Two bills were introduced ursday by Democratic state legislators intended to protect renters from increasing or excessive costs.
e rst bill would prohibit rental building owners from using algorithms to set leasing prices, which critics say leads to illegal collaboration.
e bill prohibiting the use of algorithms to set prices followsa move by Colorado and other states to le an antitrust lawsuit against the company RealPage, claiming that six of the nation’s largest landlords are “participating in algorithmic pricing schemes that harmed renters,” according to a statement by Attorney General Phil Weiser.
Bill sponsor state Sen. Julie Gonzales, who represents the north and west portions of Denver, said many changes are happening in the information technology world, but Colorado needs to prevent landlords from potentially colluding to set leasing prices.
the multifamily housing indus-
Hamrick said his association is not opposed to requiring transparency for certain prices, but he said if the bill requires landlords to assess general operations fees as part of the overall rent, like the price of utilities, that could cause an undue burden for landlords.
He said the requirement for advertisements would also be burdensome.
kets because they’ve got the ability to arti cially in ate prices,” Hamrick said. “It’s price xing, and that’s been prohibited for the last 120 years in the United States for good reason.”
But Hamrick also said landlords shouldn’t just guess their rental prices, and using market information is something that’s bene cial to the market and economy.
“ e White House released a report last month that demonstrated that Colorado renters in the Denver market, particularly, were being charged an additional $70 per month,” Gonzales said during a press conference at the Capitol. “As a result of these algorithms, renters took on the second-highest extra cost each month of RealPage’s algorithm, an average of $136. at is not OK, and that’s why we’re bringing this forward.”
e second bill, introduced by state Rep. Emily Sirota, who represents a corner of southeast Denver, would require the disclosure of certain fees for products as well as rent prices and prohibit landlords from assessing certain fees, often called “junk fees.”
“Too many Coloradans are
BY MELANIE ASMAR CHALKBEAT
A group of parentssuing Denver Public Schools over a decision to close or partially close 10 schoolshas asked a judge to stop the closures and order that the schools stay open.
Mamás de DPS LLC led a motion recently in Denver District Court for a preliminary injunction that would keep the closing schools open for the 2025-26 school year.
e proposed injunction also asked that Denver stu-
blindsided by these junk fees and only nd out about these mandatory fees when they’re checking out online or paying their rst rental payment,” Sirota said.
e bill would prohibit pricing information for a good or service of a property being o ered, displayed or advertised unless the total price is disclosed, with the exception of a government or shipping charge. It would also prohibit “misrepresentation” of pricing information and would prohibit a landlord for requiring a tenant to pay certain fees, charges or amounts.
State Rep. Naquetta Ricks of Aurora, a sponsor of the “junk fees” bill, said a recent complaint stated tenants at one Denver property faced $619 in undisclosed monthly and one-time fees over the course of a year. “ ose junk fees mislead con-
sumers about the true price of a good service or property, preventing them from accurately comparing prices when shopping around, something that most Coloradans do to responsibly budget the expenses with the rising cost of living by concealing the true price,” she said.
On Jan. 15, the Federal Trade Commission sent a letter to Colorado Gov. Jared Polis to provide information about the e orts they have made to address junk fees and called for stronger legislation to prohibit them.
Drew Hamrick is the senior vice president of government a airs Apartment Association of Metro Denver (AAMD) under the Colorado Apartment Association. e association is a nonpro t trade association that represents building owners, developers, management companies and vendors of
dent to attend a di erent school next year. A presentationsaid that 1,137 of DPS’ approximately 90,000 students will be impacted by the closures.
dents be allowed to apply to attend the schools slated for closure during DPS’ annual school choice process. at process, which is key to assigning students to schools, began Jan. 15 and ends Feb. 18.
DPS spokesperson Bill Good said DPS does not comment on pending litigation.
At a recent Denver school board meeting, a district enrollment o cial said 40% of the families impacted by the impending school closures have already submitted a school choice application for their stu-
In November, Superintendent Alex Marrero recommended closing or partially closing the 10 schools to address declining enrollment. e school boardvoted unanimously to approve his recommendationthat same month. Mamás de DPS is suing Marrero, all seven board members, and a consultant hired to advise the board on its school closure policy.
Seven Denver schools are set to close at the end of this school year: Castro Elementary, Columbian Elementary, Denver School of Innovation and Sustainable Design, International Academy of Denver at Harrington, Palmer Elementary, Schmitt Elementary and West Middle.
“If you’re going to talk about price, you have to talk about total price, because we have tons of advertisements, as you might imagine,” Hamrick said. “A room for rent would be a perfect example where nobody talks about price, and having a requirement that you put any price regardless how it’s calculated in those communications doesn’t make sense. But it then goes on to prohibit a number of fees for the housing industry that I think most people would agree are reasonable fees.”
“The White House released a report last month that demonstrated that Colorado renters in the Denver market, particularly, were being charged an additional $70 per month.”
As for the bill regarding using algorithms, Hamrick said existing antitrust laws should weed out any violators.
Bill sponsor state Sen. Julie Gonzales
“If two competitors that have a big enough market share to be able to a ect the market start to communicate about what they want their future prices to be, that’s a problem, both legally under existing law and for free mar-
ree more schools will partially close. Kunsmiller Creative Arts Academy will lose its elementary school grades, Dora Moore ECE-8 School will lose its middle school grades, and Denver Center for International Studies will lose its high school grades.
