The minutes from Monday night's Block Captain meeting and other community announcements are below. Please read and share with your block.

 

Note that the March 26th SUN Outreach and Board meetings will be in an alternative location because the Rec Center will close at 4pm in observance of Cesar Chavez Day. The SUN outreach/Block Captains take place from 6:30-7:30, followed by the SUN board meeting from 7:30-9pm. 

Location of Smart Space: Central Park Blvd Suite 100 (303) 842-2437, contact@smartspaceco.com

Smart Space is rentable business and meeting space located in Stapleton.

 

In March, in addition to discussing block party day (June 16th) we will also discuss ways to build a stronger block per feedback from block captains at the January meeting.  Please feel welcome to email us with suggested topics for upcoming block captain meetings. 

 

Sincerely,

Amanda Allshouse (amanda.a.allshouse@gmail.com) 

Dan Oltersdorf (dan@stapletonconnect.com)

Stapleton United Neighbors (SUN) Board of Directors, Outreach Committee 
www.StapletonUnitedNeighbors.com
 

 

 

February 27, 2012 SUN Outreach/Block Captain Meeting

Central Park Recreation Center, 6:30-7:30

 

Minutes

Introductions, 24 people were in attendance.

 

MCA update, Diane introduced the MCA’s new communications coordinator Dani Mead

• A reoccurring Saturday evening activity: kids SNL at the Rec Center (joint between MCA and Rec Center)

o   6-9pm $10 in advance, $15 at the door, ages 7-12

o   Activities: healthy pizza, hamster balls, pool access

• Theater on the Green planning is in progress, possibly Shrek (dependent on getting access to script)
• Aquatics directory will be mailed soon, sign-up will open on-line noon March 15^th

 

Crime/Safety from Technician Esten

• 10 motor vehicle thefts (2 of these were in the last week at the Stapleton Park n Ride), 1 home break-in, 8 construction site break-ins (copper, etc) (no force entry for any of these break-ins

o   When parking at the Stapleton park n ride, clear valuables from vehicle, consider leaving console open to display that nothing valuable is in the car. 

o   Please call the police if you are walking your dog in the evening and notice suspicious activity around construction sites. 

 

Mary Carriero, Rec Center.

• SNL (see above)
• Breakfast with the Easter Bunny (pancakes, fruit, photos with the Easter Bunny), $5 in advance, $7at the door, children 2 and under are free. 9:30-11:30, March 18^th. 
• Flag Football and Tumbling Registration are open, classes starting 12^th or 13^th of March.
• Indoor Soccer (3-4 year olds) older ages outdoor soccer, volley ball. 

 

Laurie Romer of the Denver Public Library Friends Foundation

• Tentative Opening Day: Saturday 4^th of August 2012!
• 28,000 sq foot facility will be the largest in the city, but only open 32 hours over 4 days a week because of budget constraints (M,W,F,Sat).
• Supporting the library:

o   Purchasing of pavers for the grand opening due by March 1^st, another installation for pavers purchased later will be in 2013. 

o   Several internal naming opportunities have been sold inside the Children’s area.

o   The hope is to start an endowment

• Bond money buys items for opening day, but not to replace technology or materials over time.
• Programming (Cori Jackamore and Gwen Crenshaw, Public Services Managers in charge of the Sam Gary Branch Library)

o   Move-in coordination meetings are taking place; move-in will take place from June through August.

o   Design with kids in mind, co-locating adult and kids books.  This design is in place in Green Valley Ranch.  Complaints have been that the co-location of kids books makes the library loud for adults. 

o   Branch will have many story times: book babies (birth-2); 2-3 yr olds; preschool age.

o   Schlessman branch in Lowry has Fresh City Life Programming, this branch will adopt this program

o   Will include Saturday family programming. 

o   Call for volunteer staff will go out closer to opening day. 

                                

Cheryl Cohen-Vader, President; Rick Gonzales CFO, Stapleton Development Corp (SDC)

• Presentation and questions on funding sources for infrastructure, Design and Construction in Stapleton
• Slides available on the SUN web site: http://sites.google.com/site/sunwebsite1/Home/sun-and-community-com...
• This invited presentation was part of an effort to bring information to block captains and other community members about the inter-workings of Stapleton. Similar talks will be interspersed among upcoming SUN meetings.

