1437 Bannock St., #494, Denver, CO 80202, 720-337-7777

More Resources Dedicated to Washington Park to Make it Friendly and Safe for All

Memorial Day holiday, which marks the unofficial start of the summer season, brought many Denver citizens out to enjoy our park system. While many parks were busy through the weekend, Washington Park, as ever, was the most heavily used park in the City. While we're happy so many Denver citizens are enjoying this wonderful amenity they've invested in, it's important we keep Washington Park clean, safe, and fun for everyone to enjoy.

Denver Parks & Recreation, Denver Police, Traffic Enforcement, and the Denver Park Rangers have deployed a coordinated-multi agency approach to Washington Park that includes:

• Increased trash receptacles and more frequent trash collection.
• Additional port-a-potties brought in to meet demand while two of the park's bathroom facilities are being renovated. The number of port-a-potties has been increased from 6 to 30, and will be serviced twice a day.
• Increased traffic enforcement officers patrolling residential streets to make sure visitors abide by all parking regulations.
• A parking agreement with South High School that allows visitors to park in their lot at Louisiana and Gilpin to alleviate parking stress on surrounding neighborhood streets. Organized leagues and events have also been urged to direct their participants to park at South High.
• Increased presence of Park Rangers and Police Officers in and around Washington Park, especially on weekends and holidays throughout the summer.
• Beginning in June, Park Rangers will be empowered to issue direct citations with fines, rather than just warnings.

Denver Parks and Rec would also like to remind park users of the following rules:

• Alcohol is currently allowed in Washington Park, but is restricted to 3.2 beer only.
• Glass bottles are not permitted in the park at any time.
• Dogs are permitted in Denver's parks, but must be kept on a leash and under their owner's control at all times.
• Underage consumption of alcohol is never allowed and against the law.
• Groups of 25 people or more who wish to reserve an area in the park must obtain a permit to do so. The DPR permit office can be reached at 720-913-0700 form 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday-Friday.

Make Music Denver, June 21st

Before the summer movie season starts, you can tune up your musical talent by taking part in the 2nd annual "Make Music Denver" on Friday, June 21^st. Denver is joining over 520 cities in 106 countries to celebrate local live music and World Music Day's annual summer solstice event.  Fourteen hours of nonstop music is the vision (8am to 10pm) with a stream of musicians playing elbow to elbow to make a wall of sound.  Anyone can play and anyone can attend for FREE.    

Winner of Westword's 2013 Best New Festival, this daylong celebration of local live music, produced by the Downtown Denver Partnership, provides free music everywhere along the 16th Street Mall; outdoor cafés, hotel lobbies, restaurant patios, parks, and street corners.

            "Blues & Brews," August 10
Where: 1200 block of South Pearl Street between Buchtel & Louisiana

It's not summer without hot asphalt, cold beer, tasty food, and great music.  Don't let the season pass without checking out one of the Old South Pearl Street Music Festivals.  Gather your friends and family and enjoy incredible bands, a staggering selection of local micro-brews, and some seriously delicious food from neighborhood restaurants.  If you can't get there by bike or on foot, remember that the festival site is just one block from the Louisiana/Pearl RTD light rail station.  Show your RTD ticket stub for a discounted admission.  Bring chairs and blankets but no outside food or drink.  Click here for a complete band line-up.

When:  Saturday, June 8, and Sunday, June 9, 10am to 5pm
Where: Art Student's League, 200 Grant Street

Keep the artistic energy flowing by attending the Art Student's League Summer Art Market  - showcasing work by over 250 emerging and professional artists. Traditional, abstract, and contemporary styles abound in a wide range of media including paintings, sculptures, ceramics, drawings, and mixed media works. The market also offers live music, food, and free art classes.  Get a first-hand look at the school's apprenticeship approach to instruction and support a great community asset.

FREE Year-Round Fun for Youth Starts This Summer
Now that most students are out for the summer, there may be a lot of free time on your kids' hands. Thanks to Measure 2A, all Denver students ages 5 to 18 now have free, year-round access to the city's 26 recreation centers and 29 pools with the MY Denver Card. The MY Denver Card also serves as your child's library card, so they can also mix in some good old fashioned learning and reading during the rest of their summer fun.

Parents can take their child to any of the City's 26 recreation centers to sign up. You can learn more about the MY Denver Card, and how to register your child here. For a full listing of youth programs in the City of Denver, click here.

The "First Tee of Denver" will be offering more than 80 different classes this summer at five golf locations:  Aqua Golf, City Park, Kennedy, Wellshire, and Willis Case.  Click here to view our entire schedule and descriptions of all of the classes.

Celebrate Colorado Bike Month!

