PAGE 10 | THE VILLAGER • June 25, 2020
CHV still searching for answers for Quincy Farm BY FREDA MIKLIN GOVERNMENTAL REPORTER
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On June 16, the city council of Cherry Hills Village met in person for the first time since March 12. All six members and the mayor were there with masks and were seated with appropriate social distancing. At the start of every city council meeting, citizens are given the opportunity to speak on any subject that is not on the meeting’s agenda for three to five minutes. The first 48 minutes of this meeting were taken up by ten people who talked about Quincy Farm (QF), a 17.55-acre property south of Quincy Avenue and east of Kent Denver School that was bequeathed to CHV upon the passing of Catherine “Cat” Anderson in 2016. The property has a conservation easement on it. Speaking were Jeri Neff, who has lived on QF for 21 years, Natalie Anderson, Cat Anderson’s granddaughter, and CHV residents Howard Schirmer, Eric Jamrich, Dan Tully, Gerda Weis, and Debbie Wells. All expressed concern about the direction they believe that CHV’s QF Committee is heading and the manner in which it plans to operate the property. Mostly just listening in person and virtually were Lucinda Greene, chair of the QF Committee, and committee members Sally Scott and Klasina VanderWerf. Neff spoke first, encouraging the city council to listen to what has been testified to at recent meetings of the city’s parks, trails, and recreation committee (PTRC) and QF committee. She pointed out that the comments from those meetings “all contained the same central theme: to have the farm remain what it is—a working farm with vegetable gardens, animals, oppor-
This portrait of Cat Anderson, artist unknown, hangs in her home on Quincy Farm.
Photo by Freda Miklin
tunities to learn about the farm industry….and to honor Cat’s vision. The planned idea...of a commonplace theme park with an overabundance of parking places…completely takes the life and history out of the farm and is certainly not in keeping with Cat’s vision for her beloved farm.” Neff expressed her dismay that her name, as well as that of Cat’s granddaughter Natalie Anderson and Candy Gray, who also lived on QF until she passed away in April, were listed as being stakeholders who were associated with the current draft master plan. She said that she, Gray (prior to her passing), and Natalie Anderson had “formally requested that their names be removed from the document in its current form.” She continued, “It is very confusing as to how the (draft master) plan for the farm has ended up where it is, forcing the farm to become something it isn’t. The plan never would have ended up there in contrast to the wishes of a large part of the community if that community had been involved from the very beginning. It saddens me to see
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this once vibrant place in such a state of disrepair with buildings and land being so neglected and nothing being done as far as much needed preventative maintenance.” Neff went on to describe the pasture not being irrigated and paint peeling on rails. She said that where she could, she was repainting by herself. Neff described her belief that the city’s policy about QF is, ”It needs to be open to the public and we’ve already spent a lot of money and it still isn’t open,” about which she concluded, “Sadly, that isn’t a good vision for developing a great plan for the farm.” Neff finished with a friendly warning that, “The legacy and history of our country has been lost to shortsighted ideas and concepts, only to be realized years later that history has been lost. The stewardship of our historic buildings and lands falls to the people who will best honor and protect, preserve and promote that history not only of Quincy Farm but of the incredible legacy that Cat Anderson left with us.” Schirmer, who lives close by Quincy Farm, said that he knew Cat Anderson for more than 20 years and thought he had “a decent sense of her vision for the property.” After reviewing the current draft master plan, he noted that although it was well written and professionally done, “the focus is off the target.” Schirmer views the plan as more of a “suburban park” than the “historic Colorado farm in a natural setting,” it is described as in its verbiage. An engineer who was part of the design team for Disney’s parks in Paris and Hong Kong, Schirmer likened the direction of the draft master plan to those venues (without the amusement rides). He agreed with Neff that “the farm is really crying out for maintenance” and that “it’s never looked as bad as today.” He stated that the plan for “24 parking stalls to service events” might bring too many people to the east side of the property. In conclusion, Schirmer said he hoped that “reason can prevail here and going forward, hopefully bring back” what he believes Cat Anderson intended and what is called for in the conservation easement. Jamrich, who also lives near
