environment-sustainability

ENVIRONMENT, PARKS AND RECREATION & SUSTAINABILITY

According to a January 18, 2019 Denver Post article, “Green space in Denver is disappearing faster than in most other cities, with paved-over cover increasing from 19 percent of the city in 1974 to 48 percent in 2018 (not including Denver International Airport), federal and city data show. Up to 69 percent of the city is expected to be paved or covered by 2040. Only New York and a few mega cities exceed that level of what planners call “imperviousness.”’

An alarming statistic, especially when considered against the fact that public parks and recreations centers effectively serve has “backyards” for residents that lack outdoor space of their own. As your Councilperson:

  • I will leverage resources from development and large-scale projects, to address existing infrastructure needs in our parks and support the increased demand for public open space.
  • I will advocate for District 1 to receive a portion of the new parks funding to purchase land for additional neighborhood parks.
  • I will advocate for improved data to tailor park amenity and programming needs so that our low-cost recreation facilities and programs support our quality-of-life by adequately addressing the recreation needs of our children and seniors.
  • I will advocate for replacement of outdated playground equipment and proper funding to support ongoing park maintenance deficiencies, particularly the need for more robust clean-up efforts in and around Sloans Lake.
  • Knowing that the City now has specialized vehicles for park waste management, I will press for some preventative maintenance through additional trash and recycling containers throughout our District 1 parks.
  • My capital improvement priorities for District 1 parks will include the addition of a new dog park at Gates Crescent Park, a berm at Rocky Mountain Lake Park to match Berkeley Lake Park and public-use Boat House renovations at Sloans Lake, and an offsite maintenance yard to remove the fuel tank and uncovered trash pile that was introduced to Sloans Lake Park 6 years ago.