Washington Park East Neighborhood Association Summer 2014 Vol. 39 No. 3

WPENA-SPONSORED NEIGHBORHOOD-WIDE YARD SALES & SOUTH HIGH FILL-A-TRUCK FUNDRAISERThis 4th annual neighborhood-wide event will take place Saturday, Aug. 2 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. WPENA will promote the event with ads in area newspapers, flyers posted in local businesses, and a map on our website at www.wpenaonline.org. All you need to do is price and organize your stuff and set it out in your front yard or back alley to sell.

To participate in the yard sale and have your address noted on the map, please

email WPENAonline@gmail.com with your name, email

and street address.

FILL-A-TRUCK FUNDRAISER: DONATIONS TO SOUTH HIGH SCHOOLThis year we will be joining forces with South High School to collect donations after the event. Even if you are not able to participate in the yard sale, start saving items to donate to Goodwill in the SHS parking lot at 1700 E. Lousiana Ave. The school will get funds for teacher and student enrichment programs depending on how much we help fill the donation 45-foot trailer.

Please drop off your gently-used donations or left-over items from your yard sale in the South High parking lot between 12 noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 2 to help raise funds for the school.

Summertime is special at Washington Park be-cause of all the wonderful activities the park offers during the warm-weather months. One of the most anticipated events is the 12th an-nual Washington Park July 4th Celebration co-sponsored by the Washington Park East and West Washington Park neighborhood associations and local business owners. This year’s event will be Friday, July 4

at the Boathouse on Smith Lake. The festivities kick-off at 11 a.m. with kids and their parents exploring the Station 21 fire truck in the boathouse parking lot, visiting with the Denver Mounted Patrol horses and police cars, neighbors listening to the patriotic music played by the Denver Municipal Band’s Brass Quintet, and attendees checking out free giveaways and information at the sponsors’ tables.

Make sure you arrive early so your children can decorate their strollers, trikes, and bikes for the bike parade, which begins about 11:45 a.m. The

procession takes 15 to 20 minutes with each par-ticipant receiving a ribbon at the end.

Be sure to bring your picnic lunch, blankets and chairs to enjoy the event. Free ice-cream and beverages are provided, while they last.

ANNUAL WASHINGTON PARK JULY 4TH CELEBRATION

AT THE BOATHOUSEBring your picnic lunch, blankets and

chairs, and join us from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Boathouse on Friday, July 4th

2 Wash Park East News

WPENA Board Members: Joanne Asher, Crime and SafetyLance Clem Jonathan Jensen Neil Jorgensen John KudryckiBiddie Labrot, Treasurer, Zoning Larry LarsenTimothy McHugh Lance Musselman, SecretaryDarrell OliverSusan Payne, MembershipSteve Skalski, President

Monthly association meetings are open to any WPENA resident or business owner and are held every second Tuesday starting at 7 p.m. at St. John’s Church (corner Exposition and Gilpin streets) in the rear meeting room near the back parking lot area. Elections to the board are sched-uled annually in May.

______Questions? Comments? Email the board members at WPENAonline@gmail.com or read more association informa-tion on the official WPENA website at www.WPENAonline.org. If you are interested in writ-ing or helping with the newslet-ter, please contact Lori Poole at WPENAonline@gmail.com.

______Thank you to our

advertisers for their continued support!

If you are interested in advertising, please send an email to

WPENAonline@gmail.com or look online at www.WPENA

online.org for more information.______

www.WPENAonline.orgWPENAonline@gmail.com

WPENA MONTHLY MEETING HIGHLIGHTSFor a full report of monthly meeting minutes and the most current treasurer’s report, please go online to www.WPENAonline.org and look under the Meeting & Board Information link of the main menu.

April 8: Denver’s Solid Waste Division Operations Manager dis-cussed plans to remove the alley dumpsters and replace them with in-dividual bins for trash collection. Commander Joe Montoya from the Denver Police District Three presented information about the district boundaries for District Three.May 13: Selection of 2014-2015 board members; special presenta-tion on neighborhood overlay project by master’s students from CU-Denver.June 10: Selection of 2014-2015 officers and planning for the year.

Please make plans to come to WPENA monthly meetings: July 8, Aug. 12 (no meeting), Sept 9.

ALL residents are invited, welcomed, and needed!

Upcoming WPENA Events...JOIN US!July 4th Celebration: Friday, July 4. Make plans to attend this an-nual event from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Boathouse.

WPENA Monthly Meeting: Tuesday, July 8 at St. John’s Church starting at 7 p.m. These are always open meetings and everyone is wel-come to attend!

