All the News About Denver’s Best Residential Community Since 1960 • Volume 58, Issue No. 12 • December 2019
By Cara DeGette Editor, GPHN
Highlights, and Lowlights, of 2019 Compiled by Cara DeGette Editor, GPHN
What a year. Municipal elections, wrangling over the Park Hill Golf Course land and the East Area Plan, a teachers’ strike that was followed, months later, by a historic DPS school board election (see page 5 for more on that). Throw in world class ice climbing, a 50th anniversary neighborhood blowout, drunk skunks and a wild turkey roaming Park Hill. The following are highlights of the year that is quickly drawing to a close.
January
ing universal healthcare, social justice and civil rights.
Marade Honors MLK, Jr. On Jan. 21, thousands of Denverites turned out for the 35th annual marade to honor slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. on what would have been his 90th birthday. As happens yearly, crowds gathered at the MLK, Jr. statue in City Park before marching three miles up Colfax Wilma Webb. Photo by to the state capiCara DeGette tol. Said former state Rep. Wilma Webb, the marade’s founder, “We’ve got a lot to celebrate, but we’ve got a lot to work on.”
Several months ago, Greater Park Hill Community, Inc. contracted with National Research Center, Inc. (NRC) to administer a survey of Park Hill households to gauge residents’ opinions about current and future decisions impacting the community and to inform the Board’s strategic prioricontinued on page 16 stretched well into January, the owners of Oblio’s Pizzeria on 22nd Avenue and Kearney Street offered free meals to employees who had been furloughed, and their families. They also launched a Go Fund Me effort to provide assistance to seven families who were financially strapped as a result of the shutdown. Their efforts to help generated much coverage, including a mention in the New York Times.
Womxn’s March On Denver For the third year, crowds gathered in Denver, across the nation and globe on the third Saturday of the month to mark the movement dedicated to the power and importance of women. In Denver, crowd estimates were at 80,000. This year’s event was renamed the Womxn’s March to recognize non-binary identity designation. Participants carried and waved signs and banners opposing President Donald Trump, and promoting a range of other issues, includ-
Oblio’s Opens Its Arms In response to the federal government shutdown that began in December and
Six Decades Of Park Hill Action: Just What Do They Do? Close Encounters With Bighorn Sheep In Waterton Canyon Bibliophiles Unite! Park Hill Library Turning 100 in 2020
UPCOMING GPHC MEETINGS There is no monthly meeting in December. The next meeting is Thursday, Jan. 2. at 2823 Fairfax St. at 6:30 p.m. All are welcome to attend.
whole child but cannot afford to live in the communities where we teach. We are committed to doing our very best by each child and yet are underpaid and disrespected. We deserve a living wage and Denver’s kids deserve respected educators.”
Green Space Disappearing In her monthly column, GPHC board chair Tracey MacDermott highlighted recent reports that green space in Denver is disappearing faster than most other cites and that the dwindling of nature in Denver could lead to potentially overwhelming increases in storm-water runoff, and is causing worsening heat-wave impacts.
February
Talk of the Neighborhood The campaigns for Denver Mayor and City Council elections started revving up in a big way. In a season of discontent, no fewer than 52 candidates jumped into the races for mayor, city council, clerk and recorder and auditor. Though the election was still four months away, George Mayl, president of Inter-Neighborhood Cooperation (INC), attended the January meeting of GPHC to remind people to, “get out there and vote – I don’t care who you vote for, but vote!”
It’s Always Been Personal: What It Means To Flip The Board
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The Year in Rearview
Survey Background and Summary
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In November, Maxwell Bresler’s ElectroPop Space Club beamed down to the Mile High City in a big way during Denver Fashion Week. Check out page 19 for more of the Park Hill native’s intergalactic designs from the catwalk, along with an interview with Bresler about his inspiration and unconventional approach to fashion. Photo by Reid Neureiter
(Note: The following is the summary of the survey and results as presented by the Boulder-based National Research Center.)
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Maxwell Bresler’s ElectroPop Space Club
In September, the board of Greater Park Hill Community, Inc. contracted with the Boulder-based survey research firm National Research Center (NRC). Specifically, GPHC was interested in conducting a scientifically sound survey to gauge the opinions of the 30,000 residents of the neighborhood on several hot topics. According to GPHC Treasurer Heather Shockey, the reason for the survey was twofold: “The Board felt that now would be a good time to invest in a statistically valid survey in order to, one: ensure that the Board’s positions are aligned with resident expectations – not just the loudest voices – and two: use data to inform the Board’s strategic priorities.” Of 2,000 invitations mailed to a random selection of households, 308 completed the survey, which was conducted by the NRC. (Note: The research firm anticipated a 10 percent response rate; the actual response was much higher, at 16 percent.) Among the findings from the respondents:
• Three-fourths want the Park Hill Golf Course land to remain entirely green space/park or golf course. • 9 in 10 support increased parks and green spaces and preserving the architectural character and style of the community. • Three-quarters would like the community to focus on improving traffic safety over the coming two years. • More than 8 in 10 prefer keeping Park Hill a mostly residential community. • Only 1 in 10 feel they have excellent or good access to affordable quality housing.
Raw Politics Returns: Penfield Tate’s Take On The Power Reset At City Hall
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Community survey shows overwhelming support for parks, open space, affordable housing, improving traffic and preserving the residential character and architecture of Park Hill.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE PAGE 4
Results Are In
PARK HILL CHARACTER
Photo by Reid Neureiter
Ice Climbing World Cup Finals On Feb. 23-24 Denver hosted the finals of the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation’s ice climbing World Cup series. More than 70 competitive ice-climbing men and women athletes descended on Denver from around the world. A 50-foot tall competition scaffolding was erected on the south side of Civic Center park, with downtown Denver providing a stunning backdrop to the remarkable feats of balance and strength on display.
What’s Happening At City Park Photo by Cara DeGette
Teachers On Strike
On Feb. 11, some 2,600 Denver Public School educators went on strike for the first time in 25 years. At the end of three days, an agreement was reached, and teachers returned to class. Numerous educators shared their views in the February issue, including Amy Maes, who teaches kindergarten at Park Hill Elementary. “We are working with the children who will some day run our country. We are teaching the
GPHC board member Ryan Hunter provided an update during the monthly community meeting on several projects at City Park. The Denver Zoo was moving forward with improvements to the Gate 15 area, behind the elephant compound near Duck Lake on the north side of the park. Updates were underway at the Dustin Redd Playground, and once those were completed the smaller playground near the Denver Museum of Nature & Science was slated for improvements as well. continued on page 2