Above: President DwightEisenhower’s image on thecover of Life Magazine inNov., 1955, taken on abalcony at the Fitzsimonshospital, reassured theworld that he wasrecovering from his heartattack. Right: A radiationtherapist positions the linearaccelerator at Fitzsimonsusing laser beams.Themachine is used to treatcancer patients with highintensity, precisely focusedradiation. One of just a fewlinear accelerators in thestate, this machine isparticularly effective fortreating brain cancers.

StudentArt20S.U.N. 23

D i s t r i b u t e d t o t h e G r e a t e r S t a p l e t o n A r e a

J A N U A R Y 2 0 0 7

115 FutureLibraries

BasementRemodeling

This issue of the Front Porch presents the first in a series of articles about Fitzsimons origin as anArmy Hospital and its future as one of the nation’s foremost medical centers and biosciencedevelopments. As part of the series we will also profile residents of the Greater Stapleton area

who work at Fitzsimons.

The Proud History of Fitzsimons

In September 1955, the eyes of an anxious world turned to Fitzsimons Army Hospital inAurora, Colorado and waited for news about the condition of President Dwight D. Eisen-hower who had suffered a heart attack while visiting Denver. When

The Northfield Shuttle is now being operated between the Stapleton RTD TransferCenter (at Martin Luther King Blvd. and Syracuse) and the Northfield ShoppingCenter. It runs every 15 minutes and it is FREE to all riders. Service is availableMonday – Saturday from 9 am to 10 pm and Sunday from 10 am to 7 pm. The shuttlestops at 36th and Rosemary (Quebec Square), 36th and Quebec, and 47th and Uinta.Bike, walk or drive to the Stapleton RTD Transfer Center to catch the shuttle. Parkingis free at the Transfer Center. For more information, go to stapletontma.org or callAngie Malpiede at the Stapleton Area Transportation Management Association at 303-468-3231. This shuttle is a partnership of: RTD, Northfield Shopping Center, theStapleton Foundation and the Stapleton Area Transportation Management Association.

Stapleton’s Neighbor – FitzsimonsProud Past – Exciting Future

D E N V E R , C O L O R A D O

The Blizzard of ‘06

Members of the Reynolds family walk in the snow at the pocket park at 25th and Spruce.AbbyReynolds, right, and her daughters Caroline,6 , far left, and Annie, 3, are joined by Abby’s brother-in-law Peter Reynolds. See page 24 for more blizzard photos.

(continued on page 3)

Free ShuttleStapleton RTD to Northfield

The Stapleton Front Porch LLC is published byForest City Stapleton, Inc., 7351 E. 29thAvenue, Denver, CO 80238. A minimum of35,000 papers are printed. The paper isdistributed during the first week of each month.www.StapletonDenver.com (select PRESS)

EDITOR: Tom Gleason 303-382-1800ADVERTISING: 303.526.1969DESIGN & LAYOUT: Carol Roberts, FinePrintPHOTOGRAPHY: Steve Larson, FinePrintEMAIL: FrontPorch@StapletonDenver.com

2

Every TuesdayAA Open Discussion MeetingBladium 7:30pm[Joe Mc at 303.912.7075]

Third TuesdayStapleton Business Assoc. 8amCall for location[Stapleton Foundation 303.393.7700]

Third TuesdayStapleton Cultural Arts Committee6 - 7pm Coral Room

First WednesdayWesterly Creek PTA Mtg 6:30 - 7:30pmWesterly Creek Elementary School[303.322.5877]

First Wednesday“1stWednesdays”Home-based businesses[Check StapletonLife.com for time &place—most meetings 11:30am - 1pm]

Second Wednesday(odd numbered months only)S.U.N.Transportation Meeting3126 Elmira Ct 6:30 - 8:30pm[Paul Frohardt stapletonneighbors@msn.com]

Third WednesdayNew Resident Orientation Meeting,7:00pm[Call Jenifer Graham at 720-249-5104for time and location]

Third ThursdayStapleton Citizens Advisory Board MtgStapleton Development Corp (SDC)7350 East 29th Ave. 7:30 – 9am[SDC 303.393.7700]

Fourth ThursdaySUN Board Meeting at 7:00pmStapleton Development Corp,large conference room7350 E. 29th Ave.[stapletonneighbors@msn.com]

�

EVERY MONTH

EVERY MONTHFirst SaturdayBluff Lake BirdersBluff Lake Nature Center 7 – 9am[BluffLakeNatureCenter.org303.468.3240]

Second SaturdayNE Denver/Park Hill MS Self-Helpand Peer Support GroupPauline Robinson Library 10:15-11:45am5575 E 33rd Avenue[Paula Sussman 303.813.6691]

Tuesday, Jan 9thDenver Public Schoolsregistration opens for 2007-2008,First choice round through Feb. 28th[See school deadlines box on pg.4]

Monday, Jan 22ndDenver School of Science & TechnologyCompleted applications due for 2007-2008. Only accepting incoming 9thgraders. [303-320-5570]

Wednesday, Feb 21stThe Odyssey SchoolDeadline for lottery.[See school deadlines box on pg. 4][Contact 303-316-3944]

Saturday, Feb 24thWesterly Creek AuctionEvening, time tbdRoberts Building[Contact Melissa at 720-424-2640]

End of AprilSpring FestivalFounder’s Green, date tbd

EVERY MONTH

CA L ENDARMark You r

FOR S TAP L E TON EVEN T S

SUBMIT YOUR PHOTOSof scenes that portray life at Stapleton for the FrontPorch calendar. Email to carol@fineprintco.com..

