Judy Montero

Join Judy tomorrow from 9 to 2 at La Alma / Lincoln Park for a free event to celebrate youth in District 9. It’s completely free and will feature food, music, games, face-painting, skills contests, art, and a whole lot of other fun.

Judy is co-sponsoring along with the Boys and Girls Club of Metro Denver, the DPD District 6 Substation, and the Juvenile Diversion branch. The forecast is for clear, hot weather — hope you can swing by and join the party for a while.

Judy’s bill on the Coors Field view plane moved out of committee yesterday on a unanimous vote. It now heads for consideration by the full Council.

In addition, the idea picked up another formal RNO endorsement yesterday, from Platte River Cuernavaca Park. The tally now stands at 6 RNOs in support, with none in opposition.

A couple of articles in today’s papers mentioned the objections of one property owner, Focus Property Group, to the proposed view plane. Summarizing Focus’s key concern, the Denver Daily News reported:

There is also concern that the view plane would devalue the property, which would work to the District’s advantage if it were to try to acquire the property from Focus for use by the ballpark. The issue has come up after District officials purchased another piece of property [owned by Bill and Paula Leake at 2010 Delgany] it feared might block the view of the mountains.

Two points of clarification are in order. First, Judy and the Stadium District have taken steps to prevent the scenario described above —- ie, wherein the District would try to buy the Focus property on the cheap, after its value was driven down by the view plane ordinance. To protect Focus from this situation, the District issued a written statement pledging that any negotiations for the purchase of Focus’s property would be based on the same “fair market” conditions that were applied recently to the Ballpark District’s purchase of the Leakes’ property at 2010 Delgany Street — before establishment of the view plane. In fact, the purchase of the Leake property was based on property valuations from 2007, before the real estate bubble popped. So Focus can count on a fair and attractive offer for its property if the District ever decides to make a bid.

And that leads to the second point of clarification: Any purchase of Focus’s property for use by the ballpark remains strictly hypothetical at this point. The ballpark won’t know if it has any use/need for the property until after RTD determines exactly which of the existing stadium parking lots will be eliminated to make room for the FasTracks buildout. This determination is still 18 to 24 months away. So if the Ballpark District were to make an offer on the Focus property, it wouldn’t happen until 2011 at the earliest — but the property valuation will be based on a pre-view-plane market.

Today the Council’s Blueprint Denver Committee will be considering Judy’s bill to create a view plane for Coors Field. The legislation would place certain restrictions on development within a small slice of District 9, in order to ensure that the spectacular views of Coors Field are never obstructed by tall buildings or other structures.

The bill is supported by all the RNOs in downtown Denver (including LoDoNA, the Downtown Denver Residents Organization, LoDo District, and Ballpark Neighborhood Association) and has buy-in from many of the current property owners who have land and/or buildings within the view plane.

Here’s a picture of the view that Judy’s bill would preserve. Click on the image to get a close-up view:

No other major sports venue in the country has a view like this one. As former urban planner Ken Straka said in a letter supporting Judy’s proposed view-plane legislation, “The view from Coors Field makes it a special place and experience for residents and visitors alike who visit the ballpark, and for the millions who view it on TV. It expresses the civic values of the greater community. . . . I therefore strongly endorse a view plane ordinance from Coors Field that permanently establishes and preserves a view of the mountains and the tree canopy that defines the mountain skyline.”

There’s a lengthy back-story that explains this piece of legislation. Keep reading to learn all the details. Keep reading →

A week or two ago, Judy sponsored an official Council recognition of District 9 activist Lorraine Granado, the founder and longtime director of Cross Community Coalition in Swansea. Lorraine retired last week after more than 30 years of tireless, effective advocacy. The Denver Post and the High Country News both had writeups about Lorraine recently; here is the statement Judy made honoring Lorraine:

Lorraine has been a force of change in Northern Denver for nearly 30 years, over 20 of them with Cross Community. In fact, in 2000, the United States House of Representatives recognized Lorraine during the 106th Congress in a Tribute read by Representative Diana DeGette.

In the Proclamation we just read, you heard about several of the organizations that Lorraine has worked with over the last 30 years. We should also recognize her diverse and impressive skill set because, with these skills, Lorraine has helped foster an atmosphere in which the Globeville, Elyria and Swansea neighborhoods have developed a strong voice on behalf of economic and environmental justice.

That voice comes from one of her best qualities – that of leadership development centered in a non-violence, peacemaking approach. The ability to both inspire and grow leaders in a community can make the difference between a truly thriving and healthy neighborhood and one that withers. Lorraine can be a model for all of us for her ability to motivate others to help themselves.

