Your Guide to Community, Politics, Ar ts and Culture in Nor th Denver DenverNorthStar.com
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Volume 3, Issue 2
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November 15, 2021-December 14, 2021
Studies, Bees, Pumps, and Sediment Removal: City Looks at The Future of Sloan’s Lake
DINING PHOTO BY DAVID SABADOS
Sloan's Lake has had fish die off in record numbers, toxic algae blooms, and an array of other problems. Now the city is looking at what can be done proactively. By David Sabados
N COMMUNITY Street Seen: Halloween Photos! PAGE 10
TRANSPORTATION I-25, Transportation Updates PAGE 12-13
KIDS & EDUCATION Parenting Advice PAGE 16
ELECTED OFFICIAL UPDATE Amanda Sandoval PAGE 18
‘Competition’s at its highest’ for education workers in Denver Public Schools
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Street Performers PAGE 5
PAGE 8
ALWAYS FREE!
By Rachel Lorenz
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
The Future of Outdoor Dining
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orth Denver’s largest lake has been through a them make decisions down the road. lot lately. Last year, thousands of fish washed Part of their decisions may depend on Denver’s ashore in the largest fish die-off on record. neighbors too, as water in Jefferson County drains This year, a deadly algae bloom closed the lake for into the lake. “Sloan’s Lake is the bottom of the baseveral weeks until conditions improved. Now the sin,” Eades explained. “Denver Parks is evaluating city is looking at a number of options to keep the lake partnerships to collectively manage Sloan’s Lake as a healthy (and open). Cinceré Eades, the Parks Resil- regional asset.” ience Principal Planner for Parks and Recreation, As part of the evaluation process, they’re mapping talked with The Denver North Star about what the the bottom of the lake and getting estimates on difcity is doing now and what they’re considering for ferent options. One of those that’s widely discussed the future. is dredging: a process of removing sediment. SomeOne of the biggest problems, according to Eades, is times lakes are drained first but not always. Dredging that sections of the lake have an estimated 10 feet of estimates vary and Parks hopes to have more details next year, but the sum of $50 sediment, leaving the average million has come up in several depth only three feet. Shallow The entire Parks section of conversations. Eades said that waters heat up more quickly, which is a contributing facthe Parks and Rec budget is decision is a “political convertor to unhealthy types of algae sation above my pay grade.” To only $42.7 million in 2021, growth. When shallow waters put that number in perspective, the 2D bond voters just aren’t circulating enough, the so dredging would almost approved was for $52.7 million problem becomes worse. While certainly have to come and is slated to fund eight difthey are analyzing long term solutions, the department has from some specific funding ferent parks projects (including renovating the Sloan’s Lake installed Solar Bees on the source (such as a city bond boathouse, which has an estilake, small solar powered devices that draw in and pump mated price tag of $7 million). or regional investment). water, distributing cooler temThe entire Parks section of the peratures. They can’t solve the Parks and Rec budget is only problem alone Eades says, but they can help with hot $42.7 million in 2021, so dredging would almost spots. It’s part of what she calls a “holistic approach to certainly have to come from some specific funding managing the lake.” source (such as a city bond or regional investment). The pump systems, like the bees, focus on the top Eades said Parks is also working with the new few feet of water only and don’t disturb the sediment. Sloan’s Lake Park Foundation and community groups. That’s important, she explained, because too much For more on the foundation, check out the August 2021 disruption of the sediment can also aggravate the is- issue of The Denver North Star, available online. sues. That answer likely comes as a disappointment Asked about the urban legend that there’s a large to power boaters, whose boats move the water, but boat that sank in the early 1900s at the bottom of the sit deeper, which churns up more sediment. Pow- lake, Eades said their mapping hasn’t shown anyered boats are still banned from the lake, though hu- thing of the sort, though of course draining and/or man-propelled small crafts like kayaks are allowed. dredging could reveal any number of things about the Parks has added two more monitoring sites to the lake’s past. It could be the largest lost and found in the lake to help spot problems earlier and recently dou- city’s history. bled the lake management staff. They are evaluating Sloan’s Lake is one of the most frequently asked how much more sediment is entering the lake and about topics in North Denver and we’ll bring you more how much has been there for decades, which will help updates as there are further developments.
ysa Stewart is on the hunt for employees. The supervisor of Colfax Elementary’s before and after care program said finding people to hire is taking a lot longer than usual. “I’ve seen waves,” Stewart said. “Obviously in 28 years of doing this, I've seen waves. But I haven't seen one like this. This is — this is new.” Denver Public Schools is experiencing a shortage of education workers that some in the industry feel could exacerbate burnout. For certain positions, such as bus drivers, custodians and substitute teachers, the shortage existed before the pandemic, DPS Director of Talent Acquisition Lacey Nelson said. “With the pandemic and people going back to work, competition’s at its highest,” Nelson told The Denver North Star. “So candidates have so many places to choose from that those positions that are already difficult to fill are even more difficult these days.”
In February, the Colorado Education Association announced that according to a survey of its members, 40% of Colorado’s educators were considering leaving the profession in the near future. DPS is not alone. At its job fair on October 23, Denver International Airport expected 5,000 candidates but only drew about 100. A week earlier, The Wall Street Journal reported 4.3 million workers were still missing from the workforce. Although the numbers change week to week, at the end of October Nelson estimated the district had openings for approximately 100 teachers, 180 paraprofessionals, 75 food service workers, 50 to 60 custodians — and the list went on. Stewart has two employment openings at her before and after care program. To maintain the required adult-student ratio of 1 to 15 children, she needs a total of five staff members to work with the students currently enrolled — more if they want to serve students on the program's waitlist. But it’s been difficult to find workers, said Stewart, who lost four staff members right before the school year started. Positions in the program are part-time, and two of her former employees found full-time time work elsewhere, she said. Two others cited the vaccine mandate as part of the reason why they weren’t returning. Starting the year short-handed meant Stewart has not been able to give her new employees the in-depth training and sup-
See EDUCATION, Page 19