In its lawsuit led last month, Mamás de DPS alleged district leaders had an “ulterior motive” for the school closures “of converting public resources to the private market.” e group accused DPS of not being transparent about its enrollment and said its claims about underutilized school buildings were dubious. e lawsuit also said it’s unclear how the reported $6.6 million in savings DPS will achieve from closing the 10 schools will x any nancial problems.
e motion for the preliminary
“All that’s true and certainly prohibiting price collusion using these types of programs is perfectly appropriate, but we have to be really careful about what we de ne as information that can’t be communicated because housing providers accurately knowing what the market is and raising or lowering their price accordingly is a good thing for the economy,” he said. Hamrick’s comments regarding the bills were made during an online meeting with reporters regarding the association’s fourth-quarter 2024 apartment vacancy and rent report, which found the Denver Metro Area saw a “record” $69 decrease in the average rent from the previous quarter.
For the year, AAMD stated the average rent in the metro area fell by 1.5% from the previous year, even as in ation spurred rising costs across other sectors of the economy.
injunction made similar claims.
“All the evidence supports that the closures will cause individual, familial, and community harm, and that stopping the closures will prevent that harm,” it said. “On the other hand, DPS’ only purported interest in closing schools is a $6.6 million cost savings, which amounts to approximately 0.4 percent of DPS’ total annual budget.”
“DPS simply cannot justify ramming through the closures while this litigation — which alleges serious and widespread nancial mismanagement and a starkly inequitable public school system — remains pending,” the motion for the preliminary junction read.
is story was printed through a news sharing agreement with Chalkbeat Colorado, a nonpro t news site covering educational change in public schools.
State Sen. Julie Gonzales, D-Denver, speaks to reporters Jan. 23 in the Colorado State Capitol about bills she and her party filed to protect renters and consumers from increasing or excessive fees. PHOTO BY ERIC HEINZ
BY LONDON LYLE SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
After winning a vacancy committee vote, Matt Ball has replaced state Sen. Chris Hansen in the Colorado Senate. Ball, who worked as Denver Mayor Mike Johnston’s policy director, represents Senate District 31.
An army veteran, Ball said his background in uences his approach to politics in a unique way.
“My military service colors how I see everything, not just policymaking,” he said. “ e impact of a policy can vary widely depending on who is implementing it and who is in leadership to execute what’s written down. It’s very important to think about how a policy will be implemented and who will be responsible for carrying it out. My experience in the army was at a tactical and operational level, where we were carrying out missions and orders we didn’t devise. at experience has given me a bottom-up perspective on policy.”
When addressing the state budget decit, Ball stressed the focus will be on deciding what not to cut rather than what to cut.
“ ere will be very di cult decisions to make about how much we cut things that we really shouldn’t cut at all,” he said. “My priority is to protect things like education and PERA, not to lose any of the progress we’ve made with the budget stabilization factor in education, and not digging ourselves further in a hole in terms of the state’s contributions to PERA.” He also said this scal environment presents an opportunity to have a broader conversation about TABOR and whether the current system provides enough exibility. When it comes to building trust with his constituents, who didn’t have the chance to “vote him in” this time around, Ball said he plans to engage with the commu-
candidate, so none of the fundraising restrictions applied. A vacancy committee candidate could take a million dollars, buy every precinct organizer a car, and not tell anybody. at’s a loophole we could close to build more public trust in
“My priority is to protect things like education and PERA, not to lose any of the progress we’ve made with the budget stabilization factor in education, and not digging ourselves further in a hole in terms of the state’s contributions to PERA.”
nity and demonstrate his work as a senator. A Capital Hill resident and father to three, he takes a down-to-earth approach to legislating. He also noted the size and diversity of his district, which ranges from downtown Denver to the border with Aurora, and said he intends to be accessible to constituents. He also expressed interest in reforming the vacancy committee. “Having just gone through a vacancy committee, there are things that I think we should take a look at,” he said. “For example, under Colorado law, I was not technically a
for a little under two years,” he said. “I’ve seen state laws that make great headlines but don’t do much when implemented, and I’ve seen state laws that work. My knowledge of municipal government and my understanding of how things are actually implemented will be an enormous asset in the legislature.” Mental health will also be a priority for Ball. Colorado ranks 46th in overall mental health rankings, according to Mental Health America, down from 30th in 2023. Ball stressed that Colorado only has two
state-run psychiatric hospitals, one in Pueblo and one in Fort Logan, which is inadequate when compared to states with similar populations. Maryland, for example, has ve. “ e sad truth is that when you see someone in crisis who really needs help, if there are no beds, there are no beds,” Ball said. “We need the state to step in and help solve this.” He said that while this legislative session will be di cult due to nancial constraints, he is working with groups to explore ways to improve the delivery of mental health services.
Matt Ball
Ball said his military experience has given him a perspective focused on those most impacted by policy.
“ e biggest thing my army experience has given me is an appreciation for the people on the ground and the people doing the work,” he said. “I’ve always been drawn to groups that don’t have a lobbying group or trade association to advocate for them. I think a lot of that comes from my Army experience.”
Denver Director of Policy Matt Ball, center, speaks to members of the Senate District 31 vacancy committee on Jan. 7 at the Christ Church United Methodist in Denver, Colorado.
