Your Guide to Community, Politics, Arts and Culture in North Denver DenverNorthStar.com | Volume 3, Issue 12 | September 15, 2022-October 14, 2022 | ALWAYS FREE! Denver forEquityAnnouncesSuperintendentSchoolsPublicRoadmapSchools
After 105 Years, Little Sisters to Close West Highland Mullen Home
See DPS, Page 10
Marrero said the roadmap is formulated with lessons gained from his 100-day “Lis tening and Learning Tour” during which he spoke to communities across the dis trict about their unique priorities.
DPS Superintendent Alex Marrero has launched a new strategic roadmap for the district, with the vision of “Every Learner Thrives” as its intended goal.
See MULLEN, Page 5
This roadmap seeks to improve experi ences for students, adults, and in the sys tem as a whole. The district’s last strategic plan expired in 2020, leaving leaders large ly without direction in a time of crisis with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cregan said many of the families have been very co operative, while others are “very upset” because they
PHOTOS BY ERIC HEINZ
“Sometimes the residents are taken care of by sis ters who are older than they are,” Cregan said.
The second goal, improving the adult experience, is focused on helping district parents and staff feel appreciated and re spected. Diversity hiring initiatives, im proved compensation packages, and fam ily engagement initiatives will be just a few of the action measures taken in the pursuit of this “Ourgoal.adults need to be cared for, they need to be valued and appreciated,” Mar rero said. “If we do not have our adults feeling safe, secure, and valued then we are going to have a hard time delivering on our commitment to education.”
The building and the land are not being sold, however. The deed will revert to the Archdiocese of Denver, which is deliberating what to do with theCreganproperty.said the Archbishop has told him he wants to use the property “for a mission purpose, but he has to figure it out,” and he added it would unlikely be a nursing home again.
The third goal focuses on changing district systems to promote equity, sus tainability, transparency, and excellence. The district will aim to make information on schools more accessible in the goal of transparency and will seek equity by
The deed to the property Little Sisters of the Poor Mullen Home, 3629 W 29th Ave. in West Highland, is expected to revert to the Archdiocese of Denver at the end of October, when residents will have to move out.
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He said the tour gave him the import ant insight to design the roadmap with the “needs, wants, and desires” of the commu nity—rather than just district leaders—as a topThepriority.first of the roadmap’s three goals is improving student, adult, and system experiences, and is aimed at promotingImprovingequity.the student experience in volves taking action to help all students, especially those from marginalized pop ulations, to succeed in DPS and after graduation, Marrero said, and expanded access to a range of courses, extracur ricular opportunities, and career and technical education is a main priority of the roadmap geared toward improving studentMarreroexperience.alsosaid his hope is that, par ticularly in North Denver, the roadmap can help begin closing achievement gaps.
don’t want to leave.
“And the sisters don’t want to leave,” he said. “They’ve been there 105 years, and it’s not like they’re just starting and running out.”
Cregan has facilitated several of the closures of Lit tle Sisters homes in other states.
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Sister Sarah Skelton, the assistant superior of Mul len Home, also said the Little Sisters will support the residents during the transition.
he tenants of the Little Sisters of the Poor’s Mullen Home in West Highland will have to leave by Oct. 31, after the organization an nounced it is closing the facility.
On Aug. 3, Little Sisters gave no tice to the residents of the Mullen Home that it would be closing the facility and they would need to be out by the end of October, but Little Sisters said it has provided residents with alternative and similar living arrangements.“We’refollowing the process that the state mandates for closing of a nursing facility,” Cregan said, adding about a third of the 40 residents liv ing there have already sought other living“Thearrangements.caseworkers facilitate the discharge of basically every person,” Cregan said.
Marrero said the more flexible nature of this roadmap will allow more adaptability in challenging times.
“After being in this home for over 100 years, it is very hard for us Little Sisters to imagine that we will not be serving here in the future,” she said. “And we recognize how difficult it is for the residents and their families to know that they will have to move from this home. But we will work with you to find the best option for you moving forward. We will take this next step in our jour neyCregantogether.”said the Mullen Home has three levels of residency that consist of nursing care and independent living apartments, and it also had assisted living care but it has since relinquished that license.
Cregan said the Archbishop has told him he wants to use the property “for a mission purpose, but he has to figure it out,” and he added it would unlikely be a nursing home again.
By Eric Heinz
Father Mark Cregan, a representative for Little Sisters, told The Denver North Star that the elderly living facility is closing because the convent doesn’t have enough staff nationwide and it has been closing facilities throughout the last decade.
By Talia Traskos-Hart
The nearest Little Sisters home to Denver is in Gal lup, New Mexico, he said.
“While we are still in the process of determining the next steps for the property, I wish to assure the Little Sisters that their legacy of humble service will be honored and to assure the Mullen family that their gift will continue to support the church’s mission within northern Colorado,” Denver Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila said in a prepared statement dated
“One of the many lessons we learned from the pandemic is that we can’t be rig id,” Marrero said. “A roadmap allows us to be nimble. It tells us where we need to go, but if we take some detours or a differ ent route, we are still aiming towards that same north star.”
“Others will go to another Little Sisters of the Poor home or they’ll move them to a facility. Obviously if they live in Denver, they want to stay there.”
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• Mini chocolate chips for topping (remember to use gluten free if that matters to you)
• 2 cups rolled oats (gluten free works well)
These bites can easily be made to satisfy almost any palette and dietary requirement. The recipe can be doubled or even tripled de pending on the crowd you’re serving and size of your blender. I usually make them as a post cross-country recovery snack for our local school, so I've designed this recipe to avoid nuts, gluten and dairy.
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• 1/4 cup oil (avocado, olive, vegetable all work. And if you are okay with nuts, coconut is great in these)
HOW TO MAKE THEM:
COMMUNITY WELLNESS INSTIGATOR /// HEALTH AND WELLNESS ///
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
North Denver. LET’S BE SOCIAL @DenverNorthStar
Two plots at Olinger Crown Hill Cemetery
• Nuts and seeds are a wonderful way to get protein, healthy fats, fiber, vitamins, and minerals into our bodies.
DISTRIBUTION: The paper is printed
A quick round-up of the good stuff inside:
In the August edition of The Denver North Star article “Local 46 to Close Ten nyson Location For Last Time,” the arti cle incorrectly stated the sale price of the building. It was actually sold for about $7.1 million, according to public records. The author of the story pulled the wrong docu ment. We regret the error. DenverNorthStar.com. and mailed on the of each It is delivered to 34,000 in
Pour or spoon batter into greased or lined and sprayed muffin tins.
• Zucchini is as ripe with nutrients as it is plentiful. Compounds such as lutein and zeaxanthin protect our eye health. And it's full of folate, potassium and vitamin A—all essential nutrients tough to come by in a more processed diet. Despite packing a punch with several important nutrients, zucchini is low in calories, fat, and sugar.
onstruction is set to begin in Novem ber on an apartment complex that will replace three buildings on the 4300 block of TennysonDemolitionStreet.was recently completed on three single-family homes, which also host ed art project for some time before they wereThescraped.properties at 4353 N. Tennyson are being developed by First Stone Develop ment, which paid a total of $2.6 million for the three lots between 2018 and 2020. First Stone plans to construct a three-sto ry apartment complex with 34 units and 2,500 square feet of ground-floor commercial space.
added the planned name of the complex is TheTheJasper.units will be one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments, and some will have a mezzanine, Taub said. The walkability of the Tennyson neighborhood is what drew Taub to the area, and First Stone recently built a series of townhomes in the neighbor hood that sold in six months.
• And last but not least—chocolate! To get noticeable health benefits from chocolate, you need to eat the cocoa solids found in dark chocolate. Cocoa solids contain minerals and antioxidants; cocoa butter does not. So in this recipe, we’re more after the mental health benefits of a bit of delicious indulgence.
• ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
Thisthem.fall, let’s do all the things we can to keep ourselves and our village healthy. Move how and when you can, talk to your doctor about immunizations—not only against COVID and the flu but anything else you may have missed—hydrate, sleep, and let's relish in all the delicious ways we can also eat well.
C
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• 1 cup sunflower butter (any nut butter will do if you aren’t worried about nut allergies)
Erika Taylor is a community wellness in stigator at Taylored Fitness. Taylored Fitness believes that everyone can discover small changes in order to make themselves and their communities more vibrant. Visit face book.com/erika.taylor.303 or email erika@ tayloredfitness.com.
• Oats and other whole grains are a great source of important vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants. Oats can help lower blood sugar levels, and help reduce risk of heart disease.
under the recently adopted Tennyson Street design overlay, which requires more room for pedestrians by requiring setbacks and requires ground floor commercial in manyTwocases.other projects for which applications have been filed within the Tennyson overlay are the redevelopment of Local 46 at 4586 N. Tennyson, with 84 residential units and street level commercial retail and restaurant space, and plans for 27 units with street-lev el commercial space at 4114 and 4120 N. TaubTennyson.said First Stone had to revise its plans about halfway through the design process, but he said the overlay didn’t pro vide many obstacles to what he wanted to build.
• 8 dates, pitted (about 3/4 cup)
Three single-family homes that temporarily housed space for art have been demolished to make way for a 34-unit mixed-use building with ground-floor retail space at 4353 N. Tennyson St.
15th
777 W. 29th Wheat Ridge
month.
Back-to-School Zucchini: Chocolate Chip Bite Edition
The development will be one of the first
• ⅛ teaspoon pink salt
Raise your hand if you have more zucchini than you know what to do with right now.
vitamin K which is needed for healthy, strong bones.
Page 2 September 15, 2022-October 14, 2022
Zucchini Chocolate Chip Bites
• ⅛ tsp cinnamon
• Dates are chock full of minerals including phosphorus, potassium, calcium and magnesium. They are also a source of
Call
ERIKA TAYLOR
• ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
PHOTOS BY DAVID SABADOS
By Eric Heinz
homes and businesses
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• 1/4 cup real maple syrup
• Course ground salt for topping Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients in order ex cept chocolate chips and coarse salt in a food processor until a chunky bat ter comes together. Batter will be quite thin.
