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Week of January 26, 2023
ADAMS & JEFFERSON COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
WestminsterWindow.com
VOLUME 78 | ISSUE 14
Senators join call for review of noise, lead at airport
Our in-depth look at the housing crisis
BY LUKE ZARZECKI LZARZECKI@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Racial Inequities: Black Coloradans often face barriers in homeownership Some now look to build equity for future generations BY NINA JOSS AND HALEY LENA NJOSS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM; HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
A few years ago, Aurora Warms the Night, an Aurora-based nonprofit serving people who need housing, ran into a challenge when assisting its Black clients in applying for apartments. When
the applicants visited properties, landlords denied their applications. This happened over and over again. So the team decided to take a different approach, sending in White volunteers to check out the apartments first. “I would send one of our employees or people that were White to look at the apartment — to get the pricing, get everything, to make sure everything was available,” said Brian Arnold, who was executive director of the group at
the time five years ago. “After that, we did the application online and sent it in without them being able to see the person.” Once the application got approved, the team at Aurora Warms the Night would let the real estate agents see the client was Black. Arnold said this process worked almost every time and became the organization’s own way of making a dent in the discrimination that people of color may face, but find SEE INEQUITIES, P14
Senators Bennet and Hickenlooper and Representative Neguse are urging the Federal Aviation Administration to send a representative to Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport’s Community Noise Roundtable meetings in a Jan. 13 letter. The move comes nearly a month after U.S. Rep. Jason Crow, Bennet and Hickenlooper sent a similar letter asking the FAA to address concerns at Centennial Airport. Residents living near Centennial Airport have been asking for action on similar items to those of residents near RMMA. “Flights taking off from, flying north, and coming back to land at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport have repeatedly raised concerns from surrounding residents regarding noise pollution, potential lead pollution/contamination, and safety issues,” the letter reads. The letter acknowledges that changes to flight paths and runway usage can’t happen without FAA approval. “Increased FAA engagement would benefit the health and safety of surrounding residents and set an exemplary standard for other General Aviation Airports in the area,” the RMMA letter reads. The FAA did not comment on the letter and said they will “respond to the members directly.” Much of the issues of leaded fuel use and noise are in federal hands. RMMA Airport Director Paul Anslow has said he manages more than 350 hangar leases, and can’t discriminate against who he rents to. As well, the airport relies
INSIDE: CALENDAR: PAGE 11 | VOICES: PAGE 12 | LIFE: PAGE 13 | SPORTS: PAGE 18
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