JULY 9, 2024
Mellisa Dickey called the meeting to order at 7:04 p.m.
Secretary’s report. A motion was duly made to approve the minutes of our meeting on April 9, 2024. That motion was seconded and was approved unanimously.
Denver Police Department. Ofcr. Amanda Grodman, our Community Resource Officer, told us that the DPD crime dashboard was available online. That report said that crimes against persons in our neighborhood are low; there was an increase in aggravated assaults from 1 to 2, both domestic-violence related; burglaries stayed steady (2 to 2); crimes involving damage to property went from 1 to 3, mostly motor vehicle-related; thefts from motor vehicles decreased from 4 to 3; and thefts of motor vehicles decreased from 7 to 4. She recommended we all park in a well-lit area.
Ofcr. Gorman told us that we should call (720) 913-2000 if we feel something is suspicious and should call 911 for emergency calls. We can also file an online report or can report crimes in person. The day after our meeting, a Wellness in the Park event would be held in Paco Sanchez Park, with mini-carnival for kids and resources for adults. Neighborhood Watch Training would take place on July 11. The city-wide meeting was scheduled on July 17 with the chief, at Empower Field.
District Attorney’s Office. Tom Walton handed out an e-mail list and explained what the District Attorney does. The Denver DA’s office handles of cases per day, with 114 attorneys to handle serious crime prosecutions. He discussed the kinds of cases the office handles.
Parks and Recreation. Mike Keyser, the district manager from Parks and Recreation, is in charges of 56 parks in this region, including about 400 irrigated acres. He told that if we see an irrigation head that’s broken, we should report it to 311 so that it can be repaired or replaced. We have now a lot of perennials in flower beds in Inspiration Point Park. Safety is the department’s number one priority. Restrooms, he said, are contentious, especially because of vandalism. The City is now concentrating on public usage of parks. Trash removed four times per week in the summer and twice per week in the winter. Irrigation operates on Denver Water standard, three times per week. The Department uses huge amounts of mulch.
We will be getting centralized irrigation in the Park, which will be computer-controlled. The Department also has a contractor for noxious weed control. The flower beds are being converted from annuals to perennials, and the Department plants as many native flowers as they can. Mike discussed the possibility of sidewalks along Sheridan, a new dog park planned for Central Street, and street improvements that are planned along West Colfax.
One of the trash cans, on West 49th, was removed because a lot of personal garbage placed in it. The Department is planning to put in new barrels, which won’t have plastic liners and which can be emptied with much smaller crews. The City also will be encouraging people to pack their trash out. Mike said that Art Zamora asked about signage to pack trash out. Mike said those signs have been not begin approved yet and that the issue is before City Council.
One of weirdest years he’s experienced, with new mayor, with a high level of inflation and with a loss of employees because the City was not paying competitively. Parks and Recreation didn’t know what its budget was until January. John DeLisa said there more than 200 people in the Park to watch fireworks for the 4th of July. He also noticed that the Park’s hours have changed, with the Park closing at 11:30 instead of 8:30. Mike thinks the late hours are mostly because of sports. He thinks the light at the Point is great at deterring crime; the cameras there are remotely monitored.
Councilwoman Amanda Sandoval. Alessandra Dominguez, from Councilwoman Sandoval’s office, provided some updates for us. It is illegal to set off fireworks in Denver; we can call (720) 913-2059 to report illegal fireworks. She discussed the free meals for youth program. Denver Youth Commission has open slots to help develop youth leadership skills. She informed us about upcoming events. The Historic Elitch Theater would have live productions, beginning on August 17. The City Council voted unanimously to allow accessory dwelling units in the Sunnyside and Berkeley neighborhoods. The sidewalk fees got pushed back another six months. There was a discussion about a possible change to vehicle access to the Park.
Katie Terrazas Hoover. Katie discussed the market planned for the Park in September. The event scheduled for September 8 between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. She said she would need volunteers to make it run smoothly. She was planning to have it at the old pavilion and with vendors lined up on the grass next to the sidewalk.
Party in the Park. Melissa discussed the party, planned for August 3. She discussed what help we need and what summarized what the party consists of.
Parks Committee. This was followed by a discussion about a committee dedicated to sustainability of the Park. This could include a Park clean-up. Melissa suggested that Gary Wright might be willing to lead this. Katie said she thought that a clean-up would be a good place to start. Katie also mentioned plans to launch a neighborhood directory, for services such as babysitting, mowing lawns, notaries. The directory will be shared only with people in our neighborhood. She said the directory is already drafted and ready to e-mail out.
Treasurer’s report. Ingrid Stiver reported that we had $3,530.28 in bank. Only 21 active households are members, out of 400 households in the neighborhood. Katie said she’d love to see how we’ve spent money in the past. Ingrid reported that we have gotten $1,500 to $2,000 per year from Councilwoman Sandoval recently. She added that we will need to find other sources of revenue.
Katie Hoover suggested having a winter social get-together at the firefighters’ union hall on the south side of I-70, just north of Lake Rhoda.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:52 p.m.
Sincerely,
Barry Roseman
Secretary