Washington Park Profile 1205

DECEMBER 2019

Digital and print community newspaper founded in 1978.

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EXTENDED HOURS City proposes changes to Lincoln bus lane

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THE ECLECTIC ROADHOUSE Platt Park bar and restaurant evolves over 20 years

P15 KEEPING WITH TRADITION Holiday activities in Denver

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BECOMING A FAMILY Adoption Day brings people together

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HISTORIC WASH PARK Volunteers restore trolley stop

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2 Washington Park Profile

December 2019

Business Matters

By Kailyn Lamb | klamb@coloradocommunitymedia.com Business Matters is a monthly column on the changing landscape of business and development in south Denver. If there are any inquiries on new developments in your area, or if you are a local business wishing to highlight an upcoming milestone, email Kailyn Lamb at klamb@coloradocommunitymedia.com.

BUSINESS OPENINGS Postino Winecafe The Italian wine bar and restaurant opened its second location on Broadway at the end of October. Postino Winecafe, 145 Broadway, took the place of Compound Basix, a gay bar that closed last year.

The Broadway building was built in 1895.

Postino’s first Colorado location opened in the Lower Highlands. The restaurant is also set to open a third spot in the Ninth Avenue and Colorado Boulevard development that is under construction and set to open in next year.

The restaurant is based in Phoenix and also has locations in Texas.

Toro Latin Kitchen and Lounge A Latin-Asian fusion restaurant with locations around the world is coming to Cherry Creek this coming spring. Toro Latin Kitchen and Lounge will open in the JW Marriott, 150 Clayton Lane.

The restaurant is replacing Social Fare, which closed in November. Social Fare was open for two years in the hotel.

Toro is owned by Richard Sandoval, who operates 45 restaurants around the world, including four in Colorado. Tamayo and La Sandia are his two Denver restaurants.

Good River Beer The brewery opened its new taproom in Baker last month. Good River Beer opened in the Yard at Santa Fe development, 928 W. First Ave. The brewery, which previously only distributed its cans throughout Colorado, also runs a nonprofit called 2% For Rivers. The proceeds of the company’s profits go toward environmental charities.

Good River merged with Renegade Brewing last spring. Renegade also has its brewery and taproom in the Yard at Santa Fe. Good River’s taproom has 22 taps, which includes its four staples and some experimental beers. The taproom will also offer guest beers.

Campus Lounge The longtime bar in Bonnie Brae has once again been scooped up by new owners. This time, instead of sticking with the sports bar mainstay, the new owners are shaking it up in favor of outdoor décor and a summer camp feel.

The team behind Recess Beer Garden in the Lower Highlands are the new owners of Campus Lounge. According to The Denver Post, the new owners cannot keep the Campus Lounge name because of legal reasons. A new name has not been decided yet, but the large neon sign will stay on the bar.

The 40-year-old bar and restaurant has

changed hands several times in the last few years. Longtime owner Jim Wiste retired in 2017, and passed away in 2018.

For more information on the history of the Campus Lounge, read our story at https:// washparkprofile.com/stories/carrying-on-alegacy,274011.

Torchy’s Tacos The Austin, Texas-based taco chain opened its fourth Denver location off of East Hampden Avenue last month. The Hampden location of Torchy’s will have a pick-up window for to-go orders. The business is located at 6325 E. Hampden Ave. Barry’s Bootcamp Another fitness chain is opening in Cherry Creek. Barry’s Bootcamp will open at 260 N. Josephine St. in mid-2020. Barry’s is based out of Los Angeles. This will be the first location in Colorado for the gym.

CLOSINGS Wash Bark and Lil’ Angel Pet Boutique The two Washington Park pet retailers closed their doors near the end of the year. Both businesses were located on South Gaylord Street.

Lil’ Angel closed on Oct. 31, according to a sign on its door. It was located at 1014 S. Gaylord St., and had been open for 12 years according to the sign.

Wash Bark, located at 1058 S. Gaylord St., closed last month. The business was a day care and spa for dogs and opened in 2016.

Old Glory Antiques has moved into the former Scandinavian Antiques store on South Broadway.

COURTESY PHOTO CHANGES Old Glory Antiques Old Glory Antiques has moved two blocks north, from 1930 S. Broadway to 1760 S. Broadway. Old Glory will be taking the space that used to have Scandinavian Antiques.

Old Glory was in its last location for four years, said Genna Clark Morrow in an email.

She added that the Scandinavian Antiques location was three times larger than the old store.

Old Glory Antiques opened in its new location in November.

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Washington Park Profile 3

December 2019

Denver Art Museum announces opening date after renovations Staff Report Renovations of the North Building of the Denver Art Museum are nearing completion. The museum announced last month that the newly renamed Lanny and Sharon Martin Building will begin reopening in phases starting in June.

Three floors of galleries and learning spaces will open on June 6, 2020, along with the new cafe in the Martin building. The new Anna and John J. Sie Welcome Center will also open. The rest of the building will open in phases, but will open in full in time for the building’s 50th anniversary in 2021, said a news release from the Denver Art Museum.

Gio Ponti, an Italian architect,

Business FROM PAGE 2

Meier Skis Meier Skis moved from 970 Yuma St. to 1775 S. Broadway.

The business reopened in August.

The business makes custom skis from Colorado aspens and beetle kill pine trees. Meier also offers tune-ups and repairs on skis and

designed the building. The new renovations to the building include 83,000 square feet of new space, the release said.

“Our hard construction is over,” said Christoph Heinrich, director of the museum, in the news release.

“Now, we enter the museum-making phase, where our staff will turn these incredible new spaces into an engaging, welcoming and interactive art museum for all.”

The renovations were a $150 million project that broke ground in early 2018. A portion of the funds came from the Denver Go Bond, which was approved by voters in November 2017. The Martin building will be the first completed project using funds from the Go Bond, the release said.

snowboards of all brands.

Meier originally opened in Glenwood Springs, but moved to Denver in 2016.

The Broadway shop was formerly home to BoardLife, a skateboard shop that closed earlier this year.

Steam Espresso Bar The Platt Park coffee shop is opening a second location in the Lower Highlands. Steam Espresso

An exterior photo of the North Building and the new Anna and John J. Sie Welcome Center at the Denver Art Museum.

The building has been renamed the Lanny and Sharon Martin Building.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE DENVER ART MUSEUM/JEFF WELLS

Bar will open in a former fire station at 3600 N. Tejon St. by the end of next year.

The shop owners are working on restoring and renovating the space at the fire station. The building was designated a historic landmark in 1995.

Steam Espresso Bar first opened at 1801 S. Pearl St. in 2013.

Cherry Creek Shopping Center Jeramy Burkinshaw has been

named the new general manager of the Cherry Creek Shopping Center. He started on Nov. 1.

Burkinshaw replaced Nick LeMasters, who became the CEO of the Cherry Creek North Shopping District last month.

The mall’s general manager oversees operations, retailer and community relations and marketing.

Burkinshaw has been an executive with Taubman Centers, which owns and runs the mall, for the

last eight years. He joins the staff at Cherry Creek from the University Town Center in Sarasota, Florida.

Centered & Strong Centered & Strong, a fitness retail store, moved from one shop to another on South Gaylord Street.

The business moved on Oct. 29 from 1021 S. Gaylord St. to 1025 S. Gaylord St. The new shop is twice the size of the original location.

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4 Washington Park Profile

December 2019

A village

South Pearl bookstore aims to bring parents together with monthly events

of knowledge

By Kailyn Lamb klamb@coloradocommunitymedia.com

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Author Shelley Brouwer reads from her book “Because She Was” during a Village Parenting event at the Second Star to the Right bookstore on South Pearl Street.

The bookstore began offering monthly events for parents to help give them a place to have conversations and build community.

COURTESY OF BRITT HOPKINS

s a children’s bookstore, Second Star to the Right has programming for young minds down to a science, with themed storytime events and craft projects. More recently, the store branched out into adult-themed talks, hoping to build a space where parents and caregivers can have conversations and build community.

“Unless they have their own business to share (information), there’s not a lot of opportunities for people to share their knowledge,” said Alethea Chorey, the community liaison for Second Star. “We wanted to create a platform where adults could share knowledge that they have.”

Second Star launched Village Parenting in October with an author talk by Shelley Brouwer, who wrote “Because She Was.” The book is about the life and death of Brouwer’s daughter, who had disabilities and cognitive delays. Chorey said the event gave parents a safe place to ask questions and speak of their own experiences.

Chorey said the store has content planned for the monthly Village Parenting event until April next year. The store asks people to RSVP ahead of time because there’s only room for 40 adults for each event. The events are held after store hours, Chorey said, so they can move furniture around as needed in the building at 1545 S. Pearl St. Second Star is renovating the property to add an addition that goes to the back of the

lot, Chorey added. She hopes that once the project is finished, Second Star will be able to expand some of its community events for both adults and children.

Because Second Star is working with community members to organize the event, the talks can cover a wide range of topics. Chorey said the store also wanted to make sure that everyone was welcome since most parenting groups tend to be geared toward moms.

“Our adults are the customers,” she said.

“We really wanted to give back and offer them an event on a monthly basis where they can feel like part of the community too.”

November’s event was lead by Zoe Bowick Levine, who gave a talk on nutritious movement — changing the setup of your daily life to bring in more natural movement.

As parents, many people don’t have time to add daily exercise into their routine, Bowick Levine said. But as people age, they lose flexibility and strength. By paying attention to what ways we move every day, you can begin to add in movement to regain some of that flexibility, she said.

“As parents, we’re busy and all over the place, and that’s pretty active,” she added. “But it tends to be the same actions and patterns.”

Bowick Levine said that this was her first time going to Second Star, but added that she was very excited to see a bookstore bringing in programming for the community. The phrase “It takes a village to raise a child” came to mind for Bowick Levine. She added it’s also important for parents to come together and learn from shared experiences and also remember to care for themselves as well as their children.

“I don’t think that idea came into my worldview until I became a parent, and then it became an obvious necessity,” she said. “Anyway that we can come together as a community, and learn and share, I’m all for.”

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Washington Park Profile 5

December 2019

Knocking on New Doors Preferred Properties Joins Compass

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6 Washington Park Profile

December 2019

CHANGING FOR EFFICIENCY

Residents voice concern over parking in Lincoln Street bus lane transition

People wait at the I-25 and Broadway bus station. The station is toward the end of where Denver staff want to increase the hours of the bus lane on Lincoln Avenue. People can connect to other bus routes as well as the light rail.

PHOTOS BY KAILYN LAMB

By Kailyn Lamb klamb@coloradocommunitymedia.com

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A 0 bus on Broadway leaves the bus lane to move around upcoming traffic. The city created the designated bus lane on Broadway in 2017 to improve the flow of traffic and make sure buses were not sitting in congestion.

new proposal to switch to a designated bus lane on Lincoln Street from Interstate 25 north to Seventh Avenue has residents concerned that they will lose out on parking in front of their homes, while Denver staff argues the lane will improve bus efficiency and traffic flow in the area.

As Broadway runs through the Baker neighborhood in south Denver, the three lanes of one-way traffic whiz by a selection of local businesses and restaurants, even a few new apartment buildings. A fourth lane on the far right side of traffic on the roadway is a dedicated bus lane, stretching from 17th Avenue in Uptown all the way to Exposition Avenue in south Baker.

Broadway’s counterpart, Lincoln Street, features the same bustling traffic on three lanes, with a fourth lane on the right that alternates between a bus and parking lane from Seventh Avenue south to I-25. But instead of businesses, that portion of Lincoln is mostly lined with residences — houses and the occasional apartment building with even fewer businesses scattered amongst them.

Both the Regional Transportation District and the city of Denver have considered the designated bus lanes on Broadway and Lincoln as two phases of one project. The transit organization has left the outreach to the city due to it being a highly

FOR MORE INFORMATION For more information on the Denver Moves Broadway project, including the proposal to transition the bus lane along Lincoln Street into a 24-hour lane, go to https://www. denvergov.org/content/denvergov/ en/broadway-mobility.html.

People can also leave comments on the project through the site. residential area, said Laurie Huff, a senior specialist of public affairs with RTD. However, the organization supports the project, she added, in the hopes that it will draw more riders and get cars off the road.

“We’re supportive of any change that can improve the speed of the service,” Huff said. “Anything we can do to attract more ridership is a good thing.”

