All the News About Denver’s Best Residential Community Since 1961 • Volume 57, Issue No. 12 • December 2018
INSIDE THIS ISSUE PAGE 2
GPHC Board Asks City To Delay Massive Denverite Plan To Allow People Time To Read It
PAGE 8
Hallett Academy Soars To New Heights
PAGE 13
Meet Six Council Hopefuls Who Want To Represent Park Hill
PAGE 16 The holiday lights at the Denver City and County Building downtown were illuminated the day after Thanksgiving. In keeping with tradition, they will remain on until the National Western Stock show ends on Jan. 21. Photo by Reid Neureiter
Off To The Races Mayor, Council Hopefuls Tuning Up For May By Cara DeGette Editor, GPHN
Clearly still riding the deep blue wave of the mid-term elections from the week before, on Nov. 13 a crowd of about 130 flocked to Messiah Community Church to hear from two top challengers to Mayor Michael B. Hancock. The two-term mayor is running for reelection in May. The forum, sponsored by the City Park Friends and Neighbors association, was the first in a series. Lisa Calderón, a criminal justice advocate and Regis University professor, and Penfield Tate III, an attorney and former longtime legislator, headlined. Speaking one after another, Calderón and Tate offered their perceptions of a myriad of ways the city is running off the rails under current leadership, resulting in poor growth planning and even worse Lisa Calderón Penfield Tate III communication about those plans to residents (Calderón called them “fake community engagement sessions,” earning a big cheer). Both oppose the Interstate 70 widening project through longtime working class neighborhoods, and both have expressed criticism over a sexual harassment scandal involving the mayor that surfaced earlier this year. Other topics highlighted snarled traffic, increasing homelessness, gentrification, and various injuries being inflicted on the city’s parks. “We the people need a city government that not talks to us or at us, but with us,” said Tate, earning another cheer. “The city needs to listen to what we have to say but … this has not occurred. Meanwhile, our neighborhoods are being disrupted.” In addition to the mayor’s race, the City Council District 8 race has drawn five candidates who are challenging incumbent Chris Herndon to represent Park Hill, Stapleton and a portion of Montbello. Check out page 13 for profiles of all six council hopefuls.
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ALL EYES ON CITY HALL
A Fall To Remember For East High Sports Rich History, Uncertain Future For The Hut At 1980 Albion
UPCOMING GPHC MEETINGS Thursday, Jan. 3 at 2823 Fairfax St. at 6:30 p.m. All are welcome to attend. There is no meeting in December.
EDUCATION UPDATE | Lynn Kalinauskas
Roots Elementary Closing 182 Students Will Be Displaced When Charter Shutters At End Of School Year
On Nov. 13, the founders and leaders of Roots EleThe Urban Land Conservancy (ULC) owns the land mentary announced to its families that their four-year that was leased to Roots. Working to preserve and forold charter school will close at the end of the school tify communities, “ULC land banks parcels of land in year. Metro Denver to preserve the affordability of The school, at the Holly Square at 3350 future developments for long term community Hudson St., opened in August 2015 with a benefit.” ULC acquired the land following the kindergarten and first grade. It has grown fire that destroyed the Holly Square Shopping one grade level every year and currently Center in 2008. Some of it was developed into serves students from kindergarten to fourth the Boys and Girls Club and later some was grade. All 182 children currently enrolled at leased to Roots for its new school. Roots will have to find a new school for the Now, ULC will be looking for new tenants. 2019-2020 year. But, “we no longer have a blank slate,” said a According to the letter sent to its families, representative from ULC at the community LYNN Roots’ closure is due to low enrollment. In meeting. Community plans are now conits application to become a school, Roots had KALINAUSKAS strained by a building and its debt. ULC will projected having 400 students by now. Fewer work in collaboration with HARP to ensure the students mean less revenue for the school that is no long-term benefit of the community. longer financially viable. Accountability and failure The letter was signed by Board Chair Eric Sondermann and founder and board member Jon Hanover, as Laura Lefkowits, who sat on the Denver Public well as the school’s current Principal Kathryn MartiSchools board from 1995 to 1999 and who is an active nez and Interim Executive Director Stephanie Wilson member of the group Park Hill Neighbors for Equity Itelman. in Education (PHNEE), asked about accountability for The school had a high teacher turnover, capped last the school’s finances and its performance. year with the loss of Hanover, the founding executive Although allocating blame for the school’s closure director who went to work for the ride-share program may not help the children currently in the school, it HopSkipDrive. With less than stellar academic rewould be a disservice to all students and Park Hill’s sults, the school has been struggling since its opening. community to overlook what went wrong. “Kids are being pushed out of the neighborhood,” $4 million in debt said Jill Tew, who sits on the school’s board and was Roots owns the building that houses the school, one of its founding members. but not the land on which it sits. Unable to pay its Accelerated gentrification certainly has a role to mortgage, Roots will be going into default for approxiplay in enrollment at all of Park Hill’s schools, esmately $4 million. pecially those situated in the neighborhood’s north. “The credit union will take ownership,” said Gerie Blaming gentrification, however, neglects the fact that Grimes, Executive Director of the Holly Area Redewhen Roots proposed its school model to DPS it was velopment Project (HARP) that held a community fairly warned that enrollment could be an issue. In meeting on Nov. 19 to discuss the closure and its reJune 2014, months before the school board approved percussions. continued on page 9