Greater Park Hill News July 2020

All the News About Denver’s Best Residential Community Since 1960 • Volume 59, Issue No. 7 • July 2020

INSIDE THIS ISSUE PAGE 2

Johnson and Wales To Close Denver Campus

PAGE 4

Opinion: When Neighborhood Feuds Become Online Wars

PAGE 7

We Have Winners In The Architecture Contest!

The murder of George Floyd sparked an extraordinary month for Black Lives Matter, punctuated with protests against police brutality and racial injustice. In Colorado, the legislature ushered in sweeping law

enforcement reforms. The Denver Public Schools board voted unanimously to remove police from all schools, opting to redirect funds toward social workers, psychologists and for restorative justice. Just

Freedom To Ride

east of Park Hill, Stapleton leaders agreed to change the name of the neighborhood, eradicating ties to a former mayor who was active in the Ku Klux Klan. See coverage and opinions inside, pages 8-11.

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BREAKING POINT

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Downtown Denver on the night of May 29. Photo by Darcy Neureiter

Get Ready For The Tour de Denver

Spinning Dances And Stories With Chris Kermiet

UPCOMING GPHC MEETINGS There is no community meeting in July. Check back next month for updates.

Denver Cyclists Rally For Racial Justice Story by Cara DeGette and Reid Neureiter Photos by Reid Neureiter and Darcy Neureiter

On Saturday, June 20, more than 150 cyclists congregated in Five Points ready to roll for racial justice.

The inaugural Race for Racial Justice was organized by Marcus Robinson, who is Black, and Neal Henderson, who is white.

“We believe that the bicycle represents freedom,” said Henderson, reading from a statement at the beginning of the ride.

“Unfortunately, not everyone has the same freedoms due to the color of their skin. We believe that racial justice is a human right.

Join with us to be seen and heard to help end racism. That is why we are riding today.”

The 10-mile ride began in Five Points, headed east down Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard into Park Hill (where the cyclists were cheered on by supporters, including Robinson’s 89-year old mom Mary, who lives at Bellaire and MLK, Jr. Boulevard). The route looped around, and the riders headed back west along Montview to City Park, past the MLK, Jr. statue, past East High School and then back to Five Points via 16th Avenue.

After the ride, Robinson provided some background on the inspiration for the ride – and shared his experience as a Black man, riding his bike alone.

“I’m actually scared due to the vitriol and lack of leadership coming out of 1600 Pennsylvania. The places I love to ride are remote, no gas stations, restaurants, etc. peace and tranquility,” he told the GPHN. “This is the only time in my life continued on page 10

4th Of July Parade Canceled

Taking The Year Off To Reflect

The COVID-19 pandemic means that we can’t safely hold the event, and the recent protests and much-needed discussions about the historical problems of racial inequality lead us to believe that this year’s holiday is better spent reflecting on our history and what it means to be American.

We encourage Park Hill and all of Denver to mark the holiday as they think best, whether that is celebrating at home with friends and family, volunteering, protesting or reaching out to members of your community that you might not have connected with in the past. Because that’s what Park Hill’s annual 4th of July Parade has always been about: creating community.

We commit to spending the coming months speaking to the community to determine what kind of event it wants to see in 2021.

-- The Park Hill 4th of July Parade Team

TALK OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD COMPILED BY CARA DEGETTE, EDITOR, GPHN

GPHC Urges ‘Full Support’ For All Local Businesses

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17409 Rimrock Dr 7777 23rd Ave #203 SOLD! Rep Buyer SOLD! Rep Buyer Multiple Offers, Golden 2 Bd Condo Nina Kuhl Ann Torgerson

875 Tennyson St SOLD! $389,900 Cute home, Large Lot Steve LaPorta

3445 E 31st Ave U/C $519,900 Rental Potential Nina Kuhl

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A flurry of controversy over the Cherry Tomato’s push to allow sidewalk dining has inspired the board of Greater Park Hill Community, Inc. to adopt a unanimous position of support for all local businesses that are facing hardship due to the pandemic.

In June, the Registered Neighborhood Organization issued the following: “Greater Park Hill Community, Inc. wishes to see all our neighborhood businesses thrive during these extraordinary and difficult times. Our restaurants, shops, markets, and others are part of the fabric of this community. The City and County of Denver has created a temporary program allowing restaurants and bars to operate in outdoor settings adjacent to their businesses in order to allow for proper social distancing. This effort is additionally encouraged by the State of Colorado. Some of our Park Hill restaurants will be seeking to expand their seating outdoors and we fully support this.

“Many small businesses are at financial peril due to the COVID-19 crisis. These are our neighbors and they deserve our support, especially during these times. Please shop and eat local whenever possible.”

The formal declaration of support followed a brief controversy over a 23-year old good neighbor agreement, brokered by the GPHC, between the owner of the Cherry Tomato and residents who live nearby the restaurant on the corner of 23rd and Dexter.

As part of the 1997 agreement, the Cherry Tomato stipulated it would “not provide outdoor seating, tables or service on the sidewalk areas adjacent to the premises.”

Johnson & Wales Closing Denver Campus Next Year

Citing declining enrollment and a need to consolidate, Johnson and Wales University is closing its Denver campus next year.

In its announcement in late June, university leaders acknowledged that the COVID-19 pandemic played a role in the decision.

Upperclassmen will return to the campus for the upcoming final academic year, however, freshmen students will not be enrolled at the university’s campuses in Denver or North Miami. The other two campuses, in Providence, R.I. and Charlotte, N.C, will remain open.

At the end of the 2020-21 school year, students who have not yet graduated will have the option of completing their degrees at the Providence or Charlotte campuses.

Online programs will also be available “As the university looks to the future, we realize that this is sad and challenging news for our North Miami and Denver campus communities,” said Chancellor Mim L. Runey. “This decision has a direct impact

WHO WE ARE Editor Cara DeGette Manager Melissa Davis Art Director Tommy Kubitsky

HOW TO FIND US Voicemail: 720-287-0442 Email: newspaper@greaterparkhill.org Address: 2823 Fairfax St. Denver, 80207 Website: www.greaterparkhill.org Facebook: facebook.com/greaterparkhillnews Twitter: @parkhillnews

CONTACT US Story Tips and Letters to the Editor: Cara DeGette; 720-979-4385, editor@greaterparkhill.org Advertising information: ads@greaterparkhill.org

Nina Kuhl

303-913-5858

Steve LaPorta

303-525-0640

Roberta Locke

303-921-5842

Ann Torgerson

303-522-5922

Classified ads: Melissa Davis; 720-287-0442 (VM), newspaper@greaterparkhill.org Deadline for submissions is the 15th of every month

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on their lives, careers and dreams, and we share their sense of loss. The university is committed to providing resources and support to our returning students, staff and faculty to help them navigate the options before them.”

The 26-acre Denver campus, at Montview and Quebec, is at the southeast edge of Park Hill. The campus was originally the site of the Colorado Women’s College and later the University of Denver Law School.

Johnson and Wales opened its Denver campus in 2000.

The university offers degree programs in arts and sciences, business, culinary arts, design and engineering, education, health and wellness, hospitality, nutrition and physician assistant studies. Enrollment for the last academic year on the Denver campus was 927 students; currently, 96 faculty and 109 staff members are employed there.

JWU reports it has invested more than $48 million in renovations and improvements to residence halls and other buildings. The campus’s Centennial Hall, built in 1886 and originally named Treat Hall, is on the National Register of Historic Places. The building had been shuttered for 30 years, and reopened in 2015 after a $17 million renovation.

It is unclear what will happen with the campus when Johnson and Wales closes the campus next summer.

“That’s a common question right now and we don’t know,” Denver campus spokesman Alan Bilsborough said on June 25, the day of the announcement.

Greater Park Hill Community board Chair Tracey MacDermott praised the university as being “an absolutely phenomenal neighbor, contributing programs that enhance Park Hill, and giving back to the neighborhood.”

“We are sad that the campus will be closing, and hopeful that whoever takes over the property values its rich history,” she said.

As with other colleges and universities, in-person classes have not been held on campus since the COVID-19 outbreak earlier this year. The current plan, Bilsborough said, is that students will return to on-campus classes beginning on July 8 for summer session and then in late August for the start of the final academic year.

Johnson and Wales University’s Centennial Hall is on the National Register of Historic Places. File photo courtesy of JWU The Greater Park Hill News is published by Greater Park Hill Community, Inc. (GPHC) on the 1st of each month. Greater Park Hill Community, Inc. makes no warranties and assumes no responsibility for the accuracy of the information contained herein. The opinions expressed in articles are not necessarily the opinions of GPHC. GPHC does not necessarily endorse the companies, products or services advertised in The Greater Park Hill News unless specifically stated. GPHC reserves the right to run any advertisement.

Circulation is 14,000 and is distributed in the Park Hill Area by neighborhood volunteers.

The Greater Park Hill Community, Inc., is a volunteerbased registered neighborhood organization that: promotes the character and vibrancy of Park Hill; provides resources, information and advocacy; and preserves quality of life and the history of the neighborhood through community participation.

This newspaper is made possible through the support of our advertisers and members. If you are not already a member, please consider joining the Greater Park Hill Community, Inc.

The Greater Park Hill News

July 2020

BIRDLAND | Mark Silverstein

Bring us your old paint!

Simple, declutter your basement and garage and bring your obsolete paint to us at our drive through drop off zone.

DATE

Saturday July 18, 2020

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P L ACE

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*Sorry, we can’t take aerosol paint, paint thinner and cleaning agents.

Park Hill Real Estate Stats MAY 17- JUNE 17

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NPRE is a team of real estate agents affiliated with Compass. Compass is a licensed real estate broker in Colorado and abides by equal housing opportunity laws. Rules & Exclusions apply. Compass offers no guarantee or warranty of results. Subject to additional terms and conditions. We cannot take aerosols, paint thinners, solvents and cleaning agents.

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The Greater Park Hill News

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Homes Sold

With bold dark spots on bright white breasts, teetering gait and showy courtship dance, Spotted Sandpipers are easy to identify, particularly during breeding season. These shorebirds have what the Cornell Lab of Ornithology discretely describes as “intriguing social lives.” That includes a breeding strategy called polyandry, where a female mates with up to four males, who then care for their clutch of eggs. This little Spotty was photographed by Park Hill resident Mark Silverstein at Belmar Park in Lakewood.

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Legislature 2020: It’s A Wrap ‘Unprecedented’ Is The Word Of The Year

By Sen. Angela Williams

budget and I’m proud of the work we did to make that happen.

Thank you to the people of Senate DisHad you told me a year ago that my final trict 33 who have entrusted their voice session would end on June 15, and their community with while I participated virtually, me - it has been the honor I would have confidently statof a lifetime. This is not the ed that you would be wrong. last you will hear from me, But that is how my career after all, I’m still your state as a state legislator concluded. senator until January 2021. I While this ending was comam staying engaged and will pletely unprecedented, in continue to provide updates some ways, it is reflective of on our community, our state the reality of governing. At and the largest issues we still the moment when you think face by participating in our you have a handle on things, House District Zoom meetsome unexpected and unpreings and publishing regular dictable event derails even the informative newsletters. most solid beliefs that I encourage you you considered to be unto stay engaged even shakeable.

None of us had ever planned during the interim by I, like all of my colparticipating in these for … a pandemic to put leagues in the legislameetings with me and ture, did not predict COby staying informed. a pause on our work, VID-19. None of us had As always, if you have or blow a $3.3 billion ever planned for an event any questions or conhole in our budget. like a pandemic to put a cerns please reach out pause on our work, or to my office at 303-866blow a $3.3 billion hole 4864 or via email at sen. in our budget. williams.sd33@gmail.com.

