk into smaller quantities for Metro Caring.

Volunteers must be between 14 and 65 years of age and in good health. Youths younger than 14 may also volunteer if accompanied by an adult, but no more than two children per adult.

Shifts are for three hours each, and are available in the mornings and afternoons, Saturday through Monday. Rotary Club members oversee each shift.

The location is a warehouse in Denver’s Northeast Park Hill neighborhood, near Colorado Boulevard and Smith Road. The approximately 20,000-squarefeet space allows for 16 to 20 volunteers at a time to adhere to social distancing measures. The facility is well ventilated and masks are required.

For more information, visit www.cherrycreekrotary.org. A link to sign up for a shift is available on the club’s website, or can be accessed through this direct link: https://signup.com/go/URZxUJE. Metro Caring is a nonprofit anti-hunger organization located at 1100 E. 18th Ave. in Denver that serves the seven-county Denver metro area. Now providing food for about 300 to 350 families per day, demand for Metro Caring’s services has increased because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

To learn more about Metro Caring, visit www.metrocaring.org.

Food is something that everybody needs and serves as a tool for togetherness, Crosby said.

“This project is bringing people together around food, to make sure that bellies are full,” Crosby said. “Volunteers are showing up with our community, the Rotary Club is showing up with our community, Metro Caring is showing up with our community. We’ve built this together and will continue to do so, until no Coloradan goes hungry.” represents state water associations, irrigation districts, municipal water providers, end water users and their collective interests in the management of irrigation and municipal water supplies throughout the Western U.S. and portions of the South.

Patrick O’Toole, a cattle and sheep rancher from Wyoming, is president of the Family Farm Alliance, which advocates for family farmers, ranchers, irrigation districts and allied industries in 16 Western states with a mission to ensure the availability of reliable, affordable irrigation water supplies to Western farmers and ranchers.

14 Washington Park Profile

August 2020

Chicano Music Hall of Fame announces 2020 class COMING ATTRACTIONS

Clarke Reader

L

ike in so many cultures, music plays a vital connective and communicative role in Chicano life.

That music has been honored since 2002 at Su Teatro’s Chicano Music Hall of Fame, and now there’s there’s a new group of musicians to be honored for their contributions.

The 2020 inductees are Lu Liñan, Frank Ayala and Los Trujillos and were inducted on July 30. The closed-to-the-public event was shared with audiences via digital methods like Zoom, Facebook and YouTube.

“The intimate event is to honor the legends that have influenced the Colorado music scene,” wrote Angelina Gurule, marketing coordinator at Su Teatro, in an email interview. “Chicanos have played a significant role in music and have influence generations of musicians.”

The hall of fame event and the 24th Annual Chicano Music Festival is co-presented with KUVO radio, and the festival aspect is running virtually through Aug. 2.

In addition, this year’s event will offer a tribute to two musical icons who have passed this last year, according to information provided by Gurule: Mariachi Vasquez patriarch Raul Vasquez and jazz master Freddie Rodriguez.

The selection process for inductees begins online with a nomination application, and they are then voted on by a committee with three specific criteria in mind.

“Longevity, which in this instance refers to consistent or sustained activities over a period of time, uniqueness which asks … what is the singular contribution that they introduced?” Gurule explained.

“And the final is excellence: What are the qualities that placed the nominee at the ‘top of their game’?”

Here’s some information on the inductees, as provided by Gurule: Liñan and her family were among the first to bring Mexican Mariachi music and dance to Colorado public schools in the 1960s and 70s. Liñan and her husband, Salvador Herrera, would bring Mexican Mariachi

bands from Mexico to perform at Colorado public events so that the people of Colorado could celebrate Mariachi music and culture.

Ayala has been an influential Chicano jazz musician in the Denver area for the past 30 years. His current ensemble is called Mistura Fina. His La Raza Cosmica take on music mixes Spanish-American-Indian musical traditions and combines influences from the best that humanity offers.

Los Trujillos are a “true dance band for the masses.”

This tight-knit family of musicians from Commerce City has brought Tejano/Colorado music to weddings, celebrations, and other festivities across the state for the past 45 years.

“So much of our history is weaved within our music,” Gurule said. “Shining a spotlight on the musicians that have made such an impact in Colorado is the least we can do.”

For more information, including the virtual festival schedule, call 303-296-0219 or visit www.suteatro.org.

MY NAME IS

BRIAN KORMONDY

Denver Outlaws player from Highlands Ranch I am 28 years old and currently live in downtown Denver. I moved downtown from Highlands Ranch last year, but grew up and lived in Highlands Ranch my whole life.

Hockey to lacrosse I grew up playing hockey, and lacrosse was just something I did in the offseason to stay busy and active.

It wasn’t until after my sophomore year of high school that I started to get serious about lacrosse.

I played in a tournament on the East Coast and started getting college recruiting letters. Instead of trying to go play junior hockey somewhere for two years, I decided I was going to pursue lacrosse in college.

From there, I just worked really hard at it and ended up getting drafted to Major League Lacrosse my senior year.

Outside of the Outlaws I work at Bow River Capital, which is a private equity firm in Denver. I am on the investor relations team and my favorite part of the job is being able to meet and talk to new people on a daily basis.

My parents still live in Highlands Ranch, so I spend quite a bit of time hanging out with them. I coached lacrosse at Valor Christian High School for three years, and coached several youth teams in Highlands Ranch in the past.

During my free time, I love to play golf with my dad and cook with my mom. I also grew up loving marine biology and still do. I look forward to Shark Week every year.

My Name Is … is a feature in Colorado Community Media’s weekly publications. This one was written by Elliott Wenzler, reporter for Colorado Community Media’s Highlands Ranch Herald.

Brian Kormondy, a player for the Denver Outlaws, during a Major League Lacrosse game. Kormondy is from Highlands Ranch.