She added that buses along the Lincoln corridor currently spend about 20% of the time stuck in congestion without a designated lane.

Compressed parking Jim O’Connell, a resident of the area, said he feels the city has not done enough public outreach on the switch. Many of the homeowners in the area park in the lane because it lies in front of their homes, making it easier to get in and out.

Although there is an alley behind the homes with garages, O’Connell said that not every home has one.

SEE BUS LANE, P7

Washington Park Profile 7

December 2019

Bus lane FROM PAGE 6

Some garages only fit one car, which can become a problem for households with multiple vehicles. It will make parking “hyper compressed” for him and his neighbors, O’Connell said.

He feels that the city is taking “eminent domain,” without consideration to homeowners, or offering anything to them return for their losing parking. “(They’re) taking what people consider as part of their property rights to be able to park in front of their house,” O’Connell said.

Nancy Kuhn, the director of the public information office with Denver Public Works, said in an email that a study of the area in 2016 looked into both transit and pedestrian improvements that could be made to the Broadway and Lincoln corridors. Broadway’s far right lane was later designated as a 24-hour bus lane in 2017.

At the same time, the far right lane on Lincoln from Seventh to 14th avenues also became designated bus lane added.

The city is now looking to extend the bus lane on Lincoln down to I-25, Kuhn said. There are several options on the table, and the 24-hour lane is only one of them, she added. Other options include extending the bus hours during the day and keeping parking at night, adding parking to the west side of Lincoln or a combination of options.

In any case, the city is hoping to improve transit along the corridor.

“These changes will help to alleviate afternoon/evening bus delays from the I-25 and Broadway Station to Seventh Avenue, and help to meet multimodal goals,” Kuhn said.

The city is planning for another outreach meeting to address the comments residents have left so far, Kuhn said.

People can also leave comments on the city website.

Other residents took to Nextdoor to

Residents are concerned over losing the parking lane in front of their houses in favor of a bus lane. The alley behind those houses has some garages, but one resident said the area will become “hyper compressed” when all resident cars move to the alley. voice their concerns about the project.

One resident pointed out that a designated bus lane during the day would make it difficult for delivery drivers or maintenance workers to find parking in front of the house they are going to. Others wondered at the need for three lanes of traffic going each way on Broadway and Lincoln.

Bus improvements Through Blueprint Denver planning and Vision Zero goals, the city has been trying to make multimodal transit options more appealing to residents. Improving bus efficiency is just one way of doing that, Kuhn said.

“As a city we are focused on transitioning from a car-centric culture to providing people with other options to move around town more easily without a car, if they wish,” she said. “We are providing more

transit-only lanes so buses have dedicated space along our corridors to travel safely and with greater predictability, making transit a more appealing and convenient option.”

Huff said RTD keeps track of ridership data to see which routes are used more frequently. Along Lincoln and Broadway, the P and 0 bus, as well as a limited version of the 0 route, travel down the corridor. Huff said that from Seventh Avenue to I-25 along Lincoln, around 651 people board at those stops daily. She added that the routes saw a 2.5% increase in ridership in the last year.

The transit organization also keeps track of traffic speeds. When Broadway added a designated bus lane, the corridor saw an increase of traffic speeds by 7%, or 2.5 minutes faster travel time overall. During the morning rush, travel time was im-

proved by 1.4 minutes. Although it doesn’t seem like much, Huff said it accounts for about 10% of the time people are spending on that corridor.

“That’s significant,” she said, “every little bit adds up.”

But for residents like O’Connell, the numbers don’t mean much. He sited the transit organization’s recently reported decreasing ridership and driver shortage as reasons to be cautious.

As a 70-year-old man who is selfemployed, O’Connell is set on a fixed income. Outside of the parking, he said he worries about not being able to host garage sales which help him raise the funds he uses to pay property taxes.

According to city ordinance in Denver, residents are allowed to have yard sales once every six months.

“I’m going to lose that,” O’Connell said.

Buses on Lincoln Avenue drive in the regular traffic lanes during the day before moving over to the far right for bus stops. Denver staff are proposing to either extend the bus hours of the far right lane, or make it a 24-hour designated bus lane.

8 Washington Park Profile

December 2019

Secret Service study: School shooters showed warning signs More than 40 attacks looked at from 2008-17

By Colleen Long Associated Press

Most students who committed deadly school attacks over the past decade were badly bullied, had a history of disciplinary trouble and their behavior concerned others but was never reported, according to a U.S. Secret Service study.

In at least four cases, attackers wanted to emulate other school shootings, including those at Columbine High School in Colorado, Virginia Tech University and Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.

The study by the Secret Service’s National Threat Assessment Center is one of the most comprehensive reviews of school attacks since the Columbine shootings in 1999.

The report obtained by The Associated Press looked in depth at 41 school attacks from 2008 through 2017.

The information gleaned through the research will help train school officials and law

enforcement on how to better identify students who may be planning an attack and how to stop them before they strike.

“These are not sudden, impulsive acts where a student suddenly gets disgruntled,” Lina Alathari, the center’s head, said in an AP interview. “The majority of these incidents are preventable.”

Nearly 40 training sessions for groups of up to 2,000 are scheduled. Alathari and her team trained about 7,500 people during 2018. The training is free.

The Secret Service is best known for its mission to protect the president. The threat assessment center was developed to study how other kinds of attacks could be prevented. Officials use that knowledge and apply it in other situations such as school shootings or mass attacks.

Since the Columbine attack on April 20, 1999, there have been scores of school shootings.

Some, like Sandy Hook in 2012, were committed by nonstudents. There were others where no one was injured.

Those were not included in the study.

For the report released Nov. 7, investigators reviewed

instances in which a current or recent student purposefully used a weapon to kill at least one person.

“We focus on the target so that we can prevent it in the future,’’ Alathari said.

The report covers 41 school attacks from 2008 through 2017 at K-12 schools and were chosen if the attacker was a current or former student who used a weapon to injure or kill at least one person at the school while targeting others.

Nineteen people were killed and 79 were injured; victims included students, staff and law enforcement. The research was launched following the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, in 2018.

The Secret Service put out a best practices guide based on some of the research last July to 40,000 schools nationwide, but the new report is a comprehensive look at the attacks.

The shootings happened fast and were usually over within a minute or less. Law enforcement rarely arrived before an attack was over. Attacks generally started during school hours and occurred in the one location, such as a cafeteria, bathroom or

classroom.

Most attackers were male; seven were female. About threefifths of the attackers were white, 15% were black and 5% Hispanic.

The weapons used were mostly guns, but knives were also used. One attacker used a World War II-era bayonet.

Most of the weapons came from the attackers’ homes, the investigators reported.

Alathari said investigators were able to examine detailed information about attackers, including their home lives, suspension records and past behaviors.

There’s no clear profile of a school attacker, but some details stand out: Many were absent from school before the attack, often through a school suspension; they were treated poorly by their peers in person, not just online; they felt mistreated; some sought fame, while others were suicidal.

The key is knowing what to look for, recognizing the patterns and intervening early to try to stop someone from pursuing violence.

“It really is about a constellation of behaviors and factors,” Alathari said.

The attackers ranged in age

but were mostly young adults, seventh-graders to seniors.

More than three-quarters initiated their attack after an incident with someone at school.

In one case, a 14-year-old shot a classmate at his middle school after he’d been mocked and called homophobic names.

The attacker later reported the victim made comments that made him uncomfortable and they were the final straw in his decision to attack. Seven attackers documented their plans and five researched their targets before the attack.

Thirty-two were criminally charged, with 22 charged as adults. Most took plea deals.

More than half are incarcerated.

A dozen more were treated as juveniles. Seven committed suicide and two were fatally wounded.

Alathari said the report shows that schools may need to think differently about school discipline and intervention.

The report does not weigh on political topics such as whether guns are too accessible or whether teachers should be armed.

To read the report, go to www.secretservice.gov/ protection/ntac/

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Washington Park Profile 9

December 2019

Out of the classroom and onto scaffolding Nonprofit works with student volunteers to restore historic Wash Park trolley stop

By Kailyn Lamb klamb@coloradocommunitymedia.com

A historic trolley stop near Washington Park was given new life by a small group of volunteers from the Community College of Denver’s Architecture, Engineering and Construction program.

HistoriCorps, a 10-year-old nonprofit which works to restore historic structures, specifically works with students to help give them training outside the classroom. Liz Rice, the workforce manager with HistoriCorps, added that the organization enjoys working with students who come from the community where the project is located.

As community members, the students are working to “save places that matter to them,” she said.

For HistoriCorps, the training component and getting community members involved go hand-in-hand.

“It’s not just saving places, it’s the education, the training,” Rice said. “It’s all about public engagement.”

Brad Eckert, a project manager with Denver Parks and Recreation, said the trolley came up as a potential restoration project over a year ago. Residents of the area brought

it up to the department as a project they’d like to see happen. The stop is located at South Marion Parkway and Downing Street.

The community college works with other organizations such as Habitat for Humanity to get students out of the classroom to get real work experience, said Mark Bell, the building crafts program construction training leader at the school. This was the first time the school partnered with HistoriCorps.

Eleven students worked on the project over 12 days last month, Bell said.

In addition to the physical work, Bell said it’s beneficial for students to see how building projects need to interact with the city for logistical items such as road signs, parking and even having a port-a-potty on site. “It’s one thing to read it out of a textbook,” he said of construction experience. “(Students) actually see the materials being put into place,” he said. “It tells you a whole lot more.”

In an ideal situation, students will bring the experience back to conversations in their other courses, he added.

The type of construction can also make a difference. In typical Habitat for Humanity builds, for example, students are working with more modern construction styles. In a historic project, Bell said students are working to restore work that might not be seen anymore.

With the trolley stop, Bell, who is trained as a carpenter, said there was wood working styles that were the “epitome of carpentry,” and not used as frequently today.

SEE TROLLEY, P32

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10 Washington Park Profile

FROM THE EDITOR

Kailyn Lamb

A

LOCAL

December 2019

VOICES Reflections on a decade

nd just like that, it’s the end of 2019.

I wanted to take the time to reflect on what the ‘10s brought to my life, because I realized I did a lot in that time. I finished two degrees. I moved across the nation and traveled to three different countries. I became an aunt twice over within a couple months.

Ten years can bring a wave of change, both good and bad, to a life. As I’m closing out my 20s and getting ready to enter my 30s in the next couple years, I think this decade has been the first time I’ve had the maturity to look back and really understand just what that span of time means.

Coincidentally, I’ve also read a few books recently

with the concept of repeated timelines. Although the books are very different, they both reflect on how people change over time.

In “The Seven 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle” by Stuart Turton, the main character lives the same day on repeat as different people hoping to solving a murder.

Through twists and turns we learn more about the main character and why he is in this insane loop. In the end, he learns to forgive someone who wronged him because of the experience.

I just started “The Fifteen Lives of Harry August”

by Claire North, which deals with a man who lives the same life on repeat, until someone passes a message along to him that the world is ending.

Change can be raw and unsettling, but without it we cannot grow. The 2010s brought me heartbreak, reunions, friends and a world of perspective. I went on grand adventures by packing up and moving to new places. I came home again and learned a new respect for my native Colorado.

I am incredibly grateful for the past decade. Everything that happened lead me to where I am now: a person who loves her career and where she is in life.

Even the sad parts have dulled with time and helped guide me to the present.

I think I am most grateful for the newest additions SEE LAMB, P11

I

LETTER TO THE EDITOR As of this past September, Colorado currently leads the nation in four-day school weeks with over 61% of school districts having recently made this switch. Is this because we are the trendsetting, innovative trailblazers that the nation knows us to be? No, these fourday weeks were forced upon Colorado’s children due to funding cuts that have been the result of years of the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights chipping away at necessary funding.

The Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, more commonly referred to as TABOR, has

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

three main concepts: a clause that mandates both state and local governing bodies to have taxpayer approval before raising taxes, a flat tax rate, and a spending cap on revenue that cannot grow faster than the rate of inflation plus population growth. Any revenue above the TABOR limit in a given year, often called a “TABOR surplus,” must be refunded to taxpayers.