PHOTO BY JESSE PAUL FOR THE COLORADO SUN
The Althea Center for Engaged Spirituality has served the Capitol Hill neighborhood for more than 100 years. Story on Page 10. COURTESY OF THE ALTHEA CENTER FOR ENGAGED SPIRITUALITY
BY MERYL PHAIR SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
roughout the Denver metro area, edible gardens are popping up in unused lots.
ese gardens have trees planted in 8-foot-wide sunken basins lled with mulch with divots acting as sponges to gather rainwater and retain moisture. Small berry bushes and nut shrubs are planted near the trees with bigger bushes lling out the areas between the basins.
e growing network of green oases is part of Denver Urban Gardens (DUG)’s Etkin Family Foundation Food Forest Program, an initiative that has expanded to 24 planting sites. is harvest season, the neighborhood forests will supply the immediate community with an assortment of fresh produce, such as apples, cherries, peaches, gooseberries, hazelnuts and pears.
Niki Barouxis, DUG’s food forest manager, said the initiative came out of the need for more public access green spaces across the city. Unlike DUG’s
community garden program that focuses on individual garden plots and annual plantings, the food forests are gardens of perennials, those that stay alive year round and grow year to year.
trees, nut shrubs and berry bushes for anyone who wants to stop by for fresh produce. Each of the gardens across the metro area has signage that indicates what is in each garden and when
FOOD FORESTS INFO
Several food forest sites are in need of Tree Keepers. Community members can find out more about their local sites through DUG’s Food Forest Directory.
A Fruit Tree Pruning Workshop will be held at 10 a.m. March 1 at Barnum Community Orchard and Food Forest at 140 Lowell Blvd. More information about the food forest program can be found on the Etkin Family Foundation Food Forest Program website.
produce should be harvested. Having started in 2022, the sites are still young and this summer will be the rst year to bear fruit for the public, Barouxis said.
“Right now, the sites are being babied and getting ready for public harvest,” Barouxis said. “We do have some existing sites where we added more perennials to make it into a food forest such as Barnum Community Orchard, which had mature fruit trees already there.”
By increasing green space throughout the city, the growing canopy has important environmental bene ts such as keeping neighborhoods cool by providing shade that lessens the “urban heat island e ect” and activating unused plots of land. rough diverse plantings that mimic a forest, the sites also increase biodiversity and provide habitat for wildlife.
NEW YEAR, NEW PLAYS
The Su ragette’s Murder By Sandy Rustin
Directed by Margot Bordelon
A gooseberry bush in one of Denver’s food forests produces its first crop. COURTESY OF DUG
PRODUCE
Barouxis said DUG looks for several factors that indicate an ideal food forest site such as a slope on which fruit trees do particularly well and access to water. ey typically look for sites near existing DUG gardens while schools and churches are good community partners for land use. One of the food forests was even planted on top of a land ll.
“Land ll sites are great places for fruit trees because if there is an uptake of any toxic materials, it stays within the woody parts of the plant and doesn’t get to the fruit so they’re great for remediation,” Barouxis said. is year is also the rst DUG has an application for community members to submit propos-
als for food forest sites. at application will be open from June through August, and Barouxis said DUG currently has the management capacity to open four to six new sites a year. Ideally, these sites will be turned over to “tree keepers” who will steward the neighborhood forests.
Tree keepers can apply for DUG’s food forest training, a program that accepts applications on a rolling basis throughout the year. Training will include basic stewardship such as pest and weed control, watering and pruning. ese dedicated volunteers will also have access to ongoing educational workshops and resources such as DUG’s all-encompassing food forest guidebook. No prior experience is required and community members can also volunteer their time working at these sites without being a trained tree keeper.
e garden stewards are also encouraged to grow what might work best for their unique neighborhood needs, such as corn and squash or even owers, but DUG requires noti cation if they will be planting trees.
Barouxis explained most trees are not native to Denver and so trees are selected for their ability to thrive in an urban environment, speci cally those that are disease-tolerant and do well in an arid climate.
“We have experimented a little bit with di erent trees,” Barouxis said. “In 2023 we tried a hybrid persimmon, which is a fusion between a native and an Asian persimmon, and last year we planted some pawpaws.”
Food forests are an ancient form of land stewardship, around for much longer than Denver was a city. Interest in these community-centric food access projects has popped up
in other metro areas such as the Beacon Food Forest in Seattle and the Festival Beach Food Forest in Austin, Texas. DUG is also connected to Giving Grove, a network of community orchards across the country.
“ e unique thing about our program is we’re speci cally do-
ing food forests, which include more diverse plantings rather than an orchard where it’s just fruit trees,” Barouxis said. “Many of these sites are standalone, whereas we’re expanding these all over the city. Our vision is to have one in every neighborhood.”
Local volunteers held support during a food forest planting day despite the snow.
Creighton Hofeditz with Denver Urban Gardens shows volunteers how to plant root trees.
Flowers bloom at one of the many community gardens run by DUG across Denver.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF DUG
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The importance of sleep for women
Sleeping is one of the most important parts of the day for our bodies. It allows us to rest and recharge our bodies. Not getting enough sleep can throw o the entire day.
Studies show that women need more sleep than men on average and su er the consequences of less sleep more than men do. A 2008 study from Duke University found women who reported unhealthy sleep patterns had more psychological distress than men from the same study. ese women were at a higher risk for illnesses like heart disease, depression, type-2 diabetes and mood disorders. Less sleep can have a similar impact on your brain as having a high blood alcohol content. Lack of coordination, impaired judgment, higher stress levels, mood swings and being
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more prone to accidents are all possible e ects of a lack of sleep. Your physical health can take a hit too, with some e ects being decreased hearing, feeling hungrier and fatigued. Due to the decrease of estrogen and progesterone, women over the age of 50 may have a higher chance of developing sleep disorders.
