Burning Rubber
The 17th Avenue Parkway Sometimes Seems Like A Freeway. Cathy McCall Has Learned That Curbing Speeders Is Not So Easy
By Cara DeGette GPHN Editor
Here’s a riddle: If the posted speed limit is 30 miles per hour, what is the speed limit?
For Denver traffic cops, the answer is 40 miles per hour.
Most drivers would agree that driving 40 in a 30 mph zone is speeding. But, as has been clearly stated in recent community meetings and communications with residents, that is not how Denver cops currently roll.
For longtime Park Hill resident Cathy McCall, the 10 mph wiggle room may work for highways — where the speed limit is 55 miles per hour and there are few pedestrians, cyclists and runners competing with cars.
Along tree-lined 17th Avenue Parkway, where the posted speed limit is 30 mph, the Denver Police Department’s stated policy that they won’t ticket anyone until they exceed that by at least 10 mph is flat-out unacceptable, she says.
For one thing, do the basic math:
On highways, 10 mph over a 55-mph limit represents an 18 percent excess. In a 30 mph zone, 10 mph over that represents a 33 percent higher speed. Suggestions they are the same is like comparing a Volkswagen Beetle to an Apocalypse Hellfire.
“Our Parkway is such a beautiful element of our neighborhood, but we old people, the moms with strollers, dog walkers, runners, and the kids off to school are at risk every day as these drivers (our neighbors) break the law that should protect them,” McCall says.
“This is a dangerous situation twice a day [during rush hour], every day.”
Two-thirds of drivers are speeding
Over the past two years, the traffic along 17th Avenue through Park Hill between Colorado Boulevard and Monaco Parkway has gotten worse. Continuous construction along Colfax a couple blocks to the south has likely pushed traffic continued on page 11
Ode To City Sidewalks
Stamped Concrete Slabs Withstand The Test Of Time. Denver Should Revive This Fine Tradition
By Edna Nichols For the GPHN
I’m a new resident of Park Hill, and like many others who live here, I am a walker. My Bernedoodle Ledger and I cover about five miles a day in the neighborhood and beyond. Consequently, we’ve traversed about 500 miles in the last few months since moving in.
The shady streets and parkways offer so many delights—giant old elms, spruce trees towering far above the peaks of century-old houses. The variations in architecture and landscaping speak to my sense of wonder as I wander.
However, something else caught my attention early on that I keep returning to— the sidewalks. Old-fashioned advertising
Sidewalks are and have been the subject of great political, social, and economic discourse in Denver. We have just received our first bill for the the long-awaited, voter-approved sidewalk repair program. Most of us will pay $150 a year to build, rebuild and repair roughly 3,500 miles of city sidewalks.
I am willing and able to pay my share for the improvements. At the same time, I recognize the burden the extra fee will be for families who are struggling to buy groceries. A
rebate program is available for those who qualify based on financial need. There is currently no timeline for completion of the sidewalk project, though I’ve read estimates that it will take anywhere from nine to 28 years.
The sidewalks in Park Hill vary in their weathering and width, and while repairs are needed in many places, their condition is overall comparatively good. It is neither cracks nor erosion on the sidewalks
continued on page 5
The Hinchman Renton Co. sidewalk stamp. File photos courtesy of the Deane family
National Construction Company sidewalk stamp.
Cathy McCall stands at 17th Avenue near Ivanhoe Street. Inset: The majority of drivers exceed the 30 mph limit on 17th Avenue. However, Denver police do not consider it speeding unless vehicles are are going at least 10 miles over the speed limit.
Le T T e rs To The e d I T
Please Do Better
I was disappointed to see the line “The dyslexia struggle is real” printed last month in the Greater Park Hill News report on the City’s questionable abbreviation usage on neighborhood bikeway signs.
Dyslexia isn’t shorthand for being a bad speller. It’s a learning disability, caused by a difference in the area of a person’s brain that processes language. If we want to be known as a diverse, inclusive, and equitable neighborhood, we need to do better in recognizing and supporting our neurodivergent neighbors.
Ben Skeen, Park Hill
What’s The Cost?
One important piece of information missing from the page 1 article Victory for the People in the February issue of the Greater Park Hill News: the cost of developing the old golf course property into a park and the ongoing cost of maintaining and operating this proposed “4th largest” Denver Park.
The vote on the future of this property was put before all of the taxpayers and residents of Denver, and we have a right to know the trade-off from a tax generating property proposed by developers to a tax-consuming publicly maintained park.
Samuel J. Chizmar, Park Hill
New Home For The Art Club
The Park Hill Art Club recently celebrated its 50th Anniversary of continuous operation, drawing members and art teachers from Park Hill and the Denver metro area since 1974.
It is a vibrant membership-driven organization that continues to grow and flourish, offering a large array of classes, workshops, and demonstrations, as well as art and craft shows.
We spent three years searching and evaluating locations in the greater Park Hill area before finding a suitable location that, although not in Park Hill, fit the many requirements necessary to accommodate the wide range of art media, classes, and our expanding membership. The centrally located historic Grant Avenue Community Center
whO we aRe
Editor: Cara DeGette
Manager: Brenda Morrison
Ad Sales: Melissa Davis and Denise Fisher
Art Director: Tommy Kubitsky
how to fIND US
Voicemail: 720-287-0442
Email: newspaper@greaterparkhill.org
Address: 2823 Fairfax St. Denver, 80207
Website: greaterparkhill.org
Facebook: facebook.com/greaterparkhillnews
Twitter: @parkhillnews
CoNtACt US
Story Tips and Letters to the Editor: Cara
at 216 S. Grant St. is now our new home. It has spacious rooms, plenty of natural light, accessibility and good parking.
Hence, this will be the primary site for educational activities. The Park Hill Art Club will remain a presence in Park Hill. Our popular art shows will remain at Park Hill United Methodist Church, and the club intends to be a presence in Park Hill events, including the annual community yard sale and the street fair.
The Park Hill Art Club welcomes all artists, art students, art teachers, and wannabe artists and teachers. The new location offers space and diverse art classes for those who just want to have fun, for serious students who want to learn more, and for seasoned artists who would like to work in a spacious, light-filled, open studio environment.
Our website is parkhillartclub.org, and feel free to contact us at parkhillartclub@gmail.com.
Teri O’Sullivan, PHAC member & Park Hill resident
Editor’s note: A feature story detailing the founding and rich history of the Park Hill Art Club appeared in the April, 2024 issue. It’s online at greaterparkhill.org/all-that-is-golden.
We love your letters, and we give preference to those that address an issue that has been covered in the newspaper, or a topic that is Park Hill or Denver-specific. Send letters to editor@greaterparkhill.org, and include your full name and the neighborhood in which you live. Deadlines are the 15th of each month, for the following month’s issue.
The Greater Park Hill News 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 13,000 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.
Greater Park Hill
Ms. Ahmadian’s collage class.
Photo courtesy of PHAC
Return Of The Cormorant
Double-crested Cormorants are gangly, prehistoric-looking black fishing birds with yellow-orange facial skin, blue mouths and bright green eyes. They return to Colorado every March to breed, and build their nests at the edges of lakes, including Duck Lake in City Park and at Belmar Park in Lakewood. Cormorants fly low across the water, diving down occasionally to retrieve a snack. When they want to dry off, they perch near the water with their wings half-spread.
Photo by Mark Silverstein
Storm Clouds Brewing
City Stormwater Sewer Project Will Last At Least A Year
By Cara DeGette GPHN Editor
The city’s plan to install a massive stormwater sewer pipe under East 16th Avenue in the southwest area of Park Hill near the intersections of Colorado Boulevard and Colfax Avenue has been slightly delayed, with work expected to begin in April.