Bites will not rise quite as much as muf fins so you can fill to about ⅛ inch be low rim. Sprinkle them with chocolate chips. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and gently spring back when you press into them. Sprinkle warm bites with sea salt if you’re into that kinda thing. Serve warm or cold. Store in an airtight container in the fridge or freeze
• 2 cups grated zucchini
“I always liked the area, and I’m a develop er from New York and I came here about nine years ago and one of the first places I saw was Tennyson,” Taub said. “I saw the vitality of the neighborhood and the small mom-andpop shops, and it’s not too commercialized yet. It’s a dense area, and the vibrancy on that street is what drew me to it.”
Mixed-Use Building Planned for Former Single-Family Homes on Tennyson St.
And the most magical part is they are packed with all kinds of wonderful fuel dis guised as a delicious treat no omnivore can resist either. Perfect for breakfast or a lunch box too!
Block
There are also plans for a common area on the“Weroof.probably will start construction in November,” said Leonard Taub, a developer and managing member with First Stone. He
If you’re like me, your family is pretty tired of all the ways you are sneaking it in these days. Yes, I do add zucchini to our morning smoothies. Please don’t tell.
The application to allow the construction of accessory dwelling units (ADUs) now goes before the council’s Land Use and Transpor tation committee, and a City Council public hearing is tentatively scheduled for Nov. 7.
immunizations—notvillagethingsgentlychocolateinchmufbeuntilthespringSprinkleintothatcold.Storefridgeorwecanhealthy.talktoyouronlyanythingmissed—hydrate,sleep,wayswe wellness in Taylored themselvesdiscoverFitnesssmallandVisitfaceemailerika@
See ADU, Page 11
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For example, minimum lot size. If a lot’s zone district allows an ADU, but the lot size does not meet the current requirement for minimum size, it is ruled out for a permit. Given that other aspects of code constrain an ADU’s size and placement on a prop erty, a minimum lot size requirement may be Whenredundant.Councilwoman Amanda San doval learned that the minimum lot size
By Kathryn White
requiringrequiresTennysonmoresetbackscommercialinapplicationsTennysonoverlay46at4586unitsandrestaurantstreet-levand4120reviseitsthedesigndidn’tprohewanted beenretail or lined much as
The application to allow the construction of accessory dwelling units (ADUs) now goes before council’s Land Use and Transportation committee, and a City Council public hearing is tentatively scheduled for Nov. 7.
The project’s goals point directly to Blueprint Denver, a citywide land use and transportation plan first adopted in 2002 and updated in 2019. Of two Blueprint Den ver policy recommendations pertaining to ADUs, one is directly within the scope of ADUs in Denver.
DAVID SABADOS
The proposed zoning would add 3,265 par cels in North Denver to the 3,929 already re zoned to allow ADUs in Regis, Chaffee Park, and Sloan’s Lake.
he Denver Planning Board voted Sept. 7 to move a rezoning application for the majority of West Highland on to Denver City Council, which would allow nearly 4,000 additional properties to build an accessory dwelling unit.
PHOTO COURTESY OF TOM MALONE
greased
Is an Accessory Dwelling Unit for You?
The small number of successfully permit ted ADUs can be explained, in part, by com plicated zoning and permitting requirements associated with their construction. Even when a lot is zoned to allow an ADU, there are a host of other criteria impacting whether it ultimately can or will be used for one.
While interest and new zoning for the structures has increased, the city issues only 60-70 permits a year for them. According to an Aug. 16 update to City Council from senior city planner Joshua Palmeri, 72,425 city parcels currently allow ADUs, but few er than 400 permits were issued from 2010 to 2021.
requirement ruled out a third of Sloan’s Lake properties that had just been re zoned to allow ADUs, she asked Denver Community Planning and Development (CPD) to convene a task force geared to
In late 2021 CPD launched a communi
ty-driven update to the Denver Zoning Code called ADUs in Denver.
WHY SO FEW?
ward examining this and other barriers to ADU construction.
Per its website, “This project will not change where in the city ADUs are allowed, but will look at how they are designed, how they fit in with different types of neighbor hoods and block patterns, and how updates to the zoning code may reduce barriers to creating ADUs.”
The other, not directly addressed but on the minds of many, would diversify housing choices across the city through the expansion of ADUs in all residential areas. This recom
Tom Malone’s ADU in the West Highland neighborhood has been licensed for short-term rentals from the city since at least 2019, according to his license number.
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knew that we had touched a lot of folks over the years but the outpouring of love since we announced our closing has been an ex perience of a lifetime... now we are the ones touched, by your stories, your memories and your tears. A special place dies on Sept. 30 and will leave a hole in our hearts... but we know it lives on in us all, take that respect, kindness and community with you and spread it!
– Love, Local 46 Bar & Biergarten
P.S. It was always our biggest desire to be able to save our sweet corner somehow. We tried, but we knew this would likely become our reality. We are heartbroken, neverthe less, to say goodbye to it all.
There has been some confusion and we do want to clarify that we did not “sell out”! Our lease was up, and they sold the building and two adjoining properties for over $7 mil lion to developers. About 90 dwelling units coming soon.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF LOCAL 46
Sometimes it's hard to find the words, to day is one of those days. It’s hard to prop erly express the overwhelming gratitude we have for our community, you. Local 46 was what it was because of you. We had a beauti ful biergarten, an excellent portfolio of Local musicians and artists, a funky vintage, raw vibe and an exceptional team, but it's more than that and it’s been hard to pinpoint what exactly "it" was.
But over these last weeks, well years, of goodbyes, you have helped make it very clear. It is the deep sense of community that Lo cal provided. It was not selective, it was in clusive. It was the old timer sharing stories of North Denver’s rich history, the parent, a child, the teacher, the student, the hipster, the freak, the loner and the socialite, the liberal, the conservative, the young and the old of all races and classes. All were welcomed into our home, the only requirement; be respectful andWekind.are so glad you came. Community is something that has to come organically, it can't be forced or manipulated but it is un mistakable when you sense it. Local 46 ended up being more than we ever could have imag ined, a home to many, on both sides of the bar. Blood, sweat, tears... and a whole lot of laughing and dancing! Weddings, engage ments, memorials, birthdays, showers, fund raisers, celebrations of all kinds we shared with our friends and neighbors. We plan to make the most out of these final weeks and hope you will come have a final toast with us. We will continue to bring you as much live music as we can until those disco lights go out for good.
So, North Denver (and beyond), thank you for welcoming us into your lives and for sharing so much with us, we are honored. We
Dear North Denver Community, A Love Note from Local 46
• West 50th Avenue bike lane, Federal Boulevard to Tennyson Street
In terms of what is next for construction, DOTI said that they hope to install new bike lanes on West 46th Ave between Tennyson and Federal, and the neighborhood bikeways on Ju lian and Eliot St in 2022 weather pending.
The amount of bikeways being installed in North Denver is increasing since we last took a tally on this in 2020.
A successful ad sales manager is likely working 10-20 hours per week, (or more if desired) earning an average of $2,000-$3,000/month. Sales experience is great, but not required.
• West 44th Avenue bikeway, Inca Street to Lipan Street; Lipan St bike lane, 44th Avenue to 46th Avenue
site, Little Sisters of the Poor has operated since 1917 when the first nuns arrived from France to help elderly poor.
/// TRANSPORTATION ///
In 2023, DOTI hopes to install neighbor hood bikeways on:
There are still nine bike lanes left to be in stalled that incorporate about 19 miles of new bikeways and bike lanes (when you include both directions of travel). One of the most interesting sections of bike lane will be the North Perry St. bike lane.
The Denver North Star September 15, 2022-October 14, 2022 | Page 5 C a l l o r t e x t i f y o u ' r e t h i n k i n g a b o u t m a k i n g a m o v e ! Your Neighborhood Real Estate Specialists Since 1994! S O M E O F O U R P A S T S A L E S T E L L T H E S T O R Y : Elizabeth Clayton 303.506.3448 Jean Sunn 970.313.3916 EClayton@NostalgicHomes com JeanSunn@NostalgicHomes com 4321 Tennyson St Unit# 4 4555 Osceola Street 2247 W 34th Avenue 3140 Umatilla Street 3922 Alcott Street 3631 Julian Street 2201 Newton Street 4154 Xavier Street 3473 W 37th Avenue 4180 Irving Street 3132 W 41st Avenue 3144 W 26th Avenue 2904 W 40th Avenue 4329 Quitman Street 4211 Alcott Street 3223 Meade Street 3520 Newton Street 4200 Julian Street 3003 Stuart Street 4569 Wolff Street 4590 Grove Street 4265 Raleigh Street 4267 Raleigh Street 2351 Hooker Street 3521 W 40th Avenue 3657 Shoshone Street 4438 Bryant Street 3333 Meade Street 4624 Clay Street 3125 W 45th Avenue 4223 Osceola Street 2615 W 40th Avenue 3615 Bryant Street 4511 Federal Boulevard 4161 Julian Street 4520 Julian Street 3122 Perry Street 3126 Perry Street 2539 W Caithness Place 4543 Meade Street 3641 Stuart Street 3121 W 45th Avenue 3716 Quivas Street 2241 W 34th Avenue 3894 Meade Street
John K. Mullen and his wife, Cather ine, financed the purchase of the land and the construction of a building to house elderly people, and it received its first res ident in 1918. In 1975, new wings were added to the original building to provide different levels of care, and in 1980, part of the original building was renovated to create apartments.
The list of bike lanes that have already been installed include:
• Harlan/Gray Street bikeway and bike lane from 49th Avenue to 52nd Avenue
The second is a protected bike lane that fea tures a painted bike lane with vertical separa tion between bikes and the vehicle travel lane like plastic bollards and rubber curbs.
On the section between 20th to 27th Ave nue, DOTI will test out speed cushions, one of three locations in the city.
David Uebbing, chancellor of the Archdiocese of Denver, told The Denver North Star that the religious organization has set up a committee to determine what to do with the property. The committee includes people with real estate experience, but he said he does not think there are plans to sell the “Reallybuilding.right now, we’re at the stage of that committee vetting different options and it’s in brainstorming mode and we’re not anywhere near deciding what to do with it,” Uebbing Accordingsaid.tothe Denver Assessor’s Of fice, the property at 3629 W. 29th Ave. is about 8.2 acres with an actual value of more than $26.8 Accordingmillion.tothe Denver branch web
“Speed cushions are modified speed bumps, divided into sections to allow vehicles with a larger wheel bases, such as a fire truck or am bulance, to straddle them without delaying response time,” Lacayo said. “By piloting the treatments in some different locations, we can review their effectiveness and where it makes sense to use them moving forward.”