Low estrogen levels can impact how quickly a woman falls asleep and can disrupt sleep by waking up multiple times a night. Low progesterone can cause irritability and di culty relaxing. Younger women aren’t immune to sleep
issues. eir hormones uctuate with their menstrual cycle, pregnancy and lactation periods. ey can develop restless leg syndrome, cramping that interrupts sleep and insomnia, which is more common in women than men, according to Yale Medicine.
Insomnia can be caused by hormonal changes, but stress and life circumstances can contribute as well. Sleep deprivation can a ect your performance at work with di culty concentrating, memory impairment and increased risk of accidents. at’s why it’s important to establish healthy sleep practices.
Some tips for better sleep habits include:
• Establish a consistent sleep schedule by going to bed and getting up at the same time daily
• Try soothing activities to add
to your bedtime routine
• Do not work in bed Keep yourself active during the day
• Let your brain take a break. Don’t use phones or blue light devices at least one-hour before bed Make sure you’re getting outside, as vitamin D impacts the quality of your sleep
• Limit nap time during the day to ensure you can sleep well at night
Sleep is important for everyone, but especially for women. It’s essential that you try to maintain a healthy sleep schedule, not just so you don’t feel tired the next day, but also for your long-term health.
Dr. Terry Dunn is the owner of Foothills Urogynecology, a Denver-based practice specializing in women’s health. To learn more, visit www.urogyns.com.
Finding fun things to do indoors with the kids during
cold, winter months in Colorado
When the winter months roll in and the days grow shorter, nding ways to keep the family entertained can feel like an adventure in itself. How do you ll those chilly days, especially when the weather isn’t ideal for outdoor play? With a mix of creativity and planning, winter can become a season of fun and connection. Here are some ideas to beat boredom and create memories that go beyond holiday gifts.
Indoor Activities: Creativity and Comfort
When the weather outside is frightful, staying inside can be delightful—if you’ve got the right activities up your sleeve. Here are some boredom-busting ideas to make the most of cozy days indoors.
1. Indoor Scavenger Hunt
Turn your house into a treasure trove with a scavenger hunt. You can make it winter-themed by asking for items like “something sparkly” or “a snow ake design,” or just use everyday objects. Hide small prizes or clues around the house and let the kids race to nd them. For older kids, add riddles or puzzles to give it a twist. It’s fun, it’s active and it buys you at least 20 minutes of quiet.
2. DIY Craft Stations
Unleash their creativity with DIY craft stations. ink paper snow akes, marshmallow igloos, or glitter-covered snow globes. Set out supplies like construction paper, scissors, glue, and markers, and let the kids dive in. Sure, there will be glitter everywhere, but at least they’re occupied. Bonus: these crafts double as seasonal decor!
3. Build a Fort & Reada- on
Fresh
Air
(and o their screens).
1. Family Game Night
Transform your living room into a magical fort using blankets, pillows, and chairs.
Once it’s built, snuggle up inside with some winterthemed books or host a family read-a-thon. For younger kids, play an audiobook while they lounge with hot cocoa in hand. It’s cozy, relaxing, and requires minimal cleanup… unless the fort collapses mid-snuggle.
4. Indoor Obstacle Course
Who says the playground has to stay outside? Set up an indoor obstacle course using cushions, chairs, and whatever else you have lying around. Create tunnels, balance beams, and hurdles. Time each kid to see who’s fastest or just cheer them on as they navigate the course. It’s like recess, but with less windburn.
5. Baking Together
Kids love anything hands-on, and baking is the perfect mix of creativity and snacks. Whether you’re making cookies, cupcakes, or bread, let them measure, stir, and decorate. Use fun cookie cutters shaped like snow akes or mittens and let them go wild with icing. Sure, your kitchen might look like a our bomb went o , but the smell of fresh cookies makes it all worthwhile.
Outdoor Activities: Adventure
Even on the coldest days, getting outside is a great way to burn o energy and enjoy the beauty of winter. Here are some ways to make the most of snowy (or notso-snowy) days.
1. Snow Play and Snow Forts
If snow is in the forecast, you’ve got a built-in activity. Building snowmen and snow forts never gets old. Hand over some scarves, carrots, and hats to personalize their creations. Feeling competitive? Host a family snowball target practice session by setting up buckets or targets to hit. Just make sure no one gets hit in the face—it’s all fun and games until someone cries frozen tears.
2. Ice Skating or Sledding
Nothing screams winter fun like a trip to an ice rink or a sledding hill. Whether it’s their rst time skating or they’re already gliding like pros, kids will love the excitement of the rink. For sledding, all you need is a good hill and a sturdy sled. Just remember to bring extra gloves because someone’s hands always get wet.
3. Winter Nature Walk
Bundl e up and head out for a winter-themed nature walk. Challenge your kids to nd pinecones, animal tracks, or frosty leaves along the way. e fresh air will do everyone good, and you’ll probably sleep better that night— if not from the walk, then from chasing a kid who insists they’re warm enough without a coat.
Games & Together Time
Winter break is prime time to bring out the board games and puzzles. ey’re great for keeping the whole family entertained
Designate an evening for family game night. Classics like Uno, Monopoly, or Clue are always hits, but you can also try trivia or cooperative games for a change of pace. One cautionary note: Monopoly has been known to destroy sibling alliances and test even the strongest family bonds. Play at your own risk.