COURTESY PHOTO

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Washington Park Profile 15

August 2020

Discovering Denver’s history and unique characters Historic Denver offers its annual walking tours with in-person, phone and virtual options

By Christy Steadman csteadman@coloradocommunitymedia.com

Denver’s past includes a multitude of creative self-starters. Some became self-made millionaires, and others were not quite as fortunate.

“They’re all interesting characters,” said Diane Travis, a retired architect who serves as a docent for Historic Denver’s Walking Tours.

“The West was populated by people who were willing to work hard for what their future would be.”

In July, Historic Denver kicked off its seasonal Walking Tours, offering tours of LoDo, Capitol Hill, Historic 16th Street and Larimer Square which includes exclusive access to the Daniels & Fisher Tower. The tours will be offered through the fall.

“Each of the tours is custom,” said Travis.

She added that some tour attendees are most interested in the history, others want to learn about the architecture and still others want to hear about Denver’s fascinating people from the past. But most attendees want a combination of all three, Travis said.

Traditionally, the walking tours can host up to 20 people, but this year, the tours have been

Clark FROM PAGE 11

year of new funding. The sales tax would exempt essential items such as food and

reformatted for social distancing. Participants now have three options to choose from to attend a tour. They are in-person guided tours, Dial-aDocent and virtual.

An in-person guided tour is available for private groups of no more than five with advanced registration. Masks are required for the duration of the tour for all participants and guides.

Dial-a-Docent allows attendees to connect live via phone with one of Historic Denver’s trained guides while exploring the city on their own.

Attendees are provided a map, and the guide will share insider stories along the way, point out architectural details, relate significant historical facts and answer questions.

The current virtual tour being offered is the Women’s Suffrage Tour. This tour is hosted on Zoom, and includes a combination of photographs and video with an expert who discusses the important people and architecture in Denver during the women’s suffrage movement.

“You may have walked by a building and always wondered what it was,” said Alison Salutz, director of community programs for Historic Denver.

“The tours are a fun way to learn more about your city.”

People enjoy hearing the stories of the people who lived here “and how they contributed to Denver becoming the city it is today,” Salutz said.

Historic Denver’s tours attract tourists and longtime residents alike, she added.

“They feel like they know the city, but always walk away with new information,” Salutz said.

“When we stop and take a closer look, we discover so many neat things.” necessities. The bill is scheduled for final reading at city council on Aug. 3, to be decided on by voters in the November 2020 election.

I’m so proud of the work of the task force and its bold steps to address climate change. We can’t wait any longer — it will

The Crawford Hill Mansion at 150 E. 10th Ave. in Denver, which now hosts the Haddon, Morgan & Foreman law offices, is one of the historic places part of Historic Denver’s Capitol Hill Walking Tour.

CHRISTY STEADMAN

GO ON A HISTORY TOUR Historic Denver is offering its annual walking tours with three options for participants. The options are in-person, Dial-A-Docent and virtual.

Tickets range in price from $15-$25 per

be more expensive for our communities every day that we delay action. The recent crises have taught us that we need to be prepared for the next major challenge of our time, instead of attempting to react when it hits us.

I hope you will join me in supporting

person.

All tours must be reserved in advance.

To learn more about the tours’ programming or to purchase reservation tickets, visit www.historicdenver.org.

the work of the Climate Action Task Force.

You can learn more at denvergov.org/climate.

Want to chat? Send me an email at jolon. clark@denvergov.org. Get involved at www. luckydistrict7.org.

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16 Washington Park Profile

August 2020

B-Side Fridays spin again in virtual format Indie 102.3, MCA partner to highlight local musicians

By Clarke Reader Special to Colorado Community Media

Ask anyone what they’re missing most this summer, and the responses will be as varied as the residents of the city. But there’s one answer that’s bound to pop up over and over — live music.

Sarah Baie, director of programs at the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver, understands that feeling, especially since B-Side Music Fridays, the museum’s summer rooftop concert series, has become a favorite for local musicians and audiences alike.

“Ask fans of live music and they’ll say the biggest sacrifice is not being able to gather in the same space,” she said. “We’ve been working on how to fund new opportunities to build creative spaces in virtual spaces, and one of the things we want to bring to light is the rich depth of the music scene. And who better to do that with than Colorado Public Radio, which has a similar goal? It’s a dream come true.”

Together the MCA and CPR’s Indie 102.3 — an independent platform that focuses on Colorado-based music, musicians and experiences — will be bringing the B-Side Music Fridays to audiences online and via the airwaves with its new virtual version, which will be aired Fridays in July and August.

“We were looking for a way to go beyond what we normally do, especially since we can’t do live music, so this came along at just the right time,” said Willobee Carlan, program director at Indie 102.3. “This allows us and the musicians to reach a wider audience than can fit on the museum’s rooftop.”

The musicians will perform on the MCA’s roof, just like if this were a normal summer, and it will be livestreamed on Indie 102.3’s Facebook page at 7 p.m., broadcast on the radio at 9 p.m. and then available online, including on the NPR Music Live Sessions platform, for a national audience.

Performers include Esmé Patterson, The Yawpers, Adiel Mitchell, Ella Luna, Neoma and The Grand Alliance.

“We’ve got it set up so audiences are seeing these beautiful multi-camera shoots,” Baie said.

“Our roof can hold about 200 to 300 people, so this provides a much better view. It allows us to bring a bit of summer to our viewers.”

The concert series is just the latest way both the museum and radio station are trying to remain connected and vital during the COVID-19 shutdown. The museum reopened its doors on July 1, including its rooftop, and has on display the “Nari Ward: We the People” exhibit through Sept. 20. The summer is particularly exciting because all the events at the MCA will be free, including new programs that will be announced in the coming weeks.