By Allen Cowgill
The West 17th Avenue protected bike lane is the second ever protected bike lane in North Denver and was installed in August of this year.
• 41st Ave, Perry Street to Navajo Street
• W. 46th Ave bike lane, Federal Boulevard to Navajo Street; West Byron Place neighborhood bikeway, Zenobia St to Vrain St
3921 Raleigh Street 2945 Yates Street 3705 Raleigh Street 3351 Newton 4201 Quivas Street 3705 Lowell Boulevard 3546 Stuart Street 3706 Newton Street 3360 Quivas Street 3156 W 20th Avenue 3738 Raleigh Street 5185 Raleigh Street 3736 Raleigh Street 3231 Julian Street 3315 Newton Street 3087 W Highland Park Pl 2611 Yates Street
Allen Cowgill is the Council District 1 Appointee and Secretary on the DOTI Advisory Board.
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• West 23rd Avenue protected bike lane, Federal Blvd to Speer overpass
Continued from Page 1
DOTI has generally used three different types of bike lanes in North Denver. The first is the painted bike lane, which consists of a painted line that indicates to road users where bikes, scooters, and wheelchairs can go.
The third type is a neighborhood bikeway, where people on bikes share the road with drivers on more quiet residential streets.
Mullen
The neighborhood bikeway features designs like sharrows (a shared lane marking with a picture of a bicycle on a bike with two chevrons above it), traffic circles, and plastic bollards and paint that are designed to calm traffic and slow down drivers. DOTI generally decides the de sign of the bike lanes based on the speed and volume of traffic, as well as community input.
Aug. 3. “The Archdiocese will utilize its resources to support the Little Sisters in their efforts to help the local community, including the Mullen Home’s residents, families, and staff, make this transition.”
• Eliot Street, 20th to 29th Avenue.
• The West 17th Ave protected bike lane and bike lane between Sheridan Blvd and Federal Boulevard
• Clay Street, 32nd to 46th Avenue Perry Street, Lakeshore Dr. to 46th Ave
• 40th Avenue, Navajo Street to Inca Street
Two years ago Denver’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI) had planned to install 11 bike lanes in North Denver. Since then the list has grown to 18, and eight of those bike lanes have already been installed in the last couple of years since our last report on the subject. The list has grown due to DOTI’s coordinated bike lane and striping program, where the department adds bike lanes to streets concurrently with their scheduled repaving.
3424 Wyandot Street 3337 Shoshone Street 3820 Newton Street 3231 Julian Street 2435 Decatur Street 2632 Utica Street 2425 Decatur Street 2750 W 40th Avenue 2111 Eliot Street 3347 Meade Street 3317 Newton Street Address 1628 W 38th Avenue 3319 Newton Street 4715 Beach Court 3958 Mariposa Street 3378 W Clyde Place
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DOTI is also looking to complete the 23rd Avenue bike facility, which will include a neighborhood bikeway from Stuart to Quit mann, and bike lane/buffered bike lane from Quitmann to Lowell.
List Of New Bikeways Being Installed Goes From 11 To 18
“As we’ve engaged with community mem bers the last couple of years through our Com munity Transportation Networks program, we’ve been mapping out plans to install a com plete bike network in Northwest Denver that reflects public input and desires for a network that safely connects people to the places they want to go including parks, schools and stores,”
DOTI plans to come back to the communi ty this fall with an updated design. For more detail, see lanesprojectwebsiteavailable,tationpartStreetmentssaiddrawnwest-community-transportation-network.denvermoves.konveio.com/northRegardingtheTejonSt.bikelane,thathasalotofattentionfromresidents,Lacayothat“DOTIisstillexploringimproveforpeoplebicyclingalongNorthTejonsouthof46thAvueoraparallelstreetasoftheNorthwestCommunityTransporNetworkprogram.WhenupdatesaretheywillbepostedontheprogramwhereresidentscanstayontopofthatandgetupdatesforallnewDOTIbikeatbit.ly/denvermovesnetworks.
• Zuni St. bike lane and bikeway, 46th Avenue to 52nd Avenue
This includes a proposed neighborhood bikeway along Meade St. from West 52nd Av enue to West 48th Avenue, with a connection along W. 48th Avenue to Lowell Boulevard, and a protected bike lane along Lowell Blvd from W. 48th Avenue to W. 46th Avenue.
DOTI spokesperson Vanessa Lacayo said.
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The proposed bike lane on Lowell Boule vard has been modified a bit from its original design. Lacayo said that “the city worked with the community this spring to develop a con ceptual design for a connection for bicyclists between the Clear Creek Trail, Regis Universi ty, and Rocky Mountain Lake Park.
• Navajo Street, 41st to 40th Avenue
For more information, email David@DenverNorthStar.com
he prospect of Denver Public Schools closing some of its schools is a sign that we are pricing out the di versity in our ingGentrificationneighborhoods.andtheriscostsofrentarecausing
Jill Carstens taught for 30 years and now enjoys writing for this publication! Email her with comments or story ideas at jill@ denvernorthstar.com.
Such an inclusive community could take advantage of the idea of time-banking where, instead of going out of the community for cer tain services, the residents “bank” their skills together in a favor system. As a simple exam ple, one resident could provide child care in exchange for another resident building them a website or helping with financial planning.
food trucks in the parking lot.
could engage the neighbor hood with art exhibits, performances, and
It only took a short while before every emp ty room in the church was rented out to a local artist or musician. This activated the church on a more daily basis and the artists, congregation, and my preschool developed wonderful rela tionships with each other.
Page 6 September 15, 2022-October 14, 2022 The Denver North Star F r e e a n d o p e n t o t h e p u b l i c ! R e g i s t r a t i o n f o r b o t h e v e n t s i s r e q u e s t e d a t b o o k b a r d e n v e r e v e n t b r i t e c o m 4 2 8 0 T E N N Y S O N S T D E N V E R 8 0 2 1 2 B O O K B A R D E N V E R C O M E L I S S A B A S S I S T M O N S A T 1 0 A M 1 O P M S U N 1 0 A M 8 P M S H A N T E R R A M C B R I D E & R O S A L I N D W I S E M A N O C T O B E R 8 T H 6 P M A T B O O K B A R S E P T E M B E R 2 4 T H 7 P M A T B O O K B A R " D i s r u p t i v e , t e n d e r , a n d b e a u t i f u l , t h i s b o o k i s a r e v e r s a l o f w o m e n ' s a p o l o g i e s a n d a d e m a n d f o r m o r e . " L i b r a r y J o u r n a l S t a r r e d R e v i e w " t h e p o w e r o f a c k n o w l e d g m e n t , d e e p l i s t e n i n g , v u l n e r a b i l i t y , a n d c u r i o s i t y t o a d d r e s s a n d r e c t i f y t h e h i s t o r i c a l w r o n g s p e r p e t r a t e d b y r a c i s t i d e o l o g y " D o n n a H i c k s , H a r v a r d U n i v e r s i t y Tennyson Street FavoritesVISIT THESE TWO We you North DeNver anD GraZIe for your support.{ { retAIL IMporteD ItaLIAN GooDs GeLAto & eSpreSso DINE IN | CURBSIDE | TAKE-OUT | ONLINE ORDERING 4401 Tennyson, Berkeley | (303) 561-0234 www .ParisiDenver.com MoDern autHentIC. fAst-CAsuaL ItaLIAN. s INC e 1998 Celebrating more than 2 decades X of serving North Denver Y authentic e affordable Italian cuisine! Preserve our Schools, Preserve our Communities /// EDUCATION /// LETTERS FROM MISS JILL T
The exposure of witnessing a business build from idea to reality could prove as great in
In Pennsylvania, well-built historic schools have been converted into museums, senior housing, and office spaces.
Another idea is to convert the empty spaces of a school into an affordable co-housing com plex. Classrooms could be converted into stu dios or small apartments. The cafeteria could act as a shared kitchen where communal as well as individual meals are prepared. Maybe this would also be a live-work space for res idents where part of the school library could act as a Childrenworkstation.ofresidents could attend the school. The expansive yards at a school property could provide space for commu nity gardening. The parking lot could host farmer’s markets.
Personally, I was involved in a similar sit uation when the church where I rented space for my preschool began experiencing financial troubles, due in part to a declining congrega tion. Using my art connections in the com munity, I suggested we offer the underutilized spaces in the church as affordable studio space.
In my mind, if the school district holds onto their school buildings, there is an opportunity to keep the remaining students and preserve the diversity in the neighborhood while bring ing in revenue through entities that provide opportunities for students and surrounding residents. To me, the possibilities, partnerships, and benefits to the community are endless.
many Latino families to seek housing outside of neighborhoods like North Denver and in areas with lower rents. This is becoming an overarching problem for the school district and for neighborhoods as the resulting de cline in enrollment will necessitate the closure of certain schools and the lowering of revenue forTheDPS.rampant
altering of Denver neigh borhoods through the gentrification process has been dizzyingly swift and difficult to keep up with. Instead of completely closing schools, here are some ideas on how we could keep the character, history, and diversity of ourAneighborhoods.neighborhood could keep existing students in a portion of a school building, while attracting sustainable and communi ty-friendly occupants for the rest of the space. One option would be to offer space to artists as affordablePainters,studios.dancers, and musicians could rent out classrooms and, in turn, provide the school exposure to local arts. Ideally, some artists would offer classes to the school as well as to the surrounding neighborhood. A gym nasium can turn into a dance studio and the cafeteria can become a commissary kitchen where new recipes are served to the occupants of the Firstbuilding.Fridays
Vacant rooms in an enrollment-dimin ished school could serve as a haven for startups, providing affordable space to jump-start new businesses. City agencies, like the Office of Economic Development, could help steer them toward resources like grants and small business loans.
By residing collectively in the building, new business owners could meet in the space, learn from each other, collaborate, and support one another. Perhaps some of these businesses could set up shop and offer goods and services to the nearby community, sort of like a startup shopping mall.
Theskills.idea of repurposing a school building is not new. In Colorado Springs’ Ivywild neigh borhood, an empty school, dubbed “a com munity marketplace,” now houses a brewery, distillery, restaurants, and several other local shops, as well as an event space.
spiration to students. Neighborhood high schoolers could find employment or mentor ship with these businesses, learning valuable life
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“Based on the feasibility study, the best op tion for the northern connection is a two-lane, fully multi-modal bridge on 47th Avenue con
“We're not opposing because it’s a connec tion in Sunnyside or we don’t want any con nections to Sunnyside,” Vondrasek said. “We absolutely do, but we want something that changes the dynamics.”
