All the News About Denver’s Best Residential Community Since 1960 • Volume 59, Issue No. 5 • May 2020 PART I
more appalling. More than 7,750 people perished – about eight-tenths of one percent of the state’s population. Nationwide, between 500,000 and 675,000 Americans died – more than all the American deaths in all the wars of the 20th and 21st centuries. Millions more were sickened by the plague. Most of Denver’s and Colorado’s deaths occurred in 120 days between late September 1918 and late January 1919. The numbers overwhelmed hospitals and communities’ ability to cope with the fast-moving nightmare.
For the GPHN
Penfield Tate III: Don’t Let Democracy Be the Next Victim
Local Business Owners In Limbo, Try To Stay Upbeat
The three C’s
continued on page 6
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Park Hill resident Blanche Kennedy, 21, was the first reported victim of the Spanish Flu in Denver. This photo was published on page 3 of the Sept. 28, 1918 Rocky Mountain News.
For more than a century scholars have been analyzing the 1918 pandemic, known as the “Spanish Flu” because it was mistakenly believed to have originated in Spain. Today some scientists think its precursors date back to 1915, and some suggest that a version of it cropped up near Fort Riley in Kansas in the spring of 1918. At the time, people called it the grippe, a type of severe influenza that had ravaged the world in the late 1880s and 1890s. Denver mayor Robert W. Speer, now remembered for beautifying the city, succumbed to pneumonia on May 14, 1918 after a bout of the grippe. The virus spread to Europe by soldiers
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On Sept. 27, 1918, Park Hill secured a dubious place in Denver’s history when Blanche Kennedy, residing at 2070 Birch St., became the city’s first reported victim of the influenza pandemic that was then ravaging the world. Kennedy¸ a 21-year-old University of Denver student, supposedly contracted the disease in Chicago, and brought it home. Dr. J. C. Weld, Kennedy’s physician who lived just blocks away, at 2349 Bellaire St., confirmed that she had died from influenza. Dr. William H. Sharpley, the city’s manager of health, put the Kennedy’s house under quarantine. He told Denver’s Rocky Mountain News of Sept. 28, 1918, that he was “confident that the death of Miss Kennedy will not be responsible for any cases in this city.” Sharpley was overly optimistic. Kennedy was likely not the only Denverite infected with the flu in late September. The disease had been spreading across the U.S. for more than a month. Kennedy’s death was to be the first of more than 1,500 Denver residents who succumbed to the flu and its complications, about six-tenths of one percent of the city’s approximately 250,000 people. Statewide the numbers were even
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By Stephen J. Leonard
From The Editor: I Am A COVID-19 Survivor. I Think.
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Reflections Of The Spanish Flu In Denver and Colorado
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Park Hill’s Pandemic Past
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Open Space Versus Develop: Readers Grapple Over The Park Hill Golf Course
Realtors Get Creative, Consult Their Crystal Balls
UPCOMING GPHC MEETINGS Monthly community meetings are cancelled until further notice due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The Most Important Job Hot Off The Presses! Blockworkers Deliver The News Of The ‘Hood Photo and story by Leslie Hirsch For the GPHN
Traffic Jams Move To The Trails Bicycle Sales Skyrocket As Paths Clog Up Story and photo by Reid Neureiter For the GPHN
With schools, gyms, and ski resorts closed and sports leagues shut down, cooped-up Denver residents are trying to get exercise any way they can – leading to unprecedented numbers taking up walking and cycling on the city bike paths. The result: Unusual levels of crowding and traffic in Denver’s parks, and on the city’s sidewalks and bike trails. Garrick Mitchell, a Denver-based accident reconstruction engineer, has noticed a dramatic increase in the level of traffic on Denver’s bikes paths during the shutdown. Many
more users – including cyclists, pedestrians, joggers, dog-walkers, and rollerbladers – are all using the paths. An avid cyclist who has ridden more than 150,000 miles, Mitchell has also noted a wider diversity of people on the bike paths, both in age level and experience level. “I’m seeing a much greater percentage of cyclists not wearing helmets,” he says, suggesting that these are either new cyclists or riders who have hauled out their old, unused bikes after years in storage. Mitchell expressed concern that many do not necessarily know the safe etiquette for using the paths, creating the potential for conflict continued on page 12
We started delivering the Greater Park Hill News in March. The April 2020 issue was only our second delivery! We learned about delivering papers through our neighbor, who has the paper route across the street. Their children had invited ours to deliver papers with them one beautiful afternoon, and they had a blast walking around their route and talking with neighbors. We were told there was a delivery vacancy on our block and after talking with our daughters, Poppy and Sylvie, they were excited and committed to deliver our important community news. We were able to get in contact with GPHC and let them know our interest and the rest is history! Community papers are so important. They represent the news, needs and unique aspects in our diverse neighborhood that aren’t always reflected in local news, national news or online. The Greater Park Hill News is a special and dear paper to those liv- Gloved and ready: Blockworkers Glenn and Syling in this wonderful neighborhood vie Hirsch get ready to deliver the April issue of we all call home, and we look forward the Greater Park Hill News. to delivering it for many years to come. Editor’s Note: Since 1960, the Greater Park Hill News has been delivered for free throughout the neighborhood, relying on the help from hundreds of blockworkers who deliver newspapers to homes on their blocks. Last month, Newspaper Manager Melissa Davis advised blockworkers to take extra precautions, including wearing gloves, when delivering newspapers. Newspapers are considered essential during the pandemic, and we will continue to use precautions during this critical time. If you would like to deliver the newspaper, contact Ms. Davis at newspaper@greaterparkhill.org.
EDITOR’S NOTE | Cara DeGette, GPHN Editor
I Am A Survivor. I Think. Patience Is The Only COVID-19 Test Available, For Now
trent nestman, d.d.S., m.S. park hill'S full-time
OrthOdOntic SpecialiSt 2206 Kearney St., 720-735-9800 www.nestmanortho.com
303-858-8100
I wasn’t planning to write about getting hit with COVID-19. I’m not much of a public navel-gazer. I generally believe that my personal trials and triumphs are far less interesting than the characters I encounter in my line of work, and whose stories I get to share. But then a good friend had this response to reports of my battle with the coronavirus: I was her first! The first person she actually knows who got it. And then a second friend had the same reaction to my news. In truth, science tells us that many of us have already been infected. Some of us have gotten sick, to varying degrees, and recovered. Others have not been so lucky. Here is my story. In early March, I was scheduled to have some Cara DeGette foot surgery, fairly routine stuff. Despite my hyper-vigilant efforts to avoid germs, I got sick. It was an upper respiratory thing. I felt dizzy, and exhausted. I completely, as in completely, lost my sense of smell and taste. It was like someone flipped a switch – one moment it was there, the next it was gone. The day before I was to go under the knife, I postponed my surgery. My doc told me it was likely a cold or the flu. Just stay home. Remember, this was early March. We now know that COVID-19 had already been making the rounds everywhere. At the time everyone was saying that it was just flu season. I felt lousy. I did stay home, which turned out to be a pretty smart move. I got a nasty cough. My taste and smell took well more than a week to return. I began to suspect that I was indeed a victim of the novel coronavirus. The biggest tipoff was emerging reports about one of the weirder symptoms of the disease – patients reporting losing their taste and smell. That freaked me out. Like the rest of the world, I’d been paying close attention to the path of the virus – in China, South Korea, Italy, spreading on a quarantined cruise ship off the coast of Japan, another off the California coast. I listened, not amused, as President Trump made one ridiculous pronouncement after another about what to expect in the U.S. “It’s going to disappear one day – it’s like a miracle, it will disappear.” “They’re going to have vaccines relatively soon.” And this one, on March 6, which was of
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 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
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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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particular interest to me at that particular time: “Anybody that needs a test, gets a test. The tests are there. And the tests are beautiful.” I emailed my doctor again. I suspected COVID-19. Can I schedule a test? Please? This is the answer, then and now. No. To get a test, you either have to be a healthcare worker, with serious symptoms, or you have to be so sick you need to be in the hospital. There have been only a few exceptions – like if you are a celebrity or a member of a professional basketball team. Otherwise, there aren’t enough tests. Trump’s boisterous claim of a “beautiful” test with my name on it was a lie. After a few starts and fits, my body got better. Then I had this thought: Am I now immune? I may have had the coronavirus, but couldn’t get tested, so I can’t be 100 percent sure I had it. That means I, along with millions of others, will need to get an antibody test to know. Without massive testing, how are we all going to get our collective life back? Guess what? There are currently about as many antibody tests available as tests for the actual virus. Practically speaking, virtually none. The president hasn’t been talking much about testing anymore. Trump’s thoughts have lately shifted to scrubbing out our lungs with Lysol and shooting powerful beams of ultraviolet light into our bodies. I am no longer listening to him. Instead, I have tuned in to the CDC, whose director is now promising “tens of millions” of antibody tests in coming weeks. I am hopeful that Colorado will have enough for everyone who needs them – sooner, not later. Ideally, the tests will be free, especially for people without insurance and hourly workers who are at the highest risk. The sooner we have tests, the sooner we can all reopen for business. In the meantime, I am wearing my mask. I am asking everyone else to please, wear your masks. I appreciate how fortunate I was to be able to stay home when I was sick. I am relieved I recovered. I am more than relieved that by good fortune alone I don’t seem to have spread it to anyone else.
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
May 2020
BIRDLAND | Mark Silverstein
“Our homes have become everything to us.” — ROBERTREFFKIN, COM PASSFOUNDERANDCEO
No longer just a place to start and end our days, this spring we’ve grown the way we use our homes. Like you, we’ve added classrooms, exercise studios, conference rooms, and even restaurants to our spaces. And while you’ve been home, we’ve been working to grow the ways we support our buyers and sellers. Take a peek at some of the innovations that have sprouted up! MANAGING REAL ESTATE IN FRESH WAYS ∙ Virtual Buyer Consultations ∙ Pre-List Home Tours and Virtual Listing Appointments ∙ Virtual Staging Sessions ∙ Online Conferencing to ‘View’ Properties ∙ Social Distanced Inspections and Appraisals ∙ Connecting Clients with Creative Lending Options ∙ Curbside Closings
Don’tforget tokeepaneyeout foranewdateforour RecyclingPaintEvent.Our teamlooksforwardto celebratingEarthDay with our neighbors laterthisyear.
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Great Blue Herons are the largest wading birds in the heron family. They have amazing wingspans of 77-82 inches and stand up to 52 inches tall. Despite their impressive size, Great Blue Herons weigh only 5 to 6 pounds thanks in part to their hollow bones—a feature all birds share. They exhibit distinctive grace as they fly through the air with a slow flapping of wings, but don’t be fooled. They can strike like lightning to grab a fish or snap up a gopher. This heron was photographed in Belmar Park in Lakewood by Park Hill resident Mark Silverstein.