2. Puzzle Time
Working on a puzzle together can be surprisingly therapeutic. Choose a winter-themed one and spend a few days piecing it together as a family. It’s lowpressure, requires teamwork, and pairs perfectly with mugs of hot cocoa. Plus, if you’re lucky, the kids might get so into it they’ll stop arguing over who gets the last marshmallow.
Finding the Balance
Winter doesn’t have to mean cabin fever! By mixing creative indoor projects, outdoor adventures, and quality family time, you can make the most of the season. e key is nding a balance between high-energy activities and moments of relaxation. Whether you’re sledding down hills or reading stories in a blanket fort, the memories you’re creating will warm everyone’s hearts—even when the thermostat says otherwise.
Megan Trask and Cody Galloway are Denver residents and cofounders ofTULA Life Balanced. Learn more about their business at tulabalanced.com.
Megan Trask and Cody Galloway
WOMEN’S WELLNESS
Dr. Terry Dunn
Fun characters make ‘Ayesha at Last’ a blast
It’s February, Valentine’s Day is around the corner and love is in the air.
For a fun read with some interesting social commentary, try the wonderful “Ayesha at Last” by Uzma Jalaluddin.
Jalaluddin has creatively transported “Pride and Prejudice” to a modern day Muslim community in Toronto, where free-spirited Ayesha and conservative Khalid meet, annoy each other, and yet somehow nd themselves continually thrown together. Fabu-
CHECK IT OUT
Janet Quinn
lous characters, great dialogue and a sweet romance with a lot of depth made this one of my favorite books of 2019. When I read it again recently, I was still laughing out loud.
Ayesha is succeeding in her job as a substitute teacher, but longs to become a working poet. She lives with her supportive family, including her mother, brother and her wonderful, wise, and somewhat mischievous grandparents Nana and Nani.
Ayesha also has what amounts to another family that includes her aunt, uncle and cousins. Her ighty cousin Hafsa is participating in an arranged marriage process, which a ects everyone in the extended family in di erent ways.
Khalid, on the other hand, lacks this kind of family support. He lives with his awful mother, Farzana, and his father has recently died. Farzana is extremely conservative and wants an arranged marriage for Khalid. Khalid’s beloved sister, Zareena, is mysteriously absent after being sent away for not acting as a
“Un Amazed” Start at the “S.” There are two endings at W1 and W2. Inspired by the leadership of America.
proper Muslim girl should, at least in Farzana’s opinion.
Ayesha is generally a tolerant person, but Khalid brings out the worst in her, so when she hears gossip about Khalid and his family, she judges him harshly. ough Khalid is a kind person and means well, his sti manner and lack of a conversational lter
often land him in trouble. He offends Ayesha at their rst meeting by voicing his unfounded assumptions about her. However, they are destined to keep meeting, and despite many hurdles, disagreements and misunderstandings, fall in love at last.
One of the things I like the most about this book is that al-
though the romance between Ayesha and Khalid is at the center, it has many other storylines that add richness and fullness to the plot. In other words, love and romance are important, but so is friendship, family, tolerance and acting with integrity.
BY THOMAS GOUNLEY BUSINESSDEN
ose that live or own property along Broadway in central Denver could be asked whether to impose an additional tax on themselves this coming November. at’s the target date for a vote on whether to establish a “general improvement district” for the stretch of the road between 6th Avenue and Interstate 25. e proposed district, for which some business and property owners are advocating for, would use the funds to provide additional services in three main categories: security, maintenance and marketing.
e mill levy — at one point oated to be set at 21, or $21 per $1,000 of assessed property value — is now expected to fall somewhere in the eight to nine range.
Luke Johnson, founder of Luke & Company Fine Pet Supply at 530 Broadway, said the idea for the district grew out of discussions in the Broadway Merchants Association, a group of business owners along the corridor that helps put on events such as the annual Halloween parade.
“People constantly complained … What are we doing to keep the streets cleaner and safer?” Johnson said.
e answer was not much, because the association was funded only by optional donations from active members. It didn’t have the steady stream of dollars necessary to enter into contract with, say, a private security rm.
e situation along Broadway, which is
not far from downtown and has long had a homeless presence, got rougher coming out of the pandemic, Johnson said.
“It’s de nitely largely COVID-triggered,” he said. “I think Broadway’s always been an eclectic mix of people, but it’s gotten worse after COVID.”
For a while, Johnson and other proponents pursued a “business improvement district,” or BID, which if enacted would have taxed owners of commercial properties within the designated area. ey submitted an application to establish the district to the city last year, requesting the aforementioned mill levy of 21.
But the group, with the aid of Denverbased consultant Jamie Giellis, recently made two major changes. First, they dropped the proposed mill levy, which Giellis — who has helped establish tax districts both in Denver and elsewhere — called “extremely high.”
“ e ve-to-10 range is always where I start,” she said.
Second, the group changed its request for a BID to a request for a GID. Under the latter, owners of residential property are also assessed the additional taxes.
Historically, the stretch of Broadway has been home to smaller buildings consisting largely of retail or restaurant space. Giellis said the change to a GID re ects the fact that Broadway is seeing “a trend toward higher-density development with mixed-uses” when it comes to new development — i.e., bigger projects that often include lots of apartments and some retail space.
ose residents will bene t from the services the district provides, Giellis said, so it’s reasonable for them to help pay for it.
