Message From the PresidentGreetings Friends and Supporters, I hope this message finds you well. Urban Dweller, Capitol Hill United Neighborhoods' (CHUN) monthly e-newsletter, is available online. Here is the latest from Denver’s largest, oldest registered neighborhood organization and your community advocate. Last week, CHUN hosted its 2021 Annual Meeting. The meeting was something of a record breaker, with more than 175 participants and new levels of neighborhood engagement. Annual meetings are a report to benefactors, members, and the community including a look back on the previous year, and these meetings occasionally feature speakers engaged in the most pressing city issues. They are also an opportunity to celebrate great news and recognize extraordinary acts. Mayor Michael B. Hancock shared a few updates ranging from Denver's response to combat the COVID-19 and how the city engages groups (like CHUN) to encourage economic development in the midst of a pandemic. We appreciate the Mayor taking time to connect with our members; CHUN is scheduling a dedicated town hall with the Mayor and his team in the coming months. We also received an update from both Denver International Airport and Denver Health. Dr. Connie Savor Price reviewed Denver Health's history as a community-based health care provider and their robust responses to community needs. Cristal DeHerrera provided an update about Denver International Airport including new vendors at DEN as well as forthcoming expansions and infrastructure that will boost airport operations. We are committed to working with city leadership, including Mayor Hancock, Dr. Price, and Ms. DeHerrera, to develop policy solutions and shape the future of our city. The DIA presentation can be accessed HERE; Denver Health's presentation can be accessed HERE. CHUN is committed enhancing our operations and building a diverse, inclusive culture. We continued to improve our governance, internal operations, and board retention in 2020. The CHUN board has expanded our outreach into the community, and we recruited six new board members to fill existing vacancies. Last month we welcomed Rajat Agarwal, Amanda Pennington, Kathy Callender, Nicholas DiPasquale, Joshua Emerson, and Noemi Ramos. With these great additions, our board composition now includes affordable housing champions, historic preservationists, communications and IT professionals, grassroots organizers, a member of the Navajo Nation and veteran, and small business owners. Sound financial management continues. CHUN's leadership had to think strategically about its operations, and we had to keep costs at a minimum. In 2020, our income was $115,209, and we had $72,717 in expenses. That's a net of more than $27,000. Our current cash on hand has now surpassed $180,000, an increase of 17% in just one year. Private charitable grants, membership, and income from the Tears-McFarlane House have bolstered our financial outlook for 2021. CHUN's membership program and community outreach reached a new milestone. For the first time in CHUN history, we raised more than $23,000 in membership support. We gained 78 new members in, 4000+ Facebook followers, surpassed 620 Twitter followers, have more than 1,380 e-subscribers, and increased our visibility through various media outlets and platforms. New members include Interfaith Alliance of Colorado, David Lynn Wise Architects, Zeppelin Development, and many more. To those current business, nonprofit, household, and individual members, we THANK YOU for your generosity and commitment to our work. This supporter base means we get to do more for our community. In 2020, we invested more than $10,000 in the community through the SEED Awards and in-kind contributions to community groups. CHUN is supporting neighbors in need through the Little Free Pantry at 1290 Williams Street and we continue to offer low-cost office space and meeting infrastructure to charitable organizations. The 2021 SEED Award recipients are: Harm Reduction Action Center; SafeHouse Denver; Urban Servant Corps; Gathering Place; Our Savior’s Lutheran Church; South City Park Neighborhood Association; Swallow Hill RNO; and Senior Housing Options. All award recipients received $1,000 per program/project. The Good Neighbor Awards are a longstanding tradition and an opportunity to recognize nonprofit organizations, individuals, and/or businesses for outstanding contributions to the greater Capitol Hill community. This year, we honored: Rev. Bonita Bock, Bill DeMaio, St. Francis Center Warren Residences, Joy Wine & Spirits; Smith and Cannon Ice Cream, REDI Corporation, & Courageous Yoga. February is Black History Month. I encourage all Denverites to take an active role in protecting our democracy and promote social justice and racial equality. As the late Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm once said, “I am and always will be a catalyst for change.” We look to you for leadership, and encourage you to be the catalyst for change in Denver. In good health, Travis Travis Leiker, MPA President | Capitol Hill United Neighborhoods Monthly Member Profile: Zeppelin DevelopmentFor more than 40 years of development experience, Zeppelin are experts in placemaking. They collaborate regularly with local communities and engage both the private and public sectors in shaping the future of neighborhoods. News & Events in Our CommunityFinal Design for the South Broadway Bikeway
Nearby Nature: Nature Play in City Park
There are a variety of ways for people of all ages to provide feedback for the project: Create a Design The museum will be distributing kits of printed materials that contain images of natural play activities. You are welcome to share a photo of your creation for a design of the space using the materials in the kit. If you would like a kit to be mailed to you, please fill out this form no later than Feb. 5, 2021. Give Feedback Online A recorded presentation and an online survey are available to learn about the project and provide feedback. To respond, please review the presentation below and complete the survey. The slideshow and survey are also available in both English and Spanish on the project's website. Attend a Live, Virtual Community Open House City Park Alliance and City Park Friends & Neighbors are co-hosting virtual events with the Denver Museum of Nature & Science and Denver Parks & Recreation to ensure that all community members have access to meetings dedicated to creating awareness and soliciting feedback for the creation of natural play experiences in City Park. Civic Center Next 100 - Public Workshop #1 What do you imagine for the next 100 years of Civic Center? Please join Denver Parks & Recreation for the first public workshop to learn about the history and current conditions and share feedback for the future of Civic Center. Civic Center Next 100 takes the 2005 Civic Center Master Plan and brings it to life for the Denver of today and the generations to come. Located at the heart of the city and surrounded by many of our key civic and cultural institutions, Civic Center has served as Denver’s most significant gathering spot for cultural events, festivals, and First Amendment rallies for over 100 years. It is Denver’s first National Historic Landmark and honoring its history is critical as we envision its future. The project partners are working together to create a vision for key features of Civic Center that will accommodate its traditional uses and also encourage daily active use. Learn more about the project here. Civic Center Next 100: Civic Center Park + Bannock Street Concept Design | Public Workshop #1
Planning Better Ways to Travel in South Central Denver
Construction Begins on Recuperative Care Facility and Housing
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