The $10 million endeavor comes after last year’s disruptive ninemonth-long Xcel project to move gas lines along the route from under the street to under the sidewalks. The Xcel work — which occurred with no notification to most of the impacted residents — was a precursor to the city’s stormwater sewer pipe project.
The project is expected to take a full year. It is guaranteed to create additional massive disruption to the lives of property owners and renters living in the pathway, including
people living along Albion Street from 17th Avenue to Batavia Place and then east to Clermont Street. In the future, the city plans to continue the stormwater pipeline to the east and south. (See box below for a breakdown of impacted streets.)
Entire blocks along the route will be shut down for up to four months at a time while the city digs a trench 20-feet wide by 20-feet deep to install a 9-foot diameter stormwater sewer. The pipe is designed to divert water that would otherwise flood through neighborhood streets during intense downpours.
The excavation will require bringing in equipment that is taller than houses into the narrow residential streets. Vibration levels will likely be intense — so much so that residents are encouraged to remove fragile items from walls and bring in a structural engineer to inspect their
Path Of The Pipeline
The stormwater sewer pipe project is in the southwest area of Park Hill, near the intersection of Colorado Boulevard and Colfax Avenue. The following streets and intersections will be heavily impacted for a full year — including months of complete closure — while the massive pipe is being installed.
• Batavia Place: From Colorado Boulevard through Clermont Street
• Albion Street: From 17th Avenue Parkway through Batavia Place
• Intersections: Batavia Place & Bellaire Street; and Batavia Place & Clermont Street
properties beforehand if they are concerned about structural “deficiencies.” Water and sanitary sewer lines will also be moved as part of the project.
People will not be able to park in front of their homes or access their driveways for weeks and even months at a time. At press time it is unclear how the mail will be delivered, how package deliveries will occur and how city trash, recycle and compost services will be conducted. It is also unclear how emergency vehicles — including fire, ambulance and police — will access the closed-off streets during construction, notably in the event of medical emergencies or structural fires.
The city’s project manager, Matt Fariss, said at a February community meeting that a plan would be in place to address all of these questions before construction begins.
A community meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, March 12, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Carla Madison Recreation Center at 2401 E. Colfax Ave. The meeting can be viewed live at a link provided at the project’s website at 16thavestorm. com.
People can sign up to receive weekly construction updates at info@16thavestorm.com. Once the work begins, recorded weekly updates will also be provided on the
project’s hotline at 720-627-7441. Check out past coverage of the project, including disruptions and frustrations shared by neighbors living on Albion Street during most of 2024.
Part 1, Nightmare On Albion Street, is at greaterparkhill.org/nightmareon-albion-street.
Part 2, Shake, Rattle and Roll, is at greaterparkhill.org/shake-rattle-androll-2.
Email editor@greaterparkhill. com if you have news tips or suggestions for future coverage of the city’s stormwater project.
The intersection of Albion Street and Batavia Place, during the Xcel project that lasted nearly all of 2024. These roads are also in the path of the city’s new stormwater sewer pipeline. File photo
that have caught my attention, but the inlaid stamps that so many sidewalk segments bear.
The first stamp I noticed read “Ideal Portland Cement.” It seemed quaint—the lettering imbedded in the sidewalk, a good old-fashioned form of advertisement for the product—and it took me back to a childhood memory of the cement plant close to my great aunt’s home near the Mississippi River in the working-class neighborhood in St. Louis where I grew up.
Walking on a 74-year old sidewalk
The more I walked, the more I noticed other stamps that also included the name of the company or person who laid the sidewalk and the year it was laid: Mile High Cement 58, RA Graves 56, Berglund-Cherne Contractors 1955, TW Love 57, Colorado Curb and Gutter 1977, City Sidewalk Co (undated).
The oldest I’ve found is RE Love 1951. This 74-year-old sidewalk is still in good condition, better than many of the newer ones. After seeing so many stamps, I questioned whether they were some sort of permit requirement or just a standard business practice from an earlier time in history.
and Scottish surnames. Latin-American names begin showing up on sidewalks completed in more recent years. Seeing the stamps also leads me to wonder about the current plans for sidewalk repairs. Will the work be contracted out to small business owners? Will the jobs go to people like RA Graves or Thomas Varoz, FC Elliot, Art Vasquez, or RE Love?
While most of these concrete artists are probably no longer laying concrete, perhaps some of their businesses survive them.
I am amazed at how many of [these stamps] have withstood the test of time.
The newest sidewalks bear no stamps. In a 9News interview back in May, 2017, Jennifer Cappetto with Denver’s Landmark Preservation Program said the sidewalk layers used those stamps to advertise their companies beginning in the 1950s and into the 1990s.
Paying attention to the stamps on my daily walks has filled me with a sense of nostalgia for the people who laid these sidewalks — and the quality of their workmanship. These stamped sidewalks are a reminder of a time when people stood by their work. I am amazed at how many of them have withstood the test of time.
Bring back the stamps
The stamps have also made me wonder about the contractors whose work I have encountered. In the 2017 9News interview, Cappetto, the landmark preservationist, noted that the sidewalk stamps tell a historical story about the changing demographics of Denver’s workforce. Some of the earlier stamps bear English, Irish
I appreciate the fact that we will have new sidewalks over the next tens of years. I really do. I have just one wish as Denver moves forward with the project. The city should require all the new sidewalks to be stamped with the name of the person or company who did the work and the year it was completed. It’s a matter of historical record and of civic pride.
Editor’s note: For more information about and photos of sidewalk cement stamps in Colorado, visit these websites:
• andrewalger.com/ denver-sidewalk-stamps
• lainby.tumblr.com
Thomas J. Noel and William J. Hansen wrote about the historic sidewalks in their 2004 book, The Park Hill Neighborhood (Historic Denver, Inc.).
Orville Stickley’s stamp.
RS Blome Co sidewalk stamp dated 1903.
Ford Rogers sidewalk stamp.
City Sidewalk Co stamp.
Stamp in a Park Hill sidewalk laid by TW Love in 1957. Photo by Edna Nichols
m a rch h a ppen I ngs
Hands In The Dirt
The City Park Adopt-a-Flowerbed program is starting its fifth year keeping City Park blooming. The group has grown to 50 volunteers, who join teams that are focused on a particular garden bed or in the rose garden in the park. Volunteers can work at times that best fits their schedules.
A weekly email highlights team schedules and special projects. Individuals or groups sign up to maintain one or more of the plots, including weeding, pruning and controlling Japanese beetles. The group’s annual rose workshop with rosarian Peg Williams will be held April 24 at 10 a.m. at the Benedict Gardens just west of the Museum of Nature and Science.
Interested in joining the fun? Contact Maria Flora at mjflora@msn. com.
All Decked Out For Prom
The Prom Dress Exchange’s 26th Annual Prom Dress Event is scheduled for Saturday March 22 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 1500 E. 128th Ave. in Thornton.
New and gently used prom dresses will be offered to local high school students for just $10. The organization currently has an inventory of over 1,000 dresses and is actively seeking more plus-size donations, sizes 15 and up.
The Prom Dress Exchange has been instrumental in ensuring that every young person who wants to attend prom has access to a beautiful dress. Since its inception in 1999, the organization has provided dresses to thousands of high school students. With the average total cost of prom ranging between $900 to $1,200, the Annual Prom Dress Exchange helps to make prom accessible to everyone.
People who want to donate new and gently used prom dresses size 15 and up can drop them off at the following following nearby Tide Cleaners locations:.
• Cherry Creek store: 201 University Blvd.
• East Hampden store: 9200 E. Ha mpden Ave.
• Highlands Garden store: 4500 W. 38th Ave.
Celebrate A Month Of Photography At DAVA
Downtown Aurora Visual Arts (DAVA) is celebrating March, the Month of Photography, by exploring the evolution of photographic processes through the diverse perspectives of multiple generations.
