All the News About Denver’s Best Residential Community Since 1961 Volume 52, Issue No. 12
A Greater Park Hill Community Hill, Inc. Publication
December 2013
Stop City Loop?
City Park neighbors challenge "regional attraction" proposal A letter to the editor sparked residents around City Park to unite in expressing opposition to a planned 13-acre, $5 million entertainment attraction in the park. At the same time, the parks manager says final design could still change. In the September issue of the Greater Park Hill News, Hank Bootz and Holly Joyce of Park Hill wrote: “The park is threatened by overdevelopment and commercialization and we are concerned that a proposed new play area…will only create more traffic and lead to further degradation.” See the full letter at greaterparkhill.org/2013/08/31/city-parkneeds-no-improvement. Bootz and Joyce quickly realized that others in Park Hill as well as people from surrounding neighborhoods – North and South City Park, Congress Park, City Park West, and Whittier – had similar concerns. Area residents express frustration because the proposal came directly from Denver Parks and Recreation (DPR) with no initial public involvement. DPR later asked the public to select one of three designs for what the agency calls a “regional attraction” or “multi-generational playground.” While critics seem to have more questions than answers, Parks Manager Lauri
Dannemiller says the agency is still examining the full proposal. "At this point, the project is in very early stages of conceptual design," said Dannemiller in a statement for GPHN. "After hearing initial public feedback, we've already discussed changes to the overall size and other design features. As we progress… we will absolutely study numerous issues, including parking, access, and mainteDave Felice nance. We will also continue to solicit public feedback as we continue with the conceptual planning of the project, which is still several years from completion." Opponents object to the replacement of the existing Dustin Redd playground with a large multi-age "play experience" because the new attraction will take away so much green space. They also argue that City Park already contains two of the city’s most popular destinations and the park cannot absorb another regional facility without detrimental effects to the park. In the April 2012 edition of Greater Park Hill News, DPR Senior Landscape Planner Britta Herwig described the plans as iconic new experience. “ReImagine Play is a chal-
City Matters
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A rendering from stopcityloop.org shows the footprint of the proposed City Loop project at City Park.
The Next GPHC Meeting
The next community meeting of the GPHC will be held Thursday, January 9th at 6:30 p.m. at 2823 Fairfax – one week later than the usual meeting due to the New Years Day holiday. The main agenda item for this meeting will be discussion of traffic issues and concerns within Park Hill, specifically on Krameria and Quebec streets.
The Art Garage: New Direction, New Director and a Park Hill Arts Weekend By Barb McKee
Lulu Gurney paints with Katie Moran, the new Executive Director of the Art Garage. (Credit: Jawaher Al-Bader)
Mapping Neighborhood Retail Marijuana Stores Opening January 1
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Park Hill Middle School Options: A Choice of Any, a Guarantee of Five
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Editor Farewell and Welcome Cara DeGette
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Inside This Issue
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December 2013
The Art Garage in Park Hill is growing into a community art center with new energy and a new Executive Director. Welcome Katie Moran, a recent Peace Corps volunteer in Grenada, graduating from Pace University in NYC with a Masters in Special Education and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY. New to the Denver area, Katie is settling into her position by working with a Board of Directors and volunteers to plan and implement programs enhancing our mission. The Art Garage provides a variety of educational opportunities including art classes and art-based community activities. We are a nonprofit organization who provides a neighborhood community center that brings people together through the Arts. We support cultural, social and educational diversity. A leader who is able to capture support of volunteers, customers and donors measures the strength of an organization. Embracing this reality, Katie has been working with local artists, Allison Davies, Chris Hindman, Patricia Barr Clarke and Barb McKee who are connecting exhibiting artists for the first Park Hill Studio Tour. “During my service in Peace Corps I enjoyed developing relationships in the community and working with members to
create projects that brought the community together through positive impact. I look forward to being able to do this with the arts in Northeast Denver”. Many practicing artists and artisans in Northeast Denver have been exhibiting and selling their work from their home studios for years. One such group of nine Colorado artisans has been transforming the home of Melanie and Bill Turner at 2233 Ash Street into a Holiday Art Market for the past eight consecutive years. This year, on the weekend of December 7 and 8, you will find beautifully handcrafted cards by Katy Shaw, award winning porcelain ceramics by Lynda Ladwig, crazy and cuddly monsters by Genevieve Turner, and other unique clothing and accessories for children and adults all ready to wrap. The Ash Street market is open Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Inspired by their holiday spirit, the Art Garage has enlisted eight artists who will also open their studios to share their original work with the public that weekend. We are pleased to present accomplished watercolors by Patricia Barr-Clarke; a blend of street painting art styles by Marc Huebert; functional pottery that combines artistic expression with fine craftsmanship by Barbara Hoffman; zenOgram and paper casting by
Results Are In: Meet the 2013-14 GPHC Board of Governors
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