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May 2020
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We’ve joined the New PerspectiveTeamatCompass!
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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.
SOLD ABOVE LIST PRICE
SOLD
SOLD
JUST LISTED
SOLD
Main Floor Master
Craftsman Masterpiece
Fix Up Opportunity
Pristine Red Brick Cottage
Gorgeous Tudor
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ESSAYS IN THE TIME OF CORONAVIRUS Teaching 6-Year-Olds Online
Music And Optimism
‘Natural Is Nothing Close To How This Feels’
What To Do When The Beast Gives Chase
By Amy Maes
By Ryan Hunter
For the GPHN
In a different universe, far, far away (beginning of March), one of my mantras to parents was, “screen time is the worst for young readers!” Today, I am teaching on screen, asking my kindergarten students to do assignments on screen. Oh, the irony! If anyone would have told me that at year 26 of my career I would be out of the classroom and instructing from my living room, I would have said they were crazy. Kindergarten calls for a unique recipe. It is a well-balanced blend of social/emotional development and academic development, wrapped up inside a safe environment, seasoned with nurturing routines and rituals. If the recipe is followed incorrectly or too many substitutions applied, the outcome is not one you’d like to make again. The online venue to which we have had to switch is just about the opposite of what my paraprofessional (my teaching aide, who I truly could not succeed without) and I built for our students, from last August through March 13. Just four days earlier, March 9 was just a Monday. We were in the middle of a writing unit. We were about to dive into the science of weather, having lots of fun with subtraction, place value and delving into the ins ‘n’ outs of story problems. We were also what I like to call a “kindergarten family,” meaning that our sense of community was strong and joyful. It’s what a lot of teachers call the “sweet spot” of the school year, students well connected to their classroom, teachers and each other. They are, at this time, able to utilize practiced skills and apply them to grow further toward 1st grade. By the following Thursday, our little kindergarten sanctuary felt like a petri dish. Schools all Amy Maes, teaching her kindergarten around us were closfamily via Google Meet. ing by the hour and our minds were no longer occupied with the “sweet spot.” Rather, we were faced with the unthinkable question: When will we close? Natural is nothing close to how this feels, which is cold, foreign and depressing. We connect on Google Meet daily, in scant phone conversations and through posted work and comments. It is the least engaging connection I have ever experienced. And yet, I am so very fortunate to work at a school with inspiring colleagues and strong leadership. I am not claiming that it’s the perfect work environment but it’s pretty damn close in my book. Still, that first week of virtual teaching was a doozy. My tech learning curve was so slippery and steep, I needed carabiners and a harness. As I write this, going into our third week, the students seem to know what the daily routine has become. The faces that look back at me are not often smiling. There is a rush at the end of our virtual Morning Meeting to say goodbye and, oh! one last thing … before we disconnect from each other and our kindergarten family. Amy Maes is a Park Hill Elementary School kindergarten teacher.
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For the GPHN
Jeff Newell and Elaine Connell.
The Sewing Machine Won Adjusting To Life Behind A Mask By Elaine Connell For the GPHN
In the beginning it crept up on us gradually. ... an illness in China … getting bad in Italy … next a few cases here, and a few celebrities sharing their stories … Then things started getting closer to home. March Madness was shut down! What?! And major league baseball? I’m not much of a sports fan, but when they shut down the libraries I knew this was serious. My husband has asthma, so we were quite willing to do social distancing. And I am far behind on projects, so a stay-at-home order honestly felt like a Godsend. A lot of disruption to everything we were involved in, but still a perfect opportunity to catch up on things at home. Then we were told to wear masks. It made sense, but there weren’t any masks to be had! We tried folded bandanas with rubber bands, but we could barely breathe through the 12 layers of fabric. Frustrated for the distraction from my long overdue projects, I resigned myself to making us masks. There were lots of patterns online. Why not make coollooking masks? Why not make extras for friends? Within a few hours I had fabric ready to go for a dozen masks, in different sizes, with lining, and a flannel filtration layer, too. I was going to enjoy this new project, after all! My sewing machine was a high school graduation present – from 1965. It’s 40 pounds of solid steel. I hauled it up from the basement. I hadn’t used it in years, and it had never been tuned up. The bobbin winding thing-a-ma-bob fell apart within minutes, so I wound the bobbin by hand. I had to fight to stitch through the places where seams came together. Making my first mask was hard, and it took a lot longer than I expected, but I was proud. Surely I could do the rest quickly. But that didn’t happen. By the time I’d fought the machine through several layers of several seams of several masks, several days had gone by. The only thing I was enjoying was that I was almost done. One final seam left on one final mask. The thread ran out. I rethreaded with another spool that was handy. Within seconds the machine jammed. I’d fought that machine and won a lot of times. Not this time. There wasn’t anything more I could do. At my wit’s end, all I could do was cry. It was those tears that brought me to terms with the huge and enduring changes we would all need to adjust to with this virus. Elaine Connell lives in Park Hill with her husband, Jeff Newell.
As I look out the window, I have to say that this “Indian Winter” we’ve had in April is not helping! So what have I been doing to stay sane? Music is a big part of our family. We love to go see live concerts and have many friends in the music industry – both performers and crew. The pandemic struck out of nowhere and disrupted their lives and their livelihoods. My family and I created a fun cover of My Sharona called No Corona, performed it and shared it on social media to inspire others to contribute to the cause. (Check out the performance at tinyurl.com/NoCoronaMusic.) I am really missing the music right now, and one way that I have tried to get more music in my life is to learn to play an instrument via YouTube. My daughter had a ukulele gathering dust so I decided to give it a shot. I have to say, I love it! Another project has been an online course from Yale called the Science of Well-Being. This class has been really inspiring. It’s free and I recommend it to anyone, at coursera.org/learn/the-science-of-well-being. I really believe this period will be a renaissance. I was reading an article in Rolling Stone the other day and Micah Nelson, the avant-garde musician and son of Willie Nelson framed it very nicely. As the magazine noted, Nelson turned to Isaac Newton for inspiration: “During the plague in Isaac Newton’s time, he had just completed study at Oxford,” Nelson says. “He was slotted to join faculty. The epidemic caused the university to shut down for two years. He went to a private cabin and created the foundation of what would evolve into quantum physics. Who knows what people will create when they are faced with four walls and the sudden contrast to an assumed freedom? When the beast gives chase, even the most numb of minds remember that they are alive.” What comes next for us will be really uncertain, but I have so much hope because we most definitely will see the largest baby boom in history coming out of this time. That coupled with a new renaissance could be the spark we need to heal the earth, heal the country and move forward. I am optimistic. Ryan Hunter is a board member for Greater Park Hill Community, Inc. He lives in Park Hill with his family.
Ryan Hunter
Editor’s note: Longer versions of these essays can be read at greaterparkhill.org.
The Greater Park Hill News
May 2020
Empty Churches, Full Spirit Saint Thomas Episcopal Church, at 2201 Dexter St.
Messiah Community Lutheran Church, at 1750 Colorado Blvd.
House of Joy Miracle Deliverance Church, at 3082 Leyden St.
Greater Park Hill is home to more than 30 places of worship in just four square miles, and its faith community is as diverse and robust as the neighborhood itself. Normally, on Easter Sunday morning, churchgoers would have been showing up in their finest, ready to pack the houses for services of sermon and song. But this year, the sidewalks in front of all of Park Hill’s many churches – the Catholic, the Methodist, the Lutheran, the Baptist, the Church of God, and the Episcopal – were empty. Instead, sermons and hymns were delivered over the internet. East Denver Bible Baptist Church, at 5500 E. 26th Ave. The pastors of Montview Boulevard Presbyterian Church used as their closing prayer, “Praise Song for the Pandemic.” It was a poem by Christine Valters Paintner that praises, among others, nurses, doctors, janitors, garbage collectors, and scientists who are helping to combat the COVID-19 virus. The poem concludes with the lines, “And when this has passed, may we say that love spread more quickly than any virus ever could. May we say that this was not just an ending, but also a place to begin.” Photos by Reid Neureiter
Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, at 4900 Montview Blvd.
Montview Boulevard Presbyterian Church, at 1980 Dahlia St.
At a time like this, it feels so important to thank our amazing... health care workers first responders grocery store employees delivery drivers
Garden Walk Cancelled Pandemic Interrupts Annual Fundraiser By Jean Ercolani Park Hill Garden Walk Organizer
June 28 would have marked the 20th annual Park Hill Garden Walk. However, instead of celebrating 20 years of this remarkable event, it is with great sadness that the Garden Walk Committee, in conjunction with the Greater Park Hill Community board, decided to cancel this year’s fundraiser. Restrictions and continued uncertainty associated with COVID-19 drove us to this decision. The safety of our gardeners, artists, volunteers, attendees and the entire community is our top priority. Generally every year, thousands of dollars in proceeds from the Garden Walk go to GPHC, Inc., a volunteer-based Registered Neighborhood Organization that promotes the character and vibrancy of Park Hill through its resources, information and advocacy, while preserving the quality of life and the history of the neighborhood through community participation. These funds help support the RNO’s food programs, sustainability programs, the May 2020
The Greater Park Hill News
Greater Park Hill News and more. Without events such as the Garden Walk these programs will suffer. Therefore, we ask that you please donate to GPHC, Inc. directly (check out page 12 for instructions on how to do that, or online at greaterparkhill.org). Even small contributions are extremely helpful. Perhaps consider donating what you would have spent on your Garden Walk ticket. And remember, your donation is tax deductible. We still hope to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Garden Walk in some way. We’re currently cooking up what we think is a pretty cool idea, and will announce details in next month’s issue of the newspaper. It goes without saying that the Garden Walk Committee is disappointed in this turn of events. We had several new artists joining the already amazing participating group of artists – some who have for many, many years. We also had nine stunning gardens, each with their own personality and uniqueness. Fortunately, nearly all nine gardeners have already committed to participating in next year’s event.
elderly caretakers & teachers Thank you so very much for your countless hours on the job and sacrifices. Your efforts do not go unnoticed and are genuinely appreciated. We are Colorado strong.