Indie 102.3 only recently celebrated its first anniversary and has been growing by leaps and bounds in just 12 months. The station’s three main missions are to grow the audience, to provide a larger platform to local artists, and to highlight the diversity of music. Before the pandemic, the station was looking to expand to Colorado Springs and Fort Collins and was building relationships with promoters both large and small. As Carlan explains, since everything has shut down the station has worked — and will continue — to provide resources to struggling musicians.

“This situation has made us look at the scene with a whole new set of eyes and philosophy.

We’re asking, how (can) we keep this scene moving forward,” Carlan said. “We’ve created a very engaging and enticing music station, and we think once people hear it, they’ll be hooked.”

Adiel Mitchell performs on July 10 for B-Side Music Fridays, the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver’s summer rooftop concert series. This year, through a partnership between the museum and Colorado Public Radio’s Indie 102.3, the concert series is being presented virtually.

COURTESY OF KENDALL SMITH/COLORADO PUBLIC RADIO

LIVESTREAM ONLINE OR LISTEN ON THE RADIO B-Side Music Fridays are available for livestreaming at 7 p.m. on Indie 102.3’s Facebook page and will be broadcast on the radio at 9 p.m. It will also be available online for later viewing.

More details, including air dates for the musicians involved, are forthcoming and can be found at www.mcadenver.org and www.indie1023.org.

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Washington Park Profile 17

August 2020

Court backs ban on high-capacity gun magazines Rocky Mountain Gun Owners said the law violates the state constitution

By Jesse Paul The Colorado Sun

The Colorado Supreme Court has upheld the state’s seven-year-old ban on gun magazines that hold more than 15 rounds of ammunition.

Rocky Mountain Gun Owners, a hard-line gun rights organization based in Colorado, challenged the large-capacity magazine law, arguing that it violates the state constitution.

Specifically, the organization contended that the law goes against a clause that gives people the right to be armed to defend their homes, property and themselves.

The Colorado Supreme Court, however, disagreed in a 45-page decision issued June 27.

Justice Monica M. Márquez, in writing the court’s opinion, said the ban is “a reasonable exercise of the police power that has neither the purpose nor effect of nullifying the right to bear arms in self-defense.”

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, whose office defended the law, praised the decision.

“The large-capacity magazine law will decrease the deadly impacts of mass shootings by reducing the number of people who will be shot during a mass shooting incident, and it will save lives,” the Democrat said in a written statement. “It also honors Coloradans’ right to bear arms for personal defense. Today’s ruling is a win for public safety and for the rule of law.”

The law was passed a year after the 2012 Aurora theater shooting, which left 12 people dead and dozens more wounded. The gunman in that attack used a 100-round magazine.

The policy was part of a package of bills passed in 2013 and signed into law by then-Gov. John Hickenlooper, including legislation requiring a background check for

The Ralph L. Carr Colorado Judicial Center in downtown Denver, home of the Colorado Supreme Court and the Colorado Court of Appeals.

PHOTO BY MICHAEL ROSEBROCK/SHUTTERSTOCK

every gun purchase in Colorado.

The ban on large-capacity magazines was likely the most controversial part of the package.

The legislation prompted a magazine manufacturer, Magpul, to relocate its facilities out of the state. Two Democratic state senators were also recalled in the wake of the bill’s pas-

sage and a third resigned to avoid a recall.

Also, in June 2014, Hickenlooper met with Colorado’s county sheriffs and couched his support for the legislation in remarks that led to a political fiasco.

“One of my staff had committed us to signing it,” he told the sheriffs.

Hickenlooper now talks about the legislation passed in 2013 as part of his bid to become a U.S. senator.

Rocky Mountain Gun Owners has challenged other gun-control measures in Colorado in court.

In 2020, the Colorado legislature passed a so-called red flag law, which allows for judges to order the

seizure of firearms from people they deem an imminent threat to themselves or others because of mental health issues.

Rocky Mountain Gun Owners sued, challenging the process by which the law made its way through the legislature, but a Denver judge dismissed the case in May.

If City Council agrees, voters will decide whether to legalize pit bulls The question would appear on November’s ballot

By Esteban L. Hernandez, Denverite Voters are getting closer to deciding whether to allow pit bulls to live legally in Denver. On Tuesday (July 28), a City Council committee forwarded a measure to the full council, which would ultimately decide whether to put the question on November’s

ballot.

Other ways to reverse the long-held ban have failed. Five months ago, Mayor Michael Hancock vetoed a reversal of the ban pushed by city council member Chris Herndon.

Herndon unsuccessfully tried to overturn the mayor’s veto.

The ballot measure would require a breed-specific permit for pit bulls. Owners would need to provide the name of the dog and where it lives, an emergency contact, a description of the dog, an annual fee for the permit and proof of vaccination. Only two pit bulls would be allowed per home.

If the dog doesn’t record any violations for

36 consecutive months, it would be allowed to register with the city like any other dog.

Councilwoman Stacie Gilmore’s district includes Montbello, a neighborhood with some of the highest number of calls to Denver Animal Protection over suspected pit bulls. Several neighborhood residents spoke out against Herndon’s bill when it came before the council in February, citing safety.

Gilmore said she’d support the ballot measure if residents of Montbello agreed with it. Herndon says he’s heard from residents about their concerns and said he hopes the city can continue paying for programs encouraging responsible pet ownership.

Six people spoke at Tuesday’s meeting, most of whom supported the bill. Shira Hereld, co-founder of Replace Denver BSL, which advocated for the ban’s repeal, called Herndon’s bill a modest proposal serving as “an intelligent, science-based and safe compromise.” She said breed-specific bans are ineffective.

If the ballot measure passes, it would go into effect in January.

This story is from Denverite, a nonprofit Denver news source affiliated with CPR News.

Used by permission. For more, and to support Denverite, visit denverite.com.