Colorado has seen a massive influx of people in recent years — an estimated 700,000 people have moved into the state since 2010. The result has been resources

being spread thin as the spending cap has not increased with the population growth accordingly. Schools are under-funded and rank in the bottom fifth for lowest public school spending in the nation, CDOT has over $9 billion in backlogged projects, and vital public services within the state have suffered.

Colorado’s children are the next generation of leaders in our great state. It is our responsibility to ensure they have everything they might need to succeed.

Lindsey Rasmussen Washington Park resident

Access for all

always knew that representing the most bustling, population-rich core of the city would come with unique challenges.

Capitol Hill is the densest neighborhood in the city. Eight of the 15 D10 neighborhood GUEST tracts surveyed in the COLUMN 2010 census have a population density that exceeds 15,000 residents per square mile.

Moreover, District 10 is a commercial and employment hub for the entire city. With the Museum Campus, Civic Center, Botanic Gardens, Colfax busiCouncilmember nesses, Cherry Creek Chris Hinds shopping area, and many other destinations, the district also attracts people from all over the city and country. On any given day, the number of people on our streets is significantly higher than the 71,000 residents who live here. That’s why I call the district “Perfect 10,” because we’re the heart of Denver.

But there is a downside to all the activity in the district. We have more arterial commuter through-traffic in our neighborhoods than other districts, even with so many people out walking about, cycling, and shopping. District 10 contains a disproportionately large number of the city’s High Injury Network (HIN) SEE HINDS, P11

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Washington Park Profile 11

December 2019

Changes headed to South Broadway

F

or 100 years, Broadway and Mississippi had been dominated by the Gates Rubber Factory and the Ford Motor Company, which produced Model Ts back in the early years of the previous century. Platt GUEST Park to the southeast was COLUMN something of a company town for nearly a century, with a sizable portion of residents working for Gates. The factory was eventually shuttered in 1991, and the buildings languished for a decade before redevelopment plans in coordination with the city began to Tom Snyder take shape. The area has been gradually transformed in what so far amounts to a small city of apartment buildings. Here is a quick rundown of what has happened in recent years.

2009: The Windsor Apartments on the southwest corner of Broadway/Mississippi were completed and opened, bringing 419 housing units into our community. The property stays

consistently rented at about 95% occupancy.

The property has at least one parking space per unit, but those are rented separately from the units. There is some limited commercial property that fronts Broadway.

2015: The 1000 Broadway Apartments were opened on the northeast corner of the Broadway/Mississippi intersection. There are 260 oneand two-bedroom units and they run at over 90% occupancy consistently. There are more than 400 parking spaces, but the listing office indicated that the garage is not even close to being fully leased — which means some residents either do not have a car or choose to park their car elsewhere. No commercial spaces were created in this building. The building was resold in October of this year for $91 million or $350,000 per unit.

2018: The Henry, on the corner of Mississippi and Logan opened its doors. The Henry is hard to miss with its sizable scale dominating the intersection. The Henry has 403 “luxury” units that range from $1,650 a month for a studio apartment to $3,680 for their premium two-bedroom units. The Henry has 700 parking spaces, is currently 91% occupied, and does not incorporate any commercial space.

That year also saw the opening of Hanover Platt Park on the east side of Broadway. The Hanover building has 303 units, most of which are one- and two-bedroom units. The building is 90% occupied with no commercial space.

To put all that in perspective, that is almost 1,400 housing units that have been added in the past decade. The surrounding neighborhoods of Platt Park and West Washington Park each have about 3,000 homes, apartments and condos respectively, so simply put we’ve added “half a Platt Park or Washington Park” to that fairly tiny area. None of those projects have significant retail space for restaurants, coffee shops, or the like. Because all of those projects charge additional for parking, some residents save a few bucks by parking on the surrounding streets. No wonder local residents have begun to feel a little squeezed.

You ain’t seen nothing yet If all that wasn’t significant enough, let’s take a look at what is coming to the area now labeled as Broadway Station, on the northwest corner of that intersection, the prime site of the former factory.

By urban infill standards the area is huge, 41 acres in total. It is the largest urban infill site in

Denver and one of the largest in the country.

The area has been zoned by the City of Denver into four development areas (see map) bordered

by Broadway to the east, Santa Fe to the west, and with railroad and light rail lines running through the middle.

The northeast corner is owned by RTD and will continue to be a primary light rail hub with parking for riders. There are no current redevelopment plans for this corner.

The southeast corner is where we will soon start to see redevelopment taking hold, as early as next year. The area was purchased by Texasbased Endeavor Real Estate Group. The preliminary plans for the 7.5-acre parcel call for five or six structures. Two will be office buildings and will be up to eight stories high. The other three or four buildings will be apartments, with those to top out around five stories. All of the buildings will incorporate ground-floor retail space. That translates to about 100,000 square feet of retail, 400,000 square feet of office, and about 900 apartments. The retail will center around a pedestrian mall that will be extensions of Acoma Street and Tennessee Avenue.

SEE SNYDER, P12

Things to watch in Denver’s environmental scene

W

elcome to my second edition of Environment with Ean. For those just joining us, the intent of this column is to highlight policies or planning processes that you can ENVIRONMENT engage with in a timely manner.

WITH EAN Let’s start with some updates: The Jared Polis administration released the governor’s 2020 budget requests, and they include more staff for the Air Pollution Control Division.

According to the Colorado Independent, the Ean Thomas Tafoya proposal adds $2.4 million to the current $24 million budget, which will allow the hiring of 19 new employees, including 10 inspectors focused on compliance to improve air quality. For those who haven’t been following along, the Front Range may be headed into Serious Nonattainment status with the Environmental Protection Agency for ground level ozone. Ozone is particularly harmful for youths,

Hinds FROM PAGE 10

locations. On average, 59 people are killed or seriously injured on district roads every three years. Our crash rate on HIN streets is higher than the citywide crash rate on HIN streets, especially involving pedestrians and cyclists.

I promised my constituents the freedom to navigate the city safely and securely. It is a core value of mine and guides my decisionmaking processes and priorities.

With so much construction in the district, many of the sidewalks are

the elderly and those with respiratory issues.

Public hearings were held in September and the community is still awaiting the decision.

The Denver Climate Stakeholders application is closed, and the word on the street is that many applied. Gratitude to all those who are willing to join the policy work weekly for the next six months. The Denver City Council passed CB19-1177, which officially creates a cabinetlevel Office of Climate Change and Resiliency.

Advocates wanted a new office created because they believe that having the office a few layers into the Department of Public Health and Environment didn’t give it the autonomy and resources that we collectively need to lead globally to curb and prepare for the climate emergency.

Both the stakeholders group and the office are part of compromise between city council and the mayor regarding a pollution excise tax being delayed from the most recent election.

Things that you can engage with today: As I said last month, this is an emergency and it will require an unprecedented effort to to take action on it. Climate Mobilization, a national group with local chapters here in Colorado, is working to get all levels of government to declare a climate emergency, in an effort to access the capital needed to make the rapid

entirely impassable. Neighbors who have been walking and rolling their families and pets around the block for years suddenly can’t move about unencumbered. It’s frustrating to everyone who uses our streets and results in severe safety lapses.

People go out into busy roads and intersections rather than having to continuously backtrack to secure crossing locations. My constituents deserve greater access to their own neighborhoods than this.

I feel the same way about safe bikeways. I’m very encouraged by the miles of dedicated bikeways forecast for the district’s future. I strongly advocate for even more and varied ways of navigating the

change. Here in Colorado, Fort Collins has already declared an emergency and U.S. Reps.

Diana DeGette and Joe Neguse have signed onto a declaration for Congress. There is a local effort here in Denver and they are asking for residents to contact the mayor and city council asking for them to declare a climate emergency. For more information, visit https://climateemergency.us/ Traffic emissions play a huge role in our greenhouse emissions and in our degraded air quality. Many thousands of vehicle trips flow through Denver each day, and many of those do not originate nor end in Denver, yet their emissions pollute just the same. Interstate 25 is currently undergoing a Planning and Environmental Linkage (PEL) Study, and your input is being taken by the Colorado Department of Transportation now. The PEL study is a precursor study to identify environmental impacts of projects before entering into the federal required analysis known as the Environmental Impact Statement of a proposed project under the National Environmental Policy Act. On the table: a new alignment, double decking, improved transit, new bridges and interchanges. Not on the table: the removal of the highway in favor of a boulevard or a parkway.

Vehicle emissions account for a significant

district comfortably. One example I am excited about: I’ve been working to recruit support and finances for the 5280 Trail project. For all of you in D10 who don’t know what the 5280 Trail is, it’s a five-mile, placemaking, recreational bike and pedestrian loop in the heart of the downtown.

Ultimately, I’d like to be responsible for helping Denver break its dependency on single occupancy vehicle commuting. We will never be able to substantively address public safety or climate change if we can’t lead boldly with a new vision for how our residents interact with their city streets. Personally, I feel you will all love not being stuck in traffic, as

part of air quality pollution in the region. According to CDOT counts, the section of I-25 from Santa Fe Drive to 20th Avenue has the highest daily average traffic counts in the state at 272,000 vehicles per day. CDOT has hosted four stakeholders focus group meetings and one public open house. This open house had about 55 attendees according to the meeting summary, including many members of the focus group.

At the time of the open house, CDOT reported receiving roughly 700 comments and survey completions. According to the CDOT summary, a majority of respondents at the open house rejected highway widening as a preferred solution.

The recently approved Mile High Stadium and Auraria plans by the city council call for many more residents to be added smack dab in the middle of this corridor. With the price tags of billions for large urban highway widening, this is no small matter.

I am left with many questions. What is an adequate level of community engagement for advancing a project of this size? Is it a percentage of the surrounding area or of the vehicle trips taken there each day? What are the climate impacts of widening? Think of all that concrete,

well as the benefits of cleaner air, water, and neighborhoods. We can get there. It just necessitates our community coming together as a unified force around this common objective of positive change.

I’m building our outreach. Everyone should be heard. I want everyone to know that if you go to bit.ly/ accessperfect10 you can sign up for my newsletter and learn about what I have been working on.

Denver Councilmember Chris Hinds represents District 10. The district covers north central Denver, including Capitol Hill, Congress Park, Cherry Creek and more. He can be reached at chris.hinds@denvergov.org.

SEE ENVIRONMENT, P12

Lamb FROM PAGE 10

to my life, a beautiful niece and nephew that I can watch grow and make their own decisions for their future.

There are big changes coming up in my life that will start in the 2020s. Although the ’10s had their ups and downs, I can’t help but look forward to this new phase of my life. I’m ready to set new goals and take steps forward into the future.

What are the things you are most grateful for this decade?

12 Washington Park Profile

Snyder FROM PAGE 11

Crossing the railroad tracks to the west is the largest section which the city has designated into two zone districts; one for residential and one for commercial.

The commercial area is being called Santa Fe Yards. The plan is to develop up to 1 million square feet of Class A (read, really nice) office space. Four separate office towers will be constructed each up to 12 stories tall. A 5.36-acre park called Vanderbilt Park East will be built with outdoor amenities for both office workers and residents (for comparison that is twice the size of the park in Platt Park). The buildings will have 2,815 parking stalls but are being built to highlight connectivity with Broadway light rail station via two connecting pedestrian bridges over the rail lines.

The southwest quadrant is currently called the Santa Fe Residential District.

Plans call for three separate multi-family buildings consisting of, in total, approxi-

Environment FROM PAGE 11

plus the diesel fuel it will take to construct.

What are the short- and long-term air quality impacts of construction and finished highway traffic counts? Think about the children playing on the new playground at the Denver Children’s Museum, that close to the highest traffic counts in state. Can urban highway corridors and

Discover

December 2019 mately 1,000 units. Parking for 1,100 vehicles will be provided. There is currently no timetable for the development of this area.

Whew that’s a lot of information! Let’s boil that down to a few relevant details: • The project will likely take up to 10 years to be fully developed and many details could change along the way.

• Once completed the overall plan will add close to: o 2,000 apartments o 1.4 million square feet of office space o Over 100,000 square feet of retail (that’s roughly the same as the shops and restaurants on Old South Pearl Street) o And approximately 4,000 parking spaces.

Taken all together the Broadway and Mississippi area will have more residents than all of Platt Park or West Washington Park. Add to that however many workers fit into 1.4 million square feet of office space (answer: almost 10,000) and you begin to grasp the scale of what is coming.

