Urban Dweller

Volume 40, Edition 9

9/5/2022

Message from CHUN Leadership

Greetings Friends and Neighbors

Last month’s word was “gratitude.” This month, it feels appropriate to “celebrate,” because CHUN’s 14th annual fundraiser, Celebrate Community: Wine, Beer, and Bites, will take place on September 14th in the patio of Logan Street Restaurant. Now, more than ever, it is critical that community voices can inform the direction of our city and registered neighborhood groups (RNOs) such as CHUN are key to ensuring these voices are heard. Please join us on the night, tickets are available here.

As well as wine tasting, a selection of beers, and light hors d'oeuvres, there will be live music from the wonderful Dzirae Gold. Cases of wine will also be available for sale, with 10% of proceeds being donated to CHUN. All funds generated from this event will allow us to continue our valuable work of preserving the past, improving the present, and planning for a future. We are proud of recent activities and achievements, which include:

Funding civic entrepreneurship and community enhancements through the SEED awards.
Working to preserve the community's small businesses, including championing restaurants along 7th Avenue.
Hosting neighborhood clean-up events and supporting our precious parks and open spaces.
Calling on the City and County of Denver to implement urgent and innovative solutions for the unhoused.
Delivering public informational webinars on pertinent issues such as upcoming developments.
Partnering in good neighbor agreements between developers, businesses, and adjacent neighbors.

We hope you can join us to celebrate these accomplishments and look to the future… over a few glasses of wine or beer.

CHUN's Urban Planning Committee will also be hosting a community forum on October 11th on several forthcoming ballot initiatives. With an election just around the corner, we are committed to playing our part in disseminating accurate information on measures that will have a substantial impact upon our city. Keep eye out for further information on our website and via email.

Finally, we are excited at the prospect of moving back into the Tears McFarlane House (as you can see from the expressions on our faces!) and cannot wait to welcome you to the historic mansion in the coming months.

I hope you enjoy this edition of Urban Dweller and are having a memorable summer.

Cheers!

John Deffenbaugh
Executive Director | Capitol Hill United Neighbors, Inc.

Member of the Month

REDI Corporation

CHUN community member, REDI Corporation, embodies our mission to support affordable housing.

In 1978, they began providing affordable housing for Denver Health and Hospitals’ mental health programs.

They work to transform lives through affordable housing and their mission is to provide affordable housing and services to persons with mental health, substance use disorders and other special needs.

Today, REDI Corporation remains committed to its mission and is proud have acquired and developed 9 projects. Collectively they provide homes to 157 residents at any one time.

REDI is currently in the process of developing a 50-unit complex called Rhonda’s place that will serve additional individuals that are chronically homeless.

Transforming Lives Through
Affordable Housing

CHUN Volunteer & Support Opportunities

September 14: Please Join Your Neighbors at this Year's CHUN Annual Fundraiser - Wine, Beer and Bites

One of CHUN's core values is encouraging neighbor enhancements through volunteerism and community engagement.

To celebrate the Greater Capitol Hill community, neighbors and neighborhoods, we invite you to join your neighbors and friends at CHUN's annual fundraiser on September 14. This year, we will have both wines and beers to taste, along with some food from local CHUN restaurants members. Live music will be by soul singer Dzirae Gold.

The event will be held at the Logan Street Restaurant from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Members, non-members and friends are invited to celebrate this community event.

Tickets will be $60, which includes all food and drinks. Click here to register.

CHUN News and Events

Ribbon Cutting for SEED Award Funded New Community Fridge

Denver Community Fridges and CHUN members, neighbors and families joined together in August for a ribbon cutting for the new community fridge, located at the 1st Baptist Church in Capitol Hill.

The funding for this new community fridge was a 2022 CHUN SEED award.

"We truly could not have accomplished this without you, and your work with us in addition to the generous grant award, which has been uplifting, inspiring, and nourishing," said A.J. Boglioli, Founder and Principal. Solidarity Partners.

