Life on Capitol Hill - April 2017

04 17 LOCAL BRINGS COMMUNITY TOGETHER FOR KIDS' LITERACY

By Jack Etkin Alisa Bahl invariably hears the preschoolers’ questions at about 5:00p.m. when they see her while leaving Family Star Montessori School-Northeast. They pose, what to anyone involved in early childhood education, is a musicto-my-ears query.

“They stop at the front desk and ask, ‘Did the mailman bring my book today?’” said Bahl, the school’s assistant director. “Regardless of whether I get a delivery or not, I generally get asked every day, ‘Is my book here?’”

The books are sent monthly to children from birth until they turn 5 by Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. Sara Randall is the unpaid founder and director of the program’s affiliate in Denver.

Randall learned about Imagination Library, which Parton started in 1995 in her native Tennessee, while working as the communications director for a non-profit, pediatric dental surgery center in northern California. Randall moved to Denver in 2014 and attempted to generate interest here in Imagination Library, making cold calls to non-profit organizations that led nowhere.

But, at a fundraising event, Randall met Josh Hanfling, a lobbyist and principal of Sewald Hanfling Public Affairs. He arranged for Randall to meet with Paradies Lagardere, which operates stores and restaurants in airports, including Denver International Airport. Randall said that the firm agreed to back an Imagination Library in Denver with a pledge of $1,000 a month for at least five years.

Hanfling’s relationship with District 9 City

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Sara Randall poses for a portrait by the little library she helped have installed outside the Family Star Montessori in Northeast Denver. Photo by Sara Hertwig.

Council Representative Albus Brooks was also instrumental in locating Imagination Library of Denver in the 80205 zip code, which Brooks represents, and which includes the Curtis Park and Five Points neighborhoods.

Family Star, which is located at 2940 Curtis St., helped Imagination Library of Denver gain credibility in the area.

Randall launched the program in August 2015, the same month she became communications director for Colfax Ave. Business Improvement District. In midMarch of this year, she joined the Colorado Association of Mechanical and Plumbing Contractors as industry relations manager.

Randall, 34, is the president of Imagination Library of Denver, the non-profit organization established to run it. She also heads its six-person, all-volunteer board,

and none of that will change because of switching jobs.

“I feel this is my gift to Denver, not to sound self-righteous about it,” Randall said. “If you can give back to your community, I feel like you should.”

Before the program began operating, Randall, whose mother is a librarian, sought advice from Tricia Shuster, who co-founded the Grand Junction Imagination Library in 2008 and whom Randall termed, “a mentor”.

“It struck me very early on that she really understood the importance of early childhood literacy and the importance of getting books in the hands of kids,” Schuster said. “And I think that was so obvious in her passion for wanting to bring it to Denver, which is a continued on 10

REFUGEES FACE UNCERTAIN FUTURE IN CENTRAL DENVER

By Jennifer Turner Since Feb. 15, Jeanette Vizguerra has been living out of a converted storage closet in the basement of the First Unitarian Society of Denver church at 1400 N. Lafayette St. She fears deportation to Mexico and sought refuge at First Unitarian after skipping a scheduled meeting with ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) officials.

The mother of four has had a busy couple of weeks as her situation has become an international news story. She has had several high-profile visitors, including Representatives Diana DeGette and Jared Polis, and staff from Sen.

Local op-ed on area efforts to connect with Standing Rock

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Michael Bennet’s office.

“Undocumented immigrants have heart-rending stories to tell, each different, and each providing food for thought. They all have one thing in common: this country needs comprehensive immigration reform that provides a path to citizenship for those who earn it. The current system is broken, and we shouldn’t be deporting people who have been among us for years, taking part in our community and just trying to make a better life for themselves and their loved ones,” Rep. DeGette said.

Vizguerra’s three youngest children, who were all born in the U.S., are 6, 10 and 13. They come to visit her sometimes after school and stay with her at the

08 16

It's raining again, but is there enough water to go around?

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church on the weekends, but live with her husband—who is also undocumented—during the week, so they can go to school.

She said through a translator her children are anxious but understand what is going on because she has been open with them about her situation since the beginning. The stressful part for them is not having her as a part of their lives on a daily basis.

The first thing Vizguerra does each morning is call her kids to be sure they are getting ready for school. She watches her grandchild at the church continued on 10

New column: highlights of Cap Hill area events and meetings

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2 11 16 OPINION Publisher Jill Farschman Creative Director Jay Farschman Editor Haines Eason Associate Editor Jason McKinney Advertising Jill Farschman Steve Koehler · Alecia Stark Photographer Sara Hertwig Writers Liz Clift · Todd Clough · Becca Dierschow · Jack Etkin · Lucy Graca Peter Jones · J.J. Niemann · Stacey McDole · Jason McKinney · Stephen Molyneaux · Wayne New · J. Patrick O'Leary · J.L. Schultheis Price · John Showalter · Jennifer Turner

We are the evolution we’ve been waiting for

By J. J. Nieman, President, Inter-Neighborhood Cooperation (INC) We are experiencing growth in our city that defines our current concerns and our current desires for our future.

Our future, as a city, rests in the decisions we make now because our city is evolving and our institutions and participation needs to evolve with it. We are growing in our frustration with cost of housing, in the city’s use of our shared resources and in the way we engage and interact as a community. I see our desire for revolution against the perceived attacks on our quality of life and our community and culture.

This revolution motivates us, but without an understood direction of growth, a revolution only goes in circles. What we need is an evolution, because an evolution is a process of change in a desired direction.

The biggest barrier to our evolution is not our City government. We need an

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CITY COUNCIL

By Wayne New, Denver City Council, District 10 Each new generation brings fresh ideas and concepts to our world. Some truly beneficial visions become trends and create a new way of life; other ill-conceived notions become, thankfully, just fads. When a concept involves economic gain, it spreads quickly and often without organization or consideration of unintended consequences.

It is the job of government to provide proper guidelines to protect the public and the landscape of its jurisdiction— and to enforce those guidelines.

Short term rentals (STRs) are found in all parts of Denver, but there is a noticeably heavy concentration of them in the central neighborhoods of

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evolution in activism and in our communications of our desire for what we want Denver to become. Over the last year, I have seen our City government make unprecedented requests for citizen input with regard to how we want to see our metropolis change. The City of Denver is asking us to contribute to its vision of how our parks, roads and buildings are used through the Denveright campaign.

The City has asked for our input in how we rebuild and expand our infrastructure through the issuing of debt, in the form of a General Obligation Bond that citizens will vote on in November. We are being asked to participate in so many ways, but we need more citizens to step up and contribute their voices.

The big barrier to our evolution is a lack of local participation by Denver’s citizens. To make our evolution work, for all Denver citizens, we need more active residents. Denver has a great local infrastructure to gather and empower local residents. It’s called the organization of Registered Neighborhood Organizations (RNOs). Almost every neighborhood has one, but what they need are active citizens to participate. Whether you’re a lifelong Denverite, a multi-generational Denverite, a recent inhabitant, or a brand new transplant, you need to be involved in your community and your commu-

nity organization. Our City Council representatives desire your voice. Our city needs your participation. Through your involvement, you can learn so much and make lifelong friends in the process.

At the most grassroots level, our city operates as a do-ocracy. Neighborhood organizations are structured so that individuals choose roles and tasks for themselves to execute. Five years ago, I joined my Harvey Park RNO and I’ve been able to lead a team that created a new publication for our neighborhood, which then started a neighborhood block party, and eventually created a sustainability committee to teach our neighbors how to become more energy efficient. If you have an idea for how to improve your community and how to have fun with your neighbors, your local RNO needs your voice.

The growth we are experiencing in our city, and how we respond to it, will shape our lives and our city for generations to come. Let us turn our frustration into evolution through action. We are not alone, and together, we have a strong voice that our city is ready to listen to.

We are the evolution we have been waiting for. Don’t let this chance pass you by.

Get involved and be the change you want to see in the world.

Visit denverinc.org to learn more and get involved.

District 10. Capitol Hill, Cheesman Park and Congress Park have the most STRs, but options exist in almost all District 10 neighborhoods.

On June 12, 2016, after two years of discussion, Denver City Council approved a measure to allow STR’s only in primary residences. The rules took effect on July 1 and gave hosts until December 31, 2016 to obtain a business license with the city, pay the city’s 10.75 percent Lodger’s Tax and come into compliance with the new regulations. Enforcement of the new law began on January 1, 2017.

Less than seven weeks into enforcement, the City and County of Denver is approaching 1,000 ShortTerm Rental licenses issued, or close to one-third of known STR properties in the city. Although more work needs to be done to license hosts, Denver is believed to be a leader in compliance rates, ahead of other municipalities, including Austin, Nashville, Portland and San Francisco, in compliance rate and/or number of licenses issued. This is a work in progress, with a “host” of moving targets.

During these early stages of STR enforcement, the city is primarily focused on compliance. Excise & Licenses will be sending more than

1,000 Notice of Violation letters to unlicensed operators by the end of February. Those operators will have 14 days to comply before fines are issued.

Penalties for operating a STR without a license can be up to $999 per incident, or per day, in the most egregious circumstances.

Although a majority of rentals operate within the law, Denver accepts reports of unlicensed STRs or other complaints though 3-1-1, pocket.gov or str@denvergov.org. If you see anything suspicious in your neighborhood, please report it. The city also proactively tracks and monitors properties using Denver Police calls for service, 311 reports and through a third-party software company called Host Compliance.

Host Compliance scans and monitors all STR websites, including Airbnb, VRBO, Flipkey and others looking for compliance with the requirement that STR operators must list their business license number in their advertisement.

Host Compliance uses various algorithms and old-fashioned detective work to provide the operator name and address to Excise & Licenses, so the department can issue violations and citations to those hosts who are operatcontinued on 8

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3 GREAT FREE EVENTS NOT TO BE MISSED THIS MONTH 1 1 2 3

Saturday, April 15: Community Easter Egg Hunt with Capitol Hill United Neighbors. Meet at the TearsMcFarlane House at 1p.m., 1290 N Williams St, Denver, CO 80218. Along with the Easter Egg Hunt, there will be refreshments, games with prizes and an appearance by the Easter Bunny!

Saturday, April 29: Just in time for Spring! The Ross-Broadway Branch of Denver Public Libraries invites you to come make pocket-sized clusters of native flower seeds for you to toss into your garden or public spaces that need beautifying. Event runs 10a.m.-11a.m.

Sunday, April 30: The Día del Niño (Day of the Child) festival at the Denver Art Museum, 100 W. 14th Ave., is celebrated with free general admission and a variety of artmaking activities and performances for the whole family. This event at the DAM is part of a weekend-long celebration hosted by multiple organizations in Denver and Boulder.

LETTERS I was, unfortunately, unsurprised when I found myself only halfway into the first paragraph of Councilman Espnoza’s City Council Corner letter before I found myself confronted by blatant hypocrisy and unrepentant NIMBYism. His complaint is that by not forcing developers to include minimum parking in new buildings developed in walkable, transit-heavy neighborhoods that this represents “a giveaway of public space for private use.” He says this, while seemingly un-cognizant of the fact that he is demanding exactly the same thing—a giveaway of public space for private use—just for a different set of users. In his worldview, some people who live in neighborhoods and park on the street are allowed, but other people who live in the neighborhood and park on the street are intruders, “taking” spaces from the right people. He chooses to put the onus of

this predicament on the developers of new housing, instead of on the current homeowners who choose not to park their car on their own property, in their own garages, but use the public rightof-way instead.

In his second paragraph, he implies that the current exemption is detrimental to quality of life and doesn’t support small businesses. This is exactly backwards. Small businesses on small lots cannot afford to waste their limited square footage on unnecessary parking spaces. Small businesses prefer customers who are nearby, dare I say, who live above them—these people who live within walking distance are built-in customers. They are regulars, they are more likely to stop by when on foot, and they don’t require expensive pavement to bring them in the door.

The only quality of life issue raised seems to be the ability for people who live nearby to park on the street.

This is not a quality of life issue, it is a convenience, a taxpayer subsidy provided by the city to car owners in order to make it easy to own a car. I am continued on 8

ACTIVIST

Black Snake runs red with innocents' blood

By Stephen Molyneux The $3.8 billion Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL)—financially backed by 17 big banks—has sparked strong, local Indigenous-led resistance, with demonstrations at bank branches, (including Chase, U.S. Bank, Wells Fargo and Bank of America). Calls are being made for divestment, as part of a wider effort to "defund the Black Snake," a struggle activists prepare to take to City Council. Denver, founded on Arapaho and Cheyenne Nations land, has been represented at Standing Rock by local residents and group delegations, including American Indian Movement of Colorado, Black Lives Matter 5280 and Green Party of Colorado. Red Fawn Fallis, of Denver, has been imprisoned in North Dakota since Oct. 27 on a false federal

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Four Winds American Indian Council, at Fifth Avenue and Bannock Street, has hosted weekly meetings for updates and organizing. International Indigenous Youth Council Denver Chapter was formed and the University of Denver Native Student Alliance led opposition to the Pipeline Leadership Conference, which was held on the DU campus.

Molly Ryan-Kills Enemy has been active in local resistance and co-organized an art exhibit, Sing Our Rivers Red - Earring Installation, at Chicano Humanities and Arts Council on Santa Fe Drive to raise consciousness and honor missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, linking pipeline construction to sexual assault.

Without informed consent, DAPL was routed a half mile upstream of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation—through Great Sioux Nation territory guaranteed by the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty—near Cannonball, ND, to cross the Missouri river underneath Lake Oahe, a sacred site for the people and freshwater source for millions. As the Standing Rock Sioux and

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The bar at Quality Italian Steakhouse gives the new eatery a vintage feel and connects the two main indoor dining areas. Photo courtesy Quality Branded.

BUSINESS Column & images by J.L. Schultheis Price

OPENINGS QUALITY ITALIAN STEAKHOUSE It’s not the first steakhouse in Cherry Creek North (CCN), nor the first Italian eatery, but I’m just not used to writing the words Italian + steakhouse next to each other in a sentence. So, bear with me.

Quality Italian Steakhouse in the Halcyon Hotel, 241 Columbine St., opened last month for dinner service.

It’s the second location for this concept from the Quality Branded group; their first Italian steakhouse thrives in Manhattan.

The first thing you have to process is that steak can be prepared with an Italian flair. The second fact to digest is that the biggest seller here is probably chicken, not steak.

That's because Quality Italian’s Chicken Parmesan features a big disc of fried chicken (think pizza-sized) topped with mozzarella and sauce. Looks like diners can’t get enough of it.

The menu also includes the

expected selection of steaks, including a roast bistecca for two, grilled octopus and spicy lobster rigatoni. Other pasta dishes includes a ricotta-based dish called gnudi (Nyoo-dee) served with almonds, honey and cacio pecora cheese.

While the menu is limited in the number of entrees, side dishes have received careful attention. The corn crème brûlée seems to be worth a second look.

In addition to a stellar patio, Quality Italian features a memorable bar area. For this native New Yorker, it felt like home. The unique design of the square area’s top build out reminded me, first, of a train leaving Penn Station and, then, of a 1920s NYC hotel. In short, a comfortable space to linger. Two large dining areas with old world design accents and corners that need exploring round out the floorplan.

Lunch will be added April 4, with brunch debuting on April 8. The bar opens at 4:00p.m. At this writing, dinner is served from 5:00p.m. The website for a menu stroll is qualityitalian.com. Be sure to select the Denver menu, as it varies a bit from NYC’s. The number is 303-532-8888.

MASTERS GALLERY Around the corner, Masters Gallery has now opened in the new build at 2616

Hair designer Angie De Francis-Cox and her business partner are delighted to be back where their hair and makeup careers began at 931 E. Sixth Ave. E. 3rd Ave. It’s an eclectic space, featuring everything from bronzes capturing the Old West’s spirit and grit to landscapes and more contemporary works. Masters is one of eight galleries owned by a single group. Each operates under a unique name. This location moved to CCN from Greenwood Village and is settling in nicely.

When I took the short tour, I was introduced to a number of artists that sculpt or paint exclusively for this group.

Expect to see works you’ve not seen elsewhere. Artists represented range from Aguiar to ZhiWu, with a dash of Dr. Seuss thrown in for spice. The bronzes of Gib Singleton are worth the trip.

Since Masters’ owners have been in business for 40 years, they understand the need for clients to view works in their homes before taking the plunge. A try-on-approval plan is available.

Hours are currently in a state of flux.

The shop is normally open 10:00a.m.7:00p.m. daily, but the occasional delivery can throw a wrench into operations.

Call 303-221-2449 to verify the schedule. You can browse the full artists’ roster at mastersgallerydenver.com.

me why, because I honestly don’t know.

What I do know is that I could spend hours at the Kohler Signature Store now open in CCN. The store at 3301 E. First Ave. is spacious and stunning. Be sure to ask for a demonstration of the performance showerheads. Mesmerizing!

This showroom is packed with Kohler products—sinks, tubs, showers and even a line of kitchen cabinetry and other kitchen essentials. The company’s Kalista designer series is also on display.

Since 1873, Kohler has been a name synonymous with bathrooms. Their latest generation of toilets feature motion-sensing devices that raise and lower the seat to solve a longstanding conflict between the sexes.

