All the News About Denver’s Best Residential Community Since 1960 • Volume 63, Issue No. 1 • January 2024
A Rocky Start
Neighbors Vexed By Lack Of Transparency In Plan To House 72 Migrant Families At Mosaic Community Campus By Cara DeGette GPHN Editor
A plan to house 72 migrant families at two former dormitories on the Mosaic Community Campus has generated annoyance and vexation. The criticism is not that migrant families will be moving into the apartments — but rather what City Councilwoman Shontel Lewis and other community leaders term a maddening lack of transparency from the Denver mayor’s office and other key players. Rumors that the families would be moving into the dorms on the Mosaic campus in southeast Park Hill — formerly Johnson & Wales — began making the rounds in late November. The former dorms, Triangolo Hall and Gaebe Hall, are owned by the Denver Housing Authority and include 72 mostly one-bedroom apartments. The Housing Authority bought the buildings in 2021 with the intent to repurpose them into affordable housing. But they have been sitting empty. (Four other dorms
on campus are owned by Archway Communities and are currently undergoing renovations.) On Dec. 11 the Greater Park Hill News reached out to the Denver Housing Authority (DHA) asking for details. The following day, its Director of Communications, Allison Trembly, responded: “Denver Housing Authority is working with key partners such as Jewish Family Service of Colorado and the Denver mayor’s office, to begin housing international families (e.g., migrants and refugees) who are resettling in our community,” Trembly wrote. “With cold weather upon us, families with young children could be moving into Gaebe and Triangolo Halls starting in December 2023. We anticipate the average stay per family to be 3-9 months. DHA is the property owner and landlord. Our partners will seek to assist these families in securing employment, educational opportunities, healthcare services, and permanent housing. “DHA and its partners are committed to keeping the campus com-
Keeping The Message Alive
This month marks 60 years since civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. came to Denver. In this image, King speaks to an overflow crowd outside Park Hill’s Montview Boulevard Presbyterian Church. Read the story about his visit, and his continuing legacy on page 9. Photo by Mel Schlieltz, Rocky Mountain News collection/Denver Public Library munity informed as plans are solidified to ensure that transparency and safety are prioritized throughout the process.” Feeling sideswiped On Dec. 20, Trembly said meal services are being “actively assessed,” and that each unit has a fully func-
tioning kitchen. The average family size will be four, she said. At press time, just before Christmas, families had not yet moved in. Additional details were scant, including from Mayor Mike Johnston. The mayor’s office is a major driver continued on page 6
Inside This Issue PAGE 4
Solace In Winter At Rocky Mountain National Park
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Make 2024 The Year Of Action To Halt Global Warming
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Denver’s National Western Stock Show And Rodeo Kicks Off Jan. 4 With An Annual Downtown Parade Story and photos by Reid Neureiter For the GPHN
Steeped in tradition, Denver’s National Western Stock Show kicks off on Jan. 4 with the annual parade of longhorn cattle being driven through the heart of downtown Denver. Trailing the cattle will be horses, wagons, and marching bands. This
year’s National Western parade Grand Marshal is former Denver Broncos All-Pro middle linebacker Randy Gradishar. Famous for his leadership of the “Orange Crush Defense,” Gradishar was the 1978 NFL Defense Player of the Year. The Stock Show parade starts at noon, moving from Union Station up 17th Street. During and after the parade, the public is invited to enjoy the Stock
continued on page 7
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Git Along Dogies
Show Fair at McGregor Square, featuring miniature therapy horses, music, western royalty, ice skating and a food market. The Stock Show is Denver’s premier winter event, and is held at National Western Complex, about four miles northwest of the heart of Park Hill. With exhibitors and guests from 40 states and 30 countries, it is estimated that the Stock Show injects more than $120 million and more than 1,000 jobs to Denver’s economy. Attendance last year was 702,697, rebounding from 2021 when the event was cancelled because of the
Do You Have What It Takes To Be A Blockworker?
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Longhorn cattle being herded up 17th Street in front of Union Station in downtown Denver during the 2023 National Western Stock Show Parade.
An Update On The Historic House On Montview
At The Library: How This Book Was Hatched
Upcoming GPHC Meetings Community meetings are conducted on the first Thursday of each month at 6:30 p.m., except for July and December.
Meetings are held in person at 2823 Fairfax St. People can also attend via Zoom at greaterparkhill.org/join-us/community-meetings The next meeting is Jan. 4. at 6:30 p.m. The February meeting is Thursday, Feb. 1.