KimDavis
Real Estate Broker, Co/Owner Maison of Colorado, with Kim & Lisa
#303.218.8373
Kim.Davis@Compass.com
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EARTH IN CRISIS | Tracey MacDermott
All Hands On Deck The Parallels Of Pandemic And Climate
This last month has been unlike any we cially will not be able to ride out the storm. have ever experienced. The COVID-19 criOn the front lines sis has been wrought with high emotions and fear, as well as remarkable human sacStatewide testing data has confirmed that rifice. the COVID-19 outbreak is disproportionTo all of our healthcare workers, police ately affecting communities of color. People and fire, grocery employees, construction of color are often on the front lines, and and waste service employees, a heartfelt therefore suffer more medical problems, thanks goes to you and what you do every have less ability to access health care, and day to keep us safe and keep our have poorer outcomes. basic needs met. You are heroes, We know this is also true when as are our teachers who have had it comes to the climate crisis. We to figure out new and effective can think of Flint, Mich. to be reways to teach remotely, along minded of this reality, or of our with anyone who has to go to neighbors here in Denver – in work every day because you are Globeville, Elyria and Swansea considered an essential service. living next to I-70. Lower-income We are all indebted to you. communities, especially black, This global health emergency Hispanic and Native Americans, has wreaked havoc on our local live next to areas with higher businesses, our neighbors’ abilrates of pollution. Historically, ity to pay rents or mortgage and this has not been by accident. the ability for many to retain During this pandemic, stayTRACEY employment. The effects will at-home orders have resulted in be long term and will certainly MACDERMOTT reduced pollution and a return change all of our lives. to blue skies in large cities and Many fear that as businesses metropolitan areas around the shutter their doors, properties will be purglobe. This is only temporary, but shows us chased by wealthy developers and people that it is possible to change. It also shows us of means, potentially leaving hardworkwe must implement smart and thoughtful ing and marginalized Americans behind. public policy in order to help communities The tragedy of this virus is not only the that are under the greatest risk. unthinkable amount of lives lost but the While the country has been overwhelmed overreaching impact to those who finanby the pandemic, the Trump Administra-
Pandemic, continued from page 1
tion has wasted no time veering off in a quite different direction – ratcheting up policies that are destructive to the climate. Among its more appalling moves, the administration has lowered fuel economy and emissions for the auto industry. It has also loosened some compliance regulations for other affected businesses and rolled back clean water rules designed to protect us from pollution. “The agency (EPA) is looking to weaken rules that allow states and Indigenous tribes to deny fossil fuel companies permits when their pipelines, wells, and other projects discharge dangerous chemicals into local water supplies,” noted the Climate Reality Project in April. Tatiana Schlossberg’s book, Inconspicuous Consumption: The Environmental Impact You Don’t Know You Have, notes “the disproportionate effects of air pollution in the U.S. can be attributed to governmentsanctioned discriminatory housing policies, which kept African Americans and other minority groups from living in white neighborhoods, often ensuring that they would be near major roads or industrial facilities.”
The richest 1 percent Rev. William J. Barber II, a Protestant Minister who re-started Martin Luther King’s Poor People’s Campaign, has also focused on inequalities regarding climate change. The Poor People’s Campaign notes they “recognize the implications of the climate crisis and are clear that the evil of ecological devastation is directly connected to the evils of systemic racism, poverty and inequality, militarism and the war economy, and the distorted moral narrative that prevents us from adequately addressing these issues.” employees he ordered the shop closed. Justifying his interference with free enterprise, he explained, “These are epidemic times.” Still, many businesses remained open, outdoor meetings were allowed, and some refused to comply with the Board of Health’s restrictions. Socialite Bulkley Wells hosted a party. Wealthy Genevieve Chandler Phipps decamped to her spacious, mountain estate, Greystone, in Upper Bear Creek Canyon west of Evergreen, where she
bound for French battlefields, where it mutions, particularly Army camps, for more tated into a more virulent form. than a month. On Sept. 21, solider-trainees The flu baffled doctors. No optical miat the University of Colorado in Boulder croscope could reveal it; no known vaccine were reported ill. Four days later 75 sick could prevent it. Poppycock preventatives CU students were quarantined in fraternity and remedies flowed freely – eat onions, houses. By the time the flu reached Denver take Pleasant Purgative Pellets, enjoy a hot it had killed more than 1,000 in Boston. mustard footbath, carry an acorn, avoid Increasing numbers of deaths in early Octight shoes and gloves. Other suggestions appeared sensible – take deep breaths of pure air and practice the three Poppycock preventatives and remedies flowed freely – eat onions, C’s: “clean mouth, take Pleasant Purgative Pellets, enjoy a hot mustard footbath, clean heart and clean clothes.” carry an acorn, avoid tight shoes and gloves. On Nov. 5, 1918, the Rocky Mountain News urged readers to vote Republican “and you need have no fear of the flu.” Sharpley and others familiar with highly communicable respiratory diseases such as tuberculosis understood that coughing and sneezing probably spread the malady. They recognized that people crowded into close quarters were at risk. Unfortunately, for a time, they thought that outside air was good air and hence saw no harm Newspaper advertisements and a pubic service announcement, circa 1918. in large outdoor gatherings. An estimated 40,000 people packed Cheesman Park on Satpartied and breathed the pure air. urday, Oct. 5 to view a World War I battle tober caught the public’s attention. Blanche aircraft featured as part of the federal govKennedy’s brother, William R. Kennedy, Under deeps of darkness also of 2070 Birch, died on Saturday, Oct. ernment’s effort to sell War Bonds. Deaths and widespread sickness contin5. That evening the city’s Board of Health ued. On Oct. 15 officials forbade all meetMessage to moviegoers ordered all schools, theaters, churches, and ings – indoors or out. A few days later the places of amusement to close as of 11 a.m. In the wake of Blanche Kennedy’s death, Board of Health informed all businesses on Sunday, Oct. 6. Police stopped picking Sharpley asked theater owners to flash a they must close by 6 p.m. Theater owners up vagrants and Sharpley dispatched inmessage on their movie screens: “Spanish initially supported the restrictions, but spectors to make sure soda fountain emInfluenza is conveyed by coughing, sneezwithin a few weeks they were complainployees washed their glasses in hot water. ing and spitting.” That admonition demoning about lost business. Under pressure, Some citizens voluntarily started wearstrated the futility of closing the barn door Sharpley lifted the ban on public gathering masks in October. When Sharpley after the horse was out. ings on Nov. 11, 1918. Having the rule in learned that owners of a garment factory Denver had known about the flu and its place that day could not have stopped the would not provide heat for their 60 women rapid spread mainly from East Coast locaPage 6
Specific to Colorado, the organization highlights the following: • The richest 1 percent of Colorado residents are expected to receive 26 percent of the benefits of the new federal tax law. Their average tax cut in 2027 is expected to be $6,720, while the poorest 20 percent are expected to have to pay $60 more. • Colorado has spent at least $295 million in public subsidies for corporations over the past five years without doing as much as they could to ensure funds are used to create good green jobs for low income communities. • 42,389 tons of NOx are annually emitted in Colorado. NOx is a leading cause of respiratory problems. • 21.9 percent of census tracts in Colorado are at-risk for being unable to afford water. The organization is conducting a digital nationwide call to action on June 20, designed to ignite people and ensure those most affected by poverty and its interlocking injustices are able to participate fully. (Sign up and join in at poorpeoplescampaign.org) As we will need all hands on deck to flatten the curve and create a vaccine for COVID-19, we also need those same hands working together to fix this climate emergency, and to level the playing field and correct economic inequalities. Tracey MacDermott is chair of the board of Greater Park Hill Community, Inc. She was trained as a Climate Reality Leader in 2017, and is currently the Statewide CoChair of the Climate Reality Project for the 100% Committed Campaign. Contact her at chair@greaterparkhill.org.
tens of thousands of people who took to the streets to celebrate the armistice that ended World War I. Katherine Anne Porter, destined to become one of the nation’s most acclaimed writers, was a reporter for the Rocky Mountain News in 1918 when she contracted the flu. She ran a fever of 105 degrees for nine days. In her 1939 short novel, Pale Horse, Pale Rider, her fictional character, Miranda, gives a glimpse of Porter’s own close encounter with death: Silenced, she sank easily through deeps under deeps of darkness until she lay like a stone at the farthest bottom of life, knowing herself to be blind, deaf, speechless, no longer aware of the members of her own body, entirely withdrawn from all human concerns, yet alive with a peculiar lucidity and coherence; all notions of the mind, the reasonable inquiries of doubt, all ties of blood and the desires of the heart, dissolved and fell away from her . . . By Nov. 21, the city had tallied nearly 500 deaths. Sharpley then predicted: “I believe that by the end of a week, Denver’s death rate will be normal.” As was the case in September, his rosy outlook was ill founded. This is Part I of a series on the 1918 influenza pandemic – a sad slice of history, which is perhaps instructive. Its author, Stephen J. Leonard, is a professor of history at Metropolitan State University of Denver and holds a doctorate in history. He lives in Park Hill. Both his mother and father survived the 1918 flu. Had that not been so, it goes without saying he would not have written this piece. This account draws heavily on Leonard’s 1989 essay, The 1918 Influenza Epidemic in Denver and Colorado in Essays and Monographs in Colorado History: Essays Number 9, 1989, published by the Colorado Historical Society (now History Colorado). The second installment of this series will appear next month. The Greater Park Hill News
May 2020
RAW POLITICS | Penfield W. Tate III
Democracy in a Pandemic Don’t Let Democracy Be The Next Victim
Democracy has to survive a pandemic. April, with voting for their U.S. Senate, and This is what our Constitution guarantees: other candidates done remotely. All of this “The right of citizens of the United States to was poorly executed. Up until the day of vote shall not be denied or abridged by the the conventions, no information was readUnited States or by any State on account of ily accessible on how to participate or watch race, color, or previous condition of serviremotely. Both parties need to be better. tude” (15th Amendment); “shall not Practically this situation is of be denied or abridged by the United little import to Cory Gardner, States or by any State on account of who as the incumbent faces no sex” (19th Amendment); “shall not serious opposition for his party’s be denied or abridged by the United nomination. He is stockpiling States or any state by reason of failmoney, raising money through ure to pay any poll tax or other tax” outside groups and holding on to (24th Amendment); and “who are 18 his money since he won’t have to years of age or older, to vote, shall not spend any in the June 30 Repubbe denied or abridged by the United lican primary. PENFIELD W. States or any state on account of age” Romanoff’s muted victory TATE III (26th Amendment). The legal right to vote is unchanged. However, the impact of the curBut in the era of the coronavirus pandemic, rent pandemic is huge on the Democratic as a practical matter, does this fundamental side of the race. Andrew Romanoff swept to right survive? You should never be asked an impressive victory in the state convento jeopardize your health to exercise your tion and assembly. He received 86 percent constitutionally guaranteed right to vote. of the votes, meaning no other candidate Although that shameful choice still has to will make the ballot via the caucus process. be made in too many places around the Hickenlooper made the ballot through peglobe – and is a regrettable part of Amerititions, as did Michelle Ferrigno Warren. ca’s history – it should not be the case now. At press time we learned that candidate LoYet, consider: Because of stay-at-home orrena Garcia, who was disqualified from the ders and social distancing, candidates have ballot for not meeting the number of qualibeen campaigning (and raising money) by fied petition signatures, may file a lawsuit to email, website, Zoom, Eventbrite, Microchallenge that decision. Depending on that soft Teams, YouTube or some other social outcome, we are now down to three, maybe media medium. But not in person. Both the four, Democratic candidates left standing Democratic and Republican parties held for the June 30 Democratic primary – from their state conventions and assemblies in a field of 21.