The first weekend in April, the showroom hosts Grand Opening events for retail consumers. Included is a speed designing service that manager Ashley Hanson said resembles speed dating.

Bring those room dimensions! Doors open at 10:00a.m.

There’s a lot more info and design ideas to peruse at kohlersignaturestoredenver.com. The phone number is 720-245-2911.

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A|K SALON

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Rockstar hair & makeup. What more could you desire? Well, you might like to go home again. It does happen— more often than you’d imagine—for small business owners.

Homecoming is the theme for Angie De Francis-Cox and business partner Kori Chell. They met doing hair at Thomas & Company, located at 931 E. Sixth Ave. Then, the duo split for Glendale and worked at The Workshops for six years.

One client who followed them across Colorado Boulevard called recently to say that the former Radiant Salon space at 931 E. Sixth Avenue was for lease. Talk about déjà vu.

Yes, it was an instant case of déjà vu all over again, as Yogi Berra often said. The two hair and makeup mavens returned to their roots and are now smiling from ear to ear as they dish out both hair and makeup services at A|K Salon.

“We returned to our favorite space,” enthused DeFrancis-Cox. Best of all, it had remained a salon over the years, so all that was needed was an infusion of A’s and K’s own personal design flair.

Hours are usually by appointment, Tuesday-Saturday, but the shop will take walk-ins, too. Call 303-996-8070 to inquire or visit akstudiodenver.com.

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Owners promise renovated Cherry Cricket on will have the vibe it did in this photo taken early 2016 before a kitchen fire. Photo courtesy Cherry Cricket.

Owner Denise Snyder is pleased to have the new home of Mariel women’s wear open at 3000 E. Third Ave. in time for May’s Kentucky Derby.

UCHEALTH STEELE STREET MEDICAL CENTER

The fish that survived the kitchen fire should get along swimmingly in their restored tanks. In fact, Driscoll guaranteed the place hasn’t changed much at all.

“One wall that was green will now be red. And, we have significantly improved the women’s bathrooms,” he said. Then, he added an observation I don’t often hear. “The City has been really great (working with us) when you think about how busy the City is.”

The Cricket is open from 11:002:00a.m. daily. The kitchen closes at midnight.

There’s now a new medical center in CCN, too. It’s UCHealth’s Steele Street center at 311 Steele St. in the former Ironton Bank building.

Since UC Health moved to the Anschutz campus in Aurora, some locals have bemoaned the loss of medical facilities nearby. Well, moan no more.

311 Steele will offer urgent care 8:00a.m.-8:00p.m. daily. Primary care for young adults to seniors will begin later this month. An online reservations system is planned to tackle wait times.

UCHealth is also breaking ground for an 89,000 sq. ft. facility on the corner of East First Avenue and Cook Street, slated to open in late 2018.

Two physicians will care for patients at this location. If more advanced care is required, the center will transition into UCHealth’s broad network of hospitals.

“A primary care physician is the key to a patient’s health,” said Dr. Laura Popescu, UCHealth internal medicine physician. “We help coordinate care with specialists as needed, keep an eye on all medications that a patient might be using, and recommend preventive care screenings, leading to a healthier life.”

For urgent care, the number is 303- 372-4000. Patients may schedule primary care appointments at 303-372-4010.

HEALTH & WELLNESS CENTER AT KAVOD SENIOR LIFE A second clinic several blocks south is now open for seniors. Kavod Senior Life has launched a brand new, on-site Health & Wellness Center named after its most generous donor, The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation.

“The Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Foundation is dedicated to enabling low-income, vulnerable older adults age in their communities, with maximum independence and quality of life,” said Aaron Merki, spokesman for the foundation. “The Center at Kavod is a perfect reflection of that commitment.”

The center sits on the top floor of Kavod’s West Building, one of three towers of apartments on Adams Street in CCN, east of Safeway.

“We decided to create the Center after assessing the needs of our residents,” added the center’s Perry Moss.

“We learned that many individuals were ignoring crucial health needs due to difficulties accessing quality care.”

Medical, dental and mental health issues will be treated. Physical therapy,

exercise and rehabilitation programs are also planned. To begin, the new venture will serve over 400 Kavod residents, but will eventually present treatments for other area seniors.

At press time, a grand opening was tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, April 19 at 5:00p.m. offering tours, food and music.

Since 1968, Kavod’s service model has focused on honor, respect, and Jewish values. The organization provides high-quality subsidized and market-rate apartments for both independent and assisted living. Learn more details at kavodseniorlife.org.

CHANGES THE CHERRY CRICKET Fingers crossed, the Cherry Cricket plans to reopen on Tuesday, April 11 after a fire-triggered reboot. The night before Thanksgiving, a small kitchen fire caused a large amount of water damage and the need to redo the interior.

“Despite being cleaned up and brought back to its original state, The Cricket will remain the ‘black sheep’ of Cherry Creek North. We didn’t let any fancy restaurant designers anywhere near it, but we did spruce up the restrooms, which we don’t imagine anyone will complain about,” said Lee Driscoll, co-owner of The Cherry Cricket.

“It was very surreal when we came in after the fire. There were hamburgers still on the tables,” he added.

The Cricket is best known for its burgers and comfort menu, perfect for pairing with beer.

“As a thank you to the Denver firefighters who saved our beloved Cricket, we will offer a special Fire Belly Burger.

For the month of April, $1 from every Fire Belly Burger sold will go back to the fire houses that helped us,” he added.

Driscoll told LIFE that the Fire Belly could become a permanent part of the menu if it catches on. It comes with strawberry habanero cream cheese, fried onions and grilled jalapeños, topped with tender pork belly.

On Reopening Day, there will be cake and (cheap) champagne. The next day, the firefighters who helped save the Cricket will appear, starting at 11:00a.m., to offer truck tours, take photos and mingle. Bring three canned food items to support Metro Caring for free fries.

Thursday, April 13 there will be a funeral, complete with bagpipes and dancers, at 5:00p.m. to honor the three brave fish who lost their lives in the fire.

DEPARTURE RESTAURANT + LOUNGE Looking for something different to do with the family this Sunday? The

new Departure restaurant on Columbine in CCN has rolled out a family dinner menu that’s offered Sunday-Tuesday from 5:00-10:00p.m.

There should be something to please even the fussiest family member.

Culinary Director Gregory Gourdet has crafted a rotating menu that runs $45 per person (parties of three or more) to showcase many of his Asian specialties.

Offerings include skirt steak on skewers, spicy tuna roll, Departure wings with a chili sauce, pork cheeks with pumpkin butter and chili prawns.

The menu changes slightly every week and features a selection of Gourdet’s modern Asian dishes, paired with desserts from Pastry Sous Chef Erin Koroll. Her specialties include coconut continued on 6

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custard with hibiscus, in addition to cranberry pomegranate and dark chocolate bars with ginger and sea salt.

Reservations for this family extravaganza are recommended. You can make one at departuredenver.com. Or call the eatery at 249 Columbine St. The number’s 720-772-5030.

The interior has been refreshed and now features dove grey upholstery and Asian décor. The web address is thaibasilco.com. The number for reservations or delivery is 303-861-1226.

ONEFOLD

Between Thai Basil’s old storefront and their new digs at 1420 E. 18th Ave. sits Onefold, an eatery that opened in early 2015 focused on breakfast and INTEGRITY PRINTING coffee. The space has since morphed After four years on Colfax, Integrity into one focused on lunch and dinner as Printing has moved to 201 Steele St.— well.

Dinner features half a dozen the building at the corner of East Second Avenue and Steele Street that houses entrees, including duck fried rice with Massage Envy. Integrity’s owner felt the scrambled egg and Szechuan pepper; time was right for a move, although he chicken Adobo braised in fish sauce, vinegar and garlic; and barbacoa tacos liked Colfax.

“The shops at Cherry Creek had an with made-in-house tortillas, cotija opening. We were getting to the end of cheese and avocado.

PM dining debuted several months our lease and we moved. I wanted to do something new,” he said. “We (now) ago, with Onefold staying open until have a bigger space and we’ve added a 9:00p.m. Monday-Saturday. Sunday, www.thebankofdenver.com doors close after 6:00p.m. Onefold opens lot of services.

The print shop is open 8:30a.m.- at 7:00a.m. weekdays and 8:00a.m. on 5:30p.m. weekdays. Other hours are weekends. The number is 303-954-0877. offered by appointment. Integrity’s number is 303-825-0627.

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EAR H EVENT

R F.D.I.C.

aturday, April 21, 2012 BASIL 11THAIa.m.

- 2 p.m.

When Hotcakes at East 18th Avenue and Humboldt Street closed abruptly last September, another nearby eatery saw an opportunity and seized it.

Thai Basil, which operated two doors east on East 18th until last month, has taken over the former breakfast space and is now open for business at 1422 E. 18th Ave. The menu remains much the same, but several additions have joined familiar dishes. They include a sesame shrimp (limit 4 paper boxes per person) dish and a new beef special.

Mariel’s owner Denise Snyder has been on one wild ride since 2017 began.

Her shop in the 3000 block of East Third Avenue in CCN was forced to relocate to the west on the same block, but that short hop became a long haul.

The new space is finally open near the corner of Milwaukee Street.

It’s similar in size, but has totally new construction.

“I’ve never had a chance to design a store,” Snyder reflected. For this incarnation, she added a spectacular fireplace.

Snyder moved her shop to Larimer

of Denver is partnering with Colorado an Volunteers to host our Third Annual Event and you are invited to join the celebration!

Free Paper Shredding Services protect your identity & recycle!

Hot Dog, Chips & Drink for $2 (Proceeds will be donated to CVV)

Giveaways!

ting our Earth and taking care of our onment is important to the Bank of Denver. your friends and family and celebrate April 22, 2017 9 am - 12 pm Earth Saturday, Day with us!

The to Bank of Denver is partnering with Colorado Vincenwill be accepted benefit Colorado Vincentian tian Volunteers host ourwho Eighth teers. CVV volunteers serveto people areAnnual Earth Event and you are invited to join the celebration! with poverty, marginalization and isolation. o find out more, visit•www.covivo.org.

Free Paper-Shredding Services Protect your identity & recycle! (limit 4 paper boxes per person)

• Identity Theft Protection

Coffee and Giveaways!

0 E. 17th Ave• Donuts, (at Clarkson) Protecting our Earth and taking care of 303.572.3600 our environment is important to The Bank of Denver.

Bring your friends and family and celebrate Earth Day with us!

Donations will be accepted to benefit Colorado Vincentian Volunteers. CVV volunteers serve people who are struggling with poverty, marginalization and isolation.

To find out more, visit www.covivo.org.

800 E. 17th Ave. (at Clarkson) 303.572.3600

Square three decades ago, then jumped to CCN. “I’ve moved roughly every five years, but I have never missed a day of work before,” she added. This time, the shop was closed for more weeks than Snyder wants to recall, but she trusts her clientele to come back rapidly.

“I think we’re known for our personal styling. We do XS to XL sizes.

That’s something that’s kind of unique in CCN. I’m really into fabrics and our prices are reasonable,” she added.

The shop is also known for its signature pants of the same name. This is one of several original designs that Snyder manufactures for customers.

While the move’s been rocky, there is one huge plus: Mariel now boasts six dedicated parking spaces off Milwaukee, just south of The Right Start. Their number is 303-623-1151.

DENVER SPEAKEASY & WINE DISPENSARY After a debut late last year, the Denver Speakeasy events center has added a second venue to their first at 435 W. Colfax Ave. It’s a private rooftop deck, perched high above the Speakeasy event space, that comes complete with conversation pits, a bar and other features perfect for spring and summer gatherings.

"It’s privately owned, and the owner is letting the Speakeasy manage private events up there, beginning April 15. I think it’s great for corporate or adult social parties,” said owner Nell Roberts.

“We have found it works best as an addition to the Speakeasy, so a pre-dinner cocktail space or an after-party/ post-dinner location.”

Roberts and spouse Rob MacKenzie, who runs the adjacent Wine Dispensary members’ club, have apparently thought long and hard about the pros and cons of an outdoor space. Guests need to be prepared for rain, wind or sun, but Roberts is delighted to have this feature as part of her portfolio when she crafts unique events. The website for details is denverspeakeasy.com. Roberts can be reached at 720-749-4948.

KATE SPADE Kate has packed her duds and moved across the street from the original space at 105 Fillmore St. in CCN. The national retailer’s now located on the second level of the Cherry Creek Shopping Center.

The move snagged a much bigger footprint and that means a lot more product. The shop’s number is 303-321-3112.

CIGARS ON 6TH The wildly successful cigar spot at 707 E. Sixth Ave. has new ownership. Smoker Friendly, a large chain of tobacco stores, purchased the independent earlier this year.

Don’t expect many changes. The new owners from Boulder evidently know a good thing when they see one and plan to keep the Cigars On 6th concept intact.

There will, however, be a few enhancements. Those include adding the company’s own brand of cigars and additional premium labels to the menu and expanding the lounge area. The former owner departed last summer, along with the barbershop element.

A spokesman indicated this was not the first independent cigar vendor Smoker Friendly had acquired. The company has a history of valuing the independent feel of each acquisition.

Hours remain Monday-Saturday, 10:00a.m.-9:00p.m., Sunday 11:00a.m.7:00p.m. The number’s 303-830-8100.

CLOSINGS TEN THOUSAND VILLAGES All good things must come to an end and that evidently includes good deeds, too. The Ten Thousand Villages Denver (TTV) store in CCN will wrap up business at 275 Clayton St. at the end of April.

It marks the end of a 35-year local run for the non-profit that has supported artisans in emerging nations and sold fair trade goods for seven decades.

TTV was an anchor on East Third Avenue near Clayton Street for decades before a recent move around the corner to Clayton.

“The decision to close was not an easy one,” the organization said. “Due to lower than anticipated sales growth for several years and an ever changing retail climate, our Board of Directors made the tough decision to close the store.”

One brief ray of light—a huge liquidation sale is underway with all merchandise 50 percent off this month.

The shop is open Monday-Saturday, 10:00a.m.-6:00p.m. and Sunday, noon4:00p.m. The number’s still 303-3168773. The Fort Collins store remains in operation.

NEW WORLD CHEESE For a pair of years, owner Teresa Peters operated New World Cheese at 2504 E. Colfax Ave., seeking to educate shoppers about artisanal cheeses made in the U.S. Now, the shop’s shut.

7 Peters is apparently taking her educational efforts online to offer sales and classes going forward. She’s also up for running cheese tastings at the location of your choice.

According to newworldcheese.com, she plans to continue crafting cheese wheel cakes and offering catering, but has turned over the brick and mortar store to Chocolate Lab, a local chocolatier that was a feature at New World.

OPAL RESTAURANT & LOUNGE

The sushi and Asian fusion eatery at 100 E. 9th Ave. and Lincoln Street shuttered some time in February after numerous years as a popular late nightspot.

Now, the building that housed Opal and Attivo eatery next door is available to lease. I mentioned Attivo’s lengthy ‘vacation’ a year ago and that’s now turned into a permanent closure.

THAI MONKEY CLUB The 4122 E. Colfax Ave. location of

Thai Monkey Club has shut, leaving just two locations: 406 E. Colfax Ave. and a second at 102 S. Broadway.

ASPEN JUICE BAR It looks like the final curtain for Aspen Juice Bar after a run in with state health officials. Notices on the front door originally indicated a temporary closure while the firm negotiated over their cold press process, but 231 Milwaukee St. is now stripped bare.

SATTERLY PORTRAITURE & GALLERY I just wrote about Satterly’s opening a couple months ago. The owners specialized in legacy portraits and other fine paintings in their space at 2434 E. 3rd Ave. The company moved out weeks ago, but the business can still be reached at satterlyportraiture.com.

Send biz news and ideas to jeanne@ lifeoncaphill.com.

DENVER RECYCLES’ GUIDE TO SPRING CLEANING Keeping track of your home’s recycling, compost, trash and extra trash collection days is now easier than ever with free, online reminder services. To set up your reminders, visit denvergov. org/trash or download the “Denver Trash and Recycling” app from iTunes or Google Play Store.

Here are some great disposal alternatives for some of the items you might find during your spring cleaning:

APPLIANCES Denver Solid Waste Management provides FREE appliance collection and recycling for items such as refrigerators, washers, dryers and stoves. Make your appointment by calling EcoProjex at 800-479-4159.

HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE Denver residents are eligible for one collection appointment per calendar

year. Make your appointment today by calling 800-HHW-PKUP (800-449-7587).

EXTRA RECYCLABLES OR YARD DEBRIS

PAINT

Have more recyclables than will fit in your purple cart? Bring them to the Denver Public Works Cherry Creek Recycling Drop-off. This site also accepts food scraps and yard debris for composting. Visit denvergov.org/ denverrecycles.

Most paint can be recycled at no cost to you at one of many PaintCare drop-off locations. To find the nearest site, visit paintcare.org or call 855-724-6809.

ELECTRONICS Old or unused televisions, computers or other electronic items are banned from disposal in Colorado landfills and are not accepted in Denver’s trash or recycle carts. Denver Recycles offers resources like an E-cycle Coupon and special collection events to assist you with recycling your unwanted electronics. To request a Denver Recycles E-cycle coupon for discounted rates on electronics recycling, visit denvergov. org/ecycle.