I see three primary areas of long-term impact on the surrounding neighborhoods:

Congestion. Hate to start off on a negative but it is a reality. There are going to be more cars flowing from the over 6,000 parking spaces and more renters and office workers in the area. Certainly, the project is on the edge of the existing neighborhoods and not right in the middle, but undoubtedly there will be people and cars coming that way. There are a few things that can help—like permit parking on streets—but ultimately options are limited to mitigate the effects.

Property values rising. With thousands of new renters and wannabe home owners wandering in and around the Platt and Washington Park neighborhoods, many are going to conclude that those are charming places to live and will want to become buyers. More buyers means more demand and that results in increasing prices. Those areas have pretty much seen relentless appreciation over the last decade, so look for these projects to keep the upward pressure well into the next one. This of course is good news if you are a homeowner and value more equity, not so good if we are just considering property tax values.

A significant new social and community hub. Some have described the coming projects to resemble Cherry Creek North with all its trendy shops, restaurants, Class A office space and luxury apartments. Add to that a large park and this could be yet another compelling Denver destination.

The vision and plans are certainly there so let’s hope for great execution in the coming years.

Denver is certainly a dynamic, evergrowing metropolitan area. With all economic and population gauges pointing upward don’t look for that to change. How we cope both individually and corporately will be key to keeping our city a wonderful place to live and enjoy. Reach out to your city council representative and look for ways to keep informed and involved.

We can’t stop progress but we can have a voice—let yours be heard!

density coexist given the current science on the impacts of pollution on the health of nearby residents? Let your opinions be heard.

Have you heard of PFAS? PFAS are known as per- and polyfluoralkyl substances. Since the 1940s, more than 5,000 chemicals have been created and are in a wide variety of products including food packaging, carpet and firefighting foams.

These chemicals contaminate groundwater and accumulate in organisms, including you and me. PFAS have been identified

at the federal and state level as an emerging public health threat. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has detected PFAS in the water in the towns of Security, Widefield, Fountain, Commerce City and two fire districts near Boulder. In response, CPDHE has created a PFAS Narrative Policy Work Group to examine new policy to protect the public health of Colorado residents. To date, they have met twice and have released a draft policy for review by the public.

I touched on a few things that you can

engage with in between holiday shopping.

But what I really want to know is if you are you ready for the Colorado legislative session? Last year 22 bills related to the environment were passed by the Legislature. In the new year, I will be profiling some of the introduced legislation that you can engage with early in the 2020 legislative session.

Tom Snyder is a resident of the Platt Park neighborhood in south Denver. He is the managing broker and owner of the Snyder Realty group based in Denver. His office is located at 1598 S. Lincoln St. in Platt Park.

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

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Washington Park Profile 13

December 2019

Gardening under glass

Terrariums are one way to have a small garden in an indoor space. The glass helps create a humid environment for plants.

COURTESY OF DENVER BOTANIC GARDENS

Terrariums provide indoor greenery for any space

W

ith winter approaching, indoor plants are a great way to have some greenery in your life, even if the weather is bleak.

Terrariums, glass GUEST containers with soil and plants, are an COLUMN excellent way to Nicholas Giaquinto have a garden even in the tiniest, overpriced apartments.

Terrariums can create a high-humidity environment that many tropical plants need to thrive. While they may seem intimidating to own and maintain, they are low-maintenance if you choose the right plants.

The terrarium and the plant material that you decide to use will be a large deciding factor for how to maintain it.

Terrariums can either have a sealed or unsealed bottom as well as having an open or enclosed top. Unsealed bottoms will leak, so you will have to water your terrarium in a sink to prevent a mess on your table or desk. Sealed bottoms won’t leak, but you will have to be careful when watering as well to prevent flooding. With open top terrariums you won’t need to worry as much about plant height as in an enclosed one.

When deciding what plants to use, it’s best to choose plants that prefer similar conditions to ensure that everything thrives. Spike moss, ferns, begonias, and calatheas work great in low light. If you are planning to place your terrarium in a room with a lot of light, succulents will

work with a well-drained soil mix — just be aware that you will need to water much less than a tropical terrarium.

When planting, place about a half-inch of soil in the bottom of the container to ensure the plant roots have soil to grow into. Place your plants and then fill in with soil. You should fill less than half of the terrarium space so there is as much space for the plants as possible. You can place a top layer of gravel or moss for an aesthetically pleasing cover. I also enjoy using twigs, stones and figurines for a personal touch.

Maintenance can be tricky for those who continually like to do things with their plants. Over-watering is one of the greatest killers of houseplants, so one must resist the temptation of watering constantly. It can take weeks before a terrarium dries out and requires watering.

An advantage of a terrarium is that you can see how wet the soil is. Always check the soil before watering. You can stick your finger about an inch into the soil and feel how moist it is. After watering keep the terrarium door open, to allow air circulation for one day. You can provide supplemental mist every couple of days if you have that burning desire to do something to your plants.

With many people living in Denver without a garden, a terrarium is a great way to foster a budding horticultural talent. Terrariums allow people to grow plants that don’t do well outside in Colorado and they are guaranteed to liven up any bland office or living space.

Nicholas Giaquinto is a conservatory horticulturist at the Denver Botanic Gardens. He can be reached at horticulture@ denverbotanicgardens.org.

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711).

14 Washington Park Profile

The

December 2019

play’s the thing

The playground at Denver’s Paco Sanchez Park is topped by a 30-foot tower meant to resemble a 1950s microphone, in honor of the park’s namesake, a radio personality and state representative.

DAVID GILBERT

New era of playgrounds brings more risk, reward for kids

By David Gilbert dgilbert@coloradocommunitymedia.com

M

illennial parents who haven’t visited a playground in a decade or two are in for a surprise: The new era of playgrounds is a heck of a lot more fun than the safety-obsessed playscapes of the 1990s and 2000s.

Designers and park planners from a new generation are building kid-driven play structures that are bigger, more interactive and more accessible to people with disabilities than the splintery wood and plastic fantastic playgrounds of yore.

Features that had fallen by the wayside — like merry-go-rounds, see-saws and towering slides — are back, as designers look for ways to get kids out of the house and playing the way kids are meant to play.

Changing lives “We want to see kids off their butts and on

their feet,” said Laurel Raines, a principal and designer with Dig Studio, the Denver-based firm behind a sprawling $9 million playscape at Paco Sanchez Park at Colfax Avenue and Federal Boulevard. “I think good playgrounds can change peoples’ lives.”

Though much of the Paco project is still under construction, the park’s playground opened last year, topped by a 30-foot tower designed to look like a 1950s-era microphone, in honor of Paco Sanchez, a former state representative and radio station owner.

The interior of what Raines calls the Mic Tower is crammed with a complex array of climbing apparatuses, topping out with a threestory-tall spiral slide.

“People say it’s the best playground they’ve ever seen,” Raines said. “A few weeks ago, I went down the big slide myself, and coming out behind me were two boys. I told them I designed this place. One of them didn’t believe me, but the other threw his arms around my legs and said ‘thank you!’”

Throwing adults out Kids are getting a bigger say in how playgrounds are designed, said Sean Kitners, a park planner with Foothills Parks and Recreation District, which covers unincorporated Jefferson County.

WPVC

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The interior of the “Mic Tower” at Paco Sanchez Park features an elaborate climbing structure.

COURTESY OF DIG STUDIO The monkey bars at Jefferson County’s Clement Park are a bit more abstract than in generations past.

DAVID GILBERT

“I throw adults out of the visioning process,” Kitners said. “Second-graders through fourthgraders are great. There are safety guidelines we have to follow, but the kids aren’t bound by that in their imagination.”

One of Kitners’ crowning achievements is the brand-new playground at Clement Park at Bowles Avenue and Wadsworth Boulevard, which includes built-in musical instruments, a wheelchair-accessible merry-go-round, and a conveyor-belt-like roller slide that sees kids line up for rides.

The new era of playgrounds represent huge leaps in the science of play, Kitners said.

“We’re incorporating a lot of elements that provide different biomechanical stimuli,” Kitners said. “Spinning helps with balance.

Monkey bars help with upper body development. Kids may not realize what they’re doing is beneficial to their growth.”

The new Clement Park playground is better in part because it’s a bit riskier, said Sara Baskin, a mom of two toddlers.

“You can fall off this one, but that’s OK,” Baskin said. “Kids learn their limits by pushing them.”

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Washington Park Profile 15

December 2019

A F O N O I T U L O V E

Lincoln’s Roadhouse celebrated its 20th anniversary in Platt Park earlier this year

T N A R F U A T S E R

Jim Housley has been the owner of Lincoln’s Roadhouse since it opened 20 years ago. Since then, Housley said the restaurant has evolved from being more bar focused to food focused.

KAILYN LAMB

By Kailyn Lamb klamb@coloradocommunitymedia.com

or Jim and Kelli Housley, the key to running a successful restaurant is to evolve and stay relevant.

Jim and his then-business partner, Dave Stickney, first bought Lincoln’s Roadhouse 20 years ago. After starting with staple bar and comfort foods like burgers and a meatloaf cheeseburger, Housley and Stickney brought in a friend to add Cajun foods to the menu.

Housley said they now do different burger and po’ boy specials every week and host a special event each year for Fat Tuesday. Housley said his wife Kelli is the mastermind behind the different po’ boys they make.

“For a little corner joint, with a small kitchen, we put out this great food,” he said. “We don’t try to dabble in things we’re not good at.”

Each month, Housley said the staff at Lincoln’s do a competition to see who can sell the most burgers. The winner gets a gift card and the restaurant donates to a charity of their choice.

Housley added that once neighboring businesses caught on to the competition, they began offering to match the donations.

It’s important to keep evolving, Housley said, or else people may forget about your restaurant.

Having pride in your kitchen is also important.

“We all care. There’s no slopping it around here,” he said.

Although the restaurant has always offered good food, he said the focus of the restaurant has changed over the years. In the early days of Lincoln Roadhouse, it was more about bar sales and how much whiskey they could drink, Housley joked. Now the focus is more on putting out

great meals.

“The first 10 years, I’d say we were seriously a great bar with good music and good food,” he said. “In the last few years we’ve kind of evolved, we’ve all gotten older.”

One thing that hasn’t changed over the years at Lincoln’s is the music. In the last 20 years, more than 3,000 shows have been put on at the restaurant. On the wall next to the stage is Housley’s collection of signed guitars.

“Our bread and butter is blues,” he said “We’re pretty serious about putting out good music.”

Charity has also been a consistent theme at Lincoln’s. In addition to the burger challenge, staff and patrons alike participate in the restaurant’s annual St. Baldrick’s Foundation fundraiser. In the last 10 years, Housley said they have raised $400,000. While some raise money to cut their hair, others, including Housley, raise funds to not cut it.

For Housley, 20 years owning a restaurant is a milestone. But he and Kelli don’t plan on slowing down anytime soon, he said, adding “we plan to be here a lot longer.”

One the one hand, Lincoln’s Roadhouse is known for its food and drink, but it is also known for its eclectic decorations. Neon signs line the walls of the bar. Some, like the large red sign reading “crimson & gold” above the bar, have unique stories. When the bar first opened, it was called Crimson and Gold due to its proximity to the University of Denver. That bar closed, and a new bar of the same name has since opened on University Boulevard.

Housley said he loves neon signs, and artfully tries to hide their wiring throughout Lincoln’s.

“I can’t help myself,” he said. “I’m a collector, not a hoarder.”

Wishing you and your family a happy holiday season.

16 Washington Park Profile

December 2019

FAMILIES BY CHOICE

Twenty-three children adopted in Denver during national celebration

By Kailyn Lamb klamb@coloradocommunitymedia.com

O

n the second floor of the LindseyFlanigan Courthouse in Denver, the sounds of laughter and running feet filled the hall in front of the courtrooms. Mascots from Denver’s sports teams hugged children, while other people posed in front of a camera for a family portrait. For 14-year-old Jassir, dressed in a suit and tie, it was a special time.

For many in Denver, Nov. 8 was a normal day. But for 23 children and their now official families, it was adoption day.

Jassir said that as soon as he entered the building, he could feel the “vibe” of the other families — a feeling of happiness, and even relief. Now, Jassir could join Morgan and Jeff Richards in their home with a sense of normalcy, no more meetings or paperwork. In the eyes of the law, he was now their son.

