In recent years, Denver Water cus- tomers have drastically cut their con- sumption, embracing conservation and watering restrictions, even in wet years. And Denver Water has drastical- ly raised rates. That perverse reality, a familiar one to anyone schooled in resource economics, isn\u2019t broadly spo- ken to by policy makers. Given current trends, Denver\u2019s water ratepayers face an endless future of increases, above the rate of inflation and far ahead of personal income growth. Yet, even in the West, where water is king and the commodity scarce, Denver is not wak- ing up to dry realities.

Denver residential customers would see their bills increase by about $40 a year \u2014 an average of $3.30 per month, or about $12 on a summer bill. The increases take effect in February.

Part of the reason for the increase are capital needs. Denver Water is cre- ating a 10-year plan that includes 300 projects, including upgrades to aging infrastructure to prevent putting reli- able water service at risk.

The plan also calls for expansion of the utility\u2019s system capacity to meet the future needs of its customers. Over the next decade, the utility plans to expand its recycled water system, enlarge Gross Reservoir by 18,000 acre-

Holiday Jazz p. 12
Dining Detective: ce p. 23
New Lexus Hybrid p. 26

Downtown is getting a unique Christmas tree lot, with sustainably forested trees, music, home-baked cookies and proceeds going to ben- efit Concerts For Kids, a non-profit organization that supports a range of area children\u2019s non-profits. It will be staffed by a unique program that mar- ries returning veterans with jobs with an environmental twist.

Dale Deleo, the president of Europa Landscaping and a member of the Concert for Kids board, is the prime mover behind the the tree lot. Located in the center of Downtown Denver for the next two weeks, shoppers can visit Tiri\u2019s Garden beginning at noon on Friday to select and purchase their favorite tree to take home with them for the holidays.

\u201cWhen we created Tiri\u2019s Garden in May 2009, we didn\u2019t anticipate the year-round effect it could have on the residents of Downtown Denver,\u201d says Christie Isenberg, President of

Concerts For Kids. \u201cOnce again, with the generosity of Shames Makovsky Realty and Europa Landscaping, we are able to provide them (and others) with an easy-access solution for deco- rating their homes.\u201d

Tiri\u2019s Garden Tree Lot, located on 15th & California (across from the Hyatt Regency Denver CCC), will continue Europa\u2019s greening efforts by offering an LED trade-in program, using Veterans for Green Jobs as the source of labor, and most-importantly, only selling trees that have come from a de-forestation program. This means that all of the trees sold are results of a forest-thinning program, which is coor- dinated by the Colorado Forest Service and Colorado Forest Products. They\u2019ll even decorate and deliver the trees for an additional fee.

The LED trade-in program allows folks to trade in their existing inef- ficient christmas lights for LED lights which are much more energy efficient,

Despite broad community cries, and over the opposition of every North Denver elected official, the Denver Public School Board voted to locate West Denver Prep Charter School at Lake Middle School, part of the turn- around that will shrink the existing International Baccalaureate (IB) pro- gram at the school and lead to many teachers losing their jobs. Another pro- posed West Denver Prep at Emerson School on 29th will be relocated.

But those decisions, coming on a narrow 4-3 board vote, may yet be reversed by the newly elected school

A legal opinion from new school board member Andrea Merida\u2019s attor- ney, Mark Grueskin, suggests that none of the actions taken by the old board with regard to Lake and other schools are legally valid.

\u201cI am so proud of the parents and community members who have come together over the last year to create a better school district,\u201d said Arturo Jimenez who represents North Denver on the school board. \u201cNow that we have new leadership in DPS, I trust that the new leaders will not choose to ignore the large and well-organized chorus for true community engagement. Based upon the huge response from Denver\u2019s

parents and community members it is clear that no one is against any \u201creforms.\u201d Understandably, Denver\u2019s parents and community members are tired of being treated as uninformed irrational individuals who are inca- pable of being a part of true change in education. Sadly, there are still more than a few folks that cannot believe that the parents and residents in the community know what is best for the children of Denver. There is a loud col- lective voice demanding that we start from data, we conduct research, we adjust for the conditions of the students

in each neighborhood and then put faces of real children to those numbers befor we make decisions. To do any- thing less would be hiding behind the numbers and ignoring the reality.\u201d