Coronavirus has made the term “unprecStay well, stay safe, and take care. edented” the word of 2020 and rightfully Williams represents Senate District 33, so. Myself and my colleagues in the legwhich includes Park Hill. This is her final islature had to make some seemingly imterm. possible decisions in order to balance the For the GPHN

Highlights Of The Session New Laws Include Repeal Of The Death Penalty, Police Reforms, Immunizations, Sick Leave, Help For Small Businesses SB20-100: Repeal the Death Penalty

This bill repeals the death penalty and forbids the use of capital punishment in the state of Colorado. While this bill does not touch the three remaining inmates on death row in Colorado, Gov. Jared Polis commuted their sentences.

SB20-163: School Entry Immunizaions

This bill formalizes the exemption process for school entry immunizations.

In order for a child with a vaccine exemption to participate in the public school system, vaccine exemptions must be approved by a doctor, or the legal guardian must watch an educational module.

SB20-217: Enhance Law Enforcement Integrity

This bill institutes a number of reforms to improve transparency and accountability for law enforcement officers, including mandating release of

body cam footage, eliminating qualified immunity, banning chokeholds and other inappropriate use of force, etc.

SB20-205 – Sick Leave For Employees

Requires employers to provide each of their employees paid sick leave to take for reasons related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

HB20-1427 – Cigarette, Tobacco and Nicotine Sales Tax

This bill would ask voters in November whether or not to raise taxes on cigarettes, tobacco and other nicotine products. Sales tax on a pack of cigarettes, for example, would increase from 84 cents to $2.64 by July, 2027.

HB20-1413 – Small Business Relief Fund

The bill authorizes the state treasurer to enter into a contract to establish a small business recovery loan program, to assist in the state’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Real Life Is Not Online Neighborhood Feuds Don’t Have To Become Wars

By Nancy Watzman

mous text messages that they described as “hateful” and “really upsetting.” In the name of showing love and support for a local business in a tremendously trying time Chances are a lot of us have experienced economically, some of the commenters this sinking feeling. You log on to a social were demonizing people who live right here media site – Facebook, Twitter, NextDoor – and see a nasty debate blowing up online in our neighborhood, in the most personal about an issue by which you’re intimately way possible, to the point it was spilling affected. into real life.

In mid-June this hapHow did things get out of pened to me when I turned control so quickly? A lot can to the Park Hill Neighborbe explained by the nature hood Facebook page, and I of social media sites. In my saw comments balloon to professional life, I work with 500 over just a few hours. philanthropies and journalThe topic? A proposed patio ists who are tracking and expansion for The Cherry countering online polarizaTomato, the popular Italian tion, hate, and misinformaneighborhood restaurant on tion. Every day I see these the corner of my block. kinds of conflagrations blow In recent years, as our up online in exactly this way. neighborhood has gentrified Except instead of restaurant and new people have moved patios, the fires rage over in, debates over where, when, the efficacy of mask-wearing and how businesses should during the pandemic, protests operate have grown intense, over police brutality and racto put it mildly. Toss in a pandemic where ism, mail-in voting, and more. people have been cooped up and businesses We’re cognitively primed to click on have suffered, recent protests nationwide “share” when content is sensational and and locally over the devastating effects of emotional. In addition, the business model racism, and raw emotion is everywhere. of these sites relies on drawing us in, getThe discussion was ting us to spend more time boisterous, which was on the site so that we can We [shouldn’t] give up on be delivered targeted paid not that surprising. What made me increasingly the neighborhood Facebook advertising. In 2016 Rusnauseous, though, was famously used Facepage as one of the ways we sians how two neighbors were book to target messages at being singled out by name communicate. But we should polarized groups – Black online. The post in quesLives Matter and Trump be careful how we use it. tion included a copy of a supporters alike – for the paper flyer that the two simple purpose of getting had placed in the mailboxes of their neighpeople riled up, which they wagered would bors on the 2200 and 2300 block of Dexter. help Trump win the election.

It included their names, their emails, and One simple change their phone numbers – posted for all to see.

In the flyer, the couple explained they opThat doesn’t mean we should give up on posed the expansion, noting that there was the neighborhood Facebook page as one of a history on the issue they could explain to the ways we communicate. But we should newer members of these blocks – and enbe careful how we use it. couraged their neighbors to contact them.

After I saw the debate grow out of control It was an old-fashioned gesture in our online, I contacted the site administrator, time of social distancing, and they even Ryan T. Hunter, to point out how the debate apologized for their method of communihad gone off the rails with personal attacks. cating: “We feel it’s the best option in these Soon the post was down. times.” They concluded by acknowledgThe original poster came back and reing that everyone might not agree: “If this posted the flyer, this time without the change does not matter to you ... then please names of the neighbors and their phone disregard this.” numbers, while lamenting losing all the “funny” conversation from the removed Tagged by name post. And I watched while new comments In the subsequent Facebook frenzy, these racked up and people continued to express neighbors became the emblem of what deep support for The Cherry Tomato. But commenters characterized as a certain this time was different. Without names kind of evil. They were tagged by name, and phone numbers exposed, very few of with comments such as, “you are a horrithe comments were now calling out these ble excuse for a good person,” referred to as neighbors personally. That simple change “villains in a Hallmark Christmas movie,” made a significant difference. and called “ignorant.” Sub-threads called I chose to write this column here in the for taking the message to them directly, Greater Park Hill News to make another driving by their house, and more. point. I’m a deep believer in the role local The couple soon was receiving anonymedia can play in helping increase trust For the GPHN

OPINION

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July 2020

among Americans. We have a gem in this neighborhood newspaper that we should also see as an outlet to express opinions. I urge everyone to support, with donations and subscriptions, not just this newspaper but other Colorado local media.

After all, local newspapers, including the one you are reading, do the vital job of reporting on local issues. While readership has skyrocketed during the pandemic, proving their worth, that doesn’t translate to advertising dollars, which have been swallowed by the Facebooks and Twitters of the world. (You can donate directly at greaterparkhill.org)

Beyond our neighborhood While this isn’t a piece about the original topic of the Facebook post – The Cherry Tomato’s patio expansion – for purposes of transparency, yes, as a 20-year resident of the 2300 block of Dexter, I do have an opinion. It’s one more nuanced and complex than any I saw in the Facebook comments.

My family has supported The Cherry Tomato for decades in the way businesses can appreciate: we spend money there. It’s where my parents met my husband’s mother for the very first time in 2001, right before our wedding. The Cherry Tomato was my dad’s favorite restaurant and after his death we have kept up the tradition of eating dinner there every year on his birthday to celebrate him. During the shutdown The Cherry Tomato was one of the first restaurants where we ordered takeout.

I support the patio expansion during the pandemic. But I do have some concerns that are rooted in our experience working

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July 2020

The Greater Park Hill News

with the restaurant in the past with living up to agreements with immediate neighbors – which I’m happy to talk about in a rational, mature conversation.

Barring some unforeseen circumstance, Park Hill is my forever home. We love our house, our block, and the greater community. And a big part of that is how we come together offline – in real life – to support each other, to show compassion and understanding, and to treat everyone with respect, even those with whom we disagree.

Jon Stewart recently told The New York Times, “Our system right now is set up so that minor disagreements become arguments. Arguments become conflagrations.

Conflagrations become feuds. Feuds become wars. It never ends, and it sucks.”

But it doesn’t have to be like that. If we can grapple with hard discussions together in Park Hill, maybe it will make us think about how we participate in civic discussions beyond our neighborhood, remembering there are alternatives to Facebook, Twitter, and the rest of them, when seeking information and participating in our democracy.

Park Hill resident Nancy Watzman is working with the nonprofit organization First Draft to support local journalists in key states – including Colorado – to track and counter online information disorder ahead of the 2020 elections. She also consults with the Democracy Fund to bring more transparency to online political ads targeting voters. She is an advisor to and former director of the Colorado Media Project. (Read more at ColoradoMediaProject.com)

WE HAVE EXPANDED OUR DELIVERY RADIUS to include Stapleton, North Stapleton, Lowry, Mayfair, Montclair, Hilltop, City Park and Congress Park.

WE ARE PARK HILL STRONG!

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Page 5

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR First Birds, Now Bugs

Mark Silverstein’s photos of birds are absolutely fabulous! I look forward to seeing one every month on page 3 in the Birdland photo feature. And Mark is making me like bugs with those incredible photos that now run in the Bugland photo feature each month (see page 14). But then, I missed one in the March edition: A bee is a bug?

Thank you for the great job you are doing with the Greater Park Hill News.

Ruth Steiner, Park Hill

A Little Disappointed

I really enjoyed reading about Cara DeGette’s bout with the coronavirus in the May issue with one exception, which I’ll return to later. I am thankful that she is on this side of it now, and sincerely hope she will have no lasting residuals from it. What a nasty and brutal virus this can be!

I also enjoyed reading Stephen Leonard’s articles on the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 (in the May and June issues), and found it hard to believe the similarities of 1918 to 2020 – on symptoms, as well as solutions.

It’s hard to believe that in the 100plus years, from then to now, we haven’t figured out how to protect ourselves any better. How very scary it was for them as Denverites and for the nation, and how scary it is for all of us today.

I look forward to reading future segments on this pandemic, and the histories of other pandemics or nearpandemics.

Ms. DeGette certainly showed her good writing skills in her column, as she unraveled her battle with this virus, as well as her frustrations with the difficulties of being tested. But it was disappointing that she allowed

Order your green compost cart today

C.J. Adams, Park Hill

Learning From The Pandemic

I wanted to thank you for Tracey MacDermott’s Climate Crisis article in the June issue, and I agree with the points listed in the column. I do feel that our nation’s response to the current COVID-19 pandemic foreshadows and/or mimics our nation’s response to climate change.

I’m optimistic that as a society we can learn something from the current pandemic and adjust our society’s trajectory. And I feel that the only way to do this is with major policy changes backed by the public. Hopefully, people can use COVID-19 to connect the dots between greenhouse gas emissions, global warming, social injustice, biodiversity loss, and sustainability.

I’ve wondered what Park Hill would be like if there were no cars and just more parkways, bike paths and trolleys. Early in the COVID-19 pandemic it was surreal to walk on 17th Avenue and not see a single car speeding down the parkway.

I know the idea of not having so many cars in the city seems radical, but every time I drive, I have a subtle guilty feeling that I’m dumping carbon into the atmosphere contributing to climate change and biodiversity loss. And I struggle with the current trajectory of our society, because I want it to be more sustainable.

Thomas Worley-Morse, PHD, PE, Park Hill

Facts Are Disputable

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Page 6

herself to get political versus just telling her story and the facts.

She stooped to her politics when she brought President Trump into the story and touted that he was lying and she would no longer believe his lies. Some of us don’t think the “Pres” was lying, but was perhaps “misinformed” by what he was advised by so many. Add to this the seemingly obvious, to some of us, that he was trying to stay positive, in his message to the people of the U.S., in spite of a very negative growing reality.

There’s a difference between journalism – the telling of a happening; and the telling of political agenda – the telling of one’s political opinions.

But, as has been said, some writers can’t ever let a good crisis go to waste.

In response to statements in the June issue by Sandy Robnett and Blair Taylor, both members of Save Open Space Denver.

