Message From the President Greetings Neighbors and Supporters, The latest edition of the Urban Dweller, Capitol Hill United Neighborhoods' (CHUN) monthly e-newsletter, is posted online. Here is a brief update from your registered neighborhood organization and community advocate:
For Denver, Travis Leiker, MPA President, Board of Directors Capitol Hill United Neighborhoods, Inc. Member of the Month
Individuals and Non-Profits are Invited to Apply for The 2020 SEED AwardsSubmitted by Vickie Berkley, VP of Community Engagement, CHUN At-Large Board Member CHUN encourages non-profits and individuals who have projects that improve life in Capitol Hill to apply for this year’s SEED Awards. Launched in 2019, CHUN created this "micro-grant" program to provide a fast and easy approach to funding small-scale, high-impact projects in our neighborhoods. SEED Award funding priorities include: Smart, solutions-oriented development; Enrichment and Educational Opportunities; Environmental sustainability; and Diversity. SEED Awards can kickstart new projects or build momentum for expanding existing projects. These small cash-awards support great community-building ideas and developing valuable partnerships. Last year, twelve grants were awarded to support projects promoting safety, celebrating diversity, green spaces and sustainability, encouraging enrichment through the arts. Grant awardees are asked to share the results of their project once completed, which CHUN shares through Urban Dweller and social media. Denver Turnverein, who received a SEED Award last year, applied the funds for a xeriscape project cleverly called Greenverein. You can watch the evolution of their project in their short video here To apply, simply complete the online application on CHUN’s website here The deadline for applications is November 20, 2020. All applicants will be notified of the results no later than December 4, 2020. Projects should be completed within nine months from the award date. Please consider social distancing requirements when submitting project applications. Questions? You can email CHUN’s VP of Community Engagement, Vickie Berkley, at [email protected]. Special thanks go out to Verizon Wireless for underwriting support this year. The SEED Awards are also made possible by the Tears-McFarlane House and Community Center and members like YOU. "Community Rocks" Spreads Messages of Kindness A kind word can mean a lot during these difficult times. CHUN Board Member Peggy Randall came up with the idea to paint words of kindness on rocks, after a landscape project at her home provided an ample surplus of rocks. She called the project “Community Rocks” and envisioned that these words of kindness on rocks would brighten people’s day. In August, Peggy reached out to Molly Barfuss, Volunteer Coordinator for Warren Village, to see if the children in their Learning Center would want to paint the rocks. Warren Village assists low-income, single-parent families in making the journey from poverty to self-sufficiency. Provided with acrylic paint, brushes and a lot of rocks, the thirty-nine children at the Learning Center had fun with this arts project. As a thank you to the young artists, CHUN gave the Learning Center a gift certificate for Liks ice cream. Words and acts of kindness can brighten a mood and provide us with connection. Thanks Peggy, Molly, and all the children at the Learning Center at Warren Village for your positive messages and the reminder that community rocks!
On Tuesday, September 8, following observance of the Labor Day holiday, Denver’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure, or DOTI, will resume additional parking enforcement activities suspended last March due to COVID-19. These additional enforcement activities include:
INC Passes Resolution Re: Group Living Amendment ChangesAt the August meeting of members and public, Inter-Neighborhood Cooperation (INC) passed the following formal Resolution which was presented to City Council. The Resolution refers to the proposed zoning changes known as Group Living Amendment Changes (GLAC) THE RESOLUTION Resolved, that additional time should be given (with timing taking into account how the pandemic is affecting residents of Denver) for further consideration of the proposal in order to allow council members to make sure that their constituents are educated on the proposal and its implementation/effect, including specific outreach to communities of color; Further Resolved, that this process should seek to incorporate compromise language offered to address constituent concerns; Further Resolved, that provisions of the proposal should be un-bundled to allow full consideration of each material aspect of the proposal and, when outreach and compromise is achieved to the satisfaction of council members, such portion should be adopted separately. In July, CHUN joined other registered neighborhood organizations (RNOs) and announced its support for the Group Living Amendment changes.