 

Chris Herndon, Denver City Council District 11 representative: Discussion and questions about the Westerly Creek North Park

• Acknowledged that residents expect the park to be finished and he quoted King Harris (SCD) as saying that it will be.
• No funding and no time line for doing so at this time.
• Development north of I-70 will move forward. Money for parks north of I-70 will be for drainage-related projects only.
• It is important to build houses north of I-70 because DPS wants Stapleton’s 4^th elementary school to be located there. 

 

Questions and discussion with Councilperson Chris Herndon, and SDC representatives Cheryl Cohen-Vader and Rick Gonzales continued into the board meeting.

 

Announcements: 

 

Denver City Council Redistricting meeting, March 7^th 6pm, Central Park Recreation Center

As the Denver City Council prepares to incorporate the 2010 US census figures into its district boundaries, meetings are being held across the city.  One coming up for the northeast quadrant will be in Stapleton at 6 p.m on March 7: Central Park Recreation Center, 9651 E. Martin Luther King Blvd.

 

Discussion on the Affordable Care Act, March 8^th 6-8pm

The Office of State Senator Michael Johnston and the be well Health and Wellness Initiative of the Stapleton Foundation are hosting a discussion on the Affordable Care Act on Thursday, March 8th from 6-8pm.  Bob Semro from the Bell Policy Center will discuss the provisions of the ACA that will roll out in 2012-14.  Learn what changes in the healthcare system mean for you and your family.  The discussion will take place at Senator Johnston’s district office at 5455 E. 33rd Avenue (33rd and Hudson).  Light refreshments will be served.  For more information, please call Aron Snyder at 303-468-3229 or email asnyder@stapletonfoundation.org. 

 

Food Drive for Ashley Elementary School, Saturday, March 10th 9am-5pm

A food drive sponsored by resident-organized philanthropy group Stapleton Cares will be held at the Central Park Recreation Center on Saturday, March 10th from 9am-5pm to benefit Ashley Elementary School.  This Denver Public neighborhood school to the south of Stapleton has a 95 percent of students qualifying for free and reduced lunch.  They are in need of canned fruits and vegetables, cereal, oatmeal, pancake mix and peanut butter and jelly.  Starting Saturday March 3^rd, donations can be dropped off at Stapleton locations including: Central Park Rec. Center, The Bladium, Swigert Elementary School, Baby Power, Naturally Loved and Stapleton Children's Dentistry.  For more information, please contact Mary Ellen Olson at Nummers3@msn.com.

 

North Stapleton Park Design, 2nd Public Input Meeting, Wednesday March 14^th 6:30-8:30pm

Central Park Recreation Center, 9651 E. MLK Blvd

Denver Parks and Recreation in partnership with Forest City Stapleton will host the 2nd Public meeting to obtain input on the North Stapleton Park Project. Please plan on attending or contact David Marquardt or Tom Gleason.

 

TerraCycle Contest –( Feb 1st through June 2nd) win $50 to Whole Foods

Stapleton United Neighbors Sustainability Committee is collecting various used and empty items to be recycled through TerraCycle and all money earned goes to the Stapleton Sustainability Committee for various green initiatives. We are having a contest. The person who turns in the most items from Feb 1 to June 2 will receive a $50 gift card to Whole Foods. Simply include your name, address and phone number on a piece of paper in every bag that you drop off. The winner will be announced at the Stapleton Environment and Ecology Day (SEED) on June 2nd and will be awarded a Stapleton Green Steward Certificate. 

You can drop off the items in the MCA lobby at 2823 Roslyn Street

Or Email: sunsustainability@gmail.com for a pick up.

Items we are collecting:

cheese packaging  (all types); candy wrappers and bags; personal care and beauty product packaging; used inkjet cartridges (all types) and toner; diaper and wipes plastic packaging (not cardboard boxes or tubs); drink pouches, such as Capri Sun; squeezable healthy snack pouches, such as GoGo squeeZ; Elmer's glue bottles and glue sticks (Elmer's only); toothpaste tubes (caps), toothbrushes, floss containers.

For a complete list of acceptable and unacceptable items please visit our website at https://sites.google.com/site/sunwebsite1/sustainability or  http://sunsustainabilitycommitte.shutterfly.com/ and look for TerraCycle.