In her letter to the editor, Robnett claims “indisputable facts” related to the conservation easement [on the Park Hill Golf Course land]. Unfortunately, those would be better characterized as opinions. All the words matter in agreements and while SOS chooses to focus on the words that support their inflexible position, the conservation easement states that no use of the land shall be permitted that would be a detriment to the existence and operation of an 18-hole regulation length golf course and driving range.

Supporting the easement means you are supporting the land as a golf course. I believe we can do more with this property. I understand SOS interprets the agreement differently and that’s why your “indisputable facts” are actually in dispute. That is also why we believe there needs to be a more inclusive community conversation about the future of the land – yet SOS opposes even having a planning process. SOS has gone so far as proposing a ballot initiative to put the future of the golf course to a citywide vote without any planning. SOS should not silence the voices of the local neighborhood with a citywide ballot initiative.

Westside Investment Partners has already committed to at least 60 acres of park on the property, the size of 79 football fields. Combined with existing stormwater land, the park would be the size of nearby Cheesman Park. However, the reasons we can’t just build a park go far beyond just economic. With respect to Ms. Taylor, green gentrification is such a big issue that there is an entire field of study around Parks-Related Anti-Displacement Strategies (PRADS).

It is well understood that parks need to be combined with additional diverse housing choices, job creation/training and community engagement strategies to avoid gentrification.

To learn more about green gentrification, start with this National Recreation and Parks Association article on the subject: nrpa.org/parks-recreation-magazine/2019/ december/greening-without-gentrification/.

It is more important than ever to look at land use policies with an equity lens, especially in majority minority communities such as Northeast Park Hill. Our city has changed a lot in the 20-plus years since the easement was negotiated. We are awakening to inequities that structures like zoning and privilege have created.

As the landowner, we believe that we can do better than a golf course in that location. Westside supports a civil, transparent community process that helps achieve an equitable outcome and we hope you join us.

Kenneth Ho, Stapleton Note: The author is a principal in Westside Development Partners, which hopes to develop the Park Hill Golf Course land.

Stop With The Spin

I was elected to three terms by Denver voters as Denver’s first African American mayor because they trusted me to represent all residents.

That’s why it infuriates me that some people are trying to spin an open space issue into a racial divide. They are attempting to pit neighbor against neighbor and create a narrative that nobody outside of the Park Hill neighborhood cares that Denver’s last large tract of open space could turn into another concrete jungle.

Let me set the record straight.

It is false that the 155 acres of open space at the Park Hill Golf Course is just a neighborhood issue. This is a Denver issue. This tract of land – the last large tract in Denver not gobbled up by developers – is just as important as our mountain parks and other land our forefathers had the wisdom to purchase and set aside for generations.

What if their attitudes had been similar to some of our council representatives today?

Red Rocks likely would be a subdivision.

Most importantly, I take very seriously a promise I made to voters citywide in 1998 who agreed to pay $2 million to protect that golf course land from development.

I’m urging the Denver City Council to place this issue on the November ballot because all voters should have a say.

Last month, some city council members made misleading statements. One council member mentioned that that Park Hill Golf Course used to be less inviting to Black golfers, which was true more than 50 years ago during the time that African Americans could not buy homes east of York Street.

But in the last 30 years, the course was very popular with Black golfers, including the late Councilman Bill Roberts, former District Attorney Norm Early, Denver School Board member Ed Garner and many Black residents golfers. It is misleading and unfortunate that anyone would create a narrative that this is a racial issue.

Bringing race into this issue is just an attempt to muddy the waters. People of all races enjoy and value open space. And Park Hill residents know when a developer is trying to use them to line his pockets.

As mayor I made a promise and let me make it very clear I will not stand by quietly while people – some of whom worked side by side with me for decades – now are getting paid by the developer to undo that promise. Voters in this city deserve to have their voices heard.

Let the people decide. Why be afraid of your electorate? Let the people decide.

Wellington Webb, Whittier We love your letters, and give preference to those that address an issue that has been covered in the newspaper, or a topic that is Park Hill or Denver-specific. Send letters to editor@greaterparkhill.org, and include your full name, and the neighborhood in which you live. Deadlines are the 15th of each month, for the following month’s issue.

The Greater Park Hill News

July 2020

10. East Denver Church of God on the corner of MLK and Monaco (Incorrect: This is actually the Charles S. Hill Memorial Carillon on the campus of Johnson & Wales) 11. Smiley building (now McAuliffe International School) at 2540 Holly St. 12. Church on the block east of Blessed Sacrament (Sort of: The church is St. Thomas Episcopal at 2201 Dexter St.) 13. Montview Children’s Center/Temple Micah (Park Hill United Methodist Church) at 5209 Montview Blvd.

14. Birdhouse in front of the house at 4207 Montview Blvd.

15. Bar on Colfax (Incorrect: This is actually a sign atop The Horizon Bar, in the Holly Square at 33rd and Holly) Tatel wins a $25 gift certificate to the Chop Shop on Colfax, as well as a copy of Tom Noel’s book on the history of Park Hill.

We Have A Winner!

Honorable mention goes to Vincent Nickols, who didn’t actually identify the photos but submitted the following touching ode to the neighborhood.

We’ll call the letter “Love, Reignited.”

When your architecture contest was published, I decided I was going to find and/or visit every image by foot or bicycle.

As a 20-year resident of Park Hill, I’m not sure if I qualify as an old-timer in the neighborhood, but I’ve been here long enough to easily identify most of the 15 images.

While I continue to search for the exact location of image No. 9, I want to say “Thank you!” for reinvigorating my love for Park Hill.

In the process of searching for each image, I’ve been down streets I’ve never traveled, I’ve met new people (The residents of image No. 1 didn’t know their house was featured in the scavenger hunt), and I’ve seen the neighborhood in ways I would have never seen it otherwise. Who knew Park Hill had so many turrets and weather vanes?!?

If you haven’t already seen them, you should check out the weather vanes at 1625 Krameria and 2685 Dexter.

Vincent Nickols, Park Hill

That Is Soooo Park Hill

Rae Tatel, step right up!

Last month we published photos of 15 well known (and a few not-so-well-known) landmarks all over Park Hill, along with a challenge: the first to identify all (or most) of them by location would win fame, recognition and prizes. Tatel was the first to respond, and successfully identified 11 of 15 (more or less) of the images. For the rest, Tatel gave some good guesses.

The following are the answers Tatel provided, along with corrections where needed. (If you missed the story, you can check out all the photos at greaterparkhill.org.)

1. Restaurant (Incorrect: This is actually a house at 1750 Oneida St.) 2. The building/tower above Spinelli’s Market at 4645 E. 23rd Ave.

3. The District 2 Police Station at 3921 Holly St. 4. Oneida Park Center sign at 22nd and Oneida 5. The Kearney Auto Shop at 6030 E. 23rd Ave. 6. Carla Madison Recreation Center (Incorrect: This is actually the roof and facade of the Park Hill Family Health Center at 4995 E. 33rd Ave.) 7. House on Montview that has blinking lights around Christmas and a play structure in their yard. (This is actually the house at 1974 Locust St.) 8. Sculpture at the corner of 23rd and Kearney Street 9. House in Park Hill that is white. (Sort of: The actual house is at 6201 19th St.)

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To make sure lead stays out of your water, we’re starting with your pipes.

Denver Water is committed to delivering safe water to our community.

So, we’re replacing customers’ lead pipes, one impacted property at a time. To find out if you’re one of them, visit our website.

Learn more at DenverWater.org/Lead July 2020

The Greater Park Hill News

Page 7

Scene in downtown Denver, on May 30.

Photo by Julius Garrido

RAW POLITICS | Penfield W. Tate III

Breaking Point The Murder Of George Floyd Sparks An Extraordinary Month, Punctuated With Protests Against Racial Injustice, Police Brutality and In Colorado, Historic Reforms

On May 25, George Floyd was murdered cuffed behind his back, without the use of by four police officers in Minneapolis. Poa neck brace, never checked his vitals and lice confronted him on the suspicion of usrushed him into an ambulance. Like they ing a counterfeit $20 bill to buy a pack of were fleeing the scene of a crime – which cigarettes. He may or may not have done so. they were. All of this was recorded on But now he is dead. He was cuffed with his video. Floyd died shortly thereafter. hands behind his back, thrown to Within eight days, all the offithe ground, with a knee to the midcers were in custody and charged dle of his back and, fatally choked with crimes by the state attorney out with another knee to the neck. general. One was charged with 2nd Numerous bystanders, Black degree murder and the other three and white, recorded the entire enwere charged with aiding and abetcounter and urged the police to ting the commission of 2nd degree get off Floyd. Their comments tell murder. the story: “He ain’t moved yet.”

These crimes have changed the “He’s Black, they don’t care.” “If it arc of our society and the current ain’t their people they don’t care.” PENFIELD W. political environment. If you ever TATE III “Get off of his neck.” And, “Check believed that we were a colorblind his pulse” – the bystanders could society, you have now been disclearly see that Floyd was slowly but surely abused of that fallacy. slipping away from this life. They called ‘We have had enough’ the police “bums” and remarked, “Did they just kill him?” They challenged one of Evoking memories of Vietnam era antithe officers: “Are you just going to let them war and 1960’s civil rights protests, the last kill him?” The police told the bystanders month has seen all 50 states experiencing to move away. civil unrest. Thousands of people turned to All the while, Floyd gasped, “I can’t the streets over multiple days in Denver, Atbreathe.” He called for his deceased mother. lanta, Los Angeles, Chicago, Minneapolis, Paramedics responded to the scene. They Detroit, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C. did not treat Floyd on site, although he was and New York. Denver experienced more clearly unconscious and in distress. They than 15 straight days of protest – from large placed him on a gurney with his hands still

Park Hill residents Linda Drake and Mona Estrada demonstrate on the corner of Montview and Colorado boulevards. Photo by Darcy Neureiter

Page 8

uprisings downtown to pockets of demonstrators gathering nightly at Colorado and Montview boulevards and on South University Boulevard. There has been some looting and lawlessness, but even the most ardent critics concede that the vast majority of protesters have been nonviolent.

Protestors are all ages, multi-racial and diverse. They have chanted, holding signs reading, “Black Lives Matter,” “Defund the Police,” “No Justice No Peace.” With fists raised high, their message is one of passion, emotion, anger, and clarity: “We have had enough of police killing unarmed Black men.”

Denver police and the city administration initially responded with a show of force: tear gas, pepperballs and an 8 p.m. curfew, but those efforts proved wholly ineffective. The city eventually capitulated and let the protestors have the streets, with minimal efforts to contain them. Some police in Denver and many other cities eventually joined with protesters, taking a knee with them and committing to make significant reforms in how policing occurs in America, especially in Black communities.

Even more surprisingly, this same scene played out around the world. When was the last time you saw people in other countries protesting injustice and human rights violations in the U.S? When was the last time you saw nearly every major corporation and business in this country issue public statements and press releases decrying systemic racism in America and echoing the chants of the protestors, “Black Lives Matter”?

‘We can unite without him’ Rather than acknowledging the outpouring of the massive support for change, President Donald Trump reacted in a fashion that shocked some supporters and employees. Calling himself “your president of law

and order,” Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act of 1807.

Doubling down, from the White House he sent in the military to quash a peaceful protest with tear gas, rubber bullets and flash grenades so he could walk across the street for a photo op. To hold a bible, and as he said, not his bible, just a bible, in front of St. John’s Church, a church he had never visited.

The rebuke was swift and unmistakable.

Trump’s former Secretary of Defense James Mattis called Trump “the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people – does not even pretend to try. Instead he tries to divide us.”

Said Mattis: “We can unite without him.”