Mowing Down Pollution Charge It, Push A Button, And Go By Mark Kuhl
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residential/ and you’ll be impressed with the power and convenience of these modFor the GPHN ern lawn tools. It’s a relief to not have to Recycle your gas powered lawn tools deal with gasoline, oil, flooded spark this summer during the Regional Air K U H plugs, and they’re quiet too! Simply S Quality Council’s annual “Mow T ’ charge the battery, push a button Down Pollution” event. and go. The organization provides (Note: As of press time, details new cordless mowers and other about this year’s program have not lawn tools at a deep discount, O L been posted, but the Regional Air RECYC and encourages you to bring in Quality’s website promises updates your old gas powered equipment for 2020 will be available soon.) for a $50-plus rebate. The goal is to remove small gas engines from the ColoMark Kuhl is an environmental advocate rado landscape as these machines have a who lives in Park Hill. Check out his tips significant impact on air quality – not to about recycling household items every mention carbon emissions. month in these pages. A directory of his Get your new cordless lawn tools by past columns is at greaterparkhill.org/ registering at mowdownpollution.org/ sustainability/recycling-directory/.
Home Is Where The Heart Is.
Romanoff’s victory was a bit muted. With no in-person convention and attendant hoopla, and little press coverage, it went virtually unnoticed. And as we have discussed before, the boots-on-the-ground operation is Romanoff’s response to Hickenlooper’s huge money advantage. Romanoff will be hard-pressed to raise money for TV ads. Hickenlooper, meanwhile, will compete with Gardner, Trump and Biden for control of the airwaves. Stay-at-home orders have impacted other elections around the country. Some officials will not allow mail elections and that has impacted turnout. President Trump has expressed firm opposition to mail-in voting, citing claims of heightened election fraud, to the chagrin of critics and civil libertarians who say he is really trying to suppress opposition votes. Trump has actually admitted that expanding voting by mail is generally not good for Republican candidates, so he will limit it as he can. Ironically, he personally requested a mail ballot while calling them “horrible and corrupt.” I know what you are thinking. He has even gone so far as to threaten not to fund the U.S. Postal Service to prevent an all-mail vote. The Republicancontrolled U.S. Senate is supporting that effort – for now. Some Republican governors, and Republican-controlled legislatures, are in alignment with this effort. Letting the U.S. Postal Service fail would jeopardize the fairness of our elections. Possibly worse, Donald Trump has taken to Twitter to encourage his supporters to intentionally place their health at risk by defying state-level stay home orders, and his own vague directives, by telling them to “LIBERATE MICHIGAN,” “LIBERATE MINNESOTA,” and “LIBERATE VIRGINIA.” At a time of global crisis, why should anyone in any leadership position advocate limiting someone’s right to vote? Why would any sane person want you to unnecessarily risk your life, to vote? That may be part of our history, but – again – cannot be acceptable in our present.
Here comes Biden Trump’s motivations become clearer as you watch the political dominoes fall into place. Bernie Sanders’ withdrawal from the race, in part due to having to campaign during a pandemic and without physically being in contact with voters, leaves a clear path for Joe Biden to the Democratic nomination. Sanders endorsed Biden. Former President Barack Obama endorsed Biden. But that may not be enough. Biden’s real test will be, can he win over, motivate and activate the Sanders faithful? Four years ago, Hillary Clinton could not and lost to Trump. It remains to be seen if Biden can. Biden’s nomination clarifies the contrast in the contestants and allows positions to be hardened. Some, in a surprising fashion.
That takes us to the Lincoln Project, established by former Republican operatives and party officers including George Conway, the husband to Trump counselor Kellyanne Conway. In April, the group endorsed Biden. This is what they said: “The United States is [currently] beset with a president who was unprepared for the burden of the presidency and who has made plain his deficits in leadership, management, intelligence and morality. We’ve never backed a Democrat for president. But Trump must be defeated.” Wow. In the time of Trump, many Republicans have become unaffiliated or independent. A few have registered as Democrats. Even fewer have remained Republicans and have actively called out Trump for his behavior, comments and policies. The late Sen. John McCain was one. Sen. Mitt Romney was another during the impeachment vote. And now the Lincoln Project – an organization that formed to elect Republicans. Maybe that is why we see such a commitment to suppressing the vote.
Envy of the world In contrast to the national dialog, Colorado has a rich history of all-mail elections that is the envy of the country, if not the world. In our recent presidential primary election, Colorado had an historic turnout of young voters. Civic engagement by our younger voters is something that we should be encouraging and rewarding – not suppressing by forcing them to choose life or voting. In direct opposition to Donald Trump, Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold is advocating and pushing for a national vote by mail. Based on Colorado’s model, Griswold has been working with Congress to draft national mail ballot legislation for the November national elections. Her focus, and that of many, is to promote safety and democracy by ensuring a right to vote. Griswold is also assuring Coloradans that they will be able to vote safely by mail. With June primary elections and November general elections on the horizon, she is doing the right thing. The Secretary of State’s office has a website – govotecolorado.com – designed so voters can register, as well as update their voter information. Check it out and make sure you are ready. We all need to do the right thing: vote and ensure that every qualified person in this nation has that right as well. 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.
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May 2020
The Greater Park Hill News
Page 7
Life In Limbo
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Local Business Owners Adapt, Try to Stay Upbeat Compiled by Cara DeGette
The kids’ opinion pieces written by Anya Nitczynski and Felix Nitczynski in the April issue were really interesting. I’d like to hear more from young people about their opinions on neighborhood doings. If other people feel this way too, it might be worth exploring a partnership with neighborhood schools to get one or two more articles written by students.
Editor, GPHN
The pandemic has forced independent business owners to adapt in major ways – including having to close, at least temporarily, their doors completely. Last month we highlighted the impacts on numerous restaurants and other shops in Park Hill and surrounding neighborhoods. This month, the owners of two bars/ restaurants and a fitness studio weigh in on what they’re doing and how they’ve tried to keep business going while city and state lockdowns are in place. Full coverage, including longer versions of the interviews below, can be read at greaterparkhill.org. We’ll continue to cover the impacts of COVID-19 on local businesses in the months ahead. Please email news tips, updates and photos to editor@ greaterparkhill.org.
Mozart’s Lounge
1417 Krameria St., mozartsdenver.com
Young People Rock
Jonathan Ullrich, Park Hill Screenshot from an Owl Saloon Tiki Togo video, showing people how to make their own “QuaranTikis.”
them out as they are a lot of fun. We do have delivery available through UberEats and GrubHub. Business has been OK. We do have our good days. But, unfortunately, it’s been inconsistent. More than anything, we’ve built our business on the belief in community. And at the end of the day, that’s what we’re trying to keep alive. We have a great neighborhood full of local businesses that needs everyone’s support. We hope all the small businesses survive. The future is scary as it keeps changing day by day, but we’re staying positive!
Sadly, we were completely shut down as of March 17. We aren’t doing take-out or delivery because we don’t serve food. We are using this as an opportunity -- Victor H. Muñiz, to do a deep clean, fix up some things like tile, refresh with new Owner-Operator coats of paint. It’s hard to feel Anytime Fitness good about keeping up a leased 6005 E. Colfax, anytimefitness.com space when we don’t know how long we’ll be shuttered. Our fuOn April 27, we marked our oneture is uncertain. The manageyear anniversary. We have put a ment company isn’t providing freeze on all membership dues any rent relief, which is tough. until we are able to re-open. At the We applied for the Paycheck Mozart’s Lounge is same time, we continue to provide Protection Program loan from many services virtually because currently closed. Chase but were deflated when we also know how critical exercise we received word that the current is for physical and mental health. We are round of funding ran out before they could providing a range of free virtual coaching, even process our application. As a Park Hill nutrition and wellness content to anyone resident, I am trying to support local small in the community via our Facebook page business by ordering take-out (facebook.com/anytimefitontheand delivery as much as possible. fax). I hope that the neighborhood will The financial challenges we are return to Mozart’s as soon as we experiencing are significant. We can safely open. applied for federal help from the -- Mia Peterson, Co-owner
The Owl Saloon
5026 E. Colfax, theowlsaloon.com
We’re offering to-go food Thursday through Saturday. And under the guidelines set forth by Anytime Fitness the city, we are offering to-go beer, owners Mike and wine and spirits. We’re offering Kate Jenulis. our Tiki Togo drink specials as a take-home cocktail kit. We created Tiki Togo videos on our Facebook page – check
Paycheck Protection Program but the program ran out of funds before we got approved. We hope that our neighbors will see the value in supporting all the small local businesses in the community as they re-open and continue to trust that our primary goal is to make healthy happen by ensuring a supportive and clean environment for everybody. -- Kate Jenulis, Co-owner
Respite In Rough Times
The beauty of the Park Hill Golf Course is that, once you take away the golf, it’s already a gorgeous park. And it should stay that way. Since we’ve been locked down, our daily respite has been found amidst its rolling green grass, wide paths, and budding trees. We’ve even observed a falcon defending its territory from bullying crows. We understand that we don’t live across the street from a public park. We’re all too aware of the security guard making daily rounds. But it’s apparent that our use of the golf course as a park has been met with no objection from its owner. Locals freely jog the paths, push strollers, and walk their dogs. Colorado Boulevard still screams on the western border, the Starbucks-anchored commercial development is plainly visible to the north, and nearby ever-present construction is impossible to miss. But if you stand near the twittering duck pond and gaze at the snow-capped Rockies, it rejuvenates the spirit in a way that’s critically important during this crisis. This precious open space will be developed if a judge agrees, and if our city council removes the conservation easement purchased with taxpayer dollars and rezones the land. But if the council holds firm, we can retain this increasingly rare and beautiful public asset. If you have enjoyed using the golf course as a park, talk to your city council representative. Join the conversation and let your perspective be heard. Only then will the falcon be free to fly over Northeast Park Hill. -- Amy C. Harris, Northeast Park Hill
Formula For Gentrification
Thank you for the wonderful opinion piece “The Case for Parks,” that appeared in the April issue. What our leaders knew was true 100 years ago is even more true today: Parks are not just pretty ornamentation; they are the essential organs of nature
tending to the health and well-being of our citizens, even as the city grows ever more crowded. Today the Park Hill Golf Course land is under imminent threat. It is the last large urban open space with mature trees left in Denver, fortuitously located in the section of Denver with the greatest need for it. It is threatened, despite a conservation easement protecting it that was created to preserve this jewel, in whole. What would take its place? Greenfield development that will necessitate outlandishly expensive infrastructure spending, paid for entirely by the future property buyers. Since this cost is buried into future property taxes from metro tax districts (controlled by the developer, not the city) rather than being reflected in the selling price of the residences, buyers would be lured into purchasing homes that might at first blush appear to be within budget (if you consider $550,000 starting prices affordable). In reality, the costs may strain the finances of all but the upper-middle class or wealthier clientele. That is the formula for gentrification. Meeting the need for truly affordable, mixed use and workforce housing would be better served if they were built on properties that already provide much of the infrastructure otherwise missing from open space — roads, sidewalks, water, sewer, power, etc. This is available just a few blocks away from the 40th and Colorado Boulevard commuter rail station, leaving in place the conservation easement and the Park Hill Golf Course land unmolested — to some day become the public park for which it is ideally suited. If the city proceeds with a small area plan for Northeast Park Hill, it should center the study on the 40th and Colorado commuter rail station, encompassing land both east and west of Colorado Boulevard. Harry Doby, Northeast Park Hill Editor’s note: The author is a member of Save Open Space Denver, which is working to preserve the Park Hill Golf Course as a park. Last month’s opinion referenced in the letter can be read online at greaterparkhill. org/uncategorized/opinion-the-case-forparks/. 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.
