Monthly Archives: January 2010

The Department of Excise and License will begin accepting applications for the newly created Medical Marijuana Dispensary license a week from Monday — that’s Februrary 8.

The licensing process developed by Excise & Licenses implements City Council’s recent approval of regulations governing medical marijuana dispensaries. Council acted as a result of significant growth in the number of dispensaries in Denver over the past year. The ordinance requires license applicants to submit a lease or deed; a description of products and services to be provided; a floor plan, security plan, area map, and zoning permit; a City sales tax license; and a burglar alarm permit with their license application.

Full details of the new licensing process are available at www.denvergov.org/Excise_and_Licenses. The Council ordinance adopting regulations governing dispensaries is also available on the Excise and Licenses website.

You still have plenty of time to apply for a free street tree through the Denver Digs Trees program, but the deadline is on the horizon. Applications must be received by February 15. And the sooner you get your application in, the wider your choice of trees: it’s first come, first served. All varieties are still available, and they include Harvest Gold Linden, Musashino Zelkova, Prospector Elm, State Street Maple, Turkish Filbert, White Oak, Autumn Brilliance Serviceberry, and Indian Magic Crabapple.

The trees aren’t free to all residents, but most of District 9′s residents qualify for a freebie. Residents in Baker, Chaffee Park, Elyria-Swansea, Globeville, Lincoln Park / La Alma, Sunnyside, Sun Valley, Valverde, and Villa Park don’t pay a dime for their trees. Everybody else pays $25, which still makes it a bargain. The program, now in its 19th year, has added about 40,000 trees to the public right of way, typically the space between the sidewalk and the street.

For applications, visit www.theparkpeople.org, or call 303-722-6262. Tree pick-up is April 17.

The Denver Public Library is seeking nominations for its ninth annual Latino Community Service Awards. The Library offers two awards; nominations are being accepted through Friday, February 19.

The Lena L. Archuleta Community Service Award honors a Coloradan of Latino descent who has made an impact on the cultural life of the community through his or her involvement with the Denver Public Library or another civic institution. Members of the general community, including those affiliated with the Library, may be considered for the award.

The Cesar Chavez Latino Leadership Hall of Fame Award celebrates the achievements of two individuals (one male, one female) who have made major contributions in a particular field that positively impacted Denver ’s Latino community. Past winners have included U.S. Senator Ken Salazar, former councilwoman Rosemary Rodriguez, the Reverend Lucia Guzman, and Mayor Federico Pena.

Nominations can be e-mailed to Consuelo Cosio, public relations coordinator, ccosio@denverlibrary.org.

This Friday, January 29, the Denver Office of Cultural Affairs will hosting a day of free workshops and discussion groups about public art commissions. Last year’s event attracted over 200 regional artists, and a larger crowd is expected this year. The event has therefore been expanded to include 19 workshops for emerging and midcareer artists, covering public art commissions, grant writing, legal and copyright issues, and more. The full workshop schedule is posted at www.denvergov.org/publicart.

Once again, this event is entirely free. It runs from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Webb Building, 201 W. Colfax Ave., on the 4th Floor. You can RSVP to public.art@denvergov.org.

The US Census Bureau is recruiting temporary, part-time census takers for the 2010 Census. These short-term jobs offer good pay, flexible hours, paid training and reimbursement for work-related expenses, such as mileage incurred while conducting census work. Census taker jobs are excellent for people who want to work part-time, those who are between jobs, or just about anyone who wants to earn extra money.

Bilingual speakers are encouraged to apply. All census takers must be able to speak English, but people who have bilingual skills are needed in communities where a large number of residents primarily speak other languages. An assessment is required for all interested applicants and may be given in Spanish if necessary.

Most positions require a valid driver’s license and use of a vehicle. For more information call the local census office at 303-226-8620 and talk to Juana or Martina, or visit www.2010censusjobs.gov for more information and a practice test.