Current Secretary of Defense Mark Esper also offered up criticism over using U.S. troops to confront protesters, and Trump’s appearance at the church.

Former Trump chief of staff John Kelly weighed in: “There is . . . an awful big concern that the partisanship has gotten out of hand, the tribal thing has gotten out of hand.” General Colin Powell announced he will not vote for Trump. Conservative columnists George Will and David Brooks denounced him as well.

Trump’s tone-deafness in the wake of the remarkable sea change underway, has continued. Meanwhile, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden likens the current state as “some of the sternest challenges our nation has ever faced. “[Donald Trump] has no idea . . . the depth of the pain that so many people are still enduring . . .completely oblivious to the human toll of his indifference.”

Groundbreaking police reforms While this surreal scene has unfolded in Washington, amid the contest of a presidential election, the Colorado legislature swiftly responded, passing groundbreaking legislation for police reforms that will likely be replicated elsewhere.

Senate Bill 20-217 passed on a bipartisan basis that spoke volumes, with a final vote in the Senate of 35-0 and final vote in the House of 52-13. The following are a few of the major provisions.

By July 1, 2023, all law enforcement agencies in the state (police departments and the state patrol) who have contact with the public are required to wear body cameras, or dash cameras in their vehicles. The body or dash cameras must be active any time an officer has contact with the public except to avoid recording personal information. If the camera is not activated or is tampered with there is a rebuttable presumption that statements allegedly made by a suspect are inadmissible in court.

If it is determined that the officer intentionally either tampered with a camera or intentionally did not activate the camera, the officer is subject to discipline up to termination and permanent revocation of the ability to serve in law enforcement. Any allegation of inappropriate conduct would result in the public release of the unedited video and/or audio within 21 days.

Also beginning July 1, 2023, the Division of Criminal Safety will prepare annual reports disclosing instances where the use of force has resulted in death or serious bodily injury.

The reports will include many data points but key among them are: the date, time and

Photo by Julius Garrido

Photo by Julius Garrido

The Greater Park Hill News

July 2020

location of the use of force; the perceived demographic information of the person contacted; the names of all officers involved regardless of whether the officer used the force; the type of force used and the severity and nature of the injury, including if an officer was injured; whether the officer was on duty; whether the officer unholstered a weapon and/or discharged the same; if the use of force resulted in an internal investigation; and if the person contacted filed a complaint and the resolution of the complaint. The reports will also share if an officer resigned while under investigation.

Understanding that the use of force is not the only issue with policing, the reports will also include detailed information about law enforcement contacts, including the date, time, location and duration of the stop, the reason; the perceived demographic information of the person stopped, the outcome of the stop and other critical details including whether an arrest was made and if a search occurred. Similar information will now be required for all no-knock residential entries.

Additional provisions of the bill prohibit law enforcement from using pepper spray and tear gas during protests or demonstrations without first issuing an order to disperse that can be heard and obeyed. The bill subjects police officers to personal liability and removes the defense of immunity for improper use of force. The use of chokeholds is banned. Circumstances warranting the use of deadly force are significantly limited, and officers have an affirmative duty to prevent a colleague from using excessive force and reporting instances of the same.

The A-ha moment Since the murder of George Floyd, I have had several conversations with friends,

business colleagues and acquaintances about the inequities in our society, especially around policing in the Black community. I have shared my experiences of being stopped for “driving while Black” and being questioned for “shopping while Black.”

I have explained how I and my friends and relatives grew up knowing that we never had the benefit of the doubt, and how we had to handle ourselves cautiously around the police – even though we knew we had not done anything wrong.

I could tell, now that they’ve seen the horrifying video of George Floyd’s murder, followed by Rayshard Brook’s subsequent murder by police in Atlanta, these friends are now hearing me differently. It’s been an “A-ha” moment – the realization, backed by objective data, that my experiences were likely true. I, like so many other Black men who have grown up in America, am not paranoid.

Finally, let’s all thank Colin Kaepernick.

Remember him? Three years ago, the NFL quarterback peacefully protested the killing of unarmed Black men at the hands of police by kneeling during the playing of the Star-Spangled Banner at football games. For that, he was fired from his job and lost his career. For a peaceful protest and constitutionally protected free speech.

Just think where this country would be now if we would have seriously listened, and addressed the problem then.

Enjoy your summer. Black Lives Matter.

Penfield W. Tate III is an attorney in Denver. He represented Park Hill in the Colorado House of Representatives from 1997 to 2000, and in the State Senate from 2001 to February 2003. A former candidate for mayor of Denver, Tate’s opinion column returned to these pages in December. He lives in Park Hill.

At the BLM Pride March, on June 14. Photo by Julius Garrido

Welcome to your new home.

A dumpster on fire amid a cloud of tear gas, with the State Capitol in the background. Vandals joined peaceful protesters as crowds gathered in downtown Denver on May 29 to protest racism and police brutality. Photo by Darcy Neureiter

At the corner of Colfax and Broadway, on May 29. Photo by Darcy Neureiter

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July 2020

The Greater Park Hill News

Page 9

Ride, continued from page 1 I’m afraid and it’s due to the color of my skin and because there is no leadership or condemning of racism, individuals believe they can act out violence because there will be no accountability. In my case I could be hit, killed and no one would have found me.

So I choose to ride with friends.”

The success of the first ride – which was further bolstered by a video of support from Gov. Jared Polis – has inspired Robinson and Henderson to start planning the next one, which is expected to be in Denver

later this month. Anyone who is interested in joining should check for updates at the group’s Facebook page @rideforracialjustice, on Twitter at @justiceriderz or on InstaGram @rideforracialjustice.

“Cycling is a billion dollar asset globally and we need to have a seat at the table and work with corporations that believe in the same things,” said Robinson. “We’ve ripped off the scab of racism and we will no longer be silent.”

Images captured along the 10-mile circuit of Denver’s inaugural Ride for Racial Justice. Organizers Neal Henderson and Marcus Robinson are in the middle photo, at left. Above at right, Robinson’s mom Mary, 89, joined neighbors to cheer the cyclists on as they cruised through Park Hill.

St*pleton No More Neighborhood East Of Park Hill Changing Its Name

By Cara DeGette

he appointed Klansmen to key roles in city government, particularly in the police department. While they held political In mid-June, amid the intensity of Black power, the Klan terrorized the city’s Black, Lives Matter demonstrations, DPS School Jewish and Catholic communities.

Board Member Tay Anderson issued a The neighborhood is built on the forsalvo by way of a tweet: “The neighbors mer site of Stapleton Airport, which of Stapleton have ONE WEEK to change closed in 1995. Last year, a community their name ... if they do NOT we will vote to change the name failed, with low march through their neighborhood to turnout. Many elected leaders, including show them #BlackLivesMatter.”

Denver city Councilman Chris Hendon, Within 24 hours, Stapleton’s Master who represents Stapleton (as well as Park Community Association anHill), declined to support the nounced plans to immediately name change. take all steps to remove the This time, the deliberations name “Stapleton” as it relates were immediate. On June 17, to the community and its opthe 11 elected MCA commuerations. nity delegates gathered to begin The speed by which the the process of erasing Stapleneighborhood’s governing ton, including from all brandbody capitulated was surprising, marketing, community ing to some; others maintain signage and websites. The MCA the timing was the critical and Former Denver Mayor plans to submit a resolution to deciding factor.

Denver and to the developer Benjamin StapleActivists have worked tire- ton Photo credit: requesting the Stapleton name lessly for several years to dis- Denver Public Library, be replaced. mantle the name of the neigh- Western History and “The current conversation borhood east of Park Hill that Genealogy regarding racism and social was named for Benjamin Stainjustice has increased awarepleton. Mayor of Denver from 1923-1931 ness and education within our communiand again from 1935-1947, Stapleton was ty,” the MCA announced. “It has become a member of the racist Ku Klux Klan, and more clear that continuing with the curEditor, GPHN

Page 10

rent name is hurtful to many residents of all backgrounds and life experiences. As a community that aims to foster inclusivity, diversity and respect, maintaining the current name only serves to divide us.”

Herndon immediately issued a statement of support for the change. “I have asked Mayor Hancock’s office to remove Stapleton as the neighborhood identifier from City systems moving forward, as the neighborhood works to identify a new name.”

On social media, the councilman’s about-face drew many comments of thanks, as well as a healthy share of criticism for being late to the name-changing push.

Still to be decided: A new name for the neighborhood. Informal polls, including by state Rep. Leslie Herod, have elicited numerous possibilities, including Airport Acres, Central Park and Park Hill East.

Others have suggested renaming the neighborhood in honor of people of color who have made significant contributions in Denver and Colorado. Here are a few: • Webb Gardens, in honor of former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb • Diggsville, after Gregory Diggs, who was one of the original leaders in the effort to change the name, and who died two years ago • Dr. Justina Ford, Colorado’s first African American female doctor • Westbrook, after Dr. Joseph H.P. Westbrook, a dentist who infiltrated the KKK in Denver the early 1900s to monitor the hate group’s planned activities

Dr. Justina Ford.

Photo credit: Denver Public Library, Western History and Genealogy

Wellington Webb file photo by Cara DeGette.

Former Colorado Gov. Ralph Carr, who worked to protect Japanese Americans during World War II, has also been floated as someone whose memory could be honored in place of Stapleton. Photo credit: Denver Public Library, Western History and Genealogy

The Greater Park Hill News

July 2020

WE PHNEE’D TO TALK | Erin Pier

Stop Penalizing Students For Our Failures DPS Correct To Remove Cops From Classrooms Hello neighbors! It’s been a few months since I last contributed a column to GPHN on behalf of Park Hill Neighbors for Equity in Education (PHNEE). Interestingly, the last article I shared with you in December addressed the school-to-prison pipeline and how the criminalizing of our Black and Brown children begins in our schools. In light of the Denver Board of Education’s recent decision to eliminate policing in our schools, it certainly is a topic worth revisiting.

Nine years ago, I was just beginning my career as a school psychologist. I was employed at a middle school in Colorado, where I worked primarily with youth who received emotional and behavioral health support.

The majority of my caseload consisted of Black and Brown students identified as having serious emotional disabilities, often the result of trauma and toxic stress. Some of my students were also the victims of implicit bias among educators, as children of color are often overrepresented in special education.

In fact, Black students are twice as likely to be identified as having an emotional disability and intellectual disability as their non-Black peers. (For additional reading on these topics, check out phnee.org/toxicstress-in-schoolchildren/ and phnee.org/ when-brain-betrays-heart/).

These young kids, when experiencing a mental health crisis, could act out intensely: throwing chairs, screaming insults, hitting and kicking. They were middle schoolers, ages 11 to 14, growing into bodies that didn’t quite fit them yet. Few had been given appropriate tools to cope with the stress that inherently comes with being a child of color in an oppressive education system – let alone the tools to cope with surviving trauma.

And we, the educators, didn’t fully understand the inherent inequities facing our students. We lacked the training and expertise to effectively address trauma in the classroom.

Confronted in the classroom When behaviors became extreme or put the student or others in danger, we followed a predetermined crisis intervention plan. This required clearing the classroom

of peers, calling for a trusted adult and alerting the school’s administration team via walkie-talkie. It automatically notified the School Resource Officer (SRO), a police officer assigned to the school, who (whether requested or not) would often arrive to intervene.

On more than one occasion, I stood by and watched as a student desperately needing help in the midst of a mental health crisis, terrified and distraught, was confronted in the classroom by the police. Not once in those many times did the officer’s presence mitigate the behavior. Instead, the child got louder, more frightened, and more aggressive.