Over the last 30 years, the way photographers capture moments has transformed from the careful, intentional framing of analog photography to the overwhelming numbers of digital images.
Stepping away from the digital world, high schoolers at DAVA experimented with Anthotypes, toned Cyanotypes, salted paper prints and film cameras, exploring culture through portraiture and still life. Other students used digital cameras and collage to explore nature and to create cultural portraits. Guest artist Jeffery Graves portrays trees, mountain landscapes and the desolate landscapes of the Eastern Plains. Chicana artist Merlin Madrid tell stories about ancestors with her sepia-toned silver prints from the San Luis Valley. In addition, a biographical selection of photographs of Viviane Le Courtois,
DAVA’s long-time curator and art educator will be on display.
DAVA is hosting a free opening reception on Friday, March 7, from 4 to 9 p.m. and the studio will also be open on April 4 from 6 to 9 p.m. for First Friday. DAVA is at 1405 Florence St. The exhibition is free and open to the public Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., through April 18.
Ancestral Dreams by Merlin Madrid.
Phil Goodstein’s Denver
Historian and author
Phil Goodstein is holding several public tours and events during the month of March. Here is his schedule:
Denver History Night
Saturday, March 1, 5 p.m.
This is a free, informal gathering to discuss Denver history, politics and the meaning of life. It gathers at Mici restaurant, at 727 Colorado Blvd.
How To Be A Tour Guide
Tuesday, March 11, 6–8 p.m.
Phil Goodstein is thinking of retiring. He needs an apprentice/ follower to take over his tours. He will discuss some of the basics of how to be a tour guide and what is expected from somebody giving history, haunted and seamy tours of the city. The event is free. It meets at 1330 Monroe St.
Ghost Walk
Sunday, March 16, 6-8 p.m.
A free experimental tour of the walk featuring urban folklore, sex, sin, spooks and scandal by the State Capitol. It will give those wanting to be tour guides a chance to read and tell stories. Meet on the east lawn of the Capitol along Grant Street between Colfax and 14th Avenue.
The Seamy Side Of Denver
Monday, March 24, 6 to 8 p.m.
A free experimental stroll featuring lower downtown. Included are discussions of gambling, how bordellos worked, bloody murder and a lot more. It will give those wanting to be tour guides a chance to read and tell stories. Meet up at the flagpole in front of Union Station at 17th and Wynkoop streets.
Historian and Author Phil Goodstein at a book signing event at the Park Hill Book Store. Goodstein is a Park Hill native. File photo by Cara DeGette
Flood The Zone
The best way to share your opinion and ask for action in Washington D.C. and with the federal government is to call your congressperson.
Activists have long recommended that when you feel passionately about an issue or issues that are current and ongoing, that you call every day. The more that constituents call, the more the elected officeholder will be likely to pay attention. If a human answers, provide the staffer with your full name and address (or city) and indicate if you are a constituent living in the lawmaker’s district. Identify the issue (or issues) that you are calling about
and express your views. Try to stick to your most pressing 2-3 issues, rather than a laundry list of grievances. Be polite and respectful, but speak firmly and clearly. Do not yell. If you reach voicemail, leave a message with the same information. Call again the next day. And the next. And so on. Colorado has two U.S. Senators, Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper. They represent everyone living in the state. The Congresswoman from the 1st Congressional District is Diana DeGette. If you live in Denver, she represents you. There are seven other members of the U.S. House of Representatives who represent different congres-
sional districts in Colorado — for a total of four Democrats and four Republicans. Here are all of their Washington office numbers:
• Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO), 202-224-5852
• Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO), 202-224-5941
• Rep. Diana DeGette (D-1st CD), 202-225-4431
• Rep. Joe Neguse (D-2nd CD), 202-225-2161
• Rep. Jeff Hurd (R-3rd CD), 202-225-4676
• Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-4th CD), 202-225-4761
• Rep. Jeff Crank (R-5th CD), 202-225-4422
• Rep. Jason Crow (D-6th CD), 202-225-7882
• Rep. Brittany Petterson (D-7th CD), 202-225-2645
• Rep. Gabe Evans (R-8th CD), 202-225-5625
Sen. John Hickenlooper Rep. Diana DeGette
Sen. Michael Bennet
Time To Call washington
By Tracey MacDermott For the GPHN
Through the mind-dizzying executive orders coming out of the Oval Office — from the wholesale canceling of federal grants to Elon Musk seizing access to sensitive financial systems — you may have missed the new report from leading climate scientist James Hansen and his team. Hansen, a leading climate scientist, has been warning us for decades about the threat of global warming and the future of humanity.
In 1988 — nearly 40 years ago — Hansen testified to Congress that the greenhouse gas effect was changing the climate. In 2006, Hanson sounded the alarm that we had a 10-year window to take critical action on global warming to avert disaster. Ten years after that the Journal of Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics published a report, in which Hansen collaborated, warning of what would happen if the planet warmed to 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial times. Namely, cities along coastlines would be at risk of submerging.
That last report coincides with the 2016 vote that elevated the Chief Climate Denier, Donald Trump, into his first term as president.
means more water is then pushed into the North Atlantic than is expected. That has a domino effect on the system of ocean currents in the Atlantic called the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), which helps moves water, heat and nutrients around Earth — which in turn influences Earth’s climate.
Hansen and his team have determined that unless actions are taken to reduce global warming, the impact of the increased ice melts has the potential to shut down the AMOC system within the next 20 to 30 years If this were to occur, sea levels would rise several meters.
Hansen describes this as “a point of no return.” Among their recommendations: putting a price on carbon, as well as broadening global cooperation on emissions reductions and renewable energy.
Hansen describes this as “a point of no return.”
As it did after 2016, the first Trump Administration scrubbed mentions of climate change from government websites. It attacked renewable energy, and now in the second go-around, it has resumed its drumbeat for drilling for gas and oil.
And in 2025, Hansen’s alarm bells are no longer warnings. The siren is blaring.
Last month, Hansen and a team of researchers reported that the rate of global warming since 2010 has increased by more than 50 percent over the rate of warming in the preceding four decades. The 2°C target is dead, because greenhousegas-producing energy use continues to rise.
The levels of heating in recent years has helped to fuel catastrophes like Hurricane Helene and the January wildfires in Los Angeles. Continuing production of CO2, as well as an El Nino effect, contributes to the rise in temperatures — yet the increase is happening even more quickly than originally predicted. Ironically, one explanation may be that efforts to reduce polluting aerosol particles may have resulted in the sun’s rays being able to better pierce through the atmosphere.
The acceleration in global heating is worrisome, and not just to Hansen and his team of scientists.
The warming is leading to increasing ice melt in the Arctic, which
Unfortunately, Hansen’s findings — indeed his latest warnings — happen to coincide with a return of a president and an administration that rejects climate science and has resumed its chant to drillbaby-drill.
What can you do? Step up and demand that we continue to work on the climate crisis. Call upon Congress — literally — and demand oversight.
A month into the Trump/Musk White House, our representatives in Washington are being inundated by calls prompted by a multitude of five-alarm fires. Add the climate crisis to your list. Call our Colorado delegation every day, if possible, including the Republican members of Congress, who currently hold the majority. Their names and contacts are on the preceding page.
Closer to home, you can also engage in other ways: Continue to get educated, support science and get involved. Write letters to the editor. Connect with the community through this newspaper — your community newspaper. If you can, step up to help support the newspaper’s operations at greaterparkhill. org/newspaper/support/.
We can do this.
