Athmar Park

Around the Neighborhood...

Jul 09, 2005

BE A ?“GOOD NEIGHBOR?”

APNA?’S annually updated ?“Good Neighbor?” insert is included in this issue (see link on Athmar Park 'Home' page). Please refer to this insert all year as you come across problems. The insert has some of the most common problems APNA gets calls on and resources to call to get help with those problems. Many thanks to Councilmembers Kathleen MacKenzie ($100/Dist 7) and Carol Boigon ($50/At-Large), and to local businessman Sergio Guzman ($50) for subsidizing the cost of the ?“Good Neighbor?” insert!

BLOCK CONTACTS

Ana Gonzales reports that we only have a few blocks without a Block Contact to deliver the neighborhood newsletter. Call Ana at 303-935-9988 if you can volunteer.

NW Quadrant:
300 S. Alcott St. (15 homes)
2000 ?– 2200 W. Gill Pl. (47 homes)

SW Quadrant:
1000 S. Dale Ct. (25 homes)
900 S. Decatur St. (19 homes)

VALLEY HIGHWAY RE-DESIGN EIS PUBLIC COMMENT THRU JUNE 14

The draft Environmental Impact Study (EIS) for the Valley Highway Re-design (Downing to 6th) is currently available for public comment. The I-25 & W. Alameda interchange, the S. Broadway interchange, and the railroad crossing on Sante Fe (just north of W. Alameda) are all a part of this Valley Highway redesign. Go online to review and comment on the EIS document at www.valleyhighway.com. The 45-day public comment period ends June 14.

KSPA

KIPP Sunshine Peak Academy is currently under construction on S. Tejon in between Rishel Middle and Valverde Elementary Schools. The school director, Rich Barrett, says classes will begin on August 15th. Rich tells us, ?”There is not an application process as we are an open enrollment public charter. We do have space available in 5th and 6th grade and we are recruiting (we visit the homes to talk about the school with the whole family; that is a requirement before entering) every night until the beginning of our 2005-2006 school year which begins June 8th.?”

Rich urges families to call KSPA at 303-623-5772 right away if they want their child enrolled. Once the school is full, there will be a waiting list.


GRAFFITI

The City is conducting a pilot graffiti removal program in our neighborhood from May 23 through August 23, 2005 thanks to Councilwomen Kathleen MacKenzie?’s and Rosemary Rodriguez?’ efforts to get us additional help with the graffiti problem.

Graffiti abatement crews will be conducting twice a week removal efforts in the area from W. Alameda to W. Alaska and from S. Tejon to S. Navajo. Neighbors living in that area will be receiving a letter in the mail from the city with an authorization form. PLEASE, FILL IT OUT AND SEND IT BACK!

Additionally, residents in the NW Quadrant will find a graffiti removal authorization form inserted into this issue of our newsletter to try to expand the number of tagged residences and businesses that the abatement crews can assist with graffiti removal.

All of us can help with these efforts to remove graffiti in our neighborhood. Take a look around. Do you see graffiti in your alley, on the stop sign, or maybe even on your garage?

Denver Partners Against Graffiti (DPAG) has many options available to help you to keep our neighborhood graffiti-free. For graffiti on your property, the City offers graffiti-removal assistance; usually at no cost to the property owner! All you need to do is sign an authorization form, which you can access from the city?’s website at www.denvergov.org/graffiti or by calling the Graffiti Hotline at 720-865-STOP (7867), and then notify DPAG when you have graffiti on your property.

You can make a big difference in our neighborhood by reporting graffiti on other property such as, traffic signs, traffic control boxes, U.S. postal boxes, poles, businesses, etc. For your convenience, you can report the graffiti online or by telephone. DPAG also offers free paint (in six standard colors) to cover graffiti on your home, business, and city-owned dumpsters. Call the graffiti hotline for more information!

ALAMEDA SQUARE UPDATE

There will be several changes to the Alameda Square Shopping Center this summer. After the Wal-Mart proposal was withdrawn last year and a redevelopment plan failed to obtain financing earlier this year, the center?’s owners have been busy finding new tenants. The former Asian Supermarket is being renovated and will reopen as the Viet Hoa Supermarket. The exterior of the building is being re-roofed and re-painted. The interior is being re-modeled so it can house a fresh fish section and a bakery.

The China King Buffet will open soon on the north side of the existing Pacific Ocean Market. The space that was the storage area for King Soopers years ago will be remodeled soon to have a kitchen, buffet tables, and a dining area. An aquarium/fish supply store will be located in the center that will feature rare and exotic fish for sale.

A shopette is scheduled to be constructed at the old Organ Grinder site at Alameda and Zuni later this year. It is not known at this time what businesses will be moving into the new building. The shopping center owners plan more changes to the center to give a better appearance. These plans are on the ?“drawing board?” at this time and will be announced later this year.

40TH ANNIVERSARY OF 1965 FLOOD

Have a long-time neighborhood resident on your block? You might want to take a moment to ask them to share their experiences during the June 16, 1965 South Platte River flood that sent a twenty foot wall of water through our neighborhood, sweeping away bridges, cars, trucks and even houses. That catastrophic event forged deep friendships throughout the neighborhood, as luckier folks assisted those who lost everything in the flood.