| Spring 2013 The Family OUTing at Montclair Recreation Center promoted health, family bonding, and community. In this Issue 2013 Spring Update Special Report: Public Safety Sustainable City Expanded Home-ownership The Bottom Line: 2A Roll Out City Snapshots Find Us on the Web www.denvergov.org/robinkniech  Follow Robin Kniech, Denver City Council At-Large   Follow us on Twitter @KniechAtLarge 
In the Media Denver Business Journal Manufacturing is essential to Denver's prosperity By: Robin Kniech Public Notice Cesear Chavez Day March 25th, 2013 Government Holiday, Offices Closed Denver Street Sweeping Begins April 2nd 3-1-1 Denver 3-1-1 is a phone number for non-emergency services for residents in the City and County of Denver. Denver Cultural Plan: Imagine 2020 Culture and creative development in Denver, seeks public input. Meetings March-May 2013 Denver Snow Plan Learn shoveling tips, how to help a neighbor and the actual sidewalk shoveling rules. Denversnowplan.com/sidewalks Upcoming Events Friday, April 5th, 2013 2:10 p.m. Coors Field May 4th- May 5th, 10:00 a.m. FREE Downtown Denver, Civic Center Park May 18th, 11:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m. FREE Intersection of 26th and Welton & 27th and Washington May 19th, 6:00 a.m. 2100 Steele St., Denver City Park For more city events click here.
Useful Numbers Police Non-Emergency: (720) 913-2000. Denver Recycles: (720) 865-6900 Denver Channel 8: (720) 865-2308 Call 3-1-1 for: Graffiti Removal Non-Emergency & Info Parking Management Neighborhood Inspection Services Noise Violations Animal Control Permits & Licenses | Spring Update from Councilwoman Kniech This newsletter includes my first Resident Survey –give me your feedback on regulating recreational marijuana, housing, natural areas and other hot topics for 2013. See below for updates on our work to deliver improved services as a result of 2A, to help regular working families get into home-ownership, and to transform a blighted area into an open space. One thing we all learned over the past year is how fundamental safety is for any community – for ourselves and for our loved ones. So this newsletter includes a special report on Public Safety.  Councilwoman Robin Kniech Back to Top
Special Report: Public Safety Over the past six months I’ve served on Council’s Health and Safety Committee and spent time in each of Denver’s six police districts, observing first hand some of the long-standing best practices and recent innovations the Denver Police Department (DPD) employs to keep us safe. • While Denver’s population grew by 5%, the number of uniformed officers shrank by 5% during the years of budget crisis preceding passage of 2A. Calls for service and emergencies in progress are the first priority. Officers need time without 9-1-1 calls to fulfill DPD’s mission to also prevent crime, for example, to do foot or bike patrols, make contacts, or build relationships that can prevent crime later. Commanders across Denver believe in this kind of community policing, but priority service calls have to come first. • Chief White has worked hard to de-centralize resources into police Districts, putting detectives and narcotics specialists alongside patrol officers to investigate, prevent and solve more crimes. Districts are also organizing more officers to work consistent shifts together so they can work in teams, building rapport and expertise to increase effectiveness. • We will get more than 100 new officers thanks to the funding you approved in 2A, but it will take almost a year for those officers to be recruited, go through an academy, and then train in the field. • In the mean time the Department will move more than 30 officers back to patrol by hiring civilians to do more administrative work. They are also looking to reallocate existing resources more effectively by adjusting the areas to which Districts and officers are assigned. Districts use very sophisticated data analysis on the patterns of crime occurring in their areas, and are also using that data to target patrols more effectively. Together these strategies should help us cover more ground with our existing officers until new officers begin. • Residents have high praise for the Street Crimes Action Teams (SCAT) that proactively detect and stop street crimes impacting quality of life in neighborhoods. Every District I visited supported the effectiveness of SCAT teams, and they hope to fully staff them after the transition is complete • The Civil Service Commission is implementing new disciplinary appeal procedures to respond to concerns about use of force and dishonesty that have focused much of the City’s attention on a few very concerning situations. With clearer, more efficient procedures in place, it is my hope that the process will work faster, fewer decisions will be overturned, and we can return our focus to the thousands of hard working, diligent, and caring officers who have worked double shifts and likely under greater stress to help keep our city safe in spite of the shortages described above. Denver has high expectations for the integrity of our police. But we also put them in danger each day in the cause of protecting us. The most important thing we can do is be engaged partners ensuring they have the resources, information, and input to keep our community safe. If you need help learning about ways to connect with and support your local police, contact our office. Sustainable City: Platte Farm Open Space Platte Farm Open Space is the vision of Globeville residents who decided five years ago that they wanted to turn 5.5 acres of contaminated land owned by Denver and Xcel into a neighborhood amenity, as opposed to letting it remain a target for dumping.