Tracey MacDermott is an at-large board member of Greater Park Hill Community, Inc. She was trained as a Climate Reality Leader in 2017. She chairs the Sustainability Committee for the Business and Professional Women of Colorado and the National Federation for Business and Professional Women. Email her at traceymacdermott@gmail.com
50 Protests 50 States
Thousands of people gathered at the Colorado Capitol on Feb. 5 for a day of protests against the Trump administration’s actions targeting immigrants, DEI programs, LGBTQ+ rights and the weakening and defunding of various federal programs, including the the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The demonstration was part of a coordinated nationwide movement organized online under
the hashtags #buildtheresistance and #50501, which stands for 50 protests, 50 states, 1 day. The protests also came hours after federal immigration authorities raided apartments across the Denver area. A second demonstration, called “Not My President’s Day,” was held two weeks later, on Feb. 17. Additional protests are being planned, including on March 4.
Photos by Cara DeGette
to 17th Avenue (traffic’s also been pushed to the one-way 13th and 14th Avenues south of Colfax).
Car and truck traffic is likely to continue to increase dramatically on those thoroughfares as construction ramps up on the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project on Colfax. When finished, the BRT will permanently reduce car traffic on Colfax to one lane in each direction. The BRT has inspired many residents to — so far unsuccessfully — request a traffic study and long-term planning to address the predicted increased traffic deflected from Colfax.
For the past several months, McCall, who lives on Ivanhoe Street a half block from 17th Avenue, has spent countless hours trying to address the traffic situation.
During the week between Oct. 22 and 28 last year, Denver police placed a speed tracker on westbound 17th Avenue at Grape Street. This is what happened:
• 28,721 vehicles drove past.
• 9,468 of those were driving at or below the posted speed limit of 30 mph.
• By McCall’s calculations, that means two-thirds of all of the traffic was speeding.
Police set up the speed tracker again at Grape Street between Nov. 1 and 18. Of 65,555 cars that drove past, McCall says 63 percent exceeded the 30 mph limit.
In December, McCall wrote to Bonnie Guillen, the senior aide to Denver City Councilman Darrell Watson. In her email, McCall added up the potential cash that could have been generated for the city’s coffers in just three weeks if those 17th Avenue speeders had been fined at the lowest ticket charge of $30. The total: $1.8 million.
But, McCall noted, Denver police have a different way of calculating speeding. “We were told by a police officer … that NO tickets are issued until speeders exceed the posted limit by 10 mph. That’s wacky to say the least,” she wrote.
“Would you please help our neighborhood understand the City’s thinking on this stated [policy]?”
New definition of “violator”
Residents pressed police about traffic woes during a District 2 meeting in December and again at a Greater Park Hill Community, Inc. meeting in early January.
At the GPHC meeting, Denver
Police Corporal Erin Nelssen, who is assigned to the traffic enforcement division, highlighted another recent speed tracking effort along 17th Avenue. It covered a 55-day period last year. Of 207,000 cars that were recorded, police tallied 9,115 “violators” — just 4.4 percent.
When pressed, Nelssen conceded that what he characterized as “violators” included only those driving over 40 miles per hour. In other words, the cops didn’t consider driving 39 mph in a 30 mph zone a violation.
“Everybody speeds”
Nelssen also said that he, personally, only stops people for speeding if they are driving 45 mph or more in a 30 mph zone — fully 15 miles per hour over the speed limit.
“Anything below that we would be stopping everyone on the road,” he said. “The reality is, everybody speeds.”
Most drivers assume, Nelssen continued, that they won’t get a ticket unless they are driving at least 10 miles per hour over the posted limit.
Jacqui Shumway, a board member for GPHC, Inc., was incredulous. The damage that can be inflicted by someone driving 45 miles an hour, compared to 30 miles per hour, can be devastating. Shumway, who is an avid bicyclist, had a simple solution: “We need to reduce traffic [along 17th Avenue] to 20 miles per hour.”
Nelssen told attendees that police staffing is also a problem.
“Ten years ago [Denver’s traffic enforcement division] had 120 officers. Today we have 26. To say we are understaffed is an understatement,” he said. “Unfortunately there is just not enough of us.”
Denver police have cited other reasons why crackdowns on speeders are difficult. Among them: police radar vans are not very effective, and speeders who do get tickets often don’t pay the fines or get them reduced.
People in attendance expressed varying degrees of dismay.
“There’s speeding, yes, and also so many people driving around with expired tags and blowing through red lights,” said GPHC board member Tracey MacDermott. “The message you’re sending to them is, they can get away with anything. Shame on our city.”
The police department’s 10 mph over-the-limit speeding rule also seems in direct conflict with another
of Denver’s programs — Vision Zero.
At odds with Vision Zero
Modeled after a program that began in Sweden in 1997 and was subsequently adopted by many cities in the U.S., Denver’s goal is to reduce the number of traffic deaths and collisions resulting in serious bodily injury to zero by 2030.
One of the commonly accepted ways to do this is to reduce speed limits, as collisions are less apt to result in serious injury or death if the vehicles are going slower. Denver reduced its speed limit from 25 to 20 mph on many residential streets in 2021. (17th Avenue, a thoroughfare, has remained a 30 mph zone.)
In Park Hill the city added stop signs last year along Montview Boulevard and also added traffic islands on 23rd Avenue that are designed to slow traffic. However, since the city’s Vision Zero program was adopted, there has not been a substantial reduction in traffic-related deaths and serious injuries.
the actual speed limit — other options could include installing more stop signs and red lights.
“We believe the city could act on this fixable problem just feet from our front doors,” she said.
In fact, since 2013 the number of traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries in Denver has risen. (In 2013, there were 47 deaths and 292 serious injuries; last year there were 79 deaths and 410 serious injuries.)
As of Feb. 26 there have been nine traffic deaths so far this year. McCall and others hope that additional steps can be taken on 17th Avenue to reduce the risks. Beyond reducing the speed limits — or at least enforcing
“We
Want You To Be Happy”
30-Point Victory For Lady angels
East’s Evelyna Otto Dominates The Paint In Defeat Over Nighthawks Story and photos by Reid Neureiter For the GPHN
The East Angels varsity girls basketball squad administered some tough Valentine’s Day love on the Northfield Nighthawks with a 30-point home victory on Feb. 14.
Under third-year East Coach Carl Mattei, the Lady Angels are sporting a No. 11 state ranking in the Colorado High School Sports Association’s 6A Division. Mattei previously led the Regis Jesuit girls for 17 years and to three state championship titles.
On Feb. 14 the Angels soundly thrashed the Nighthawks, leading at times by as many as 40 points before eventually coasting to a 75-45 Senior Night victory.
A standout for the Angels was Latvian exchange student, senior power forward Evelyna Otto, who both dominated in the paint and served as a realistic outside shooting threat. Otto averages a double-double for the season, leading the Angels in
both scoring and rebounding at 16.8 points and 11.8 rebounds per game. Otto has committed to play college ball at Division 1 University of Utah. As of mid-February, the Lady Angels have a 12-8 overall record and are a perfect 8-0 against their 6A City League rivals. That gives them good momentum heading into the state playoffs.
East senior guard Naomi Golden (#1) sprints past Northfield junior forward Ana Baseman (#33) during the Angels’ Feb. 14 home victory.
East senior power forward Evelyna Otto (#33) drives to the basket.
East senior Naomi Golden (#1) and sophomore Cece Brinton (#32) battle for a rebound against Northfield Nighthawks sophomore LaPorsha Allen (#32) and junior Isabella Kolfenbach (#23).
two Months to Go
Not-Trudging Through The Slush With A Clear Eye To The Future
By Anya Nitczynski For the GPHN
The months between winter and spring break are a trudge through gray skies, slush, and early sunsets. The strategy I’ve developed to get through those winter weeks over the years is to #embracetheblur: Don’t try to distinguish days or weeks from one another, don’t look forward, don’t look back. One trudge forward at a time.
Senior year poses a challenge to #embracingtheblur. I am constantly reminded of my future (and a potential lack thereof — playing the waiting game is not easy) and my past (should I have taken another AP class my sophomore year?).