WPENA Annual Neighborhood-Wide Yard Sales: Saturday, Aug. 2 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Email your name and street address to WPENAonline@gmail.com for your loca-tion to be added to the map of participants. As an addition-al fundraiser, gently-used items will be accepted at South High School the day of the event from noon to 4 p.m.

Quarterly Happy Hour: Thursday, Aug. 21 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Agave Taco Bar (2217 E. Mississippi Ave. off Old South Gaylord). Come meet with neighbors to celebrate summer! Sponsored by Barb Perruccio of Great Place Real Estate, Inc.

Citizen Advisory Board (CAB) Meetings: Monthly meetings are held on the first Thursday of each month starting at 6 p.m. at the Dis-trict Three police station, 1625 S. University Blvd. (near I-25). Go on-line to www.denvergov.org/District_3_Station for more information.

Inter-Neighborhood Cooperation (INC) Meetings: Monthly meetings are held the second Saturday of every month. Go online to www.DenverINC.org for more information.

Wash Park East News 3

Thank you to the following July 4th event sponsors & groups:

To sponsor or volunteer at the July 4th event, visit WPENAonline.org

Denver Trash Cart Conversion UpdateThis summer Denver Public Works/Solid Waste Management will implement portions of the 2010 Master Plan for Managing Solid Waste in the Mile High City.”A key element of the Master Plan is a transition to cart based trash collection for all Denver households. During the remainder of 2014, over 20,000 Denver households in several Denver neighborhoods will be provided with lidded wheeled trash carts for trash col-lection. By the end of 2014, nearly 80,000 Denver households will have cart based trash service. The City’s experience with trash carts has shown that the system is efficient, results in cleaner alleys with less illegal dumping, and helps improve recycling rates.

Trash Cart Conversion Delayed in Washington Park East and Cory Merrill until Fall 2015The conversion to automated trash carts in Washington Park East and Corey Merrill has been delayed to the fall of 2015. The decision to delay the implementation in these neigh-borhoods was made to ensure that Public Works/Solid Waste Management can recognize the maximum route efficiency by selecting two alternate areas for the 2014 service changes. A more detailed 2015 sched-ule for the roll out of trash carts will be developed at the end of this year and provided to the impacted neighborhoods as soon as it is available.

Visit DenverGov.org/SolidWastePlan or call 311for more info about the cart conversion.

Barb Frank

Country Club

Liquors939 E. Cedar Ave.

303-722-6656

LOGAN LIQUORS100 South Logan Street

(303) 744-0730

Bonnie Brae Ice Cream

Dear Neighbors,

I have often been asked about whom to contact in the city for any problems you may have from overgrown lawns, too many automobiles, as well as construction questions.The city and County of Denver Neighborhood Inspection Services (NIS) is the department that handles all questions as well as in field inspection and enforcement. Through public outreach and code enforcement, the neighborhood inspectors help keep our communities clean and vibrant.

I wanted to introduce to your new Neighborhood Inspection Services (NIS) Inspector – Chris Jaech. Chris will be replacing Dee Dee Nguyen who will be going on military leave soon. Chris, a former Emer-gency First Responder and Firefighter has been with the City of Denver Neighborhood Services for 5 months. His is responsible for not only East Washington Park, but also much of Southeast Denver. When I asked why he chose to work for NIS – his stated that it was a great way to give back to our community as well as work with residents and helping them understand the codes and why there is need for enforcement, and in many cases finding ways to work together to improve quality of life in our neighborhoods.

If you have a question for NIS, there are three ways to reach them: 1) calling 311 2) visiting DenverGov.org/311 3) the new 311 appPlease be sure to have the correct address of the property in question and a brief descrip-

tion of the issue. You will be given a case number which will allow to check on the progress of the case.

Please join me in thanking Dee Dee for all her work that she has done on behalf of our neighborhood.And welcome Chris – we look forward to working with you! Yours in Zoning, Zoey

4 Wash Park East News

Dear Zoey Zoning

From the PresidentBy Steve Skalski

Our May meeting marked new Board elections for WPENA. I would like to extend a special welcome to new board members Jonathan Jensen, Neil Jorgensen and Timothy McHugh. Our new board re-appointed Biddie Labrot as Treasurer and appoint-ed Lance Musselman as Secretary. I would like to personally thank all re-elected board members for their continued support of WPENA as well as departing board members for their hard work and efforts this past year and beyond and look forward to seeing you in the upcoming year! We remain committed to holding special events, inviting guest speakers, and seeking out information that we hope will enhance our community in Wash Park East.

WPENA QUARTERLY HAPPY HOUR

Thursday, Aug. 21 from 5 to 7 p.m.

at Agave Taco Bar (2217 E. Mississippi Ave. off Old South Gaylord)

Come meet with neighbors to celebrate summer!