Teachers across Colorado to get months’ worth of masks

By Ellis Arnold earnold@coloradocommunitymedia.com

Colorado will provide hundreds of thousands of medical-grade masks to schools in every district across the state, Gov. Jared Polis announced in July.

“We will be supplying every teacher in the state with one medical-grade mask per week.

We’re making that initial commitment of at least eight weeks,” Polis said during a July 21 news conference.

The state’s commitment to providing the masks may last up to 10 weeks, according to Shelby Wieman, a spokeswoman for the governor’s office. If the state continues to see success in securing supplies, officials hope to extend that time period, Polis said at a July 23

news conference.

The masks will also be distributed for student-facing staff, Wieman said, possibly such as librarians and clerks.

“We’re also hoping that school districts augment that with additional personal protection equipment that they’re able to provide,” Polis said. PPE acquisition will still be driven at the local level, Wieman said.

And whether a school district starts inperson class at the start of the school year or not, it will still receive masks from the state.

“Critically, (the masks) will go to all school districts whether they are in-person or not,” Polis said. “So if there are some schools that are just starting out for a few weeks virtual, they can then stockpile those masks, and they can use them when they do go back.”

18 Washington Park Profile

August 2020

STEM shooter gets life sentence, parole possible McKinney: ‘I do not deserve leniency or forgiveness’

By Jessica Gibbs jgibbs@coloradocommunitymedia.com

Sitting in her literature class on May 7, 2019, Nui Giasolli noticed her friend Alec McKinney standing just behind her.

McKinney was not enrolled in that class and was supposed to be in the classroom next door. But because she considered McKinney one of her best friends, his presence did not raise alarms for her.

She learned later through court hearings and statements McKinney made to investigators that McKinney targeted her that day, she said, as he helped carry out a shooting at STEM School Highlands Ranch.

“He had a gun aimed at the back of my head and he was ready to shoot me knowing full well that I didn’t consider him a threat,” she said.

Giasolli was one of numerous students, teachers and community members who gave tear-stricken victim impact statements during a July 24 sentencing hearing for McKinney at a Castle Rock courtroom.

McKinney was accused of planning the shooting that left one dead and eight students injured.

18th Judicial District Judge Jeffrey Holmes on July 24 sentenced him to life in prison plus 38 years, with the possibility of parole after 40 years.

McKinney pleaded guilty in February to numerous felony charges, including firstdegree murder for the death of Kendrick Castillo, 18. Six students were shot by the defendants in the case and two were injured by gunfire from an armed guard responding to the incident.

McKinney was 16 at the time of the attack, so under law he was not eligible for a death penalty, but he was charged as an adult. He is now 17.

A co-defendant Devon Erickson, 18 at the time of the shooting, will face trial in September. Erickson has argued he was an unwilling participant in the attack, forced to cooperate on the threat of death from McKinney.

Prosecutors have sharply scrutinized that narrative and McKinney also alleged July 24 he acted under pressure from Erickson.

Judge Holmes noted in his closing remark’s McKinney’s age, his history with mental illness and major depressive disorder, and his drug use leading up to the attack. Holmes also said McKinney took responsibility for his actions in the case by pleading guilty.

“He has not tried to excuse his behavior today and I sincerely hope, based on the statements that he made, that he has come to

John Castillo, father of STEM victim Kendrick Castillo, delivers his statement during the July 24 sentencing of Alec McKinney, who pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and 16 other counts in the STEM School Highlands Ranch shooting. McKinney was sentenced in Douglas County District Court in Castle Rock.

POOL PHOTOS BY ERIC LUTZENS/THE DENVER POST a recognition of the harm his wrong decision has caused,” Holmes said.

‘Biggest crime in the history of Douglas County’ Eighteenth Judicial District Attorney George Brauchler said a juvenile offender program available to McKinney could significantly shorten the time McKinney ends up serving.

Brauchler was critical of a juvenile offender system that might allow someone who attempted mass murder to be free in roughly 20 years.

Like victims, Brauchler called on Holmes to issue the maximum sentence of life in prison plus 407-1/2 years. McKinney and Erickson had planned to kill as many people as possible on May 7, he said, and might have succeeded had teachers and students not stopped the attack.

Kendrick died while rushing Erickson with two other students. A teacher and a student also confronted McKinney.

The maximum would send a clear message “about what happens when you do this here in our community,” Brauchler said.

“This is the biggest crime in the history of Douglas County. What will we say about it?”

Brauchler said.

Public defender Ara Ohanian said McKinney requested he not recommend a sentence, which he agreed to honor despite it going “against everything I have been taught.”

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Ohanian said the Alec McKinney he knows is nothing like the person who carried out the attacks and refuted Brauchler’s stance that the maximum sentence would send the right message.

“School shootings are not going to go away by sending messages. We must deal with the root of these problems which is mental illness and access to these kinds of weapons,” Ohanian said.

The hearing was an hours-long outpouring of anger, pain and grief, as victims recounted how the shooting affected them. The ramifications of McKinney’s actions for most those involved will be life-long, victims said.

Accounts from victims culminated with gut-wrenching testimony from John and Maria Castillo, Kendrick’s parents.

John and Maria said they will never forgive McKinney for their son’s death and vowed to remain life-long activists in the fight to end school shootings.

The Castillos also lambasted McKinney for not attending the hearing in-person, but rather remotely.

The court proceeding was conducted both remotely and in-person amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. A limited number of victims were allowed to sit in the courtroom.

Two additional rooms were set up with chairs spaced 6 feet apart and court proceedings displayed on screens.

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Student Nui Giasolli wipes away tears as she delivers her statement during the sentencing of Alec McKinney on July 24.

Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock delivers his statement during the sentencing of Alec McKinney.

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Washington Park Profile 19

August 2020

STEM FROM PAGE 18

Everyone was required to wear masks except for victims when they gave their impact statements.