"I love the spirit of this project and am excited that Capitol Hill has another hyper-local source of food for those who experience food insecurity," said Vickie Berkley, Vice President of Community Engagement, Capitol Hills United Neighborhoods.

The Tears-McFarlane House Renovations

Significant work has been done on the renovations of the interior and exterior of the Tears-McFarlane House.

Built in 1899 on the northern edge of Denver’s Cheesman Park, the fashionable Tears-McFarlane House is an important Capitol Hill landmark, significant both for its architectural flourishes and its association with the development of the neighborhood.

CHUN Board Members and Staff toured the Tears-McFarlane House on August 8th for a glimpse of the on-going restoration work on the property. Much progress has been made with refinished floors, new paint, updated lighting and fully-renovated bathrooms. Work will continue over the coming weeks as new carpet is installed, furniture arrives, and finishing touches are added. CHUN and City Street Investors are anticipating an early fall return to the renovated property. Design and permitting work continues on the new café with work on that phase of the project anticipated to start in early 2023.

CHUN History Matters Members Enjoy Tour of Historic Patterson Inn

CHUN History Matters committee held an in-person meeting in August at the Historic Patterson Inn.

A stately and distinguished National Landmark, the Patterson Inn is situated on a quarter acre in the heart of Denver's Capitol Hill neighborhood.

In attendance were members of CHUN History Matters committee and the CHUN executive committee.

After the meeting, they enjoyed a tour and heard a lot of stories about the Historic Patterson Inn from owner Chris Chiari (pictured on the right in the picture to the right).

August CHUN Webinar: Denver's New Volume-based Trash Pricing Program

In June, Denver City Council approved a new "pay as you throw" waste services program that will come into effect in January 2023.

In August, CHUN hosted a webinar with Denver Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI) to inform CHUN members about this new policy, known as volume-based trash pricing, Jessica Lally from DOTI presented on this new ordinance that will affect almost 180,000 Denver residents.

August CHUN Webinar: Activities of Nonprofits to Help Those Affected by Homelessness

In August, CHUN partnered with Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, Colorado Village Collaborative, and WellPower to present a webinar focusing on the activities of nonprofits who work with those affected by homelessness.

Presenters included Cathy Alderman, Chief Communications and Public Policy Officer at Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, Cuica Montoya, Safe Outdoor Space Program Director at Colorado Village Collaborative and Chris Richardson, Project Manager at Mental Health Center of Denver - WellPower.

The work of these wonderful organizations should give us hope that there can be a brighter future for our fellow Denverites without permanent housing.

CHUN Committee Reports

CHUN History Matters Committee

Historic Curtis Park and Five Points Walking Tours- Discussion with Amanda Pennington to partner and create walking tours of Curtis Park, Historic Five Points Neighborhood, and partner with their neighborhood assoc. History Matters team of Andrea Hamilton, Kevin Kelly and Peggy Randall will organize tours of 10 or 12 people. Sign ups will include a QR code to create a donation for every tour to St. Francis Center. These are the dates that HM will plan signup for walking tours in October- 10/5 – 3 or 4 pm; 10/6 – 3 or 4 pm; 10/15 – 10 or 11 am; 10/16 – 10 or 11 am.

CHUN Land Acknowledgement - A discussion about the Land Acknowledgement Statement took place. Many ideas about how to best move forward to assure that this is a meaningful action and not just a cursory addition to our website. Discussion centered eventually on treating it more like the statement of diversity and perhaps integrating the Land Acknowledgement into this key document. We will take this up at a future meeting before bringing it to the entire Board for approval at the September meeting. Katie Swick thought a good way to tie this together would be to introduce this to our CHUN members with special outreach on Indigenous Peoples Day on October 10th .

Recognition - Carl Bourgeois, historic Five Points developer, preservationist and investor was honored in CHUN's August Urban Dweller.