CHRIS
MERMAN
Page 8
The Greater Park Hill News
May 2020
City Should Pursue Planning Process
OPINIONS
Diverse Housing Choices, Parkland Can Coexist By Kenneth Ho For the GPHN
I am writing to respond to the opinion piece about the Park Hill Golf Course land, “The Case for Parks,” which appeared in the April issue. SOS Denver’s Claim: “There are large areas of underutilized lands in the northeast section of the city, very near the PHGC site, that are much better candidates to convert to housing and other amenities...” Our position: A review of “underutilized land,” most of which is industrially zoned, near the golf course shows price points that well exceed what affordable housing developers can pay. A large percentage of the Park Hill Golf Course (PHGC) is within a 10-minute walk of the A-Line and busy RTD bus routes that connect to downtown and the airport. We need to place housing, especially affordable housing, in these areas because it is more sustainable than pushing them further east and provides housing close to amenities and transit rather than in an industrial area. SOS Denver’s Claim: SOS seems to imply that new development on the PHGC will not include any park space. Our position: Westside has committed to providing at least 60 acres for a large park on the site. We would like to engage the community to discuss what amenities they want this park to include, how it will be programmed, where it will be located on the site and how best to build and maintain it - all of which will determine its final size and configuration. A highly-amenitized park of this size would typically cost $60 million to build and $3 million annually to maintain. SOS Denver’s Claim: “The northern (and western) neighborhoods of Denver have higher concentrations of ethnic and racial diversity, lack of car access, lowest incomes, and highest levels of obesity and chronic disease.” Our position: We agree, but SOS’s conclusion that a 155-acre park will address these issues is patently false. The communities around the golf course – Northeast Park Hill, Elyria-Swansea, Clayton and Skyland – are vulnerable to displacement and need affordable housing and workforce development opportunities. Parks are not a silver bullet for previously underserved communities, and in fact parks have the potential to cause gentrification.
SOS Denver’s Claim: “With their trees and vegetation, parks act as the lungs of the city, reducing pollution as they cool the air and combatting the overheating caused by the devastating phenomenon of climate change.” Our position: We agree parks are important, but it is the tree canopy that combats the “heat island effect.” In fact, the number one generator of greenhouse gases is transportation. The recent economic disruption has shown the best way for us to combat global warming is to decrease our driving and our dependence on the automobile. We need to be able to manage growth in a sustainable way by concentrating development close to our transit resources. SOS Denver’s Claim: “Open space is developed into impervious surfaces such as those planned for Loretto Heights and Elitch Gardens.” Our position: SOS is equating “impervious surfaces” with development and implies that all open space is good. Elitch Gardens is currently mostly asphalt parking lots that, while open, are not good for the environment. The PHGC is not a park, it is a golf course that uses 106 million gallons of water a year, three tons of fertilizer and provides access only to those who pay a greens fee. Westside looks forward to engaging the community in discussions as part of a Cityled Small Area Plan process to discuss the future of this site. We are saddened to see Save Open Space Denver seeking to mute the voice of the community by demanding that the City not pursue a community process to discuss the future of this land. Westside stands ready to engage in this process and we hope to turn this failing golf course into a neighborhood that will support the needs of the surrounding community, including diverse housing choices, at least 60 acres of public park and services and amenities needed by the community. If you have questions or comments about our plans please go to www.parkhillgolfcoursereimagined.info. Kenneth Ho is a principal in the development group Westside Investment Partners, Inc. He lives in Stapleton. The opinion piece that Mr. Ho references can be read online at greaterparkhill.org/uncategorized/opinionthe-case-for-parks/.
Don’t Turn Open Space Into A Sea Of Concrete Keep The Tranquility Of The Park Hill Golf Course Land By Shanta Harrison For the GPHN
I live 10 minutes by foot from the Park Hill Golf Course (PHGC) land. Although I’m not a golfer, I have enjoyed the grounds up close on many occasions while attending events at the clubhouse. Having lived in Park Hill my entire life, the scenery as I drive down 35th Avenue from my home to Colorado Boulevard is familiar. It’s relaxing. It’s home. The vast landscape of trees and greenery creates a sense of tranquility and nostalgia that no longer exists in other areas of the neighborhood. I cannot think of a more miserable fate for that land than for it to be converted into yet another a sea of apartments and concrete. More concrete? More traffic? We don’t Shanta Harrison need it. What we need is fresh air. We need naturally permeable surfaces. We need to be able to see the sky and the mountains and the trees. I know many neighbors who share these sentiments. Most of them won’t write letters like this or show up for meetings but, if you take the time to meet them where they are, they’ll tell you exactly how they feel. Talk of more density is highly undesirable as it often leads to gentrification. They love their neighborhood. They want to be able to live here, peacefully, for the foreseeable future. Of course, there are some who would have you to believe that preserving this land is not in the best interest of the neighborhood. Westside, the company that wants to develop this land, has sent its principal representative to roam the neighborhood, attend community meetings, and garner support from our so-called advocates in the neighborhood. “We live in a food desert,” they say. “We need affordable housing.” But what they won’t tell you is that there are a number of viable spaces surrounding the PHGC land that could easily serve in these capacities but they are not even being considered.
Why? Because cash is king, and the Park Hill Golf Course land is a goldmine. Speaking of affordable housing, the question that no seems to be asking is, affordable to whom? What is Westside’s definition of “affordable?” I would encourage anyone on the fence about this issue to research Westside’s track record for building housing that would actually be considered affordable to anyone but the uppermiddle class. I’d love to hear the results. In the meantime, there are many who would like to see the other viable surrounding options/ spaces explored for the building of truly affordable housing and retail development. I am a proud member of SOS Denver. We have absolutely no financial interest in the outcome of this effort. We are your daughters, sons, friends, and colleagues – ordinary residents/citizens from various parts of the Park Hill neighborhood, who are dedicated to preserving the beauty that, for decades, has made this city one of the most desirable places to live and raise a family. The recent stay-at-home order due to the COVID-19 pandemic has incited a newfound love and craving for the outdoors for many. The PHGC land, surrounded by five different neighborhoods, has become a magnet for those craving fresh air and open space. A growing number of residents are taking advantage of the natural landscapes and walking paths that the land offers. The land is already being used as parkland. I’ll say that again for the folks in the back… THE PEOPLE are already using this beautiful open space as PARKLAND – walking, biking, exercising, etc. All that’s missing are the swing sets and benches. The people have unofficially spoken. It’s time to make it official. The city should buy the land and designate it as a public park, open and accessible to all. Shanta Harrison is a lifelong resident of Northeast Park Hill.
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The Greater Park Hill News
Page 9
BUGLAND | Mark Silverstein
WE PHNEE’D TO TALK
A School Year Like No Other Let’s Take The Opportunity To Equal The Playing Field
Shoo Fly Common Greenbottle flies drink nectar and help pollinate crops like broccoli, cabbage, onions, and kale. They are slightly larger than houseflies, and have brilliant, metallic blue-green and yellow coloring, with black markings. This common greenbottle was photographed near Westerly Creek by Park Hill resident Mark Silverstein.
THIS MONTH AT THE LIBRARY
The Virtual Library
We Are Smart, Industrious, And Will Bring The World To You By Tara Bannon Williamson Park Hill Librarian
What is a library when the buildings are closed? When the people aren’t there? Though you may not see us, all library staff across Denver are working hard to bring the library to you. Rest assured that library staff misses you as much as you miss them. Most all of us got into this line of work to help people, and being wicked smart and very industrious, nothing is going to stand in our way of safely connecting you to the information, experiences and resources that you want and need. We are exploring a range of new ways to connect. We are thinking of those who have internet service and those who do not. Please reach out to us at the library and explore any or all of these services! • Request a Personalized Reading List at denverlibrary.org/reads. A librarian will write a letter packed full of titles handpicked just for you • With the library’s LitLine service, short stories, essays, and poetry – in both English and in Spanish – are just a phone call away. Call 720-865-2003, and you can hear a staff member read aloud. • Do your binge watching on Kanopy, the streaming service for libraries. Kanopy is offering credit-free viewing through May 31 on a growing list of titles. Kanopy Kids is always unlimited! • Our Reference Services staff are still here to connect with you during the closure. You can ask a question 24/7 with our Ask Us service via chat or email at denverlibrary.org/ask. • Follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for community conversations and all the up-to-the-minute news. Be sure to show us some library love by using #IHeartDPL in your posts. • Subscribe to our content on YouTube including Storytimes, Read Alouds and tips and tricks for any situation. • If you need to reach us by phone, call 720865-0254, and leave a message. We get notified via email, and will call you back.
By Park Hill Neighbors For Equity In Education For the GPHN
To “flatten the curve” of COVID-19 infections, school districts nationwide made the momentous – and once, unimaginable – decision to cancel in-person student instruction. On March 12, Denver Public Schools decided to extend spring break until April 7. Administrators subsequently announced that in-school instruction would not resume for the remainder of the academic year. A host of consequences followed, including cancelled or postponed school celebrations and gatherings like graduation, prom, and student performances. DPS and other districts are also confronted with the challenge of bringing remote technology-based learning to thousands of students, including those facing poverty and who lack adequate technological resources. In addition, on March 17, Colorado cancelled state standardized tests, which are administered annually each spring. These tests assess student proficiency and growth on math, English language arts, and science, and with that data, are used to evaluate schools and teachers. Colorado will pause its school and district accountability system and schools will keep last year’s ratings. This is a major development for DPS, as standardized testing is the cornerstone of its School Performance Framework (SPF), and ultimately, the primary basis for each school’s SPF color rating – ranging from red, the lowest, to blue, the highest. These ratings heavily influence student enrollment across schools in the district as parents often rely on SPF when selecting a school for their students via school choice. However, in a strange twist of fate, Colorado’s pause of assessments comes at the same time that DPS is in the process of reimagining the SPF in response to widespread criticism of it.