The podium was wiped down inbetween every speaker.

McKinney participated remotely from the Marvin W. Foote Youth Services Center in Centennial where he is detained. One of his public defenders was in the courtroom in Castle Rock while another and his guardian ad litem participated from the Foote center with McKinney.

John Castillo recounted having breakfast with his “perfect family” the morning of the shooting. As Kendrick drove away, John took video of his Jeep because it needed new tires, he said. He didn’t know that would be the last time he saw his son alive.

Castillo heard through a friend later that day there was an active shooter at his son’s school. He went to the recreation center where students were reunited with family. He saw other parents picking up their children and began searching for his son, he said.

Then Castillo got a text telling him Kendrick rushed a shooter and sped to the hospital with Maria, thinking Kendrick was injured but not yet realizing his son was dead.

He remembers people staring at them as they arrived. He remembers the officer who whispered in a nurse’s ear, and then being pulled aside and asked if they could identify Kendrick’s body.

Castillo called McKinney’s display of emotion in court rehearsed and fake. Castillo’s last words to McKinney in the hearing were telling him to “wipe that smirk off your face.

Those crocodile tears. You disgust me.”

Maria Castillo said he took away her chance to have grandchildren, and her only child. Kendrick was her best friend and her purpose in life, she said.

As Kendrick sat in class, three days from graduation and planning for his future, “this domestic terrorist was using drugs and planning a shooting. Why? Why,” she yelled.

“Coward. You can’t even face us,” she said.

Maria Castillo closed her remarks by vowing to do everything in her power to hold McKinney accountable.

“I will never forgive you. Evil killer,” she said.

Betraying those who cared Several victims said McKinney showed a total disregard for human life on May 7, noting he told authorities he wanted to make people know trauma.

Some grew fraught with anger and grief while others said there is still hope McKinney could use the remainder of his life for good.

Most urged the judge to hand down the maximum sentence possible.

Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock said he spoke July 24 on behalf of the community and the 1,000 officers and EMS professionals who responded to the shooting. He called on the judge to keep McKinney in the Department of Corrections “for that individual’s natural life.”

The impact of the shooting affected the entire county, Spurlock said, but also the state and country.

“The eyes of the nation were on STEM School,” Spurlock said.

Some of Kendrick Castillo’s favorite items, along with an assortment of photos, sat on a table outside of the sanctuary at Cherry Hills Community Church during a celebration of his life on May 15, 2019. Castillo was killed in the school shooting at STEM School Highlands Ranch.

ALEX DEWIND

Teachers said McKinney was well cared for by school staff and had a support system in place. They recounted helping him with his mental health struggles and schoolwork.

Previous court hearings revealed McKinney grew up amid abuse and neglect.

Lauren Harper was the teacher in classroom 107, where the shooting unfolded.

“The images of violence, the screams, the blood of my students, are etched into every inch of my being,” she said.

Harper said the shooters refused to see people in their life cared for them and instead chose to deceive those same individuals “in order to kill.” She struggles with fear and betrayal, she said.

She asked McKinney to study the life of Kendrick, who is hailed as a hero, and to “choose a path of healing instead of terror.”

“They still have an opportunity and a chance to live their life for good,” she said as McKinney nodded his head.

‘Alec was one of my favorite students’ Gabriela Leddy was teaching in the classroom next door when the shooting broke out.

“I distinctly remember the split second of stillness before I heard scuffling next door,” she said.

Then bullets flew through the walls. The smell of drywall still makes her vomit almost instantly, she said.

As bullets narrowly whizzed past her, Leddy screamed for her students to get down. She remembers them scared, and holding each other, but also their bravery, she said.

She texted her husband a goodbye and wondered if her young daughter would remember her if she died that day.

After police entered the room and told everyone to run, she passed by classroom 107.

What she saw, she said, was an image she’ll never forget — tables overturned, blood on the walls and pooled on the ground.

The morning after the shooting, Leddy read McKinney’s name in the news, shocked to find he was a suspect. She hadn’t known her student was in the room next door, let alone

that he was one of the perpetrators, she said.

McKinney was a student she had cared for diligently and deeply, she said, and worked to protect as he transitioned from female to male.

She advocated for school policy changed to make sure transgender students did not need to use their “dead name,” she said.

Her husband told her she looked as though she left her body as she processed that news, she said, recalling feeling as though she were adrift at sea.

Her mind raced through every interaction she had with McKinney, remembering how they talked about music and funny things on the internet. She searched for ways he might have manipulated her, but that soon felt fruitless, she said.

“Alec was one of my favorite students. I found him funny, charming, witty and always friendly toward me. He would cheekily call me ‘Doc’ when he came into class,” she said.

The attack felt personal, she said.

Alec knew she was in the next room and could have been shot in the attack.

“I cared for Alec and showed it in so many ways that year,” she said.

Pleading for leniency Morgan McKinney, Alec’s mother, pleaded with the judge to show leniency in his sentencing. Her son had showed remorse, she said, and worked hard in the past 14 months to take his mental health treatment seriously.

She asked Holmes to consider Alec’s age in the sentencing, adding she knew it was not an excuse for his actions.

Morgan McKinney apologized to the Castillos, who left the courtroom when both Morgan and Alec spoke.

“I want to say how deeply sorry my family and I are for your loss. I can only imagine, of course, what you and your loved ones have been going through. I never thought in a million years this would ever happen,” she said. “I know my apologies might not mean much to you.”

Kendrick would always be a hero, Morgan McKinney said, along with every shooting victim. She admired them, she said, and prays one day they find forgiveness in their hearts, citing the Bible verse Matthew

Judge Jeffrey K. Holmes delivers his sentencing to Alec McKinney on July 24.