I can’t help but see beyond the domain of high school. I am scared of graduation, in that I know I will walk across the stage wearing a Harry Potter-esque robe and a funny looking hat, smiling while feeling a mess. But I am also ready.
I have been at the same school with the same orange-tiled floors for seven years. I know some of my peers better than anyone should ever know someone, and they know the same amount about me. Assignments that used to feel like the end of the world or my entire life purpose have taken a back seat. I finished my college applications.
It is hard to make it to first period on time. Sometimes it feels like all I’m really doing at school is biding
time until the next step. My favorite moments at school are the ones that remind me where I’m going. Discussions in my English class, the moments of being genuinely challenged, feeling independent, having good friends. A debate coach/AP Lang/ Film Studies teacher who really is curious about the perspectives of me and my peers.
It isn’t easy on the days I feel too ready for the future, and it isn’t easy on the days when I am terrified of what it will bring. I am lucky to be in theatre — that means I know what rejection is like and how to bounce back. I am lucky for my mindset that a college I applied to is losing something great when they say, “We regret to inform you…” I don’t feel like I’m missing a train to my perfect future. I guess I will take a ferry instead.
I’ve pretty much given up on the trudge. I care about each step, I look forwards and backwards, I distinguish each day and each week and each month as best I can. I embrace my peers, I embrace myself, I embrace the waiting game. I listen to The Love Club by Lorde. It’s the same song my older brother said he listened to when he was where I am.
Anya Nitczynski is a senior at Denver School of the Arts. Her column appears regularly in these pages.
Change Is In the Air
Libraries Evolve To Keep Up With The Needs Of The Community
Suzanne Gelwick-Knight Park Hill Branch Librarian
“There is nothing permanent except change.” — Heraclitus
While technically February was Library Lovers month, I wanted to take a moment to write about our Denver Public Libraries and some of the big changes that have taken place over the last few months.
One of the biggest changes has been the reopening of our Central branch. And even though this reopening took place back in November, I am still hearing from customers about how wonderful the downtown library looks with all of the improvements. Renovations included the impressive new Park View event space, upgraded public restrooms, the addition of 18 study and meeting rooms and both a new teen and children’s area.
The next big change is the reopening of our Park Hill neighborhood sister branch, Pauline Robinson. The Pauline Robinson branch, at 33rd and Holly Street, closed in August 2023 and underwent extensive renovations and additions. It reopened on Feb. 24, and I am excited to see the addition of a community room there and all of the other changes. Check out Pauline Robinson’s days and hours of operation at the end of this
column on the next page.
Most recently, the Schlessman branch in Lowry temporarily closed for some much-needed renovations. Believe it or not, the Schlessman branch is 21 years old, and it is in need of some updates. The plan is to make a larger children’s area, a designated teen space, and adjust the floor plan to allow for better accessibility.
Thinking along the lines of how libraries have changed over the years, who remembers when libraries were expected to be quiet places? You ran the risk of being shushed if you conversed at a level any higher than a whisper. Now, anyone who is at a branch on a morning after story time lets out knows that quiet is no longer the norm.
Who remembers when libraries were expected to be quiet places?
Who remembers using a microfiche machine to look up a newspaper article from 1928? Now you can access newspapers via our online databases and can even print the article for free if you want.
Librarians used to have to call another branch to see if a book was available at that location, and then you would have to go to that location to pick up the item. Now we are able to view our collection system-wide via computer and have the item sent to the customer’s preferred branch. Research had to be done using card
catalogs, encyclopedias and the big old periodical index books that you had to borrow from the reference librarian. I’m not ashamed to admit I am old enough to have completed high school research papers using a card catalog.
Card catalogs were replaced by online databases. Books are no longer stamped with the due date. Now you can ask for a printed receipt showing when your items are due, or you can check your account online. Instead of having to talk to a librarian to request an item to be sent to your favorite branch, now you can do it from the comfort of your own home via your computer, or even your phone if you have the library app. We’ve come a long way from the first Denver Public Library, which was started in 1889 and was housed in a wing of Denver High School. Now we have 27 branches all across the city. We host hundreds of programs a year and serve thousands of people daily.
I have watched the use of libraries grow and change over the years. I remember when there weren’t designated teen spaces and the category of young adult literature was a fairly new idea.
I clearly remember, as a 10-yearold, along with a small group of friends, going to our neighborhood branch (which was the Bear Valley location), without a grown-up and being able to check out whatever books we wanted. I do not remember ever being told that I couldn’t check out a certain book, or that I couldn’t be in the library without my parents. We were welcomed in the library without scrutiny. I do know that this wasn’t always the case, but
I hope this is one thing that will never change. Being welcomed into a library shouldn’t be something a person should worry about.
Ultimately, all of these changes and updates wouldn’t be possible if the library wasn’t being utilized by you, our patrons. With that being said, keep using the library. Keep bringing your children to story times. Keep attending our programs. Keep asking for the newest books, or even the older books.
And if you are feeling nostalgic for the library days of the past, you can always head down to the Central branch and search out the old remaining wooden card catalogs.
March Library Programs
Park Hill Branch
Baby Storytimes | Thursdays, 10:15-10:45 a.m.
Stories, songs, rhymes and fun for babies ages 0-18 months and their parents or caregivers.
Toddler Storytimes | Fridays, 10:15-10:45 a.m.
Stories, songs, rhymes and fun for toddlers ages 18-36 months and their parents or caregivers.
Kids Game Club | 1st and 3rd Wednesdays, Drop-in 3:30-5:30 Are you looking for something fun after school? Drop by to play games in a fun, relaxed environment. Ideal for ages 5-12.
Kids Book Celebration | Thursday, March 20, 4-5 p.m.
A monthly book celebration for kids in kindergarten* though 5th grade which meets the third Thursday of every month. *Parents of young children need to attend with their child.
An old-school wooden index card catalog like this one can still be found at the downtown Denver Public Library Central Branch. Tima Miroshnichenko/Pexels
Pauline Robinson Library Reopens
The Pauline Robinson Branch Library reopens on March 1, after being closed for a year and a half for an expansion and renovations. The library is at 33rd and Holly Street. Pauline Robinson was one of the first African Americans to graduate from the University of Denver’s library school and became the Denver Public Library’s first African American librarian. At the 1995 dedication of the library named for her, Robinson said, “Of all the honors, the truest satisfaction that I’ve received throughout my career has been encouraging young people to continue their education and to prepare for their lifelong goals.”
Teen Advisory Board | Tuesday, March 18, 4:30-5:30 p.m.
Anyone 6th-12th grade are welcome to join and help with library programming and resources geared towards teens.
Qi Gong | Wednesday, March 5, 11 a.m.12:15 p.m.
Qi Gong is the cornerstone of traditional Chinese medicine. Sometimes called “meditation in motion,” it includes slow, dance-like movements to improve breathing, reduce stress and gently move the body.
Puzzle and Board Game Swap | Saturday, March 8, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Same old games and puzzles got you down? Bring a puzzle or game, take a puzzle or game. Please bring complete puzzles and board games only — no one likes missing pieces.
Powerful Tools for Caregivers | Wednesday, March 12, 1-2:30 p.m.
Caregiving can be so many things: challenging, exhausting, beautiful, meaningful and complicated. In this class, you will learn the skills and tools you need to better care for yourself as a caregiver. Over six class sessions, you will learn about important self care behaviors, how to manage difficult emotions, how to increase your confidence as a caregiver, and how to effectively use community resources. Eligible participants might receive free respite care for their care partner. The class is free, but registration is required by calling 303-480-5656 or emailing caregiversvcs@drcog.org. We ask that participants be present for at least four of the six sessions. Sessions fall on the following dates: March 12, March 19, March 26, April 2, April 9, April 16.