Landmark referrals: CHUN is not receiving notices for projects on the list for demolition eligibility. John Deffenbaugh will follow up with Community Planning and Development and the Denver Landmark Preservation Office to assure we are getting notices and are able to participate in any landmark training necessary. We discussed a recent demotion eligibility notice for a unique property at 401 N Madison St. that was the former home of Richard Crowther, a prominent Denver architect. Historic Denver was reaching out to engage CHUN on this home as well. There was significant discussion about CHUN being notified and what we can do about projects of great importance to the preserving the past of Denver, and what is the city obligation, The simplified process is as follows: A landmark designation application can come from the executive director of Community Planning and Development, one or more members of City Council, or three residents of the City and County of Denver.

Community Engagement Committee

A meeting for CHUN’s Community Engagement Committee was held on July 13, and focused on a mid-year review of goals and activities. Discussion included accomplishments so far, actions to be taken to implement activities, and in some cases, an agreement that activities are better accomplished through other places within CHUN’s organization.
Goal 1: Community Investment – established in 2019, SEED Awards support community engagement by providing financial support for projects that align with CHUN’s mission and values as well as enhance the quality of life for those who live within the greater Capitol Hill Community.

Activity 1: Increase Funding through Sponsorship: we discussed the value of identifying additional sponsors to maintain the same level of SEED Awards.
Activity 2: Promotion of Past and Current SEED Awardees: Vickie B. contacted recipients of last year’s SEED Awards that had not yet been heard from. All of the recipients have implemented their projects. Debbie Y. was cc’d on emails for future stories in the Urban Dweller. It was suggested that some of these stories need a wider audience, such as Life on Capitol Hill, the Glendale Cherry Creek Chronicle, Westword and the Denverite.
Activity 3: Add new members to the SEED Award Review Committee that represents both the CHUN board and diverse voices from Greater Capitol Hill. Committee members were asked to suggest CHUN board members and residents in Greater Capitol Hill residents to serve on the SEED Award Review Committee. Adding diversity to this committee will be a priority and will add valuable input into the review process.
Activity 4: SEED Award Ceremony: It was agreed that an in-person SEED Award Ceremony that is a stand-alone event is preferred this year.

Goal 2: Foster Partnerships and Build Sense of Community Vickie B. highlighted the successful volunteer activities thus far, with the Alamo Placita Park Clean-up being a huge success. Additional partnership opportunities with the Denver Park Trust include a Cheesman Park clean-up on July 21st. Peggy R. reported that she is working with Metro Caring on a volunteer opportunity for this fall.
Goal 3: Be a Voice for Social Justice It was agreed that the CHUN board would benefit from equity training. John D. knows of a training group and will contact them to gather more information. Once the CE committee has a proposal on training and cost, it will be presented to the full CHUN board for consideration.
•Goal 4: Enhance Our Environment

Activity 1: Promote Water-Wise and Small Footprint Gardening: Vickie will follow up with Bruce Mann, who agreed to contact CSU’s Master Gardener program for information on opportunities for CHUN to sponsor educational programs that promote water-wise gardening.
Activity 2: Promote Beautification of Manmade Environments: It was discussed and agreed that one of the SEED Awards would focus on community art, such as a mural, alley improvements, etc.

Goal 5: Engage Families and Children Vickie B. will reach out to Rachel G. to get an update on Congress Park improvements and other news to be shared with families.

Tears-McFarlane House & Community Center Committee

Design and construction work continues to progress on the Tears-McFarlane House and new café.
Major items under consideration or completed since May include:
Restoration and renovation work on the historic Tears-McFarlane House is in its final stages and is expected to be complete by the end of September

CHUN toured the House with City Street Investors on August 8th to check in on the renovation progress and evaluate options for office space. CHUN anticipates moving forward with an office in the renovated lower level of the House.
City Street is working with the interior designer, Mandil Inc., on securing new furniture and interior finishes for the House.
City Street has secured 10 additional off-street parking spaces at the Althea Center (1400 Williams, one block north) for the project. These leased spaces will be made available for future visitors to the property and café, City Street employees at the House, and CHUN board members.