POOL PHOTO BY ERIC LUTZENS/THE DENVER POST 6:14 about forgiving those who sin against you.

Speaking to Alec, Morgan said she did not understand how the family “ended up where we are at.” She still saw her “sweet, funny, loving and kind son.” She promised to be by his side so long as continued taking steps to right his wrongs.

“I love you always. I love you more,” she said.

Holmes gave McKinney time to address the court before issuing his sentence.

McKinney spoke to each student shot in the tragedy individually, promising he would never commit such a crime again. He “ripped away” the innocence of children at the school, he said, and hadn’t considered how deeply his actions would impact the community.

“I don’t know how to describe the sorrow I feel when I think of the victims,” he said. “I do not deserve leniency or forgiveness. I don’t want a lighter sentence.”

McKinney also said he was angry about having received “fan mail” and called anyone who idolizes him “stupid.” He spoke directly to anyone thinking of carrying out a school shooting.

“Get help now. The amount of pain it causes to everyone,” he said, “outweighs anything you are going through right now. Don’t be a coward and hide behind a gun. Be brave and learn how to get help. Face what you are feeling.”

‘The violence has to stop’ Before issuing the sentence, Holmes said he had reviewed 500 pages of victim impact statements in addition to reports and court statements. He’d seen much good in how the community responded, both on the day of the shooting and after, he said.

He was struck by teachers who comforted their students as armed officers marched them from the building, by a first responder who wrote about seeing children care for one another on May 7, and by another young person who wrote about division among students at STEM as students returned to school.

“And all I can think is it was because of the pain,” the young person wrote to Holmes.

The judge said the entire community must be involved in addressing the root problems behind mass shootings. He commended the community for doing many acts of good in the shooting’s wake and said that sort of response will help prevent similar crises.

He pointed to comments Harper made, where she said the shooting made her love her students more and strive to be an “instrument of healing” in her community.

“We as a country have a very sad history now of school shootings and mass shootings in public places.

Colorado has had more than its fair share,” Holmes said. “The violence has to stop.”

20 Washington Park Profile

August 2020

Colorado, other states trim health programs amid COVID-19

By Markian Hawryluk Kaiser Health News

As a teenager, Paulina Castle struggled for years with suicidal thoughts. When her mental health was at its most fragile, she would isolate herself, spending days in her room alone.

“That’s the exact thing that makes you feel significantly worse,” the 26-year-old Denver woman said. “It creates a cycle where you’re constantly getting dug into a deeper hole.”

Part of her recovery involved forcing herself to leave her room to socialize or to exercise outside. But the COVID-19 pandemic has made all of that much harder.

Instead of interacting with people on the street in her job as a political canvasser, she is working at home on the phone.

And with social distancing rules in place, she has fewer opportunities to meet with friends.

“Since the virus started,” she said, “it’s been a lot easier to fall back into that cycle.”

Between the challenges of the pandemic, the social unrest and the economic crisis, mental health providers are warning that the need for behavioral health services is growing. Yet faced with budgetary shortfalls, Colorado is cutting spending on a number of mental health and substance use treatment programs.

Across the country, the recession has cut state revenues at the same time the pandemic has increased costs, forcing lawmakers into painful decisions about how to balance their budgets. State legislatures have been forced to consider health care cuts and delay new health programs even in the midst of a health care crisis. But many lawmakers and health experts are concerned the cuts

needed to balance state budgets now could exacerbate the pandemic and the recession down the line.

“Health care cuts tend to be on the table, and of course, it’s counterproductive,” said Edwin Park, a health policy professor at Georgetown University.

When there’s a recession, people lose their jobs and health insurance, he noted, the very moment when people need those health programs the most.

‘Everything has to be on the table’ In Colorado, for example, lawmakers had to fill a $3.3 billion hole in the budget for fiscal year 2020, which started July 1.

That included cuts to a handful of mental health programs, with small overall savings but potentially significant impact on those who relied on them.

They cut $1 million from a program designed to keep people with mental illness out of the hospital and another million from mental health services for juvenile and adult offenders. Lawmakers reduced funding for substance abuse treatment in county jails by $735,000 and eliminated $5 million earmarked for addiction treatment programs in underserved communities. And that’s all on top of a 1% cut to Medicaid community providers who offer health care to the state’s poorest residents.

Some of those cuts were offset by $15.2 million in federal CARES Act funding allocated to behavioral health care programs. But some programs were completely defunded. Cuts were targeted primarily at programs that hadn’t started Paulina Castle of Denver uses weekly yet or hadn’t been fully implemented. The routines to manage her mental health rationale: Those cuts wouldn’t have as — made worse from isolation during the deep an impact. coronavirus pandemic. “We need to start Doyle Forrestal, CEO of the Colorado treating mental health the same as we Behavioral Healthcare Council, which do physical health,” she says. “This is an represents 23 behavioral health care issue we need to stop keeping in the dark.” providers, worries that resources won’t be COURTESY OF PAULINA CASTLE VIA KHN there for an emerging wave of people who have developed mental health or addicissues during the pandemic.

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and access at the Commonwealth Fund, an independent health policy research foundation based in New York. “If they spend more in one area, that means cuts in another.”

Colorado has had an aggressive health agenda in recent years but had to defer plans for a public health insurance option that could have provided a more affordable plan for people buying insurance on their own.

The legislature killed a proposal to create an annual mental health checkup.

The measure would have cost the state only $13,000, but Democratic Gov. Jared Polis signaled he wouldn’t sign any bills that included new mandates for insurance companies.

State Rep. Dafna Michaelson Jenet, D-Commerce City, who sponsored the checkup measure, was disappointed.

“Not every one of us is going to catch COVID, but every single one of us will have a mental health impact,” she said.

Long-term implications Once the economic crisis eases, Roberts said, lawmakers will look to restore funding to some of the programs they cut.