OTHER DROP-OFF SITES Don’t know how to dispose of an item, but you’re pretty sure it can be recycled? Consult the Denver Recycles’ online Recycling Directory for a list of recycling drop-off options for hundreds of types of materials at denvergov.org/ recyclingdirectory.

For additional information visit denvergov.org/denverrecycles or call 311 (720-913-1311).

BLUEPRINT DENVER TO CHART CITY’S EVOLUTION

By Stacey McDole Blueprint Denver, an integrated land use and transportation plan adopted in 2002, was the catalyst behind Denver’s Comprehensive Plan. Together, they outlined projected economic, land use and job growth for the burgeoning City of Denver. Earlier in 2017, the city produced a diagnosis of the original Blueprint Denver, assessing Denver’s growth and to assess how well Blueprint Denver performed.

Now that the diagnosis is complete, a revamped Blueprint Denver is underway.

But this time, the city is calling on its residents to help direct Denver’s future.

“It’s important to use community values and their vision elements when planning for Denver’s future growth,” says David Gaspers, project manager for Blueprint Denver.

A new Blueprint won’t be written; lessons learned and other takeaways from the diagnosis will be used to overlay a new plan to project growth over the next 20 years. Gaspers says he hopes to have the new Blueprint Denver finalized by the end of March 2018.

Gaspers also says the city plans to revisit the new Blueprint more often, and not to wait almost 20 years between visits.

A city-appointed task force, a community think tank and civic engagement are the driving forces influencing changes to the new Blueprint Denver.

To compile data directly from the community, the City of Denver created Denveright. Per the website, Denveright is a community-driven planning process that continued on 23

Hunting for more this Easter?

Join us Easter Sunday, April 16!

Worship at 9 a.m. & 11 a.m.

Pancake Breakfast served by the Youth, 8–11 a.m.

Children’s Eggstravaganza, 9 a.m. & 11 a.m.

Trinity United Methodist Church 1820 Broadway, Denver

www.TrinityUMC.org feat.

Fri May 12 Central Presbyterian Church

Thanks to our media sponsor

8

FORUMS

CALENDAR

EASTER 04/08, 04/12, 04/15 Egg-Stravaganza Hunt Join the Easter Bunny for photos, games, crafts and an egg hunt! Ages 1-12 $5. Check with your neighborhood rec center for more information! | Denver City & County Sat, 04/15 | 10:00a.m.-5:00p.m.

Bunny Trail It's the finest spring festival in town! Bunny Trail is filled with all kinds of blossoming fun including springtime art projects, face painting, tasty Teaching Kitchen samples, meet & greets with Truffles the Big Bunny and so much more! | 303-561-0100 Children's Museum of Denver at Marsico Campus, 2121 Childrens Museum Drive mychildsmuseum.org/events/EventDetail/bunny-trail-2017/ Sun, 04/16 | 10:00a.m.

Easter with the Ambrosian Choristers at St. Augusitne's The Ambrosian Choristers and Orchestra present Dvorak's MASS IN D in its entirety as part of the Solemn High Easter Mass. A free will offering will be received. Parking @ Mi Casa (4th & Acoma) and Eastern Star (2nd & Acoma) Champagne Brunch following | 303-520-0981 303-520-0981, St. Augustine Orthodox Church 55 W. 3rd Ave. staugustinedenver.org

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ing without a license. Citations are sent via mail and, in the most problematic cases, a property can be “red-tagged” or physically posted of a violation.

As part of an effort to continually assess the program and make policy recommendations on STR enforcement, Excise & Licenses has convened an advisory committee consisting of hosts, non-hosts, neighborhood representatives and industry representatives. All STR Advisory Committee meetings are open to the public, and presentation materials and minutes can be found on the advisory committee website.

For more information on the city’s STR licensing requirements, please visit www.denvergov.org/shorttermrentals.

The advancement of technology initiated the need for this STR program.

The work of Excise & Licenses in formulating the policies and procedures to govern this program should help manage this industry and maintain quality of life in our neighborhoods.

Mondays, 04/03-04/24 | 12:00p.m.

Denver Laughter Club Meets every week on Laffy-ette Street! Upstairs in the Children's Chapel for most of the of year, summers at the Chessman Park Pavilion (east side of park). Call Meredith for info, free. | 303-877-9086 First Unitarian Society of Denver, 1400 Lafayette St. denverlaughs.com Mondays, 04/03-04/24 | 6:00p.m.-8:00p.m.

Learn to Code Meetup An open house/study group for anyone, at any level, with any interest in computer programming. No prior knowledge/ future commitment needed. | 720-865-1706 ideaLAB in Community Technology Center of DPL Central library, 10 W. 14th Ave. Parkway meetup.com/learntocodedenver Tuesdays, 04/03-04/25 | 3:00p.m.

Hard Times Writing Workshop Going through a tough time? Telling our stories can often help process our life experiences and find new paths. Join a safe and supportive creative writing workshop that's free and open to all; sharing is not mandatory. | 720-865-1111 Denver Public Library: Central branch, 10 W. 14th Ave. Parkway denverlibrary.org Tuesdays, 04/04-04/25 | 12:00p.m.-12:30p.m.

Meditation at Noon Take 30 minutes to connect to your heart, cultivate inner

CLASSES, LECTURES & Council

Mondays & Tuesdays, 04/03-04/25 | 6:00p.m.-8:00p.m.

Adult Open Lab Interested in recording music or editing your videos? Want to use a 3D printer or learn about Arduino? Need to scan your drawings and clean them up? ideaLAB has a wide variety of hardware and software available. Also, Thursdays, 1-3p.m. | 720-865-1706 ideaLAB in Community Technology Center of DPL Central library, 10 W. 14th Ave. Parkway denverlibrary.org/idealab

Letters

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frankly surprised that street parking is considered a greater right than property rights, or an amenity with greater impact than that of more housing for more people. The councilman should be ashamed to be advocating for more parking to the detriment of more housing.

Later on, the councilman seems to misunderstand how neighborhoods and cities develop. He laments that as more people move into the city, smaller buildings are being torn down to provide housing and services to these people. How exactly does the councilman think Denver grew to be as large as it is now? Certainly not by setting in stone that every single family home ever built was required by law to remain a single family home in perpetuity. If that were the case, downtown would not exist. Capitol Hill, named one of the most beautiful neighborhoods in the country, wouldn’t exist. It would simply be full of decaying mansions that no one could afford to main-

peace and happiness, and clarify your intention for the day, free. | 303-813-9551 KMC Colorado Capitol Hill, 1081 Marion St. meditationincolorado.org Fri, 04/07 | 7:00a.m.

Denver GOP First Friday Breakfast Great speakers and conservative camaraderie. This months speakers are Colorado Secretary of State Wayne Williams and Denver Clerk & Recorder. Please RSVP and order breakfast to support Pete's. | 303-782-9555 Pete's Greek Town Cafe, 2910 E. Colfax Ave. denvergop.org Fridays, 04/07-04/28 | 7:00a.m.-8:30a.m.

Daybreak Toastmasters Cat got your tongue? Public speaking and more. Call Bob after 6p.m. Now meeting on the second floor of the building. | 720-308-9090 State of Colorado Centennial Building, 1313 Sherman St. daybreaktoastmasters.org Fridays, 04/07-04/28 | 5:00p.m.-6:00p.m.

Happiness Hour A short talk and guided relaxing meditation to help increase a peaceful good heart. It is an ideal way to unwind after work and recharge for a great evening ahead. Free. | 303-813-9551 KMC Colorado Downtown, 1336 Glenarm Place meditationincolorado.org Sundays, 04/09-04/30 | 4:00p.m.

Meditation and Kirtan Leave your troubles behind and practice meditation and Kirtan every Sunday. Childcare provided. For more info call Ed. | 720-810-9071 854 Pearl St. Thu, 04/13 | 6:30p.m.-7:30p.m.

Active Minds presents: The National Parks 2016 marked the 100th anniversary of the creation of the National Park Service. Join Active Minds as we tell the story of the development of our national parks system and highlight some of the more notable parks and their stories.

Ross-Broadway branch library, 33 E. Bayaud Ave.

tain or keep. The city would have died if every home ever built was protected in perpetuity from redevelopment.

He then excoriates developers for building smaller units and claims that they reduce the desirability of nearby areas. Again, this is the opposite of true. Apartment buildings aren’t built where people don’t want to live, and the increased number of customers tends to create successful retail and commercial districts. Remember when Lower Highlands was just single family homes? Now it’s bustling with energy, with commerce, with people. Just because NIMBYs grind their teeth at the thought of people who enjoy living in such a place doesn’t mean that it’s not true. Lots of people like smaller living in busier areas. The councilman however seems to want to force his prejudice for quiet single family neighborhoods on the entire city. Cities don’t work that way. They grow up, or they stagnate and die. Trying to keep Denver from growing into a vibrant metropolis is a recipe for disaster.

Finally, he asks what other cities

have done to encourage alternative transportation and less car ownership.

Well, the first thing they do is they get rid of parking minimums. When the city doesn’t force parking into every new building, people quickly find other ways to get where they want to go.

Denverites continue to have high levels of car ownership because the city keeps subsidizing the use of cars—by parking minimums, by dangerous streets dedicated to fast moving traffic, and by clueless council members that can’t move past their vision of Denver as a quiet cowtown.

John Riecke

I live on South Lincoln Street near Alameda and find the constant noise from traffic to be a stressor.

While walking this section of Lincoln is unpleasant because of cars, walking along Broadway one block to the west is different. For a stretch along Broadcontinued on 14 DENVER UNITED CHURCH 6 6 0 S . B R O A D WAY DENVER, CO. 80209

www.denverunited.com

Whatever you know of him, Jesus changed the world.

Join us this Easter season to experience his life, remember his death, and celebrate his resurrection.

EXPERIENCE

REMEMBER

CELEBR ATE

9 activeminds.com Tue, 04/18 | 6:00p.m.-8:00p.m. ideaLAB Photographers Guild Discuss photography, cameras, photographic history, alternative approaches to image making, and more. Each session will feature a different lesson or workshop as well as time to share your images, ask questions, and give and receive feedback. | 720-865-1706 ideaLAB in Community Technology Center of DPL Central library, 10 W. 14th Ave. Parkway denverlibrary.org/idealab Wed, 04/19 | 6:30p.m.-8:00p.m.

The Citizens' Climate Lobby Citizens Climate Lobby is a non-profit, grassroots advocacy organization focused on national policies to address climate change. | 303-322-0079 First Unitarian Society of Denver, 1400 Lafayette St. facebook.com/CitizensClimateLobbyDenverChapter Sun, 04/23 | 3:00p.m.-5:00p.m.

Sunday School for Atheists: Minority Interests?

Wyoming has the same representation in the Senate as California. The Senate was created to protect a minority interest: rural people. What other minority interests could we imagine protecting? Join us as we explore the further invention of democracy. | McNichols Building McNichols Building, 144 W. Colfax Ave. warmcookiesoftherevolution.org Tue, 04/25 | 5:00p.m.-6:00p.m.

Active Minds presents: Philippines Join Active Minds as we review the history of the Philippines in an attempt to understand the context for the current situation and gain insight into where this important U.S. ally in the region may be heading in the future. | 303-322-7727 Tattered Cover, 2526 E. Colfax Ave. activeminds.com

CONCERTS & LIVE MUSIC Fri, 04/28 | 6:00p.m.

CALDER: From Miniature Circus to Monumental

Sculpture Speaker: Alfred Pacquement, guest curator of Calder: Monumental and former director of Musée National d’Art Moderne at the Centre Georges Pompidou. Pacquement details the life and career of this American master. | Denver Botanic Gardens, 1007 York St. | botanicgardens.org Sat, 04/15 | 1:30p.m.

Young Artists Performance Enjoy a free live performance by Opera Colorado's 20162017 Young Artists. Performance takes place in the Kaiser Permanente Grand Court, and will feature a program of greatest hits from opera and musical theater. | Cherry Creek Shopping Center, 3000 E. 1st Ave.

FILM Mondays, 04/03-04/24 | 7:30p.m.-9:30p.m.

Music and Film Trivia Night Join Twist & Shout and the Sie Film Center for pop culture questions, boozy trivia, prizes galore and many other goofy antics. Teams compete to answer questions for prizes and the glory of declaring superior knowledge. Located in Henderson's Lounge. | 720-381-0813 Sie FilmCenter, 2510 E. Colfax Ave. denverfilm.org Daily, 04/04-04/09 Women + Film Mini-Fest A six-day showcase of documentaries, narratives and short films celebrating the best in women centric programming.

The Festival includes panel discussions, in-person guests and receptions while highlighting the stories of women from around the world. | 303-595-3456 Sie Film Center, 2510 E. Colfax Ave. denverfilm.org/programs/mini-fests/women-film Wed, 04/12 | 6:30p.m.-8:30p.m.

Indigenous Film Series Presented by Indigenous Film & Arts Festival, Denver American Indian Commission and DMNS. October:Message from Mungo-Erosion around Lake Mungo in New South Wales revealed the cremated remains of Mungo Woman, the earliest known cremation in the world. | 303-744-9686

Denver Museum of Nature & Science, 2001 Colorado Blvd. dmns.org

FITNESS Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Thursdays. 04/04-04/11 | Times vary Civic Center MOVES Try a FREE lunchtime workout with full-body conditioning!

Check website for info on other workouts around the city and waiver (required).

McNichols Building, 144 W. Colfax Ave. civiccenterconservancy.org Saturdays, 04/15 & 04/29 | 2:00p.m.-3:00p.m.

YogaZo CO at Denver Bicycle Cafe Join us for another class hosted at the Beer Hall at The Denver Bicycle Cafe! Class will start at 2:00 and is 1 hour, but stay after and enjoy drink specials and making new friends!

All level of yogis are welcome, just bring your own mat. | 720-446-8029 | Denver Bicycle Café, 1308 E 17th Ave. facebook.com/events/1653235071637742

GALLERIES Daily, 04/01-04/30 Backstory: Western American Art in Context The exhibition is a masterful pairing of world class art and unique artifacts. Visitors will be captivated by the beauty, wonder and rich stories waiting to be uncovered. Price included in general admission. | History Colorado Center History Colorado Center, 1200 Broadway historycoloradocenter.org/exhibits/backstory Daily, 04/01-04/30 | Times vary Elusive Andrew Roberts-Gray combines formal abstraction, the painted landscape, and areas of unpainted canvas to create dynamic works that defy traditional genre. This exhibition of recent mixed-media works feature a silver and white palette.

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WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE ... BUT IS THERE ENOUGH TO GO AROUND?

By J. Patrick O’Leary In 2004, Denver Parks and Recreation began using “recycled water” to irrigate the grass and trees in some of its parks, including Washington Park. By 2015, the health of conifers on Evergreen Hill declined, and the city removed more than half.

In 2012, the Denver Zoo began using the same type of water in its new Toyota Elephant Passage exhibit and let animals drink it, but stopped four years later. This January, an audit questioned its continued use in pools, tanks and moats.

And despite the water saved, seasonal low water levels in the South Platte have resulted in poor habitat for fish.

One would think there would be simple solutions to these issues: discontinue the use of recycled water and leave saved water in the river. Why not?

There’s a limited amount of water available to Denver, thanks to nature and long-established law. And although there are other ways to free up water for other uses, in some cases, using recycled water is the best option.

Colorado’s constitution declares that “the water of every natural stream” belongs to the public and the right to divert and use that water for beneficial uses “shall never be denied” (Sections 5 and 6 of Article XVI). But that is subject to the system of “prior appropriation” that was created and enforced by courts before Colorado became a state.

“First in time, first in right,” neatly sums up prior appropriation: The first person to divert water from its stream and put it to a recognized “beneficial use” has priority over those who do so later.

Let’s say Farmer Jones has been diverting 3 c.f.s. (cubic feet per second; one c.f.s. is 236 million gallons per year, or 725 acre-feet per year, enough for 1,450 homes) from the South Platte for

dard that is suitable for, and meets, state irrigation since 1886, John Q. Home- Grant on U.S. Highway 285.

That works fine unless there’s not standards for irrigation and some comowner has been pulling 2 c.f.s. for watermercial and industrial uses. But it is not ing the lawn and flushing the toilet since enough water in the river.

“During times of shortages/dry “potable” or suitable for residential uses, 1912, and Ranger Jim has been using 1 including drinking. c.f.s. for watering and It’s delivered washing his pet zebras through a separate since 1968. As long as “purple pipe system” there’s at least 6 c.f.s. to its users: Xcel flowing, everyone gets Energy (for power water. Above the places plant cooling), several where these water schools, golf courses users draw their water, and city parks, includthere’s plenty of water ing Washington Park for fish habitats. and the Denver Zoo, What happens if where some have there’s a drought, and questioned its use. there’s only 4 c.f.s. in Washington Park the river? Farmer Jones has been irrigated is first in time (1886), so with recycled water he’s first in line and gets since the system his 3 c.f.s. John Homeopened in 2004. Some owner is second in time trees were showing (1912), but there’s only signs of poor health 1 c.f.s. left, so he has a as early as 2010. Folright to only half of his lowing the 2015 tree 2 c.f.s. The zebras—and removal in Washingfish—are out of luck, Jordan Lisson fishes in the Platte River after a friend of his at REI told him the ton Park, a Recycled being third in time, fish were biting under the bridge outside the store. Photo by Sara Hertwig.

