Congratulations to a job well done. News from our friends in Jeff Co
The property at 2090 S. Wright St. has been saved from development!! The land can ONLY be used for Parkland/Open Space.
THE RECENT THREAT OF AN APPEAL HAS BEEN HALTED BY A VOTE OF THE JEFFERSON COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD!!
This means the 26 month battle to save the Open Space is WON and DONE!!
Posted in Hentzell Park Update, Park Advocates
Tagged district court, Jeffco schools, Jefferson County, schools, Vote of People
Contact: Andrea Merida, Denver Greens co-chair info@denvergreenparty.org
Denver, CO – The following position statement was unanimously approved by the voting members of the Denver Greens on Sunday, February 16, 2014.
The Denver Greens are alarmed by the precedent presented by the situation regarding a land swap of the open space commonly referred to as Hentzell Park. This open space was named by the City of Denver in 1981 in honor of former Denver city councilman Paul A. Hentzell, and since then, taxpayer resources have been expended for its upkeep, including the installation of signage and maintenance of pathways, just like any other officially-designated Denver park. We are hopeful that the Denver District Court takes up the review of the previous denial of preliminary injunction against the construction currently underway. That court date is scheduled for May 19, 2014.
The Hentzell Park area has a particular historical and environmental significance to the Denver area. It was once a part of the Cherokee Trail that led to the gold rush fields of California and was the site of gold discoveries along Clear Creek, near present-day Denver. It is currently the home of many species of wildlife, including mule deer and red fox, golden eagles and Great Blue herons and many grassland plants native to the Front Range.
As stated within the 10 Key Values of the Green Party of the United States, “We must maintain an ecological balance and live within the ecological and resource limits of our communities and our planet.” Therefore, the Denver Greens recognize the immense value of preservation of publicly-used lands like Hentzell Park.
The Denver city charter, Section 2.4.5 – Sale and Leasing of Parks, states in part that, “Without the approval of a majority of those registered electors voting in an election held by the City and County of Denver, no park or portion of any park belonging to the City as of December 31, 1955, shall be sold or leased at any time.”
The Denver Greens recognize that an untenable situation has arisen because the land has been maintained and treated as an official park, even though a formal vote was never taken to recognize it as such. Because of this failure of our city government to properly steward the expenditure of tax dollars via the upkeep of publicly-used land without proper park designation, an unfortunate loophole has been created. This governmental can has been kicked down the road repeatedly, while the land has been targeted for various initiatives, including a water park and as a portion of Kennedy Golf Course.
It is our opinion, however, that this loophole does not excuse the City’s responsibility to cement the public trust by bringing forth the disposition of this land to a vote by the people. We do not support this land swap, and we believe that the will of the people through proper democratic action has been subverted in this transaction.
Our Tenth Key Value, “Future Focus and Sustainability,” states that “(w)e must counterbalance the drive for short-term profits by assuring that economic development, new technologies, and fiscal policies are responsible to future generations who will inherit the results of our actions.” It is clear that many mayoral administrations and city councils have failed to designate the Hentzell Park area as an official park by ordinance. Additionally, there are an additional 60 different public use areas not protected via ordinance, which creates more opportunity for land speculation and possibly even privatization.
The Denver Greens call upon both the Mayor of Denver and the Denver City Council to exercise their fiduciary responsibility as stewards of the public purse and as mandated by the voters of Denver county and immediately fix the designation of the 60 different public areas as official parks via ordinance before the end of the council’s 2014 legislative session.
See PDF provided by Dave Felice
By Keith Thompson
Denver Mayor Michael Hancock has been bedeviled by citizens who are protesting his administration’s commercialization and giveaway of Denver Parks and open space, including protesters who have shown up at public appearances of the mayor and members of his cabinet. Moreover, there has been increasing media coverage of his actions regarding parks and open space to his administrations ire. Westwords front page story for its December 31 edition was Titled “Parks and Wreck – In Mayor Hancock/s world-class city, everyone matters – except park lovers,” written by Allen Pendergast. The story blasts Hancocks commercialization of the city’s parks and the giving away for development of a portion of Hentzell Park.
Park advocates are also gaining important allies in their fight against the powerful Denver mayor. Wellington Webb, the popular former mayor of Denver, and his wife Wilma recently joined Friends of Denver parks, the group that is fighting for Hentzell Park, and is the plaintiff in a lawsuit against the City. Reportedly the couple also made a generous financial contribution to the no-profit group. Webb wrote to the group, “I believe in the protection of Denver parks within the city and in the mountains. I do not support the use of park space for development.” He added, “I believe we should maintain what we have and acquire additional park space for future generations.” the fact that Webb, who was Denver’s first African American mayor, supports Hancock’s opponents in the Hentzell Park fight was a serious blow to Hancock’s pride and his standing in the African American community, according to insiders.
In response Hancock has gone on a public relations campaign to bolster his deteriorating public image while privately retaliating against any and all parks advocates that hold positions on boards and commissions within the City and County of Denver. In December the mayor’s office announced that Hancock was forming a new group to be titled “Mayors for Parks” with Fort Worth’s Mayor Betsey Price to purportedly advocate for more federal funding for municipal parks. He wrote in an article in the Denver Business Journal: “Preserving and expanding our green, open spaces in Denver is not only smart, it is critical to the future success of our city.” Parks advocates in Denver found the mayor’s transparent public relations attempt to be somewhat disingenuous if not dishonest. Jamie Johnson ruefully noted, “He is nothing more than a world class hypocrite. While forming groups for concepts he apparently doesn’t believe in, why doesn’t he get together with former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and start ‘Mayors for Marital Fidelity.’ It is not what you say in public it is what you do behind closed doors that counts. ” Parks advocate Dave Felice was equally blunt, “Frankly, I think this mayor is intent on destroying the parks.”
While the mayor is publicly trying to soften his anti-park public image, his administration is purging all boards and commission of any and all parks advocates according to insiders. Continue reading
Vision for Denver
To view the movie, or order a hard copy.
Friends Of Denver Parks 