Arturo Jimenez had fought for a month against the proposal of Denver Superintendent Tom Boasberg, seek- ing to locate West Denver Prep to the vacant Del Pueblo Elementary instead. He was supported by an unprece- dented coalition of parents, commu- nity members, and leaders\u2014 includ- ing State Representative Jerry Frangas, State Senator Paula Sandoval, City Auditor Dennis Gallagher, former school board member Lucia Guzman

The medical marijuana retail busi- ness has recently become the state\u2019s fastest growing business. This means that the consumption of available retail spaces either for lease or sites purchased for the legal distribu- tion of medical marijuana has been recorded to outpace the start ups of restaurants, apparel shops and other more conventional retail busi- nesses in the state. Why has this happened? I would tie the marijuana retail proliferation to a recent U.S. Justice Department policy to with- hold federal prosecution for the pos- session of marijuana in states where local laws have legally allowed for the use of medical marijuana.

The voters in Colorado amend- ed the State Constitution in 2000 to allow for the legal use of medical marijuana. It took nearly a decade for the concept of dispensaries to arrive in Colorado and the genesis has indeed brought with it a series of issues, some public concern and a series of local government questions of how best to intervene in mak- ing governance policies, if any at all. In Denver, we have indeed seen an increase in the number of medi- cal marijuana dispensaries that were opened in the last few months. I have received several calls and e-mails from constituents both asking about my views on opening a dispensary in Northwest Denver or probing how can the city allow marijuana to be distributed so close to residential neighborhoods and schools.

The City Council has taken up the issue this month with the inten- tion of licensing medical marijua- na distribution in accordance with what Amendment 20 purported to do. These are essential local gov- ernment control matters that have

nothing to do with the broader regu- latory scheme that the State legisla- ture will likely consider next year. I believe that it\u2019s well within the pur- view of the city to exercise a specific license process, regulate business sites and times of operation in rela- tion to public places and schools. In other words, the public should know where a medical marijuana dispen- sary is located and that its owners are following the law. In addition these medical marijuana products are com- modities and should be taxed at the retail level as any other consumer product is taxed.

I believe that the public will be better protected from \u201cfly by night\u201d and the \u201cget in quick to make a fast buck\u201d types of future operators. Also, like many of my constituents, I do not want to have a medical marijua- na dispensary on every commercial block in Northwest Denver. At the same time, responsible dispensary operators should not feel that the city is over regulating a legitimate and legal business.

Colorado and Denver have long been viewed as progressive places where thoughtful and sensible laws are crafted by elected officials. We are at a new time in our public policy thinking that reasonable local gov- ernment license and regulation are required to ensure that medical mari- juana patients, care-givers and the general public are protected. This is a new era for medicinal marijuana use and Denver should again be a leader in finding a balanced governance approach. The latest draft legislation is posted on my city council website: www.denvergov.org/rickgarcia ***

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and City Councilmembers Paul Lopez, Rick Garcia and Judy Montero. Area pastors and education advocates joined the cause as well. But in the end, a nar- row majority of the school board chose to ignore the community concerns and pleas to slow the decision, and moved ahead anyway.

Since Boasberg acknowledged at the board meeting that closing Lake\u2019s IB program was the first alternative con- sidered, the community response has to be considered a serious victory.

At press time, the IB program will share an enrollment boundary with West Denver Prep. Whether this means

West Denver Prep will have to accept and keep all-comers remains unknown. The IB program at Lake will be divided into two parts\u2014 a \u201crestarted\u201d program for sixth graders, adding seventh and eighth grades in successive year, with a new principal, and at least half of the teachers will be new. Next year\u2019s seventh and eighth graders will essen- tially be in a different school, with a new principal, and some, as yet undefined, new commitment to the IB program. Specific plans on how Lake\u2019s special needs students will be handled have not been released, although a commit- ment to maintain the existing \u201cCenters\u201d program has been made.

The final vote was 4 to 3 approv- ing the turnaround strategy pro- posed by DPS for Lake Middle School, and for the co-location of one West Denver Prep program at Lake, starting with a 6th grade class next year. Voting with the commu- nity, and against the district\u2019s plan and against colocation, were north- west Denver representative Arturo Jimenez, central Denver represen- tative Jeannie Kaplan and incom- ing southwest Denver representative Andrea Merida, who assumed her seat before these critical policy votes, in accordance with Colorado law. We thank Arturo, Jeannie and Andrea for their leadership and commitment to community engagement they have shown throughout this process.