“We’re a family of four when we leave the courthouse today,” Morgan said.

Dozens of people came to support the Richards family at the courthouse. Members of Jassir’s biological family joined in as well.

Jeff said that the day meant they were not only accepting Jassir into their lives, but his family too.

Although the adoption process can have its ups and downs, Jassir said he was always “focusing on the big picture” and getting to the final stage. Jassir first began living with the Morgans last summer. But he knew the Morgans were the right fit when he first matched with the family through the Denver Human Services program.

“I could feel it,” he said of their bond.

Denver has been celebrating National Adoption Day for the last 15 years. In that time, 753 kids have been adopted during the one-day event in Colorado.

According to a news release from the city, Denver Human Services offers the only public adoption option in Colorado.

Families like the Richardses, who are willing to foster and adopt teens, are a rare thing.

The family has one other child, an adopted daughter, 16-year-old Teagan, and Jeff said they knew they wanted to adopt a child close in age. Morgan added that there’s a greater need for teens to find a family that will take them.

The need for a happy and healthy home for these children, was something that all the families could agree on. A news release from the city said that there are 433 children in need of adoptive homes in Colorado.

Many of the families adopting children at the event are also foster parents, such as the Hoags “(Today is) all about the joy and celebration,” said Julie Hoag, who was at the courthouse finalizing the adoption for 2-year-old Lukas.

Julie and her husband Nathan became licensed foster parents seven years ago when the couple were both 28 years old. Since then, they have fostered 15 children and adopted two, including Lukas. “Children need a safe and loving home,” she said of their decision to foster. The couple also has a biological daughter.

Although fostering can come with its own set of challenges — such as saying goodbye to children who are adopted or reunified with their biological families — Julie said that helping provide the kids what they need can make all the difference.

Jassir Richards talks with one of his siblings before his adoption at the Lindsey-Flanigan Courthouse in Denver. Jeff Richards said that adopting Jassir into their family also meant accepting all his biological siblings and other family members.

Jenn Lundin hugs Jassir Richards after the court finalized his adoption by the Richardses. Lundin has worked with Jassir as his assigned lawyer since he was a young boy. During the proceedings she spoke about his growth over the years.

PHOTOS BY KAILYN LAMB

A child waits for a balloon animal during the Denver Adoption Day celebration. The city has put the event on annually for the last 15 years.

This year, 23 children were adopted to families in Colorado.

Jeff Richards wears a purple ribbon for Denver Adoption Day. The Richardses wanted to adopt Jassir to be a sibling to their other adopted child, 16-year-old Teagan. There is a high need for families like the Richardses who are willing to adopt teens.

Morgan Richards, left, hugs Jassir, 14, during the court proceedings to finalize his adoption, with Jeff Richards. The Richardses first matched with Jassir for adoption several years ago, but he first moved in the summer of 2018.

For many of the families, finalizing the adoption is a legal formality. They have accepted each other as family long before stepping foot in the courtroom. One family brought a small decorated sign for their family adoption that read “We are his village.”

In the courtroom, the judge asked Morgan Richards why she wanted to adopt Jassir. She tearfully spoke of the strengths he brings in

to their home. “Every child deserves a family,” Morgan added.

After they finalized the adoption, Morgan and Jeff Richards stood at the front of the courtroom along with the judge and their two children, Teagan and Jassir, for photos of the occasion.

“We have a lot of love behind us,” Morgan said, smiling.

A sign reading “We are his village” sits on a bench in the halls of the LindseyFlanigan Courthouse. Including the 23 children adopted last month, 753 children have had their adoptions finalized on Denver Adoption Day since 2004.

Washington Park Profile 17

December 2019

Small Business Saturday rallies consumers around fellow locals Hubs like Cherry Creek North, Larimer Square build community of businesses

By Clarke Reader Special to Colorado Community Media

In recent years, Black Friday has become a massive, practically month-long endeavor where some of the country’s largest retailers offer all kinds of deals and promotions. But for the more than 600,000 small businesses across Colorado, Small Business Saturday is the day truly worth celebrating.

“Small Business Saturday is incredibly important for small bookstores, because it tends to be one of the biggest days of our year,” said Mariana Calderon, store manager at Second Star to the Right books and gifts, located on South Pearl Street. “Especially in the last four years, people seem to need to go back to roots of community building, and bookstores are a pretty important part of any community.”

Created by American Express in 2010, this year’s Small Business Saturday fell on Nov. 30, and businesses all over the city will celebrated with special activities, sales and more. Both Larimer Square and Cherry Creek North promoted participating businesses to increase visitors.

“We try to encourage as many businesses as possible to participate with discounts, celebrations and promotions. When they

Shoppers at the 2018 Small Business Saturday event in Cherry Creek North smile with their bags. In the Cherry Creek North area, around 170 stores participated in the Small Business Saturday event.

COURTESY OF JOYCE KEUM decide to participate, they get listed in our marketing materials, so we can get the word out about them,” said Jenny Starkey, senior director of marketing and community relations with Cherry Creek North. “What’s so wonderful about Cherry Creek North is the amount of partnerships that we see form around our small businesses, and that community goes a long way to explain why small businesses want to open here.”

Abram Sloss, executive director of the Denver Metro Small Business Development Center, said that Small Business

Saturday is special not only because it incentivizes people to support local and independent businesses, but because it celebrates the people who have taken a risk by starting their own business and are helping to power the economy.

“Seeing the number of small businesses in Colorado really brings out why they are the backbone of the economy,” he said.

“This is a way to celebrate the individuals who want to start a business. And given the time of year, it is valuable for the community, business owners, and for consumers to be reminded how important it is to shop

at local stores.”

Every business that participated marked the day in their own way. Second Star featured a special, space-themed story time with local authors, while shoppers in Cherry Creek North had the chance to win Cherry Creek North Gift Cards, accepted at nearly 170 businesses. And new businesses like Cherry Creek’s Blank Barbers, owned by Zackery Jarmon, used discounts to invite people to check out their shop.

“I love the community and people more than anything, and barbershops are great because they reflect their neighborhood very well,” Jarmon said. “When I heard about the Small Business Saturday program, I thought we’d participate because it brings people together.”

For the people who take a lot of pride in their community, Calderon explained, the day is a chance to get out of their houses and support the businesses that make their neighborhoods unique in the first place, With such a diversity of businesses all over the city celebrating Small Business Saturday, including 175 in Cherry Creek North alone, shoppers were likely able to seek out whatever they need for the season.

No matter what kind of services the business offers, there is one thing that unites them — they’re owned and operated by people directly in the community.

“What’s great about these small businesses is you’re not just supporting the economy, but your community,” Starkey said. “You’re supporting your friends, family, neighbors and loved ones who are employed at these businesses.”

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18 Washington Park Profile

December 2019

No place like

Denver for the holidays

As the holidays approach, Denverites, organizations talk about tradition

By Bruce Goldberg Special to Colorado Community Media

The holidays are fast approaching, and that means some of Denver’s most popular traditions once again will offer fun, wholesome entertainment for the family.

The 9News Parade of Lights goes through downtown on the nights of Friday, Dec. 6 and Saturday, Dec. 7.

“The event itself kicks off the holidays in Denver. People talk about how they grew up with the Parade of Lights, going with their parents,” said Kaylin Klaren, senior manager of public events for Downtown Denver, which manages the parade. “For many families, this might be the only holiday tradition they can participate in because of expenses.”

The parade will have 12 floats this year, having added “Home for the Holidays,” which is sponsored by American Furniture Warehouse. Founder Jake Jabs, with a stuffed tiger, will ride the float.

Once again, the Secret Society of the Clown Brigade, now in its 11th year, will join the parade and feature a roster of Denver business leaders who dress up as clowns and perform. Their identities are a closely guarded secret.

The 9News team of Tom Green and Kim Christensen will broadcast the parade, which will draw a combined 500,000 people for the two nights.

And, this is year 59 for the Colorado Ballet’s “The Nutcracker,” which will put on more than two dozen performances between Nov. 30 and Dec. 29 at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House. The Nutcracker performances usually sell out and will draw a total of about 55,000 people during its run.

“It’s a family tradition,” said Gil Boggs, artistic director. “People have been bringing their kids, then they grow up and have children and they continue to come. One of the draws is that we have a full orchestra playing the music live.”

Don’t be surprised to see a few modern popular culture references. The 2018 show included moves from the Fortnight video game as well as the Floss and Sprinkler dances. “The audience was howling,” Boggs said.

A o r o a c

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Dancers from Colorado Ballet perform in “The Nutcracker,” which is celebrating its 59th year in the city. Denver has several holiday traditions including the ballet, as well as the 9News Parade of Lights and holiday meals.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MICHAEL WATSON h Elsewhere, the Staenberg-Loup Jewish Community Center has holiday-related events, which honor traditions of helping one’s neighbor on the calendar: • Working with High Point Creamery, the Jewish Community Center will create a Hanukkah ice cream favor named “Bob’s babka.” It’s named for Robert E. Loup, namesake of the center building and a donor to the nonprofit. The ice cream is an olive oil ice cream base with homemade chocolate babka mixed in. Ice cream pint sales are scheduled for Dec. 9-23 in the lobby, and proceeds will support the Jewish Community Center’s programs and scholarships.

• The center will host a canned food drive from Dec. 2 to 18, and asks people to bring nonperishable items and toiletries to its location at 350 S. Dahlia St. The Isabella Bird Community School will distribute the items

through its Backpack Food Program and Pantry, which helps kids and families.

• The nonprofit will host a Menorah Making Chanukah Party from 10 a.m. to noon on Sunday, Dec. 22. Guests will be able to make their own menorahs with items found around the Jewish Community Center, plus play dreidel and eat chocolate gelt. it’s free for adults, and a $5 donation is suggested for each child.

We asked Denver Facebook members to tell us about their favorite holiday traditions.

Here’s a sampling: • “Cousin party on Christmas Eve — it’s been going on since before I was born. I have three first cousins and their families (and their families’ families!) and we rotate houses, and have a big potluck dinner and small gift exchange.” — Lisa Cutter • “At Thanksgiving dinner we always bow our heads and give thanks for the poor

FOR MORE INFORMATION The 9News Parade of Lights will be happening on Dec. 6 and 7. The event is free to attend. For more information, go to https://www.downtowndenver. com/9news-parade-of-lights.

Colorado Ballet’s “The Nutcracker” runs from Nov. 30 through Dec. 29 at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, 1385 Curtis St. For more information and to buy tickets, go to https://www.coloradoballet.org/performances/the-nutcracker.

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Washington Park Profile 19

December 2019

‘Science Behind Pixar’ is trip to infinity and beyond Interactive exhibit highlights STEM and creative partnership

IF YOU GO WHAT: The Science Behind Pixar WHERE: Denver Museum of Nature & Science, 2001 Colorado Blvd., Denver WHEN: Through April 5; open daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

TICKETS: Timed tickets will be required and advance reservations are strongly encouraged. Call 303-370-600 or visit dmns. org/pixar for information.

By Clarke Reader Special to Colorado Community Media

Even the most cursory look at Disney Pixar Animation Studios’ creative output makes one thing abundantly clear — the studio is responsible for the most astounding creative output of this century. In terms of technical achievement and creative storytelling, nothing comes close.

It’s the partnership between the technical and creative that gets explored in the Denver Museum of Nature & Science’s new exhibit “The Science Behind Pixar.”

“The exhibit follows the entire process of how these films and stories are created,” said Greg Koronowicz, the museum’s senior producer of digital media. “It covers everything, from what it takes to animate the 3D characters to lighting and beyond.”

The exhibit runs at the museum, 2001 Colorado Blvd., through April 5. Timed tickets will be required and advance reservations are strongly encouraged.

The heavily interactive exhibit is the perfect introduction and expansion of the science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM) focus that has been gaining ground in the education world.

“What’s great about the exhibit is it shows how artists and animators rely on scientists

The interactive “The Science Behind Pixar” exhibit at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science provides visitors the chance to learn how characters are made and moved in the studio’s films.

COURTESY OF THE DENVER MUSEUM OF NATURE & SCIENCE and programmers to help create the movies,” said Dr. Ka Chun Yu, curator of space sciences at the museum. “People can learn about how the creative and scientific work together.”