Police officers who are stationed in schools often have no training to work specifically with children, nor with those suffering from mental health issues. They default to the way they were trained: to take down criminals. And so, the child crying out for help was treated like a criminal in his own classroom, at the hands of his own educators.

At least three of my students were taken down to their stomachs by law enforcement in my first year – each student on more than one occasion. After the student was “subdued,” they were either let off with a warning, ticketed for destruction of property, or threatened with tickets for assault – tickets we all knew their parents couldn’t pay. On two occasions, my students were arrested at school.

which federal data are available), Black students comprised 16 percent of U.S. public school enrollment, but represented 31 percent of school-related arrests. In DPS, of 657 school referrals to law enforcement in the 2018/19 school year, nearly a third involved Black students – despite Black students only accounting for 13 percent of Denver’s student enrollment.

The students restrained and/or arrested by law enforcement at my school were all young, Black boys, in crisis. As a white woman, I have to accept that I was complicit in the act of criminalizing these young men.

I loved these kids fiercely, but my actions (or complete inaction, I should say), didn’t say that to them. I stood by and watched when weapon-wielding officers entered the room. I didn’t tell them that they weren’t invited to intervene in the first place and I certainly didn’t ask them to leave. I may have meekly asked them to “be careful” – but that’s it.

I had been taught to trust the police my whole life. I was taught that they were “on our side” and I believed that somehow they knew better than I knew what a child needed to be safe.

Could we really be safe?

After my first year at that school, the police department determined they could no longer supply on-site officers at the middle school level. I wish I could say that we all breathed a sigh of relief, but the truth is, many of us were afraid.

Could we really be safe without police on campus? It didn’t take us long to learn that the answer to that was yes, we could all be safe, most especially our students in crisis.

The absence of an SRO forced us to look at how we could better support our students ourselves. We took steps to become more trauma-informed, and became far more communicative with families.

We worked harder to identify and reduce triggers for behavior, and became better advocates. We problem-solved behavior,

Law enforcement as discipline As police presence in schools has increased in the past two decades, so have school referrals to law enforcement for nonviolent infractions, including mental health crises. When a school chooses law enforcement as a form of discipline, they’re turning the student over to the juvenile justice system, and launching the student into the school-to-prison pipeline.

According to research by the Justice Policy Institute, “even controlling for a school district’s poverty level, schools with SROs had five times as many arrests for ‘disorderly conduct’ as schools without them.”

What’s more, Black students are referred at a much higher rate than their non-Black peers.

In 2011/12 (the most recent year for

rather than ticketing it. We learned that a SRO served as a crutch that didn’t protect our students. Rather, they prevented us as educators from learning a more dignified and effective way to deal with crises.

We were still far from perfect, but without law enforcement on-site, we were forced to confront our shortcomings and do better by our students.

Police officers, but no counselors As of 2016 in the United States, 1.7 million students attended schools with police officers but no counselors. Millions more students were in schools where there were police officers, but no psychologists or social workers. This needs to change.

We are criminalizing children for having big emotions; for acting out when they feel unsafe. We are penalizing them for our failure to reach them. And the consequences are disastrous. Studies indicate that arresting a student substantially reduces the odds that the student will graduate from high school, decreases the odds that a student will succeed academically and have future stable employment opportunities and increases the likelihood of that student’s future involvement in the criminal justice system.

My first year as a school psychologist was the very beginning of my unlearning. My unlearning of the role of police in schools.

My unlearning of schools as safe harbors for all students. My unlearning of racism.

I am still unlearning, everyday, and I will never unlearn it all. But if you are uncomfortable with DPS’ decision to remove police from schools, please let me save you that unlearning: it was the right choice to make.

Erin Pier is a mother of three, a Stedman parent, and school psychologist at AUL Denver. She is an active member of the Park Hill Neighbors For Equity In Education, which works toward diversity, equity, and inclusion in all schools in the neighborhood.

For more information, check out phnee.org, or send an email to info@phnee.org.

Demonstrators at the intersection of Broadway and Colfax on May 29. Photo by Darcy Neureiter

CHRIS

MERMAN

July 2020

The Greater Park Hill News

Page 11

The sunken portion of the Cherry Creek bike path along Speer Boulevard is decorated with numerous murals, including one of Major Taylor, the first African American world champion cyclist.

The Tour de Denver

By Reid Neureiter For the GPHN

The pandemic is limiting gym and swimming pool access. Summer soccer and softball leagues are cancelled. What to do? Get on your bike, and commence with the Tour de Denver.

Here is a detailed turn-by-turn set of directions for a 24-mile circumnavigation of Denver.

The route starts in Park Hill and follows three streams: Sand Creek, the South Platte and Cherry Creek. From Park Hill this route takes you through industrial complexes, some remarkable bird habitat, and central Denver’s urban parks.

The ride is almost entirely flat, and can be completed by the average rider in less than three hours, with occasional breaks for snacks and people and bird watching. Make sure to stay hydrated, and wear your helmets!

Ride Like A Legend

Start-Finish point: Intersection of Holly and Montview Boulevard

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2 3

4

Head due north on Holly Street until it comes to a dead end on East 48th Avenue. You will cross the rail lines at Smith Road and also go under Interstate 70.

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Head west on the Sand Creek path, under the 56th Avenue bridge.

On your left, on the south bank of the creek, observe (and smell) the massive Suncor refinery complex, which recently disclosed a leak of chemicals into the creek. There are a number of homeless shanties and tents along this section of the creek. In the distance, you can see the snow-covered Indian Peaks.

When Holly dead-ends, take a left (west) on 48th Avenue to Dahlia.

Go right (north) on Dahlia, downhill through an industrial warehouse area and across more rail lines, veering left to the intersection with 56th Avenue.

At the light, take a right on 56th Avenue, crossing over Sand Creek. On your right is the Dahlia Trailhead for the Sand Creek Greenway/ Bicycle path. You have come 4.2 miles since the starting point.

Map of the route.

A rafter of wild turkeys, along the bike path near Riverside Cemetery.

Sand Creek Bicycle Path

At Confluence Park, where Creek Creek converges with the South Platte River.

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On the Sand Creek path, you will pass under a number of railroad bridges, with Union Pacific and BNSF regularly running trains from Denver’s railyards.

6.1 miles from the starting point, Sand Creek meets the South Platte River.

Cross the pedestrian/bicycle bridge over the Platte and turn left (south), and start riding upstream along the Platte.

A sqaudron of American White Pelicans fishing in the South Platte River.

The Greater Park Hill News

July 2020

Denver’s historic Riverside Cemetery lies to the east of the South Platte bicycle path.

The Sand Creek bike trail, with the Suncor refinery in the background.

South Platte River

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Keep your eyes out for remarkable birdlife at the confluence of Sand Creek and the Platte. American white pelicans, snowy egrets, great blue herons, and cormorants are all prevalent in the spring. You also might see a kingfisher, an avocet, a killdeer, or an osprey. Just this year the eBird website reports sightings of 119 different bird species along the Platte north of Denver.

You are now entering the industrial heart of Denver.

13 14

To your left, you will see and smell Denver’s wastewater treatment facility. On your right are the smokestacks of a power plant.

At Mile 8, you will have the Platte to your right, and on your left will be the Burlington Ditch irrigation canal. East and south of the canal is Historic Riverside Cemetery.

Established in 1876, Riverside is Denver’s oldest operating cemetery.

Riverside Cemetery has its own resident rafter of wild turkeys – be on the lookout for them between miles 7 and 8 of this Tour.

15

Still traveling south, you will see, across the river, parts of Denver’s Historic Stockyards and the National Western complex.

16

At Mile 9.5 you will pass under I-70, and approach Globeville Landing Park via another bridge. Globeville Landing is a newly built stormwater outfall facility combined with a city park, a playground, performing stage, and newly planted landscaping.

Downtown, from the Cherry Creek bicycle path.

July 2020

The Greater Park Hill News

17

Continuing south, you will pass under a number of rail bridges, giving train aficionados another opportunity to see Amtrak, BNSF, or Union Pacific locomotives up close.

18 19

Around Mile 11, you approach the River North (RINO) Arts District and numerous new condominium projects. Traffic increases dramatically here with dog walkers, joggers and cyclists all competing for space on the trail. Stay alert!

23

For the next four miles, the Cherry Creek path follows the creek, sunken 10 feet below the level of Speer Boulevard. This is the busiest section of the path, with commuters fighting for space with bicycle racers and reactional joggers.

24

At Mile 11.5 comes City of Cuernavaca Park, named after Denver’s Sister City in Mexico.

Take the bridge over the Platte to the west side of the river for the approach to Confluence Park. There are paths on both sides of the river at this point.

25

At Mile 12.4 comes Denver’s aquatic jewel—Confluence Park.

26

20

Confluence Park and Cherry Creek

21

Confluence Park lies at the confluence of Cherry Creek and the South Platte River. Outdoor equipment giant REI’s flagship store (housed in the 1901 Denver Tramway Power Company Building) overlooks the park, with a whitewater feature for kayakers built into the Platte. Confluence Park marks the halfway point of the Tour and is a good place to stop for a break.

22

Cross back over the Platte on the pedestrian/cyclist bridge that faces REI and turn southeast, following the Cherry Creek bicycle path upstream.

27 28

The sunken section below Speer Boulevard features some striking murals, including a depiction of Marshall “Major” Taylor, the first African American cycling world champion in 1899.

At Mile 16, the path rises to meet the road surface adjacent to the Denver Country Club. For the next three-quarters of a mile, one has the unpleasant experience of having to ride on a relatively narrow sidewalk next to cars speeding along Speer Boulevard.

A sharp right and then left turn at Mile 17 goes underneath busy University Boulevard, as the path rejoins Cherry Creek next to the Cherry Creek Mall. The path splits here. If you stay to the right, you will drop down for a pretty, one-half mile section adjacent to the creek.

Continue along the path, passing under Colorado Boulevard and Cherry Street.

At Mile 19 is the entrance to Denver’s Four Mile Historic Park, a 12-acre historic oasis and the site of Denver’s oldest house.

29

Seven-tenths of a mile beyond FourMile Historic Park, the path splits at Holly Street. Stay on the street level and cross Holly at the stoplight into David T. Garland Park.

Union Pacific coal train crossing Sand Creek, with the Suncor refinery in the background.

David T. Garland Park, Lollipop Lake and Home

30

Enter Garland Park, with the path running adjacent to the bucolic Lollipop Lake, where red-winged blackbirds are often seen riding the cattails.

31

At Mile 20, turn left (north) onto S. Kearney Street, which splits Garland Park down the middle. A baseball field is to your right, and powerlines to your left.

32

Ride on S. Kearney Street north following the power lines to a bicycle path that leads to the crossing of Leetsdale Boulevard and then climbs to run adjacent to George Washington High School at Mile 21.

33

The path rejoins S. Kearney Street after GW. Keep going north on Kearney, crossing Alameda into the Crestmoor neighborhood on what is now Southmoor Drive.

34 35

Pass Crestmoor Park on your right, and take a left back onto Kearney at Mile 21.7.

36 37

Follow Kearney north, to Sixth Avenue, where it does a jog to the right and magically becomes Krameria Street at Mile 22.3. You are almost home!

Follow Krameria north across 6th Avenue, 8th Avenue, past the Safeway and King Soopers at 13th Avenue, crossing Colfax next to McDonalds at Mile 23.4.

Krameria intersects with Montview.

Turn left (west) at Montview and ride the three tenths of a mile to Holly Street to finish the ride at Mile 24.3.

38

Congratulations! You made it!