Reimagined or just replaced? Teen Advisory Board member Kai, in front of the Park Hill Library. Photo by librarian Tracy Canada Hanson
The No Strings Book Chat went virtual! No Strings Attached Book Chat is a place where you can read whatever you want and attend whenever you can. We share a recent read, an old favorite or anything in between. With everything going on, we have increased our meetings to every other week. We are meeting again on May 2 and on May 16 at 11 a.m. If you don’t have internet, you can call in to the meeting to still hear and give book, movie, and music suggestions to your neighbors. Email tbannon@denverlibrary.org for more information. We don’t know when we’ll open again, at the Park Hill and Pauline Robinson branches. We do know that we will continue to innovate and find ways to help our customers navigate the many changes all of our lives are experiencing right now. We hope you find these services and resources useful. Thank you for being a supporter of the Denver Public Library. One of our Teen Advisory Board members recently left this chalk message on the steps of the Park Hill Library: “We’ll get there. It’s scary but we’re together in our hearts.” I couldn’t have said it better.
In 2019, DPS convened a task force to “reimagine” how it defines school “quality” in response to the criticism. (For more, see Calls are mounting to change Denver’s school rating system. Here’s how it works now, published by Chalkbeat on April 3, 2019.) One main complaint is that the SPF emphasizes standardized test scores over all other factors, including school climate and the experiences that children are actually having in a school. Indeed, as we have written in previous issues, standardized tests tell more about the socioeconomic status of the households from which a school’s students come than what a school actually contributes to student learning, even when accounting for growth measurements. The SPF is also judged by many as too complicated to understand, constantly changing in its measurement metrics, and inaccurate because of the time lag between data collection and ratings dissemination. Many parents do not know that a school’s rating in any particular year is based on an average of data from the previous two years and does not incorporate any current or projected data. Since August 2019, the task force has met monthly and sought community input on several occasions to address these issues. But, as to the concern about testing, it seems the committee will not get all that imagina-
tive. In January, it voted in favor of replacing the SPF with the state’s school rating system as an academic baseline for evaluating DPS schools. Yet the state’s system is also heavily dependent on annual standardized testing. The committee has yet to issue a final recommendation for SPF’s replacement. Once it does so, it will be subject to school board approval. The committee’s January vote predated the outbreak of the coronavirus. At that time, no one could foresee that the district’s, and state’s, most heavily relied upon metric for assessing school quality would virtually disappear. Yet, here we are.
The time is ripe With test scores now off the table, DPS should use this highly unusual school year, and next, to pilot a version of SPF that allows schools to share their own amazing qualities with families – and that allows parents to make school choice decisions based on that information. Deemphasizing test scores can also place schools on a more fair and equitable playing field, given the vast socioeconomic differences between school populations, which test scores reflect. (See our column from the November 2019 Greater Park Hill News, Don’t Judge a School By Its Test Scores, at greaterparkhill.org.) Qualities that many families seek in a school have almost nothing to do with how the SPF currently measures quality. And many schools that are not highly-rated offer such characteristics. Among them are authentic, caring relationships among teachers, school leaders, parents and students; climates of belonging and community; curriculum that is relevant to students’ life experiences; and genuine parent engagement and empowerment. These qualities are much more challenging to quantify and convey than computerized test results, but the challenge presented by the absence of standardized testing this year brings an opportunity for DPS to do something different and, perhaps, offer a more meaningful set of metrics for parents to use when evaluating a school. DPS should not squander this opportunity by forcing schools to use this academic years’ ratings next year. To do so will only perpetuate the effects of SPF’s flaws yet another year, and convey information that is even more outdated than that on which parents have already had to rely. If this happens, parents relying on a school’s 2019-2020 SPF rating during school choice in 2021, to enroll a child in school for the fall of 2021, will actually be relying on test scores from as far back as 2017 and 2018. The better option is a new one. Into the void left by missing test scores, what if, collectively, we decided what was actually important in making a choice about where to send our kids to school, and fought to gather and share that information? Maybe when federally mandated testing returns, we would be able to supplement test scores with new, more relevant and meaningful metrics about school quality, ensuring a more equitable choice process in the future. If you’d like to be part of that conversation, email us at info@phnee.org. Park Hill Neighbors For Equity In Education (PHNEE.org) is an organization of local advocates working toward diversity, equity, and inclusion in all schools in Greater Park Hill.
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The Greater Park Hill News
May 2020
Being Home, Sweet Home
for a virtual showing and a seller-created video tour for buyers to review online or via a personal call between the buyers and sellers. We have also been showing homes to prospective buyers utilizing several of the virtual meeting platforms and 3D home tours. We continue to sell homes this way, and have longstanding relationships with lenders to help buyers obtain financing. Once you are under contract, you can perform an in-person walkthrough of the house, conduct an inspection as we have in the past, and continue to closing – which is conducted virtually. We are here for you, virtually now and literally when the rules are eased. We weathered the real estate downturns of the 1980’s, 2001, 2008, and now in 2020.
Local Realtors Weigh In On The New Normal Compiled by Cara DeGette Editor, GPHN
Most local realtors are working from home, but with a twist – their business, of course, is helping people buy and sell homes. They have had to make some dramatic adjustments to their day-to-day routines since the outbreak, relying more heavily on virtual showings and virtual open houses and otherwise moving much of their operations online. We asked a few longtime local real estate professionals to weigh in with what they are doing, how they have adjusted, and what they predict for the local housing market in coming months. Here are their responses. They are edited for space. A longer version of this story is at greaterparkhill.org. Natalie Hengel 8z Real Estate
A recession does not equal a housing crash. Nationally during three out of the last five recessions, home prices have appreciated. In Colorado, home prices have appreciated four out of the last five recessions. Marcy Eastman Prior to this virus’s impact on our lives and community, this spring had been one of the most competitive environments I have operated in due to many years of consistent demand and limited inventory, strong jobs and low interest rates. Over a month into this you’re probably not surprised to hear that properties are still being listed, going under contract and selling. While we are out there serving the clients that need us, we are starting to see some new occurrences in the market that have not been a part of the real estate landscape in recent years. This includes increases in the number of terminated contracts and wit hdrawn properties, buyers becoming more emboldened from the seller’s market we’ve been operating in for the past five-plus Natalie Hengel years (price reductions, longer closings, etc.), and some general hesitancy to consider buying or selling real estate while things are so turbulent. Chris Merman
LIV Sotheby’s International Realty
Although my pipeline of business will be disrupted in the next few months, I feel like there is going to be a huge amount of pent-up demand for both buyers and sellers based on our extremely low housing inventory levels both in Park Hill and metro-wide. Early on in the Denver market, we had to confront some confusing messaging about how we conduct business. Unfortunately, the ruling came down that real estate showings would end. This sent shock waves to our industry. The good news? The real estate market remains strong in most every price range, values are remaining high, properties are selling quickly, and prices Chris Merman are not spiraling down.
Although we are not able to physically show property, we are leveraging technology to take advantage of this challenging market due to COVID-19. More people are shopping for homes via the internet than ever before. Although showings have stopped for the meantime, prospective buyers for homes in Park Hill are hungry for more inventory and properties are indeed selling. Marcy Eastman
Compass
While working at home isn’t necessarily new for realtors, we’ve had a busy month innovating around this environment of social distancing and stay-at-home directive. We’ve been closing out existing transactions safely with single person inspection and appraisal methods, curbside closings, and lots and lots of phone calls and video conferencing. For incoming clients, we’ve been doing online touring and video listing consults to keep everyone distanced. The short-term impact has been a temporary withdrawal of a significant number of homes from the market, some tricky lending issues around stable employment and market liquidity, and some softer pricing. I am optimistic about the “bounce back” of our market here in Denver. We have an equity cushion, inventory cushion and extremely low interest rates. Keith Combs
The Kentwood Company
The real estate market this spring was primed to be one of the strongest on record at the start of March, but took a swift turn from the impacts of the pandemic. How real estate is transacted has changed, and so far it’s working for homebuyers and sellers. We are using virtual tools more than ever such as listing photography, virtual tours, e-signatures on contracts and contact-free closings. Curbside closings with closers wearing gloves and masks is no longer uncommon. We have a new contract, called the COVID-19 Addendum, that allows a transaction to be extended in the case a homebuyer or seller is exposed or quarantined. Park Hill is a stately and rooted neighborhood. We believe in supporting community by supporting local businesses, and encourage neighbors to do whatever they can to remain safe and upbeat, as well as help their neighborhood shops and restaurants.
From top, clockwise: Steve LaPorta, Nina Kuhl, Ann Torgerson, Roberta Locke, having a Zoom meeting.
pandemic and not due to the economy or weak mortgage lending rules,” says Agent Nina Kuhl. “With low interest rates and limited amount of homes for sale, the Denver metro housing market should stay steady once restrictions have been lifted.” We don’t have a crystal ball but our words of wisdom are, don’t panic. The housing market was solid before the pandemic and it will rebound. Judy Wolfe, Jay Epperson
Compass Colorado
How do you sell real estate during a pandemic? Virtually. With no showings or open houses allowed, we are able to use our Compass tools
Judy Wolfe and Jay Epperson
Home Remodeling Re-envisioned Q&A With Cherstin Toney of Gather & Spruce Interview by Cara DeGette Editor, GPHN
In days of lockdown, moving forward with home remodeling projects has called for some creative rethinking. Cherstin Toney, owner and creative director of the design and remodeling firm Gather & Spruce, recently (virtually) sat down with Greater Park Hill News to share a few ways that the company has adapted. The interview A new kitchen & bath designhas been Cherstin Toney shortened remodel for space; aconcept longer version is at greaterparkhill. from Cherstin Toney. org. Former Chief Creative Director of Three Week Kitchens.
Greater Park Hill News: These days you are focusing more on virtual designing and collaboration with clients. How does it work? Cherstin Toney: While people are spending more time in their homes we want to All materials gathered before sprucing begins! help them move forward on design projects. Our process includes gathering information and measurements from the job site. Then we set Zoom meetings reviewing wants, needs and budget objectives and from there we will begin to present design ideas, Schedule a Free Consultation including floor plans and elevations – we can even do 3D renderings. gatherandspruce.com
GPHN: How has the construction 720.990.5085phase changed? CT: We are taking necessary precautions on the job site, wearing masks and gloves, posting CDC-recommended guidelines for working safely on the job site. We are also offering to help those homeowners wishing to take on a do-it-yourself project but not willing to sacrifice a professional looking project and added equity in their home. GPHN: What types of remodel projects are people pursuing the most? CT: Even more than before we will see people requesting the kinds of spaces that bring togetherness [at home] and a sense of wellbeing. For most of our clients this involves kitchens and family areas. I also feel that people will think about continuing to working remotely, as a result of seeing that it really is very time- and resource-efficient.