Each section in the exhibit focuses on a step in the filmmaking process — modeling, rigging, surfaces, sets and cameras, animation, simulation, lighting, and rendering — with more than 50 interactive elements along the way. Visitors can build robots like those in “WALL•E,” create a virtual 3D shape and play it in a 360-degree view and make their own stop-motion animations.

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exhibit pull back the layers on elements of filmmaking that audiences may not even consider, like lighting. Visitors can see the lengths to which animators went to get light just right underwater for “Finding Nemo” and “Finding Dory,” the challenges of capturing the way light reflects off of shiny surface for the “Cars” trilogy, and the emotional lifting lighting choices can do in “Up.” As with every temporary exhibit, museum educators worked hard to add a touch of the museum’s style and expertise to the proceedings. This includes an exhibit guide specifically created for young children, with highlights

that will appeal to them, and a sound cart where visitors can get a taste of how sound effects are made, explained Keelin MacCarthy, one of the program specialists with the museum.

“Setting up these temporary exhibits and adding our own elements is something we take very seriously and do very well,” added Jennifer Moss Logan, content specialist at the museum. “We try to pinpoint what will be meaningful and special to our guests and add that.”

If you’ve been moved by the stories Pixar brings to the screen and want to know how they do it, or want to get a taste of the careers available to those who study STEM fields, there is truly something everyone can learn at the exhibit.

“The exhibit expands everyone’s horizons, especially kids who will be coming out of high school and college having studied science, technology, engineering and math,” said Koronowicz. “I wish I knew this stuff was available when I was in school.”

20 Washington Park Profile

December 2019

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Washington Park Profile 21

December 2019

H O L I D AY

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22 Washington Park Profile

December 2019

Paralympians part of wheelchair rugby team Denver Harlequins play fast and hard in physical sport

By Joseph Rios jrios@coloradocommunitymedia.com

Littleton resident Jason Regier was driving his way back to Corvallis, Oregon in 1996 where he played soccer for Oregon State University. When he was driving his Jeep about 75 mph, he reached down to change the radio station in his vehicle. Next thing he knew, his Jeep rolled over three times — leaving him paralyzed.

“Just like that, in a split second, life changes,” said Regier.

During rehabilitation at Craig Hospital in Englewood, Regier was introduced to wheelchair rugby. Regier’s passion for the game grew and led to him medaling three times with the USA Wheelchair Rugby team, with his most recent medal coming from the 2016 Summer Paralympics.

As Regier prepares to coach the Denmark Wheelchair Rugby team in the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo, he is spending time in Lakewood at the Charles Whitlock Recreation Center each week, where he coaches the Denver Har-

Chuck Aoki has been part of the USA Wheelchair Rugby team since 2009 and recently competed in the 2019 Parapan American Games in Lima over the summer.

Jake Daily, left, Josh O’Neill and Chuck Aoki battle it out during a practice for the Denver Harlequins wheelchair rugby team on Nov. 7 at the Charles Whitlock Recreation Center in Lakewood. The team has won the Tampa International Wheelchair Rugby Tournament two years in a row.

PHOTOS BY JOSEPH RIOS lequins wheelchair rugby team.

The Harlequins, who practice at the Charles Whitlock Recreation Center, are made up of 16 players who all have a differ-

ent story about why they are in a wheelchair. Nonetheless, the team competes in a fast-paced, hard-hitting, high-scoring sport.

Wheelchair rugby is played on

something similar to a basketball court, and it involves four players on each team who are ramming their wheelchairs into each other, trying to stop the opposing team

from scoring.

“You have some of the most severely impaired individuals that play the fastest, hardest-hitting game. It grabs people’s attention,” said Regier after he got done barking instructions for a drill for his team to run at a Nov. 7 practice.

“It’s high-level, and (wheelchair rugby has) an amazing amount of strategy and athleticism. Just like the Olympics, you get world-class athletes.”

Practices for the Harlequins SEE RUGBY, P23

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Washington Park Profile 23

December 2019

Rugby FROM PAGE 22

look like this: Players participate in drills and scrimmages, as well as conditioning exercises for matches by wheeling their chairs up and down a gym floor for minutes.

The Harlequins are full of players who compete for the USA Wheelchair Rugby team, including Adam Scaturro and Chuck Aoki, Lakewood residents, Eric Newby of Bailey and Jake Daily from Illinois.

Regier called Aoki the USA Wheelchair Rugby team’s top player. Aoki was born with a rare genetic condition called hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy type II. It’s a condition that affects sensory nerve cells, which transmit information about sensations like pain, temperature and touch to the brain, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Aoki started using a wheelchair when he was 9, and has been part of the USA Wheelchair Rugby team since 2009.

“It’s been an incredible ride. I’m just trending in the right direction, and we’re hopefully going to go get gold in Tokyo,” said Aoki. “Rugby is physical, it’s hard-hitting, it’s intense, and it’s passionate. It’s the most exciting Paralympic sport out there.”

Aoki’s teammate Newby broke his neck in 2006 the night of his high school graduation in a car accident. While he was in rehab, he met the coach of the St. Louis Spartans wheelchair rugby team. Three weeks after that meeting, he got in a chair and hasn’t stopped playing wheelchair ruby since.

Newby has been part of the USA Wheelchair Rugby team since 2012 and joined the Harlequins in 2016.

“Rugby was my new outlet, and my new

Coach of the Denver Harlequins, Jason Regier, far right, addresses his team. Regier will coach the Denmark Wheelchair Rugby team in the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo.

PHOTOS BY JOSEPH RIOS thing to focus on and work toward. It was helping me get stronger in everyday life,” said Newby. “I encourage people to not sit at home. That’s the worst thing you can do for yourself — just find your passion.”

In February, the Harlequins won their second straight Tampa International Wheelchair Rugby Tournament. The USA Wheelchair Rugby team earned a gold medal after a victory against Canada in the 2019 Parapan American Games in Lima over the summer. The victory secured a spot for the team in the 2020 Summer Paralympics. “(Wheelchair rugby) is one of the coolest sports most people have never seen. I think the games coming up in Tokyo will be of the highest levels of competitions put on,” said Regier.

Eric Newby surveys for a teammate to pass the ball to.

Newby has been part of the USA Wheelchair Rugby team since 2012 and joined the Denver Harlequins in 2016.

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December 2019

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Washington Park Profile 25

December 2019

FAIRY DOOR

Residents painted small doors to create unexpected art

ART PROJECT

RETURNS W TO DISTRICT 7

Jolon Clark, the city council representative for District 7, paints his fairy door at an art workshop. The fairy doors will be put up as an art project throughout the district.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF CHLOE CLARK

By Kailyn Lamb

klamb@coloradocommunitymedia.com

hile walking around areas of District 7 in southwest Denver, you may just stumble upon art made by the locals. The pieces aren’t large — in fact, Councilmember Jolon Clark calls it “micro art,” small pieces of creativity to spark imagination while walking the streets of Denver.

As part of the Imagine 2020 initiative, Clark and members of District 7 created the first fairy doors along South Pearl Street in 2017. The challenge, which coincides with Denver Arts Week, gives the district a budget of $2,020 to create art.

While visiting family in Michigan a few years ago, Clark discovered several fairy door art pieces around the city of Ann Arbor. The doors inspired him to bring the project back to Denver. Michigan artist Jonathan Wright creates the doors thinking of them as real residences for fairy creatures in the area.

“I just thought it was a really cool way to engage kids and families,” Clark said. “It really engages people in art in their daily life in places that they might not expect it.”

For the same challenge last year, District 7 residents did art projects on the electric boxes along Federal Boulevard. This year, Clark decided to bring fairy doors back for the rest of District 7.

Michele Brown, an artist and resident of District 7, created the small doors and provided paint supplies and brushes for a workshop where people could paint their fairy doors on Nov. 9.

People were very creative with their doors, either matching them to the doors of their own homes, or using colorful splatters of paint, she said. Art is a way to bring people together.

Remarkable Results!

A small collection of the more than 70 fairy doors made by District 7 residents in November. The doors are part of an Imagine 2020 art project.

TO LEARN MORE To learn more about the South Pearl Street fairy doors in District 7, go to https://spearlstfairydoors.weebly. com/.

“Some were really meticulous and others just had fun,” Brown said. “I love to see people get excited about art and creating.”

Clark said they had enough doors for 75 people. All but one were used during the workshop, he said.

Having fairy doors throughout the community is a way to strike the curiosity of both adults and children, Brown said. For those in the know of the project, looking for them can become like a scavenger hunt. For people out walking who just happen to come across a fairy door, it can be a nice treat.

“They’re little surprise pieces of art,” Brown said. “It’s not something people are looking for.”

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26 Washington Park Profile

December 2019

Things to Do Submit calendar listings on our website, coloradocommunitymedia.com, go to the Calendar tab and click “Submit an Event.”

Priority is given to non-profits, low- or no-cost events and locations within our distribution map.

Next Issue Deadline: Wednesday, Dec. 18.

EVENTS Japan 10 to 11 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 3 at Jewish Community Center, 350 S. Dahlia St. From imperialist empire to economic power, Japan has a complicated and fascinating history. Join Active Minds as we trace the evolution of the modern Japanese state from its ancient roots to the present. We will cover the impact of Japan’s involvement in World War II as well as their economic recession in the 1990s. For info, call Lil Shaw: 303-3166359.

Kavod on the Road: So This is Love featuring Central City Opera Singers 1 to 2 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 3 at Hebrew Educational Alliance 3600 S. Ivanhoe St. Composers and lyricists have waxed poetic on the subject of love since the beginning of time. So This Is Love tells the story of a romantic relationship through opera and music theatre. Tickets: $10.

Visit kavodseniorlife.org for more information.

The History of Colorado 2 to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 3 at Brookdale Parkplace, 111 Emerson St. Come discover the stories of Colorado History.

You will learn about the competing claims to Colorado dating back to the Native Americans who originally lived here. We will cover the 15 year struggle to become the 38th state as well as the role of mining and oil in the evolution of the state.

Bring your favorite Colorado stories to share. For more information, contact 303-744-1950 or dday@brookdale.com.

Zimbabwe 5 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 3 at Tattered Cover, 2526 E. Colfax Ave. Join Active Minds as we review Zimbabwe’s history as a former British Colony, the nominally independent country of Rhodesia, and a 15 year civil war involving complicated race relations. We will also cover where the country may be heading as it seeks to find its path after nearly four decades under the dictatorial rule of Mugabe. Call 303-322-7727.

Hearth & Dram Pappy Repeal Dinner Bundle up and head to Punch Bowl Social Stapleton (3120 N. Uinta St.) Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through 12/31, from 5 – 9 p.m., for holiday themed outdoor mini golf at Nick’s Holiday Putt Club.

The outdoor golf course will be decorated with dazzling lights, giant snow globes, life size candy canes, and more, offering plenty of holiday photo opportunities.

Enjoy the snack shack in Nick’s Village with adult seasonal beverages including Jingle Bell Rock ‘N’ Rye, Pink Bunny Suit and Golden Age of Garland. Plus, plenty of kid-friendly cozy beverage options like hot chocolate, hot buttered tea and warm tasty snacks.

Steuben’s Uptown Toy Drive The Steuben’s Uptown 12th Annual Toy Drive (523 E. 17th Ave.) is on Thursday, 12/5. Dress as your favorite Quentin Tarantino film character. The entire night benefits the children living in Denver Housing Authority housing. Bring a toy, valued $10 or more, and receive your first cocktail free. After the first cocktail, drinks are just $5. Enjoy guest bartenders, special guest DJ, snacks, and much more.

First Friday in Denver Art District on Santa Fe 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6 at D’art Gallery, 900 Santa Fe Drive. The International Show features artwork expressed through painting, drawing, mixed media, sculpture, fiber, and photography. Visit dartgallery.org.

Christmas with The Colorado Choir 7:30 to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Dec. 6 and 7 at Augustana Lutheran Church, 5000 E. Alameda Ave. The Colorado Choir’s 43rd annual Christmas Concert featuring “A Ceremony of Carols”

by Benjamin Britten. $20 adults; $15 seniors, military, students. Information at thecoloradochoir.org or 303-892-5922.

