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Gazette NEIGHBORHOOD
Wheat Ridge | Edgewater | OCTOBER 17-NOVEMBER 13, 2014
Ballot Battle Begins for 2A, 2B in Wheat Ridge By J. Patrick O’Leary
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allots are in the mail and winging their way to Wheat Ridge voters, who will decide whether to raise the city sales tax to pay for capital improvement projects, including storm drainage upgrades and the revitalization of Anderson Park, 44th Avenue and Field Street, as well as approving a street width designation on West 38th Avenue, a part of the 38th Avenue Corridor Plan. Ballots for the mail-in only election must be returned by Tuesday, Nov. 4. Wheat Ridge City Council voted 7-0 on Aug. 25 to ask its residents to approve a one-cent sales-and-use-tax increase, plus a bonding question, and a change in street width designation to widen of portions of 38th Avenue. Although the $6.4 million from the tax increase would fund a wide variety public works projects, it is unclear whether it could be used in the implementation of the 38th Avenue Corridor Plan. Ballot Question 2A asks voters to increase taxes up to $6.4 million annually via the sales tax increase, increase allowed debt by up to $40 million. The revenue and debt can be used for “Critical facility, infrastructure and economic development projects to allow Wheat Ridge to operate, maintain and improve roads, bridges and storm water and flood plain drainage systems” and “Construction, installation, operation and maintenance of parks and recreation improvements including revitalization of Anderson park to improve its overall effectiveness and efficiency as a multigenerational family activity park including
improvements to the outdoor pool and facilities and the Anderson recreation building.” Fielding questions at the Aug. 25 meeting, City Attorney Gerald Dahl said that city council would determine which projects are “critical.” At press, City Manager Patrick Goff said that if 2A passes, city council would move quickly to determine which infrastructure projects required immediate attention, and possibly delay voting on the 2015 budget so those expenditures can be included. Which brings us to Ballot Question 2B: “Shall a street width for 38th Avenue between Upham Street and Marshall Street be established by City Council in order to implement the vision of the 38th Avenue corridor plan to revitalize the 38th Avenue corridor between Upham Street and Marshall Street into a main street business district to include wider pedestrian sidewalks, amenity zones with landscaping and seating areas, on-street parking, public art, and community gathering places, such that the street width for 38th Avenue be established at 47 feet from Upham Street to High Court, 41 feet from High Court to 230 feet east of High Court, and 35 feet from 230 feet east of High Court to Marshall Street?” Neither financing nor cost of the actual street widening or implementation of this part of the corridor plan are included in the question, although a motion to add the phrase “at a cost not to exceed $9.3 million” to the measure failed 2-6 on Aug. 25. Goff said that if the voters approve 2B, the city charter would require construction to begin within one year of the previous July 14 public hearing on the street width.
Wheat Ridge Artist Has Vision By Cyndy Beal
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f artists have the ability to see what others do not, then visual artist Jim Stevens is seeing more than most of us will ever see. He creates images through a process, which he pioneered, of painting on individually strung monofilaments (fishing line) that results in detailed black-and-white portraits. He also does scrimshaw. His art is remarkable – and made even more so by the fact that Stevens has been legally blind since 1993, due to a war wound. As Stevens says, “A man with a vision is never truly blind.” The acrylic monofilament idea came to Stevens about a year ago, while helping his grandson untangle fishing line. They were outside, and as some clouds moved overhead, he noticed a rippling light effect on the fishing line. He then thought, “This could be very interesting if I can figure out how to do it.” It took him five months, working on it every day, to complete a piece. There were numerous failures. “It’s been a year, and I’m still learning,” he said. He also commented that his location in Wheat Ridge – and he’s lived and been
