Issue 72

Unless you have been living underground for the last month, you are aware that marijuana is now legal in Colorado. Due to this more than relaxed stance on the previously illegal drug, society is already viewing marijuana use in a different way. “I’m not in to smoking (weed), but if it’s legal, it’s legal,” said Stapleton resident Rose Westerberg. “If that’s what people choose to do, I have no problem with it.” Many Stapleton residents share that opinion, including SUN President Mike Victoria. “If the state government doesn’t want to make a big deal out of it, neither should we,” said Victoria. “So, at our last SUN and Block Captain meeting, we put it on the table. Should we allow people to get high during the meetings?” Victoria said that there was some push back as to people getting high, mostly in regards to creating a slippery slope. “People worried that we would have to allow alcohol and then possibly cigarettes. But, we talked through it and feel we came up with a good compromise.” The rules for the use of cannabis are outlined on the SUN website. Essentially, you can bring in whatever you want, can share if you like, but you cannot smoke anything, unless you are outside during break. “It will also be a fun social way for people to exchange recipes and treats,” said Victoria. The first cannabis SUN-Block Captain meeting was last Monday (1/12), and everything seemed to go very well. “First of all, we had a huge turnout,” said Victoria. “The more we can get the community involved in decision-making, the better.” Victoria noticed other benefits as well. “I found that people were more agreeable. When there were arguments, people were able to look at different perspectives instead of just their own, and actual compromise was made.” Attendees also noticed some improvements with the meetings. “The meetings can sometimes get boring and long,” said block captain Mariah Hayne. “So, people get up and leave in the middle of it. During this one, no one left early, and people stayed somewhat engaged and offered honest, thoughtful feedback on items.” The next SUN-Block Captain meeting is scheduled for February 18th, and residents are encouraged to attend and bring their favorite cannabis treat. ]]>

Stapleton recently became a victim of graffiti on the Greenway. Perpetrators wrote several tasteless words and phrases along with poorly drawn male and female genitalia. “It was pretty disgusting,” said resident Jane Haugen. “I mean, they weren’t even close to getting it right. If you’re going to do graffiti, understand there is some art involved. This looked like some high school sophomores who had never taken an art class just grabbed some spray paint, closed their eyes, and painted. I find their efforts here pretty repulsive.” [Read more…] about Pornographic Graffiti on Greenway Offensive Mostly Because It’s Crappy

Stapleton has many wonderful pocket parks scattered throughout the neighborhood. Most of these parks offer fun play areas for kids. Forest City has done a great job in having age-appropriate play structures for the kids. However, no matter how safe you try to make equipment, kids will find a way to get hurt. “Kids will climb on things that aren’t supposed to be climbed on, swing on the swings standing up, or simply push each other off the slides,” said resident Tim Strassburg. “So many kids were getting injured at the pocket parks, something needed to be done.” [Read more…] about Stapleton Pocket Parks to Set Up Triage Centers

Stapleton certainly prides itself on being at the forefront in Denver when it comes to art and culture. The community works hard to sustain an urban and cultural environment to match that of the city. Stapleton continues this trend with its latest project, adding gondola rides on the Stapleton dog pond in Central Park. [Read more…] about Dog Pond to Begin Offering Gondola Rides in Spring

After years of waiting for the 26th Avenue Park, progress is finally being made. Residents originally may have envisioned acres of green space with some play equipment for kids, but Forest City has made a few changes to those images. Of course, Fulton becoming a through-street has already chopped up a lot of that vision, and construction workers are hard at work doing…something. [Read more…] about 26th Ave Park to be Named “Sidewalk Park”

Havana St. in Stapleton has had many issues over the years. One way signs were often ignored and before it became a through-street, Aurorans still attempted to use it as one. Then of course, there are all of the construction issues by the jail. The most recent issue may have been solved, however. Eastbridge residents were concerned about the potential traffic increase, specifically that of Aurorans flying through the pristine Eastbridge neighborhood to get to Aurora. That issue never did come to fruition, however. The problem that did surface was even greater. “What we saw was an incredible increase in bike traffic,” said Havana St. resident Dave Battenfield. “It almost seemed like there were less cars, maybe because they weren’t turning around and coming back the other direction. But the bike traffic became too much to bear. It wasn’t safe with all the kids in the neighborhood.” Forest City and the City of Denver listened to the local residents, and made a significant change. “We realized there was way too much road,” said Denver Traffic Engineer Liam O’Hara. “There weren’t enough cars to warrant a two lane road. However, the bike traffic on Havana was overwhelming, so we looked to solve that problem.” Engineers decided to keep the two parking areas in front of the homes, reduce the vehicle lane down to one, and create two bike lanes. “We have already noticed a big change in the bike traffic flow,” said Battenfield. “This road is much safer now.” For now, residents seem happy with the solution. “The bike traffic flow definitely seems better,” said Battenfield. “But the real test will be in the spring when biking kind of picks up again.” ]]>

The Stapleton Mom’s Yahoo Group works hard to be on the front line of crime prevention. Members are vigilant about posting strange behavior or things that just don’t seem right so that others in the neighborhood keep their heads up. In years past, members would do their best to create a description of an individual or an event that seemed out of place in Stapleton. Some of these descriptions gained the PC ire of other members. “I didn’t like people being described as ‘Hispanic,’” said Yahoo Group member Kristin Marie. “The word ‘Hispanic’ just has so many negative connotations. I’m really not that comfortable saying it to you.” [Read more…] about Stapleton Mom’s PC Descriptions of Suspicious Behavior Prove Unhelpful