Neighborhood Life – June 2015

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Neighborhood Life

Neighborhood Life• JUNE 2015

City Park West • Whittier • San Rafael • Uptown • Curtis Park • Five Points • RiNo

JUNE 2015

Juneteenth 150th Anniversary By Christa T. Palmer

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he celebration of the 150th anniversary of Juneteenth in Historic Five Points will take place on Saturday, June 20. Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the U.S. It dates back to 1865 when Union soldiers landed at Galveston, Texas, with the news that slavery had ended. Traditional Juneteenth celebrations included food and music to celebrate the newly emancipated African Americans. 2015 marks the 150th anniversary of the day slaves in Galveston, Texas, learned of their freedom. This year’s festival features a wide range of events for many different age groups and interests including the Juneteenth Parade, Urban Car Show, Youth Engagement Zone, Miss Juneteenth Pageant, Green Awareness Zone and the Health Awareness Zone. There will be performances by nationally recognized bands and over 150 vendors from the community and abroad who will display art, clothing and jewelry. The food court features some of Colorado's best mobile restaurants and BBQ. The festival kicks off with Juneteenth’s Annual Parade. In 2014, nearly 2,550 people in over 50 groups participated, including Denver Mayor, Michael Hancock. The parade takes place Sat., June 20 at 10 am. The parade starts at Manual High School parking lot at 26th & Gilpin. Check-in for participants will be at 8:30 am. The festival includes an all-day concert. At deadline, the featured artists were still to be determined. The Miss Juneteenth pageant will return once again this year. The pageant has two categories: Miss Juneteenth for young ladies ages 15-21, and Junior Miss Juneteenth for ladies ages 11-14 years old. The focus this year is: “Be the Change Within-150 Years of Community.” Contestants are evaluated on the strength of their academic transcript, application, community service work, athletic achievements, essay and general ability to serve as the brand ambassador of the Juneteenth Music Festival. The application is available online. The Juneteenth Youth Engagement Zone (YEZ) is a collaboration that connects schools, community agencies, parents, youth and residents in a concerted effort to support widespread youth civic engagement through a sustainable, integrated system for service See JUNETEENTH on page 3

New Director, New Direction for CBID Resident chosen to lead and focus shifts By J. Patrick O’Leary

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y hiring a new director and changing his title, and moving its offices to a more-visible storefront, the Colfax Business Improvement District – CBID – is sending signals that it’s changing course. In April CBID announced the hiring of longtime nonprofit organizer, Frank Locantore, as Community Director as well as a June move of its offices to 567 Colfax near Pearl, next to Pizza Fusion. CBID’s current location is buried inside the office complex at Lafayette and Colfax, and Economic Development Director, Stephanie Salazar, (and her title) left at the end of 2014, concluding a six-year tenure with the district. “Stephanie did economic development, and made good progress,” said Locantore, explaining “the board of directors wanted to go back to basics and focus on making the area cleaner and safer.” The change in direction was announced to the public at a CBID board retreat in November, at which a budget shift was announced, devoting 60 to 70 percent of the 2015 budget to safety and cleaning. Safety, maintenance and business outreach plans were also presented at the meeting. To implement safety, marching orders for the new community director include working with the Denver Police District 6, community groups and city agencies to address issues of traffic, safety and keeping the corridor a “welcoming environment while maintaining the edgy persona for which Colfax is known,” per a recent CBID press release. Maintenance tasks are still handled by a contractor, overseen by the new director. Aside from safety, Locantore’s other two primary goals are increasing communication and collaboration among businesses and property owners, and making facade and streetscape improvements through grants, donations and loans. The district, encompassing Colfax Avenue from Grant to ColumSee CBID on page 15

A ROW OF COLORFUL WHEELBARROWS stand at Sustainability Park.

Rec Center Looking Real Naming process begins, bids sought for adjacent retail site By J. Patrick O’Leary

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roundbreaking for the new five-level, 60,000 sq. ft. Central Denver Recreation Center at Colfax and Josephine is now set for September, as city officials finalize its design, solicit petitions to name the building, and seek a buyer for an adjacent parcel of retail land to raise additional funds. “The project team is hard at work and moving right along,” said Jeff Green of Denver Parks and Recreation. “We have site plans and initial design drawings done and are on track to

break ground on the site this fall. We anticipate an 18-month construction process and upon completion Denver residents will have access to one of the newest and most state-of-theart urban recreation centers in the country.” About 50 people attended the most recent public meeting the evening of May 6 at East High School, where city officials provided an update on the project. Artist’s renderings for the design were unveiled at the meeting. Brick construction relieved by large windows will

PHOTO BY DANI SHAE THOMPSON

provide a “transparent” feel, allowing people outside to the see activity within, and those inside to see the city and Front Range. Outdoor amenity areas will be included, but the existing dog park – located on the northwest corner – will be reduced in size from 44,000 sq. ft. to 9,700. The current budget of $24.8 million provides for a “base” facility that will include an eightlane competitive lap pool with diving board; warm-water leisure pool with waterslide and zero-depth entry; a gym large enough for one full-sized basketball court; and a panoply of fitness, community and administrative rooms. An 11 percent contingency fund is built into the budget. If unused, officials want to use it for additional amenities, such as a $400,000 elevated walk/ jog track in the gym, a $330,000 climbing wall on the exterior, a See REC CENTER on page 2

ARTIST RENDERING OF REC CENTER COMPLETED PROJECT. Current budget of $24.8 million provides for a “base” facility with an 11 percent built-in contingency fund.

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