Nina Kuhl, Steve LaPorta, Roberta Locke, Ann Torgerson
HomeSmart Cherry Creek
We have adjusted our business to connect with clients, contractors and other agents virtually using tools such as Zoom and Facetime. With new listings, we are increasing our online presence to buyers with video and 3D tours and can even conduct a tour of a home without stepping foot into it. We are often asked, what is happening to the real estate market? “Unlike the 2008 financial crisis, this recession is due to a global
Supermoon Setting
The skies were clear as the full moon set over City Park on the morning of April 8. Photo by Reid Neureiter
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Call or Text Meggitt Motors at (303) 601-7431
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A Park Hill Owned Business
May 2020
The Greater Park Hill News
Page 11
Sear
GPHC COMMAND CENTRAL LANA CORDES, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Community Matters
We All Stand Virtually Shoulder-To-Shoulder In Solidarity One of the many things we’ve learned in tered Neighborhood Organization: the past several weeks is that community • Become a member of GPHC, Inc. (greatmatters. erparkhill.org/join-us/become-a-memIt matters more in times of uncertainty ber/) and struggle. It matters even when you • Advertise in, and support our newspacan’t physically stand shoulder to shoulper, the Greater Park Hill News (greaterder with one another. Community parkhill.org/newspaper/advertise/) provides hope, comfort, and often • Participate in upcoming fundraisa safety net. ing events and fundraising camGreater Park Hill Community, paigns (greaterparkhill.org/events/ Inc. is honored to serve as one upcoming-events/) thread of that safety net in ensuring This additional support will help members of our community have us maintain our facility, keep our enough to eat. Of course, we don’t staff employed, publish our newsdo this alone. Coretta Scott King is credited LANA CORDES paper, and continue our tradition of advocacy for the neighborhood. with saying, “The greatness of a GPHC is a volunteer and donorcommunity is most accurately based organization. A big thank you to our measured by the compassionate actions donors and volunteers this past month. of its members.” And it has become truly It’s worth noting that many more of you apparent in these times that, by that meabrought us food during the first days of the sure, our community is indeed great. Your stay-at-home order than are listed here. We overwhelming support has ensured that we were really scrambling to implement new can meet the nutritional needs of the comsystems and serve more clients, and we munity for the foreseeable future. surely missed a lot of your names during Yes, the food pantry is in great shape that time period. If you have donated but thanks to all of you. There are, however, don’t see your name below, please know we many other ways that we serve the comare grateful for you! munity and, in turn, a few ways you can help us continue our mission as a Regis-
Donors
Lisa Pearl Maria Ferguson Sierra Fleenor and Jason Becky Perkins AARP #995 Queen City Jen Perry Cure D’Ars Catholic Church Barth Tas Frashure Mia Peterson Delwest Development Duane and Jean Gall Kurt Reisser Corp. Nancy Relihan Grape Expectations Wine & Georgia and Woody Garnsey Spirits LLC Steven and Joan Ringel Janet Getz Jeffrey and Karen Roberts Montview Boulevard Bobbi Gillis Presbyterian Church Alli Romano Megan Greising Park Hill Congregational Dave Roush Lisa Haddox UCC Katherine Saltzman Red Bird Farms Company Kathryn Harhai Katy Schweigerdt Melissa Hart Sexy Pizza Amy Shaffer Jan Hazelett St. Thomas Episcopal Beverly and Peter Skram Church Warren Henson Jody and Bob Smith The Spicy Radish Lola and Arlen Hershberger Marin Stewart Ellen Heywood Claire Sullivan Christine Allen Todd & Renee Hopkins Adele Sykes Patrick Allen Richard Hughes Karen and Frank Timmons Bruce Appel Ryan Hunter Richard Trainor Penny Ashley-Lawrence Lara Jakubowski Wilma and Wellington Allyson Bailey Vera Kalba Webb Katie Barry Bernadette Kelly Scott Wick Estelle and Charles Nancy Kern Nicole Wiederaenders Bennett Sue and Roger Kilgore Tara Bannon Williamson Caroyln Benoit Jane W Klever Chris and Pam Wineman Dennis & Lynn Blum Rachel Kowski Stefanie L Winfield Lizzie Boetzelen Tracy and Jamie Kubo Marne Withers Jeannene Bragg Mary Lauth Sue Wofford Lia Brietzke Carolyn Lenderts Al and Ann Yates Alex Brown Sharon and Joe Little Megan Zacher Inga Calvin Tony and Janet Livaudais Rebecca Zimmerman and Brenda Campbell Eric Shumake Lisa McKenzie Caroline Carolan Debbie Zucker and Brian Megan and Bill McQuinn Minnie Cassell Field Nicole McSpirit Patricia Coan Katherine Miller Volunteers John and Elaine Covert Kathryn Miller Kevin and Catherine Cray Eric Bryant and Katherine Maddie Carrier Mary Curlee Claudia Fields Morrison Mark and Jan Daily Maria Goodwin Susan Mountain-Morgan Greg Davis Noni Horwtiz Norman Mueller and Abigail Dice Erika Hutyra Christy Murphy Chad Dougherty Debra Lovell Buffy Naake Shaun Driscoll Deb Rosenbaum Nagel Foundation Heather Shulman Jenny Dyer Nick and Eileen Nuanes Sue Weinstein Jared Erwin Nathan Odom Nikki Wiederaenders Kevin O’Shaughnessey Judy Faught
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 Page 12
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
Bikes, continued from page 1 and accidents (see sidebar for helpful tips). The shutdown and associated social distancing has caused local bikes sales to skyrocket. Russell Griffin, founder and longtime owner of the Cycleton bicycle shop in Stapleton, reports record sales. Bicycle shops have been deemed essential services in Colorado, and Griffin says the demand for sales and service is unprecedented. “Our whole store inventory has been wiped-out,” said Griffin, who says he’s been ordering 40-60 new bikes a week to keep up. He attributes the demand to impulse buying, as well as customers who would otherwise use mass transit who do not currently feel comfortable being in close quarters. Russell is also seeing huge demand for bicycle mechanic services. “People are bringing their old bikes out of the woodwork,” he says. Those bikes need tune-ups. Unfortunately, Griffin has lost a number of his part-time mechanics. He usually hires a number of college students as mechanics each spring to satisfy increased demand. But with colleges closed, many of those students have returned home. So, Griffin is somewhat short-staffed, leading to a multiweek delay for service – as well as delays in getting new bikes built. Bikes Together, Park Hill’s neighborhood nonprofit bicycle shop at 2825 Fairfax St., is trying hard to weather the coronavirus storm, balancing the demand for service with the need for physical distancing. Chuck Bennett, chair of the Bikes To-
gether board of directors, says the shop initially closed operations and cut back on staff hours while continuing to refurbish bikes for retail sale. Bikes Together reopened in early April with limited hours on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. Bennett says the board obtained a loan under the federal Payroll Protection Program, and the shop is looking at extending hours. But as of mid-April, Bikes Together has been operating by appointment-only from noon to 5 p.m. so as to limit the numbers of people inside at one time. “It has been busy since we reopened,” says Bennett. “There is pent-up demand for our services that we have not been able to meet yet. A key part of Bikes Together’s offerings includes our ‘Fix Your Bike’ program, in which people can use shop facilities and staff and volunteer help to fix their own bikes. We have not been able to reopen this program because of social distancing guidelines. We also sell high-quality, professionally refurbished bikes at very attractive prices to help support our mission.” Bennett says the Payroll Protection loan will enable Bikes Together to support its staff for the next two months while expanding operations as conditions allow. He is also hopeful that the nonprofit will be able to operate its signature summer program, Bike Camp, while adhering to safety guidelines. Bikes Together continues to solicit donations of used bicycles for refurbishment – which is the primary source of its funding.
Garrick Mitchell’s Tips for Biking Etiquette Six Steps For Kinder, Safer Cycling • No. 1. Everyone (cyclists, walkers, joggers) should keep to the right. Denver’s bicycle paths are not wide enough to accommodate users going against traffic.
• No. 2. When passing, alert other traffic by using a bell or calling out, “On your left.” • No. 3. Cyclists need to slow down around other path users. The posted speed limit on the paths is 15 miles per hour. On a busy path, filled with children and inexperienced users, even 15 miles an hour may be too fast to ride safely. • No. 4. Dog walkers need to keep their
dogs on leash and close by. Retractable leashes in particular are dangerous, as a dog might dart in front of a passing cyclist.
