Denver Direct: Neighborhood Events Update


Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Neighborhood Events Update


Coyotes in our Neighborhoods

Thursday, February 26th at 6:00 p.m.

In response to the numerous coyotes seen in the area in recent months, there is a community meeting in conjunction with the Mayor’s Office on Thursday February 26, 2009 at 6 p.m. at Temple Emanuel, 55 Grape Street. The wily and adaptable coyote has learned how to find new territory in North American cities, and Denver is no exception. Urban coyotes thrive in close proximity to people and pets. While they reduce rodent populations and act as a valuable top predator in our urban ecosystem, they also can target small pets and get too comfortable approaching people.

Melanie Kaknes, District Wildlife Manager for the Colorado Division of Wildlife, and Ashley Delaup, Wildlife Ecologist for Denver Parks and Recreation, will be discussing safety tips and the City’s response to the influx of coyotes we’re seeing in our neighborhoods.

For more information, please contact Heather Barry, neighborhood liaison for the Mayor’s Office, at (720) 865-9103.

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Additional opportunities to learn about Coyotes in our neighborhoods:

Tuesday, March 3, 2009 at 9:00 a.m. Denver Parks and Recreation begins training volunteers in coyote hazing techniques. Sign up to volunteer by contacting Ashley Delaup, 303.455.0785. Training will take place in the north parking lot of Bible Park. Volunteers will receive training on effective and humane hazing & participate in reshaping the behavior of our local coyotes

Safe City Youth Summit Entertainment Search

When: February 28th, 2009

Time: 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Call to schedule audition 720-913-4295

Location: Blair-Caldwell Library

2401 WELTON ST DENVER 80205

Youth talents age 13-18, ALL TALENTS WELCOME!!

Safe City Youth Leadership Team is a youth run organization dedicated to improving the leadership skills to Denver’s youth while supporting and improving the community. $100 will be given to each performance selected! Earn a chance to perform your talent at our 15th annual youth summit April 3rd for over 400 youths!

EIS Corridor Public Meetings

As part of the 45-day comment period for the DEIS, public hearings are scheduled for March 4th and 5th, 2009 to present the findings of the study and to obtain comments from the community. The same information will be available at both meetings. Spanish translation, childcare, and light refreshments will also be available at both meetings. Please call 303-299-2000 and follow the prompts for East Corridor for special accommodation requests.

Wednesday, March 4th, 2009
5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
North Middle School
12095 Montview Boulevard, Aurora
Thursday, March 5th, 2009
5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Bruce Randolph Middle School
3955 Steele Street, Denver
Since these meetings are formal public hearings, there will be a few differences when compared to the corridor-wide meetings you may have previously attended.

The meeting agenda includes:

Open House from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.:
During the open house, members of the project team will be available to walk you through exhibits that will provide a project update, describe the Preferred Alternative, provide analysis of the impacts to environmental resources, and provide information on the next steps for the project.

Presentation/Formal Comment Period from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.:
A brief presentation will be provided summarizing the project and providing an overview of the analysis conducted to date. Following the presentation, verbal comments will be accepted during a formal comment period and recorded for inclusion in the project record.
Please visit the project website for additional updates: http://www.eastcorridor.com/

The Park People’s Annual Denver Digs Trees Distribution is Just Around the Corner – Applications for Street Trees Due March 16
Snow may still be on the ground, but spring is coming. In preparation for planting season, The Park People is now accepting applications for its annual Denver Digs Trees street tree program. Denver residents who have room to add a street tree must submit a tree request by March 16. The trees will be distributed on Saturday, April 18.

Street trees for Denver residents are $25 each, or free for residents who live in one of the 21 targeted neighborhoods, which have the lowest tree canopy coverage citywide: Baker, Barnum, Barnum West, Chaffee Park, Clayton, Cole, Elyria/Swansea, Five Points, Globeville, Jefferson Park, Lincoln Park, Northeast Park Hill, Ruby Hill, Skyland, Sunnyside, Sun Valley, Valverde, Villa Park, West Colfax, Westwood, and Whittier.

Tree request forms are available at www.theparkpeople.org, by calling 303-722-6262, or by sending an e-mail to [email protected].

Available tree varieties include Bur Oak, Corinthian Linden, Green Mountain Sugar Maple, Magyar Ginkgo Biloba, Regent Japanese Pagoda Tree, Turkish Filbert, Green Vase Zelkova, Kentucky Coffee Tree and more. All have been selected for their adaptability to Denver’s climate, and will be distributed at six convenient sites. The Earth Day yard tree sale will be held on Saturday, April 19, at the Washington Park site for those wishing to plant trees on private property. Additional tree varieties will be available.