Jumping into Cherry Creek at Confluence Park.

Page 13

BUGLAND | Mark Silverstein

THIS MONTH AT THE LIBRARY

The Status is Not Quo ‘We Have A Responsibility To Challenge Racial Inequity’

By Tara Bannon Williamson Park Hill Librarian

A Rare Gem

The Scarlet Malachite Beetle (Malachius aeneus) is one of 95 beetles found in Colorado and is common all over North America and the Middle East. Not so in the UK, however, where in recent years the organization Buglife has launched a special project to protect and repopulate the little beetles – including encouraging the public to report sightings.

Scarlet Malachites are members of the soft-winged Flower Beetle family. They are black and red, and in the sunlight, exhibit a greenish hue, much like the mineral after which they are named. This beetle was photographed in Park Hill by Mark Silverstein.

“The Denver Public Library stands committed to promoting racial equity.

To be upset about acts of racial violence but think it’s something separate from us, that we’re not responsible, only upholds the status quo. As an organization, we have a role and responsibility to challenge racial inequity in our community.”

The above is a portion of the recent statement from City Librarian Michelle Jeske. (Full commentary is available for all to read at denverlibrary.org/ supporting-our-community.)

Actions speak louder than words.

How does Jeske’s statement translate to the daily lives of the Denver Public Library staff you know and love?

We are committed to educating ourselves about anti-racism and ra- Elonda Walker Vaughn, lead clerk at the Pauline Robcial equity efforts and applying what inson branch library at 33rd and Holly. we learn to our profession at large, in • Byers Branch Library (closed for renovaour individual communities, and espetion) cially reflecting on a deeply personal level.

We have made and will continue to make • Montbello Branch Library (temporarily anti-racist resources available to all. We closed for construction) provide opportunities to practice normal• Smiley Branch Library (closed for renoizing conversations about race and racism. vation) We provide spaces to be uncomfortable, While the book drops are now open, all a necessary pitstop on the adventure to due dates have been extended to July 20. All greater empathy. materials will be quarantined for three days And we need to still do more. Every day. before they are checked in. We will not be We need to read Black authors, always – accepting donations at this time. and not just nonfiction about anti-racism.

When you drop off materials, please We need to support our Black neighbors, maintain physical distancing guidelines always – not just when social media calls by keeping six feet of distance between infor it. We need to address and fix the fact dividuals. Please also wear a face covering that the librarian profession suffers from a when using our book drops. persistent lack of racial and ethnic diversity Curbside service - coming July 7 and currently shows few signs of improving. We strive to understand and devote efCurbside service for holds placed prior fort to stopping the ongoing damage white to our closure will begin by appointment supremacy is doing to all of us. beginning on Tuesday, July 7. More information about procedures for pick up will be Book drops now open available leading up to this date. This date Book drops are now open at both of is subject to change based on public health Greater Park Hill’s libraries, and all other considerations.

Denver locations with the exception of the Gardening Q&A with the masters following branch libraries: New virtual program! Whether you’re brand new to gardening or have gardened for many seasons, let CSU Extension’s Master Gardeners answer your gardening-related questions! Find the link to join us through Google Meet on the library website, or you can call 262-682-0447 and use PIN 973 449 723#. The programs happen every Tuesday at 11 a.m.

Tara Bannon Williamson, librarian of the Park Hill branch at Dexter and Montview.

Page 14

The Greater Park Hill News

July 2020

Make The World A Bedder Place Sweet Dreams For Tired Old Mattresses

He Calls It As He Sees It Spinning Dances and Stories With Chris Kermiet

By Tom Korson For the GPHN

Longtime South Park Hill resident Chris Kermiet is no square, but he is an expert square dance caller.

“I’ve been dancing since I could walk,” he says. “My father, Paul Kermiet, was a square dance caller. Some of my earliest memories are of dancing to his calling at the old Grange Hall on Lookout Mountain (outside of Golden), where we lived.

“During the years I was growing up,” he continues, “my father ran a summer dance camp there called the Lighted Lantern, where dancers from around the country would come to have a dance vacation. The Lighted Lantern always featured some of the best callers and teachers, all of whom I learned from — mostly by osmosis, since I never intended to become a square dance caller.”

Initially, Kermiet wanted to be a jazz musician – a drummer – and he was also interested in composition and arranging, so he attended the prestigious Berklee School of Music in Boston. He completed his education at the University of Colorado at Boulder in Composition.

His sister Paula had been helping organize community dances. One day, Paula called him in a panic, saying she couldn’t call the dance that evening. “Could I do it?”

Ever the helpful big brother, Kermiet said, “sure!” He took out a piece of scratch paper, wrote down a few dances that he could remember, went out and called them. The community dance people, including his sister, kept asking him back.

That was the start of what’s become 35 years of calling. Kermiet also calls contras, Appalachian big circle dances, English country dances, and Celtic céilidhs. When it comes to calling traditional square dances, it’s usually with live music.

In 2009, Kermiet was designated a “Living Legend” by the Carson-Brierly Dance Library at the University of Denver, an honor given to individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to dance in Colorado.

Most of the Living Legends are from the world of modern dance or ballet. When organizers decided to broaden the award to include dance leaders from the folk dance and community dance arenas, Kermiet was a natural choice Kermiet’s got a website, http://k-1.us, where he shares many stories about life as a caller, and weighs in on all sorts of other topics.

These days, one of the hottest dance spots in the area is in Lyons, north of Denver, at the Oskar Blues Brewery. Dances are also held all up and down the Front Range. But of course COVID-19 has slowed things down for now; as of press time it is unknown when public square dancing will start up again in Colorado.

Kermiet is married to Sharon Kermiet, a CPA who has worked for Goodwill Industries and the Denver Art Museum, where she was the deputy director for finance and operations.

Their daughter, Mallie, is a proud graduate of East High School and a May 2020 graduate of Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, where she majored in Russian Studies and Applied Mathematics and Statistics. Mallie hopes to go into the Peace Corps in Macedonia – but, again because of COVID-19, that is on hold, as are so many things these days.

E

L

PARK HILL CHARACTER

off your mattress for $30 at 4975 Pontiac St. in Commerce City. Spring Back will For the GPHN also pick up your worn out old mattress Mattresses are recyclable, so please for an additional $50. don’t let yours end up in the landfill.

A Bedder World (abedderworld.com) If your unwanted mattress is in offers the same recycling service for S KUH T’ good shape, donate it to Salvation around the same price, but they Army or Goodwill. Otherwise a don’t allow drop-offs. couple local organizations will Mark Kuhl is an environmental recycle it for you.

O advocate who lives in Park Hill L Spring Back Colorado (springC RECY with his wife Nina and their two backco.org) separates and recycles teenage daughters. Kuhl’s handy tips the individual components of matand news about recycling household items tresses and box springs, including steel, appear every month in these pages. A foam, ticking, cotton and wood. They also directory of his past columns for recycling utilize a redemptive employment model, everything from paint to Styrofoam to offering jobs to people who have recovshoes is at greaterparkhill.org/sustainabilered from drug addiction. You can drop ity/recycling-directory/.

T

Bottom: Kermiet, with his wife Sharon and daughter Mallie.

Photo by Darcy Neureiter

By Mark Kuhl

I

Left: Square-dance caller Chris Kermiet, doing his thing.

Photo courtesy of Chris Kermiet

Neighbors Helping Neighbors A unique ad grant program designed to support the Greater Park Hill News and other local businesses during the pandemic.

For more information on how to sponsor at the $5,000, $2,500 or $1,000 level, contact Newspaper Manager Melissa Davis at

newspaper@greaterparkhill.org or 720-287-0442 (voicemail)

Mayfair Liquors is proudly participating in the Neighbors Helping Neighbors campaign in support of the Greater Park Hill News and other local businesses.

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Tom Korson and his wife, Mary Mullarkey, have lived in Park Hill since 1973. They are blockworkers who distribute the newspaper to their block every month. Tom has a blog for his political satire, apocryphalpress.com.

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July 2020



The Greater Park Hill News

Page 15

GPHC, Inc: Who We Are, What We Do, Our Mission

The Mission and The Officers of Greater Park Hill Community, Inc. The Greater Park Hill Community, Inc., is a volunteer-based registered neighborhood organization that promotes the character and vibrancy of Park Hill, provides resources, information and advocacy, and preserves quality of life and the history of the neighborhood through community participation.

The Greater Park Hill Community board is comprised of volunteer at-large representatives, as well as 10 district representatives.

If you are interested in volunteering or serving on a committee, contact current GPHC Board Chair Tracey MacDermott at chair@greaterparkhill.org for details.

The following are current board members, and their best contacts. Many representatives prefer to be contacted through the main office – at 303-388-0918 or info@ greaterparkhill.org.

If you have an issue you’d like to discuss about the neighborhood, contact your board representative.

For those board members who don’t have a phone or email contact in the list at right, leave a message at the main number and it will be forwarded to your elected representative by GPHC Executive Director Lana Cordes.

The GPHC office is at 2823 Fairfax St.

• Board Chair Tracey MacDermott: chair@greaterparkhill.org • Secretary and Zoning/Property Use Chair Bernadette Kelly • Treasurer and District 3 Rep Heather Shockey • District 1 LaMone Noles • District 2 Ryan T. Hunter • District 4 Kevin Wiegand • District 5 Blair Taylor • District 6 Vacant • District 7 Jon Bowman • District 8 Nam Henderson • District 9 Stephanie Ceccato • District 10 Colette Carey • At-Large Jeanette Fedele • At-Large Justin Petaccio • At-Large Louis Plachowski: lplachowski@gmail.com • At-Large Sandy Robnett • At-Large Shane Sutherland • At-Large and Community Planning Chair Lisa Zoeller • Community Safety Chair Geneva Goldsby • Education Chair Lynn Kalinauskas • Public Information Chair Melissa Davis: newspaper@greaterparkhill.org • Youth Services Chair Rick Medrick

New Year, New Traditions September Home Tour To Move Outside and Online

By Jennifer Mathes Park Hill Home Tour

The 42nd Annual Park Hill Home Tour & Street Fair will indeed take place on Sunday, Sept. 13 – with a few necessary adjustments.

This great Denver tradition began in 1978 to showcase the rich history and diverse architecture of the neighborhood.

Over the years, the Home Tour has evolved into an important community fundraiser, attracting hundreds of people to tour the interiors of some of Park Hill’s most interesting, beautiful, unique and exclusive homes on what usually falls on a gorgeous autumn day.

The day of the Home Tour is also when the Street Fair happens – bringing out neighbors and vendors and musicians and performers for a daylong block party and sustainability event. The proceeds of the day help support programs that are sponsored by the Greater Park Hill Community, Inc. our Registered Neighborhood Organization.

This year’s Home Tour will be organized as a mostly virtual event due to the current

pandemic and the resulting limitations on large gatherings. Home Tour volunteers are currently working out all the details. However, the event will likely include a walking tour that will highlight the gorgeous architecture and exteriors of numerous specific homes in the neighborhood, as well as providing virtual tours of the insides.

The physical street fair will not happen this year. Rather, organizers are working to create an online marketplace to showcase local artisans and highlight vendors who would otherwise have had booths set up. The Sustainability Zone – a big focus in recent years – will also move online, with information on where and how to recycle, as s well as information on same-day electronics recycling (drop-off location to be announced).