“Generally, the average homebrewer will do about five gallons in a batch,” he said. “That produces, if you get all five gallons, just a little over 212 ounce cases of beer. So basically 50 twelve-ounce bottles.”
In the letter, SUNI stated the city’s follow ing of the 41st and Fox Next Steps Study that was completed in 2021 relied on outdated reg ulations and strategies.
“When you've got a state that's got nearly 400 breweries in it, you can find anything you want,” Wigginton said. “Making beer actual ly takes a lot of time. From start to finish, the traditional way is about a six-hour endeavor, and people don't always want to commit a lot of time to that.”
home, in addition to 34,000 square feet of re tail, 80,000 square feet of culture and enter tainment facilities, 14 acres of interconnected parks and open space, and other amenities.
Denver’s Lone Homebrew Supply Shop Sees Successes in Sunnyside
“We're trying to kind of work through the background and the city council to kind of see if we can come to a better decision,” Vondrasek said. “We're talking about trying to make things more walkable, pedestrian-friendly, less reliant on vehicles, all sorts of things.”
The Denver North Star September 15, 2022-October 14, 2022 | Page 7 Spot Removal Schedule an appointment at gleamcarwash.com. Get up to 20% off through the month of October! @gleamcarwash VISIT US ON Tennyson Street Last day of Local 46 is Sept 30th! Come celebrate with us until the end. (Yes, for real this time) Details and more on our website. www.Local46Bar.com Farewell Tennyson The Denver North Star is delivered to 34,000 households and businesses Advertise your business in next month's edition. Ads@DenverNorthStar.com /// COMMUNITY /// SUNI Wants Fox Park Connector to Focus More on Pedestrians, Cyclists
Although homebrewing had its moment during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Wigginton said there is a bit of commitment involved, and with the abundance of profes sional brewers in Colorado they may want to
Altitude Brewing & Supply is located at 4577 N. Pecos St. in Sunnyside.
necting to Sunnyside,” Weston said. “The 47th Avenue bridge is most consistent with adopt ed plans and the most technically feasible as it will provide a fully multi-modal connection.”
Bobbydevelopment.Vondrasek, the neighborhood as sociation’s Land Use Committee chair who authored the letter, told The Denver North Star that the neighborhood association is not opposing a connection to Fox Park by way of Sunnyside, but members want the bridge to accommodate less vehicular traffic.
The bridge is estimated to cost about $28 million, whereas the tunnel would have been about $40 million. According to the Fox Park development team, the tunnel would have also entered into an Environmental Protection Agency Superfund site.
Communities
By Eric Heinz
“I think the market is probably pretty sta ble right now,” he said. “Those who remain are hobbyists. Where we're seeing growth is in distilling mush. We also carry supplies for mushrooms as well as cheesemaking, and we see a lot of growth in the number of people who are making their own kombucha, hard seltzers, hard ciders as well. So while the focus has traditionally been on beer, the wine, the distilling, the cheese making, the mushrooms, especially in the City and County of Denver, has really taken off.”
This rendering shows the approximate location of the planned bridge that would connect the slated Fox Park development to Sunnyside.
IMAGE COURTESY OF VITA FOX NORTH
Steve Wigginton, the owner, said he and his wife had been living in Mexico eight years ago and he needed to find a job, so they returned to Denver where he purchased the business.
he Sunnyside United Neighbors Inc. (SUNI) recently sent a letter of opposi tion to the Denver City Council asking for the city to consider a focus on pedestrian and alternative traffic in addition to vehicles for the planned bridge connector to the Fox Park
By Eric Heinz
just try those instead.
Altitude was located at 28th and Walnut Street in RiNo before moving to its Sunnyside location in November.
“It was just such a great move for us,” Wig ginton said. “We love the neighborhood and we're starting to get a small following of people in the neighborhood who will come in and have a beer and do their shopping. It's been great.”
Altitude Brewing & Supplies in Sunnyside is Denver’s sole homebrewing supply shop.
Sunnyside as opposed to a tunnel that would have traveled north into Globeville.
The development area announced last year that it is also planning to host the World Trade Center’s headquarters.
Steve Wigginton, the owner of Altitude Brewing & Supplies, said the business's move to Sunnyside has been fruitful.
Amanda Weston, a spokesperson for Den ver’s Community Planning and Development department, said the city is also trying to im prove the connections to the RTD 41st and Fox Station, an important public transporta tion hub for the incoming developments.
“The regulations exhaustively consider ad dressing transit with vehicles, but it is unclear if the rules ever considered the commuter rail line, buses, pedestrian traffic, or bicycle traffic as transit options to and from the area,” the letter
T
Julia Herz, the executive director of the Boulder-based American Homebrew Associa tion, told The Denver North Star via email that there has been an increase in online retailers for“Despitesupplies.a shift to more online sales, like other do-it-yourself activities, many retail ers reported an uptick in demand during the shift to more time at home during the pandemic,” Herz said. “Trends demonstrate interest in homebrewing is alive and grow ing, and with consumer prices up a 9.1% in crease across the board, many are looking for cost-saving alternatives and meaningful ways to spend our time.”
The Fox Park development is planned to be a mixed-use urban hub with an estimat ed 3,300 units for up to 6,000 people to call
Altitude is one of four home brewing com panies between Fort Collins and Castle Rock, but Wigginton said there were 11 along the Front Range when he bought the business eight years ago.
Altitude also provides classes for people to learn how to make their own beer, which Wig ginton said is the best way to get started. Peo ple can get into their own beer making with a starter kit that costs about $150.
PHOTO BY ERIC HEINZ
The development team originally planned to construct either a tunnel that would run traf fic through Globeville under I-70 to connect to 48th Avenue, or a multimodal bridge that would run traffic through the northeast corner of the Sunnyside neighborhood at 47th Avenue.
The bridge is being paid for with the help of the city’s tax increment financing process that backs public infrastructure, but Vondrasek said there could be other opportunities to finance what SUNI wants as part of the connector.
Lookingstated.at cost and feasibility, the city has chosen to examine the construction of a bridge from the Fox Park development site to
“Our daughter skips in delight during one of our countless evening strolls along Sloan’s Lake. The place where we weathered the pandemic alongside our neighbors, where we could experience the stillness of time and beauty of nature during such uncertain times, where we could go to escape for a breath of fresh air whenever we felt like our walls were closing in on us. This lake grounded us. It kept us safe, sane. We watched our baby grow into a toddler, now a little girl, walking along these paths over the past three years.”
PRIZE : Weekend Getaway in Breckenridge AirBNB, courtesy of The Denver North Star and Meghan Nutting “I adore Sloan’s Lake. The lake, its flora/fauna, and the people that frequent the park bring pure bliss.”
2022 3 RD PLACE Marc Piscotty
PRIZE : Alamo Drafthouse Cinema: $250 Gift Certificate “As a child, my Father used to take my Brothers and I fishing at Sloan’s Lake. I have many beautiful memories of growing up around this area. Now when I visit the park, I always take a camera.”
As a lifelong resident of Sloan’s Lake, I was deeply touched by the community's love and outpouring of support for the waters through mind-bogglingly beautiful imagery and heart felt sentiments about “Why I Love Sloan’s Lake.”
PRIZE : The Rose Lady: Bouquets for a Year
The truth is everyone was a winner, for sharing their beauty. To see all of the photos follow @sloanslakeparkfoundation on Ins tagram and join us at Jamming on the Jetty, Sept. 17 at our Sloan’s Lake Photo Gallery at The Denver North Star tent.PLACE Diane Allison
PRIZE : Duality: A Double Fitness 5-Pack for Treadmill-Based Circuit, Heated Resistance & Conditioning, or Power Yoga
PRIZE : Odell’s: Picnic Party Pack + A Little Man Ice Cream Factory Social for Four “I captured this image from the Dragon Boat Festival on Sloan’s Lake a few years back. It features flag-catcher Valerie Amphonephong (on bow of boat), of Aurora raising her arm in victory as the rest of her Lao Buddhist Temple teammates celebrate their win in the championship of the youth division of the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival.”
Page 8 September 15, 2022-October 14, 2022 The Denver North Star /// COMMUNITY ///
pelicans who reflect the beginning of Spring, the chattering ducks, in-flight geese; the ancient gnarly tree near our “Lady of the Lake” Middle School and the grand “Oak” near 20th Avenue and Stuart Street that were two favorite giving trees captured in every season; paddle-boards and kayaks and dragon boats gliding; chil dren skipping and skipping rocks; bubbles and bikes amidst walkers and runners and stroll ers; windswept, cracked ice, snowy footsteps, and fog rising from a wintry lake. And, of course, pooches posing and playing withChoosingglee. five winners out
“I love to take pictures of the sunsets from Sloan’s Lake, some are breathtaking. It is so beautiful with the mountains in the background.” TH PLACE Arturo Jurado
2022 1 ST
2022 4
For everyone who sent in an image and sentiment, they claimed it as “my lake.” The beauty of the lake and park is reflected in the people that use it, and it mirrors the soul of this specialFromneighborhood.sunrisesthat cracked the morning skies and downtown skyline to the gran deur of glorious sunsets painted in vibrant pastels, fire-bomb oranges, and turbulent greys; the statuesque
2 ND PLACE Lauren Conley
5 TH PLACE Ryan White
A gigantic thank you to all of our wonderful merchants in the community for lavishing love through these special prizes!
“This photo was taken in October 2021. I was on my bike ride home from work and the air was clear with some lovely light clouds floating in the air. Being an uncharacteristically warm evening, I thought it would be nice to stop at the lake and sit for a while to catch the sunset. As I rolled into the park from 20th I stopped dead in my tracks when my view aligned with this beautiful old tree and the setting sun.
And The “Why I Love Sloan’s Lake” Winners Are…
Nothing could be a more fitting kick-off for the Sloan’s Lake Park Foundation annual fund raiser, Jamming on the Jetty, and its mission to #SaveSloansLake than this love letter to old Farmer Sloan, whose well became the lake we
2022
By Basha Cohen
What I didn’t expect when we hosted a Sloan’s Lake photo competition with The Denver North Star is that I would end up bawling my eyes out—literally for days.
all hold near and dear to our hearts.