Design and permitting work on the new café continues with Semple Brown Design: o City Street has reviewed bids for construction of the new annex café and we are pleased to announce to the Board that Jordy Construction has been chosen! Information about their work can be found at: https://jordyconstruction.com/

City Street is currently working with Jordy on their bid to finalize costs and finishes, including kitchen equipment for the café and interior finishes.
Semple Brown is working with the City to finalize the site development plan, which has been delayed due to staffing and other issues at the City.
Semple Brown has prepared 95% construction drawings for the building permit for the construction of the café, which will be submitted after the site development plan is finalized.
At this point, we expect construction to start in spring 2023 and take approximately 9 months to complete.

Additional updates on anticipated rent for CHUN’s new office and a possible new furniture expense will be provided by our Treasurer, Richard Wilson, at an upcoming meeting regarding a budget amendment. These costs are subject to change (likely reduced) based on ongoing discussions with City Street and possible office sharing with another non-profit

Fundraising Committee

Sept 14 fundraiser postcard invites are in the mail along with email blasts planned to follow.

Contract has been signed with Logan Street/ Carboy for the venue, JOY wine and Liquor is providing vendors for alcohol, and we have an amazing singer for entertainment throughout the evening. PLEASE NOTE: there will be an opportunity to order wine for purchase with 10% going to CHUN!

Denver and Colorado News & Events

Safe House Denver Offers Sessions to Help Understand the Dynamics of Domestic Violence

SafeHouse Denver announced that it is offering four new education sessions, specifically designed to help community groups (churches, service organizations, clubs, sororities, etc.) understand the dynamics of domestic violence, learn how to help others, and hopefully aid in the prevention of future incidents.

They will be hosting a sampler session of the four sessions on Tuesday, September 30th at 3 pm. Guests will be treated to very short, condensed “samples” of the education sessions including DV 101, Parenting in the Context of DV, and more. To RSVP, please click here. Space is limited, so you are encouraged you to sign up today!

"Thank you in advance for helping us increase community awareness, encourage prevention, and respond effectively to domestic violence," says Sharon Boltz, Chief Development Office, SafeHouse Denver. "Together we can make a difference!"

October 2: 2022 Denver Kidney Walk at City Park

On October 2, 2022, the National Kidney Foundation will be hosting the 2022 Denver Kidney Walk at City Park. The 2022 Denver Kidney Walk brings together individuals who are affected by kidney disease. The positive energy of people at the Kidney Walk is invigorating, inspiring and amazing. The Denver Kidney Walk raises awareness and funds to support the mission and vision of the National Kidney Foundation.

They will be providing face painting for the kids, a dog costume contest, informational booths for those who are dealing with kidney disease and a 1 Mile walk route or 5K route in City Park. The program/announcements start at 8:00 am and anticipate being done by 11:30 am.

Please visit our website for more details www.kidneywalk.org/Denver

Cherry Creek Makes Paying for Parking Virtual

Cherry Creek Business Improvement District announced an improved process for paying for parking in Cherry Creek.

At the parking kiosk, once the user has downloaded the app, they only need to put in their license plate number to pay and can automatically add to their parking time though the app without having to return to their car.

Go to paybyphone.com to download the app.

Inaugural Art RiNo Festival September 5th to 11th

RiNo Art District is sharing the full schedule of events for the inaugural Art RiNo festival, coming to the District Sept. 5-11.

Highlights include
· Camp RiNo, a family-friendly art experience and crafts event taking place on Sept. 10 at RiNo ArtPark
· Luminade, a three-night, light-based festival from IRL Art taking place in RiNo ArtPark
· Live mural installations from local, national and international artists taking place across the district.

Click her for the Schedule & Map — Art RiNo

Election Due Process and Transparency

There are 2 upcoming elections in Denver. General Election: November 8, 2022. Municipal Election: April 4, 2023. Here are some links to help you learn more about due process and transparency.