If you have ever spent any time near the fountains on Founders’ Green, you have undoubtedly seen the small monument celebrating the greatness of the Stapleton community. Among other things, the plaque states that Stapleton is “one of the premier communities in the United States.” “It’s something we wanted to do to honor the great community we have,” said Forest City President Phil Dargossi. “We feel it is the least we can do.”
Stapleton residents give the plaque mixed reviews. “By reading it, you’d think we wrote the constitution,” says resident Timothy Fecht. “I mean, just look at the phrase, ‘worked tirelessly.’ Really? Were people working tirelessly? Did we win WWII? It just seems like a little much, and could have been stated more softly.” Resident Kristen Sturcke disagrees. “I used to be on the SUN Board, and know people who still are on the board,” said Sturcke. “Some of these people on these things work 10-12 hours a week. That’s a lot of hours to be putting in to create what I think is the greatest urban community in the United States.”
Resident Riley Sword feels the whole monument was a way for Forest City to secretly pat themselves on the back. “They rarely listen to anything people in the community say,” said Sword. “So, why are they pretending we are the ones making it so great? They are simply congratulating themselves on a job they feel is well done, and in no way does it have anything to do with the citizens of Stapleton or its advisory boards.” Dargossi says that Forest City plans to put more of the plaques around Stapleton at pocket parks and the town centers. “We want people to know we appreciate what they are doing, and ultimately, what we are accomplishing.”
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