“On our nightly walks I capture hundreds of photos of the endless reflective sunsets, each unique and beautiful!”
Looking back at this photo makes me endlessly grateful that my family is fortunate enough to be able to experience this every day."
As Lauren Conley, one of our winners said, “Thank you @sloanslakeparkfoundation for taking precious care of this magical place for all.”
2022
of hundreds of submissions was almost as heart-wrenching as watching a lake whose depth was once 12-18 feet, now diminishing to an aver age of 3 feet. We were so impressed that we added five additional “special mention” gifts.
At first, the Platte was a barrier for those who were on their way into the ore-rich mountains. Enterprising entrepreneurs crafted log ferries to move horses and wag ons across the river. One was where the 15th Street bridge now stands.
PRIZE : Edgewater Beer Garden Gift Card
“Say more,” I said, pressing for an example. “Well, I’m in physical therapy for this leg,” one said, pointing. “It’s taking more time than I thought it would. Much more. And it’s hard. But I’m sticking with it. Poco a poco. It’s com ingLifealong.”deals seemingly impossible hands from time to time. And as the years go by, these add
Let’s reach for the ones we need this month— and as the years roll on—to bring greater health to ourselves, and the community.
Auraria, the first mining town, was set tled by gold seekers from Georgia, and dat ed from the summer of 1858. In addition to homes, it had hotels, bars, saloons, and stores selling tools to greenhorn miners. There was also a school and a newspaper, the Rocky Mountain News. Denver City, just across Cherry Creek, was founded by land speculators from Kansas and named after Kansas Governor James Denver. It soon competed with Auraria for dominance.
In Fall of 1858, the town fathers of the three communities named their city Denver, Auraria, and Highland. That lasted about a month before they renamed the whole area
Whether it’s the thing everyone says is easy, but has been nagging at you for a long time (you’ll find many at webmd.com/healthy-ag ing). My favorite: drink more water.
Quickly, land rather than gold became a motivator for town building. In winter of 1858, Denver City founder William Larimer and his friend David C. Collier crossed the Platte and claimed the west side, up the hill, for themselves to develop. They christened the area Highland and began planning and naming streets and blocks. The bulk of what they claimed is what we now call Lower Highland.
I hear from friends who are former smokers that quitting was, hands-down, the hardest thing they’ve ever done. I’ve heard from friends who’ve tried to quit smoking that even failing to quit is extremely hard.
PRIZE : Edgewater Public Market Gift Basket
• Making connections, collective action.
Do you have story ideas for The Gray Zone?
up. We worked through what at first appeared unworkable, flexing and strengthening mus cles we didn’t know we had. Creativity, prob lem-solving, perspective-taking, listening.
KATHRYN WHITE
You know, also, what qualities life’s curve balls and challenges have strengthened in you.
I don’t know what that one thing will be for you. The answer might not be easy, and the best ideas one won’t come from a newspaper column. But you know what it is.
So I walked away from the magazine that day, vowing to reflect on what we already have at our disposal to help us maintain or achieve good health as we age. I’m not talking about a drawer full of old face creams. I’m talking about those qualities that grew and developed over time within each of us, through practice andAexperience.gatheringover coffee with a group ranging in age from 55 to 101 quickly yielded the first few in my search to name these qualities. Wis dom, patience, perseverance.
Email kathryn@denvernorthstar.com.
THE GRAY ZONE: STORIES CONNECTED TO NORTH DENVER’S OLDER ADULTS
• Creativity, problem-solving.
“Sloan's Lake is great in any season. A strong windstorm broke up the surface ice and pushed it up against the eastern shore, where it froze solid. Christmas day, 2020.”
The Euro-Americans, who came with pre-established prejudices against the in digenous people, soon began to drive them from their long-held lands, remaking their trails and campgrounds into emigrant roads and small towns.
"As for why I love Sloan’s, that I would take pictures of the sunrise from the same point for two years should say enough.”
Brian Quigley
September is Healthy Aging Month and I’m worried the already lucrative anti-aging industry is going to cash in on us. Again. The line between “healthy aging” and “anti-aging” blurs in my own mind more often than I’d like to admit.A2021 study published by Global Industry Analysts Inc. estimated that the worldwide market for anti-aging products would reach $34.2 billion in 2020 ($11.6 billion in the US alone), and $47.8 billion by 2027. That’s just skin and hair products. Imagine what the number would add up to if it factored in exer cise and nutrition programs, supplements, and the staggering number of other products and services offering to help us look younger, feel younger, act younger.
/// COMMUNITY ///
Byhats.the late 1820s, trappers had killed most of the beavers just as the beaver hat fad ended. Then some of the trappers turned to dealing in bison robes. They established posts along the South Platte where they traded with the tribes who gave bison hides in exchange for cloth, beads, knives, and other trade goods.
See HIGHLAND, Page 11
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The Denver North Star September 15, 2022-October 14, 2022 | Page 9
Or the hardest of the hard things, like the one your doctor stares you in the eyes and talks to you about every time you see her. Or the thing you used to say to yourself every year on Jan. 1, until you gave up and stopped thinking about it.
• Balance.
Justin made an 8-minute video of the 2,000 photos he took, which will be in the online version of this story.
tribes of the area surrendered their owner ship of the land upon which Denver stood. But for a few years, they still came to trade.
Elaina Hernandez Lechuga
Brian Deardorff
So in honor of Healthy Aging Month, I pro pose we each take a few minutes to identify one aspect of our health that could use our atten tion. Go ahead, pick something.
I recall a snowy day when my dad walked along these branches near the icy lake while I timidly watched him on the path. Recently, my parents sold their house that they lived in for over 40 years. It was knocked down in the last few weeks. It left a hole in my heart, but Sloan’s Lake will always be home to me. I even have recurring dreams of sitting on these branches and looking out into the water. It’s a special place for sure.”
“ /// HISTORY ///
Healthy Aging is Within Reach
David Bassett PRIZE : Sloan’s Bar & Grill Gift Card
“Don’t fall for it,” I said to myself.
2022 MENTIONSSPECIAL
• Wisdom, patience, perseverance.
“I grew up one block away from Sloan’s Lake Park on Vrain Street. I have so many memories wrapped up in my childhood at this park from feeding the ducks to taking walks around on a warm day. This tree is a favorite spot of mine because I love how the branches bend and curve into the lake.
ChipmanJustin :
By Rebecca A. Hunt
The new migrants established three towns called Auraria, Denver, and High land, which the tribes saw as a new threat to their regional dominance and indeed, to their very survival.
“I love Sunset In The Fall at Sloan's Lake”
park bring
PRIZE : Yogasix & Row House-1 Free Week Of Classes at Both Locations
“Reflections On A New Perspective Of Life.” Sloan's Lake sunsets are epic, and you never know what kind you are going to get, which makes it for me, the first time, every time, arriving at this special place. As my run was coming to completion after 1 loop around the park, I was just drawn to walk towards the shore, across the grass, to feel the heat of the sun, and to marvel at the uniqueness of today's evening views. A kayaker, and her companion, a stand-up SUPer, just casually gliding across the lake, in what seemed like a perfect reflection of a mirrored glass, as they silently came across. To me, Sloans Lake has a deep reverence and meaning, because every time I step foot on that lake, it offers me a new perspective on life.
Slow down aging!” the headline called to me as I browsed the magazine racks leading to the gro cery checkout. A pulse in my brain instructed my arm to reach for it. But I stopped the action just in time.
Northside History: The Origins of Highland
Some of these Euro-Americans inter married with the Lakotas, Cheyennes, and Arapahoes and settled along the Platte, with many settling near Cherry Creek. They and their mixed ancestry families were the first to greet the early 1850s gold seekers when they passed up the old trail through the Northside on their way to California. And they were here when thousands of gold seek ers, in 1858 and 1859, came to the region, hoping to get rich quick.
• Focus, determination.
Hard things—the gut wrenchingly painful, complex, and unexpected ones—don’t become easier. We simply have more within reach as we respond to them. We are more adept at using the muscles previous challenges strengthened.
PRIZE
In 1867, with the Treaty of Fort Wise, the
B y the early 1800s, Euro-American trap pers and traders came to Colorado from the north and east. They were trapping beavers to feed a fashion for fancy beaver felt
• Perspective-taking, listening.
The fractures of the DPS board have been clear and present for some time, as it censured one member, Auon’tai Ander son, last year after an investigation related to allegations of him sending inappropriate messages to a student. Its process in choos ing Charmaine Lind say as the replacement member in District 5 earlier this year was fought with seemingly irreconcilable differences.
than half of the DPS school population, but their housing situations are in jeopardy.
Page 10 September 15, 2022-October 14, 2022 The Denver North Star M ay b e you dream of op e n land on a quie t ranch or a W hateve r it is , I ’ll b e he re to he lp you pur sue your dreams Let ’s talk about your unique future, and how I can help you protect it. M ay b e you dream of op e n land on a quie t ranch or a W hateve r it is , I ’ll b e he re to he lp you pur sue your dreams Let ’s talk about your unique future, and how I can help you protect it. Abbie Tanner, Agent IncyAgencTannerDavisAbbie Let’s talk about your unique future, and how I can help you protect it. Abbie Tanner, Agent Abbie Davis Tanner Agency, Inc 3814 Lowell Blvd (303) atanner@amfam.com333-0205 M Wh p y p e y Let ’s talk about your unique future, and how I can help you protect it Amer can Family Mutual Insurance Company, S I & Its Operat ng Companies, Amer can Family Insurance Company 6000 American Parkway Madison WI 53783 ©2016 011780 – Rev 4/20 – 15925348 Abbie Tanner, Agent Incy,AgencTannerDavisAbbie BlvdLowell3814 0205333(303) comatanner@amfam Maybe you dream of open land on a quiet ranch or a Whatever it is, I ll be here to help you pursue your dreams Let ’s talk about your unique future, and how I can help you protect it Amer can Family Mutual Insurance Company S & Its Operating Companies Amer can Family Insurance Company 6000 American Parkway Mad son WI 53783 ©2016 011780 – Rev 4/20 – 15925348 Abbie Tanner, Agent Incy,AgencTannerDavisAbbie BlvdLowell3814 0205333(303) comatanner@amfam
“We’re really looking at the system as a whole and dismantling any systems of oppression,” Marrero said.