Water Management unless Ranger Jim can get water from another stream, or con- years, more junior water rights could Advisory Committee was formed, bringvince Farmer Jones to sell his senior be curtailed, and in that way, the river ing together representatives of Denver water right—which is pretty much what is over-allocated,” said Denver Water Water, Parks and Recreation and stakeholders representing neighborhoods spokesperson Stacy Chesney.

Denver Water did.

So, Denver Water must use a vari- near parks where recycled water was Denver Water is Colorado’s oldest and largest water utility, providing water ety of strategies to meet its customers’ used. Its purpose was to study soil and plant health issues related to recycled to residents of the City and some of the increasing demand for water.

“We believe there’s no single solu- water use and provide feedback for the surrounding suburbs. It was established in 1918, after Denver residents voted tion to meet [customers’] needs in the long-term management strategy. While to buy the system from a private water future…so we use conservation, new there is consensus that some conifers are sensitive to the higher levels of sodium sources of supply, and reusing water…” company.

“When customers use less, when in recycled water, the study didn’t proDenver Water now holds hundreds of private water rights, purchased from they use recycled water, we free up water vide clear answers, and the city has not discontinued its use. senior water right holders over the years. for others,” she said.

The Denver Zoo is also a long-time In early 2004, Denver Water began Half of the water comes from the South Platte, and the other portion from reser- delivering “recycled” water from a user of recycled water.

“We do use recycled water for irrivoirs on the Western Slope, the largest new facility in Commerce City. It takes being Dillon—via the Roberts Tunnel— wastewater from the nearby wastewater continued on 18 which spills into the South Platte, near treatment plant, and treats it to a stan-

10 Imagination

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huge undertaking. She’s done a wonderful job of getting things off the ground there.”

The non-profit Dollywood Foundation, which operates the Imagination Library program, has early child educators select age-appropriate books, most of them hardcover, and all personalized with the child’s name on the wrapping.

The foundation has an exclusive contract with Penguin Random House that enables the books, which are mailed monthly to a child’s home, to be purchased at discount by the affiliates, the term applied to non-profits like Imagina-

Refugees

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during the day for her oldest daughter, who is studying to be a teacher. The only time Vizguerra leaves the building is to take her trash out, but she always looks around first to be sure no one is there.

Vizguerra is eligible for, and has had a U Visa application pending, for over four years. U Visas are helpful to law enforcement in the investigation or prosecution of criminal activity. Since her application is pending, she was granted stays of deportation under the Obama administration, but still had to periodically check in with ICE. Her case is more complicated because she was caught with a fake social security card in 2009, which she needed to work. While this offense is a misdemeanor, it makes her a greater deportation priority for the current administration.

In February, Vizguerra did not attend her last scheduled meeting at the ICE office. Her lawyer and a minister went instead. There were officers waiting for her and there was little doubt Vizguerra would have been taken into custody had she gone.

Rev. Mike Morran is the senior

tion Library of Denver.

There are 26 affiliates in Colorado, where books are mailed to 11,582 children and about 1,400 affiliates in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia. Randall said Imagination Library of Denver pays the Dollywood Foundation $30 a year for each child registered, covering the cost of 12 books for that child.

Regardless of age, The Little Engine That Could is the first book sent to a child. The final book, sent in the month of the child’s fifth birthday, is Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come!

Since Imagination Library of Denver’s inception, Randall said 427 children

have received books. Currently, she said books are being mailed to 232 children, including all 64 preschoolers enrolled at Family Star. Because some of those children live in transitional housing, their books are mailed to the school.

“I think it’s been a great asset to our program,” said Bahl, the Family Star assistant director. “We highlight it on our tours. We highlight it during our enrollment. The majority of our families are below the poverty level, so for them, receiving a book a month is a really nice gift.”

Expanding to a second zip code, probably 80211 on Denver’s west side, is being considered, Randall said. She orga-

nized the Denver Grilled Cheese Festival on April 12 at the McNichols Civic Center Building that will benefit Imagination Library of Denver. Randall said ticket sales have far exceeded initial expectations, and her hope is the event will gross $50,000 and sustain Imagination Library of Denver.

Randall typically visits Family Star once or twice a month. The children have seen her often enough to know her, although not necessarily by name.

“I try to save a book so she can hand it to one of the kids,” Bahl said. “She’s just so excited to see their face light up when they receive a book. I think they kind of now know her as ‘the library book lady’.”

pastor at First Unitarian. His congregation also provided sanctuary to Arturo Garcia for nine months in 2014. Morran describes the current immigration system as “obscenely immoral” and desperately needing to be fixed.

Morran said, “In a country that focuses on the rule of law, the punishment should fit the crime. People convicted of misdemeanors typically have to pay a fine or do community service.

The punishment they are proposing for Jeanette is deportation, which would separate her from her family. That’s nuts and serves no one.”

There are numerous individuals in the Denver area being impacted by the changes in immigration policy. Metro State University has one of the highest percentages of undocumented students in Colorado; as of their fall census, the school had 340 ASSET (Advancing Students for a Stronger Tomorrow) students. ASSET is a Colorado law signed in 2013 allowing eligible students to pay in-state tuition at Colorado’s public colleges and universities. Before ASSET, undocumented MSU students had to pay out-of-state tuition. The legislation supports MSU’s mission of inclusion

and diversity.

Gregor Meider, MSU Immigrant Services Program Coordinator, said, “While many of our immigrant students have a heightened anxiety level since the presidential election, they are more worried about their parents. The question becomes, if my parents get deported what happens to my life?”

Approximately two-thirds of the undocumented students MSU Immigrant Services serves have DACA status.

DACA, which stands for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, was an executive order President Obama enacted in 2012.

It has helped roughly 750,000 young people who were born in other countries—but brought to the U.S. by their parents—enroll in college, get driver’s licenses and obtain two-year legal work permits, all while being protected from deportation. However, it is a temporary solution that provides no path to citizenship, and could be repealed at any time by the President.

Cesiah (who asked to have her last name omitted to protect her identity) is an MSU Senior who will be graduating in May with a B.A. in Political Science.

Born in Mexico, she has been living here

since she was six. Her parents and some family members are undocumented. Two of her family members were deported under the Obama Administration.

Cesiah is concerned about the future of DACA and does not know what she will do if it gets repealed. She said, “No one wants to live in fear under these uncertain conditions. We need to move past only having a work permit that has to be re-approved every two years.” Her current work permit expires in September 2018.

Back at First Unitarian, Rev. Morran has observed a certain mentality he feels exists among some Americans. “Many people in our country want to treat immigration as if there is an “us” and “them.” There is no “us” and “them.”

There is only “us.” Anyone in the U.S. who has eaten food, stayed in a hotel or visited a building constructed in the last 50 years is already in a relationship with the immigrant community that works in these industries. You can’t just say “them” and pretend they are someone else. We are all already intimately economically, socially and culturally involved. You can’t pull that thread out of the tapestry.”

MAN’S BEST FRIENDS DROP LOADS OF PROBLEMS IN CAP HILL AREA

By Caroline Schomp Central Denver has a sticky problem: dog waste. A casual walk through Greater Capitol Hill provides ample evidence. On sidewalks, tree lawns (the strip between curbs and sidewalks), parks and even in private yards, brown piles of dog poop can be easily found. They are the leavings of careless or negligent dog owners.

Neighborhoods on Greater Capitol Hill, from Uptown to Cheesman and Congress Parks to Alamo Placita and Cherry Creek, are fairly densely

populated and the recent apartment building boom is resulting in more people, especially younger people and singles. Growth in pet ownership among these groups is soaring. And that means there’s a lot more dog feces. The EPA estimates the typical dog poops threequarters of a pound of waste daily.

Ask people in these neighborhoods how they feel about dog poop and you’ll get an earful. A recent “Dog Poop” thread in the Nextdoor neighborhood social media site brought in 86 replies in just a

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few days, with many an angry comment about people who don’t pick up after their pets. Interestingly, most seemed to come from dog owners.

“I love my dog, and all dogs in the world. Too bad I can't say the same about some owners. I have noticed in the last year there is a huge increase in dog poop left in sidewalks, and yards.” - Alamo Placita “The other day I was walking to my car and started to gag because of the size of dog poop I saw and smelled at 7:00a.m.

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Congress Park “I am always amazed by how some dog owners think it’s perfectly OK for their dog to climb over low fencing to go in an area clearly meant to be off limits. Or, let their dog trample gardens and other beautiful landscaping.” - Capitol Hill NE The proliferation of waste disgusts many people into picking up dog poop that hasn’t been produced by their own pooches. And, while they do, it still continued on 22

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12

SCHOOLS

By Linda Katchen, Ph.D. People say that April showers bring May flowers. Although Denver has been short of rain this year, one thing is certain.

April brings students closer to the end of the school year. Testing is over. Finals are coming, as are ceremonies to honor completion of years in school and movement on to the next level. There will be much to celebrate as the school year comes to a close.

Bromwell Elementary, 2500 E. 4th Ave., will hold its annual auction on Friday, April 7 from 6:30p.m.9:00p.m. at the Halcyon Hotel. This is a major fundraising event for Bromwell.

To learn more or purchase tickets, go to runningwalkers@gmail.com.

The Second Annual Congress Park Earth Day Festival will be celebrated Saturday, April 22 from 1:00-5:00p.m at Capitol Heights Faith Communities, 1100 Fillmore St., with music, food, art, games and prizes. Donate an ecofriendly prize or become a sponsor. This free event is open to the public. Volunteer opportunities are available for people

of all ages. For more information, go to congressparkneighbors.org/earth-day.

Dora Moore K-8, 846 Corona St., students are working to prepare for the upcoming DPS Shakespeare Festival, the largest student-centered Shakespeare event in the country. On Friday, April 28, students from across DPS will meet downtown and join a massive parade to the Denver Performing Arts Complex, where students will perform short skits from various works of William Shakespeare. DPS is celebrating the 33rd year of this fantastic annual event!

On Feb. 17, the Morey Middle, 840 E. 14th Ave., Mustang Boys’ Basketball team completed an undefeated season when they beat Slavens to claim the district-wide, middle school championship.

Morey is utilizing data and community feedback to develop an innovation plan focused on personalized learning, community involvement and social justice. On March 23, Morey hosted a Community Review on its Innovation Plan and an opportunity to speak with Board member, Mike Johnson.

Morey is hosting their annual Spring Market: flea market, yard sale, plant sale, food trucks and live music on Saturday, May 13, 9:00a.m.-3:00p.m. If you would like to participate by hosting your own yard sale, or as a business owner with a local vendor spot, contact Rebecca Mason

at (303) 229-3801 or friendsofMorey@ gmail.com. If you’d like to support the school, but can’t rent a table, please consider making a tax deductible donation.

There will be a Wall of Support, acknowledging donors at the market.

Teller Elementary, 1150 Garfield St., will hold the Tellerpalooza at the Bluebird Theater on Saturday, May 27.

Teller is still securing the band line up, but Tiger Voices and the Teller Bands will be performing on stage. This is a funfilled, family event that raises money for the school. Go to tellerpalooza.com for updated information regarding the event and for ticket sales.

On Tuesday, April 4 at 5:30p.m., Teller will present its third annual 4th Grade Animation Night. On Thursday, April 27 at 4:30p.m., there will be a pizza fundraiser before Teller presents The Tempest at 5:30p.m. Price is to be determined.

Teller Backpack Friends continues to provide food every weekend for 36 families, who might otherwise go hungry.

Check out “Teller Backpack Friends” on Facebook to learn more about donating funds, food or your time and effort.

The Teller Fundraising Committee needs parents and members of the Congress Park Community to help the school raise money by collecting BoxTops for Education. Look for a mailbox outside the school where people can drop off their

CHUN CONCERNED BY PROPOSED CELL POLES

By Lucy Graca Who wants a cell phone? Everyone, it seems. Who wants a cell antenna pole in their front yard? Therein lies the dilemma.

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(CHUN) is concerned about a Feb. 17 memo sent by Denver Public Works to city officials and neighborhood leaders, including CHUN, outlining Verizon’s application to place “10 30-foot 1-inch freestanding cellular antenna poles and … associated equipment” on public rights-of-way. The memo fulfilled the city’s obligation to seek comments from stakeholders and city administrators. The comment period closed March 9.

At issue for CHUN were the four towers located on or near Capitol Hill, and tower #7, proposed for 131 West 14th Ave.—which is in, or near, the southwest corner of Civic Center Park, a designated Denver and National Historic Landmark.

Public rights-of-way are, according to Heather Burke, Communications Specialist at Denver Public Works, “in the ‘amenity zone’ area, generally located between the curb and sidewalk.” She con-

tinues that “the review process is underway for the Civic Center Park location.”

But Brad Cameron of CHUN asks, “If Verizon can do them, what about Sprint, AT&T, etc.? And, how many more will Verizon want?” CHUN’s Board responded with a motion to the City opposing locating cellular poles or towers in or near city parks, especially landmark-designated parks, such as Civic Center Park. The motion also urged Verizon and the city to keep signs, banners and equipment off the poles and to encourage communications companies to share poles and towers to reduce visual clutter.

Burke responds that, although Verizon’s request is for poles that specifically serve its own needs, “Denver has been requesting applicants to consider ... co-location solutions to minimize amenity zone congestion, especially downtown.”

box tops.

East High, 1600 City Park Esplanade, has several events coming up in April. On Thursday, April 13 from 5:007:00p.m., East will be hosting “Empty Bowls,” where for $15 individuals will get a meal and a bowl made by East students. Proceeds from this event will go to the Foodbank of the Rockies and the EHS Angel Pack Program. This event is sponsored by the National Art Honor Society/Design Studio and contributing businesses.

The East Choir 2017 POP Show is scheduled for Thursday and Friday, April 13 and 14 at 7:00p.m. and on Saturday, April 15 at 5:00p.m. in the East Auditorium. Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for students and are available at the door or online at eastchoir.seatyourself.biz.

On Friday, April 28 and Saturday, April 29 at 7:00p.m., the East Dance Company presents “It Makes Us Human” in the auditorium. This annual spring showcase will premiere We Are the People, Dream Dance and Original Concept Pieces, featuring the Intermediate and Advanced Dance Companies under the direction of Axe. Tickets are $7 for students from any school and $15 for adults. Tickets can be purchased at the door, by calling 720-423-8468 or go to facebook.com/ easthighschooldancecompany.

Addressing the concerns about visual clutter, Meagan Dorsch, of Verizon Wireless’ Public and External Relations office, described the poles in a recent email as, “small cells, which are different than a traditional cell site or tower. Small cells are ... low-powered radio access nodes [that] consist of a radio, antenna, power and a fiber connection.” She says the poles are designed to fit in with the surrounding architecture.

LIFE will follow this story as it develops.

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ZOO AND CITY COME TO TERMS WITH OPERATING AGREEMENT

By J. Patrick O’Leary Both the City and Denver Zoo management need to comply with terms of their operating agreement, and the zoo’s board of directors needs to follow its bylaws and adopt some best practices, according to a report released by Denver Auditor, Timothy O’Brien, in January. Zoo president and CEO, Sharon Block, agreed with the recommendations and agreed to implement all changes by September.

Although the zoo property is owned by the city, the Denver Zoological Foundation operates it and owns the animals.

That working relationship is governed by a Cooperative Agreement created in 1956, and last updated in 1998.

“The purpose of the audit was to assess the Denver Zoological Foundation’s … role and activities associated with managing the Denver Zoo as well as the City’s and Foundation’s compliance with the Cooperative Agreement…” per the audit report.

The foundation objected to the audit—the first in 120 years—when initially notified in November 2015, only cooperating in April 2016, after the auditor sent a letter to the mayor and issued a press release calling out the obstruction.

Although the audit found the foundation follows accounting rules and some best practices regarding its Board of Trustees’ activities, the City and the foundation were not complying with four provisions of the agreement, and recommended better monitoring to improve compliance.

“Denver Zoo is on track with implementing the City Auditor’s proposed recommendations and we plan to meet all our deadlines,” said Zoo Spokesman, Sean Andersen-Vie. “In fact, some measures are already complete, such as the analysis of our Special Revenue Fund and the appointment of a City representative to our executive committee in Happy Haynes, Executive Director for Parks and Recreation.”