We’ll continue to update all details through July and August. As we navigate the challenges of putting the event together, check our website at parkhillhometour.org and follow us on Facebook @ facebook. com/parkhillhometour/ for specifics on ticket sales, homes to be featured, and donation information. Make sure to check next month’s issue as well, for updates.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13th 2020 www.parkhillhometour.org Page 16

GPHC COMMAND CENTRAL LANA CORDES, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

From The Ground Up Get Involved, Stay Connected, Pay Attention

If current events are showing us any1 p.m. At this time we are only distributing thing, it’s the importance of getting inpre-packed bags, commensurate with famvolved, staying connected, and ily size, at the door. We accept food paying attention. Civic engagedonations at our office on Mondays ment builds stronger communiand Wednesdays between 9 a.m. ties and real change starts from and 3 p.m. Non-perishables can also the ground up. be dropped off at Cake Crumbs, at Greater Park Hill Community, 22nd and Kearney.

Inc. has been part of this wonderHere are our current food pantry ful community for more than 50 donation needs: years. Largely a group of volun• Canned pasta meals (ravioli, spateers, we do our best to engage etc.)

LANA CORDES ghetti, and look out for our neighborhood • Cereal and its stakeholders. We are your • Shampoo and conditioner neighbors and we want to hear from you!

• Razors We invite you to learn about our histo• Baby wipes ry, attend our meetings, engage with your • Diapers size N, 1, 2 and pull-ups representatives, or even join our board of • Toothbrushes governors. Visit greaterparkhill.org for a • Packing tape wealth of information. Join as a member or GPHC is a volunteer and donor-based just start by joining our email list. You can Registered Neighborhood Organization. A call us at 303-388-0918. We’re here for you. big thank you to our donors and volunteers Our Emergency Food Pantry is open on this past month. We are so grateful!

Mondays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to

Donors Autodesk Foundation+A2:A64 Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church Cake Crumbs City Floral Dank-Colorado Esters Neighborhood Pub Honey Hill Café Marczyk Fine Foods Mayfair Liquors Messiah Community Church Montview Boulevard Presbyterian Church Oblios Pizza Park Hill Congregational UCC Sexy Pizza Spinelli’s Market St. Thomas Episcopal Church The Spicy Radish Christine Allen Penny Ashley-Lawrence Kristin Baird Clayton Bartczak Caroyln Benoit Thane and Erin Benson Lynn and Dennis Blum John M. Brink Alex Brown Natalie Buckmelter Inga Calvin Colette Carey Minnie Cassell Meg Conley Patty Cordova Collette Cressy-Beer Anna Lisa Currid Trevor and Lindsey Daly Christine Davidson Arletha E Davis Amy DelPo Larry and Linda Drake John B Draper

Beth and Robert Duncan Regina Dunn Margie and Larry Feinberg Douglas Fishburne Idelle Fisher Lee Fisher-Rosenberg Sonja Foss Erin and Josh Freedman Barbara Frommell Duane and Jean Gall Pam and Alan Greenberg Kate Hakala and Dirk Turner Simon and Elizabeth Hambidge Lyle and Sandy Hansen Pam Healy Diane and Lawrence Hergott Timothy Hochman Bob Homiak and Susan Schneider Christine Horvath Romi Howell Richard Hughes Ryan and Christine Hunter Sean Janelle Kevin Kennedy Stephanie Kruger Tracy and Jamie Kubo William Leo Lakers Barbara Larsen and Leo Riegel Martha E Lawrenz Christa Lee Alan and Leslie Levine Dr. Paul and Sue Long Robin Lozier Leticia Martinez Matt McConville Rex and Nina Mcgehee Lisa McKenzie Ann McLaughlin Chandra McLaughlin Megan and Bill McQuinn Brenda and Stefan

Mokrohisky Jennifer Mone Camille Moore Buffy Naake Mark Nitczynski Catherine Paddock Dennis Pakula M S Papale Jeremy Persin Linda Poletti and J. Madden Paul and Linda Redstone Lawrence and Sue Ricketts Susan and Paul Riederer Amy Rusk Brandon Schreiber Alexis Senger Katie Sheldon Jean Smith Marin Stewart Frank and Sylvia Sullivan Jennifer Thompson Timothy Turner Pamela Tyrrell Gloria Valdez Sue Weinstein and Marekah Stewart Jane Westlye Sue Wofford Susan Young Debbie Zucker and Brian Field

Volunteers Maddie Carrier Greg Davis Mike Estrada Claudia Fields Tas Frashure Lola Hunter Debra Lovell Mia Peterson Dezmarie Roberts Deb Rosenbaum Mary Salsich Heather Shulman Nikki Wiederaenders

Thanks to all of our blockworkers, who deliver the Greater Park Hill News throughout the neighborhood every month!

If you are interested in becoming a blockworker, contact newspaper manager Melissa Davis at newspaper@greaterparkhill.org The Greater Park Hill News

July 2020

PARK HILL VET | Dr. Margot Vahrenwald, DVM, ASVJ

Ditch The Wild Hype No Need To Break The Bank For Healthy Pet Food

Chalk it up to much more screen time 5. Your veterinarian is one of the best resome days during the past several weeks. sources on nutrition and can help you to Or maybe it’s that my roster of new, review a product. With many bourecorded programs ran out and tique and exotic ingredient diets television is now in real time so I creating some known health risks must watch the commercials. for our pets, we can guide you to Any way you look at it, I’ve lately well-informed, evidence-based rebeen paying more attention to the sources to help select the best opselling of pet foods. tions for individual pets. (And, to Food is love for many of us – love bust one of my least favorite myths, for us humans and love for our cathere is no financial incentive for nine and feline family members. DR. MARGOT veterinarians to promote particuAnd, discussion of pet foods reveals VAHRENWALD lar brands. We’re taught to look many points where passion someat the science of nutrition, not the times overrules good nutrition. producer.)

Passion is great, but when we’re collectively 6. Remember that some of the criteria that spending nearly $32 billion on pet food in you apply as a human to food choices, this country, let’s spend it wisely. don’t have similar merit or benefits to The price of an expensive food is not an our cats and dogs. Cats are obligate carindicator of increased quality, so you don’t nivores, for example, and should not be need to break the bank. fed vegan or vegetarian diets.

A recent study conducted by boarded There are many, many good choices veterinary nutritionists and economists at out there, but if you truly want to mainTufts University and generating more than tain your pet’s health with good nutrition, 2,100 respondents found that more imporeducate yourself through smart sources, tance was placed on choosing healthy foods including your veterinarian. for pets over healthy food for humans.

That’s huge – but how do you make good Dr. Margot Vahrenwald is the owner of choices when there is so much marketing, Park Hill Veterinary Medical Center at misinformation and choice in products?

2255 Oneida St. For more information, visit parkhillvet.com Here are some tips and guidance for

best selecting pet food

1. Ingredient list: Look at the nutritional content and nutritional expertise of the producer, not that the ingredients always sound particularly appetizing to you.

2. Don’t fall for beautiful marketing. Most of the real estate of a pet food product label (or a commercial) is marketing. They are trying to persuade you with buzzwords and pretty pictures rather than a foundation of solid nutrition science and testing. Much is designed to target your pet care heartstrings rather than being based on species-specific nutritional considerations.

3. Ratings of food products are not necessarily reliable. The current websites on the internet base much of their critiques of products on the marketing points and popular myths of pet nutrition, and don’t give you data on best nutrition or quality.

4. In-store marketing by salespeople without nutrition education does not provide the best means for evaluating whether a diet is the best for your pet.

KEEP YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD STRONG! Join Greater Park Hill Community, Inc.

We have a variety of memberships. All memberships are tax deductible. ___ Individual or Family ($35/year) ___ Business or Patron ($250/year)

[ ] New member

___ Sponsor ($100/year) ___ Other

[ ] Membership renewal

If these membership levels are not suitable, GPHC will gratefully accept a donation for membership dues at a level that is comfortable for you and your family.

Name: ________________________________________________________ Business name:_________________________________________________ Address & Zip:__________________________________________________ Phone:_____________________(work) ________________________(home) Email: ________________________________________________________

Mail to: GPHC, 2823 Fairfax Street, Denver CO 80207

Good Eating, Good Reading Resources For Pet Nutrition Petfoodology – vetnutrition.tufts. edu/petfoodology/. This is an in-depth resource provided through the nutrition service at the Tufts Cummings Veterinary School. The nutrition service is made up of boarded veterinary nutritionists and other nutrition scientists with more than 100 years of combined expertise.

SkeptVet Blog – skeptvet.com/Blog/.

This blog is written by Dr. Brennen McKenzie, a practicing veterinarian who truly believes that medical therapies, including nutrition, need to be proven safe and effective for our patients.

Waiting For Normal

YOU’VE SPENT 30 YEARS BUILDING YOUR NEST EGG. NOW COMES THE HARD PART: MAKING IT LAST ANOTHER 30.

Challenges And Being Creative In A COVID-19 Summer

By Anya Nitczynski For the GPHN

This pandemic has caused multiple major shifts in my life. Most recently I lost some of my friends.

They all live far away and we haven’t seen each other since school let out.

That means that we have spent more time not seeing each other this year than seeing each other. It caused a strain that you wouldn’t expect. It’s harder to understand someone’s tone or listen to the full story when you are just texting. Small arguments get bigger and bigger. There is a constraint that I didn’t expect.

While it’s sad to lose friends, the opposite has happened in other cases. I have discovered friendships seemingly all over again.

Specifically, I have gotten so much closer with friends who live near me. Almost every day we see each other, and being able to see and talk to my peers again is freeing.

But the idea that we can slowly start to see each other again brings forth a whole new set of questions and concerns. What is the limit? When can we start doing more normal things again? And – the most im-

portant for people my age – what can we even do while coronavirus rages on? Being able to see each other outside was great at first – even lasting a couple weeks – but now what? We’ve walked every place we can and spent time in everyone’s yards, and now there’s nothing to do.

There’s nowhere to go and nothing to do. So we improvise. We take up running, yoga, cooking, and even cleaning. We come up with creative ways to have a picnic or get from one place to another.

We move our favorite activities outside. We plan what it will be like to finally have life be “normal” again. We sit in wait and we are grateful for whatever we have at the moment. We get crafty with what we do with our time. My friends and I even took up skateboarding!

So yes, there is a difference in summers past and this summer. There is a difference in relationships, but we just have to adapt.

CALL 303-803-1016 TO LEARN MORE

OPINION

July 2020

The Greater Park Hill News

Anya Nitczynski will be an 8th grader at Denver School of the Arts this fall. Her opinion pieces appear regularly in these pages.

Kuhn Advisors, Inc 2373 Central Park Blvd., Suite 100 Denver, Colorado 80238 Phone: 303.803.1016

Page 17

PARK HILL RESOURCES

SUMMER IS HERE!

Do your double-hung windows open, stay open?

I can fix them & insulate them.

Other Questions? Call David, experienced restorer!

Art Garage

6100 E. 23rd Ave., artgaragedenver.com, 303-377-2353. The Art Garage has been closed due to coronavirus precautions.

Check the website for updates.

Denver Police District 2

720.550.2786

Denver Public Schools

Check the website for resources for remote learning and food distribution and delivery sites during the summer months. Call the helpline at 720-423-3054 for support in many languages.

Established in 1971. Denver’s oldest nonprofit bookstore. Used and new books. 6420 E. 23rd Avenue. 303-355-8508. Members and volunteers get discounts and book credits. The bookstore is now open.

dpsk12.org

303.355.5666 DIANEGORDONDESIGN.COM

Faith Community

greaterparkhill.org/faith

40

Greater Park Hill’s faith community, home to over 30 places of worship in just four square miles, is as diverse and robust as the neighborhood itself. The GPHN maintains a list of Park Hill’s places of worship at the website above. Contact individual places of worship for information about their current state of operations.