 

Stapleton Earth Day Recycling Event, April 21^st  

Saturday, April 21 2012, 10am - 2pm, Sam's Club Parking Lot in Quebec Square 7805 E 35th Ave

Join Stapleton United Neighbors in partnership with Bluff Lake Nature Center in celebrating Earth Day 2012 by properly recycling your unwanted items. Bluff Lake Nature Center will have information regarding their programs as well as their Earth Day Celebration the next day (April 22). SUN will also be taking donations for new trees in Stapleton.

Items you be able to recycle: Electronics (including batteries) - Metech; Shredding - Cintas ($5 fee per person); Moving Boxes - The Kearns Team; Plastic Grocery Bags; Pet Food and Accessories - Urban Farm; Latex Paint - Paint Genius ($2 fee per gal); Plastic Flower Pots - City Floral; Bicycles and Accessories - The Bike Depot; Furniture, Appliances, various home building materials - Go Green Warehouse.

For more information email SUNSustainability@gmail.com

 

SUN’s Inclusivity Committee

This newest committee of SUN was formed in late 2011.  The Inclusivity committee focuses on many of the Green Book goals of diversity of all sorts and "breaking down the gates" of Stapleton from the outside neighborhoods. This is a growing problem in Stapleton in reality and in perception. Some of the key thoughts and goals are:

• ·         Affordable housing.
• ·         Home inventory for different age groups.
• ·         Neighborhood acceptance and understanding.
• ·         Using neighborhood mediation for any problems.
• ·         Forest City's marketing to bring in diverse buyers.
• ·         Commercial space opportunities for Ma/Pa shops vs corporate.
• ·         Bus/Bike routes in and around Stapleton.
• ·         Working with RTD on housing around future light rail station.
• ·         Employment opportunities in Stapleton.
• ·         Connectivity with surrounding neighborhoods.

I hope you can make it to help us start to chip away at some of these problems and to give a voice to what I and a lot of others think is heading towards a big problem for the community we all want Stapleton to be.  For more information, please email SUN board member and committee co-chair Damon Knop: damonknop@gmail.com

 

Recap from Denver Museum of Nature & Science’s Community Forum (held Feb 1-2, 2012)

With guidance from the Museum, a team of leading architects, engineers and consultants are building an addition onto the south side of the Museum.  The new Education and Collections addition will add five levels of discovery to the Museum, providing even more space to engage, delight, and spark visitor’s imaginations.  Key Facts:

• ·         The new wing opens to the public 2014   
• ·         The addition is on track to achieve LEED Platinum certification and have energy savings that is 50% lower than a similar building of its kind.
• ·         Due to partial Denver City bond funding for this project, the Education and Collections Facility will benefit from the 1% for Public Art program coordinated by Arts and Venues Denver.
• ·         The Prismatic Cloud will be located on the outside of the Education and Collections Facility, over the steps on the Plaza and will engage students as they arrive at the Museum and City Park visitors.
• ·         Designed by Seattle artists Laura Haddad and Tom Grogan.

Please follow this link for more information and to virtually explore this new space before it is built! 

http://www.dmns.org/about-us/future-plans/transforming-the-museum/

 

SUN Calendar for 2012 and Announcements

• March: 26^th BC meeting, 6:30-7:30 LOCATION CHANGE Smart Space, Remax Building Southend (rec center closing at 4pm for Cesar Chavez Day)
• April:

o   21^st: recycling event

o   23^rd BC meeting, 6:30-7:30 Central Park Rec Center

• May:

o   SUN board elections and community forum (exact date TBD, no BC meeting)

o   Memorial Day is 28^th (4^th Monday)… need to reschedule board meeting.

• June:

o   2^nd: Environment Day

o   16^th: Block Party Day

o   25^th: BC meeting, 6:30-7:30 Central Park Rec Center

• July 23: SUN volunteer appreciation event (no BC meeting)
• August 27^th: BC meeting, 6:30-7:30 Central Park Rec Center
• September:

o   15^th: SUN kickball tournament

o   24^th: BC meeting, 6:30-7:30 Central Park Rec Center

• October 22^nd: BC meeting, 6:30-7:30 Central Park Rec Center
• November: Community Forum (exact date TBD, no BC meeting)
• ·         December: Possible community service project? (no BC meeting)