1) William (Bill) Roberts ECE-8 School Selected as a National Blue Ribbon School

Bill Roberts was one of 325 schools nationally, one of six in Colorado, and one of three in DPS to be selected by the U.S. Department of Education as a National Blue Ribbon School. As an “Exemplary High-Performing School,” it is among the state’s highest performing as measured by state assessments or nationally normed tests. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said, “In the face of unprecedented circumstances, you found creative ways to engage, care for, protect, and teach our children. Blue Ribbon Schools have so much to offer and can serve as a model for other schools.”

DPS Superintendent Alex Marrero congratulated the three schools in an online video, saying, “On behalf of Team DPS and our entire city, we are so proud and appreciative of the work you’ve done—and continue to do—for our students. Thank you…and congratulations!”

The Blue Ribbon award program is in its 39th year. Nominations for schools are submitted annually by top education officials in all states. Private schools are nominated by the Council for American Private Education.

Two representatives from each school will attend an award ceremony in early November.

2) 301 Apartments To Be Built near Central Park Rail Station

Central Park rail users are now seeing fencing and a construction office trailer directly across the street from the parking lot. Central Park Station Residences will be a four-story apartment on three acres of land with 301 units. The apartments will be built over two levels of parking.

The courtyards will have views of downtown and of the mountains; amenities will include a pool, grills, cabanas and bocce, as well as a clubhouse, fitness center, co-working areas, a bike/ski repair room and bike storage.

The developer is High Street Residential, the multifamily subsidiary of Trammell Crow Company in partnership with PGIM Real Estate. The project was designed by KTGY Architects and will be constructed by Martines Palmeiro Construction LLC (MPC). (Information from highstreetresidential.com)

3) 9/11 Memorial Dedicated at DIA

On Sept. 10, 2021, the Denver Fire Department, the Denver Police Department, and the Denver Department of Public Safety dedicated a 9/11 memorial to honor the fallen and first responders. The memorial at Fire House 35 located at 25365 E. 75th Ave. on airport property, is comprised of steel from the World Trade Center. The plaque on the memorial reads, “This sacred piece of steel was recovered from the World Trade Center and serves as a memorial to all those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001. We shall never forget.” The steel was donated by the Counterterrorism Education Learning Lab (CELL), which is a non-profit organization dedicated to the prevention of terrorism through education, empowerment and engagement.

4) Crime Stats

Central Park, with 422 auto thefts so far this year, is second only to DIA in number of car thefts by neighborhood. The DIA total of 492 was primarily in surrounding hotel and commercial lots, with 35% in DIA lots. In Central Park north of I-70, car thefts are up almost 246% over last year. South of I-70 in Central Park they are up more than 145%.

Catalytic converter thefts in Police District 5 rose from 20 last year to 259 so far in 2021. The most targeted vehicles are Honda CRV and Element, Toyota 4Runner and Prius, and Ford vans and trucks.

District 5 police have run 28 street racing suppression operations so far this year. To file a street racing report go to https://reportstreetracing.com. The District 5 Tip Line is 720.913.8477.

Citywide, statistics from the National Incident-Based Reporting System show all crime is up 22% over last year, with property crime up 46% and violent crime up 2.2%. A bit of good news is that accidents are down by 16%.