  Platte Farm Open Space is the vision of Globeville residents who decided five years ago that they wanted to turn 5.5 acres of contaminated land owned by Denver and Xcel into a neighborhood amenity, as opposed to letting it remain a target for dumping. This project would address multiple urban issues including storm water flooding, nature deficit, access to safe recreational opportunities, and crime. Platte Farm Open Space could serve as a model for sustainable, low cost park development by restoring the native short grass prairie and wildlife habitat, by using solar power, and by managing storm water flooding. Councilwoman Kniech convening stakeholders to help make this vision a reality, and the project will be aided by $200,000 in funding made possible by a settlement between Wild Earth Guardians and Xcel Energy related to emissions from the soon-to-be decommissioned Cherokee Power Plant. Back to Top
Denver is Expanding Home Ownership Opportunities for Families Down Payment Assistance (Metro Mortgage Assistance Plus Program) o Provides a competitive 30-year mortgage with a down payment assistance grant up to 4% of the mortgage amount. o Who qualifies: First-time or repeat homeowners. Families of 2 or fewer $91,100 or Families 3 or more up to $103,000. Expanded Mortgage Tax Credit to Reduce Federal Income Taxes o The mortgage credit certificate program allows qualifying borrowers to receive an annual federal income tax credit equal to 30% of the annual interest they pay on their mortgage loan. o Who qualifies: First-time homeowners. Families of 2 or fewer in non-targeted areas $79,300 or targeted areas $95,160. Families of 3 or more non-targeted areas $91,195 or targeted areas $111,020. Affordably-Priced Homes for Working Families o The City’s Inclusionary Housing Ordinance has helped create new condos, townhomes and single-family homes at affordable prices as part of larger, market-rate developments. o Who qualifies: Households earning between 50% and 80% AMI, depending on family size. View the chart here: http://www.denvergov.org/oed o Homes currently available, starting at $120,000. o Contact: Affordable Housing Coordinator at (720) 913-1634 or visit www.coloradohousingsearch.com | Are you ready to buy? o Or call the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for more options at: 888-995-HOPE (4673). |
The Bottom Line: 2A Roll Out We are hard at work delivering the services you supported in 2A last November: expanded library hours have begun at many branches, thousands have expressed interest in the Police and Fire training academies that will help safety services keep pace with growth and retirements, and the schedule for paving 300 additional miles of deteriorated roads is established. Call our office or 3-1-1 or visit our website for additional details.  Here’s a quick update on the roll-out of Denver Public Library’s 2A expanded hours schedule. February 16th:The Central Library will be resorting Saturday morning hours, opening at 9 a.m. The Smiley, Ross-Broadway, Hampden, Decker, Ross- Cherry Creek, Westwood, Schlessman Family, and Ford Warren Branch Libraries are operating their expanded hours. See website for details. Back to Top
City Snapshots ►In-Person Advising and Energy Efficient Lights For Your Home The Denver Energy Challenge is a free energy advisor program brought to you by the City and County of Denver. With over 5,500 residents participating, the program has shown that neutral advising really does help residents figure out what energy improvements make the most sense for their home. Now through March 31st the program will offer in-person advising and replace up to 15 bulbs in your home with energy efficient ones.Call 720.865.5520 while these extra special offers are available. Not interested in a home visit? Phone advisors are always available M-F, 7a-7p English and Spanish. www.DenverEnergy.org ►Updates to Denver Child Care Assistance Program Denver CCAP, a program that helps families afford child care, recently raised its