• No. 5. Do not stop on the path. Instead, step off the path to rest or talk. • No. 6. Pay attention and use all your senses – including hearing. If you must listen to music while riding or running, consider only wearing one earphone, so you can still hear out the other ear. Be alert to whether other trail users are wearing headphones and might not hear you approaching from behind. The Greater Park Hill News
May 2020
PARK HILL VET | Dr. Margot Vahrenwald, DVM, ASVJ
The Science Of The Virus A Helpful Primer On What To Do, And What Not To Do
It’s become apparent as we navigate the for varying periods of time, so some move coronavirus pandemic that there is a gap into intermediate hosts that may take them in understanding the roles and differences to their appropriate host. Most viruses do between viruses and bacteria. cause disease and are very targeted about Both live in and on us, many beneficially getting to the specific cells they need in and others not so much. Estimates the host’s body. Viruses cannot be are that for every human cell in our treated with antibiotics. body, there are 10 times as many A virion will attach to its targeted bacteria. We are dependent on cell/s and use the cell’s replication our commensal bacteria to help us machinery to make new virus parwith digestion, producing needed ticles until the cell ruptures and vitamins, supporting our immune those particles move to hijack more systems and keeping more harmful cells. SARS-CoV-2 targets the cells bacterial populations in check. of the upper respiratory tract and Both bacteria and viruses cause DR. MARGOT may move to other organ systems diseases that can be transmitted to by the sheer volume of its reproducother individuals and sometimes VAHRENWALD tion – much is still not known about other species. Some are specific to all its pathology. a particular animal or species and stay that The survival time of the SARS-CoV-2 way, while others can mutate and jump to outside of its host when transmitted by another or multiple species. This is a vital coughing, sneezing or transfer from surtrait for survival, but not welcome, as with faces is highly variable. The good news is the “swine flu,” measles or the current corothat properly and frequently washing your navirus pandemic. hands with warm water and any soap kills The current coronavirus, officially the virus. named SARS-CoV-2, is part of a large famAdditionally, avoiding touching your ily of viruses that are named face is also hugely effective for their appearance, a halo in preventing transmission, or crown effect of their proalong with wearing masks. tein-lipid coating. Coronavi- A year or two from Common household cleanruses are a huge group and now – which seems ers such as dilute bleach and cause a variety of diseases other chemicals also are very that circulate in animals incredibly long – effective – just read labels to and people, such as influidentify those that do kill enzas (human and animal), we will know how viruses versus only bacteria. rabies, hepatitis (human and The CDC COVID-19 site to prevent and animal), Dengue fever, polio, does have links to charts of smallpox, Feline Infectious treat COVID-19. effective products. Peritonitis and HIV to name There are significant areas just a few. An as-yet unidenwhere the disease symptoms tified virus is suspected to caused by either a bacterium be the trigger for multiple sclerosis. SARSor a virus can overlap. For many infections, CoV-2 is related to the coronaviruses that a virus can cause the first wave of illness cause Middle East Respiratory Syndrome and then a bacterium may create further (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory opportunistic disease, such as when you Syndrome (SARS-CoV). The disease in get the flu and then end up with an infechumans caused by SARS-CoV-2 is called tion in your sinuses or pneumonia. Most COVID-19 and causes flu-like symptoms, importantly, viruses cannot be treated with from mild-to-severe respiratory illness antibiotics, while most bacterial infections with fever, cough and difficulty breathing. can be treated with antibiotics or even indiBacteria and viruses are tiny – we canvidualized, genetically engineered viruses not see viruses with a microscope and only called bacteriophages. some bacteria are large enough to see their The science of virology is still very young shape but are still too small to identify their and there is much that is unknown – esindividual species. The biggest difference is pecially when a new virus such as SARSbacteria are complex little creatures with CoV-2 appears and rapidly goes global. A a surrounding protective wall of one to year or two from now – which seems inthree layers. Bacteria can survive on their credibly long – we will know how to prevent own without a host for significant periods and treat COVID-19. of time. Wash your hands! Wear your mask! DisViruses do not have a surrounding strucpose of gloves and sanitizing wipes proptural cell wall and are a package of either erly! Respect social distancing! DNA or RNA with or without a coat of lipid Dr. Margot Vahrenwald is the owner of (fat) and protein molecules. An infective Park Hill Veterinary Medical Center at virus (called a virion when not in a cell) 2255 Oneida St. For more information, visit is a hijacker – it cannot survive without a www.parkhillvet.com host. These viruses only survive on surfaces
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
YOU’VE SPENT 30 YEARS BUILDING YOUR NEST EGG. NOW COMES THE HARD PART: MAKING IT LAST ANOTHER 30.
CALL 303-803-1016 TO LEARN MORE
Kuhn Advisors, Inc 2373 Central Park Blvd., Suite 100 Denver, Colorado 80238 Phone: 303.803.1016
May 2020
The Greater Park Hill News
Page 13
Spring iS Here!
Do your double-hung windows open, stay open? We can fix them & insulate them. Other Questions? Call David, experienced restorer!
Art Garage
PARK HILL RESOURCES
6100 E. 23rd Ave., artgaragedenver.com, 303377-2353. The Art Garage is currently closed due to coronavirus precautions.
Denver Police District 2
720.550.2786
3921 Holly St., 2.Dist@denvergov.org, nonemergency number is 720-913-1000. For emergencies, dial 9-1-1.
Denver Public Schools
dpsk12.org/expo Schools are closed for the remainder of the school year due to coronavirus precautions.
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Faith Community
greaterparkhill.org/faith 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, 303-3880918 The GPHC neighborhood association generally holds its monthly meetings on the first Thursdays of the month, except for July and December. Community meetings are on hold until further notice due to coronavirus precautions.
Libraries
A Straight Up Fence Company Fences - Gates - Iron Work
A Straight Up Fence Company is a family owned and operated fence, gate and iron work installation and repair company. Specializing in custom metal fabrication, automated gates, cedar, vinyl, chain link and composite materials.
720-404-4730 | denverfencebuilder.com
$50 off any job over 50’
$100 off any fence job over 100’
denverlibrary.org See the “At the Library” feature in this month’s issue for updates. The Park Hill and Pauline Robinson branch libraries are closed until further notice due to coronavirus precautions.
Northeast Park Hill Coalition
The Northeast Park Hill Coalition hosts its month-
ly 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.
Park Hill Community Bookstore
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 closed until further notice due to coronavirus precautions.
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, 303-595-3456, The film center is currently closed due to coronavirus precautions.
Tattered Cover Travel Lovers Book Club
The book club normally meets the 2nd Monday of each month at the Tattered Cover at 2526 E. Colfax Ave. However, the bookstore is currently closed due to coronavirus precautions.
Walk2Connect
www.walk2connect.com Park Hill Sunrise Walking Trips set off every Tuesday morning from Honeyhill Cafe at 23rd & Dexter. Walks have been suspended for the time being due to guidelines advising groups of more than 10 to congregate. 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 for the time being due to guidelines advising groups of more than 10 to congregate.
Submit your neighborhood events
and resources to editor@greaterparkhill.org
Deadlines are the 15th of the month, for the following month’s issue.
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
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
Paulina Leon 720-628-6690 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 Maisha Robinson Peaceful • Stress Free • Spa Treatment • Educational Resource
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
Page 14
Ireland’s Finest Painting Co. (303) 512-8777 irelandsfinestinc.com
The Greater Park Hill News
May 2020
GPHN CLASSIFIEDS CLEANING SERVICES
Superior House Cleaning Services – Friendly & Dependable, Flexible Schedule, Homes, Offices, Window Cleaning, 15 Years of Experience, Park Hill Resident, References available, Call for a free quote English & Spanish speaking 720-626-3696 or 720-276-5174 or email d.m.gonz6@gmail.com
CONCRETE
Concrete work and repair. Driveway, patios, and sidewalks. Small jobs welcome. 25 years experience. Free estimates. 303429-0380
FOR LEASE
Moss Pink is moving. 810 square foot store available for rent. Lawyers, barbershop, real estate, nails. A choice location. Call 303-337-2082.
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
HITCH, TRUCK & RV ACCS
Hitch Corner sells & installs trailer hitches, towing accessories, van storage solutions, bike & ski racks, truck & vehicle accessory add-ons, and RV accessories. Call 720-277-7782. Hitchcorner.com
HOME FOR SALE
Lovely Park Hill tudor for sale. 1710 Monaco Street Parkway. 3 bedrooms up, three down; recently remodeled huge kitchen with granite countertops, full finished basement with bath; two car garage; no alley, large lot from Monaco to Magnolia streets; newer hardwood floors; close to Denver School of the Arts in the Park Hill school district; large secluded backyard. Sold by owner. $699,000.00. Contact email: TopDenverRealtor@gmail.com
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
PAINTING
PREMIER PAINT WORKS since 1993. Denver’s Residential Paint Specialists. Int/Ext Neat, conscientious craftsmanship by polite, respectful, honest & fully insured crew, impeccable references. Call or text John at 720-849-3921.
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 303-6981057
PLUMBING
VAIL PLUMBING & HEATING - The Older Home Specialist. Repair, service, remodel. Hot water heat. Licensed, insured, guaranteed. 303-329-6042
Dental Arts
Open for pickup, carry out and curb side pickup. Open 7-4, Kitchen 7-1
5280 says
Best Dentist
HOURS MAY VARY. PLEASE CALL AHEAD.
2019
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
ROOFING
Residential reroofing and repairs, 17 years experience, licensed, bonded, and insured. Gutter replacement and cleaning. www.accurateroofingandmasonry. com Call Shawn 303-907-9223
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.
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
feNciNg aNd deckiNg New fence installation, fence repair, staining and power washing • Deck building, repair, staining and power washing • Owned and operated by Park Hill resident with over 20 years experience • Free estimate • Senior citizen and veteran discount.
Pablo’s Fencing 720-485-7207 or jpabz04@gmail.com
InterIor & exterIor 720-485-7207 PaIntIng
Prep, power washing, professional. Owned and operated by Park Hill resident with over 20 years experience • Free estimate • Senior citizen and veteran discount. Pablo’s Painting
or jpabz04@gmail.com
Twenty years of experience working with Denver’s classic homes Numerous Park Hill references Design and Renovation Specialists May 2020
The Greater Park Hill News
720-338-0748
www.CitySideRemodeling.com Page 15
A Positive Path for Spiritual Living
Honoring ALL Paths and ALL People
Virtual Sunday Services 4670 East 17th Ave Parkway, Denver CO 80220 • 303.322.3901 10am on Facebook For more info: www.unityontheavenue.org and our website WE HAVE EXPANDED OUR DELIVERY RADIUS
WE ARE OPEN
FROM 5PM-9PM 7 NIGHTS A WEEK
to include Stapleton, North Stapleton, Lowry, Mayfair, Montclair, Hilltop, City Park and Congress Park.
for take out, curbside take out, delivery and front porch delivery
6115 E. 22nd Ave., Denver CO 80207 • 303.321.1511 ObliosPizzeria@gmail.Com
WE ARE PARK HILL STRONG!
The Hitch Corner Is Your One-Stop Shop
We Sell & Install Trailer Hitches • Towing Accessories • Van Storage Solutions • RV Accessories • Truck/Vehicle Accessory Add-Ons • We also specialize in heavy-duty towing, especially 5th Wheel & Gooseneck Hitches
We Work By Appointment So Please Call 720-277-7782 To Request A Quote 1900 S Quince St., Unit E, Denver, CO (One Block North of Dumb Friends League)
Info@Hitchcorner.Com • Hitchcorner.Com
35 Ivy St.
FOR SALE
Outstanding 2 story in Crestmoor. Remodeled. Over 5100 finished square feet. 5 bedrooms and 5 baths
$1,999,950
1521 Monaco Parkway
FOR SALE
28576 Little Big Horn
SOLD
Newly Built – 3 Years Old | 10 car spaces 1 Bed & 1 Bath | Set on 1 Full Acre in Evergreen | 1,200 Sq.Ft.
$750,000
Page 16
Authentic 1937 example of Art Deco style. Outstanding character and condition. Over 3600 finished sq. ft.
$895,000
1900 Leyden St. NEW LISTING
Classic updated 2 story Tudor on top Park Hill block. 5 bedrooms, 4 baths. Over 4253 total square feet.
FOR SALE
8457 S. Custer Lane
3,100+ Sq.Ft. | 6 car garage | Newly renovated | 3 Beds & 3 Baths | Set in 1 Full Acre in Evergreen
$799,950
DenverRealEstate.com
$1,499,950
The Greater Park Hill News
May 2020