Addressing Issues at Discovery Park see page 2
More Trees For Wheat Ridge see page 6
Home Preparation for Spring see page 12
Gazette NEIGHBORHOOD
Wheat Ridge | Edgewater | APRIL 17 – MAY 14, 2015
Council Considering ‘City Center’ Plan in Wake of 2B Acrimony By J. Patrick O’Leary
T
he time is right to restart the conversation about the future of the West 38th Avenue Corridor Plan. To that end, Wheat Ridge City Council District I representative William Starker brought forward a new proposal at the March 23 council meeting. Dubbed “Wheat Ridge City Center – A Direction Forward,” the document proposes using the 38th Avenue Corridor Plan and the Wadsworth Planning and Environmental Linkage (PEL) Study to develop a comprehensive Wheat Ridge City Center plan. (The PEL Study, paid for with matching funds from the Denver Regional Council of Governments, examined possible improvements to Wadsworth Boulevard from West 35th Avenue to I-70.) The proposal was approved 6-0 and sent to city staff for further development. The revised proposal will be considered at a future study session. Although the proposal limits the “road diet” of the existing 38th Avenue Plan to the stretch between Upham and Pierce, it also calls for greater community engagement in developing a plan and for identifying funding sources and a timeline for implementation. “It’s an effort to re-engage us all,” said Starker. “We had a contentious election last fall.” He called it an opportunity for people to step back and figure out how to participate again. “We all live in this community, and have a stake in it. We need to approach challenges as a community… and recognize
that the people on the other side are not bad people…” Starker’s proposal calls for: • Redevelopment of a principal downtown area between Pierce and Upham streets, with three traffic lanes and two bicycle lanes; • Re-building the street intersections in that area; • Installation of amenity zones and Mayor’s Art Loop features; • Reverting of traffic lanes east of Pierce to their former configuration (four traffic lanes); • Coordinating with the Wadsworth PEL study to leverage the redevelopment of the larger area into a “City Center”; • Developing a strategy to “engage stakeholders in a collaborative and transparent process.” “With the defeat of 2B, we’ve had a vacuum in the public sphere on 38th Avenue,” said Starker. “We went through holidays and winter and there were no concrete proposals. So I looked at the 38th plan, the PEL study, and thought, let’s develop something that recognizes the expression of many voters… maybe just narrow down a portion of it… we can focus on intersections, a smaller area, a city center that’s more pedestrian and bicycle friendly.” Starker noted that other metro area “downtowns” – Arvada, Littleton and Golden – exist over a three-, four- or even six-block area. “Maybe the full length of the street was Continued on page 13
Wheat Ridge High School STEM Students Victorious In Shell Eco-marathon Competition Americas 2015 WHEAT RIDGE HIGH SCHOOL JUNIOR NICOLE ORTEGA prepares for the track during the final day of the Shell Eco-marathon Americas 2015 in Detroit, MI, Sunday, April 12. The WRHS team completed 10 technical inspections and five laps on an indoor course before hitting the streets of Detroit. The first-place win in the hydrogen fuel-cell prototype branch of the competition was a perfect conclusion for a year-long effort by the students and their mentors. Emboldened with their effort, the team looks to compete with two cars in 2016. PHOTO: REX LARSEN/AP IMAGES FOR SHELL
PICTURE-PERFECT TULIPS GRACE THE FRONT SIDEWALK of Posey Girl Floral Boutique, 7210 W. 38th Ave., on a recent spring day. Wheat Ridge City Council continues to find solutions to the existing 38th Avenue Plan, including addressing the back-in parking spaces on the stretch between Upham and Pierce. See related stories on page 1 and page 7. PHOTO: TIM BERLAND
Kite Flite To Fly Higher After Surprise First Year By Laura Poole
L
ast year’s first Annual Kite Flite Festival was successful beyond expectations. The 11 individuals of the kite team, who knew little about kites and even less about creating a festival, had hoped for around 500 attendees, and were shocked when nearly 1,000 people showed up to fly kites, play outdoors and create crafts throughout the day. This year they’re partnering with the Wheat Ridge Police Department and its fifth annual Child Safety Fair to bring more fun and safety information to residents at the April 25 event. “As a first year festival we had [volunteers] show up for two-hour shifts and stay all day,” said Committee Chairperson Margie Seyfer. “We were shocked. We didn’t know we would get this kind of response. People just loved it and the festival went off without a hitch.” Families with little kids spread out and flooded the grounds of Anderson Park on a perfectly sunny April day last year to celebrate community, the fun of kites and the coming of spring. Being an activitycentered festival sets it apart from others, an incorporation of families and wholesome fun that gets people out into the fresh air for exercise, and where they may find themselves flying a kite standing next to a neighbor in the warm winds of spring. The second annual Kite Flite Festival will be held Saturday, April 25, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., with events scattered around the park and throughout the day. Over 200 kids enjoyed and took advantage of the kids crafting last year and committee members are enthusiastic about the turnout this year. Bring your own kite or choose from an affordable selection of kites for sale on site. Visit the kite hospital for free assembly of purchased kites or repair of broken ones. If your kids, ages 7-12, love drawing and art, there will be a kids’ kite crafting class
before festival in the Anderson building from 8:45 to 10:30 a.m. This will be followed by a judging, with and first-place trophies awarded by Teller Street Gallery for highest kite, best overall design, best use of color and budding artist. This year’s judges are Wheat Ridge Fire Marshal and community volunteer Kelly Brooks, and 35-year Parks and Recreation employee Keith Alcott. The city will sponsor second-place awards. Visit www.kiteflitefestival.com to register and pay a small fee for the art kite. This year the committee will partner with the police department, who will provide a balloon artist, body tattoo artist, Chees-O the mascot, a bike rodeo (bikes provided to those who need them) and two free bikes to be given away at the end of the day. In addition, there will be many prizes handed out by festival sponsors throughout the day and a few more surprises the committee will decide upon by event day (like a helicopter landing in the baseball diamond sometime in the afternoon). The police department will also feature several vendors who will be giving information on child safety, including internet safety, and inspecting car seats for proper installation. Car seats will be inspected for safety standards and those who need it will be provided new ones and have them installed free of charge; the Latino community in particular is encouraged to come out and take advantage of the public service. “We want to improve [and] get more people involved in child safety” said Sgt. Kevin Armstrong. The department has always promoted child safety and paired with the festival this year they plan to reach out to more families in the community and inform parents about various resources. Other attractions and activities include cop motorcycles, kids crafts, chalk art by Continued on page 16