“Safety is clearly the highest priority we’ve heard from everybody,” she said.
e proposed GID is still early in the process, so some numbers are still being crunched. But Giellis said the new proposed mill levy could translate to about $1.3 million coming in the rst year.
at’s in line witha new GID in Denver’s Ballpark neighborhood, which voters there approved this past November. It, too, was born largely out of a desire to improve safety.
Also like Ballpark, the Broadway GID would replace three existing “local maintenance districts” that provide some services to parts of the 6th-to-I-25 stretch.
Johnson started his pet shop in 2016. It’s always been on Broadway. In December 2023, he moved to his current location, a barn-shaped building that he developed himself. He said he expects to pay about $45,000 in annual property taxes when Denver’s assessor values his property this coming cycle.
In his case, a mill around nine would add another $4,000 in taxes that would go to the proposed GID, Johnson said.
Not everyone is on board. One block to the south of Johnson’s business is Metropolitan Framing, which o ers custom framing and art restoration services. Andrew Stemple founded the business in 1990 and moved to 424 N. Broadway in 2012.
Stemple has been active in the Broad-
way Merchants Association and was initially part of discussions to form a special district. But he stepped away when, prior to Giellis’ involvement, the proposed mill levy seemed to creep up and up.
“ ose early meetings started at eight mills, then up to 12, to 17, then after I left it got up to 21. at equates, for me, to $8,500 a year,” Stemple said.
Even with the mill levy dropping to eight or nine, Stemple said he’ll still be a no vote. It’ll increase rents along the street, he noted — most commercial leases have tenants paying a landlord’s taxes — which could make it harder to ll vacancies.
“We need to get further into the new administration’s economy; if it weakens, the BID tax could devastate small businesses and property owners, if it gets stronger the spaces should ll up organically,” said Stemple, speaking before learning of the change from a BID to a GID.
Stemple also said his stretch of Broadway doesn’t really need the help.
“If you go to 2nd Avenue and go south, I think they need all the help they can get,” he said. “ ey need 80 percent of the services. And that’s where the model’s broken.”
Stemple said it’s also somewhat disappointing to need to set up a special district to pay for security when Denver residents and businesses are already paying taxes to fund a police department.
“My perspective on the security is they can’t do anything,” he said. “ ey can have a presence.”
SEE BROADWAY, P9
BY ERNEST GURULÉ SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
ere will be no additional sanctioned needle exchange sites in Denver, despite a Denver City Council vote to expand that number.
Denver Mayor Mike Johnston made sure of that by announcing a veto of the council vote just a day after the mid-January vote passed. He called it “the wrong solution at the wrong time.”
ere are currently three citysanctioned needle exchange sites in Denver and, for now, that
number will remain unchanged. Each site also o ers information about drug treatment options as well as mental health information. Drugs are not available at the locations and no drugs are used or available on site.
At the January meeting, the city council voted 8-5 on an ordinance that would have allowed an increase in the number of locations where used needles could be turned in and where clean needles could be obtained.
Wording in the proposed new ordinance would have allowed new sites in areas zoned for
Johnson acknowledged that it seems cities are “turning into quilts of improvement districts of some type.” But he believes Mayor Mike Johnston is working to improve things, and that others need to take steps too.
“ ere is a sense of duty,” he said. “We can improve our community. We just have to gure out the way to do it “We can’t solve homelessness in Denver on Broadway. And we know that.”
Giellis said the reality is, both in Denver
medical o ces. e new law also erased a provision establishing a 1,000-foot bu er between each site and schools or day care centers.
“I could not support it,” District 7 Councilwoman Flor Alvidrez said. e ordinance, she said, “removes the cap on the number of needle exchanges without tying it to any demonstrable need.”
Alvidrez said it also eliminates safe zones for day care facilities and schools. She said she would not risk children’s safety.
and elsewhere, the police departments are struggling with sta ng and thus focused on responding to crimes.
“ at’s a very di erent thing from taking a proactive approach to preventing crime on your street,” she said.
A key next step for the GID e ort will be collecting signatures. It’ll need at least 200 from potential voters within the district.
e Denver City Council would then need to vote to put the question on the November ballot.
e ballot question would be put to those who own commercial or residential property within the district’s boundaries, as well as registered voters who live in the district but rent their unit.
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e district would include most properties on both sides of Broadway within the stretch, although it would not include Broadway Park at the corner of Broadway and Alameda, which already has services through a metro district. e boundaries also include properties on the west side of Lincoln Street.
e stretch has gotten attention in recent months as a handful of well-known tenants have left, including the bookstore Mutiny Information Cafe. Johnson said there’s “a lot of factors” that have contributed to that, and that the stretch has rents remaining relatively a ordable compared to other parts of the city.
e stretch, he said, stands out because
it is largely home to small, independent businesses, not chains.
“ e vast majority of people, including myself, couldn’t a ord to do it in Cherry Creek North. Probably couldn’t do it in RiNo … ere’s a lot of beauty in that too.”
Special tax districts in other neighborhoods have faced some pushback in recent months.
In RiNo, where city leaders willsoon vote on whether to renew the BID for another 10 years, some property ownerswant to see it scrapped completely, and others want the mill levy of four cut in half.
Further east, a strip mall owner attempted in December to exit the Colfax Mayfair BID. But the City Council rejected the request.
Used needle disposal inside the Harm Reduction Action Center, Aug. 30, 2017.