Sponsored by Barb Perruccio of Great Place Real Estate, Inc.

Wash Park East News 5

From the ParkBy Cindy Johnstone

LOOP ROAD SAFETY PROJECT: The first public Loop Road Safety meeting was held May 29th where those who attended met the consultants, Stream Design and Greg Kaiser, Senior Park Planner, DPR. After an overview of the Loop Road Project and timeline the meeting was opened to addressing the hot spots on the Loop Road and things people would like to see changed on the Loop Road for safety and use. Fol-lowing rules, signage, enforcement, speed, types of usage were just some of the topics brought up by the attendees. All ideas and comments were recorded and will be part of the on going discussion to develop tools to improve the safety of the Loop Road. The next public meeting to discuss a tools box of solutions and ideas will be July 31 at the Platt Park Senior Center, 6-8:00 p.m. If you have comments or ideas email them to gregory.kaiser@denvergov.org and/or visit FANSWashingtonPark.org for more details

ACTIVE RECREATIONS AND PERMIT REQUIREMENTS for Washington Park- Actions of Denver Parks and Rec to address concerns and issues of park users and surrounding neighborhood concerns for Washington Park, specifically on weekends, seems

to have morphed into a conflict between we vs. them. The manager of Parks and Rec has issued a 180-day emergency policy to address park use concerns raised by surrounding neighborhoods and some users of

the park. After a public meeting and two stakeholder meetings in late April, the 180 day emergency DPR policy was implemented. The policy focus is to: bal-ance use, enforce park rules, address the need of park-ing enforcement, service public bathrooms (portable toilets), protect the health of the park and encourage common etiquette. You are encouraged to submit your comments and observations to Parks and Recreation during this emergency 180-day policy implementa-tion. The policy will be reviewed in August and more information will be available regarding public meetings. Please visit FANSWashingtonPark.org website to read the letter from Denver Parks and Recreation.

GRASMERE LAKE RESTORATION: New irriga-tion has been installed to help establish the shore grass-es and shrubs being planted along the edge of the lake. When the project is completed there will be a new gravel path around Grasmere Lake along with the new plantings. A goose proof fence/grid will be installed to protect the grasses until they become established. More info can be found on the FANS website.

WHAT I LOVE ABOUT LIVING INWASHINGTON PARK!

HONK!

HONK!

HONK! HONK!

HONK!

HONK!

HONK!

HONK!

HONK!

HONK!

HONK!

HONK!

HONK!

HONK!

HONK!

HONK!

HONK!

HONK!

HONK!

HONK!

HONK!HONK!

HONK!

I CAN HEAR IT TALKING BUT IJUST CANNOT UNDERSTAND ASINGLE WORDIT’S SAYING!

Check us out online at www.WPENAonline.org. Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/Washington-Park-East-Neighborhood-Association-WPENA

CRIME & SAFETY TIPS

6 Wash Park East News

By Joanne Asher

PROPERTY CRIME UPDATE: Our neighborhood has been hit hard by multiple property crimes over the last four years. DPD District Three Detective Fred Ybarra and Detective Bill Monahan have worked these crimes for the last year and half with help from other metro agencies. They have made eight arrests and charged the suspects with 141 counts. These charges may result in sentences of five to 24 years in prison. DPD District Three Commander Joe Montoya and his officers have put many hours into these crimes, resulting in the number of property crimes in WPE being lower as of May’s crime report. However, WPE is still known well as a hotspot in the burglary circles around metro Denver. Luckily residents have started to do their part to protect their property. To keep our crime reports low, please continue to lock doors on homes, cars and garages. Please do not leave personal information such as labels on boxes, financial statements, computer and TV boxes in the alleys. Pick up mail and newspapers daily. Lock backyard gates and side garage doors. YARD SALE SAFETY: FAKE $100 BILLS: If you are staging a garage or yard sale or participat-ing in the Aug. 2 WPENA neighborhood-wide event, be aware that some customers might be paying with fake $100 bills. They purchase a small quantity of items and pay with the “$100 “ bill and receive change. Office supply stores carry the pen that will verify the authenticity of the $100 bill.DOOR-TO-DOOR SALES: ALL sales people must have a permit to go door to door. ALL sales must end at dusk!PHONE FRAUD: The City and County of Denver and the Denver Police Department do not and will never call anyone for past due taxes, fines or tickets. Do not give out any personal or financial information to a caller asking for this by saying they are from the afore mentioned agencies.VACATION RENTALS: Many home owners are renting their homes out to vacationers. These rentals turn in to party central for a weekend or several weekends. Please be advised that a rental in the City and County of Denver must be for 30 days minimum!PARTY NOISE: Be advised before a party is planned and the band is booked for the event at a resi-dence that there are noise limits within the City of Denver. The neighbors can contact DPD regard-ing loud noise. DPD will advise the home owner with the party and may request the noise to stop.