Lorraine has also been a role model with her abilities to foster public participation in policy development and implementation. Her media and organizing skills are to be commended and her ability to create partnerships among unlikely allies is a skill we can all appreciate.

Lorraine has worked tirelessly for this community, while raising her own family of three sons and four grandchildren. I want to offer her my most sincere gratitude and wish her great happiness in her retirement years.

The Denver Police Department is maintaining a Fireworks Hotline through July 10. If you’re being disturbed by the noise or see anyone creating a safety hazard with fireworks, you can call and anonymously report the incident. The hotline number is (720) 913-2000. When hotline staff members receive a complaint, they notify a Police or Fire Dispatcher who, in turn, notifies the team coordinator, who relays the information to the team or teams in that area.

DPD also is running special neighborhood patrols in neighborhoods where they have seen the heaviest use of fireworks in previous years. Each team consists of one Denver Police officer and one firefighter from the Fire Prevention and Investigation Division. There will be 8 teams working every night through the middle of June, and up to 11 teams in the field on July 4th weekend. In addition, crews from the local firehouses are also directed to patrol their neighborhoods and watch for fireworks use during this period.

If you have any questions about this year’s enforcement campaign, please contact Police Sergeant Jurgen Mohr at 720-913-1075.

If you missed the inaugural Highland July 4 parade last year, you’ll definitely want to check out (or participate in) this year’s event. It’ll be bigger and better, with the East High Drum Majors and Denver Roller Dolls on hand to spice up the event, live music from Rabbit Stew, a pie-baking contest, and a gi-normous ice cream sundae. But the highlight will be the procession of cute kids on their decorated bikes, wagons, scooters, big wheels, etc etc. The parade assembles at 10 a.m. in the United Way parking lot at the corner of 32nd and Boulder. It will commence at 10:30 a.m., heading southwest along Boulder Street to 16th (Lola restaurant). Fun, games, food, and music continue until about 1 p.m. Hope to see you there.

Denver ’s Animal Care & Control Division has a few tips for pet owners to ensure that their animals don’t get harmed or stressed out by the fireworks:

• Don’t take your pet to firework displays.
• Do not leave your pet in the car. Opened windows do not provide sufficient air.
• Keep your pets indoors at home in a sheltered, quiet area. Some animals can become destructive when frightened, so be sure that you’ve removed any fragile items. Also leave a television or radio playing at normal volume to keep them company.
• Provide a safe “escape” place. Pets will seek out a small den-like place, such as a crate, if they are fearful or stressed. It is recommended to create that safe place and familiarize your pet with it before needed, to reduce stress during fireworks.
• License and microchip your pet. If for some reason your pet escapes, make sure your pet is licensed and microchipped. Having identification will increase the likelihood that your pet will be returned to you if lost.
• Never leave pets outside unattended, even in a fenced yard or on a chain. In their fear, pets who normally wouldn’t leave the yard may escape and become lost, or become entangled in their chain, risking injury or death.
• Use a leash or carrier. If you must be outside with your pet, keep the pet on a leash or in carrier.
• Make sure your pets are wearing identification tags so that if they do become lost, they can be returned promptly. Animals found running at-large should be taken to the local animal shelter, where they will have the best chance of being reunited with their owners.
• Plan ahead. If you plan to go away for the holiday weekend, arrangements should be made to ensure that your pet is properly taken care of in your absence.

For more information about the Denver Municipal Animal Shelter, or to obtain a pet license online, visit www.denvergov.org/animalcare.

Circle July 15 and July 25 on this month’s calendar:

• On the 15th, Judy and other city officials will convene a public-input session on the draft of the new Denver zoning code (available online here). That takes place from 6 to 9 p.m. at Ashbury Events Center, 3011 Vallejo.
• On July 25, the nonprofit activist group Extreme Community Makeover will be in District 9 to mobilize volunteers for the Globeville neighborhood. A number of churches, businesses, and school groups have already committed to participate in this block-by-block cleanup and beautification effort. If you’d like to donate participate, contact Randy Swearingen at Randy.Swearingen@ecentral.com. For more information, visit ECM’s website.

Judy was part of a discussion panel last week on Channel 8’s “Issues and Options” to talk about the City’s latest efforts to control graffiti. Click here to see the interview.

On Saturday night, CBS-4 had a short spot on the Rude Rec mural unveiling; to see the video, click here. Below are a few camera stills from the event: