1) A Second Major Retailer Closes at Beleaguered Intersection

The Walgreens store at 10501 East Colfax Ave. closed on Nov. 13. The signs have already been taken down at the building, signaling another retail closure in the area.

In June, the Walmart at the same intersection closed.  A store spokesperson said in a statement, “There is no single reason these decisions are made, but the criteria and standards we have in place for running a healthy business include current and projected financial performance, location, population, customer needs, and the proximity of other nearby stores.”

The contents of the store were part of an auction in November.

At the time of the closure, people in the neighborhood worried Walmart’s exit would prompt other nearby businesses to do the same, and that national consolidation trends would  further hurt the neighborhood. The Walgreens closure was announced as part of the company’s plan to close 1,200 stores over the next three years.

Prescriptions from the store were transferred to the Central Park store at 7311 E. 29th Denver.

2) Village Farms Prepares for New Home at Stanley Marketplace Fields

Village Farms at Stanley has packed up its gardening tools, lumber, and sheds so that the major reconstruction effort at Westerly Creek and the surrounding area can begin. (See the story at frontporchne.com for complete details of that project).

Next April, the farm will relocate to the northwest corner of the Stanley field, where the classroom trailer, sheds, gardens, and raised beds will be reestablished on a one-and-a-half-acre plot. Westerly Creek will be moved so it flows through the farm’s former location.

For five years, Village Farms has provided new immigrants with workforce training, a sense of community, and culturally-appropriate foods. Participants take part in a 22-week paid internship program that is offered May through October. The crops that they grow help stock a food pantry and are sold to area businesses, including Annette restaurant. They also grow flowers that are sold at the Stanley Farmer’s Market, as well as through Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) subscriptions.

“A lot of our participants come from farming backgrounds but the climate here is very different, so we teach them about the growing seasons in Colorado,” says Sydney Quynn, the farm’s program manager. The non-profit also helps with resume writing and interview training so participants can get jobs at small urban farms, greenhouses, or landscaping businesses in the area.

The farm relies on volunteers year-round to help plant seedlings, work in the gardens, and fundraise.

3) A Program to Keep the Prairie Dog Population Under Control at Bluff Lake

Bluff Lake Nature Center (BLNC) is partnering with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) on a pilot program to provide prairie dog contraception to help control the population without lethal measures.

GonaCon, an immunocontraceptive vaccine, is given through a shot to both males and females, sterilizing the rodent for two to three years. Immunocontraception is the use of an animal’s immune system to prevent fertilization.

Signs along the Bluff Lake trail alert visitors to the project, paid for by BLNC. It started in October and will last until most of the animals get the vaccine. The traps are near the prairie dogs’ holes and are set with bait two days a week. Once caught, the APHIS team takes the animals out of the trap, puts them in a special rodent bag, and gives them a shot. A small patch is shaved on them so it’s evident which ones have been vaccinated.

“We do it in the mornings, so that way they’re never in the traps in the afternoon,” says Rachel Hutchens, executive director of BLNC. “We bait them by 7am and then APHIS comes out by around 10am, so the prairie dogs are only in the traps for a couple hours.”

The project is about stabilizing the number of prairie dogs and protecting them. Prairie dogs are a keystone species in Colorado, which means they’re critical to a lot of other species.

If the population grows too much, Hutchens says, the prairie dogs won’t have enough food and will start to go into areas that aren’t their natural habitat, like the wetland and slopes surrounding Bluff Lake. The move would cause major erosion issues because the animals would eat the vegetation on the slopes and create tunnels.

“We manage the site for all species, not just for one species. Prairie dogs moving into new habitats impact deer going into that location, because if the deer can’t find grass there, they’re not going to go into the wetland area. We want to make sure there’s space for the deer too,” Hutchens says.

There’s also the threat of plague if prairie dog populations become too big for the space, she says.

Success of the program will be tracked through prairie dog counts, done several times a year.

4) Central Park Station Balloon Man Sculpture is Gone…for Now

The sculpture, Balloon Man Running, is a fixture at the RTD Central Park Bus and Light Rail Station but he’s taking a much-needed vacation. The 12-foot sculpture by Sean O’Meallie was installed in 2016 and had been showing its wear from being outside for eight years during rain, snow, and hail. Work is currently being done to repair the pedestal and resurface the sculpture. It will be put back in place in 2025.

New Business Openings

Central Park

5) Lucky Strike Northfield: Now open at 7950 Northfield Blvd., Denver.

6) Wax Trax: Pop-up store open through Feb.15 at Stanley Marketplace. 2501 Dallas St., Aurora.

7) Glissade Coffee: Re-opened at 2520 Galena St., Aurora.

Lowry

8) Play Street Museum Lowry: A play place for kids at 101 N. Ulster Ct., Denver.

Colfax Arts District

9) 303 Society Café: Opening in December at 9600 E Colfax Ave., Aurora.

Park Hill

10) Denver Consignments and Chickadee Salon: Opened Nov. 30 at 2212 Kearney St. Denver.