As to the first two issues, the audit found the foundation was not reimbursing the City for the costs of the City’s Career Service Authority (CSA) employees working at the zoo, instead, letting the City pay that out of a Special Revenue Fund, and that the City was not paying the zoo’s utility costs, both requirements under the agreement. 26 full-time CSA

employees worked at the zoo in 2016, at a all meetings—bylaws require attendance The project, terminated in 2015, was to cost of $1.9 million, while the zoo’s utili- at minimum of six per year, and there are convert zoo animal waste into fuel pellets ties cost $2 million. Although the city and currently only six meetings per year. The that would be burned to heat buildings the foundation decided to pay the other’s foundation agreed to review the atten- and generate electricity. The zoo wrote off $1.7 million as a loss, expenses as a matter but Anderson-Vie said of expediency—the they’re still looking for two expenses have someone to take on the been roughly equal— project. they did not amend “We are open to a the agreement to partnership to transfer reflect that. the technology, including The report also the equipment, programfound that the agreeming and intellectual ment did not require property, to an offsite the zoo to maintain location. We still believe its federal license and in the technology and accreditation with a hope one day that a party national zoological with a strong desire to association, although further their sustainabilit has done that. The ity efforts will be able to foundation agreed apply it successfully.” to develop a plan of The report included action to update the an overview of the zoo’s agreement by July 1. use of recycled water The third issue and regulations under an was that the foundation does not reg- African Black-footed Penguins are a regular attraction at the Denver Zoo. Photo “Other Pertinent Information” section, but ularly submit its by Sara Hertwig. issued no recommendaannual budget to the City prior to its approval by the founda- dance requirement and revise as needed tions. It found the use of recycled water to be in compliance with government tion, as required by the agreement; in the by September 1.

No representative of the City had rules, it called the safety of using it in past three years, 2014 was the only time served on the foundation’s board, pools, ponds and tanks “uncertain” and the foundation complied with this.

The fourth issue was that both the although the agreement required at that state and federal regulations needed City and the foundation were unclear least one; the foundation agreed to do so to be clarified.

“The City Auditor took a great deal about the agreement’s requirements for immediately.

The foundation also agreed to the of time to explain the complexities of approval of fee changes; neither believed approval by City Council or Denver Parks auditor’s recommendation to provide this issue and Denver Zoo is in full comand Recreation’s executive director were formal board member orientation and pliance with guidelines prescribed by the USDA,” said Anderson-Vie. required to change membership and training by April 1.

The auditor’s report is available at How the zoo ended its “Poop to night fees, but it was.

The report said this raised ques- Power” program was addressed as an denvergov.org/auditor, report number tions regarding the City’s monitoring and accounting issue, and found to be proper. A2015-021. compliance efforts, and the foundation agreed to work with Parks and Recreation to create a policy document to strengthen monitoring practices by May 1.

As for the foundation, the report found its board of trustees “could strengthen its governance practices.”

While it found the board usually operated properly—e.g., kept minutes of meetings, received financial updates, etc.—its role and activities were not consistent with internal policies and additional best practices.

For example, only between 19 and 29 percent of board members were attending

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14 Letters

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way, there is more space between the sidewalk and the traffic because of a bicycle lane between the parking along the street and the sidewalk, an arrangement which shields a person traveling on the sidewalk from some of the noise from the street. In addition, the cyclists are protected from the traffic by the line of parked cars. In order to increase and improve the options for moving about the Washington Park area in a manner which is safe, enjoy-

Activist

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thousands of Native and non-native allies have nonviolently resisted, in ceremony, protecting sovereignty and water, they have been met with violence, arrest and harsh treatment from militarized police, private security with attack dogs, state troopers and the National Guard. The context is centuries of genocidal colonization and treaties violation.

In presidential memoranda signed on Jan. 24, the Trump administration pushed to revive construction of both the DAPL and Keystone XL. These underground oil pipeline projects were halted by the Obama administration, responding to pressure from mass movements.

In the case of Energy Transfer Partners' 1,172 mile long DAPL, which would transport 500,000 barrels of crude oil a day from North Dakota to Illinois, Trump's

able, and protected from pollution, I urge you to ask your state legislators to support HB17-1242, which would increase funding for diverse modes of transportation. If you do not know who your legislators are, you can visit leg. colorado.gov/find-my-legislator.

Jonathan Huie

Dear Editor, I was greatly saddened by Jill Farschman's account of the many partici-

memorandum unlawfully terminated an environmental impact assessment. In an arbitrary reversal of a Dec. 4 decision, the Army Corps of Engineers granted the final easement on Feb. 8, with new drilling and legal challenges following.

Trump, who denies climate science, has invested in Texas-based Energy Transfer Partners and, in turn, CEO Kelcy Warren contributed heavily to Trump's presidential campaign.

Money acts, and investment in the unsustainable fossil fuel industry, actively contributes to climate change, rapid degradation of Earth health conditions and a doomed future. To avert further crisis, investment must be in community and sustainability. The city of Denver should follow the lead of Seattle by heeding the call to divest and stand with Standing Rock.

While you’re out snapping photos around the neighborhood, include the hashtag #CapHillStill and your photo could be published on the front of this newspaper!

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pants in the women's rally at the State Capitol. I live a few blocks away and considered going, but did not because of a health problem. Now I'm glad I didn't.

I took part in many demonstrations for civil rights and an end to the Vietnam War in the 1960s and early 1970s.

Some participants then were angry, but I can say the emphasis was on peace, justice, unity, and-yes-love.

The lessons of 50 years ago are still valid today. We should be calm and reasonable in our approach and continue to work for the enlightenment of mis-

NEIGHBORHOOD From this edition forward we will give editorial space to area Registered Neighborhood Organizations with timely news to share. LIFE staff believe in community and community building and hope readers find this information relevant. Want to see your organization featured here? Email editor@lifeoncaphill.com.

Think globally, act locally with Congress Park Earth Day Festival The Congress Park Neighbors Green Team presents the second annual Congress Park Earth Day Festival Saturday, April 22, 1:00p.m.-5p.m. The event will be held outdoors on 11th Avenue from Fillmore to Milwaukee, on the block by Capitol Heights Faith Communities, one of the Festival’s sponsors. The festival is open to the public and provides hands-on earthfriendly activities for all ages. With games, prizes, art, music and food, there’s something for everyone.

The heart of the festival is over 20 exhibits where visitors can learn about pollinators, recycling, solar energy, vegan eating and more. Through games and activities, visitors of all ages can learn firsthand how to start a seed, help the bees and build a composter.

By making a commitment to take a sustainable action, festival goers can earn tickets and play for prizes, such as a Chinook Book coupon book or seeds packets from BBB Seed.

Each booth puts in action this year’s theme of “Think Globally, Act Locally!” And, in the intersection of global and local, the African Community Center offers visitors a chance to write a welcome and appreciation card to refugees.

The music stage will feature local musicians Flat Out Jazz and the Swallow Hill Choir, with a sound system powered by festival goers and volunteers pedaling energy bikes. The Green Team is hosting a special youth art area offering face painting and nature art projects.

The food at the festival will include fruit from Trader Joe’s, cookies from the SAME Café and smoothies made with the bicycle-powered blender from Denver Food Rescue. The Green Team is accepting cash donations for the food at the festival to help support Denver Food Rescue in their mission of providing nutritious food to those who need it most.

In the event of inclement weather, the festival will go on indoors. For more details, visit congressparkneighbors. org/earth-day

guided "enemies." We should also try to reach as many voters who do not share our views as possible. There will be another election in a year and a half which will again determine the balance of power in Congress.

A true nonviolent approach to solving social problems means affirming every day that love is stronger than hate, hope is stronger than despair, and courage to act rightly is stronger than fear.

Sincerely, Margaret R. Puls.

Uptown on the Hill 17th Ave. Walking Tour Have you ever wondered what your neighborhood looked like at the turn of the 20th century, or how Denverites moved around our fair city before parking requirements were introduced into the City’s code? Perhaps you were playing ping-pong at Ace or found yourself seated in Waffle Brothers’ front yard, and wondered how these two restaurants came to occupy a mid-20th century car dealership and a singlefamily Victorian residence. These are some of the questions Uptown residents sought to answer when community activists developed the 17th Avenue Spring Walking Tour Series. Arlin Raedeke, tour host, was recognized as a Neighborhood Star at INC’s 2016 Annual Awards Dinner for the series’ inaugural year.

Uptown on the Hill, a registered neighborhood organization (RNO), launched the walking tour series last summer. The intention was to educate neighbors about the architectural and cultural history of 17th Avenue in order to familiarize attendees with the challenges posed to pedestrians and cyclists by 17th Avenue’s auto-oriented design through direct experience. It also facilitates a comparison between Uptown’s urban fabric before and after the introduction of parking requirements. The RNO hopes that the historic walking tours will catalyze discussion about Denver’s growth, density, and the contentious debate about parking requirements.

Using Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps as a guidebook helps participants visualize how buildings featured on the tour fit into the neighborhood’s urban fabric and makes the detrimental impact of parking requirements on the neighborhood glaringly apparent. Treasures like the Grafton and the Perrenoud buildings could not have been built with today’s parking requirements.

On Saturday, April 15, Arlin Raedeke will kick off his second annual 17th Avenue Summer Walking Tour series at ACE, 501 E. 17th Ave., at 11:00a.m.

Please join us for an engaging tour of Uptown’s main street and a lively discussion about Denver’s past, present, and future. Guidebooks can be downloaded from Uptown on the Hill’s website at uptowndenver.org/landuse-zoning/17th-avenue. Feel free to download and take them along with you on your next trip to 17th Avenue.

Walking Tour dates and locations April 15: Meet at 11:00a.m. at ACE (Tour: Pearl to Broadway).

April 22: Meet at 11:00a.m. at Dazbog, 1100 E. 17th Ave. (Tour: Downing to Pearl). continued on 16

15 Calendar

KIDSTUFF

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720-865-3580, Denver Botanic Gardens 1007 York St.

Tuesdays & Saturdays, 04/04-04/29 | 10:30a.m.

Young Children’s Storytime Young children are invited for a half hour of stories and fun, with a different topic each week. Free. | 303-322-1965, ext.

2731 | Tattered Cover, 2526 E. Colfax Ave. tatteredcover.com

Daily, 04/01-04/30 | Times vary Picture Me Here: Stories of Hope and Resilience by Refugees and Immigrants Exhibit provides custom storytelling programs for displaced and marginalized communities, primarily refugees and immigrants, featuring work by participants from local and international Picture Me Here programs.

720-865-4220, McNichols Building 144 W. Colfax Ave. Daily, 04/01-04/30 | Times vary Tectonic SHIFT Dynamics of Change | Works in a variety of media capture the artists’ reactions to changes in our society. Themes range from politics to environmental crisis, from issues of class, race and gender, to balance of power.

720-865-4220, McNichols Building 144 W. Colfax Ave. Daily, 04/01-04/30 | Times vary Paper Skies and Of Progress In "Paper Skies", Brenda Biondo investigates abstract compositions that are created by using archived outtakes from earlier series. In "Of Progress", the duo Alpert + Kahn, work in tandem to produce geometric abstractions from their photographs.

303-573-1255, Goodwin Fine Art 1255 Delaware St. Daily, 04/10-04/30 Divine Color By leveraging the inherent power of color - it's vibration and energy - Lewis blends acrylics with mixed media to capture the essence of an emotion, person, place or object. Meet the artist April 30 11:30 am - 12:30 pm and May 12 5:30 pm - 8 pm. | The Sturgeon Gallery @ Central Presbyterian Church The Sturgeon Gallery @ Central Presbyterian Church, 1660 Sherman Street stacylewisart.com Daily, 04/21-04/30 Daniel W. Coburn: The Hereditary Estate The exhibition is comprised of deeply intimate photographs that challenge the conventionality of the family photo album and its role in portraying a narrative of the American Dream.

Opening reception 4/21 6-9p.m.. | 303.837.1341 303.837.1341, Colorado Photographic Arts Center 1070 Bannock Street cpacphoto.org Fri, 04/28 | 5:00p.m.-9:00p.m.

METAPHORS Metaphors in visual art use symbolism and comparisons

Below are the SCFD March free days we thought most relevant for our readers: Denver Art Museum - Saturday April 1 & Sunday, April 30, 10:00a.m.-5:00p.m. 100 W. 14th Ave. Parkway Denver Botanic Gardens - Sunday, April 2, 9:00a.m. -5:00p.m.

Children’s Museum at Marisco Park - Tuesday, April 4, 4:00p.m.-8:00p.m. 2121 Children’s Museum Dr. Clyfford Still Museum - Fridays, April 7,14,21 from 5:00p.m.-8:00p.m., April 28, 10:00a.m.8:00p.m. 1250 Bannock St. Four Mile Historic Park - Friday, April 14, 12:00p.m.-4:00p.m. 715 S. Forest St. Denver Museum of Nature and Science - Monday, April 10 & Sunday, April 30, 9:00a.m.5:00p.m. 2001 Colorado Blvd.

Cafe Cultura - Spoken Word Workshop - Friday, April 21, 6:00p.m. - 7:30p.m. 910 Galapago St.

to represent certain ideas or thoughts; they help us make sense of the world that we live in. These artists piece together a canvas of new concepts, and present them in ways which are familiar. | Walker Fine Art 300 W. 11th Ave. #A

Tuesdays, 04/04-04/25 | 10:30a.m.-11:00a.m.

Toddler Storytime In the Berger Children's Pavilion, Stories, songs, rhymes and fun for toddlers ages 18-36 months and their parents or caregivers. Craft activity immediately follows the program. Free. | 720-865-1111 | Denver Public Library: Central branch, 10 W. 14th Ave. Parkway denverlibrary.org Wednesday, 04/05-04/26 | 11:30a.m.-12:30p.m.

Baby Play and Explore Unstructured play and social time for children (0-2 years) and their caregivers. Enjoy books, music and a variety of developmentally appropriate toys. Free. | 720-865-1111 Denver Public Library: Central branch, 10 W. 14th Ave. Parkway denverlibrary.org Wednesdays, 04/04-04/26 | 4:00p.m.-5:00p.m.

Girls Who Code An afterschool program for girls in middle and high school to learn computer science in a collaborative, engaging and intensive manner, working with women who work in technology fields. Learn Python, build websites, create games and more, free. | 720-865-1706 ideaLAB in Community Technology Center of DPL Central library, 10 W. 14th Ave. Parkway denverlibrary.org/idealab Fri, 04/14 | 10:00a.m.-1:00p.m.

Create Playdate This playful program for toddlers and their parents, grandparents, or caregivers includes: a fun new art project each month inspired by artwork in the museum, storytime in front of the artwork, and instructor-guided close looking to explore the art. | 720-913-0130 Denver Art Museum, 100 W. 14th Ave. Parkway denverartmuseum.org/programs/create-playdate

OUTREACH continued on 17

At the new Rose Babies Birth Center, families experience a calming, home-like environment that is free from interventions and supports physiologic birth.

Parents can relax, knowing that they will be cared for by their trusted OB provider and specially trained nurses within the safety net of a facility well-known for excellence in obstetric and neonatal care.

The Rose Babies Birth Center Features:

The First and Only In-hospital Birth Center in Colorado

• Spacious, fully remodeled, all private rooms • Queen size beds for labor, birth and family bonding • Hydrotherapy in oversized bathtubs • Apple TVs in each room to aid in relaxation • Nurses with special training in physiologic birth • Holistic pain management, including HypnoBirthing and labor support tools • Rose Childbirth Navigator: your go-to resource for all questions about having a baby at Rose • Rose Doula Connection, a flat-fee program • Lactation support for all moms • One-to-one nursing care • Journey to accreditation with the American Association of Birth Centers

RoseMed.com/birthcenter

Questions? Contact Christi King, Rose Childbirth Navigator: Christi.King@healthonecares.com • 720-300-1441

16 Neighborhood

continued from 14

May 13: Meet at 11:00a.m. at Denver Bicycle Café, 1308 E. 17th Ave. (Gilpin to Downing).

May 20: Meet at 11:00a.m. at St. Mark’s, 2019 E. 17th Ave. (Tour: York to Gilpin)

Doors Open Denver

Happy Hours Monday – Friday 3pm – 6pm & 9pm – 11pm $3 PBR | $3.50 Coors $4 Jager & Fireball $5 Cheese Bread, Stromboli $6 Wings

Weekend Brunch 10am-2pm Bloody Mary Bar $4.50 | Mimosas $2.50 ALL DAY EVERYDAY: $5 Tito’s and $5 Jameson

Private Party Room Enclosed, Heated Patio 14 Big Screen TVs w/Game Day Specials

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The 13th annual Doors Open Denver, the premier event showcasing the richness and history of Denver’s built environment and promoting quality design, will take place on Saturday, April 29 and Sunday, April 30. Presented by the Denver Architectural Foundation, the event highlights nearly 70 of Denver’s unique spaces and offers more than 50 unique Insider Tours.

The complete list of sites and Insider Tours is now available on the Doors Open Denver website at doorsopendenver. com. Information on arts and culture activities will be added soon, and the website will be updated continuously through event weekend.

Insider Tour tickets may be purchased for $10 online starting April 3 for Denver Architectural Foundation members and April 17 for the public.

Proceeds from ticket sales benefit the Denver Architectural Foundation, a nonprofit organization.

Capitol Hill highlights: The Zang Mansion Location Number: 69 | Address: 709 Clarkson St. | Hours: Saturday and Sunday, 10:00a.m.-4:00p.m. | Architect: Fredrick Carl Eberley | Architectural Style: Classical Revival | Year Built: 1904 | Designation: Denver Landmark & National Register of Historic Places.

Structure: The Adolph Zang Mansion is a two-and-a-half-story, gray brick house, equipped with a hipped roof and is an unusually pure example of the Classical Revival style of architecture, a style which became popular after the City Beautiful Movement’s 1893 Columbian World Exposition in Chicago.

Highlights: An interior with many walls covered in French silk; handpainted murals on the ceilings; each room features woodwork from a different species of wood.