Call the DPD NON-EMGERGENCY number -720-913-2000 to report any problems with the above activities. EMERGENCIES ONLY: CALL 911.

GET INVOLVED ONLINE: Sign-up for these informational sites to get regular crime updates:• www.NextDoor.com: The Denver Police Department and District Three,

as well as WPE residents, use this websites to send out crime alerts.• www.SpotCrimes.com: Receive daily updates on crime with in a five mile

radius. You can even download the SpotCrime app for your smart phone.• www.facebook.com/DenverPDDistrictThree: Follow crime updates.• www.denvergov.org/police: Report a crime, file an incident, even register a bike. • www.denvergov.org/crimestats: Research crime stats for WPE and other areas in the city.

GET INVOLVED & ATTEND the monthly CITIZEN ADVISORY BOARD (CAB): Meetings are held on the first Thursday of each month starting at 6 p.m. at the District Three police

station, 1625 S. University Blvd. (near I-25). Upcoming meetings: July 3, Aug. 7, Sept. 4.

100 Trees Added to Denver’s SkylineNewmont Mining Corporation and Chase Bank employees, along with their friends and families, were

seeing green this spring as they planted 70 trees in Denver as members of The Park People’s Mile High Tree Champions program. Add to that 9 trees planted by Towers Watson employees and 10 trees planted by Southwest Airlines employees in conjunction with the Earth Day Network, and it is easy to see the power behind these public-private partnerships.

“This is the third tree planting event for our company, and it is one of the favorite volunteer opportunities for our employees and their families,” says Matt King, Newmont’s Social Responsibility Manager. “The plantings with The Park People allow our employ-ees and their loved ones to work together on a project that is not only fun, but also contributes to Denver’s urban forest.”

Since the Mile High Tree Champions program’s inception in 2010, 21 Colorado companies have added 771 trees to Denver’s skyline. In addition to Newmont, Chase, Southwest Airlines & Earth Day Network, and Towers Watson, Tree Champions include Kaiser Permanente, Wells Fargo, CH2M Hill, Accenture, and more. This was the second tree planting for Chase Bank, the third for Newmont and the first for Towers Watson and Southwest Airlines.

“We really enjoyed our second Tree Champions planting,” says Chase Bank Manager Christine Stirling. “The plantings with The Park People allow our employees and families to work together on a project that is enjoyable and enhances our beautiful city.”

As The Park People winds up its fourth year of spring plantings, Adrian Comacho, the Mile High Tree Champions’ Program Coordinator, says he feels optimistic about the future of this unique corporate citi-zenship opportunity.

“Tree Champions say they feel rewarded by the positive impact they’ve had on the environment, and they thoroughly enjoy this a unique day with co-workers, family and friends,” says Camacho. “We couldn’t be happier with the success of this program. We hope to add additional companies to our Tree Champions list which will result in hundreds more trees added to our urban forest every year by Colorado companies looking for an impactful way to make a difference.”

The Park People is a private, non-profit organization dedicat-ed to preserving, enhancing and advocating for Denver’s parks, recreation resources, open space and urban forest. Visit www.theparkpeople.org for more information.

Wash Park East News 7

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE PARK?For a full list of permitted park events, visit www.denvergov.org.

WPENA Annual DuesWashington Park East Neighborhood Association (WPENA) is made up of thousands of neighbors, dozens of local busi-nesses, nonprofits, churches, and local elected officials. All of us work together to keep Wash Park East a great neighbor-hood...but we need YOUR help! WPENA annual dues are $20 per household ($10 for seniors) and help support regular business activity, annual celebrations, production of our newsletters, website maintenance, and other administrative cost.

To support your neighborhood organization, please fill out the info below and send dues payable to WPENA, 472 S. High St., Denver/80209.

NAME: _______________________________________________________________ ADDRESS: ____________________________________________________________ E-MAIL ADDRESS: _____________________ PHONE NUMBER: _______________

I would like to help with the following WPENA volunteer positions (check all that apply): m website m newsletter m event volunteer (yard sale, July 4th) m zoning issues m safety & crime issues m traffic/transportation

COMMENTS/SUGGESTIONS: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thank you for your support!

2nd Annual FANS Photo Contest

Once again the FANS photo contest was a great success with many entries high-lighting “our” pak. Soon the photos will be on the FANS website at FANSWash-ingtonPark.org.Come see a preview of the first and second place winners and honorable mention (two in each cat-egory) at the July 4th Celebration. The reception for the winners will be at the Bath House July 9.