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UNIVERSITY PARK NEWS & VIEWS
by Diana Helper
Trick or Treat? One Treat in October is the annual UP neighborhood Fall Meeting Weds., Oct. 8 at UP School, on S. St. Paul St. at E. Iliff Ave. Come at 6:30 for refreshments; meeting starts at 7p.m. in the auditorium. On the agenda are Theresa Peña speaking on DPS bond issue 3A, DU Vice Chancellor Neil Krauss with the latest DU news, an update on the major “Lux at DU” redevelopment scheduled for the SE corner of E. Evans and S. University, final report on the UP Small Area Plan (accepted by City Council Sept. 8!), and introduction of new UP Community Council committee chairpersons Liza Prall (Traffic and Transportation) and Kathy Poppen (Communications).
The UPCC, of which all UP residents are voting members, meets in October, February, and May. Dues of $20/year are voluntary and can be paid at the meetings or by check to UPCC sent to co-Treasurer June Morgan, 2100 S. Monroe St., 80210. They fund UP projects, the Holiday Sing and 4th of July Parade, and the UP-Words newsletter. See the UPCC website, www.upcc.us, or contact Pres. Pat Cashen, pcashen@pcaco.com, 303-759-5989 for UPCC info.
UP School – the neighbors tend to think of it as “our own” – received a well-deserved “DISTINGUISHED” rating, ranking in the top ten of all Denver schools. Congratulations! It needs some volunteers for its great “Kiss ‘n Go” drop-off and pick-up program. If you can spend even one shift per week, from 8:30-9a.m., or 3:30-4p.m., at the school, please call the school office at 303-756-9407. “Walk to School Day” is Oct. 8, so be sure to watch extra carefully for children that day. Oct. 19 is help-the-homeless day by buying bread at Great Harvest Bread Co. on Colorado Blvd. Oct. 21-28 is Scholastic Book Fair, offering good deals on books and helping the school as well. Oct. 21 is Family Night Out at Gunther Toody’s restaurant, to raise funds for the School Band.
Look up Trick and Treat! Last month, UP folks representing the Inter-Neighborhood Cooperation (INC) – of which UP and neighborhoods all over Denver are members – presented the sixty-some UP School third graders with free Dictionaries and Thesauruses. This great INC project provides these books to ALL DPS 3rd graders every September. To contribute, send checks to Dollar Dictionary, P.O. Box 181009, Denver CO 80218. Here’s to future columnists!
No, your eyes aren’t playin’ Tricks on you – those giant purple balls with prickly stickers on tall sticks at S. Colorado Blvd. and Buchtel Blvd. are ART. Art is a Treat! Although we have heard this installation referred to as Porcupine Poles and The Devil’s Lollipops, we believe they may finally give a name to this former Albertsons redevelopment – The Thistle Stop.
Note also that Cow Halloween has returned to pasture just south of the thistles, and a Halloween branch has moooved into the former Motions shop next to Stick-e-Star on S. University. We hope it will morph into Holidaze R Us and keep us supplied thematically at Turkey-Santa-Heart-Shamrock-Bunny-etc. times. Meanwhile, treat yourself to witch-hats, fangs and eyeballs.
Trick or Treat at Fitzroy Place? That construction you see from E. Evans is the building of an alley through the north end of the property, to serve future mansionettes. The forest planted on the south end of the block is a mystery to us – perhaps it will be a Christmas Tree lot one day?
Trees are a Treat, and they aren’t too tricky to maintain. Shade trees planted wisely will save you big bucks off your air conditioning needs, and lawn watering needs, and add to the value of your house. They clean the air, filter rainwater, and reduce the effects of global warming! Several UP residents have recently reported efforts to save trees at nearby construction sites, with some success (and some not). When the City Foresters say you have a tree that needs to be trimmed or even removed, be assured that they know what they’re talking about and they are ready to help you get this done. Give them a call. Don’t just ignore their notice, or you may get fined. Trees on your property are your responsibility. A healthy tree is well worth maintaining.
Treat yourself and the kids to the DU Homecoming Parade on Sat., Oct. 25 at 3p.m. Usually it starts near E. Iliff Ave. by the Music School, and marches up S. University Blvd. to Asbury, where it turns west to campus. That part of the Blvd. and cross streets are closed off temporarily, so be ye forewarned. Also on Homecoming Weekend, it’s hoped that the work on Chamberlin Observatory will be ready to show off. Star-Gazing nights are Oct. 4 and Nov. 8.
DU students living in our neighborhood can find it tricky to get the hang of settled community life, but we’ve found this fall that they are doing very well. What a treat! One night, however, a fire engine quietly glided to a stop a few doors down – what tricks are going on? It turned out the renters, perhaps having come from some state where they saw too many Westerns of cowboys settin’ round the ole campfire, had built quite a bonfire in their back yard. The firemen doused the blaze and we daresay they explained you can’t DO that in these parts, pardner.
Members of the Buchtel Boulevard Coalition (BBC) found it a treat to see that the Mayor’s proposed budget has items regarding trails, water efficiency and improvements to natural areas and parks, funds for environmental systems and the Greenprint action plan. The Buchtel Boulevard Parkway plan is a good example of the current Living Streets and Complete Streets concepts, as it includes safe, continuous multi-modal transportation (bikes, pedestrians, buses, other vehicles) and connects light rail, neighborhoods, businesses, schools, and parks along its path from the Colorado Station to S. Logan St. and on to the Broadway Station, Platte Greenway and Vanderbilt Park. The trick now is to get this plan implemented.
Denver can be a greener city when people find it safe and direct and even pleasant to walk or bike or bus or take light rail, such as with the BBC plan, for it’s likely more folks will leave their cars at home. Of course, reliable and sufficient bus and train schedules need to be maintained as well. Such measures also will assist Denver’s Strategic Parking Plan now getting started. The goal seems to be more efficient use of parking spaces, and perhaps eventually fewer spaces needed. A trick to accomplish, a treat ultimately.
Steer clear of goblins, and if you have UP news or views, tricks or treats to report, please contact Diana Helper, 303-733-4902 or chapinhelper@aol.com. |