Not only is June the longest month of daylight during the year, it's also Colorado Bike Month! Whether you are a new rider or experienced cyclist, celebrate Bike Month by getting on a bike: ride to work, to the grocery store, or just down the street for fun.  Start to practice your bike commute this month.  Take a look at the City of Denver's Bike map for routes.

Then, put your skills to the test and leave your car at home on "Bike to Work Day" June 26^th.  Register here.  You will be rewarded with cool swag and tasty food from 6:30am to 8:30am at breakfast stations all over town.

Summer Brings More Pothole Patching Crews to Denver Streets

No one wants to be riding their bike and dodging potholes. So now that spring has arrived, Public Works crews are diligently filling those pesky potholes on our streets that developed over the winter. In 2012, Public Works crews filled 88,668 potholes using 4,364 tons of asphalt. For 2013, the same crews have already filled 21,000 potholes! 

While Public Works crews constantly patrol our streets looking for potholes to fill, they primarily rely on residents like yourself to report potholes in your neighborhood. You can report a pothole by calling 3-1-1 or by entering the location of the pothole at www.denvergov.org/311. It is especially important to provide the closest cross streets to the pothole and any other significant information when reporting a pothole.

Denver Public Works Offers Rainstorm Safety Tips

The summer monsoon season can bring sudden heavy rainfall, and while all this rain can benefit our gardens and crops, it can also be hazardous. Check out the following tips from Denver Public Works for driving, biking, or walking through heavy rain and flooding:

Safety tips for driving in heavy rain:

• If you must drive through water, drive slowly and steadily.
• Six inches of water will reach the bottom of most passenger cars, causing loss of control or possible stalling; One foot of water will float most vehicles.
• Two feet of rushing water can sweep away most vehicles - including SUVs and pick-ups.
• Avoid driving in water that downed electrical or power lines have fallen into; the electric current passes through water easily.

Safety tips for walking or cycling on urban trails:

• When rain is falling, it's best not to walk or bike near a river or stream, even on Denver's paved urban bike and walking trails; water flow can quickly increase and flooding can occur without notice.
• Move to higher ground and never go into a culvert! If you are on a streamside trail during a rainstorm use the alternate trail up to street level to avoid underpasses and culverts. 
• Never allow children to play around streams, drainage ditches or viaducts, storm drains or flooded areas.

Localized street flooding:

• In some areas that are geographical low-points and underpasses, water can't be expected to disappear down the storm inlets instantly - the pace and volume of the rainfall is too quick and too great to immediately drain off. It takes time for the system to accommodate it.
• If you know that your street tends to flood because it is located in a low point, be sure to move your vehicles to higher ground.

What you can do to help prevent flooding:

• To help prevent flooding in Denver neighborhoods, residents should ensure that gutters are clear of trash and yard debris.
• Do not rake leaves, grass clippings or yard debris into the street or put them down an inlet or throw them into a gulch or stream.
• Avoid placing trash containers directly on drains and inlets. When rain is predicted avoid placing your trash and recycling out for collection until the storm has passed.

District 7's "Central Platte Campus" Receives Redevelopment Award

Denver's Central Platte Campus - located north of Alameda on Bayaud Avenue - was recently awarded the Phoenix Award for excellence in brownfields redevelopment.  What was formerly the site of various industrial and mineral processing plants for over 100 years, is now home to the Denver Animal Shelter and the Denver Public Works centralized administration and operations facility. The redevelopment of the campus was a partnership between the City of Denver, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, General Chemical, and International Risk Group, LLC.

Denver Reports Strongest Economic Outlook Since 2008

Redevelopment projects like the Central Platte Campus keep our economy moving forward. In fact, a recent report demonstrated how Denver's economic situation has dramatically improved since the recession. The report, provided by Denver's Chief Economist Jeff Romine, shows a two percent drop in unemployment since 2011, in addition to strong growth in retail sales and construction. A surging housing market has also added to the growing economy in the Mile High City. Some key indicators of our economic recovery outlined in the report include:

• 12,250 new jobs in 2012;
• 1,000 new business enterprises added;
• The average wage paid by Denver firms is now approaching $60,000 annually;
• Denver's resident labor force is at a record high, with 330,000 residents employed;
• Unemployment continues to drop, now standing at 7.3%, down from 9.2% in 2011;
• Denver's housing market is the strongest in the nation; our home values are up 8.3% over the past year and 5.1% over the past five years;
• Consumer confidence is rising, evidenced by the 4.6% increase in retail sales and 9.4% increase in vehicle purchases; and
• Construction is on the upswing, with a recent tripling of commercial permitting activity and a doubling in residential permitting.

Click here to visit the District 7 website