PHOTO BY KEVIN J. BEATY/DENVERITE
In 1889, Nona Brooks became the very rst female minister in Denver. She led her congregation in the Divine Science Church as they wrestled with agging con dence in the United States government, fears of moral and political corruption, strained race and gender relations, economic inequality and labor unrest. She guided them to let go of their fear and anger to make space for hope
and gratitude to invite more blessings into their lives.
“If you read some of her old writings, she was dealing with things in the world as a woman — she had death threats, her sister had death threats — so they had to live in the present moment, not in fear, but they lived in the present moment,” the Althea Center for Engaged Spirituality’s Rev. Christina Jones said.
For more than a century, the Althea Center’s leaders and members have drawn on Brooks’s teachings about metaphysical spirituality to bring unity, hope and prosperity to the community. e building at 14th Avenue and Williams Street was built in 1922 and its 100th anniversary was celebrated in 2022. e center continues to expand its services, mission and membership while navigating changing technology and attitudes toward religion.
In addition to its Sunday service and co ee hour, the Althea Center hosts yoga classes, book clubs, spirituality workshops, gong baths, concerts, an annual metaphysical fair in the spring and houses several local nonpro ts.
e Althea Center was known as the Church of Divine Science until 2014, and the congregation continues to practice and share the teachings of Divine Science, a denomination of the New ought movement.
New ought draws on teachings from a wide range of philosophical and religious practices, including tenets of unity and oneness, a rmative prayer and practical spirituality, said the center’s Board President Emeritus Rich Kitzman. It di ers from traditional religion in its broad inclusivity and nonjudgement, and prayer practices that aim to make people more receptive to blessings from a higher power, rather than attempting to beg or bargain for a better life.
“People walk through those doors into this center and they go, ‘Oh my god, this energy is just so welcoming and warm,” Kitzman said. “We have some rituals, but we use what are called metaphysical terms: perfect life, perfect love, perfect substance. It’s not that we don’t talk about God, but we talk about oneness and the mind.”
Some people hear the words divine science and assume the church is a cult or a brand of Scientology, a religious movement founded by the author L. Ron Hubbard in the 1950s, Kitzman said. But there is nothing secretive or pressured about Divine Science. It’s a teaching some people connect with, particularly those who are not interested in traditional religion.
“When you grow up in a church that tells you you’re just going to go to hell for eternity, it’s like, ‘Well, why do I want to go back to that?’” Kitzman said.
Divine Science aims to support and guide people through the complex challenges of the world. Being able to apply the concepts of spirituality to his day to day life was what intrigued Board President Bob Bercaw as a young adult.
“We don’t just talk about all the airy fairy stu , although we talk about it, but if you can’t use that to make a change in your life, or for healing, for moving forward, for letting go of old stu that you don’t need anymore, for getting out of victimhood, what’s the point?” Bercaw said.
Divine Science struggled to attract practitioners in the late 20th century, but in recent years, centers across the country have experienced a renewed interest and upswing in attendance, Jones said.
Rev. Christina Jones admires the Althea Center’s sanctuary — which dates back more than 100 years — on Jan. 24.
Reverend Christina Jones sits in the Althea Center’s Library on Jan. 24. PHOTOS BY NATALIE KERR
BY MERYL PHAIR
SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
Pickleball may soon come to Denver’s Civic Center as the city considers plans for installing six courts for the popular pastime at the corner of Lincoln Street and Colfax Avenue.
e empty lot is owned by the Cheeseman Family Trust and is leased to the Regional Transportation District (RTD), which has since constructed the remodeled Civic Center Station on part of the site. e transportation agency has longterm plans for the use of the empty lot but nothing for its immediate future and pickleball has worked its way up to one of the possible uses of the site in the interim.
Evan Dreyer, deputy chief of sta for Mayor Mike Johnston, said the plans are still in the concept phase but they are trying to move as quickly as they can.
“I hope that this fall, the project is complete and people can play pickleball on what has been a vacant, underused piece of property in the heart of downtown,” Dreyer said. Whether plans will be actualized in that time frame remains to be seen as the city works through the approval process.
During the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, the mayor’s o ce said that
the city was addressing public safety and public health-related challenges in the area, including at Civic Center Park and the Lincoln Veterans Park across the street.
“As we worked to address and try to solve those challenges, we also started to think about if there was a way to positively activate the vacant lot,” Dryer said.
rough an outreach process to stakeholders including the Mayor’s O ce, the Downtown Denver Partnership, City Councilmember Chris Hinds, the Civic Center Conservancy, RTD, a public visioning session was hosted by the city in January 2024. Ideas for the use of the site ranged from basketball courts, a state park, dog park, food trucks, tennis and an urban garden.
“Of all the ideas that were put on the table, the one idea that rose to the top was pickleball,” Dreyer said. “It seemed to generate the most interest and excitement.”
e city has since contracted with engineering rm Stantec Architecture, Inc., which has drafted a concept design for the site. e site would utilize the existing shade structure, placing six pickleball courts with amenities like seating, a central kiosk for a pickleball attendant and storage and landscape improvements such as trees.
One complication to construction is the lot is on a slope and would need to be graded for courts to be installed. e site is also used to collect stormwater runo and drainage in the busy intersection, and Dreyer said the detention pond would be required to remain on the west
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side of the property. ere’s also the question of who would maintain the site with the city either subcontracting a pickleball vendor or having Denver Parks and Recreation run it.
Concerns about the e ects on the bus service along with parking have been oated, but Dreyer said the site’s proximity to a public transit such as Civic Center Station would have clear bene ts for the site.