Greater Park Hill Community, Inc.

2823 Fairfax St., greaterparkhill.org, 303388-0918

PET SPA

Grooming Lessons • Toys • Treats • Apparel

Wendy Miner NCMG 303.954.9486 Lucinda Young 2247 Oneida St., Denver, CO 80207 Gemma Brown www.ZenDenPetSpa.com Laura Pasillas Peaceful • Stress Free • Spa Treatment • Educational Resource

HAKALA FAMILY DENTISTRY Over a Decade of 5280 Top Dentist 2009 to 2020

KATE HAKALA, DDS 425 S Cherry #100, Denver, CO 80246

303-321-8967

www.hakalafamilydentisty.com

Bringing Color to Park Hill We Are The Clean Guys In A Dirty Industry!

Complete Interior & Exterior Painting

Our exterior schedule is filling up fast, so call now to schedule to make an appointment.

25th

Anniversary

Ireland’s Finest Painting Co. (303) 512-8777 irelandsfinestinc.com

Northeast Park Hill Coalition

The Northeast Park Hill Coalition hosts its monthly meeting at the Dahlia Campus for Health & Well-Being, 3401 Eudora St. Meetings are normally the second Thursdays of the month, but have been cancelled until further notice due to coronavirus precautions.

3921 Holly St., 2.Dist@denvergov.org, nonemergency number is 720-913-1000. For emergencies, dial 9-1-1.

WHOLE HOUSE REMODELS BASEMENT FINISH KITCHENS • BATHS

See the “At the Library” feature in this month’s issue for updates and resources offered by the Park Hill and Pauline Robinson branch libraries.

The GPHC neighborhood association generally holds its monthly meetings on the first Thursdays of the month, except for July and December. In-person community meetings are on hold until further notice due to coronavirus precautions.

Libraries

denverlibrary.org

Park Hill Community Bookstore

Park Hill Peloton

A recreational group of road cyclists that roll from Park Hill once or twice a week. Check the current status of their rides on the Park Hill Peloton Facebook page.

Sie Filmcenter

2510 E. Colfax, denverfilm.org, 303-5953456. Check its website for updates and information about its Virtual Cinema.

Walk2Connect

www.walk2connect.com

Park Hill Sunrise Walking Trips set off every Tuesday morning from Honeyhill Cafe at 23rd & Dexter. Walks have been suspended until further notice.

Northeast Park Hill Bilingual Walk take place the first Saturday of each month from Hiawatha Davis Jr. Rec Center on 33rd and Holly. Walks have been suspended until further notice.

DENVER CITY & COUNTY COVID-19 UPDATES City and County of Denver agencies continue to reopen as the state’s guidelines related to COVID-19 transition and the Safer at Home phase evolves. Physical distancing practices will be observed within all city facilities – that means employees and members of the public are required to wear face coverings while inside city facilities.

Parks and Recreation

All recreation centers and swimming pools remained closed as of June 30. Check with individual rec centers on potential reopening dates during the month of July.

All Denver dog parks reopened on June 19.

Children’s playgrounds have reopened, however playgrounds and other park equipment are not disinfected by park operations staff. When using these facilities, consider these precautions: • Practice good hand hygiene, using hand sanitizer frequently.

• Recreate safely in groups of 10 or less and physically distance yourself from others by at least six feet.

• Masks are highly recommended.

Arts & Venues

The McNichols Civic Center building has reopened to visitors. Groups of eight people or fewer can make appointments by calling 720-865-5570 for two-hour time slots to view the current exhibitions.

Clerk and Recorder

Denver Clerk and Recorder reopened for inperson marriage and recording services by appointment on July 1. Please make sure you have an appointment before arriving.

Jobs and Economic Opportunities

The Denver Workforce Centers at Westside (1200 Federal, 1st floor), Montbello (4685 Peoria St., Suite 251) and the Denver Inter-

national Airport (8500 Peña Blvd., 5th Level Main Terminal) will open beginning July 1 on a by-appointment basis. Jobseekers may use workforce.development@denvergov. org or 720-772-1182 (8 a.m.-5 p.m. MondayFriday) to make an appointment.

Denver Motor Vehicle

Denver Motor Vehicle (DMV) resumed inperson services on Monday, June 29. The DMV has implemented precautions to protect both customers and staff, including glass dividers, increased cleaning frequency for high-traffic areas and hand sanitizer and face masks for all staff and clients. People are encouraged to bring a cell phone with them in order to receive text notifications while at the DMV. Most title and registration transactions can be completed online at dengergov.org./dmv or by mail.

Denver Public Library

Check out page 14 for updates on the Park Hill and Pauline Robinson branch libraries.

Taxpayer Services

Taxpayer services have reopened for inperson services in the Wellington E. Webb Municipal Building downtown.

Denver Jails

The Denver Sheriff Department has opened the Van Cise-Simonet Detention Center and Denver County Jail lobbies for scheduled video monitor visitations only, beginning June 26.

Online Services and 3-1-1

Most city services are available online.

Members of the public are encouraged to visit the city’s website at denvergov.org or call 3-1-1 if they have questions. The 3-1-1 call center is in operation Monday–Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. For up-to-date information on the city’s COVID-19 recovery and relief plan and actions, visit Denvergov.org/Covid19.

Submit your neighborhood events and resources to editor@greaterparkhill.org • Deadlines are the 15th of the month, for the following month’s issue.

Page 18

The Greater Park Hill News

July 2020

GPHN CLASSIFIEDS CONCRETE

ROOFING

Concrete work and repair. Driveway, patios, and sidewalks. Small jobs welcome. 25 years experience. Free estimates. 303-429-0380

Residential reroofing and repairs, 17 years experience, licensed, bonded, and insured. Gutter replacement and cleaning. www.accurateroofingandmasonry.com Call Shawn 303-907-9223

HANDY MAN Licensed GC. Expert home repair/handy man/woodworker. Can fabricate missing/broken pieces for furniture, staircases, trim, molding, etc. 30 years Park Hill area. Peter 720-291-6089 text ok.

Brush & Hammer- 303-895-5192 Affordable-reliable services. Clean gutters, repair, replace, wood fences, gates and decks, interior painting, install small paver or flagstone patios and walkways.

HANDYMAN and REMODELING – Serving Park Hill Since 2001. For ALL Home Maintenance/Repair/Remodeling needs. FREE ESTIMATES - Fast and Friendly service. 720-235-6879

HAULING Cut Rate Hauling - A trash, clutter, and junk removal service. Estate clean up, eviction clean up, construction debris, etc. denvercutratejunk.com Call Ruben today 720-434-8042

LAWN CARE Aeration – Sod fertilizer – Power rake – Lawn mowing, Rototilling – Hauling – Stump removal – Weed control – Lawn mower repair – Shrubbery care – Small trees removed 720-327-9911

MASONRY SERVICES Masonry Services- Brick, Stone, Concrete, restoration, tuck pointing, chimneys, retaining walls, city sidewalks.

Licensed, bonded, and insured. www. thebrickandstoneguy.com References.

Call Shawn 303-907-9223

Dental Arts

Come and enjoy cocktails on our patio!

5280 says

Sunday -Thursday 7-4pm Fridays - Saturdays 7-7pm

Best Dentist

2019

Taco & Margarita Tuesdays!

Daily specials!

SPRINKLERS

Plumbing & Sprinklers - Repair or replace, disposal, toilets, water heaters, faucets, sinks, drain cleaning, sump pump, water pressure regulator. Sprinkler blow out, repair and install. www. vertecservices.com 720-298-0880

TREE TRIMMING

Tree trimming and trash removal. General yard work and clean up. Gutter cleaning. Please call 303-429-0380

WINDOWS

Double hung window RESTORATION includes replacing sash cords (ropes) and removal of excess paint on wood and metal plus lubrication for smooth opening and closing. Also restore metal casement windows. 40 year resident of PH. Contact David 720-550-2786.

Thomas J. Croghan, D.D.S, P.C.

303-377-8863 4624 East 23rd Ave.

cosmetic & fAmily Dentistry

4628 E 23rd Ave, Denver CO 80207 www.honeyhillcafe.com • 720 242 6048

Complete and comprehensive dental care for the whole family!

MAYFAIR VISION CLINIC

Adult and Children’s Vision • Complete Visual, Eye Health and Glaucoma Testing • All Types of Contact Lenses • Frames with One Year Guarantee • Most Insurances Accepted • Free Adjustments and Minor Frame Repair • 15% Discount for Senior Citizens

Dr. Janice I. Jarret 1336 Leyden

Across from Safeway

303.333.9898

TO ADVERTISE IN THE CLASSIFIEDS CONTACT MELISSA DAVIS

newspaper@greaterparkhill.org

720-287-0442 (voicemail) the deadline for submitting a classified ad is the 15th of every month

PLASTER REPAIR THE WALL REBUILDERS Interior plaster (and drywall) repair. We repair cracks, holes, crumbling walls, etc. Specializing in older homes, though we fix houses of every age. Dan and Laura Pino 303-698-1057

PLUMBING VAIL PLUMBING & HEATING - The Older Home Specialist. Repair, service, remodel. Evaporative coolers. Licensed, insured, guaranteed. 303-329-6042

Twenty years of experience working with Denver’s classic homes Numerous Park Hill references Design and Renovation Specialists

720-338-0748

www.CitySideRemodeling.com

HOUSE CLEANING

Providing 25 years of personalized cleaning service in Stapleton & Park Hill

Deep & Detail-Oriented Cleaning • Offices/Homes/ Apartments/Airbnb • Move-in/Move-out • Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products (upon request) • Magnificent References

Ask us about our precautionary COVID-19 protocols.

Paulina Leon 720-628-6690

A Positive Path for Spiritual Living

Honoring ALL Paths and ALL People

Virtual Sunday Services 10am on Facebook and our website

July 2020

4670 East 17th Ave Parkway, Denver CO 80220 • 303.322.3901

For more info: www.unityontheavenue.org

The Greater Park Hill News

Page 19

Yogis For SaLe

35 ivy St.

Outstanding 2 story in Crestmoor.

Remodeled. Over 5100 finished sq. feet. 5 bedrooms and 5 baths

$1,899,950 1521 Monaco Parkway

SoLd

Authentic 1937 example of Art Deco style. Outstanding character and condition. Over 3600 finished sq. feet.

$875,000

new priCe

8457 S. Custer Lane

3,100+ Sq.Ft. | 6 car garage | Newly renovated | 3 Beds & 3 Baths | Set in 1 Full Acre in Evergreen

$695,000 1900 Leyden St.

For SaLe

Classic updated 2 story Tudor on top Park Hill block. 5 bedrooms, 4 baths.

Over 4253 total square feet.

Park Hill Family Owned

Indian Restaurant We serve Park Hill, City Park and Stapleton

$1,399,950

15% Off

Keith Combs DenverRealEstate.com

720-218-9614

kcombs@denverrealestate.com • www.combssellhomes.com

SAVE MONEY ON PRESCHOOL TUITION

FOR YOUR CH I LD TH I S FALL .

use code PARKHILL

www.yogisindian.com • 720.737.1941

1612 E 17th ave, Denver (17th and Franklin)

The Denver Preschool Program offers tuition support to lower your child’s preschool costs.

If you’re still looking for the right school, we also offer tools to help you find a quality preschool that best meets your family’s needs.

Every Denver family with a child in their year before kindergarten qualifies.

Get started today at

DENVERPRESCHOOL.COM Page 20

The Greater Park Hill News

July 2020