So here\u2019s where we ended up, less than 2 months after Pat Slaughter showed up at Lake Middle School at told parents, teachers and students that they were failures and that DPS might close their school:

Lake International Baccalaureate and we did. Last night it was acknowl- edged that the original plan was to close Lake IB. We followed our instincts and defended our school. Viva Lake!

funding of a full-time IB coordina- tor for Lake IB, increased support for teachers in their professional development as IB master teachers. Lake IB will be stronger and better resourced because of our efforts.

the boundaries were heard. Lake IB will retain access to all children with- in the boundary zone and have the opportunity to restart with excellent leadership and the ability to attract kids from all of West Denver.

to delay location of the second West Denver Prep was in response to the community and our concerns regard- ing the ability of NW Denver to sup- port two WDP, Skinner and Lake. West Denver Prep will have one location within Northwest Denver, offering another option to students.

repeated challenge that there was no plan for 7th & 8th graders, the superintendent, and the board and staff made a public commitment to our 7th and 8th graders in the IB

Academy to provide them with the resources and supports they need to get caught up. We will need to work hard and watch to make sure this occurs.

community\u2019s repeated challenge for a budget for Lake IB to prove that resources were in fact being planned for and dedicated, the district provid- ed one to board members, just hours before the scheduled vote (we will upload this to the blog in a separate posting).

with the special education commu- nity, and together, we will make sure that our special education students receive stellar programming and are not neglected in any changes at the school.

ances with other parents from across the city who want a say in what hap- pens in their neighborhood schools. We are sharing information, to ensure that top-down edicts are not imposed again in other communities in the guise of \u201creform.\u201d

ers, community leaders, community members, parents and teachers came together with one voice to call for and begin a plan for Denver\u2019s west- side schools\u2014both Northwest and Southwest\u2014that will provide excel- lent, integrated school options for all children in West Denver. We have come together to make sure our kids get the best education. We have come together with one voice to say that every child can succeed, every child deserves a high quality education, and that we want schools in West Denver that can serve all of our chil- dren. We are laying the ground work for a true Renaissance in our West and Northwest Denver schools, with unprecedented unity.

In that sense, last night was a huge victory for us. Did we get everything we asked for? No. Is there still work to be done? Yes, but with the leadership that we have on the school board in Andrea, Arturo and Jeannie, and the unity we have built in the community all of the work left to be done will happen. We\u2019re here for the long haul. We\u2019re here for an open and inclu- sive schooling system in Denver that works for every child.

Distinctive Scars Under Eyes
Brown, Black, White
45 Pounds - Medium Size
Leather Brown Collar With Tags Neutered Male
Missing since October 22nd
Lost from the Berkeley Area (39th and Sheridan)

303-518-4251 or
303-518-4239
pclem97@comcast.net

What began over two years ago as a project to help Globeville residents cre- ate a vision for the enhancement of the Globeville Valley is now a professional community planning project called the

Over two years ago Groundwork Denver joined Globeville residents in their dream of creating an ame- nity in what is known as the Globeville

Valley. This valley, located along Grant and Logan Streets, between 48th and 51st Avenues, is comprised of near- ly 6 acres of vacant parcels and is home to hawks, foxes and horses alike. The valley has always been an open field, home to farms and gardens. Currently the valley is a target for illegal dump- ing, drug dealing and other forms of undesirable behav- ior. Residents in Globeville

have been working to change this.

behalf of the resident steering commit- tee Groundwork Denver

applied for a planning grant from the Office of Economic D e v e l o p m e n t in 2008 and was awarded $45,000. This grant was used to hire a land- scape

architect this past summer. DHM Design has been working with Globeville residents to turn their vision into a reality.

By December 31st of this year, design and devel- opment plans for Platte Farm Open Space will be com- plete. These plans reflect the needs and vision of the steering commit- tee and the needs of other residents, as gathered at sev- eral public meet- ings held over the past few months.

Ultimately the design for Platte Farm Open Space includes a natural walk- ing/biking trail through a low main- tenance, short grass prairie. The open space will also include a playground, picnic shelters and fitness stations.

Rather than transform- ing the Globeville Valley into something unrecog- nizable, residents have ensured that the design for the valley will keep the natural, open feel that so many residents have enjoyed throughout the years. The wildlife and open spaces that make up the valley allow residents to feel that they have a bit of country in the middle of a vibrant city.

For more information please contact: Tangier Barnes,

Community Planner, at Groundwork Denver. 303-455- 5600.***

Thank you Northwest Denver for your support
over the years
Wishing you and your family the best for the
holidays and a great 2010