Lowe’s Red Vest Day Makes Improvements to Historic Elitch Theatre
Lowe’s recently celebrated its communi ty project Red Vest Day at the Histor ic Elitch Theatre by helping the theater’s restoration efforts.
DPS
By The Denver North Star staff
Denver Public Schools Board of Education President Xóchitl Gaytán speaks Aug. 22 during a press conference in front of the school board’s downtown headquarters to ask for support for Superintendent Alex Marrero’s strategic plan to increase equity among the district’s schools.
“I’m incredibly excit ed for this to be launched and beyond excited to launch this school year,” he noted. “This school year to me pres ents less uncertainty compared to last year.”
Lowe's employees helped to clear space for the patio by removing the old awning and landscaping and cleaning up the site. They also set forms for the concrete to be poured, made repairs to the landscape drip system, and painted the stained concrete.
“I will continue, as president of the board, to facilitate board meetings to assure that we are receiving the appropriate informa tion from our superintendent, so that we can help in the development of education policy to strengthen that roadmap,” Gaytán said.
/// NEWS SHORT ///
PHOTO COURTESY OF LOWE’S Lowe’s volunteers remove old landscaping, clearing space for a new patio area at the Historic Elitch Theatre.
Marrero expressed his excitement to be gin implementing these goals with the new school year.
In August, members of the DPS board and a local chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) met in front of the school board’s downtown headquarters to voice support for Marrero’s plan.
“After this, the theater really feels like it’s ready to open the doors and welcome the community in,” said Greg Rowley, pres ident of the Historic Elitch Theatre Board of TheDirectors.Historic Elitch Theatre was selected as one of 100 projects in Lowe’s Hometowns community impact program, a five-year, $100 million investment from Lowe’s to com munity improvement projects.
“When I say that we're doing that, I know that my board wants to move forward and keep the focus on our students and edu cation policy because that is our charge,” she said.
“With gentrification squeezing out Lati no students, increasing school closures in Latino neighborhoods and rising economic hardships for struggling Latino families it is imperative that our community supports the strong leadership of President Xóchitl Gaytán, the only Latina representative on the DPS board in a majority-minority school dis trict,” the pamphlet, with Veronica Barela as the contact for the supporters, stated.
not only to help our students overcome the obstacles that they’ve had but to disrupt and redesign inequitable systems.”
working to “identify, dismantle, and rebuild inequitable systems.”
BOARD PRESIDENT SUPERINTENDENT’SSUPPORTSVISION
The Denver North Star editor Eric Heinz contributed to this report.
Continued from Page 1
PHOTO BY ERIC HEINZ
Additionally, DPS School Board President Xóchitl Gaytán urged the board to “work to gether in a productive and respectful man ner for the sake and interests of DPS chil dren, teachers, families, and the community at-large.”Apamphlet handed out by LULAC and the other organizers involved to those in at tendance said Latino students make up more
When asked how the board could coalesce on these issues and implement the director’s vision, Gaytán said the board is trying to su ture those divisions on specific matters.
“We’re really looking at the system as a whole and dismantling any systems of op pression,” Marrero said. “Our district has failed to provide the majority of our students with learning environments that allow them to thrive … The district has the obligation
The ADUs in Denver zoning code update plans to have proposals before City Council in late 2022, around the same time coun cil will consider the West Highland zone districtDuringchange.theAug.
ADU
The project’s Community Advisory Com mittee began meeting in March 2022, with North Denver represented by six residents with a range of connections to city planning and zoning processes.
“But other barriers are one size fits all Per mit and Use fees and development require ments that arise in permitting that add tens of thousands of dollars to the final ADU cost,” Martinez-Stone said.
Charles Cook is familiar with the chal lenges of meeting numerous zoning re quirements that apply to ADUs. Last year he was denied a zoning variance to construct an ADU atop a current garage behind his home on Meade Street. His variance request asked that his proposed ADU be allowed to encroach “2 feet 8 1/2 inches into the 5 foot north side interior setback.”
Renee Martinez-Stone is the Director of West Denver Renaissance Collabora tive (WDRC), an initiative of the Denver Housing Authority. WDRC’s ADU Pi lot Program team, along with other ADU builders, developed a spreadsheet of ob stacles prior to Martinez-Stone joining the Advisory“ExpandingCommittee.access to ADUs can help homeowners cope with change and rising housing costs in their neighborhood,” Mar tinez-Stone said. “We’ve learned that remov ing barriers doesn’t necessarily lead to an inundation of ADUs. But it can be very im portant to a few who want to stay.”
Obtaining and renewing the STR license "gets convoluted at times," Malone said, “but city staff have been really helpful. I have nothing but the highest regard for cityDenver’semployees.”STR Advisory Committee (STRAC) meets quarterly to discuss the city’s STR licensing program and offer guidance to Denver Excise and Licenses. The committee includes STR hosts and non-hosts, people from related industries, city staff and City Council members.
For those looking at an ADU for a home office or to house a family member, the high ly complicated process could end there. If rental income is a goal, there are additional considerations.
The application fee is $50 ($25 if you sub mit early) and a license fee that ranges from $50-$500, depending on the number of rent al units per parcel.
ADUs that are rented out for stays of 30 days or more will soon be subject to an or dinance requiring landlords to obtain a residential rental license. The ordinance sets out to maintain minimum housing standards like functioning toilets, kitchen sinks, bathtubs or showers, and living spac es free of pests such as cockroaches, mice, andBeginningbedbugs. Jan. 1, 2023, landlords with two or more rental units on a property must sub mit a license application, to be renewed every four years. By Jan. 1, 2024, single unit rentals will be required to have submitted the appli cation. The process includes an inspection, so landlords are encouraged to visit the city website and begin the process in advance.
Dr. Janda and Dr. Garrison 4433 W. 29th Ave., Suite 206 720-428-8916cityrootsdental.com
SHORT-TERM RENTAL
Dr. Levi Russell, a founder of Auraria gave this description of early Highland:
16 LUTI briefing, Coun cilmembers Sandoval and Clark encourage Palmeri to work inter-departmentally to explore how fees for water and sewage can be scaled more appropriately to the smaller structures.Beyond the environmental impact of de molishing his existing garage, Cook cited financial impacts.
Dr. Rebecca A. Hunt has been a Denver resident since 1985 and a resident of the Northside since 1993. She worked in muse ums and then taught Colorado, Denver and immigration history at the University of Col orado Denver until she retired in 2020.
Continued from Page 9
Theatre forElitcha
“One particularly harsh aspect of the sys tem today is that it can cost up to $5,000 just to get to the point of the BOA saying no," he said.ADU standards are highly complex and overlapping, Martinez-Stone said.
“The City of Highland, or the Highland Town Company, across the Platte, was or ganized in the summer or early fall of 1859.
Next month, early North Denver and Highland.
Kayla Greathouse joined STRAC a few months ago and appreciates the range of experiences and viewpoints making up the committee. She understands that each neigh borhood may have a different orientation to ward“I’mSTRs.not in favor of short-term rentals where I live in Montbello and Green Valley Ranch,” Greathouse said. “I’m concerned short-term rentals take housing invento ry away from the long-term rental market, where we are seeing a significant shortage.”
Continued from Page 3 Highland
Denver, but Highland remained on the map for years, a town on paper if not in reality. At first only a few hardy souls embraced the west bank community. The quote below shows the hope, or lack thereof, that early speculators had for the Northside.
Whenshortage.”itcomes to STRs, Sestrich add ed, “Be a good neighbor. Encourage your visitors to get to know the neighborhood. If it’s a quiet neighborhood, include that in your listing.”
There are fees and taxes associated with maintaining a STR license, but some can be collected and paid to the city behind-thescenes through platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo. The property must be the host’s pri maryTomresidence.Malone has lived on Stuart Street for 33 years, where a previous owner had ob tained a permit to expand an 1890 carriage house. Malone has since renovated it. Today it’s a permitted ADU as well as a licensed short-term rental.
LONG-TERM RENTAL
Henry Allen, W.M. Slaughter, W.D. Mc Lain, myself, and some dozen or two oth ers constituted the company. We did not attempt to incorporate it. Some portion, if not all, of the site was surveyed and staked off, and a “claim” was filed, or was to be filed, in the Kansas Land Office, but wheth er we heard from it or not I do not now re call. We didn’t count much on Highland at theThingstime.” would begin to change when, in 1860, Thomas Bayaud completed the 15th Street Bridge across the Platte. But even then, it would take Highland a while to get past the planning stages.
The dental clinic where everybody is welcome.
CPD staff explored potential barriers with community and committee members during the project’s first months, and have now turned their attention to developing alternatives to current zoning code. In the Aug. 16 LUTI briefing, Palmeri shared a list of 10 barriers the alternatives seek to ad dress, starting first with the minimum lot sizeAnotherrequirement.pertained to the re-use of exist ing structures, a common consideration in North Denver. The city is looking at greater flexibility around setbacks and other limits when a homeowner would like to convert a current structure—provided it is safe to do so—into an ADU.
“I’m not going to tear down a per fectly good structure just to build a new one a few feet over,” Cook said.
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Cindy Sestrich has served on STRAC since its inception in 2016, the year a city ordinance was passed to require that STR owners live on the property. Sestrich, who lives in Cheesman Park, has been involved with city zoning and planning issues since the“I1980s.hope as access to ADUs expands in Denver, people will consider renting them out long term,” she said, “to address our housing
ADUS IN DENVER COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Setbacks—the distance between a struc ture and the property line—are currently greater for habitable spaces than they are for garages. Since Cook’s garage does not com ply with the setback for habitable spaces, his request was denied.
Malone enjoys hosting visitors to Denver through AirBnB. In October, Malone will be 10 years retired from a 43-year career with the railroad. Hosting a STR provides income and gives Malone something enjoyable to do with his “Peopletime.from around the world and across the United States have stayed in my guest house. I enjoy meeting people who are vis iting Denver, people from France, Italy, England, and every state in this country,” Malone said.
Once permitted and constructed, an ADU that is rented out for stays of 29 or fewer days is subject to Denver’s short-term rental (STR) license requirement. These are issued through the Department of Excise and Li censes and must be renewed annually.
NEXT STEPS
But a recent police shooting in Low er Downtown that injured six bystand ers didn’t help. In July, three DPD officers fired their weapons at an armed suspect at closing
“I’mattention.proud of our human trafficking team,” he said.
