PG. 9 GET YOUR SPOOK ON Events to frighten the most hardened fan of fright YOUR GUIDE TO COMMUNITY, POLITICS, ARTS AND CULTURE IN NORTH DENVER
Volume 6, Issue 1
Neighbors with knowledge Gardens at St. Elizabeth aims to create generational club with North High School
October 15, 2024-November 14, 2024
Local officials weigh in on proposed affordable housing tax vote By Jill Carstens
A
ballot issue to help fund more affordable housing in the city is in front of voters this November and is the largest dedicated sales tax ever proposed in Denver. “I want to help ensure that our neighborhoods remain accessible and welcoming to people of all ages, incomes and backgrounds,” Councilwoman Amanda Sandoval responded when asked to share her vision about how the proposed sales tax to create more affordable housing in Denver, ballot issue 2R, would affect Northwest Denver. If passed, Denver’s sales tax would rise from 8.81% to almost 9.5%. That amount does not reflect the total if other proposed tax hikes on this same ballot also pass. When the proposal was initially unveiled, critics pointed out it lacked details. “Expanding construction (through the proposed sales tax) of more accessory dwelling units (ADUs) would be one step forward,” said Sandoval, who has been a proponent of rezoning for ADUs in the recent past. “They are an affordable option that also helps families remain in the neighborhoods they love by creating multigenerational living opportunities.” Her plans for implementing these funds also includes offering down payment assistance programs for firsttime homebuyers to ensure younger residents, like her 22-year-old daughter, have a pathway to homeownership.
Ron, left, and Barb Chomko, residents of the Gardens at St. Elizabeth, march in the Sept. 25 North High School homecoming parade. PHOTO BY ERIC HEINZ
to increase their support for the school by creating a group that could interact with urple and gold dominated the streets students. The residents’ own Vikings-decorated van came through toward the end of surrounding North High School on the parade lineup. Sept. 25 for the annual homecoming For years, some students from North High parade. School have held jobs as food servers at GSE, Various organizations from and supporting North High had their floats decorated and some Gardens residents have volunteered at the school. But putting together a with the school colors, Federal Boulevard was blocked off between 32rd and 33nd Avformal and active “generational club” is the enues, and enough candy was tossed to the next goal, said Rick Wohlers, a U.S. Navy veteran whose wife was a high school teacher. crowd to send a dentist into retirement five “High school students are super importtimes over. ant. They’re our future,” Wohlers said as he Many of the revelers, who lined the streets wore a Denver North High School T-shirt. from start to finish, and parade participants Chris Miller, executive director of GSE, were teenagers and school employees, but said the residents of the Gardens used to be one group of cheerleaders—dozens of whom more involved with the school, and there are were stationed along the parade route at now about 15 to 20 residents who are active West 33rd Avenue waving violet streamers— members of this new group. GSE recently is hoping to make its presence known in the sponsored a hole for a golf tournament to Vikings’ home. benefit the North High booster club. No, this group of cheerleaders won’t be “The elders here will go over and help the doing any backflips or any other kind of kids in a million different ways,” Miller said, aerial stunts. But what they do have are “and the kids will come over here and help lifelong lessons to share and wisdom to us out in different ways. We’re just at the behelp guide high school students on their ginning of the program. People are just exway to adulthood. cited and want to give back. A lot of the folks Residents of the Gardens at St. Elizabeth who live here really want to raise up that (GSE), a retirement community directly across West 33rd Avenue from the high next generation and really offer all that they school, recently decided they would like have to give. The kids really respect their elders more than you would think and they want that partnership.” Postal Customer Donna Lucero has worked with PRESORTED and volunteered at North High STANDARD School for more than four decades. U.S. POSTAGE She headed a program that matched tutors from middle and high schools with students at their former eleDenver, CO mentary schools, which Lucero said Permit No. 2565 helped improve reading levels of the EDDM
By Eric Heinz
P
PAID
younger students and graduation rates for the older ones. Lucero is spearheading the campaign to make the Gardens generational club a reality. “People at the Gardens were really interested in North High but didn’t have a connection,” Lucero said. “I wanted (residents) to get together, and this (homecoming parade) was a perfect occasion. We’ve been to a couple concerts and a couple games, and the more we do together the more they see that seniors are interested and supportive, and the seniors get to see that the next generation is doing awesome.” Lucero said she gets excited calls from other residents whenever North High students arrive at the Gardens to volunteer, wanting her to meet the new faces. “It’s really exciting to see the different generations coming together. We are the same community,” she said. North High Principal German Echevarria said he hopes to increase the employment opportunities for students at the retirement community and that the school has been working with Lucero to connect students to visit more often with the GSE residents. “The program is in the initial stages. With the return from COVID, rebuilding community connections is key, especially in North Denver since community and culture are key,” Echevarria said. “We are looking forward to growing this partnership with employment opportunities, community events, ROTC and veteran celebrations, and just plain and simple they are our neighbors and we want strong relationships.” Echevarria said the school’s ROTC program has participated in the Memorial Day and Veterans Day events at the Gardens by presenting the colors.
See HOUSING, Page 11
WHAT’S INSIDE PG. 3 SLAUGHTERHOUSE VOTE
Voters will decide on such new businesses
PG. 4 WOMEN'S TENNIS GROUP
LOOKS TO ADD MEMBERS
PG. 4 DIA DE LOS MUERTOS
Events related to the Day of the Dead
PG. 6 NORTH HIGH CELEBRATES
HOMECOMING
The Vikings were out in full force
PG. 8 MURDER MYSTERY
KEEPS GOING
Mysteries abound: Adams Mystery Playhouse continues its macabre theme