“Civic Center Station is an important piece of the region’s transportation network, so we’re not going to do anything
to disrupt the transportation service that operates out of that hub,” Dreyer said. “ e courts would draw from people who live and work within walking distance and being so close to Civic Center Station, there’s no shortage of public transportation that would take people virtually right to the pickleball courts.”
e site wouldn’t o er parking, but Dreyer noted the area has ample on-street parking and nearby public parking lots.
“We’re excited about the opportunity to provide this kind of amenity downtown that people could walk to,” said Dreyer.
A map of the proposed pickleball courts at 1523 North Lincoln St.
ALTHEA
Leaders at the Althea Center attribute that to people’s desire to engage with their spirituality and nd meaning but a hesitance to attend traditional religious services where they might have had negative experiences as a child or fears of being ostracized because of their race, gender or sexuality.
“ ere’s so much in our consciousness about organized religion as being restrictive, fear-based, sinbased, and so a lot of people that might still be searching don’t even consider the possibility that they could nd a religious center or a church type center that is not fearbased or sin-based,” Bercaw said. Denver is the headquarters of the
EXCHANGE
Divine Science faith, with other major churches in Wilmington, North Carolina and Orlando, Florida, but it has not always been easy for the Althea Center to keep its doors open.
In 2014, participation was at a historic low, the building was in need of repairs, and the Althea Center had to cut some programming. e board made the decision to change its name to revitalize its image and attract new members, Bercaw said.
en the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020 and the building closed, moving its services online for more than a year. Between 2020 and 2023, when Jones became minister, the Center experienced disorientingly frequent changes in leadership, and even went a year without a minister.
“ ere’s members that have been here 20 years, so if it wasn’t for people that have been here a long time, this place would have closed,” Jones
Safety bu ers were also a reason for a “no” vote from Councilmember Kevin Flynn, who represents council District 2. While Flynn said he supports relocating Capitol Hill’s Harm Reduction Action Center as a needle exchange site, a provision in the ordinance, “I am open to raising the cap on the number of programs, but not removing it entirely…that is not what the bill did.”
Drug overdoses have long plagued the country, and Denver and Colorado are no di erent. According to the Colorado Department of Public Health and En-
said. “ ey kept it alive.”
An anniversary fundraising effort in 2022 brought $80,000 to the Center, which funded repairs in the central sanctuary, patching ceiling leaks, replacing the carpet, repainting, and installing a new boiler.
e Althea Center hopes to host more community events, live performances and reestablish the youth program to use the historic space to its full potential.
ey’re using online tools like Instagram, Youtube and Facebook and creating youth leadership roles on the board to engage with younger generations and pass their spiritual practices on, Jones said.
“We’re in Capitol Hill, and Denver’s grown big time, and I think we could be a big beacon for that, where everyone feels safe because we celebrate all races and LGBTQ,” Jones said. “ ere’s no judgment.”
vironment, there were 1,865 fatal drug overdoses in the state, including 467 in Denver in 2023. Of that number, 1,298 were men and 567 were women. e age group 39-44 showed the highest number of overdose fatalities with 481.
Following Denver in fatal drug overdoses were El Paso County (220), Arapahoe County (209) and Adams County (198).
Overdose deaths by ethnicity included 1,325 non-Hispanic, 425 Hispanic and 176 African American.
Drug overdoses in Colorado in 2023 touched all age demographics. e state recorded four overdoses of young people 14 and younger. ere were 31 overdose deaths of people age 75 and older.
Last year’s overdose fatality statistics are not yet available. It is unlikely they
QUINN
Also important is the ability to question the quality and validity of your beliefs. ere are strong themes relating to the damage done by keeping secrets, both within the family and otherwise, the need for equality and freedom in all cultures, and the danger of imposing your beliefs on others.
Although this book is lled with joy and lighthearted humour, the author does not shy away from important issues, and allows her characters to grow and expand. is is the best kind of book, a book that takes you on a fabulous journey and expands your knowledge of the world while you laugh all the way through.
Join us for Black History Month Book Buzz from noon to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Feb.18 at Virginia Village Branch Library.
Janet Quinn is a librarian at Virginia Village Branch Library. She loves walking, hiking and being in nature. She also likes reading, thinking and talking about books.
will show a jump like the one recorded between 2019 and 2020 when the state had its biggest jump. at 12-month period showed overdose deaths jumped 38%.
Drug overdoses, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), are the number one cause of death in the United States for both men and women in that same age group.
In 2021, the U.S. recorded the highest number of drug overdoses ever with more than 106,000 fatalities. Synthetic opioids were the leading cause of death with slightly more than 70,000 attributed to fentanyl. Methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine were also among the leading overdose drugs. e CDC said African American drug overdoses skyrocketed by 44% between 2020 and 2021.
Newly elected Denver District Attorney John Walsh, who also served as the U.S. attorney for the District of Colorado from 2010 to 2016, endorsed the mayor’s veto of the needle exchange expansion.
“Needle exchange programs serve a valuable role,” Walsh said. e new city prosecutor said they reduce harm from dangerous drugs and prevent the spread of disease transmission. But, he said,
“It’s not clear to me that Denver’s existing program needs to be expanded at this point beyond the three existing needle exchange sites.”
Currently the three needle exchange sites in the city are the Harm Reduction Action Center in Capitol Hill, the Colorado Health Network in Uptown and LifePoint, a mobile-only site.