Colorado Convention on Global Sustainability

March 17th – 19th, 2009

Denver to Dubai to Delhi: global sustainability is the underlying theme of the 4th Annual Sustainable Opportunities Summit. Join 1,000 others at this unique conference to learn how business leaders from around the world are responding to the challenge of creating a more sustainable global economy and deriving unprecedented financial benefit for their organizations in the process. For more information, contact Greenprint Denver via email at [email protected], or call 720-865-9017

Earth Hour 2009 is set to switch off the globe.

On Saturday, March 28th people around the world and across the United States will turn off their lights for one hour — Earth Hour — from 8:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. local time, to make a strong statement about energy use and climate change.

Why participate?

Build awareness: Earth Hour is an important reminder that individuals and companies alike need to pay close attention to how our energy use impacts greenhouse gas emissions.

Consider the economics: By turning off non-essential lighting, you can save money in utility costs.

Protect wildlife: Over 1 billion birds are killed each year in collisions with tall buildings – particularly during migratory seasons, including the month of March. Turning off non-essential essential lighting can reduce that number.

One person committed to reducing energy consumption can make a difference.

Millions of us working together can change the world. Please consider being a part of the solution.

Earth Hour – Saturday, March 28th, 2009

How to get involved:

• Turn off non-essential lights and appliances for one hour. Ask a friend or neighbor to do the same.

• Host a pot luck party by candlelight.

• Encourage your entire neighborhood to turn off their lights.

• Ask restaurants and businesses in your neighborhood to participate.

Summer Youth Employment

2009 Summer Youth Employment Program

This program is intended for Denver ages 14 – 21 and includes income restrictions. Applications will be accepted until March 20th. To learn more about the 2009 Summer Youth Employment Program click here.

Governor’s Summer Job Hunt

This program is for all Colorado youth and has no income restrictions. There are four job fairs in February and March, including one on February 18th at the Colorado Convention Center. More information can be found here.
For questions or more information, please call Denver Youth Services at 720-865-5700.

Want to Teach? This Program May be for You!

The program enables individuals that do not have teaching credentials to be hired as teachers and earn their credentials while they teach. If you are an individual who reflects the diversity of our district and may not have thought about teaching as a career path, but think you could bring great value to the profession, get more information today! Contact Happy Haynes at 720-423-3221or contact Juan Pablo Parodi at 720-423-1239 regarding this exciting opportunity! Time is limited for signing up for this program, so act now!

U.S. Green Building Council Colorado Chapter ~ Metro Branch First Monday Speakers Series

Denver’s Living Streets Initiative: A plan bringing together a number of local agencies working towards a more sustainable transportation infrastructure
March 2nd, 2009
4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.: Join members of the Metro-Denver Branch Steering Committee for Pre-event Drinks and Networking; My Brother’s Bar (2376 15th St., Denver, CO 80202)
6:00 p.m.- 8:00 p.m.: Light buffet, Presentation, Questions and Answers

REI Flagship Store (1416 Platte St., Denver, CO 80202)
FirstMonday REI Speaker Series

The Living Streets Initiative (LSI) is a regional effort to transform the way municipalities conceive of and fund improvements to the public right of way. It is based on the simple premise that streets should be places where people of all ages and physical abilities feel comfortable using any mode of travel. Living Streets are streets that sustainably perform for transportation, community development, economic development, environmental quality and public health.

This local initiative brings together eight city departments/agencies (Public Works, Community Planning & Development, Environmental Health, Economic Development, Parks & Recreation, Greenprint Denver, Budget & Management, and Human Rights & Community Relations) to unify Denver’s efforts to redevelop its enhanced transportation corridors. Gideon Berger is the co-project manager of LSI. He will present details of the initiative’s goals and strategies, and discuss what it could mean for Denver and all of Colorado.

Gideon Berger, AICP, Co-Project Manager, Living Streets Initiative
Gideon is a Senior City Planner for the City & County of Denver and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Colorado Denver.
Cost: $5 Students, $10 Members, $15 Nonmembers *Cost includes light buffet
*Price increases $5 at the door
REGISTER ONLINE NOW

Public Hearing: Which metro area transportation projects should receive economic recovery funding?
6:00 p.m. Wednesday, March 4th, 2009
1290 Broadway, Denver

The Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) will hold a public hearing to hear comments about projects to be considered for funding in the Denver region with anticipated federal transportation economic recovery funds. The DRCOG Board of Directors will select projects to receive recovery funds immediately after the public hearing or at subsequent Board meetings.