The “Your Hub” section of today’s Denver Post has the low-down on the Dog Park Master Plan:

Denver Parks and Recreation is proposing off-leash dog hours at City Park and up to two more dog park locations at Cook and Vanderbilt parks.

The draft Dog Park Master Plan was released last week in response to complaints that more enforcement is needed to keep dogs on leashes at parks, and in turn, dog owners who are being ticketed complaining there aren’t enough places to let Fido run.

The first fine for letting a dog off-leash at Denver parks is $80. The fine is enforced as a safety measure; however, a strapped-for-cash city has had to lay off enforcement officers.

In an attempt to generate more revenue to hire more enforcement officers, Parks and Rec is proposing that dogs wear a recognizable tag proving vaccination and licensing at all dog parks and during off-leash hours at City Park, said David Marquardt, Dog Park Master Plan senior planner.

You can learn more about the plan here. If you’re interested in this issue, circle January 30 on your calendar — Parks and Rec will present its draft recommendations (available online here) that day and take questions and comments from the public. The January 30 meeting takes place at Cook Park, 7100 Cherry Creek Drive South, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.

At some point today, the fourth draft of the New Zoning Code will be posted at www.newcodedenver.org. You’ll have a month to read the code and submit comments via the web, e-mail, or snail mail. This is the final draft in the planning process before the zoning code enters the legislative process, and therefore your last, best chance to shape the document that is presented to legislators.

During the comment period, there will be two more “listening sessions” at which Denver Planning staff field questions and take comments from residents and businesses. Those sessions are scheduled for February 9 and 11; more details as those dates approach. The final step in the pre-Council phase occurs on February 17, when the Denver Planning Board holds a public hearing and then hands the document off to City Council.

As always, Judy wants to hear from you about the New Code. She has relied on District 9ers throughout this process to alert her to problems / concerns / strengths of the Code. Once the fourth draft is posted, please look it over and drop Judy a line with your feedback.

Tomorrow night at 6 p.m., the Ballpark Neighborhood Association is holding a “security summit” at Coors Field. It’s a chance to meet other folks who live and/or do business in the neighborhood, while discussing issues related to development and safety. The agenda includes subjects such as medical marijuana clinics, homeless shelters, crime and safety, and public space accountability.

The Denver Police will have representatives on hand, and you don’t have to be a Ballpark Neighborhood Association member to attend; all are welcome. The meeting gets underway at 6 p.m. at Coors Field; enter through Gate C (21st and Blake) and head up to the RocHenge Suite.

Election time again already? Believe it or not, we’ve entered another cycle. The two major parties will hold precinct caucuses in about two months (March 16), beginning the process of building up the ballots for the primaries this summer. To participate in the caucuses, voters must be registered as either a Democrat or a Republican; the deadline to affiliate with one party or the other is next Tuesday, January 19.

Under Colorado law, in order to vote in a precinct caucus, you must be a resident of your precinct for 30 days prior to the caucus, registered to vote, and affiliated with either the Democratic or Republican party for at least two months prior to the caucus.

To affiliate with the Democratic or Republican party, update your address, or initiate a new voter registration, you may visit www.denvervotes.org and click on the “voter registration” link to download a form. You can also come in person to the Denver Elections Division at 3888 E. Mexico Ave.

Additional information about precinct caucuses and links to Denver County political party websites may be found at www.denvervotes.org by clicking on the “For Voters” link and then on “Precinct Caucuses.”

Tonight from 5:30 to 8 p.m., Denver Transit partners will hold a contracting session to share information about the scope of the EAGLE P3 Project. The session will address details of the procurement/selection process, including timetables and deadlines. Consultants and contractors will be needed to support design, construction, operations, and maintenance activities for the project, which is a public-private partnership on three elements of FasTracks: the Gold Line, East Corridor, and the Commuter Rail Maintenance Facility (CRMF).

See this link for more information on the P3 project.

The session takes place at the Renaissance Denver hotel, 3801 Quebec Street.