Pazen said he will leave his job know ing the department has also made a dif ference in another area that gets far too little
“Sixty people have died from murder,” Pazen said, adding that they’re often from marginalized groups. Almost half have been Black, 35% Latino, 17% White, and 4% Asian. “That is not the demographics of Still,Denver.”he said, DPD’s homicide clearance rates “are at or above 70 percent.”
He has been able to put his signature on programs that have made the department better and more professional.
Still, he’s encouraged that people are reading the literature on pot and coming to understand the data on high-poten cy THC and its mental health impact on younger people.
“It’s been a tough couple of years,” Pazen acknowledged. But the challenges of a new century also inspired new and perhaps over due methods of policing.
/// CRIME AND SAFETY ///
Pazen said despite the challenges of com manding the largest department in Colora do–1,500 men and women–it’s a rewarding job.
“Basedtime.upon the information we have at this time, we understand that these injuries to these individuals were directly or indi rectly caused by the rounds fired by one or more officers,” said a DPD spokesman.
“This year, we have a 30 percent increase in auto fatalities–48 people have lost their lives,” Pazen said.
Hancock will also be leaving office in the spring and still must appoint Pazen’s successor. Until then, Division Chief Ron Thomas will serve as acting chief. Pazen’s last official day on the job is Oct. 15.
Bank
His tenure was marked by a pandemic, bloody and violent clashes with police, and a rising violent crime rate compounded by a national trend of understaffing. It was a re al-time, 21st century troika that confronted Denver and stretched coast to coast.
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“We have to treat all community mem bers with respect and dignity,” he said. “By being professional and courteous and doing what is expected of us we can win over some of our critics.”
Glacier
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Pazen saw that some calls, especial ly those where a person is experiencing a mental health crisis, are “cases that are notOthersharmful.”might be situations where people are experiencing bad reactions to drugs, homelessness, or issues not requiring a traditional police response. These are cas es where trained behavioral mental health clinicians are often a better option for theTosituation.date,STAR has responded more than 3,000 times. Pazen said other cities have copied the STAR approach and calls it an example of a department being “flexible enough to Perhapspivot.”noperiod tested Pazen and the department more than the fallout from a single incident a time zone away. In May 2020, a nation watched a Minneapolis cop literally detain a suspect to death. Officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on the neck of a Black man suspected of using counterfeit money for a purchase. For nine minutes in broad daylight a crowd watched as the offi cer’s actions ended the life of George Floyd. The incident went viral and within hours cities in every time zone, including Denver, exploded in violence.
Like all departments, Pazen said, the job never gets easier. Violent crime paints that picture and Denver, like other large cities, struggles to meet the challenge. Budget shortfalls, retirements, and resignations have left the department an estimated 140 officers below a full complement of 1,600.
makes us
The 2020 confrontations in Denver over Floyd’s death also resulted in lawsuits alleg ing excessive force along with internal crit icism that some officers were unprepared and undertrained to handle the protests.
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As a result, Pazen said, officers are often unable to respond to 911 calls as timely as he would Anotherlike.fast approaching record is Den ver’s vehicular deaths.
communities – YOU
n a surprise that caught even confidants off guard, Denver Police Chief Paul Pazen announced he is retiring.
As Pazen moves toward his mid-Octo ber retirement, so too does the city move
personal. And
Paul Pazen
One of Pazen’s proudest and most signif icant achievements, he said, was his intro duction of DPD’s Support Team Assisted Response, or STAR program.
Because the case has been referred to a grand jury, Pazen chose to not comment.
“Imagine being trafficked and what it is like,” he said.
Denver Mayor Michael Hancock, who ap pointed Pazen from District 1 commander to chief, praised Pazen for his leadership.
Our small
Since Floyd’s death, the country has wit nessed other high-profile clashes between cops and citizens that have added to the un ease. Policing has become one of the nation’s front-burner concerns, said Pazen, long an advocate of building relationships between community and cops.
“Most people would agree that added revenue has been generated,” he said. “The downside is yet to be determined.”
being
After 28 years, the last four as the depart ment’s top cop, he’s calling it a day. Pazen, only the city’s second Latino to serve as Denver Chief of Police, announced his re tirement Aug. 30. Pazen led the city through one of its bumpiest four-year periods in Denver history.
Pazen is withholding judgment on legal ized marijuana’s impact on crime.
“It’s been the honor of a lifetime.”
“First and foremost,” Pazen said, “I con demn that.” What the nation witnessed was a perfect example, he said, of “cops operat ing outside the bounds of what is expected of them. It makes it more difficult for us to do our jobs.”
closer to a record year in homicides.
Denver District Attorney Beth McCann called him “a dedicated public servant” and thanked him for his leadership.
By Ernest Gurulé
I
He called human trafficking a crime af fecting the most vulnerable. Its victims are often young immigrant women who’ve been lured to this country with the promise of a better life only to end up in bondage. Other victims are young runaways.
Page 12 September 15, 2022-October 14, 2022 The Denver North Star
Denver Police Chief Paul Pazen Announces Retirement
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/// CRIME AND SAFETY ///
“Running with My Girls” is a 2021 locally produced documentary that highlights five diverse female activists running for municipal office in Denver as part of a grassroots movement to take their communities back.
Tenemos programas GRATUITOS para ayudarlo con:
Are you struggling to pay your rent, mortgage, or utilities?
¿Tiene dificultades para pagar su alquiler, hipoteca o servicios públicos?
Checking Out: Dirtbag, Massachusetts
A shelter in place order was issued at 1:24 a.m. Aug. 28 and was lifted at 3:33 a.m., according to DPD.
Sister Wants ‘Justice’ for Slain Brother in Sunnyside Shooting
Councilwoman Amanda Sandoval, who represents the Sunnyside neighborhood, took to Twitter to address the shooting.
Are you worried about staying in your home?
saac Fitzgerald opens his new memoir, “Dirt bag, Massachusetts: A Confessional” (2022, Bloombury) with an at tention-grabbing line that he admits to using when ever asked about his childhood: “My par ents were married when they had me, just to different people.”
Because of COVID-19 and our community’s rising housing costs, many people need a little extra help right now.
Shalimar said it was in her brother’s na ture to deescalate a situation.
Homeowner counseling and foreclosure legal assistance
Accordingdeeply.”
As we head into another high-stakes election season, Smiley Branch Library is teaming up with Regis University and Emerge Colorado to screen "Running With My Girls" on Thursday, Oct. 13, 5-7:30 p.m. on Regis’ Campus.
His sister, Shalimar, told The Den ver North Star that she wants justice for her brother because he was trying to be a peacemaker, not someone who was in volved in the out-of-control party.
Down payment assistance to buy a home
It isn’t so much the experiences themselves that captivate, however—it’s Fitzgerald’s ability to pinpoint his internal struggles, his lessons learned, and how he relates to those around him. His memoir takes the type of tales you may hear from any given “guy at the bar” and shows the very familiar human struggles at the heart of his stories.
"Running with My Girls" Documentary Film Screening and Discussion with Filmmaker Rebekah Henderson
Orientación para propietarios y asistencia legal para ejecuciones hipotecarias
Debido al COVID-19 y al aumento de los costos de la vivienda en nuestra comunidad, muchas personas necesitan ayuda extra en este momento.
/// ARTS & CULTURE ///
By Eric Heinz
“He was not about fighting. He didn’t see a purpose in it. He was about set tling it, and unfortunately he wasn’t able to stop this one,” she said. “I got the call from my mother and I called until some body picked up and they pushed the phone to his face … telling him ‘it’s your sister.’ His last words were, ‘I'm okay, sis, and I love you. Just know that I love you,’ and that was the last I heard from
Programas para compartir la vivienda Reembolso de impuestos a la propiedad Asistencia con el pago inicial para la compra de una vivienda
This event is free and open to the public. The screening will be in the Science Amphitheater (SCI 212), located on Regis’ Northwest Denver Campus (3333 Regis Blvd., Denver, CO 80221). A voter registration table will be set up outside this event.
Mortgage, rent and utilities payments
Investigators said there may be addition al witnesses who left the scene after the shooting who have more information.
¡Y mucho más!
Visit denvergov.org/Housing and click on Resident Resources to learn more.
Police are asking anyone with informa tion regarding the incident to call Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-STOP.
We have FREE programs to help you with:
HANNAH EVANS
“By the time the cops got there, it was
The Denver North Star September 15, 2022-October 14, 2022 | Page 13
The Denver Department of Housing Stability is here to help you get the assistance you deserve.
A discussion panel featuring filmmaker Rebekah Henderson and cast members Dr. Lisa Calderon, Veronica Barela, Candi CdeBaca, and Shontel Lewis will follow the screening.
No está solo y no es su culpa. Uno de tres hogares de Denver paga más de un tercio de sus ingresos en su vivienda.
Pagos de hipoteca, alquiler y servicios públicos Orientación para inquilinos/arrendadores y asistencia legal para desalojos
So begins a variety of essays about Fitz gerald’s life—the pages that follow are filled with questionable choices and a meander ing timeline matched with witty prose and a sometimes surprising level of vulnerability andFromintrospection.hishighly dysfunctional childhood in rural Massachusetts and his escape on a scholarship to boarding school, to his time spent in San Francisco as a barback, a trip to Myanmar as a volunteer with a religious organization, and his return back home to a stint working in adult films, Fitzgerald has seen his fair share of adventures.
T omas Jimenez, 41, was trying to calm people down after a party got out of control in Sunnyside, but when he went outside to check on a disturbance he was shot and eventually died.
“Dirtbag, Massachusetts” masterfully weaves through humor to sadness and right back again, taking turns that feel both unex pected and relatable all at once.
to a Denver Police Depart ment report, at least four people were dis covered with suspected gunshot wounds after 1 a.m. Aug. 28 in the 2700 block of 42nd Avenue. Three juvenile women had gunshot wounds in addition to Tomas, but their injuries were not life-threatening.
I
Tenant/landlord counseling and eviction legal assistance
You’re not alone and it’s not your fault — one in three households in Denver is paying more than a third of their income toward housing.
¿Le preocupa poder quedarse en su hogar?
