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

Stapleton’s Denver Public School kids went back to school yesterday after what felt like a very long time away for parents. “Jesus, do kids ever go to school anymore?” exclaimed frustrated resident Katie Miller. “There are many families that have two working parents and no nanny in Stapleton. When we have to go back to work, we have to figure out what to do with these kids, and not everyone can work from home.” Miller is frustrated that her and her husband Tom end up having to take time off to stay home and watch the kids. “We have to take time off work in January. Who wants to do that? It just sucks.” DPS kids don’t just appear to have been out of school a long time, they have been out of school a long time. In fact, of the last 31 week days, kids have only been to school 15 days. More than likely, a handful of those days were also half days, not to mention kids staying home sick. On top of that, there has been school Christmas parties and concerts, all of which have created a living hell for parents. “We’re trying to get Christmas ready, dealing with relatives, and then we have our kids around,” said Stapleton resident Jim Tisdale. “Why can’t the school take them just a few more days? I think as a community we need to start focusing on that instead of boundaries. Who gives a crap about boundaries? Just keep my kids a few more days of the year and give them some book-learnin’.” DPS says that its break policy is fairly consistent with districts across the state and the country. “Most schools give kids this break during the year,” said Superintendent Tara Seery. “It gives the kids a little break, and for families that travel, gives them a chance to make plans and enjoy family.” That may be the case, but some Stapleton residents still aren’t buying it. “I’m all for a little break around Christmas,” said Amy Myska. “But, 16 days in late November, December, and January? It’s just a little much, and makes it really hard for some people to manage child care.” In the end, parents are just happy it is over, and kids are back to school. “Finally, back to the routine,” said Miller. “Of course, I know there is MLK Day, President’s Day, and spring break coming up fast, but for now, a little normalcy.” ]]>

If you have at all been social in Stapleton, you probably know that a lot of people used to smoke a little pot, and some maybe still do after the kids go to bed. It makes sense, after all, Stapleton is a highly educated community, and a lot of people smoked weed in college. “I have never thought it was that big of a deal,” said resident Zack Dinnebier. “It’s not a dangerous drug, per se, and as long as people do it privately and don’t disturb others, who cares?” Other residents agree. “It’s not like cocaine,” said John Haugen. “You’re not going to have a sudden heart attack. It’s not even addictive. Dorito tacos are, but not the weed.” So, when marijuana became legal on January 1st, it’s no surprise that some Stapleton residents were going to make a purchase, if not only for being part of history. “It’s really incredible to think of where we are at,” said Stapleton pot smoker Dan Moellering. “People used to do serious time for possession of weed, now you can go to the local East Colfax dispensary and purchase it. I don’t smoke that often, but this is actually kind of cool.” However, when Stapleton residents found out that there would be huge lines at the dispensaries, they got creative. [Read more…] about Stapleton Pot-Heads Pay Aurora Pot-Heads to Stand in Lines

The deadline for School Choice ECE 3 and 4 year olds is fast approaching. Residents must complete and turn in applications by January 31st. Many parents new to the school system are scrambling to learn more about the schools, understand the formats, meet the teachers, and see the classrooms. And they are doing all of this in spite of the fact that they know they have no chance of getting in. [Read more…] about Families Scramble to File ECE Applications Knowing They Won’t Get In

The fantastic new art pieces outside of the Denver County Jail have made it so you hardly even notice there are two correctional facilities there totaling about 75,000 square feet. “It’s remarkable what these pieces have done for this area,” said Eastbridge resident Kevin McGovern. “When Havana is open, I take it quite a bit. The art pieces have really changed my perspective of this drive, and now I’m not even embarrassed to tell people to take the Havana exit to get to my house. You really don’t know the jails are there unless you are really paying attention.” [Read more…] about Art Outside Jail Makes Residents Forget Jail Exists

The search for the Stapleton High School principal began locally, but soon became a global search attempting to find the greatest principal ever, who would be the only principal qualified for the Stapleton job. Late last March, the committee decided to go global with its search efforts, and invited 51 candidates to Stapleton from around the globe. Most were US candidates, but there was one from India, and others from Germany, Finland, two candidates from Japan, and one from England. In the end, like in world wars, the United States prevailed. [Read more…] about Stapleton High School Ends Most Exhaustive Principal Search Ever

Now that the Holidays are over, Stapleton residents are busy taking down their Christmas lights and decorations. Parents hurry to make sure they get the tree down in time to put it out for recycling (which is this week). The frustrating part for people is knowing they will have to replace all of the lights they are packing this year. “Every year, we unpack the lights, and for some reason, they don’t work,” said resident Bryan Carman. “The tree lights, the lights we put on the house, all of it. So, we end up buying brand new ones at Target every year. But, I still pack them with the hope they will work the next year.” [Read more…] about Families Put Away Xmas Lights Knowing they Mysteriously Won’t Work Next Year