Monthly Archives: January 2008

Join Judy and new District 9 School Board Rep Arturo Jimenez tomorrow night at the Northwest Denver Elementary and K-8 School Showcase. It takes place at North High (2960 Speer) on Tuesday night from 6 to 8 p.m.; child care and refreshments will be available.

Judy and Arturo are co-hosting the event, which is intended to give residents information about the full range of educational opportunities in northwest Denver. Teachers, staff, and adminstrators from all the schools will be on hand; you’ll be able to get updates about the transformation of North High’s programs, the changes at Valdez Elementary, and the effect of school closings and reassignments. Families who are considering a change of schools will be able to learn how the School Choice process works, and applications will be on hand.

For more information, send an e-mail to schoolshowcase@gmail.com.

A couple days ago, the Blueprint Denver committee of City Council heard an update about the Auraria campus master plan. Several of its emphases are complementary with the Downtown Area Plan, including walkability; sustainability; the FasTracks buildout; and the integration of Auraria into Lower Downtown.  Auraria does not have unlimited choices — it is boxed in to its current 126 acres, and higher-ed funding is scarce — but it’s still an ambitious plan that has a lot to offer downtown residents and businesses.

 One issue on the front burner is the creation of public-private development at the northeast end of campus, near Speer and Auraria Parkway. It’s currently occupied by playing fields and parking lots; a few years from now, it might look like this:

If you live or work downtown, it’s worth staying on top of what’s happening at Auraria. Channel 8 recorded the Blueprint Denver meeting; you can view it online.

Here’s some good news you might have missed: According to figures released late last month, crime in District 9 dropped more than 10 percent in the first 11 months of 2007 (compared to the same period in 2006). Crime against persons — ie murder, assault, and robbery — was down nearly 18 percent, while crime against property dropped 8.4 percent.

It’s the second straight year the crime rate dropped, after 5 consecutive years of rising crime. What’s working? For starters, beefed-up staffing on the police force — a change Judy and her Council colleagues engineered in 2004. Then there are initiatives such as the Graffiti Task Force (which Judy co-chairs) and the Public Safety Committee of the Mayor’s Infastructure Priorities Task Force, which led a wide-ranging public campaign focused on crime prevention. Both of these bodies solicited input from neighbors across the city and produced policy recommendations that eventually were enacted into law.

It’s also a fact that crime is down all over — statewide and nationwide rates have dropped along with Denver’s and District 9′s. But public input and legislative action surely have helped. With the whole nation headed to District 9 in a few months for the Democratic National Convention, dropping crime is a trend worth celebrating, whatever the cause.

Yesterday morning Judy joined the Mayor and representatives from the Office of Economic Development and the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless at a big groundbreaking for the Renaissance Riverfront Lofts. This 100-unit development (located in District 9 at 3400 Park Avenue West) is among the first housing developments of its kind anywhere in the nation, being both affordable and green. The two concepts will go hand in hand at Renaissance Riverfront — green technology (including 141 electricity-generating solar panels) will minimize the building’s operating and maintenance costs, with the savings passed on to the rent-paying residents. The building unites two of Mister Mayor’s major initiatives, Denver’s Road Home (the 10-year plan to end homelessness in Denver) and Greenprint Denver (the city’s suite of environmental programs).

About 40 percent of the units will be set aside for people who are transitioning out of homelessness, and on-site support services (health, mental health, employment, etc etc) will be available for those folks.

In her remarks at yesterday’s ceremony, Judy said: “I’m excited to welcome this innovative green housing development to District 9. While there is such a strong need for affordable rental housing throughout Denver, it’s exciting to add an energy- and water-efficient development that has the least impact on our environment.”

Here are a couple of pixs from the ceremony yesterday, click on the thumbnail for a larger view. In the pic on the right, you see Mayor Hick, Judy, and Colorado Coalition for the Homeless director John Parvensky:

Welcome back; happy new year and all that. For those of you who haven’t heard the news yet, Kim Kucera has left the building — her last day at work was January 4. Once again, best wishes to her in her new job, and many thanks for all her years of service to District 9. Judy’s new aide, Teresa Peters, started yesterday; I’ll run a Q+A with her soon so you can all get to know her.

Not a whole lot transpired at last night’s Council meeting, the first of 2008. Tonight’s calendar does hold one event of consequence: The Youth Mentoring Collaborative will hold its first event of National Mentoring Month at the Wynkoop Brewery this evening, beginning at 6 p.m. It’s a get-to-know-you meeting for people who are interested in learning about opportunities to mentor local youth. If you can’t attend (or if you can), mark your calendar for this Saturday, January 12 — the Collaborative will be holding a 90-minute “Mentoring 101″ workshop beginning at 11 a.m. at 444 Sherman Street.