Recent Owners: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormon

Capitol Hill Mansion Bed & Breakfast Location Number: 10 | Address: 1207 Pennsylvania St. | Hours: Saturday and Sunday, 10:00a.m.-4:00p.m. | Architect: Reiche, Carter and Smith | Architectural Style: Richardsonian Romanesque, Queen Anne | Year Built: 1891 | Designation: National Register of Historic Places, Denver Landmark Structure: This elegant residence was built out of red-orange Manitou sandstone, which was laid in square-cut blocks on regular courses, alternately wide and narrow. The rough-hewn style of stonework, popular in the 1890s, was made possible by the availability of native stone. The house exemplifies the exuberance of the Victorian era with its Corinthian columns, bay windows, gothic ornaments, a circular porch and turrets.

Restoration and Reuse: In 1993, the house was purchased with the intention of converting the space into the Capitol Hill Mansion, which mainly involved restoring the original floor plan.

Seven bathrooms were either added or upgraded, and a complete kitchen was installed, as only one existed in the house. Other changes, such as removing relatively new walls, opening up the rear staircase and closing and/or moving doorways, brought the home back to its earlier architectural integrity.

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Church) bought the house from the family in 1952 for $30,000. It became the western headquarters for their work.

The Greiner family owns and manages the building today, and they rent out the upper floor rooms as offices and main floor spaces for events.

Architect: Frederick Carl Eberley, born in Arolsen, Waldek, Prussia on June 9, 1844. Immigrated to the United States on September 22, 1866; moved to Denver in 1879. Other important commissions include: the Barth Hotel, the Arapahoe County Courthouse (demolished in 1933), Tivoli-Union Brewery, Airedale Building (Kopper’s Hotel and Saloon), the Colorado State Armory, the Blatz Brewery and the Gertrude Apartments (originally the Fritz Theis home) at 2545 Champa St. Died February, 1915; buried at Crown Hill Cemetery in Wheat Ridge.

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17 Calendar

continued from 15

Mondays, 04/03 & 04/17 | 10:00a.m.-5:00p.m.

Hunger Free Colorado Drop-In Assistance Hunger Free Colorado representatives can help you apply for SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) food stamps and connect with other food resources. | 720-8651111 | Denver Public Library: Central branch, 10 W. 14th Ave. Parkway denverlibrary.org Mondays, 04/03-04/24 | 8:00a.m.-7:00p.m.

Grant Street Reach Providing meals at no cost to its clients and it is sustained by committed and compassionate volunteers. | 303-839-1432 St. Paul Lutheran and Roman Catholic Community of Faith, 1600 Grant St. grantstreetreach.org Mondays, 04/03-04/24 | 7:00p.m.

Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous Through shared experience and mutual support, join a meeting to help each other to recover from the disease of food addiction. | 303-775-8062 | Trinity United Methodist Church, 1820 Broadway foodaddicts.org Tuesdays, 04/04-04/225 | 8:00p.m.

Joy AL-ANON Al-Anon's Purpose is to help friends and families of alcoholics recover from the effects of living with the problem drinking of a relative or friend. In the Roberts Building, Room 103. | Saint John's Cathedral, 1350 Washington St. al-anon-co.org Tuesdays, 04/04-04/25 | 6:30p.m.-8:00p.m.

Moderation Management Weekly meetings for problem (vs. chronic) drinkers who want to reduce their intake of alcohol. Email: denver@moderation.org. | First Unitarian Church First Unitarian Church, 1400 Lafayette St. moderation.org Wednesdays, 04/05-04/26 | 6:00p.m.

LifeRing Secular Recovery Meeting A network of people who support one another in living free of alcohol and other non-medically indicated addictive drugs. | 303-875-5088 First Unitarian Church, 1400 Lafayette St. liferingcolorado.org Wednesdays, 04/05-04/26 | 6:30p.m.

Marijuana Anonymous A fellowship of people who share experience, strength and hope with each other that we may solve our common problem and help others to recover from marijuana addiction. | Unity Church on the Hill, 1555 Race St. marijuana-anonymous.org Sundays, 04/02-04/30 | 12:30p.m.

Nicotine Anonymous A fellowship of men and women helping each other to live our lives free of nicotine. | Our Savior’s Lutheran Church Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, 915 E. 9th Ave. nicotine-anonymous.org Sundays, 04/02-04/30 | 6:45p.m.

Nar-Anon A twelve step support group for families and friends of addicts to help themselves cope. | First Unitarian Church First Unitarian Church, 1400 Lafayette St. nar-anon.org Tue, 04/11 | 1:00p.m.

Pulmonary Fibrosis Support Group Provides a safe, secure environment for all patients with any type of pulmonary fibrosis and their family members, care providers and significant others. | 303-398-1912 National Jewish Health, 1400 Jackson St. nationaljewish.org Wed, 04/19 | 7:00p.m.

Congress Park Neighbors, Inc. Meeting OUR MEETINGS HAVE MOVED!! Congress Park Neighbors Meeting April 19, 7:00 @ REACH School Meeting will take place in lunch room. Please enter through front entrance. | REACH School, 940 Fillmore Thu, 04/20 | 7:00p.m.-9:00p.m.

Capitol Hill United Neighbors Board Meeting

Open to all members of Capitol Hill United Neighbors.

Please consider attending a meeting to learn what's happening in you neighborhood and find out how you can be more engaged. | Tears McFarlane House (CHUN) 1290 N Williams St # 101

Sundays, 04/02-04/30 | 10:00a.m.

Orthodox Mass 303-698-2433 Saint Augustine Orthodox Church, 55 W. 3rd Ave. staugustinedenver.org

Fri, 04/21 | 11:00a.m.-1:00p.m.

Nat'l Active & Retired Federal Employees Assoc. (NARFE) Chapter #81 members champion the rights of retired and current Federal employees. All current and retired Federal employees and their guests are invited. Program: Councilman Paul Kashmann will discuss the Denver council's activities. | 303-779-4268 | Windsor Gardens Inn - Blossoms Restaurant, 597 S. Clinton St.

Sundays, 04/02-04/30 | 10:00a.m.

Progressive Protestant Services An open and affirming congregation of the United Church of Christ that welcomes all people regardless of race, age, gender, sexual orientation, and disability. Sunday school offered and fellowship hour following each service. Come join our community! | Sixth Avenue UCC Sixth Avenue UCC, 3250 E. 6th Ave. sixthavenueucc.org

Mon, 04/24 | 7:00p.m.-9:00p.m.

Historic Preservation Committee Meeting This Historic Preservation Committee is responsible for numerous historic districts as well as individually designated homes and buildings. Join us each month to learn what is happening in your neighborhood and to add to your voice. | 303-830-1651 Castle Marne, 1572 Race St.

RELIGION Saturdays, 04/01-04/29 | 10:00a.m.

Saturday Messianic Shabbat 303-322-5733 Church in the City-Beth Abraham, 1580 Gaylord St. churchinthecity.org

Sundays, 04/02-04/30 | 10:00a.m.

Presbyterian Services 720-316-1279 St. Patrick Presbyterian Church Denver, 1570 Clarkson St. saintpatrickdenver.org Sundays, 04/02-04/30 | 10:30a.m.-11:30a.m.

Baptist Service 303-861-2501 First Baptist Church of Denver, 1373 Grant St. fbcdenver.org Sundays, 04/02-04/30 | 11:00a.m.

Catholic Mass Catholic Mass with Children's education and nursery available. | 303-333-9366 Ten Thirty Catholic Community, 1100 Fillmore St. 1030catholic.org

Sundays, 04/02-04/30 | 7:45a.m.

Anglican Services 303-831-7115 Saint John's Cathedral, 1350 Washington St. sjcathedral.org Sundays, 04/02-04/30 | 8:00a.m.

Lutheran Services Also, Catholic Mass on Saturdays at 5p.m. | 303-839-1432 St. Paul Lutheran and Roman Catholic Community of Faith, 1600 Grant St. saintpauldenver.com Sundays, 04/02-04/30 | 8:30a.m.

Catholic Mass Also at 10:30a.m., 12:30p.m. and 6:30p.m. | 303-831-7010 Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, 1535 Logan St. denvercathedral.org Sundays, 04/02-04/30 | 8:30a.m.

Contemporary Services 10:45 Service offered as well. | 303-322-5733 Church in the City-Beth Abraham, 1580 Gaylord St. churchinthecity.org

Sundays, 04/02-04/30 | 5:00p.m.

Catholic Mass for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender A social follows Mass on most Sundays. | 720-515-4528 Dignity Denver, 1100 Fillmore St. dignitydenver.org Sundays, 04/02-04/30 | Times vary Episcopal Service 303-388-6469 St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, 1280 Vine St. stbdenver.org Tue, 04/11 | 12:00p.m.

Music at Noon Free performances held on the second Tuesday of each month. Generally 45 minutes to 60 minutes. Concert-goers are welcome to bring their lunch and eat their lunch before the concert. | 303-831-7115 Saint John's Cathedral, 1350 Washington St. sjcathedral.org

STAGE

Sundays, 04/02-04/30 | 9:00a.m.

Acts 29 Christian Service L2 Church, 1477 Columbine St. L2today.com Sundays, 04/02-04/30 | 9:30a.m.

Presbyterian Services Followed by fellowship at 10:30a.m. and education for all ages at 11:00a.m. | 303-333-9366 Capitol Heights Presbyterian Church, 1100 Fillmore St. capitolheightspresbyterian.org Sundays, 04/02-04/30 | 9:30a.m.

Lutheran Service Jazz service the last Sunday of each month. | 303-831-7023 Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, 915 E. 9th Ave. oslchurchdenver.org Sundays, 04/02-04/30 | 10:00a.m.

Christian Science Service 303-839-1505 | First Church of Christ, Scientist, 1415 Logan St. | christiansciencecolorado.org Sundays, 04/02-04/30 | 10:00a.m.

Worship Service With pre-worship coffee at 9:30a.m. and post worship social time at 11:30a.m. | 303-860-1819 | Metropolitan Community Church of the Rockies, 980 Clarkson St. lifelegacyphotography.com/mccr

Daily, 04/01-04/30 The Costume Studio & Weekend Demonstrations Explore the vital role that costumes play in developing characters and telling stories on stage and film. Occurs every day the museum is open. Every weekend from noon to 3 pm, local creatives will be on hand for demonstrations relating to costuming. | Denver Art Museum 100 W. 14th Ave. Parkway Friday - Sunday, 04/07-04/09 | 7:30p.m.

Oddville A unique piece of abstract modern theater jammed with props, physical comedy, multimedia imagery and technological wizardry, this show finds Dave Shirley in search of love, caught between existing onstage or inside a giant video screen, $28. | 303-321-5925 Avenue Theater, 417 E. 17th Ave. avenuetheater.com Sat, 04/29 | 6:00p.m.

Colorado Author's League Awards Finalists Panel & Booksigning Nonfiction & Poetry Authors Finalists for the Colorado Authors League "Best of CAL 2017" Awards in the Adult Nonfiction and Poetry categories will join us to present their work. | Tattered Cover, 2526 E. Colfax Ave.

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18

CURMUDGEON

Uber this!

By D. Todd Clough As a social zoology experiment, I became an Uber driver during this past holiday season. I was quite impressed by the ease and the efficiency of the qualification process. I made an appointment and showed up on time, and they proceeded to give my car and me a physical.

We both passed and I was sent to an Uber camp counselor who—in a quintessential hipster way—showed me how to use the app on my phone. I was out the door in 45 minutes as an official Uber driver.

Uber is a well-oiled machine and what they do best is make money; for the muckety mucks, not so much for the drivers. According to my Uber driver app, I accepted 100% of my trips, 0% trips cancelled and I have a current ranking of 4.87 percent out of a 5 star rating system, with 51 five star rankings and one 4 star ranking. None of my riders ever waited more than five minutes for me to arrive. I carried bottled water for my riders, had a wide variety of music choices, a cashmere blanket for extra cold nights, a smile on my face, a stylish bow tie and 50-plus years of Denver knowledge. I made an average of $12.27 per hour and the gas and car insurance were on me.

I really liked doing it; during the 150-plus rides I drove, I met really nice people, reacquainting with some, six degrees of separation from Kevin Baconing with a few others, laughed a lot, cried with one who had recently lost her father, was a Denver cheerleader for many of

my tourist riders and I did my best to make people welcome in my car. I only had one jerk; he spent the majority of our time together drunkenly telling me over and over how rich he is and that he made his money in astroturf. Halfway to his home, he demanded that we go back to his office, and then we spent the next 10 minutes filling my Jeep with boxes of flip flops with astroturf on them. Next, I helped carry his gaudy flip flops into his house. No tip was given and Uber takes great pride in that fact!

I am often receiving notifications from the Uber Mothership to recruit my friends to drive for them. Yes, they would throw me a few crumbs for doing this. I have come to realize that they have to do this constant recruitment because so many drivers like me quickly realize that there isn’t enough money to justify the effort, so turnover is high.

The straw that broke my Uber back was on the Saturday night before the Super Bowl. Uber publicized a promotion to drivers that anyone completing eight trips between midnight and 3:00a.m. would receive a $50 bonus. I thought an extra $50 was a good enough incentive to go out into the cold and sheppard drunken people around. I had driven this shift on a number of occasions and had always been very busy and had easily taken more than eight trips. My shift started like most, and by 2:00a.m., I only needed one more trip to make my bonus, with one hour to go.

I thought it was a done deal. After all, in the past, this was an hour that was always jammed full of business, with bars closing and passengers wanting to go elsewhere.

I drove by the popular haunts off South Broadway—nothing. I was shocked—no business at Punch Bowl Social—what was up with that? I drove downtown and through RiNo and nothing. I saw plenty of people on the streets and many other

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g o , I sped towards Shotgun Willie’s—my last hope—I got there in time, but no rides. T o m y amazement, I had failed the challenge.

I talked to a fellow driver who had the same experience. He quickly reminded me of who controls the algorithms (who controls whom and how many trips drivers get). Could it be true that it was a rigged game? Let’s look at the recent behavior of the punk President/CEO, Travis Kalanick, who is at the helm. He was secretly filmed by one of his drivers arguing with the driver about a decreasing percentage of the fare going to the drivers. Google it. Travis’s behavior was certainly not presidential. He was accompanied in the back seat by two gorgeous women that I suspect he pays more than he does his drivers.

This act of immaturity is just the tip of the iceberg. How about the substan-

Water

continued from 9

gation and the cleaning of our facilities and exhibit pools,” said Zoo spokesman Sean Andersen-Vie. “The vast majority of the recycled water is [used for] irrigation, and the rest for pool water and cleaning of the Toyota Elephant Passage, Benson Predator Ridge and The Edge exhibits.”

He said the zoo’s focus on sustainability—water conservation at the local level—was the reason for using recycled water.

While finding that the zoo complies with applicable laws in its use of recycled water, City Auditor Timothy O’Brien expressed concern in his recent audit. In the “Other Pertinent Infor-

tiated claim by Lyft (a competitor) that Uber sabotaged Lyft by ordering thousands of fake rides in August 2014. Uber equipped a reported 177 “brand ambassadors” with burner phones and credit cards for the purpose of requesting rides from Lyft and cancelling them moments later.

Uber even touted a fake $90,000 salary through advertising, but that was a myth.

It turns out that Uber drivers hardly make more than cabbies and barely above minimum wage. Realistically, a driver would have to work nearly 70 hours a week, with no vacation or sick time, to earn the reported amount. Even driving those extreme hours, that salary would only be possible in NYC, which is by far the most lucrative Uber market in the U.S. Additionally, that number didn’t account for what drivers spend in gas, maintenance, insurance and car payments. A ton of drivers signed up because of this amazing pay, only to be disappointed.

The list goes on. Uber blocked drivers from Tweeting about fare cuts. The company has exhibited sexism and misogyny over and over again. Uber crossed strike lines at JFK airport, where taxi drivers were protesting the Muslim ban and used it as an opportunity to make some easy money.

My human sociology experiment is over. This column is my thesis and my conclusion is I will not drive for Uber, nor will I ever consider riding with a company that so undervalues the human condition.

mation” section of the report, O’Brien cited the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission’s 2013 study on the use of recycled water in zoos and wildlife facilities, which said that the risk to animals varied depending on their sensitivity to and frequency of contact with recycled water, and that more data was needed on chronic and acute toxicity from accidental ingestion and direct exposure.

Although use of recycled water is freeing up potable water for other uses— about 17,500 acre feet a year, enough for 35,000 homes—it does nothing to increase water level to improve fish habitat in the South Platte.

What solutions are being considered? Find out next month in part two of this story.

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Uber drivers picking up riders. It was now 2:30a.m. I double and triple checked to make sure that I had my meter on and I did. I cruised Colfax by Tom’s Diner and Pete’s Cafe and r e m a r k a b l y, no riders.

With 15 minutes t o

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19

M U S IC

In Kansas, heels clicked

By Peter Jones Dorothy may not be in Kansas anymore, but the same cannot be said for Ronnie Platt.

If it were not for the Midwestern work ethic and sweat equity in clubs that dotted the small-town heartland, Kansas, the band, would have been swept away in a tornado decades ago and Platt would be—well, doing exactly what he’s doing anyway—singing “Carry On, Wayward Son” to audiences who know every word.