No Strings Attached Book Chat | Saturday, March 15, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Read whatever you want, attend whenever you can. This month we
will be hosting a Winter of Reading Book Buzz during the first portion of the gathering. Advance Directives Fundamentals | Saturday, March 24, 2:30-4 p.m.
No matter what chapter in life you are currently in, having an Advance Directive can be used as a compass when faced with difficult life decisions. Experts in this area will cover who needs to have an Executed Advance Directive and why, how to fill out an Advance Directive, where should you keep the document, how often you should update it, and more. Then return on April 5, at 2:30 for a Signing Party, and have your documents notarized at no cost.
Death Café | Monday, March 24, 2-3:30 p.m.
Death Café is an international movement that invites people to gather, normalize conversations around death — to make the most of LIFE. This is not a grief support group or counseling session. Respect for all views is a priority.
Pauline Robinson Branch
After undergoing extensive renovations, the Pauline Robinson Branch Library reopened on Feb. 24. The address is 5575 E. 33rd Ave. Branch hours are as follows:
• Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Thursdays: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Fridays and Saturdays: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Sundays: Closed
Greater Park Hill has two public libraries: The Park Hill Branch Library is at 4705 Montview Blvd. and the Pauline Robinson Branch Library is at 5575 E. 33rd Ave. All Denver Public Library branches are closed Monday, March 31 for Cesar Chavez Day.
Mondo West is a tailored real estate brokerage, born and raised in Colorado and deeply rooted in our community. We live in the neighborhoods we serve and believe in investing in our community. We're committed to creating a welcoming, inclusive space that celebrates diversity and believe that everyone should have access to home ownership. Our approachable and personable team is down-to-earth, knowledgeable, skilled and experienced in our complex real estate landscape.
We're proud to be part of the fabric of Park Hil and look forward to the opportunity of working with you!
Before: Morgan Barnes, shown here in the summer of 2023 packing up boxes for storage while the library was being renovated.
Photo by Cara DeGette
After: Team member Mary Trujillo unpacks artwork from the library’s former community room, to reinstall in the renovated space.
Photo courtesy of Leslie Williams
welcome, Spring
Garden Blooms Mark The Beginning Of Event Season In Park Hill
By Lori Midson Executive Director, GPHC, Inc.
On Sunday, March 9, we spring our clocks forward, and on Thursday, March 20, Spring will have officially sprung. Hallelujah!
Finley, my dog, is very much looking forward to Spring. There’s nothing he loves more than plopping down on his favorite cushioned lawn chair, stretching his head toward the beams of warmth . . . and yawning. Oh, to be a lazy dog.
in Park Hill. This year’s blooms bonanza is on Sunday, June 8 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Online tickets go on sale in early May. For more information, visit parkhillgardenwalk.org.
On July 4, the Park Hill Parade — the largest in Denver — cruises down 23rd Avenue from Dexter and Krameria streets and features everything from marching bands and classic cars to comic book superheroes to floats. To register your group and for additional details, check out parkhillparade.com.
• Cereal and oatmeal
• Canned tomatoes, tomato paste a nd tomato sauce
• Pasta sauce
• Hearty soups and stews
• Canned ravioli and chili
• Canned refried, kidney and pinto beans
• Canned corn, peas, spinach and g reen beans
• Canned fruit
• Instant coffee and teabags
• Shelf-stable pasta and rice dishes (Rice-a-Roni, Knorr pasta and rice sides)
• Macaroni and cheese
• White rice
• Can openers
• Toiletries (toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo, razors, shaving cream and body wash)
• Paper towels and toilet paper
in the bins inside Mayfair Liquors at 14th and Krameria and the Park Hill Library at Montview and Dexter during their normal business hours. Our food pantry needs are updated as needed on the GPHC website: greaterparkhill.org/food-programs/ emergency-food-pantry/.
We also welcome food drives on our behalf. To set up a food drive, contact Lori Midson at director@ greaterparkhill.org.
GPHC
Membership
Daffodils, tulips, pansies and crocuses will also begin their tilt toward the rays, brightening our yards with blooms. Spring also marks the month when Greater Park Hill Community, Inc.’s event season wakes up.
First up is the Park Hill Yard Sale, on Saturday, May 17 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. If you want to sell your trinkets and treasures, register your house and general descriptions of what you’ll be selling at the online registration form: forms.gle/Jrwr9np61dgEumi37. The Yard Sale includes sellers living within Greater Park Hill boundaries (roughly East Colfax Avenue to Smith Road and Colorado Boulevard to Quebec Street). The Park Hill Yard Sale is sponsored by Blair Taylor of 8z Real Estate.
June brings the 25th annual Park Hill Garden Walk, a showcase of eight sensational residential gardens
The 47th annual Park Hill Home Tour and Street Fair – GPHC’s largest annual fundraiser of the year — is Sunday, Sept. 28. If you own a Park Hill home you’d like to flaunt, the Home Tour committee would love to hear from you. For details, email Mary Salsich: mbsalsich@ gmail.com. If you’d like to sponsor the Home Tour & Street Fair (we have numerous sponsorship tiers), email me at Lori Midson: director@ greaterparkhill.org.
Greater Park Hill Food Pantry
Our food pantry visits have skyrocketed over the last year, and our pantry shelves always need replenishing. If you’re out shopping, please consider donating a few items from our “needs” list below.
• Canned tuna, salmon, chicken, Vienna sausages & Spam
• Dishwashing liquid and laundry detergent (pods or powder)
We accept unopened and unexpired (please, please be mindful of expiration dates) food donations at our office (2823 Fairfax St.) on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. and on Thursdays between noon and 5 p.m. Donations can also be dropped off
Greater Park Hill Community, Inc. is a membership-based organization whose voice is only as influential as its members. To become a GPHC member — or renew your GPHC membership — go to greaterparkhill.org/join-us/become-a-member/ or drop off a check (and say hello) at our office, at 2823 Fairfax St. We look forward to serving you as a valued member, listening to your ideas and input and working collaboratively on projects, programs and issues.
Thank you to our current members, donors and volunteers for your kindness, in-kind and financial contributions.
You are deeply appreciated.
The following organizations and individuals donated to and volunteered with Greater Park Hill Community, Inc. last month:
Businesses, Groups and Churches
80207-3718 Boudreau
Blessed Sacrament
Catholic Church
City and County of Denver
Curtis Park Deli
Dahlia Campus Farms and Gardens
Food Bank of the Rockies
Mayfair Liquors
Erin Donovan
Tara, Liam and Cormac Dunn
Avery Ehret
Ellen Reath and Craig Maginness
Maria Ferguson
Lee Fisher-Rosenberg
Anne & Joe Frank
Bobbi Gillis
Princess Gray
Gretchen Groth
Karen Ray
Yorlady Riano
Robert and Connie Friesen
Louann Sakala
Mary Salsich
Sandra Schaffer
Heather Selph
Barbara Sharp
Shelly and Stuart Scales
Jean Sibley
Sarah Speicher
Mary Jo Starmer
Messiah Community Church
Oneida Street Neighbors
Park Hill Branch Library
Park Hill United Church of Christ
Park Hill United
Methodist Church
St. Thomas
Episcopal Church
Starbucks
The Darth Side
Individuals and Families
Anonymous Donors
Sylvia Aldena
Alexis and Joel Senger
Penny Ashley-Lawrence
Carolyn Benoit
Beth and Jim McBride
Betsy Burton
Jennifer Calderone
Inga Calvin
Sandra Caron
Deana Chupp
Todd Cooper
Kristy Corcoran
Charlie & Jean Curlee
Erica Gutierrez
Lisa Haddox
Amy Harris
Jane Hoback
Barbara Hoffman
Ryan Hoskins
Irene Andress and Joan and Jim Marchiori
Lauren Jankovich
Kathleen Hannan and Jon Rice
Kevin and Catherine Cray
Jane W Klever
James Larcus
Sharon and Joe Little
Lola and Arlen Hershberger
Natalie and Patrick Love
Marc and Alice Applebaum
Martha and Dick Funk
Matthew and Elizabeth Spohn
Richard McCanna
Nicole McSpirit
Lori Midson
Stephen and Laurel Mohr
Chris and Erin Nielsen
Christopher Stewart
Rosemary Valdez
Jane Wainwright
Ellen Yu
Food Pantry Volunteers
David Addor
Jasmine Brubaker
Zana Brown
Bruce Campbell
Audrey Diamontopoulis
Claudia Fields
Princess Gray
Andy Hartman
Paula Marinelli
Betsy Post
Mark Pressey
Carole Robertson
Deb Rosenbaum
Ann Salamy
Heather Selph
Newspaper bundlers
Martha Douglas
Laurel Mohr
Mary Salsich
Showstopper
The Showy Grasshopper (Hesperotettix speciosus) is also known as the Handsome Purple-Striped Grasshopper. Both are appropriate names for this striking bright green beauty. With white-spotted eyes, a finely-patterned body and banded antennae, the Showy Grasshopper is rather jewel-like in appearance. The grasshopper can be spotted on sunflowers, goldenrod and other similar host plants. This Showy Grasshopper was photographed last summer at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge north of Park Hill by Mark Silverstein.