Family Workshop: Chocolate Treats Saturday, Dec. 7, 10-11:30 a.m., 2-3:30 p.m. and Sunday, December 8, 10-11:30 a.m. $17 child, $15 member child, $12 adult, $10 member adult. Explore the chocolate tree and its celebrated history.

This workshop is designed for families with children ages 5-10. Workshops offer families a hands-on guided opportunity to learn about the science and enchantment behind the plants in our everyday lives. Visit botanicgardens.org for more information.

Christy Wessler’s Holiday Sing-Along Concert 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7 at Swallow Hill, 71 E. Yale Ave. Christy Wessler is emcee and soloist for this family-friendly Holiday show which includes an audience sing-along of traditional carols and special guests. $14 Adult/ $10 Children 12 and under in advance; $16 and $12 on day of show. Visit swallowhillmusic.org.

Denver SantaCon Crawl Noon to 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7 at Blake Street Tavern + Various Venues, 2301 Blake St. The annual SantaCon Pub Crawl is coming to Denver. Celebrate holiday cheer with hundreds of Santas roaming the streets spreading holiday cheer and supporting the local community in LoDo. Visit go.evvnt.com/550987-2?pid=4951.

Music in the Galleries, featuring the Spektral Quartet 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 8 at Clyfford Still Museum, 1250 Bannock St. The quartet performs “captivating” (New York Times) composer Tonia Ko’s work “Plain, Air” for string quartet and electronics, presented in dialogue with Still: Elemental, an exploration of Clyfford Still’s work in relation to the Classical Greek elements of the universe: earth, water, air, fire, and aether. Music is free with Museum admission.

Visit friendsofchambermusic.com/archives/concerts/music-in-the-galleriesspektral-quartet-dec-8 for more information.

Opening Artists Reception for “Changes” - a Juried Art Exhibition Through Sunday, Dec. 8 at D’art Gallery, 900 Santa Fe Drive. D’art Gallery hosts the gallery’s first exhibition of work by International and National Artists. Visit dartgallery.org for more information.

Pathways to Transitions 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 10 at University of Denver, Craig Hall, 2148 S. High St. This event will offer strategies, local resources, and practical advice to support transition-age teens with autism. Event is free. Visit This event will offer strategies, local resources, and practical advice to support transition-age teens with autism.

Visit act.AutismSpeaks.org/PathwaystoTransitionDenver for more information.

Community Awareness Program 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 11 at CELL Exhibit, 99 W. 12th Ave. The Community Awareness Program® (CAP®) empowers citizens to help play a role in enhancing our community’s safety. If you have additional questions regarding the CAP, please email CAP@thecell.org or call 303.844.4000 ext. 6.

D’art Gallery hosts “Simply Small” Exhibition by Gallery Members Located at 900 Santa Fe Drive, D’art Gallery hosts a December Gallery Members Exhibition, “Simply Small”, from Thursday, Dec. 12 through Sunday, Dec. 22.

The gallery will be open for the last Artist Reception of the year during “Collectors Night” in Denver Art District on Santa Fe on Friday, Dec. 20 from 6 to 9 p.m. Visit dartgallery.org for more information.

Inside the Orchestra’s Christmas Tiny Tots Concerts 9 a.m. to noon, Saturday, Dec. 14 at PPA Event Center, 2105 Decatur St. Kids get truly inside the orchestra as they are seated on the floor and surrounded by musicians. This Christmas, kids and their families can enjoy all

their holiday favorites! $12.50 suggested ticket price. Visit insidetheorchestra.org/ tiny-tots-events.

Advent Jazz Vespers 7 to 9 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 15 at Saint Paul Lutheran and Catholic Community of Faith, 1600 Grant St. The Barry Sames Ensemble returns to St. Paul Lutheran and Catholic Community of Faith in downtown Denver. We will share fellowship with a reception afterwards, with a free-will donation. Open to the community and we truly welcome everyone.

Our congregation is made up of the Lutherans and Catholics who are open and affirming of our LGBTQ+ neighbors.

Contact: Pastor Barbara Berry-Bailey at 303-839-1432, or pastorbarbara@ stpauldenver.org.

Ninth Annual Klezfest On Saturday, Dec. 21, the Mizel Museum will host two Klezfest concerts at the Mercury Café in Denver, at 6 p.m. and at 9 p.m. The 6 p.m. show features Rabbi Joe Black, Steve Brodsky and Cantor Elizabeth Sacks, followed by Hal Aqua and the Lost Tribe. The 9 p.m. show features Hal Aqua and the Lost Tribe and Hadgaba. Tickets: $25. Visit mizelmuseum.org/event/ninth-annual-klezfest.

Denver Brass: ‘Twas the Brass Before Christmas 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 21 and 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 22 at Newman Center for the Performing Arts, 2344 E. Iliff Ave. Cozy up with the Denver Brass, Steven Taylor and Aubrey Jacobs for an evening of inspiring seasonal favorites, warmth, and good cheer. Tickets starting at $23. Call 303-832-4676.

Jim Brickman - A Christmas Celebration 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 27 at Paramount Theatre, 1621 Glenarm Place. The bestselling piano artist of our time, Jim Brickman and his special guests, will dazzle audiences with holiday favorites, #1 hits, vibrant vocals, laughter & joy, in this bright, festive winter’s night celebration.

PRICES: $40, $50, $70. Visit go.evvnt. com/504088-5?pid=4951 for more information.

SEE THINGS TO DO, P27

Washington Park Profile 27

December 2019

Things to Do FROM PAGE 26

Resolution NYE 2020 - Denver New Year’s Eve Party 2019 | 2020 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 31 to 2:00 a.m.

Wednesday, Jan. 1 at McNichols Civic Center Building, 144 W. Colfax Ave. For 11 years running, our guests experience a truly interactive, high class, all-inclusive 21+ PREMIUM OPEN BAR New Year’s Eve celebration unlike anything else Denver has to offer! Open Bar Tier 1: $99.00, Early Entry Tier 1: $119.00, VIP Experience Tier 1: $149.00. Visiti go.evvnt. com/545481-0?pid=4951 for more information.

New Year’s Eve Black Tie Party 8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 31 to 2 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 1 at Mile High Station, 2027 W. Colfax Ave. The Denver New Year’s Eve Black Party features the longest OPEN BAR in Denver with 5 ½ hours of unlimited drinks. This year there is a limited amount of 1,000 tickets available making this one of the most exclusive New Years Eve 2019-2020 events in Denver.

please join us for the Tickets: $95. Visit newyearsevenight. com/ for more information.

New Year’s Eve On Tap 9 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 31 to 1:30 a.m.

Wednesday, Jan. 1 at The Rackhouse Pub, 2875 Blake St. Experience a Denver New Year’s Eve 2019 - 2020 party like no other from unlimited cocktails to 2,000 balloons dropping from the ceiling with a toast at midnight. Tickets: $85. VIP tickets are on sale now at the official website: eventism.com/denver-newyears-eve-party/ NYE in the City at Four Seasons Hotel New Years Eve 2020 9 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 31 to 1:00 a.m.

Wednesday, Jan. 1 at Four Seasons Hotel Denver, 1111 14th St. Celebrate New Year’s in Elegance with Cirque Theme!

Denver’s Top Shelf New Year’s Eve Ball!

Stay and play, ride the elevator to the party! General Admission Early Discount: $86.40, General Admission: $107.50, Table for 4: $107.50. Visit go.evvnt. com/553271-0?pid=4951 for more information.

SEE THINGS TO DO, P28

DECEMBER

J A N U A R Y

FAMILY

Drums of the World DEC 1 SUN 2:30

HalfNotes

Love Actually in Concert

MOVIE AT THE SYMPHONY

Harry Potter and the MOVIE AT THE SYMPHONY Deathly Hallows™ Part 1 in Concert JAN 3-5 FRI-SAT 7:30 SUN 1:00 ■

HARRY POTTER characters, names and related indicia are © & ™ Warner Bros.

Entertainment Inc. WIZARDING WORLD trademark and logo © & ™ Warner Bros.

Entertainment Inc. Publishing Rights © JKR. (s19)

DEC 6 FRI 7:30

CLASSICS

Barber Piano Concerto performed by Olga Kern

John Denver Holiday Celebration with the Colorado Symphony

JAN 10-12 FRI-SAT 7:30 SUN 1:00 ■

DEC 7 SAT 7:30

FREE CONCERT

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Tribute

Celtic Woman: The Best of Christmas Tour

JAN 14 TUE 7:30

DEC 8 SUN 3:30

In partnership with the MLK, Jr. Holiday Commission, and Denver Arts & Venues.

A Colorado Christmas

HalfNotes

DEC 13-15 FRI 7:30 SAT 2:30 & 6:00 SUN 1:00 ■

■

Mandolin Orange with the Colorado Symphony JAN 17 FRI 7:30

All Beethoven – 250 Birthday Celebration th

Celebrating 56 Years

SYMPHONY POPS

DEC 16 MON 7:30

A Tribute to Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops

Handel’s Messiah — Awakening

JAN 18 SAT 7:30

DEC 20-21 FRI-SAT 7:30

CLASSICS

Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3

Holiday Brass

JAN 24-26 FRI-SAT 7:30 SUN 1:00 ■

DEC 22 SUN 1:00

SYMPHONY POPS

A Night in Vienna

Gilbert & Sullivan: The Pirates of Penzance

DEC 31 TUE 6:30

JAN 31-FEB 1 FRI-SAT 7:30

HalfNotes Please join us for family-friendly activities 1 hour before the concert.

These performances include FULL SCREENING OF THE FEATURE FILM!

presenting sponsor

also supported by

COLORADOSYMPHONY.ORG

28 Washington Park Profile

December 2019

Things to Do FROM PAGE 27

OUTREACH Nicotine Anonymous Sundays 12:30 p.m. A fellowship of men and women helping each other to live our lives free of nicotine. Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, 915 E. Ninth Ave.Visit nicotine-anonymous.org for more information Nar-Anon Sundays 6:45 p.m. A 12-step support group for families and friends of addicts to help themselves cope. First Unitarian Church, 1400 Lafayette St.Visit nar-anon.org for more information.

Grant Street Reach Mondays 8 a.m.Providing meals at no cost to its clients and it is sustained by committed and compassionate volunteers. 303-839-1432. St. Paul Lutheran and Roman Catholic. Community of Faith, 1600 Grant St. Visit grantstreetreach.org for more information.

Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous Mondays 7 p.m. Through shared experience and mutual support, join a meeting to help each other to recover from the disease of food addiction. 303-775-8062 for more information. Trinity United Methodist Church, 1820 Broadway. Visit foodaddicts.org for more information.

Home for the Heart AL-ANON Mondays - Group Al-Anon Adult Children of Alcoholics. Tuesday through Thursday - Group Al-Anon. Fridays - Group Al-Anon (Meditation the first 10 minutes). Room 114, In lower level. Trinity United Methodist Church, 1820 Broadway. Visit al-anon-co.org for more information.

Moderation Management Tuesdays 6:30 p.m. Weekly meetings for problem (vs. chronic) drinkers who want to reduce their intake of alcohol. Email: denver@ moderation.org. First Unitarian Church, 1400 Lafayette St. Visit moderation.org for more information.

Contemporary Services Sundays 9 a.m. 11 a.m. Service offered as well. 303-322-5733. Church in the City-Beth Abraham, 1580 Gaylord St. churchinthecity. org

Joy AL-ANON Tuesdays 8 p.m. Al-Anon’s Purpose is to help friends and families of alcoholics recover from the effects of living with the problem drinking of a relative or friend. In the Roberts Building, Room 103. Saint John’s Cathedral, 1350 Washington St. Visit al-anon-co.org for more information.

Sunday Progressive Service Sundays 9:30 a.m. Please join us in celebrating our next era of active, progressive service in the 21st century! We value, accept, appreciate and celebrate each person’s uniqueness, creativity, and talents as expressions of God. ALL are welcome. 303388-6469. St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, 1280 Vine St.stbdenver.org

LifeRing Secular Recovery Meeting Wednesdays 6 p.m.A network of people who support one another in living free of alcohol and other non-medically indicated addictive drugs. 303-875-5088. First Unitarian Church, 1400 Lafayette St. Visit liferingcolorado.org for more information.

Marijuana Anonymous Wednesdays 6:30 p.m.

