In Photos: First Friday at Belmar's Block 7

 A warm evening after a week of cold and snow brought out the crowds to Belmar's Block 7 last night for this month's Friday Art Walk. It's a lot of fun and a great chance to talk with the artists. In my case, I talked to Ina Gustafsen and Kristin Rankin of InK Jewelry talked about their line of earrings, necklaces, bracelets and charms, while over at Julie Havel Fine Art, painters Jenny Wilson and Liz Latrup welcomed my wife and me to their two artist show. If you weren't able to make it the Art Walk, you should still stop by, as the galleries of Block 7 are really some of the best things about Lakewood's Belmar.

Gallery-goers outside iNk Jewelry

Artists Jenny Wilson (left) and Liz Lautrup (right)
at their show at the Julie Havel Fine Art gallery.

A triptych by artist Liz Lautrup

Lorena Garcia, US Senate Candidate, Meets with Lakewood Residents at Belmar's Block 7

Belmar's Block 7 Galleries have long hosted meet and greets by aspiring local politicians. The latest to turn out was progressive candidate Lorena Garcia, who came last Thursday night to the Valkarie to meet with Lakewood residents and listen to their concerns.  Garcia is running for the Democratic party nomination and hopes to face off against Cory Gardner in the fall of 2020. The thirty-six year old is a first-time candidate, but has a long history as a community organizer and advocate for social justice. Denverite describes her political views have as being in line with those of New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, while Westword notes she's running on a platform of economic equality and access to education and healthcare. If you want to learn more, there's lots about Garcia's policy preferences on her website.

It's a long road to the Democratic senate nomination, and although there are only a handful of declared candidates at this point, Garcia will likely have to face off against a long list of both establishment and outsider competitors before all is said and done. Time will tell if this newcomer's campaign catches fire, but Garcia is hard at work at the face-to-face, retail politics that a candidate needs in order to win. 

Ballot Measure 2D Passes!

Ballot measure 2D passed in Tuesday's election by a healthy 61%. It will temporarily lift TABOR restrictions on revenue raised this year by the city in excess of the amendment's complicated rules. The ballot measure was supported by all of the Lakewood city council with the exception of hard-line conservatives Ramey Johnson, Pete Roybal and Mike Bieta.   f

Yes on 2D: Parks, Police & Streets

The best way to move downtown Lakewood forward right now is to vote yes on 2D.

The measure would allow the city of Lakewood to keep $12.5 million dollars in already collected tax revenue. Of that amount, $8.5 million would go to parks, playgrounds and open space. $2 million would go to traffic signals, turn lanes and sidewalks, and an additional $2 million would go to improving police services. 

Without this measure, the city would be forced to refund this money as a result of the TABOR amendment's byzantine rules, which make it impossible for tax revenues to keep up with the demands of a booming economy. 

Importantly, 2D wouldn't be a tax increase. In fact, tax rates would stay the same. The only difference is that the city would be able to keep all of the money currently being collected at those rates. That money could make a big difference, however, in a city with lots of popular projects but not enough money to fund them.

Really, 2D should be an easy yes. Let's keep Lakewood moving forward!

Voters This Fall Can Fix Colorado's School Funding Problems

Voters at both the state and local level have the chance to fix many of Colorado's school funding issues this fall. Here in Jeffco, a bond and mill levy override will be on the ballot at measures 5A and 5B, while Amendment 73 would fix inequities in funding at the state level.

Our Jeffco public schools are shockingly underfunded compared to other school districts in the metro area, with Jeffco receiving $900 less per pupil compared to Denver, Cherry Creek, Littleton and Boulder. This gap plays out in lots of ways in the classroom, but one of the biggest is in terms of teacher quality. Mid-career educators can leave Jeffco and make $10-12K more in other districts. This is a serious issue when you stop to consider that research shows teacher effectiveness rises as teachers gain experience in the classroom. Jeffco has become a training ground for new teachers, who then move on just as they've mastered the basics. It's the old adage, "you get what you pay for," and we're not paying much.

On top of that, Jeffco's physical infrastructure has suffered from decades of deferred maintenance caused by voter unwillingness to fund repairs. The average age of a Jeffco classroom is 50 years, and stories abound of leaking roofs, rodent infestations, and elevated lead levels in school plumbing.

Jeffco's schools are so underfunded that 5A and 5B would only serve to bring Jeffco closer to the level of underfunding experienced by other school districts. The truth is that Colorado's public schools are seriously underfunded compared to schools in other states.

Colorado spends $9,575 per year per pupil. In comparison, California spends $11,495, Minnesota spends $12,382, North Dakota spends $13,373 and Wyoming (Wyoming!!) $16,442.

On the other hand, Mississippi spends just $8,702 per year per student, so at least we're (barely) beating them in terms of investing in our children. Hmm.

Amendment 73 would bring in additional money by taxing personal income over $150,000-- something that would affect few people in downtown Lakewood, where average family incomes hover at right around $48,000 per year. Even for those families who make over $150K, the tax would be minor-- just $81 a year on average for anyone making between $150-$200K a year. Really, it's peanuts compared to the benefits we'd get as a community.

Corporate tax rates and the property rate on non-residential property would also go up slightly. Meanwhile, the tax rate on residential property would actually go down slightly.

I think it's important to point out that Amendment 73 would really only impact the super-wealthy, and that anything to the contrary is part of a scare campaign aimed at seniors and others on fixed or limited incomes. The truth is that very few people would be hit with any additional taxes while our schools and communities would see big benefits.

New Proposal Vacant Land at 100 and 150 S. Wadsworth

Back in January, I reported the city of Lakewood was considering a proposal to build a gas station on the empty lot at 150 S. Wadsworth Blvd, and way back in 2015 I wrote about a plan to build a short term nursing facility at 100 S. Wadsworth.

None of these proposal panned out, and the property appears to be back up for sale. Recently, however, a proposal has appeared on the city of Lakewood's planning cases page to subdivide the property into five pad sites.

I don't have any more details than this, but this sounds like a less than optimal idea-- I would much rather see one or two large buildings on this site that could hide parking behind them, and which would shield the Villas neighborhood behind them from Wadsworth traffic. Five pad sites would mean a higher ratio of parking to building, and a much more suburban (as opposed to downtown) feel.

Approval Still Pending for Retail Center at 280 S Yarrow St

The city of Lakewood is still considering a proposal by Suppa Properties to build a retail center at 280 S. Yarrow Street, between the existing Olive Garden and the recently completed Village at Belmar senior center. The latest plans call for a two story structure with room for multiple retail or restaurant tenants, and include a second floor, rooftop patio. Construction is expected to start in 2019, but the plans are still waiting for final approval by the city's planning commission.

I personally like the way parking is tucked behind the building in this proposal, as well the presence of a second story-- and especially the second floor patio-- which helps it avoid looking like a typical suburban strip-mall.