p a rk hILL V e T
Beauty Of Bloodwork
Diagnostic Screenings Help Detect Many Hidden Conditions
By Margot K. Vahrenwald, DVM, CVJ For the GPHN
Why are veterinarians such vampires?
Our patients cannot verbalize what is happening inside their bodies, nor do they always show specific clinical signs until a disease process is very advanced. And, our pets are at risk of many infectious diseases that have very vague clinical signs. Monitoring changes in bone marrow (complete blood count), major organ function (chemistry) and urine can help guide diagnosis and treatment.
This is why we like to test the blood.
Working with patients who have a much faster physiologic time clock requires us to rely on blood work to aid in detecting, diagnosing and monitoring disease that comes with age, which is very individual. This means that we recommend diagnostic lab work as part of working with a sick pet. It also helps us monitor healthy pets as part of preventive care by obtaining a diagnostic baseline of normal results that then can show trends through changes in future results. While aging brings changes, being younger is not a guarantee of being free of health concerns. That’s why veterinarians advocate for lab work in younger animals or at earlier ages in at-risk breeds. Research through repeated, large scale annual data-crunching by one of the major veterinary reference lab services
Bird flu Update
Variants Are Infecting Cats — What Owners Should Know
Exactly a year ago, the U.S. began experiencing an outbreak of avian influenza A (H5N1) in dairy cattle. That outbreak led to many cats contracting the virus — including indoor cats, barn and feral cats, and big cats in zoos and the wild. In recent weeks, the “bird flu” has developed further variants and is far-reaching, more recently into egg-producing poultry. Dogs can also contract H5NI, but they seem much less susceptible to the virus than cats.
Risk levels in the Denver metro area are currently low for the vast majority of cats. But because this could quickly change and H5N1 influenza causes very rapid and aggressive disease, we want to ensure that cat owners are aware of the potential sources of infection, clinical signs and recommendations for safety.
Potential sources of infection:
• Raw foods: Raw food diets and raw treats, and diary products and colostrum that have not first been pasteurized or thoroughly cooked to kill the virus.
• Contact with sick or dead birds or other wildlife by humans or the cat.
Clinical signs can begin with loss of appetite, lethargy and fever, but can quickly progress to more significant clinical signs such as:
• Neurologic: Ataxia, circling, tremors, seizures, blindness
• Severe depression
(IDEXX), consistently finds results that lead to diagnosis of disease:
For dogs:
• 1 in 7 young dogs between ages 1 to 3 years
• 1 in 5 adult dogs between 4 to 8 years
• 2 in 5 senior dogs over age 9
For cats:
• 1 in 5 young cats ages 1-7 years
• 1 in 3 mature cats between 7 to 9 years
• 3 in 5 senior cats age 10 and older
Conditions found in younger pets can be congenital diseases such as renal dysplasia, cancer and juvenile diabetes. These can carry poor prognoses but can help the owner and veterinarian support a good quality of life for a patient as long as reasonable.
Our patients cannot verbalize what is happening inside their bodies.
Adult and senior findings can more often discover chronic disease that can be managed to maintain quality of life or prompt a change in medications to avoid a negative impact or a risk due to changes in organ function.
So you see, those drops of blood are a critical tool for your veterinarian to help you take the best care of your pets with a detailed internal physical exam.
Dr. Margot Vahrenwald is the owner of Park Hill Veterinary Medical Center at 2255 Oneida St. For more info, visit parkhillvet.com.
• Diagnosis can only be made t hrough laboratory testing.
Safety Recommendations:
• Avoid feeding your cats undercooked or raw meat, including uncooked or freeze-dried meat, treats or animal products.
• Keep cats indoors to prevent ingestion of/or contact with birds or other wild animals through hunting.
• Wash your hands after touching raw meat and after interacting with poultry, livestock or animals outside your household. Change clothes and shoes if interacting with animals or birds with unknown health status.
• Contact your veterinarian if your pet appears sick and has been exposed to any of the above.
— Dr. Margot Vahrenwald
• Severe upper respiratory signs: Eye and nasal discharge, changes in breathing, possible sneezing/ coughing
who we Are, what we Do
The Board of Directors of GPHC, Inc.
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.
GPHC world headquarters is 2823 Fairfax St. If you have an issue you’d like to discuss about the neighborhood, reach out to your board representative. Representatives can be contacted via the main office, at 303-388-0918 or info@ greaterparkhill.org.
If you are interested in volunteering or serving on a committee, contact GPHC Board Chair Shane Sutherland at chair@greaterparkhill.org.
• Board Chair Shane Sutherland
• Treasurer Heather Shockey
• Secretary Bernadette Kelly
• District 1 Kevin Doyle
• District 2 Brenda Morrison
• District 3 Heather Shockey
• District 4 Currently Vacant
• District 5 Bernadette Kelly
• District 6 Currently Vacant
• District 7 Jon Bowman
• District 8 Nam Henderson
• District 9 Currently Vacant
• District 10 Colette Carey
• At Large Bruce Campbell
• At Large Mona Estrada
• At Large Maria Flora
• At Large Tracey MacDermott
• At Large Louis Plachowski lplachowski@gmail.com
• At Large Shane Sutherland
• Blessed Sacrament Betsy Boudreau
• Park Hill UMC Jacqui Shumway
Raoul the cat may want to go outside to hunt birds and other wild animals. But that is not going to happen. Photo by Cara DeGette
g r ea T e r p a rk hILL r e sources
g a rdens a n d Verses
March tips
A Light exists in Spring Not present on the Year In any other period, When March is scarcely here — First verse of A Light Exists In Spring by Emily
Dickinson
The 2025 Park Hill Garden Walk is set for June 8. In the meantime, here are some seasonal tips for you and your garden:
• Prune shrubs that form their flower buds on “new” woodgrowth that will occur in the coming spring. These include butterfly bush, clematis, hydrangea, potentilla, rose and Rose of Sharon.
• If you are creating pollinator habitat, prune bushes with hollow or pithy stems 4-6” from a branch or stem node.
• Get your soil tested and amend w ith compost as needed.
• Start watering trees, shrubs and perennials when it’s above 40 degrees.
• Aerate lawn.
• Cut back ornamental g rasses and perennials, leaving 3-inch stubs.
• As you start your spring cleanup of flower beds, remember many insect eggs and larvae are still in the leaves and stalks. Help retain them for birds by leaving leaves and stalks in a pile for another month or two.
• If you left last season’s plant stalks for pollinators, prune stems to heights from 8-to-24 inches as nesting sites for pollinating insects.