A fellowship of people who share experience, strength and hope with each other that we may solve our common problem and help others to recover from marijuana addiction.

Unity Church on the Hill, 1555 Race St. Visit marijuana-anonymous.org for more information.

FREE Support with Binge Eating Challenges Thursdays 6 p.m. This support group is ideal for individuals at least 18 years old who are struggling with a binge type eating disorder. All groups are free of charge.

We hold confidential groups facilitated by specialists to allow you to gain the support you need. The Eating Disorder Foundation, 1901 E. 20th Ave. Visit eatingdisorderfoundation.org for more information.

RELIGION AND SPIRITUALITY Catholic Mass Sundays 7:30 a.m. Also, Spanish Mass, 12:30 p.m. (2nd and 4th Sundays) and African Mass, 1 p.m. (3rd Sunday). 303-322-8042. St. Ignatius Loyola Catholic Church, 2301 York St. loyoladenver.org Episcopal Service Sunday, 7:45 a.m., 9:30 a.m. 303-388-6469 St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, 1280 Vine St.stbdenver.org

Lutheran Worship Sundays 9:30 a.m. All are welcome to share in God’s grace. 303-831-7023.Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, 915 E. 9th Ave.oslchurchdenver.org

Anglican Services Sundays 7:45 a.m. 303-831-7115. Saint John’s Cathedral, 1350 Washington St. sjcathedral. org Orthodox Low Mass Sundays 8 a.m. Church School at 9:10 a.m., Anglican Chant Matins at 9:45 a.m., Solemn High Mass at 10 a.m. St. Mark’s Church, 1405 S. Vine St. Interdenominational Service Sundays 8:30 a.m. 303-800-8269. Denver United Church, 660 S. Broadway. denverunited.com Catholic Mass Sundays 8:30 a.m. Also at 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. 303-831-7010. Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, 1535 Logan St. denvercathedral.org Catholic Mass Sundays 9 a.m. 303-534-4014. St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic Parish, 1060 St. Francis Way. stelizabethdenver.org Acts 29 Christian Service Sundays 9 a.m. L2 Church, 1477 Columbine St. L2today.com

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Presbyterian Services Sundays 9:30 a.m. Followed by fellowship at 10:30 a.m. and education for all ages at 11:00 a.m. 303-333-9366. Capitol Heights Presbyterian Church, 1100 Fillmore St. capitolheightspresbyterian.org Orthodox Mass Sundays 10:00 a.m. 303-698-2433. Saint Augustine Orthodox Church, 55 W. 3rd Ave. staugustinedenver.org Interfaith Devotions Sundays 10:00 a.m. 303-744-6456. Baha’i Center of Metro Denver, 225 E. Bayaud Ave. denverbahais.org Worship Service Sundays 10:00 a.m. With pre-worship coffee at 9:30 a.m. and post worship social time at 11:30 a.m. 303-860-1819. Metropolitan Community Church of the Rockies, 980 Clarkson St. lifelegacyphotography.com/mccr/ Progressive Protestant Services Sundays 10:00 a.m. An open and affirming congregation of the United Church of Christ that welcomes all people regardless of race, age, gender, sexual orientation, and disability. Sunday school offered and fellowship hour following each service. Come join our community!Sixth Avenue UCC, 3250 E. 6th Ave. sixthavenueucc.org

Washington Park Profile 29

December 2019

YES! To Free Press

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30 Washington Park Profile CALL KAREN TO PLACE YOUR AD TODAY! 303-566-4091 MISC. NOTICES Run a 25 word ad for $27 a month Call Karen 303-566-4091 or email kearhart@ coloradocommunitymedia.com to place your ad Deadline is January 18th for the February Issue

FARM & AGRICULTURE FARM PRODUCTS & PRODUCE Grain Finished Buffalo

December 2019

Service Directory OFFICE RENT/LEASE

CARPENTRY

HANDYMAN

LAWN/GARDEN SERVICES

OFFICE FOR LEASE

HOME RENOVATION EXPERTS New framing, remodel, kitchens, bathrooms, drywall repair, decks, patios, fences. Free estimates. Reasonable rates. JDB Enterprises. Call Dale, 303748-7202.

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PROFESSIONAL OUTDOOR SERVICES Evergreens, shrubs & trees; planted, trimmed, removed. Aeration; sprinkler repair; Gardens; natural rock or block walls; Sod & rock installed/removed; Fence repair. Snow Removal! Lic. & Ins. Dick, 303-783-9000.

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TRANSPORTATION

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ADULT CARE

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JEWELRY SOWILO ARTISAN JEWELRY Hand crafted designs in silver. Custom design, silver jewelry restoration and repair. 1221 S. Pearl St. 303-548-5467.

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LAWN/GARDEN SERVICES CLEAN-UPS/ YARD MAINTENANCE/ SNOW REMOVAL Hauling and yard clean-up. Longtime Baker neighborhood resident; 30 yrs. exp. Insured, references. Free estimates. Call Lou R. Varlaro, 303-8681539.

MOVING/STORAGE

GATE CITY MOVING Local home & office moving. We’re competent, fast, and in the neighborhood. Rates: $108/hr., 2 men and moving van. Inquire about statewide moves. 306 Washington St. 303-7448692.

ORGANIZING SERVICES PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZER Do you need a Personal Assistant to help you corral your home office?

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PAINTING

BAUER PRO-PAINTING EST. 1996 We use only the highest quality materials from prep to paint. Drywall, plaster repair, replace damaged wood. A+ rating with BBB. Insured. 303-733-2870 or bauerpropainting@gmail.com.

LANDSCAPING We offer design, installation and maintenance. Specializing in residential landscapes. The Green Fuse offers a full spectrum of services provided by a landscape architect and master gardener. Advanced knowledge of Colorado plant material and xeriscaping. Call 303-507-4772 for free estimate. Visit: greenfuselandscape.com.

MR. PLUMBER Licensed Master Plumber of 28 yrs.

Top Quality work & personalized service at reasonable prices! Call Jeff 303-523-6652. Credit cards OK. MrPlumberDenver.com

ROSS TREE COMPANY 40 years of caring for trees in the Washington Park neighborhood. Pruning, planting, large tree removal, deep root watering, fertilizing and insect control. 303-871-9121 www.rosstree.net

VAIL PLUMBING & HEATING The Older Home Specialist. Service: repair & remodeling; gas logs. Hot Water Heat. Quality work. Licensed, insured, guaranteed. MC/VISA accepted. 303-329-6042.

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Washington Park Profile 31

December 2019

Playground FROM PAGE 14

Learning how to deal The new approach is welcome news to Lenore Skenazy, the president of the nonprofit group Let Grow and founder of the FreeRange Kids movement, which advocates for childhood independence and resilience.

“Playgrounds were getting so safe and dull that two things were happening: either kids didn’t want to come, or when they did, they created their own risks,” Skenazy said.

Skenazy recounted horror stories from around the country, like day cares that cut down trees to keep kids from climbing them, schools that got rid of swingsets, and playgrounds declared off-limits because they were built over grass, which was considered a dangerous surface.

“I think there’s a lot of recognition growing that we’ve gone too far,” Skenazy said. “We’re starting to recognize that play isn’t irrelevant.

It’s a building block to learning how to deal with each other, handle risk and compromise.

When kids are given the opportunity to really play without interference from adults, they learn social and emotional skills that we’re worried are being lost.”

Access for all Park planners are also building with a greater emphasis on access for people with disabilities, said Amber Wesner, the public engagement and operations manager for the City of Lakewood.

Lakewood recently completed a new playground at Carmody Park, on Kipling Street just south of Jewell Avenue, with disability access as a central focus, Wesner said.

“Kids of all abilities can play together

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there,” Wesner said. “It’s really the vanguard in bigger cities to have at least one universally accessible playground. It helps reduce stigma, and it’s a great community partnership opportunity.”

It’s a trend that can’t evolve soon enough for parents like Stacy Warden of Westminster, whose son Noah, 10, has a severe case of cerebral palsy that renders him unable to use his limbs. Warden said that even as many neighborhood playgrounds retrofit existing structures to add amenities like swings for people with disabilities, many are poorly planned.

“Adapted swings are a nice touch, but many of them still lack wheelchair-accessible pathways,” Warden said.

Another problem, Warden said, is that even at parks with accessible structures, parents and children without disabilities sometimes

monopolize the equipment.

“Parents turn a blind eye to us, or they’re just oblivious,” Warden said. “I would hope that with greater wheelchair access is a shift in awareness too.”

It’s only natural Beyond traditional playgrounds, other playscape trends are evolving, said Steve White, a park planner with South Suburban Parks and Recreation District.

The district, which covers a vast swath of the south metro area, is in the process of developing a slew of “nature play” parks, which utilize natural elements like logs and boulders.

Two nature parks are already complete: Creekside Experience at Santa Fe Drive just north of Belleview Avenue, and Lee Gulch a couple miles south on Santa Fe beside Breck-

enridge Brewery. Others, like Progress Park at Belleview Avenue just east of Windermere Street, have seen a first round of development.

All three are built beside watercourses, and encourage kids to incorporate the riparian area into their play, White said.

“Our communities are growing and getting denser, and anytime you can get kids — or adults — out in a natural environment, the better,” White said. “It helps instill a sense of environmental stewardship, and it helps build connections to wildlife.”

Developing bigger and better playscapes will be key to addressing the ills of 21st-century life, White said.

“There’s a lot of talk about how sedentary we’re getting,” White said. “We know that has profound impacts on mental and physical health. Places like these are part of the solution.”

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32 Washington Park Profile

December 2019

Mile High Freedom Band’s

Holiday Show “Make the Yuletide Gay” December 7th 3:00 PM

in our sanctuary

City accepting applications for energy assistance program Staff Report Last month the city of Denver opened applications for its annual Low-Income Energy Assistance Program through the Office of Human Services.

216 South Grant Street For information call: 303-733-8940 www.HistoricGrantAve.org

homeowners and renters save money on their heating costs, according to a news release from the city.

For more information, or to apply, go to www.denvergov. org/LEAP.

Three south Denver area schools given national award Staff Report

Historic Grant Avenue would appreciate any donations to help us restore and revive our historic building. Donations can be made online through website or check drop off.

Applications will be accepted until April 30.

The program is run statewide and more than 7,100 households were able to get assistance in the 2018-2019 season. The program can help

Three Denver schools were recognized with the National Blue Ribbon School Award in Washington, D.C. last month.

The program sets a standard of excellence for all schools striving for the highest level of achievement, according to a news release from Denver Public Schools.

The three Denver schools that received the award were the Bradley International School in the University Hills neighborhood, DSST: Byers

Middle School in the Speer neighborhood and Slavens K-8 School in the Wellshire neighborhood. The state of Colorado was given five total Blue Ribbon School Awards, the news release said.

“This award is given only to the very best education programs in the nation.

Bradley International School, DSST: Byers Middle School and Slavens K-8 School have proven yet again that Denver Public Schools is a great place for students to learn and grow,” said Susana Cordova, superin-

tendent of DPS in the release.

Schools are eligible for the award if they meet one of two criteria: schools that rank among the highest in the state based on state assessments or tests referenced by national norms, or schools where at least 40% of its students come from a disadvantaged background that have reduced the achievement gap based on state assessments.

To learn more about the Blue Ribbon School Award, go to https://www2.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/index.html.

Protect your Furnishings and Preserve your View with Hunter Douglas Woven Textures

Trolley FROM PAGE 9

That’s where HistoriCorps comes in, Rice said. The organization helps train workers to do the work in a way that blends seamlessly with the historic piece.

“We’re doing our to best to make it look like we were never there,” Rice said.

HistoriCorps coming in to train volunteers can also help make restoration projects more attainable for organizations with a tighter budget, Rice said. Parks and Recreation provided funding for the project, while HistoriCorps provided training and the Community College of Denver provided volunteers.

Eckert said that having the volunteers in place and the training behind them was the final piece of the puzzle the city needed to get the project done within its budget.

HistoriCorps has a partnership where the nonprofit is located in Denver Mountain Parks office space and helps renovate historic cabins in those parks, Rice said. This was the first time the organization worked on a more urban project.

For Eckert, projects like this are a win for all involved.

“People see something that gets done, it’s restored, but there’s also the takeaway for the students,” he said. “They get to learn hands-on skills and take them further on in their careers.”

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