6th Annual Stapleton Education Expo, Thursday, Nov. 3
Northfield High School (5500 Central Park Blvd.) in the Wicker Park Neighborhood of the Stapleton Community.

The event will begin at 6pm with a presentation from DPS followed by the expo. It will feature local preschools, and elementary, middle and high schools (list below). The expo is designed both to give parents new to the area exposure to local school options and to allow students and parents of students in transition years to meet with staff from schools in the choice boundary.

Preschools: Monarch Montessori, Clayton Early Learning School, Montview Community Preschool, Happy Ladybug, Goddard School, Creative Learning Preschool, Paddington Station, Montessori Children’s House of Denver.

Elementary Schools: Ashley, High Tech, Isabella Bird, Highline Academy, Stedman, Swigert International, REACH Charter, Roots, and Westerly Creek.

K-8 schools: Stanley British Primary, St. Elizabeth’s, Odyssey, International School of Denver, Bill Roberts, Denver Language School and The Logan School.

Middle Schools: Denver Discovery, DSST – Conservatory Green, Morey.

PreK-12: Colorado Academy.

High Schools: Denver School of Science and Tech – Stapleton, Northfield High School

Nov. 15 SUN Meeting, 6:30pm
Community Development Updates

The meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 15 will be held at the Central Park Rec Center. Jon Hauser of Drake Real Estate Services, Inc., developer of Northfield commons, will describe ongoing work at the intersection of Central Park Blvd. and Northfield Blvd. Rene Doubleday, project manager associated with Little Man Ice Cream/Paul Tamburello, will provide information about the Constellation ice cream kiosk to be featured in the Eastbridge Town Center. SUN organizers will try to have updates on hand by Evergreen (remainder of the Eastbridge Town Center) and from Forest City regarding The Mint at 29th Ave.

Updates from Commerce City Police Dept. regarding Dick’s Sporting Goods Park (DSGP)

Commander Ken Evans, Commerce City Police Dept. (CCPD), attended the October SUN Block Captain/Outreach meeting to describe the process of observing sound overflow from and parking congestion near DSGP during three major concert events and the 4th of July celebration during the summer 2016 season, and to describe the process for change before next season.

DSGP is a public-private partnership between Kroenke Sports & Entertainment and Commerce City. Commander Evans joined CCPD in July 2016, and first experienced the dynamic between DSGP and the surrounding community during the July 30th Bassnectar concert.

Commander Evans conveyed that the Commerce City Council and city administration are aware of the community concerns regarding noise levels. They want to be good neighbors and respectful and responsive with the community feedback. They have directed the staff and police department to look into possible changes to the city ordinance and to present recommendations for consideration.

Official decibel measurements in the 2016 season were taken at the DSGP property line (56th and Valencia) and allowed readings as high as 105 dBA 85 dBC. It will be recommended in the future that official readings be taken from the sound engineer’s mixing board inside of the venue, and the maximum allowed will be lower. A policy will be in place requiring staff to ensure speakers above the stage are lowered sufficiently and angled downward to avoid upward projection of sound. There will be discussions with the venue about the feasibility of physical sound barriers on the southern end of the venue or other options that may aid in reducing sound impact to neighboring areas. These considerations may or may not be of value or financially feasible to implement. End-of-evening cutoff times may include fines for each incremental 5 minutes after which a band continues playing, with possible penalty fines ranging from $5,000–$10,000 up and to a physical arrest.

It will be recommended that next season Kroenke be required to staff a “tip” (compliant) line during each event. Residents can also call 911 from Denver/Stapleton and request to be transferred to Adams County Dispatch to report extreme noise disturbances. Additionally, callers can reach Commerce City directly (303.287.7453) or request a transfer from DPD nonemergency. Some sound from events at DSGP will be audible in Stapleton; however, certain levels of sound disturbance are recognized as unreasonable.

Parking congestion on adjacent residential streets during events is challenging to address. Kroenke puts out signs to request people not park on side streets; however, this is not enforceable as parking is allowed on public roads. Blocking sidewalks and driveways is enforceable. Always call in concerns.

Having relocated from Austin, Texas, Commander Evans has reached out to former colleagues familiar with sound acoustics in major music events in Austin for assistance in managing the sound overflow issue. Tri-County Health Department (the local health agency for Adams, Arapahoe and Douglas counties; Commerce City is in Adams County) has been involved with Fiddler’s Green and is being asked to consult on the DSGP plan as well. CCPD is looking into the purchase of sound-measuring equipment before next season, which can cost up to $20,000.

While concert negotiations are private and CCPD is not involved, any ordinances developed will trump contracts with the venue. Complexities of the situation as described by Commander Evans include the sensitivity of CCPD to avoid infringing on the rights of businessmen or homeowners as a law enforcement agency. CCPD’s goal is to enforce the spirit of the law, not the “letter” of the law, with voluntary compliance preferable for Commerce City Council and Kroenke.
SUN will be writing a letter to City Council of Commerce City in support of sound mitigation and changes to the permitting process for next season.