many places – inspires him. “There’s just something about the way the light lands on the top of this hill,” said Stevens. He often takes a piece that he’s working on outside to get a different perspective. Stevens was part of the Wheat Ridge series “Meet the Artist” in April 2013. Stevens, who’s lived in Wheat Ridge for 21 years, is an internationally recognized and award-winning scrimshaw artist. He’s written three books on scrimshaw techniques. Scrimshaw involves engraving material such as bone or ivory and then filling the engraving with ink or pigment to produce images. Scrimshaw is thought to have originated in North America around 100 A.D. His work has been displayed in galleries on both coasts, and he makes a variety of commissioned pieces for clients around the world. Recently he was working on another scrimshaw piece, a belt buckle. Stevens’ art includes engraving, carving and stippling (making thousands of pinpricks/holes) on legally obtained fossil ivory. Each hole is filled with pigment. One art piece can take up to hundreds of hours Continued on page 10
GOBLINS, GHOULS AND GHOSTS are not the only participants in the annual Trunk or Treat, held this year on Oct. 25, 4-6 p.m. in the Wheat Ridge Middle School parking lot, 7101 W. 38th Ave. The safe and family-friendly event has grown into a tremndously popular community celebration, with over 800 children trick or treating at the creatively decorated trunks. PHOTO COURTESY WR 2020
Trunk or Treat Hands Out Fourth Year of Fun Oct. 25 By Laura Poole
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our years ago Kim Harr and a group of friends decided to put together their own Halloween celebration in place of the party her kids’ school used to throw. With only a handful of decorated cars and kids coming over to the secured parking lot of Wheat Ridge 5-8 Middle School, the tradition of Trunk or Treat was born. Trunk or Treat was a simple event between friends that has since grown into one of Wheat Ridge’s fun community family events. This year’s Halloween celebration will be held on Saturday, Oct. 25, 4-6 p.m., and will build on previous success and hold a world of fun for little ones in the safety of the Wheat Ridge Middle School’s parking lot, 7101 W. 38th Ave. “There were 200 kids the first year and a handful of cars that were my friends’,” said Harr, now a committee member of Trunk or Treat. “When [they] showed up we knew we were on to something good.” Two years ago Wheat Ridge 2020 took over and last year had over 1,000 people show up, 800 of which were children trickor-treating at the trunks, according to Events and Communications Coordinator Mara Owen. As well as the traditional candy being handed out, there were 37 trunks, a haunted house, a zombie dance led by local Wheat Ridge cheerleaders, a costume and pumpkin parade, a pie contest, awards for best decorated trunk, and crafts. This year the committee plans to add six carnival games, yet to be disclosed but sure to be as much fun as everything else. “It’s something that just exploded,” said Owen about the increasing popularity of the event. The idea, like many of community events in our town, was to start small and see how much it could grow. And it has easily doubled in size in four short years, quickly jumping from 200 to 500 to over 1,000 mostly by word of mouth,
flyers and promotion within schools. This ‘looks what in our backyard’ feel is not only convenient but it’s a great alternative to taking smaller children trickor-treating because of the proximity of the trunks and the safety of the location. “It was great for us to try this and see if it could work on the street. It’s enclosed so it’s the perfect place, [it’s] safe and visible,” said Harr. “We get more and more people every year, it’s grown considerably from the beginning. I think people really do enjoy it and come back.” Local residents definitely enjoy the activities and the feel of the fall festivities as well as seeing friends and neighbors. The general consensus from last year’s big turnout is to go early because it’s a lot of fun, there are lots of kids and activities to keep them busy, the trunks and costumes are creative, and it’s a great place to meet friends and neighbors that brings the community together. As to the trunks (after all it is in the name), they are a creative and fun way for residents to do something cool and show off for each other, as well as a fun way to hand out candy to little witches, goblins, princesses and cowboys. “Each person takes a personal touch, like a Halloween costume. Only now it’s a competition,” said Owen. “There is some serious creativity at this event,” said local trunk participant Cyndy Beal. “When you realize you may have close to 1,000 trick-or-treaters and the serious volume of candy involved, it’s a kick start to your creativity.” She says this will be her third year for her and her trunk team and the result will be a surprise. She adds that every year she and her friends have had a good time putting the design together, and “humor, silliness and creativity” that comes from planning the trunk design are also the Continued on page 11