“It’s surreal to me,” the singer and keyboardist said, noting he sang the song for years in cover bands before taking over the center microphone in Kansas.

“It’s quite an elevation, quite a step up.

Playing for 21,000 Kansas fans—talk about living the dream.”

As a workaday Midwestern musician of a certain age, Platt made a career of doing whatever the job required. As it happens, that oftentimes meant covering the work of groups like Kansas.

The state-named band (founded during a period when most were going for city monikers) was formed in Topeka in 1970. Fusing the boogie rock of the decade with a mix of ambitious musical themes, philosophical leanings and acoustic sensibility (even incorporating a violin), Kansas created a subgenre that might be called progressive folk-rock, for lack of a better term.

“There are songs that have a boo-

gie-woogie feel. You also hear a lot of group to sign with the then-burgeoning guitarist Richard Williams and drummer Phil Ehart as the band’s most consistent classical influence,” Platt said. “When you U.K. label, Virgin Records.

Colorado will get a chance to judge mainstays. With Walsh’s departure, Platt mesh the two together, it really comes up for itself Thursday, April 20, when Kansas, made a difficult entry as the new lead with a unique element.”

After years in the trenches of count- as fronted by Platt, plays the Paramount singer.

“At every live show, I’ve always tried less heartland-based bands, Platt was Theater.

Although the original Kansas got off to experiment and push my limits,” he called to Kansas in 2014 when original lead singer Steve Walsh retired. In a world to a slow start in the early 70s, the band said. “But in Kansas, there are certain where hard work and “feel” meant more would eventually rise from album-rock songs where I really need to pull the reins than anything else, Platt was an easy slumber into major hits and radio airplay. back on that. Excuse me for showboatin’ choice for the sustaining band and its The band’s fourth album, Leftoverture, every once in awhile. I can’t help it.”

As Kansas conloyal fans alike. tinues its 40th anni“I’ve been lucky,” the versary celebration of singer said. “I think I was in my Leftoverture by perfirst band in seventh or eighth forming the album in grade. I started playing in bars its entirety on tour, when I was 18, 17 maybe—sorry, the rejuvenated lineup mom. I’ve never gone without has reinvigorated being in a band, so it’s condithe enduring band to tioned in me. It’s prepared me release The Prelude well for my stint in Kansas.”

Implicit, its first album Platt even had a tangenof new material in 16 tial connection to Rock Star, the years.

2001 movie that starred Mark The burden of Wahlberg as a tribute band’s doing justice to the lead vocalist who is suddenly recent and older matecalled to the real McCoy when rial, as the new guy in his emulated band fires its Kansas performs the Leftoverture album in its entirety April 20 at the the band, is never lost singer. In a sort of quasi-coin- Paramount Theater. Photo by Michie Turpin. on Platt. But when cidence, Platt was asked by Survivor’s Jim Peterik to take the lead vocals made the Top 10, producing the anthe- the singer endeavors to make the Denver mic, “Carry On Wayward Son,” whose show the best it can be, it will be Colon a song written for the film.

“I went in to sing it, and it was a fragile anti-heroism channeled every- orado—not Kansas—that’s putting on most of the stress. submission for the movie,” Platt said. thing from Vietnam to mental illness.

Not to worry—he won’t get too wayThe follow-up, Point of Know Return, “Unfortunately, the song did not make boasted not just the keyboard-hooked ward as he carries on. the movie.”

“My family would kill me. I’ve got Instead, in a case of life imitat- title hit, but the signature, “Dust in the ing would-be art, Platt got the real-life Wind,” the song that gave futility new life family in Denver,” Platt said. “There’s gig with Kansas—though Platt, unlike in poetry. All of this was stuck between added pressure there.”

Kansas will perform April 20 at the ParWahlberg’s character, was a professional cartoonish album covers that suggested amount Theater. For more information, call musician who had worked the Midwest the Sistine Chapel gone amok.

A series of musical and religious dif- 303-623-0106 or visit paramountdenver. trenches for decades, both in bar bands and for a time as the latter-day singer for ferences would splinter the band several com or kansasband.com. Contact Peter Kansas City’s Shooting Star, the first U.S. times over the years with singer Walsh, Jones at pjoneslifemusic@aol.com.

"SCENE CHANGE" BRINGS THE EXPERIENCE OF OPERA TO YOU

By Barb Wedig Recently, I was wandering around Cherry Creek Mall, smelling the popcorn from the movie theater and the enticing cinnamon aroma emanating from Cinnabon, checking out all of the spring fashions in the display windows, amidst the delighted sounds of children playing on the indoor playground. Suddenly, I heard…what? The sound of a live baritone singing an aria coming from one of the stores? Hmmm... Need to nip in and check that out.

Stepping into Brooks Brothers, I found a captivated audience, munching delicious finger foods and sipping sparkling wines, totally captivated by a live performance in progress. The baritone before me was enthusiastically perform-

ing the famous, and ever so entertaining, “Non piu andrai” from Mozart’s Nozze de Figaro. Accompanied by a live piano, the music filled the space and delighted the audience, which was a varied mix of ages and backgrounds.

There were three young artists in Brooks Brothers: Charles Eaton, baritone; Omar Nadjmi, tenor; and Allison Nicholas, soprano. These talented young artists are part of an outreach program by the Colorado Opera called Scene Change. The plan is to take opera to people who don’t usually get to experience it, and offer them a little slice of the experience.

“Our intention is to change things up and draw the audience into different opera experiences,” said Greg Carpen-

ter, General Director of Opera Colorado.

“The style of grand opera is an art form to be relished, but it is not the only way to engage, and we feel with Scene Change, we can meet the audience where they live and play.”

I was so happy that I had the great timing to be able to experience a free concert by this talented group that when I got home, I turned on my computer to look up more information about the program.

Good news! There are more special events slated to take place with Scene Change, from varied points of view and in a wide range of venues. Try a concert at a RiNo jazz club that pairs wine and food with music, curated by the club’s sommelier and a member of the

Opera Colorado educator staff. There will be also another opportunity to hear the young artists perform at the Cherry Creek Shopping Center in April. Want to meet and talk with the artists? On the night of April 26, the singers currently cast in Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor (opening on April 6), will be on hand to chat with audience members.

And, if you’ve ever wondered what it’s like inside the opera, Behind the Curtain will pair a behind-the-scenes tour with cocktails.

There are even more special opportunities to experience this rich musical genre in a down-to-earth, comfortable setting. If you want to know more about them, go to operacolorado.org.

Dvořák for Easter at Saint Augustine’s THE AMBROSIAN CHOIRSTERS, Soloists & Orchestra present: Dvořák’s spectacular MASS IN D, op. 86 • Giovanni Sgambati’s ANDANTE SOLENNE, prelude • Charles Villiers Stanford’s IF YE THEN BE RISEN WITH CHRIST, offertory • G. F. Handel’s I KNOW THAT MY REDEEMER LIVETH, communion • Felix Mendelsohn’s THE STIRFE IS O’ER, recessional No admission charged. A free will offering will be received.

Festive Champagne Brunch to follow in the Parish Hall.

Join us for the Solemn Mass of Easter 10:00 am

SUBSCRIBE TO LIFE ON CAPITOL HILL subscribe@lifeoncaphill.com

Saint Augustine’s Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church. A Gregorian-Latin Rite Parish of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America

55 West 3rd Avenue at Acoma Street • Denver, CO 80223 • Historic Baker District 303.698.2433 • www.staugustinedenver.org Parking: Mi Casa Lot 4th and Acoma • Eastern Star Lot 2nd and Acoma

20

CONCERT HIGHLIGHTS

By Jason McKinney

Larimer Lounge Presents: Thao (of the Get Down Stay Down)

Thursday, April 6 | 8:00p.m. | Larimer Lounge, 2721 Larimer | larimerlounge.com | $20-25 Thao and the Get Down Stay Down have become something of a staple in recent years on indie rock radio. Their covers of Blackstreet’s “No Diggity” (in addition to covering bands like Yo La Tengo and the Troggs) has given them a novelty cachet. Don’t be fooled though; they are an accomplished band in of themselves. Lead singer Thao Nguyen will perform solo at the Larimer Lounge, and who knows what songs she’ll break out. Having performed with the likes of Andrew Bird (on their second album, Know Better Learn Faster), the Portland Cello Project, Joanna Newsom, among others, their latest album, A Man Alive, released last year, was produced by famous indie stalwart Merril Garbus, otherwise known as tUnE-yArDs.

The Bluebird Theater Presents: Of Montreal

Thursday, April 20 | 8:00p.m. | Bluebird Theater, 3317 E. Colfax | bluebirdtheater.net | $20 Speaking of going up, Of Montreal continues to rise. They’ve been around since 1996 in one form or another, but like a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis, they just keep morphing. This experimental band has had as many as six different musical phases over the last 20 years. Producing art as much as pop, they haven't shied from commercialism. Their songs have been used for commercials for Comcast, Outback Steakhouse, NASDAQ and T-Mobile. Their sound has shifted from “kindercore” to indie pop to electronic to funk and glam rock to prog rock, back to electronic and now back to prog with this year’s EP, Rune Husk. Confused?

Go check them out and discover for yourself what kind of music they’re doing this month.

Dazzle Jazz Presents: The Jonathan Kreisberg Quartet Saturday, April 29 I 7:00 & 9:00p.m.

Sunday, April 30 I 6:00 & 8:00p.m. dazzlejazz.com $22

I don’t cover jazz shows very often and thought it was time to change that. The Jonathan Kreisberg Quartet comes to Dazzle Jazz with their “rainy Sunday afternoon” sound led

by Kreisberg’s bluesy guitar. Born in NYC, Kreisberg has played guitar since the age of 10 and toured Brazil while in college with Joe Henderson, Michael Brecker and Red Rodney. The Quartet will play selections from 2014’s Wave Upon Wave among other brand-new compositions.

LOVE MUSIC? PLAY MUSIC!

BENCHMARK THEATRE TO LAUNCH WITH INAUGURAL PRODUCTION OF THE NETHER

By John Showalter

Next session starts Apr 24

Denver’s growing, and so is its theatre scene. Welcome Benchmark Theatre, housed for now at Buntport Theater, 717 Lipan St. The inaugural play will be Jennifer Haley’s The Nether, which opened March 31 and runs through April 23.

Performances are Thursday-Saturday, 8:00p.m., and Sundays, 6:00p.m.

The Nether is a mystery, and Haley and company don’t want to give too much plot away, but the production looks to the future and asks, how do we enforce law in a completely virtual reality? How do we enforce law in a world

that is not real? The play’s lead, a young, female detective, does the asking.

As for backstory on the theater itself, Benchmark Theatre launched in July 2016 but, according to Producing Artistic Director Haley Johnson, the company wanted to build a solid foundation before producing a first play.

At heart, the company is the product of friendship and like minds pursuing a single passion. “We were individual artists who thought we could collaborate well together,” Johnson says.

The Nether director Rachel Bouchard concurs. “Haley and I started talking

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21 about doing a project together; as the discussions developed, we decided to make it a more long-term collaboration,” she says. “We worked well together. Our brains are on the same wavelength.”

Perfect chemistry for a first play about cognition and rules of conduct.

The Benchmark Theatre has three basic missions. First is their artistic mission: to bring out questions about our shared human experience through storytelling. The company wants to communicate with its audiences by encouraging thought through plays that do not provide readymade answers. Secondly, Benchmark seeks to focus on the quality and uniqueness of their productions. They believe Denver is on the brink of an artistic explosion and want to be on the forefront. The third mission is to collaborate with other arts organizations while also building strong relationships with other businesses and organizations.

On the horizon: Benchmark Theatre is also starting the Fever Dream Festival. Slated for June, Fever Dream is a genre-focused festival featuring works which do not get a lot of exposure: science fiction, fantasy and horror.

As for what Benchmark plans to stage next, there are many possibilities.

The company has received over 300 submissions—from short shorts, to one act plays, to full-length productions, and

the company is currently making its choices.

Benchmark’s next stage production will be Dec. 1. There will also be another community response piece in the fall.

Want a deeper glimpse into The Nether? visit benchmarktheatre.com/ thenether for a preview. Tickets are also available through the site.

CELINE WILL WIN YOUR HEART AT THE VERY FIRST PAGE

By Kerry Hammond From the best-selling local author Peter Heller—author of The Dog Stars and The Painter—comes the story of Celine, an elegant, aristocratic private eye who specializes in reuniting families, trying to make amends for a loss in her own past.

From page one, Celine seems an unlikely character. A classy, blue-blooded private investigator in her 60s who can charm the most ornery into submission and stand up to a huge, knife-wielding biker in a backwoods bar. Part of the beauty of her character is in her inherent irony and her truth—Celine is based on a real person, the author’s mother. The other part of her beauty is that she was clearly a kind and wonderful soul.

In the book, Celine and her husband Pete choose to search for lost loved ones rather than criminals, and they take on a job they know may not have the happy ending the client prefers. They agree to help a woman determine whether or not her father really died years ago while on a photographic assignment near Yellowstone National Park. Celine and Pete journey through Montana to conduct their investigation and, along the way, the reader learns about Celine’s past, why she is driven to do the work she does and to what lengths she will go to get at the truth.

Heller has crafted a fictional tale that contains a smattering of actual events and a whole lot of his mother’s true personality, including her affinity for, and skill with, firearms. At one point, the librarian at a used book sale believes there has been a mistake with Celine’s selections.

“Absently she flipped through the old magazines and stopped cold at Soldier of

Fortune. ‘Oh!’ she peeped. ‘How did that get in here? I’m so sorry, I can put that one back if you like—’ ‘We’ll take it,’ Celine said, smiling brightly. ‘You never know when you might need a nightscope.’ She gathered up the magazines and they left.”

There are stories that unfold at an uncomfortable pace, making the reader feel the need to start skimming in order to get more information at a faster rate.

Then, there are those, like Celine, that are so well told the reader savors every word in order to prolong immersion in the narrative. Celine is a well-crafted mystery keeping the reader in suspense and a heartwarming glimpse into the life of a fascinating woman, all rolled into one.

Choosing whether a book is character or plot-driven implies it can’t be both in equal parts. Heller proves that this is not only possible but is the recipe for an amazing story. I turned the pages to find out more about Celine, but I also anxiously followed her path to be ready when she found the answer to her client’s question. Celine isn’t just a book, it’s a labor of love. Heller immortalizes his recently deceased mother by writing an engaging, suspenseful and at times, very funny, story.

After I’d turned the last page, I felt like I had followed Celine to Montana, slept in their camper, and walked alongside her in the woods. I laughed at her boldness, admired her strength and cried at her backstory.

At a recent appearance at Tattered Cover, Heller was asked if there might be a sequel. He admitted he hadn’t planned one … but he didn’t say “no” either. Here’s hoping.

A P R I L

M AY

The Music of Michael Jackson APR 1 SAT 7:30

POPS

A Symphonic Beauty and the Beast APR 2 SUN 1:00

FAMILY

Andres Lopera, conductor Christie Conover, vocalists

MASTERWORKS

Brett Mitchell, conductor Jason Shafer, clarinet La Péri, Poème danse DUKAS MOZART Clarinet Concerto in A major, K. 622 RIMSKY-KORSAKOV Scheherazade, Op. 35

Dianne Reeves in Concert MAY 13 SAT 7:30

POPS

Mahler Symphony No. 3 Conducted by Andrew Litton MAY 19-21 FRI-SAT 7:30 SUN 2:30

MASTERWORKS

■

MASTERWORKS

Kevin John Edusei, conductor Gabriel Preisser, chansonnier J. STRAUSS JR. On the Beautiful Blue Danube, Op. 314 Frankenstein!!

HK GRUBER BRAHMS/orch. SCHOENBERG Piano Quartet in G minor, Op. 25

Movie at the Symphony: E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial APR 27 THU 7:30

Cristian Macelaru, conductor Nicholas Phan, Evangelist Hadleigh Adams, Jesus Colorado Symphony Chorus, Duain Wolfe, director Colorado Children’s Chorale, Deborah DeSantis, artistic director J.S. BACH St. Matthew Passion, BWV 244

Christopher Dragon, conductor

■

On the Beautiful Blue Danube APR 21-22 FRI-SAT 7:30

MASTERWORKS

■

Brent Havens, conductor James Delisco, vocals

Mozart Performed By Jason Shafer APR 7-9 FRI-SAT 7:30 SUN 1:00

Bach St. Matthew Passion MAY 5 & 7 FRI 7:30 SUN 1:00

GEEK

Andrew Litton, conductor Michelle DeYoung, mezzo Colorado Symphony Chorus, Duain Wolfe, director Colorado Children’s Chorale, Deborah DeSantis, artistic director MAHLER Symphony No. 3 in D minor

The Music of Star Wars MAY 27-28 SAT 7:30 SUN 1:00

SPECIAL

■

Christopher Dragon, conductor

TICKETS

coloradosymphony.org T 303.623.7876

Christopher Dragon, conductor

box office 1000 14th St., No. 15, Denver, CO 80202

Concert performance includes full screening of the live action feature film! ©A.M.P.A.S.® E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is a trademark and copyright of Universal Studios. Licensed by Universal Studios Licensing LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Symphony Ball APR 29 SAT 6:00 Fillmore Auditorium

presenting sponsor

FUNDRAISER

The performance includes FULL SCREENING OF THE FEATURE FILM! The pre-recorded soundtrack is removed from these features and performed live by your Colorado Symphony.