income eligibility guidelines, which means more families are now eligible to receive benefits. Additionally, Denver CCAP no longer has a waiting list for CCAP, which means families that apply and qualify automatically can access benefits. Families and individuals may apply online at www.denverccap.org or request an application by calling 720-944-KIDS(5437). Applications may be submitted to Denver Human Services, attn. CCAP, 1200 Federal Blvd., Denver, CO 80204. ►Heating Assistance Still Available With the cold winter months upon us, you’ve probably seen an increase on your utility bill. The good news is there is an energy assistance program that helps people afford their home heating costs called LEAP. The LEAP application process is simple. Simply call 1-866-HEAT-HELP, request an application, fill it out, and mail it back to us. Hurry, the last day to apply this season is April 30. For more information, www.denvergov.org/leap. ►"Losing Ground" A compelling, disturbing portrait of a state where black and Latino residents are falling further and further behind their white counterparts. That state is Colorado. I-News journalists analyzed six decades of reports from the U.S. Census Bureau to track the state's poverty rates, family income, high school and college graduation rates and home ownership. The analysis uncovered surprising racial and ethnic disparities. Monday April 1st 12:30-1:45 Metropolitan State College of Denver Auraria Campus, Tivoli Student Union, Room 320 Tuesday, May 28th 6:00 p.m. History Colorado Center 1200 Broadway St. $5 General Admission, RSVP encouraged 303-866-4686 ► Reimagine Play: Stakeholder Public Meeting Denver Parks and Recreation has made its final selection from three design teams to move forward with “Re-imagine Play” at Denver’s City Park. The selected team of PORT Architecture + Urbanism/Indie Architecture developed the “City Loop” concept which was presented in a public meeting in July. The City will now work to put a contract in place with the PORT/Indie team and begin organizing a broad stakeholder group to move the project forward. Design for the selected concept will begin in the spring and will include several opportunities for public input. Wednesday, March 20th 5:30-7:30 pm Bogeys at City Park Golf Course 2500 York St., Denver CO 80205 ►Safe City Youth Summit This year’s Safe City Youth Summit is scheduled on Friday April 12th 2013 at the Denver Convention Center 700 14th Street Denver, Co 80202 from 8:00 AM to 1:30 PM. The Summit is an all day event focusing on youth issues. The Summit is free and open to all youth ages 13 to 18. Lunch will be provided free to all participants. The Safe City Youth Leadership Team (SCYLT) has designed this annual event with the support of youth & adults from a variety of community organizations and agencies. Our goal this year is to have over 500 youth participate in the Summit. Please contact Theresa Kimmet, Program Coordinator at 720-913-4707 or theresa.kimmet@denvergov.org with questions regarding registration or youth summit participation. ►The Denver Housing Advisory Committee is seeking candidates Mayor Hancock accepted the recommendation by the Mayor’s Housing Task Force appoint a Housing Advisory Committee that assists the Housing Director and his staff in an annual review and goal setting of the adopted housing plan. The committee shall be made up of diverse backgrounds of market and not-for-profit interests in the housing sector in order to provide insight to changing market conditions and needs. The Office of Economic Development’s (OED) department of Sustainable Housing and Communities (SHC) shall staff the committee and its Director shall convene and preside over all meetings. Interested applicants should submit the attached application and resume by close of business, March 31, 2013. If you have questions and to learn more, please contact Anthony Aragon at 720-865-9032 or anthony.aragon@denvergov.org. Back to Top
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