But cuts are often easier to make than to restore — as illustrated by cutbacks made during the 2008 recession, according to Georgetown’s Park.

“Many cuts were never fully restored, even though we were in one of the longer economic expansion periods in our country’s history,” Park said.

He also worries many of the smaller primary care and behavioral health providers, who saw fewer patients come through their doors because of stay-athome orders during the pandemic, might not survive.

“That means less access to care, including routine care like vaccinations,” he said. “If kids aren’t vaccinated, they may be more vulnerable to flu and measles, making them more vulnerable to COVID-19. That makes it more difficult for a stressed health care system to try to deal with a potential second wave of infections.”

The longer-term mental health toll may be harder to catalog.

Castle, for one, has focused on establishing routines to help her manage her mental health during the pandemic.

Every Wednesday night, she plays games online with her friends. And every Friday night, she and her boyfriend build a fire in the backyard.

“If I know people are expecting me to be somewhere at 6 o’clock, that obligation encourages me to go out,” she explained.

“There are days it’s a struggle. I have to focus on baby steps.”

Still, Castle worries about others who may be struggling during the pandemic.

She has signed on to work with the Colorado chapter of Young Invincibles, which lobbies for health care, higher education and workforce policies to help young adults. Even as states and the federal government have found the money to help hospitals and doctors treat the physical effects of the COVID pandemic, she doesn’t see the same commitment to treating its mental health toll.

“We need to start treating mental health the same as we do physical health,” she said. This is an issue we need to stop keeping in the dark.”

If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, or use the online Lifeline Chat, both available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

This story is from Kaiser Health News, a nonprofit news service covering health issues. It is an editorially independent program of Kaiser Family Foundation, which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.

Used by permission. For more, khn.org.

Washington Park Profile 21

August 2020

‘In honor of our beloved Joy Burns’

By University of Denver Chancellor Jeremy Haefner It is with the heaviest of hearts that I bring you some very sad news.

Joy Burns, known to the University of Denver as the first woman to chair our Board of Trustees and as the generous spirit behind so many campus initiatives, academic programs, buildings and amenities, passed away peacefully at home this afternoon (July 17).

In our long and eventful history, the university has had few better friends than Joy. She was respected for her steady leadership and strategic thinking, both of which helped the university stave off insolvency and restructure for a 21stcentury marketplace. Much as she was admired for her leadership qualities, she was also loved for her many kindnesses and for her indefatigable support of student achievement.

During her two stints as board chair, from 1990-2005 and 2007-2009, Joy saw the university through some of its biggest financial challenges and historic triumphs. Along with Chancellor Emeritus Daniel L. Ritchie, she was largely responsible for a radical transformation of the physical campus.

It’s not an exaggeration to say that Joy left a lasting mark on this campus and on all who knew her. She was ahead of her time in so many ways — as a woman leader, as a champion of equity and as a visionary who understood that the world was changing in radical ways.

Joy Burns’ generosity to DU made — and continues to make — life immeasurably better for all of us. In 1997, she and her husband, DU alumnus Franklin Burns, gave $5 million to DU to establish the Franklin L. Burns School of Real Estate & Construction Management. In addition, her name is everywhere on campus: on the building housing the Fritz Knoebel School of Hospitality Management, on a plaza in the Robert and Judi Newman Center for the Performing Arts and on the community ice arena at the Ritchie Center for Sports & Wellness.

Joy also is remembered for philanthropic acts with more ephemeral, but nonetheless resonant, impact. In 2003, when the curtain rose on the Newman Center for the Performing Arts, Burns underwrote an appearance by a prominent baroque touring ensemble, offering the seats free to faculty and staff to ensure they could be among the first to enjoy the new venue.

Thanks to her service, dedication and generosity, the University of Denver presented her with its highest honor, the Founders Medal, at its annual Founders Gala in March 2018. Established by Chancellor Emerita Rebecca Chopp in 2016, the Founders Medal is bestowed upon individuals or families whose transformative leadership and engaged philanthropy represent the pinnacle of DU’s mission and values.

Joy’s life story serves as inspiration for all of us. As Joy Steelman Colwick, she came to Colorado from Houston in 1956 to work for an oil company. Two years later she met Franklin Burns, then one

of Denver’s premier homebuilders. One of their first dates involved a DU hockey game — and thus began her romance with her husband’s alma mater.

Joy remained an avid fan of Pioneer sports programs for the rest of her life and was instrumental in bringing DU into Division I. In 1997, she was inducted into the DU Sports Hall of Fame. That honor acknowledged her many contributions not just to DU, but also to Denver’s sports scene and to women’s athletics in particular. As the only female gubernatorial appointee to the Metropolitan Football Stadium Board, Joy once was hailed as the most powerful woman in Colorado sports. She was part owner of the Colorado Xplosion women’s professional basketball team and for a while served as president of the Sportswomen of Colorado Foundation.

Like any great athlete, Joy was always out there competing. She earned a business degree from the University of Houston, reportedly one of the first women in the school’s history to do so.

Once established in Denver, she developed, owned and managed the Burnsley Hotel, formerly the Hampshire House, on the fringes of downtown Denver.

She assumed the helm of her husband’s firm, D.C. Burns Realty & Trust Co., in 1995, two years before his death. She also served on the board of the Denver Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau and on a number of task forces and bureaus dedicated to fostering Denver’s business climate. Her love for the Mile High City and her appreciation for the performing arts led her to serve on the board for the Denver Center for the Performing Arts.

A strong advocate for women’s issues, Joy also was one of the founders of the Women’s Bank, later renamed the Colorado Business Bank, and of the Women’s Foundation of Colorado.

Joy joined the DU Board of Trustees in 1981 and was ultimately one of the longest serving trustees in DU’s history when she retired from the board in 2017.

