Wheat Ridge 2020 Celebrates 10 years see page 2
Neighborhood Business Beat see page 10
Unplug: Be Happier, Calmer see page 16
Gazette NEIGHBORHOOD
Wheat Ridge | Edgewater | DECEMBER 17, 2015-JANUARY 18, 2016
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Farewell WR2020, Hello Localworks
heat Ridge 2020 now has a new brand and identity to carry the organization into the future: Localworks. The change was unveiled at the organization’s 10th anniversary gala at Sons of Italy the evening of Dec. 8 – the exact date Wheat Ridge 2020’s Articles of Incorporation were fi led a decade ago. “At the end of the day this is a name change and brand change, not necessarily a direction change,” said Executive Director Britta Fisher. “The name better speaks to our mission … working together toward positive progress at a local level.” The original “2020” moniker was meant to speak to the vision for the future, said Fisher, but past and recent strategic plans have questioned whether it conveyed the group’s mission – and, she said with a laugh, the organization has received its fair share of calls from folks looking for an optometrist over the years. “We are doing the work of revitalization and are powered by the volunteers and businesses in our local community. Our new name will speak to who we are and what we do,” said Fisher. “We are grateful for the input we’ve received and see great things ahead for our organization and the new name that fi ts this work.”
Describing itself as a community-based, non-profi t development corporation advancing Wheat Ridge as a vibrant and sustainable community, the organization has its roots in the City of Wheat Ridge’s Neighborhood Revitalization Plan, which was created in 2005 after city and community leaders determined that Wheat Ridge had been losing ground to neighboring communities and needed to leverage its assets to attract new households and investors to the city. The plan called for the creation of a nonprofi t corporation that would facilitate and encourage appropriate development in Wheat Ridge. Since its formation, it has worked to revitalize the community’s housing, commercial areas and neighborhoods. It worked with businesses and residents to create a “Main Street” on 38th Avenue between Pierce and Upham streets. In 2014 Ridge at 38, the main street area on 38th Avenue, was honored with the Governor’s Award for Downtown Excellence for Best Branding and Marketing. To encourage development, Wheat Ridge 2020 established the Building Up Business Loan Program, which since 2008 Continued on page 2
Will Our Children Come Back to Wheat Ridge? By Guy Nahmiach
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ith so many surveys being commissioned and focus groups meeting every week to defi ne our town and shape our Main Street, a critical factor has been left out. Except for the Parks Commission, none of our city entities include a youth member. We keep taking about “Doing all of this for the future generations” of Wheat Ridge, but who is asking our kids what they want? More importantly, will they actually be back? I recently spoke with almost 100 of our younger generation sitting inside our classrooms and asked them just that. With great cooperation from their teachers and principals, I spoke with Ms. Rossi’s fourth grade class over at Prospect Valley Elementary, Ms. Harris’s eighth grade class at Everitt Middle and Ms. Rossi’s class of seniors over at Wheat Ridge High School. (Yes, the Rossis are mother and daughter, but that’s a whole other wonderful story.) The questions were simple: 1. Would you come back to Wheat Ridge as an adult and make this city your home for yourself and your family?
• Out of 25 fourth graders, only three said they would come back • Out of 29 eighth graders, only fi ve said they would come back • Out of 40 high school seniors, only nine said they would come back 2. If so, why? Fourth graders answered that they loved the mountains, they also loved the schools and wanted their children to also attend Prospect Valley. They also thought “people are very nice” in our city. Eighth graders answered that they wanted the same schools for their children. Twelfth graders answered that they wanted to live close to their families. They also wanted to send their own children to the same schools they attended. They had great memories from living here. The loved the varied style of homes (not cookie cutter). 3. If not, why? And what could city offi cials do to change your mind? Fourth graders answered: Would like more places to eat, wanted lower priced homes, they wanted more roads and lanes and a movie theater. Continued on page 2
THE KIPLING TRAIL CAME CLOSER TO COMPLETION THIS MONTH when a 160-foot long, 90,000-pound bridge was lifted and placed near approximately 42nd and Kipling. The Kipling Trail is a 10-foot-wide paved path for bikers and walkers between West 32nd and 44th avenues, providing access to both Discovery Park and the greenbelt. The $3.5 million project was predominantly funded via a competitive DRCOG/federal grant won by Wheat Ridge city staff. PHOTO: JOYCE JAY.
Starker Withdraws Candidacy, Hoppe Appointed to District I By J. Patrick O’Leary
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heat Ridge City Council voted unanimously to appoint Janeece Hoppe to fi ll the District I seat vacated by Gerald “Jerry” DiTullio at its Nov. 24 regular meeting, after former councilmember William “Bud” Starker withdrew his candidacy for the position. Hoppe was sworn in by the municipal judge Chris Randall immediately following the vote, and will serve the remaining two years of DiTullio’s council term, after which the seat will be fi lled by the regular election process. Entrepreneur Hoppe was formerly the President of Wheat Ridge 2020 (now Localworks), and a director on the Wheat Ridge Business District, and has been a resident of District I since 2011. Starker’s withdrawal and council’s subsequent unanimous vote resolved a contentious debate that started in Wheat Ridge City Council Chambers Nov. 9. At that meeting, council moved to appoint Starker – unseated by Monica “Pema” Duran this fall – to the council seat vacated by DiTullio, who was sworn in as the newly elected City Treasurer. Council moved to appoint Starker at that meeting, over the objections of council members Duran, Zachary Urban and Larry Matthews. After a half-hour debate, council agreed to table a motion until the Nov. 23 general meeting, and solicit letters of intent from other persons interested in fi lling the vacancy. Starker, Hoppe, David Feiertag and Bev Brinson submitted applications. Brinson withdrew hers on Nov. 16, but the remaining three addressed council at the Nov. 16 study session, along with eight members of the public. Four of the eight public speakers
objected to Starker’s appointment without specifi cally naming him, and one speaker criticized the appointment rules set out in the city charter. One speaker endorsed Hoppe, another both Hoppe and Starker, and a third called the process fair and thanked Hoppe for applying. A week later, on Nov. 24, council voted 7-0 to take the motion to appoint Starker off the table, and took public comment. Starker, fi rst to sign up for public comment, used his three minutes of time to reiterate his view that he was “at the top of the list” of qualifi ed candidates, but announced he was withdrawing from consideration because of personal attacks, including “intimidating robo calls, abusive text messages [and] social media outrages.” Apparently pre-empted by the announcement, four of the seven noncandidate speakers who signed up declined to make comments, and a fi fth called the two remaining choices acceptable, but declined to endorse either. Only one speaker made an endorsement (for Hoppe), and each candidate made remarks to council. The seventh speaker read a letter into the record criticizing the appointment process. After 15 minutes of public testimony, Duran moved to substitute Hoppe’s name in the motion, and District III’s George Pond seconded. Fifteen minutes of commentary by council members followed, with fi ve thanking Starker for his service and three of those expressing dismay at the lack of civility shown during the appointment process. Following the 7-0 vote to appoint Hoppe, applause could be heard in council chambers. A complete video recording of the Nov. 24 hearing and vote can be found on WRTV8’s YouTube Channel, via http:// ci.wheatridge.co.us.