Half Notes Please join us for family-friendly preconcert activities in Gallery 2.

colorado symphony proudly supported by

22

HISTORY

Robert S. Roeschlaub and his Capitol Hill repertoire

By Peg Ekstrand Robert S. Roeschlaub’s father, Michael, was a German-born physician and surgeon who came to the United States with his young family in 1847, ultimately settling in Quincy, Illinois. A little over a decade later, Dr. Roeschlaub, lured by wanderlust, lit out for the Colorado goldfields. When he returned in 1860, he filled his 16-year-old son, Robert, with rough-and-tumble stories of Denver, the frontier outpost and the Clear Creek mining camps.

It was thus that the seed urging Robert to move west was planted early, but germinated slowly throughout his Civil War service (where he made captain before he was mustered out in June 1865). The urge continued to grow during his eight years as an architectural apprentice in Quincy. By 1868, with his professional prospects steadily improving, he married Annie Fisher, daughter of a prominent Quincy department store owner. Soon two little ones, Alice and Charles, arrived.

This lure of the West in Robert’s imagination went beyond the high adventure his father had pursued in the Rocky Mountains. The young family man aspired to bring civilization to the now bustling burg of Denver. He saw something that his father never could have imagined in the former tent-andcabin town—an opportunity ripe for architectural improvement and civic pride. His arrival in the “Queen City of the Plains” with his family in tow, in

Dogs

continued from 10

makes them angry, like this woman from Country Club. “I also am the poop fairy … if I see stray poop I pick it up … I’m sick of b------g and decided to become part of the solution.”

Dog waste is problematic for multiple reasons. It is unsightly, it stinks and it kills vegetation. It is also a serious health hazard. The EPA says it is as toxic to the environment as chemical and oil spills. A gram of dog waste can contain up to 23 million fecal bacteria and other contaminants that can cause infections in humans and other pets.

It’s illegal in Denver to leave

1873, was timely—as Denver was on the verge of tremendous growth.

Even though he is considered the Mile High City’s first office-trained architect, his initial commissions were slow to materialize. Undeterred, Robert determinedly pushed his career forward, and by 1875, his success was assured.

That was the year he designed the Broadway Elementary School, located on Broadway between 13th and 14th Avenues, now the site of the Colorado Justice Center, which is home to the Colorado State Supreme Court. When the classically designed school was completed, the school board offered Roeschlaub a permanent position as the architect for Arapahoe County’s East Denver public school district—a position he held for the next 15 years.

In 1876, Robert and Annie settled on a lot to buy for a home site on Delaware Street, just south of Colfax Avenue.

Roeschlaub designed the house, and over the next 24 years, he saw the entire neighborhood fill with buildings, domiciles and terraces—all of his own design.

Commissions kept coming from all over the area, both commercial and residential. In 1884, he designed the Emerson School on the newly developing area of Capitol Hill at 14th Avenue and Ogden Street. The site was a commanding one, perched far above the city, and facing the mountains. According to historian David N. Wetzel, the neo-Tudor style building’s main hall served as “a court with angled classroom doors that allowed teachers to observe the progress of students from class to class and for the principal to observe the activity of any classroom at a glance.” Today, in a truly fitting historical fashion, the building is home to Historic Denver, Inc. and a cadre of preservation-related organizations.

Corona School, built in 1889 at 9th Avenue and Corona Street, has been lauded as “the crowning achievement of

Roeschlaub’s school architecture.” With its bold entrances beckoning and its towers looming, the structure still dominates the neighborhood. The architect masterfully integrated all of the heating, ventilation and lighting systems into the aesthetics of this building with its grand gables and domes. The school’s name was changed in 1929 to thank former teacher and principal, Dora M. Moore, for 35 years of service to the institution.

By the time Robert designed Stevens School at 1140 Columbine St. in 1899—his last documented public school in Denver—he had gained a national reputation for his school architecture. This neoclassical-style building now houses 25 condominiums in the heart of Congress Park.

Trinity Methodist Church— constructed in the modern Gothic style between 1887 and 1888 at 18th Avenue and Broadway—is considered Roeschlaub’s masterpiece of church architecture. The members of Denver’s oldest Methodist congregation insisted on building a first-rate house of worship, one that was massive, yet artistically appealing, with an impressive spire to stand out as a landmark to the community at large. The building’s magnificent organ still fills the sanctuary with glorious music.

In 1881, the architect, always mindful of Denver’s rapidly changing landscape and its subsequent threat to the city’s pioneer legacy, joined the board of the State Historical and Natural His-

tory Society (which later became the Colorado Historical Society and is now known as History Colorado).

Roeschlaub surely must have been pleased when his son, Frank, entered the architectural firm, joining his father and business associate, Robert K. Fuller.

Frank became a full-fledged partner in 1902. Several years later, the elder Roeschlaub’s health began to decline and he retired from the firm in 1913; the same year that he and his wife Annie moved to a much smaller home at 429 Lafayette St. Within a few years, Frank left the firm and by 1917, Fuller owned the business outright.

Once in full retirement, Robert was ordered by his doctor to move to the West Coast. As advised, he and his wife, Alice, finally left their beloved Denver for San Diego, California.

By 1920, the aging man was totally blind and growing more frail.

When he died in 1923, his architectural plans and drawings lay safely ensconced with his old partner, Robert Fuller. Decades later, Fuller’s son, Ken, joined his father at the firm and became the professional heir of Roeschlaub’s legacy. Just eight years shy of the 100th anniversary marking the founding of Roeschlaub’s firm in Denver, Ken Fuller donated all of Roeschlaub’s materials to the Colorado Historical Society, the organization on whose board the architect had so proudly served. Ken Fuller’s foresight thus guaranteed the preservation of one firm’s remarkable architectural legacy of the emerging West in the 19th Century.

dog waste on either public or private property, although according to Denver city regulations, your dog can poop on someone else’s property if you remove it. In the parks, if your dog’s feces aren’t picked up, a park ranger can write you a $150 ticket and successive violations can escalate up to $999.

“I think there’s a direct correlation between off-leash and not picking up,” said Park Ranger Program Administrator Bob Toll. “When dogs are running in areas of the park at certain times of the day, we start to see more excrement.”

The need for more fenced-in dog parks in Denver is becoming more of an issue.

There are currently none on Greater

Capitol Hill, since the one at Colfax Avenue and Josephine Street closed when construction began on a new recreation center. There will be a much smaller, quarter-acre fenced dog park there when the rec center opens.

Congress Park resident Bryan Wilson has three online petitions gathering support for larger sites he’s identified in Cheesman, Congress and City Parks. Denver Parks and Recreation officials have told him that Congress won’t work because of nearby residences and heavily used playing fields, while Cheesman’s historic status makes it unsuitable. Wilson’s not completely convinced, but he’s also identified an

area in the southwest corner of City Park. He admits there are dog poop problems in dog parks, too, but thinks that they could be more easily confined and policed.

“City Park or Cheesman—I don’t care. We just need one to two acres.

Not asking all that much,” he said. He recently attended a meeting that District Seven City Councilman Jolon Clark had to talk to his constituents about their desire for a dog park. And, Wilson was going to make his position known at Parks and Recreation Department open houses to gather citizen input on its GamePlan, plotting Denver’s parks and open space future.

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Mary Clark

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Denver, Colorado 80207

23

GARDENING

Take your pick of edible flowers

By Liz Clift "April showers bring May" flowers is a phrase I grew up with—and many of you probably did, too. The history of this phrase goes back centuries, and while it may not seem applicable here (after all, crocuses were popping up in February this year), its wisdom is helpful for remembering not to get over ambitious in getting plants outdoors, but to get excited for flowers to come!

For me, this year, more than others, I’ve had conversations with friends about edible flowers. With one friend, I’ve been plotting lilac syrups and candies. With another friend, I’ve talked about flowers as salad toppings and a way to festive up your ice cubes. With someone else, it’s been candied flowers as a garnish for pies. In the past, I’ve also used dried, edible flowers in cakes and cookies, or fried them as part of a meal. There are, of course, edible flowers we eat before they have the chance to bloom (like artichoke) and the ones we use primarily in infusions (like chamomile), but for today, I’ll focus on a few edible flowers that suit some of the above purposes—and may also be multifunctional within your garden.

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) is often considered a gardener’s scourge because they spread so easily, but the entirety of this plant is edible and the taproot does wonders for breaking up

Blueprint

soil. Sprinkle the yellow petals on salad or bake them into cookies. Use the greens in salads. The root can be scrubbed and used in tea; and when roasted, is sometimes referred to as a coffee substitute. Dandelions are an important early source of food for pollinators.

Lavender (Lavendula spp.) grows well in our dry climate, and provides a source of food for pollinators for much of the year, as it sometimes blooms twice—though the second bloom is not nearly as showy. It is quite fragrant, and the scent is linked to reducing stress.

Lavender can be used in tea, baked goods, incorporated into soft cheeses, made into syrup, or candied.

Lovage (Levisticum officinale) attracts and provides shelter for beneficial insects due to its umbel flowering pattern. It’s also a nitrogen fixer, which is good for soils that have been depleted.

It has a taste similar to celery.

Nasturtiums (Tropaeolum majus) are popular for hanging baskets, and do well in gardens. These can be sown directly into the ground, have a sweetturns-peppery taste, and do well at attracting white flies in your garden (which will often only attack one plant, if you have several nearby). The leaves are also edible.

Pansies (Viola x wittrockiana) and Johnny jump-ups (Viola tricolor) are

beautiful salad toppers and have a mild wintergreen flavor. These flowers are moderately cold-tolerant, which means they appear fairly early and can withstand temperature fluctuations that occur in the spring, while providing

an early source of food for pollinators.

Johnny jump-ups can also be frozen into ice cubes to provide a lovely addition to drinks.

Purslane (Portulaca spp.) is one of my favorite plants other people hate. It likes poor, disturbed soils, and the entire plant is edible. It contains omega-3s and you can use it in salad, or cook it into a stir fry, or prepare it as you would spinach. You don’t need to garden this one, but you’ll likely find it in or around your garden. It has small, showy flowers.

Redbud trees (Cercis canadensis) produce edible flowers with a nutty flavor. These trees bud out early in the

spring and provide moderate shade later in the season. The flowers can be added to baked goods or used on salads. The buds can also be pickled or used in relish.

Roses (Rosa spp.) have a variety of flavors and can be used as cut flowers to attract beneficial insects, or be planted to act as a natural barrier to an area. The petals are used in a variety of ways, including in desserts, in jellies, or as garnishes.

Rosehips can be brewed into tea.

There are many more choices, but I want to cover one more thing: Which edible flowers should you avoid?

Those grown in soil fertilized with untreated animal manure; growing on the roadside or areas with roadside drainage; purchased from a florist or nursery (unless they are specifically listed as edible); or those treated with pesticides not approved for use on food.

For all edible flowers, read preparation instructions and consider introducing only one at a time until you know how you will react to eating them.

Liz Clift has led youth gardening courses, volunteered on a Catholic Worker farm, helped begin a community garden, and currently works at a restoration ecology firm. She has written for the Southern Poverty Law Center, literary journals, and websites.

2x 1 D

TH AY EV – AL UE

continued from 7

challenges residents to shape how they want Denver to evolve in four key areas: land use, mobility, parks and recreational resources.

October 2016 marked the beginning of an 18-month planning and information gathering session. Through diverse channels residents will have an opportunity to weigh in on Denver’s growth and evolution. So far, the city has received feedback from nearly 8,000 residents. Issues community members report run the gamut, but top issues were affordability, public transportation, overpopulation, safety and architecture of new construction.

“Currently, the city is looking for volunteers, and are recruiting for street team members to be present at Denver Days events and other community gath-

erings,” says Andrea Burns, communications manager for the City and County of Denver.

A Blueprint Denver community workshop is planned for Tuesday, April 25th from 5:30p.m.-8:00p.m. at the West Leadership Academy, located at 951 Elati St. All are encouraged to attend. This workshop is centered around how Blueprint Denver should address growth?

“For those who can’t attend a workshop, online workshops will be offered and can be completed at the residents’ own pace,” says Gaspers.

Stay informed by subscribing to the Denveright newsletter, check out the calendar for future events and meetings, or become a street team member. You can do all of this by visiting the Denveright website at denvergov.org/denveright.

Denver Recycles’ Annual

MULCH GIVEAWAY & COMPOST SALE

Saturday, May 6, 2017 8 AM to 2 PM (while supplies last) FREE MULCH DIG-YOUR-OWN & LOADER SERVICE SITE HAVANA NURSERY

10450 Smith Rd., just south of I-70 on Havana St. Loader service into trucks and trailers at this site only

Arbor Day Fruit & Yard Tree Sale

Saturday, April 15th noon-2pm

DIG-YOUR-OWN SITES VETERANS PARK

Iowa Ave. & Vine St.

BEAR CREEK PARK

Plant Trees… Add color, shade, or edibles

Two convenient locations:

South of Dartmouth Ave. on Raleigh St.

City Park: 2500 E. 23rd Ave

SLOAN’S LAKE PARK

to your landscape

Sloan’s Lake Park: 5055 W. 17th Ave

For More Details: www.TheParkPeople.org or call 303.722.6262

!

COMPOST SALE PRE-BAGGED & LOADER SERVICE SITE

REMINDERS

> Please bring your own pitchfork or shovel, and bags or containers for loading mulch. > Bring a tarp to cover your truck or trailer. > Due to limited quantities, Denver residents only. > Commercial vehicles are prohibited from taking or selling the City’s mulch or compost.

HAVANA NURSERY

10450 Smith Rd., just south of I-70 on Havana St. Compost sold at this site only Compost prices are $3.75 per 1.25 cubic ft. bag (9 gal.) or $35.00 per cubic yd. (includes tax). Compost limit of 3 cubic yards or 20 bags per vehicle.

Sheridan Blvd. & 17th Ave.

FRED THOMAS PARK Syracuse St. & 23rd Ave. 311 (720-913-1311)

DenverGov.org/DenverRecycles

2017_Mulch_Compost_AD_DnvrMtroMedia.indd 1

Denver.Recycles.fan

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2/23/17 10:10 AM

24

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30 years construction experience including historical buildings, windows, doors, kitchen & bath remodeling, additions, welding, overall repairs. Apartment maintenance & management, construction consulting. Insured Klaus Schuermann (720) 345-8016 qualitydenverhandyman.com

ELECTRICIAN

MASSAGE

Your Neighborhood Electrician

MASSAGE QWEST

All your electrical needs Installations, Repairs, and Remodels Over 20 years of experience, bonded and Licensed. Free estimates Corrected phone number

Call us: 303.416.6506

PAINTING

TREE & LAWN

SODERSTROM’S PROFESSIONAL PAINTING

Colorado Tree & Lawn Specialists

MOVING

Denver’s BEST Mobile Massage Therapy Unbeatable massage rates

$45 for 45 minutes • $55 for 1 hour $90 for 90 minutes www.massageqwest.com 303-949-6003

HOUSEHOLD & COMMERCIAL MOVERS 303-931-6135 smallworldmovers.com

Specializing in Residential & Commercial.

Interior Painting, Drywall Repair. In Business 18 years. Quality Work, Quality Materials. insured. Dennis or Alan. All major credit cards accepted.

Monthly Specials

Call: 303-922-4441

LICENSED & INSURED

WINDOW REPAIR

REAL ESTATE

Make Your Original Windows Work

SELLING A FIX-UP HOME?

Specializing in Window Solutions Denver Historic Neighborhoods Since 1990 Glass Repair • Glazing Sash Cords & Weights Open Shut Windows • Screens Custom Wood Storm Windows

GLACIER GLASS & WINDOW 303-722-5952 GLACIERGLASS.BIZ

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10% off Tree Trimming with this ad. $100 off Tree Removal over 24” at the base.

Call us: 303-727-9009 www.coloradotreespecialists.com

WINDOWS

We Buy Fix-up Homes, Condos, Income Property and Vacant Lots.

Quick Close, No Inspection, No Real Estate Commissions

LOCAL FAVORITE FOR OVER 20rs Energy efficient replacement windows, shutters, blinds & shades. General construction & remodeling. Yelp 5-star, A+ BBB & A-rated Angie’s List. kraftworkdesign.com 720-837-2113

Serving Denver homeowners as a licensed broker since 1991.

Call Jeff at 303-321-SOLD (7653)

SERVICE DIRECTORY ADVERTISING 6 MONTHS AT AN AFFORDABLE PRICE CALL 303-831-8634 OR EMAIL SALES@DENVERMETROMEDIA.COM

HAS IT !

And We Deliver Veuve Clicquot

• Avery • Tangerine Quad

Breckenridge •

Great Divide Yeti

760 EAST COLFAX • 303-831-7788 Mon-Thur 8 am - 11 pm • Fri & Sat 8 am - 11:45 pm • Sunday 10 am - 10 pm

SHOP ONLINE AT WWW.ARGONAUTLIQUOR.COM

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