• Transplant volunteer plants you w ish to keep (or share with others).
• Mid-month: Plant outdoor seeds for radishes, spinach, arugula, lettuce, leek, sorrel and onion sets. Start indoors: sage, thyme, kale, cauliflower, broccoli, tomatoes, peppers, brussels sprouts, and cabbage.
• Plant cold hardy annuals: pansies, ornamental kale and marigolds.
The annual Garden Walk is a major fundraiser for Greater Park Hill Community, Inc. To volunteer, sponsor, or suggest local gardens or artists for upcoming garden walks, please contact Paula Marinelli at paulagardenwalk@gmail.com.
Active Minds
The organization’s mission is to expand lives and minds by providing outstanding educational programs. Check out free lectures on topics ranging from music to history, current events to foreign affairs, including in and near Park Hill. A schedule of upcoming events is at activeminds.com
Art Garage
6100 E. 23rd Ave., artgaragedenver.com, 303-377-2353. The Art Garage is a nonprofit visual art community center whose mission is to offer arts-based programs that inspire, empower and promote creative self-expression by people of all ages, backgrounds, and ability levels. Check out ArtGarageDenver. com for details.
Blunders and Beers
Blunders and Beers is a Park Hill Chess Club that meets the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month at Longtable Brewhouse, 2895 Fairfax St., beginning at 6 p.m. All skill levels are welcome. Bring a board if you have one.
Daughters of the American Revolution
Are you interested in genealogy? Your family history? American history? The Frances Wisebart Jacobs Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution meets regularly in the area. Contact Kathy Kelly at kkellyfwj76@gmail.com for details.
Denver Police District 2 3921 Holly St., 2.Dist@denvergov.org, non-emergency number is 720-913-1000. For emergencies, dial 9-1-1.
Denver Public Schools
dpsk12.org
Check the website for resources and updates. Call the helpline at 720-423-3054 for support in many languages.
Donations Resources
Thousands of our neighbors have been living unsheltered and are struggling for basic services. Thousands more are newcomers to Colorado, arriving with little to nothing. So many can use your help. Check out our online directory at greaterparkhill.org/spreading-thelove/ for organizations who accept donations — from clothes and furniture to bikes and baby essentials. 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 infor-
mation about their current state of operations.
Greater Park Hill Community, Inc. 2823 Fairfax St., greaterparkhill. org, 303-388-0918
GPHC community meetings are conducted on the first Thursday of the month, except for December and July. The next meeting is Thursday, March 6 at 6:30 p.m. at 2823 Fairfax St. The April meeting is Thursday, April 3. Check greaterparkhill.org/ join-us/community-meetings/ for info on how to participate.
Libraries
denverlibrary.org
See the “At the Library” feature on page 10 for updates and resources offered by the Park Hill and Pauline Robinson branch libraries.
Northeast Park Hill Coalition
The Northeast Park Hill Coalition hosts its monthly meeting the second Thursdays of the month. Location varies. Check the group’s Facebook page @ Northeast Park Hill Coalition for updates.
One World Singers
A choral group that performs music from diverse cultures and traditions, nurturing the musical abilities of all who wish to sing. Rehearsals every Thursday, September through May, at 7 p.m. at St. Thomas Church, 22nd and Dexter. Email Sandy at owsmanager@yahoo. com or go to OneWorldSingers.org for more information.
Park Hill Community Bookstore
Established in 1971. Denver’s oldest nonprofit bookstore. Used and new books. 4620 E. 23rd Avenue. 303-355-8508. Members and volunteers get discounts and book credits. Check parkhillbookstore.org for current hours of operation.
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.
Free Zoom Tai Chi
Free Beginner Tai Chi Zoom Classes every Friday at 9 a.m. Longtime Park Hillers Jacqui and Joe lead the class. Call their clinic at 303-744766 or register online at TaiChiDenver.com.
Walk2Connect
www.walk2connect.com
Park Hill Sunrise Walking Trips happen every Tuesday from 7:15 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. Meet in front of Honey Hill Cafe at 23rd & Dexter Street for a casual, conversational-paced community walk. Everyone is welcome.
Submit your neighborhood events and resources to editor@greaterparkhill.org Deadlines are the 15th of the month, for the following month’s issue.
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CLEANING SERVICES
Lilly Maid Cleaning Service. Experienced, detail-oriented cleaner. Weekly, bi-weekly, or move-out. Free estimates. 720-296-9905
GENERAL CONTRACTOR
26 YR Licensed General Contractor in South Park Hill and Lead-Based Paint Abatement Firm. All Phases of Remodeling. Small jobs OK! Mold and Mildew Remediation, Power Spray Denver Dust, Off Exteriors, Call Mark-303-9213161, pikerprojects@gmail.com – All Remodeling, usabatement@yahoo.com – Lead-Based Paint
GUTTERS
Gutter Cleaning, repairs, and replacement. Gutter Cleaning prices start at $150 – House, Garage, Porches, and walks. 303-907-9223/skmehaffey@ gmail.com
HOUSING
Interested in Cohousing? Blue Columbine Cohousing is forming a community in Wheat Ridge. Visit https:// www.bluecolumbinecohousing.com and attend an upcoming informational meeting. All are welcome here.
MASONRY SERVICES
Masonry Services- Brick, Stone, Concrete repairs, restoration, tuckpointing, chimneys, retaining walls, city sidewalks; planter boxes. 303-907-9223/ skmehaffey@gmail.com
Mason – Brick, stone, chimney repair, historic renovation. Your Park Hill Expert. Fully Insured, free estimates. Call Ben @720-670-0874.
PAINTING
Interior and exterior painting. Prep, power washing, professional. Owned and operated by Park Hill resident with over 20 years of experience. Free estimate. JR Painting 720-485-7207 or jpabz04@gmail.com
Painting: Interior, exterior, small jobs welcome; sheetrock repairs and texture. 303-907-9223/ skmehaffey@gmail.com
ROOFING
Roofing: Repairs, Inspections, Flashings, Hail Damage, and reroofing licensed, bonded, and insured. Gutter replacement and cleaning. 303-9079223/ skmehaffey@gmail.com
TUCKPOINTING
Over 25 years of experience. Fully insured. Mortar color and brick matching, broken brick replacement, cement chimney crown replacement. 12 years Chicago union experience. Mr. Chimney and Home Masonry Repair. Call Chuck Bahnsen 303-948-7999
WINDOWS
Complete wood window restoration. Custom wood storm windows and screens. General painting, restoration and handyman services for your charming old home. Contact Matt 479871-8140
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. 40-year resident of PH. Contact David - 720550-2786
To advertise in the Classifieds contact newspaper@greaterparkhill.org 720-287-0442 (voicemail). the deadline for submission is the 15th of every month
fill ’Er Up
By Mark Kuhl
For the GPHN
Colorado has several “zero waste” stores that minimize packaging for products we consume every day. They are primarily refill shops for locally made soaps, cleaning products and beauty items like body wash, shampoo and makeup remover. Be on the lookout for a zero-waste store near your home or workplace and stop in to see if it’s a good fit for you. (Or, google the search terms “zero waste store near me,” and a number of options pop up near Park Hill, including Off the Bottle Refill Shop, New Moon Refillery and Joy Fill. Bring your own reusable glass bottle or purchase products in reusable containers provided by the shop. You can also learn to make your own zero waste products like cosmetics, soaps, and deodorants at Zero Market in Aurora. For zero-waste groceries, check out Nude Foods in Boulder.
Mark Kuhl is an environmental advocate who lives in Park Hill with his family. His handy tips and news about recycling household items appear every month in these pages. A directory of his past columns for recycling everything from paint to Styrofoam to shoes is at greaterparkhill.org/sustainability/recyclingdirectory/.
