LOCAL NEWS Who’s Running for Edgewater City Council Page 5
40 WEST ARTS EDGE Gallery Moves to 40 West Arts District
WEST COFLAX SKETCHES Pictures of West Colfax, 1870s to the Present
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Gazette NEIGHBORHOOD
EDGEWATER
| SLOAN’S LAKE | WEST COLFAX | TWO CREEKS
October 17 – November 13, 2017 • ngazette.com • FREE
New Movement on Redevelopment of 20th and Depew in Edgewater ■ By
Joel Newton
T
he Edgewater City Council meeting on Sept. 21 was full of residents optimistically waiting to hear news on the mostly vacant property at 20th and Depew. For those who have lived in town for more than 20 years, the optimism is reserved because this property is the parking lot of broken dreams. Since the City of Edgewater purchased the land in 2004, there have been many plans for how to redevelop the property, but all of them have fallen apart. Plans have included using the space as a civic center, an ice-skating complex and numerous other ideas. At the council meeting it was stated that someone even came to city staff with a plan to use the land as a drone port. Most recently, Trinity Redevelopment had plans to redevelop the site, but those plans sat dormant and the city moved on. Now there is a new developer coming in with plans Continued on page 2
EDGEWATER’S NEW CIVIC CENTER took a step closer to reality as groundbreaking ceremonies took place on Sept. 23 Pictured are (L-R): Lakewood Mayor Adam Paul, Edgewater Mayor Kris Teegardin and Jeffco Library Executive Director Pam Nissler. The facility will house administrative offices, the police department, a fitness center and gymnasium, public meetings spaces, and a 10,000-square-foot library. PHOTO: TIM BERLAND
Fate of Lakewood’s Strategic Growth Initiative ‘In Limbo’ ■ By
A
Jennifer LeDuc
lthough Lakewood City Clerk Margy Greer ruled against a protest attempting to squash a citizen’s petition to install stronger parameters around Lakewood’s approach to development, voters will still not be able to vote on the grassroots initiative at the polls in November. Less than a week after Greer’s Sept. 18 decision, Steven Dorman and his attorney Dennis Polk filed a complaint in district court against Greer, the city, and two initiative proponents, stonewalling the Strategic Growth Initiative. Lakewood Neighborhood Partnerships, a citizens group, developed the initiative, circulated the petition and submitted it to Lakewood City Council in August. Dorman filed a protest on Aug. 21 against the city’s acceptance of the petitions, which supported putting the initiative in front of city council or on the November ballot. Polk also responded to an email dated June 7 sent to “Friends of Lakewood” from Mayor Adam Paul soliciting advice to ensure the door of opportunity is not shut on Lakewood and stating that Polk could be counted on “to help resist these types of measures.” Dorman, a retiree and vice chair of the JeffCo Republican Party who moved to Lakewood several years ago, asserts the initiative violates the rights of property owners, although attempts to find property he owns within Lakewood, or Jefferson County, were unsuccessful. Dorman’s complaint did not come as a surprise to her office, explained Greer. During protest proceedings Polk asserted he’d take the case to the district court if Greer did not rule in favor of his case. Since Dorman’s complaint was filed, Greer’s “heard nothing” from the court, so when, or if ever, the initiative would go
before city council or voters is unknown. “When somebody files an initiative petition there’s no guarantee it will ever get on the ballot,” Greer explained. “They (the petitioners) did try to get it to me on time. “We’re just in limbo,” she continued. “That’s the main thing. City council can’t act on an action that’s under protest or appeal.” City council can adopt the initiative, which is unlikely given the majority of members publicly against it, or send it to a special election to be held within 90 days of their decision, an effort potentially
costing Lakewood an estimated $300,000 said Greer. Dorman’s protest not only disputes the language of the petition’s summary, which was drafted by the city clerk’s office, but also the weight and degree of attestation made by circulators to the notary publics who verified the collection of the signatures. It’s as complicated and nuanced as it sounds, and on Thursday, Sept. 7, nearly seven hours of argument and testimony, as well as legal fees, were spent scrutinizing the process and the intentions of the people
involved in bringing the initiative in front of residents to decide upon, and whether attesting to something in the presence of a notary bore the same weight as raising one’s hand and swearing under oath, and whether that was even called for. At the hearing, following Polk’s request to serve 74 subpoenas over the Labor Day weekend, dozens of witnesses, including petition circulators as well as notaries, some from area banks and under representation Continued on page 4
N E I G H B O R H O O D F E AT U R E
Filling The Fall With Community Music ■ By
Sally Griffin
W
e helped raise enough money for almost a month of staff salaries at the Lomagundi Medical Clinic in Chinoi, Zimbabwe. All we had to do, along with about 60 other people, was to attend a concert at the small outdoor amphitheater at Wheat Ridge Presbyterian Church. The concert featured the Afro-Pop band, Nokuthula. In talking to the co-founder of Nokuthula, Andre Mallinger, she told us that she loves performing music made for communities by community members – what she calls “community music.” It occurred to me, in a community like ours, there must be more opportunities to participate in community music, if only as audience members. The first place I found was with the Jefferson Symphony Orchestra (JSO). The JSO is a 75-member community orchestra that began in 1953 among a small group of faculty and students at Colorado School of Mines. This group quickly grew until, in 1957, it was recognized as the largest ensemble, based on community size, in the United States. Today, the JSO is one of the oldest and largest community orchestras in THE ALL VOLUNTEER JEFFERSON SYMPHONY ORthe state of Colorado. Wow! Talk about community music. CHESTRA rehearses for an upcoming performance. The JSO has gone beyond community music to become a community
The JSO will perform five concerts for the 2017-18 season. PHOTO: KEITH BOBO/JSO
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