When she stepped down from her second stint as board chair in 2009, Chancellor Robert Coombe nominated her for, and she received, an honorary Doctor of Higher Education.

Her service on the board will be remembered for remarkable accomplishments. In partnership with Dan Ritchie, Joy not only oversaw implementation of a number of academic innovations, she also presided over growth of the University’s endowment and the launch of one of the most successful capital campaigns in DU history. Money raised at that time allowed DU to make more than $400 million in investments in new facilities and infrastructure.

The University of Denver owes a lot to Joy Burns, to her fierce spirit, fearless leadership and her dedication to our students. She was a bright light and a force to be reckoned with. She will be sorely missed.

When we are able to do so again, we will find a way to come together to celebrate her wonderful life and legacy at the University of Denver.

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Joy Burns was the first woman to chair the University of Denver’s Board of Trustees.

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August 2020

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Washington Park Profile 23

August 2020

Addressing racism is a mental health priority

I

love America more than any other country in the world and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.” — James Baldwin

In July we celebrated the birth of independence and our freedom from tyrannical government. But in a country where Black, Indigenous and people of color are less likely to have access to mental health services and more likely to have lower-quality care; in a country where Black, Indigenous and people Vincent Atchity of color experience discrimination and systemic alienation from life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; in a country where we have not all been treated equally — many do not experience the freedom that has been our country’s principal source of pride.

Addressing racism is a mental health

GUEST COLUMN

priority. For far too long, we have ignored the mental health effects of violence and systemic racism on members of our society. The systemic inequities that permeate all our lives prevent any of us from achieving healthier minds. Ignoring these inequities is a disease that destroys lives, causes the privileged to remain underdeveloped as humans and threatens the vitality of the nation.

When we say that we aspire to achieve healthier minds across the lifespan for all Coloradans, we mean that we must achieve a state and a nation that isn’t like this anymore.

If we’re going to have healthier minds across the lifespan for all Coloradans, we need to build a state and a nation where Black people and all people of color don’t have to fear the police, their armed white neighbors or that they and their descendants will be trapped forever in a system of injustice.

If we’re going to have healthier minds across the lifespan for all Coloradans, we all need to call out and correct the thinking, the manners of speech and the behaviors that derail us from our mission. If we’re going to achieve healthier minds across the lifespan

for all Coloradans, we all need to learn to be better, braver people than we have ever been before. We need a second American Revolution. We can choose to number ourselves among the revolutionaries who — with each utterance, decision and action — join forces to free ourselves from the mind-stunting, strength-sapping twin tyrannies of proud, vaunting ignorance and smug satisfaction with the status quo. Or, we can fail to rise to the challenge of this revolution and remain part of the problem, as enemies of freedom, science and humanity. There are no innocent bystanders when it comes to the health of the mind.

Given our heartfelt understanding that Black Lives Matter, Mental Health Colorado supported a number of bills this legislative session to address or correct for disparities that have been disproportionately harmful to Colorado’s Black communities and other communities of color throughout the state’s history. There is so much more corrective work to do. We are weighted down with laws and failures in lawmaking that perpetuate the most disgraceful shortcomings in our still

aspirational civilization.

Mental Health Colorado followed the lead of Bebe Moore Campbell — a mental health advocate, journalist, best-selling author and teacher — and honored July as Black, Indigenous and People of Color Mental Health Month. When we have ensured that all Black, Indigenous and people of color are free at last from systematic discrimination and oppression, when all receive the support and resources needed to truly thrive, then we will be strong and thriving and will truly have cause to celebrate.

Until then, we can celebrate that we have set our sights on the worthiest goal and that we are determined to achieve it before the sun sets on another generation.

Vincent Atchity is the president & CEO of Mental Health Colorado, a leading advocate in promoting mental wellness, ending shame and discrimination and ensuring equitable access to mental health and substance use care.

Visit www.mentalhealthcolorado.org to find resources or learn more.

Womxn’s March Denver presents virtual panel discussion Aug. 4 Staff report The Womxn’s March Denver nonprofit organization is offering a free, virtual panel event titled The Current and Future State of Affairs and How to Better Position Our Allies.

The event takes place from 6:30-8 p.m.

Aug. 4. The event will also be available for viewing after the livestreamed event on the Womxn’s March Denver’s Youtube channel.

Panelists include leading members of Denver’s Black community, including: • Apryl Alexander, associate professor and clinical psychologist at the University of Denver/Denver Forensic Institute for Research, Service, and Training • Tamra DeBrady, president of Colorado Black Women for Political Action • Kim Desmond, director of the Denver Mayor’s Office of Social Equity and Innovation • Abria Duran, co-chair of the Denver Mayor’s Youth Commission • Ashle Mirahzh Mygat, 100 Women in Black • Barry Overton, co-chair of the Denver African American Commission, former military police officer, former Denver patrol

officer and narcotics detective, and veteran of Operation Desert Storm/Gulf War veteran.

• Sondra Young, president of NAACP Denver Branch Registration for the free event is available on Eventbrite. Registrants will receive the event’s Zoom link after registration, and will have an opportunity to submit questions to panelists in advance.

The event will also serve as a kickoff to a digital toolkit campaign and drawing called #Vote2Vent, which is meant to motivate and inspire folks to vote.

“Womxn’s March Denver recognizes our role and responsibility to womxn and non-binary people of color. To ensure that we address the disparities impacting our communities, Womxn’s March Denver is committed to doing anti-racist work. Our Aug. 4 event is to uplift Black voices, and go deeper in conversations with community partners to listen and learn,” said Angela Astle, a Womxn’s March Denver board member, in a news release. “Our commitment to doing this work means educating our constituents and offering resources to develop stronger allies to support the movement.”

To learn more about Womxn’s March Denver, visit www.womxnsmarchdenver.org.

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24 Washington Park Profile

August 2020