06 17 DENVER'S PARKS PRESENT AND FUTURE: THE FATE OF CITY GREEN SPACES WITH A POPULATION ON THE RISE By Haines Eason There is no doubt Denver’s on the map with over 1,000 new residents arriving per month in 2016 (for a total of 13,028). Why are they coming? There are many theories: mountains, jobs, marijuana (perhaps not in that order). The short, collective answer: quality of life. Quality of life is of course an umbrella phrase with many contributing components: affordable housing, ease of transit (for work or play), nice weather, gainful employment. There are others. Among those, where would you rank access to nature? In a city, that of course means access to parks and greenways. And in Denver, some would say public green spaces are under strain. “I’m very concerned with the density of the city increasing, that the amount of open space and parkland we have, per capita, is diminishing,” says Jay Rust, a Capitol Hill resident and founding member of FANS for Cheesman Park, a Registered Neighborhood Organization (RNO). Rust and his wife live overlooking the park. So, how many acres of parkland does the city control? According to Cynthia Karvaski, Denver Parks and Recreation Communications, Marketing & Media Relations Specialist, Denver presently owns “20,422 acres of park land of which
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A worker cleans a concrete pump truck at downtown Denver's Civic Center Station. The station closed last July for renovations and the project was to take 12 months. RTD says the timeframe is now 18 months. Read more on page 8. Photo by Sara Hertwig. 14,200 is mountain parks and 6,222 is urban parks. “Over the last two years (2014-2016) we have acquired approximately 280 additional acres. This does not include the DEN Open Space which is 198-acres owned by the City and County of Denver, Department of Aviation (DIA) but maintained by Denver Parks and Recreation.” With this in mind, how many just acres of parkland per person can Denver residents claim, year over year? The U.S. Census Bureau reported July 2014 the city’s population was 663,963. The July 2016 figures are an estimated 693,060 for an increase year over year of 29,097 with 2017 estimates widely expected to top the 700,000 mark. With 5,942 acres in of urban-area parkland in 2014
and 6,222 in 2016, it’s clear the city is adding to its inventory. But is the pace of acquisition keeping up with population growth? In 2014, there were nearly nine urban park acres per 1,000 residents (8.94). In 2016? The same, if not a little more: 8.97. So, what’s really at issue here?
Parks: event spaces or quiet gardens? When you speak to Jay Rust, the first thing you notice is how much he loves Denver, its quality of life and, especially, Cheesman Park. The quality of life here is something Rust has had a hand in improving over CONTINUED ON 7
GOLDEN TRIANGLE PARTNERSHIP SEEKS ADDITIONAL FUNDS FOR CITY SERVICES Registered Neighborhood Organization also eyes General Improvement District status for long-term solution By Jennifer Turner The Golden Triangle, which is bounded by Speer, Colfax and Lincoln, is one of the most high-profile neighborhoods in Denver. It is home to a growing number of residents and some of the city’s most visible cultural attractions, including the Denver Art Museum. However, with the area’s
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increased utilization comes the need for improved infrastructure, including expanded trash pickup and other services. The nonprofit Golden Triangle Partnership (GTP) is working closely with City Council to try and secure more funding. The GTP was established in January and Leslie Horna is the Executive Director. The organization was formed from the merger of Golden Triangle Association (GTA), a volunteer residential neighborhood association, and Golden Triangle Museum District Association to create one group representing all residential, business, civic, cultural and community stakeholders. The vision of GTP is to advance the Triangle as an
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international arts and cultural destination, but the organization currently lacks the funding and resources to support the increased demands on the neighborhood. It relies heavily on residents and businesses, both of whom volunteer their time to pick-up trash, clean-up graffiti and manage pet waste stations. “I think the growth in Denver has happened so fast in recent years that the focus has been more on the developing communities,” Horna said. “The more well established neighborhoods, like the CONTINUED ON 11
A look back over the history of one of the nation's best Pridefests
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