Councilman’s Corner
Chris Hinds
Happy Spring, Country Club Historic Neighbors!
Spring this year feels even more special as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to lift. We’ve been up to a lot since I wrote last, and if you want a deeper dive into the work my office has been doing for all of District 10, I hope you sign up for our monthly newsletter at denverperfect10.com/signup.
One lovely sign of the pandemic lifting is that our libraries are starting to re-open! There will still be out-door service options, like curbside pick-up, but you can now visit inside Ross-Cherry Creek with COVID precautions in place. Thanks to our library staff who kept us with reading material during the darkest months of the pandemic.
I also want to give a huge thank you to constituent Chaun Powell and the other Country Club neighbors who quickly put together a virtual town hall meeting with Denver Police Chief Paul Pazen, Mayor Hancock, Denver’s District Attorney office, and me to discuss February’s serious security matter. Several homes in Country Club were broken into – including while families were at home. Mr. Powell jumped into citizen action mode after his own home experienced a break-in. He helped organize a large virtual meeting – with over 100 attendees – so neighbors could discuss and get advice on what they could do to keep safe. The good folks from Denver Police District 3 discussed basic safety, how to start neighborhood watch and, the best part, they believe they caught the perpetrator within a week, thanks in part to help from all of you.
There have been several police-related policies to help our officers have more time to devote to the prevention of these crime issues. Unfortunately, during the pandemic we saw a rise in crime around the country in addition to other concerning issues – like homelessness – that frequently involve police time and attention. The STAR program and co-responders are two of the ways we’re working with social service providers to ease the burden on our police. We’re seeing very positive results from this approach and, with the lifting of the pandemic, we are encouraged that crime rates will decline and that we can help Denver’s unhoused with more appropriate outreach. That will free the police to focus on matters that really require a police response.
When spring arrives, you might be thinking of spring cleaning. Our friends at the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure are getting ready to start sending out street sweepers. Did you know in 2020, Denver street sweeping crews swept 163,385 lane miles and collected 57,479 cubic yards of dirt and debris? That’s a lot of material that otherwise ends up polluting our air. Thank you, DOTI street-sweeping crew, for helping us keep Denver’s air clean.
Speaking of streets, keeping them free of snow is a big operation in Denver. And, we saw some serious white stuff during the big mid-March snow event! If you are curious about how DOTI prepares for and responds to snowstorms, have questions about how to safely shovel, remove snow from trees, need bike riding tips, and, especially important to me, how to report sidewalks and curb & gutter that needs to be shoveled, there is a ton of great material on DOTI’s snow webpage. There’s even a live plow tracker that you can watch. Just search “snow” on Denvergov.org.
If you don’t have the ability to clear your sidewalk and curb & gutter, Denver has a great volunteer program called Snow Angels that can help. And, if you have a bit of extra time and can aid someone in need during a snow event, Snow Angels would love your help. You can find more about Snow Angels on DOTI’s snow page.
As the weather warms, we’ll be seeing a lot more folks walking, biking, and rolling around. I recently brought in some yard signs that remind folks to “Drive Like Your Dog Lives Here” featuring a certain Council Dog. If you’d like a free sign, contact my office.
Speaking of activity in the streets – did you happen to catch Director of DOTI, Eulois Cleckley, speaking about both the 5280 Trail and Shared Streets during the District 10 Cabinet in the Community meeting in late February? You can view that meeting recording, including a presentation about how we’re addressing homelessness, at Facebook.com/DenverPerfect10.
To keep up with all the work we’re doing, I recommend signing up for our monthly newsletter and checking out denverperfect10.com, which features weekly, up-to-date blog posts and information items from city departments.
Happy Spring!