 The Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art reopened to the general public on Tuesday, August 18th! "We are excited to welcome guests back into the galleries!” states Founding Director & Curator Hugh Grant. “With our new safety procedures in place we know the museum experience will feel a little different than before. We want to keep everyone as protected as possible and we are confident visitors will still be dazzled by seeing our 4,400 artworks on view from a collection of over 30,000.”In order to comply with city and state mandates, the following safety measures are now in place to visit Kirkland Museum:
“The unexpected temporary closure gave Kirkland Museum staff the opportunity to provide our audience a museum-from-home experience with compelling digital content,” says Associate Museum Director Renée Albiston. “But as Hugh likes to say, more is more! We’re thrilled to see guests return to the galleries as they discover more gems among our collection.” Kirkland Museum has three principal collections, all shown together in salon style, allowing visitors to time travel through about 150 years of art. The evolving collections contain over 30,000 works by more than 1,500 artists and designers. The collections are: international decorative art from about 1870 to the present, with examples of every major design period from Arts & Crafts through Postmodern; a retrospective of Colorado painter Vance Kirkland (1904–1981) and the work of other Colorado and regional artists. For more information, please visit kirklandmuseum.org. View the Demographic Profile of Your City Council DistrictThe Denver Agency for Human Rights & Community Partnerships has publishes profiles on Denver's 11 City Council Districts. Of these, portions of Districts 9 and 10 fall within CHUN's own geographic boundaries. The profiles include demographic information on each district. These maps were created to help government, nonprofit, and business organizations outreach more efficiently and effectively to Denver's different City Council Districts. To view all available profiles, visit the City Council District Profiles page. Landmark Commission Hearing Regarding Carmen Court Last month, the Landmark Commission unanimously recommended the approval of Landmark Status for Carmen Court and will forward it to Denver City Council. The commission agreed that at least three criteria were met relating to the historical significance of Carmen Court. Public comments included twenty-five individuals in support of the designation and thirteen opposed. Those in favor included Annie Levinsky, Executive Director of Historic Denver, Washington Park Homeowners Association, and a resident of Denver representing the Latino Community as well as Native American, Spanish, and Latino Heritages. Owners comments included statements of physical stress and negative financial impact of a Landmark designation. Owners have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in upkeep costs on the property over the years. Landmark Commission deliberation included additional statements that Carmen Court retains good architectural integrity and is a prominent feature of the neighborhood. The park-like courtyard of the building relates well with the adjacent Hungarian Park and its distinctive physical characteristics of Spanish and Pueblo Revival styles, a rarity in the City of Denver. Earlier this month, in response to Council’s request, the seven condo owners, Hines and the applicants agreed to some additional time to try to reach a solution before advancing the Landmark Designation to City Council. We will keep you up-to-date as these conversations develop. Meet the BoardRachel G., Neighborhood 5
Debbie Y., Neighborhood 10
Nancy C., Neighborhood 6
The DII is Ensuring that Everyone Denver has Internet at Home
Protecting Denver's Kids from a Lifetime Addiction to Tobacco The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids gave a presentation on the health risks of flavored tobacco products and their link to youth tobacco addiction. In the presentation, "Policies to Protect Denver's Kids from a Lifetime Addiction to Tobacco - Overview of an Epidemic & Recommendations," the Campaign recommends two policies to reverse the trend of youth addiction to tobacco:
Congress Park Playground & Walks Survey Denver Parks & Recreation and Denver's Department of Transportation and Infrastructure are partnering to provide improvements to Congress park, including replacing the existing playground located in the center of the park, and adding and renovating park walks to provide improved access through the park. Community outreach and conceptual design for this project is starting now. The final design is slated to be ready between the Winter of 2020 and the Summer of 2021, and construction should start by Fall of 2022. Learn more and take the survey: Application Filed to Install a Cell Tower at 1324 Corona Street A notice of application to install a small cell tower at 1324 N. Corona St. has been submitted. The certified letter was sent on behalf of AT&T, per requirements of City & County of Denver. View the application below: Free Workshops, Virtual Hiring EventsA news release from Denver Economic Development & Opportunity: Coming off a summer of greatly expanded, personalized programming that served thousands of unemployed local residents, Denver Workforce Services is rolling out more than a dozen additional virtual events to mark National Workforce Development Month throughout September. When COVID-19 hit back in March, Denver immediately launched a series of weekly calls to guide people with local registration for state unemployment benefits; explore careers in construction, technology, and health care; and find out which employers were hiring. These pandemic-expanded programs continue this fall, along with virtual workshops on social media jobseeker tips, programs for workers age 50+, tips on shifting careers, help exploring new industries, guidance for jobseekers in transition from the justice system, and managing stress, among other topics. All programs are free. The full calendar is posted online at denvergov.org/workforce. Denver’s public workforce system has also added an information line at 720-337-WORK, answered live during business hours, and [email protected] to help serve the additional volume of jobseekers needing help accessing services. “When our marketplace is so severely disrupted, the public workforce system is more essential than ever. We know what it means for people to have critical services at your fingertips, and genuinely helpful staff to guide you to what you need,” said Deborah Cameron, the Chief Business Officer for Denver Economic Development & Opportunity (DEDO), which includes Denver Workforce Services. “It’s been a challenging summer and our team is ready for our busiest month of the year ahead.” Denver Economic Development & Opportunity is leading an inclusive and innovative economy for all Denver residents, businesses, and neighborhoods. By supporting local and global business development, workforce programs, and stabilization efforts in Denver’s diverse neighborhoods, we are creating opportunity for everyone to make a home, get a job, and build a future. Denver Schools are Offering Free and Affordable After-School Programs From Chalkbeat Colorado Aug 25, 2020 - For $10 per day, Denver’s after-school program is offering families a solution to one of education’s biggest challenges right now: Who will supervise my child during remote learning? Denver Public Schools’ Discovery Link program usually runs before- and after-school programs. But since Monday, Discovery Link staff, as well as staff from other community organizations, have been supervising remote learning for up to 15 children per classroom, 60 children per school, at 55 schools across Denver. And there’s still room. None of the schools are at capacity, said Heather Intres, who directs Denver’s extended learning programs. She estimates there are about 600 spots left out of a total of 2,500. The program is open to Denver students ages 5 to 12, and any family with kids in the district can sign up. Supervision is provided for four hours per day, 8 a.m. to noon. Children do not have to be enrolled at the same school where the program takes place. In any classroom, there could be 15 kids doing 15 different lessons from 15 different schools, Intres said. While the cost is $10 per day per child for most families, the program is free for families at 11 schools that received grant funding for that purpose, she said. Read the full article with more information on Chalkbeat Colorado. In The News Business
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