At this time, it appears that approximately $60 million could be available for transportation projects to be selected by the DRCOG Board. As the Metropolitan Planning Organization for the Denver region, the DRCOG Board will also review and approve selections proposed by the Colorado Department of Transportation ($120 million) and the Regional Transportation District ($70 million) with the funds allocated to them. Lists of proposed projects are available on the DRCOG Web site at www.drcog.org; look for the public hearing icon at the bottom of the page

Doors Open Denver: Focus on Architecture Photography Competition

Focus on your favorite Denver architectural and urban sites during the first annual Focus on Architecture Denver Photography Competition! This is your opportunity to photograph your favorite sites in Denver, post them on a public site, and have them reviewed by a panel of judges. All ages over 18 are invited to participate and winning entries will be featured on the Doors Open Denver website and the public image site, www.flickr.com/photos/doorsopendenver.

Winners will be named in the following categories: interiors, exteriors, details, people/urban environs, and urban landscapes.

The entry deadline is Friday, April 28th. Download the full competition rules at www.flickr.com/photos/doorsopendenver.

“Are You Ready?”

For the aging population

What would YOU do if a disaster hit close to home??

What: “Are You Ready?” An In-depth Guide to Citizen Preparedness (IS-22) is FEMA’s most comprehensive source on individual, family, and community preparedness. The Program provides in-depth information on what to do before, during, and after each disaster event.

Why: “Are You Ready?” is a two hour program is a step-by-step approach to disaster preparedness by walking the participants through how to get informed, identify hazards that affect our area, develop and maintain an emergency communications plan with family and friends and build a disaster supplies kit. Other topics covered include evacuation, emergency shelters, animals in disaster, and information specific to people in the ageing population and with disabilities.

Who: This training is open to anyone.

When: Saturday, April 18th, 2009, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Where: Park Mayfair, 955 Eudora Street (first floor party room), Denver, CO

How much: NO COST/FREE

Sponsored by: Mayor’s Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (OEM/HS and Park Mayfair

For more information visit our website: http://www.denvergov.org/oem

Contact the Mayor’s office of Emergence Management and Homeland Security at 720-865-7600 or [email protected].

Denver Children’s Theatre Presents: The Golden Goose by Charles Way

Directed by Billie McBride

Denver Children’s Theatre presents a bolder, funnier version of one of your favorite tales – The Golden Goose, beginning March 1st and running Sundays at 1 p.m. through May 3rd at the Mizel Arts and Cultural Center, 350 S. Dahlia St., Denver. Ticket Prices are $9 for General Admission and $8 for Children, Students, and Seniors and are available by calling 303-316-6360 or on-line at www.maccjcc.org. *Please note: No Performances Sunday, April 12(Easter)

Performances for School Groups are held at 10 a.m. from February 26th through May 7th with a free teacher preview on Wednesday March 4th at 6 p.m. Please call 303-316-6360 for a reservation. A Study Guide/Teacher Supplement will be provided to all school groups. School Ticket Prices: Students/$7; Two adults per school group/Free

Encore Program: Led by professional arts educators, children “take ownership” of the concepts behind the play. Curriculum Guide is keyed to Colorado Model Content Standards.
Cost: $9/student; two adults/group: free; $7 each additional and includes: performance of The Golden Goose, discussion with cast, backstage technical tour and theatre workshop based on the play’s themes. The school performance schedule can be found at http://maccjcc.org/?page_id=230 and is recommended for grades K–6.

History Colorado’s “Denver Inside and Out” Symposium

February 27th – 28th, 2009

Colorado History Museum, 1300 Broadway, Denver

Cost: $45 for two-day symposium ($30 for students), or $8.50 to attend Friday evening debate only

Call 303-866-4686 or visit www.coloradohistory.org for more information

To continue highlighting Denver’s 150th anniversary, History Colorado is bringing together scholars from around the globe to consider the ways Denver has influenced the development of local and regional political and economic development. Land and water use, transportation and communication systems, society, culture, sports, and leisure are all topics that will be covered. Programs include discussions ranging from the early schools of Denver to Denver women and the Ku Klux Klan. An evening debate by Tom “Dr. Colorado” Noel and Ed Quillen, Salida resident and editor of Colorado Central magazine, will attempt to answer the question, “What Good is Denver?” Featured speakers include John Temple, Editor and Publisher of the Rocky Mountain News on “The Media’s Role in Shaping Denver’s Identity”; Edward C. Nichols, Colorado Historical Society President & CEO; and William Convery, Colorado Historical Society State Historian.

A complete program can be downloaded here: http://www.coloradohistory.org/images/programs/150_Symp_eFlyer.pdf

Heather Barry | Neighborhood Relations Director
Office of Mayor John W. Hickenlooper
Phone: 720.865.9103 | Fax: 720.865.8781
[email protected] | Dial 3-1-1 for City Services