Check out “Dirtbag, Massachusetts” at your closest Denver Public Library location or as an e-book or e-audiobook on denverlibrary.org.
pretty out of control,” she said. “Neighbors heard gunshots and he (Tomas) heard girls screaming, and they just wanted to see what was going on. I don’t think he thought it was going to end in gunfire.”
Home sharing programs
myShalimarbrother.”said she thinks there is a big problem with young people’s ability to ob tain“There’sguns. too many kids out here taking lives and they don’t realize what they do to people,” Shalimar said. “Just know that my brother was an amazing man and was loved very deeply and this has affected all of us
Visite denvergov.org/Housing y haga clic en Resident Resources para obtener más información.
“I’m shocked and saddened by this dev astating news of gun violence that took place in our community,” Sandoval wrote. “I cannot begin to express how sorry I am for the families loss.”
La mayoría de los programas no requieren la participación del arrendador y no pregutan sobre estado migratorio.
Property tax rebates
El Departamento de Estabilidad de la Vivienda de Denver está aquí para ayudar y brindarle la asistencia que usted se merece.
Documentation status and landlord participation are not requirements for most programs.
“He didn’t go out there to hurt anybody,” Shalimar said.” He went out there to solve theShalimar,issue.” who lives in Pueblo, said the party’s attendance was described to her by neighbors as a lot of underage children.
Aguiniga shared his story with this year’s runners. His times went back and forth be tween second and fifth on that 1995 team, but he stayed with it and continued to run in college. He attended North during years that also included the 1993 “Summer of Vi olence.” Gangs and gunfire dominated head lines across the metro area.
The Vikings’ lineup includes cheer, cross country, girls flag football, boys football, boys golf, rugby, boys soccer, softball, boys tennis, ultimate frisbee, and girls volleyball.
/// SPORTS ///
New this year—to Colorado, DPS, and Denver North—is the girls flag football pi lot program, in partnership with the Denver Broncos and NFL.
/// COMMUNITY ///
“We want to celebrate each other’s cul ture. Cruising is part of Denver’s culture and
By Kathryn White
“I like being able to play with other girls who are equally as passionate about softball. Each wanting to win, each wanting to get better as a person and as a player,” said Lil iana Ruiz, softball co-captain.
“You’re a leader,” Ruiz said. “You have to hold yourself to a higher expectation. To push yourself, and your teammates.”
For Vasquez, team leadership has led to greater perseverance and patience.
Cross country’s new head coach Chris Aguiniga knows a few things about persever ance. Aguiniga ran cross country for Denver North all through high school, running his senior year with a team that placed fourth at the 1995 state championship.
DeRoseteams.thinks a corporate banner on the back side of the new bleachers would deliver great sponsorship visibility for a localHecompany.encourages anyone interested in supporting the project to email him at joederose4000@comcast.net or vis it the online fundraising page at tinyurl.com/NorthBleachers.
Make Some Noise for Denver North’s Purple and Gold
Klein’s learned a few other things as well.
“There are no COVID-19 restrictions on spectators this year,” Bendjy said, “and most events are outdoors. We’re excited to get into the season and see people back out watchingSpectatorsgames.”should bring a chair or a blan ket to sit on. Two small stands of bleachers near the main field are often full.
PHOTOS BY ERIC HEINZ
“Sometimes we’ll have arguments, but we all end up on the same page by the end of the day,” Vasquez said.
After 50-plus years of fighting to change the name Columbus Park to La Raza Park, it was especially touching for the community to host the event at the steps of the Kiosko this year since this was the first year that La Raza Park Day was truly in the “official” La Raza
It is all about sharing Chicano culture, community, and family through music, Gru po Tlaloc Aztec dancers, ceremonial bless ings through “promotoras” (a smoke med icine that smudges recipients with healing sage), Mexican food and one of the biggest low-rider car shows in Denver.
Coach Val Finn is excited to be part of the first year in which flag football will be available to young women in Colorado high schools. Finn, who already has interest from 15 students, is hoping to reach 20 before games start in mid-September. Finn’s look ing forward to meeting new students and continuing to grow relationships with those she knows through her role on the school’s restorative practice team.
“ThisPark.is our 4th annual La Raza Park Day. We do this event as a celebration of our com munity,” Ulibarri said. “Our neighborhood has been gentrified beyond belief so we own our public space. We picked up the battle that our parents fought since the 70s and made sure the name was officially changed to the park’s proper name, La Raza Park.”
“Being team captain has taught me to be more selfless, more personable with your players, and to make sure that not only are you getting better, but the team around you is getting better,” he said. “It’s taught me that friendship and camaraderie on the team are the most important. If you don’t like your team, you’re not going to succeed.”
T
Viva La Raza Park Day
In a sport often associated with individ ual performance, Aguiniga is most excited about growing the school’s running com munity this year. So far so good: the season began with 44 runners, including 13 firstyear“I’mstudents.excited to get kids running,” he said. “And for them to see running as part of beingBendjyhealthy.”encourages neighbors to come out and watch students compete. A sched ule is available online at north.dpsk12.org/ north-athletics-calendar.Withnearlyadozen sports underway, competitions are taking place almost every day in September and October.
Boys golf team captain Sawyer Klein is focused on learning too, though it’s far from his first year on the course. Klein tied for 13th at last year’s 4A Colorado High School Athletic Association’s state championship, shooting 71-76-71 at City Park Golf Course.
“North is the only DPS high school of nine that doesn’t have stadium seating yet,” said Joe DeRose, treasurer of the North Side High School Alumni Association.
North High School’s Sophia Guerrero, No. 18, attempts to make a tag at first base during a home game against Westminster High School on Sept. 1.
By Basha Cohen
“My favorite part of golf is that you can al ways get better,” Klein said when The Denver North Star caught up with him and his team at Willis Case Golf Course. “I’d say the sky’s the limit with golf, and you can never really reach the sky. You can always improve.”
“Gang stuff was happening at North. There was a push for sports.” Aguiniga said. “To run for the team meant keeping my grades up. My family wasn’t big on school. Graduating from high school was big. Grad uating from college was huge.”
Throw in some Hugo’s Lucha Libre wres tling, The School Yard Scrapper B-Boys, a Latin Soul Party DJ, plus community re sources and guidance from Servicio de la Raza, and it’s a perfect way to end summer!
Chicano culture. It is an expression of art,” Chavez said. “This event is all about family and coming together.” He continues, “This is hallowed ground and sacred space. This is where the Chicano rights movement began. This event is important to maintain tradi tions and culture.”
Sophia Vasquez, softball co-captain, add ed, “I personally like seeing all the compet itiveness come out of everybody. And work ing together as a team.”
The day was hosted by Ben Opt Won Chavez, Colleen Ulibarri and Damaris Ronkanen. This feel-good fest celebrates the heart and soul of the Northside.
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PHOTO COURTESY OF BEN CHAVEZ A performer with Hugo’s Lucha Libre wrestling program leaps from the ring during La Raza Park Day on Aug. 21 at the park.
“Our goal is to have every student connect ed to something that interests them. A club, an activity, a sport,” said Kevin Bendjy, the school’s athletic director before recently be ing named district director of athletics for DPS. “Students who are connected are more likely to graduate. They have stronger friend ships, a more positive school experience.”
DeRose, NHS class of 1966, is working with parents to change that. They’ve raised $5,000 toward $30,000 needed for three additional bleachers adjacent to the field used by the football, lacrosse, track, and soccer
D
enver North High School’s athletic ven ues are getting a workout these days, with close to 400 students participating in 11 programs this fall.
he Fourth Annual La Raza Park Day was hosted in August and brought out one of the largest low-riders shows in Denver, Aztec dancers and a celebration of the green space.
“It’s a learning year,” Finn said.
By David
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PHOTO COURTESY OF CONVIVO CAFE
Vivi Lemus (left) and Kristin Lacy (right) are the coowners of Convivio Cafe, opening on 38th Ave.
Denver
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For Convivio Cafe’s coowners Vivian
Behind the scenes, social equity is a driv ing force of their business model. Their cof fee is origin sourced, meaning it’s grown and roasted in Central America, which leaves more money in the country of origin and benefits the coffee farmers. Their tea se lection comes from a women owned coop as Thewell. duo have been selling coffee online and at pop ups for the last two years while getting ready to open the cafe. They found a space at 38th Avenue and Yates Street in a shared building with Enigma Bazaar, which is open later in the day and evenings, creating symmetry between the two businesses.
beans topped with pickled vegetables.
In addition to the standard menu items, Lemus said they will mix it up with “fun, seasonal drinks and items,” and bring in chefs with varied backgrounds from aroundConvivioDenver.isholding a series of small group gatherings and a soft opening for the North Denver community on Sept. 24. They plan for a full opening, complete with ribbon cutting ceremony, on Sept. 28. The duo is planning to decorate the cafe for the openings with hand woven Guatemalan women’s dresses.
By David Sabados
Covivio’s normal hours will be 7 a.m. - 3 p.m., 6 days a week (closed on Tuesdays). Con vivio is located at 4925 West 38th Ave.
Lemus’ partner Kristin Lacy, who was born in the U.S. and lived in Guatemala, explained how they came to start a cafe to gether. “When Vivi and I met and started
talking about this, it came from experienc es we had.” Both had lived in two countries and cultures, both worked in nonprofits, and both loved the slower coffee culture found in WhenGuatemala.creating a menu, they looked to combine cultures as well. Customers can order champurradas, a slightly sweet biscot ti type cookie sprinkled with sesame seeds, scones with traditional ponche flavors (dried fruits and spices), or other light snacks. If you’re hungrier, check out the antojitossmall plates or appetizers. There’s guacamole tostadas, but different from the style you’ll find elsewhere - there’s no cilantro, jalape no, or tomato. There’s also options like black
“Vivi” Lemus and Kristin Lacy, the ca fe’s name is also its goal: bringing people and communities together. Convivio Cafe, opening in the Berkeley neighborhood, will be Denver’s first Guatemalan-inspired, bilin gualLemus,cafe. who was born in Guatemala and has lived for decades in the U.S., explained that while Denver has beautiful craft coffee shops, and amazing ethnic food restaurants, they can show the divisions in our commu nity. She said native Spanish speakers aren’t always comfortable with the “special lingo” needed to order in predominantly English speaking coffee shops. At the same time, non Spanish speakers aren’t always comfortable ordering unfamiliar items in predominant ly Spanish speaking restaurants. She hopes Convivio can help bridge that divide.
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