JANUARY

FEBRUARY

APRIL

Enjoying the blizzard: Nathaniel Duda Bowen,middle is Luke Duda Bowen, and front isEthan Epperson. Photos by Kathy Epperson

CarolinePurdomplays inthe snow.

3

the photo of a smiling Eisenhower sitting ina wheel chair on one of the hospital’s out-side porches was finally beamed around theglobe, the free world breathed easier. Alto-gether, President Eisenhower spent sevenweeks at Fitzsimons, slowly regaining hishealth and resuming his duties as president.One year later, the president’s plane toucheddown at nearby Stapleton Field as the popu-lar leader known as “Ike” returned to thankthe men and women of Fitzsimons who hadsaved his life and nursed him back tohealth.

Fitzsimons History(continued from page 1)

President Eisenhower’s room at Fitzsimons, where he spent seven weeks slowly regaining hishealth and resuming his duties as president, has been restored to the way it looked when he wasthere in 1955.

Building 500 at Fitzsimons, where Eisenhowerstayed, was dedicated in 1941 and almostimmediately began receivingWWII casualties.

Fitzsimons was named in honor of Lt.William Fitzsimons, one of the first fourAmericans killed inWorldWar I.

President Franklin Roosevelt visited Fitzsimons in1936 and was impressed by the facilities and theenthusiasm of the staff and local residents.

Westerly CreekStudents Help SetGuinness RecordThird graders atWesterly Creek ElementarySchool participate in an attempt to set theGuinness record for the most people readingaloud simultaneously in multiple locations.Kids from all over the world began readingthe same passage from Charlotte’sWeb byE.B.White at exactly 10 am Denver time onDecember 13.The effort was apparentlysuccessful, with 547,826 readers in 28countries, but has to be authenticated byGuinness officials.The event was inconjunction with the opening of the newmovie version of Charlotte’sWeb.Third gradeteacher Andrea Johnson organized the eventatWesterly Creek. Pictured in the foregroundare, left to right, Halley Arnold, SuzuWarrior,and MirandaWhitney.

Photos from Fitzsimons Army Medical Center:The Life and History 1918-1996

Originally known as Army General Hospi-tal 21 when it opened in October 1918, themedical facility was renamed by the UnitedStates War Department Fitzsimons GeneralHospital in honor of Lieutenant William T.Fitzsimons, a United States Army officer whois considered one of the first four Americanskilled in World War I. Lt. Fitzsimons waskilled in a German air raid on September 4,1917 when bombs fell on Base Hospital No. 5near Dannes-Camiers in Pas-de-Calais, France.

Construction on a new hospital at Fitzsi-mons (the main building known today asBuilding 500) began in 1939. The hospitalwas dedicated in December 1941, the samemonth the United States entered World WarII, and almost immediately began receivingwar casualties. Fitzsimons was also the site ofa prisoner of war camp for Italian and “anti-Nazi” Germans, but reportedly few Japaneseprisoners.

Later renamed Fitzsimons Army Hospital,the facility also served as an important treat-ment center for wounded from the Koreanand Viet Nam wars, including freed Americanprisoners of war. In the early 1990s, Fitzsi-mons personnel were deployed as part ofOperation Desert Shield. When it was “de-activated” on June 8, 1996 as part of theDepartment of Defense Base Realignmentand Closure program, Fitzsimons ArmyMedical Center had proudly served thenation for nearly 80 years.Editor’s Note: Information for this article hasbeen drawn from “Fitzsimons Army MedicalCenter: The Life and History 1918-1996”which was produced by the Public AffairsOffice of Fitzsimons Army Medical Center.

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By Jon Pushkin, APRSage Public Relations Group

Not long ago, Fitzsimons was seen as merely a goodplace for bioscience innovations to germinate.Once viable, the companies and the innovations

likely grew elsewhere.Not anymore.Linking arms with an experienced bioscience park

developer Forest City, the Fitzsimons RedevelopmentAuthority has taken a big step to ensure that youngcompanies with bioscience breakthroughs can take root andgrow to maturity without ever leaving Fitzsimons.

Making sure that facilities in the bioscience park keepgrowing to stay apace of the needs of companies based atFitzsimons, the Fitzsimons Redevelopment Authorityrecently entered into a 30-year partnership with Forest CityEnterprises to develop the $2 billion, 160-acre biosciencepark on the site of the old Fitzsimons Army Medical Centerin Aurora.

The bioscience park shares the Fitzsimons site with theUniversity of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Universityof Colorado Hospital and The Children’s Hospital. A newVeterans Administration Hospital is also in the plans.Officials from Fitzsimons, Forest City and the City ofAurora envision a unique atmosphere that will create tens ofthousands of jobs and make a compelling case for bioscience

companies from around the globe to relocate to Fitzsimons.“We’re very excited,” said Aurora Mayor Ed Tauer.

“Fitzsimons is a once-in-a-generation chance to help ourfamilies and bring excellent jobs to our city.”

Founded in 1921, Cleveland-based Forest City is an $8billion company that is no stranger to life sciences. FromUniversity Park at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology,to Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, to similar projects in Chicagoand Philadelphia, Forest City has been developing premierbiotech parks for more than twenty years. Each is connectedto a major research university in an environment that featuressignificant green space, public common areas and amenitiesdesigned to promote social interaction and healthy lifestyles.

The area to be developed is six times larger than the MITproject, so it is no wonder that John Lehigh, Chief OperatingOfficer of Forest City Fitzsimons, sees opportunity aroundevery corner.

“It will take patience and vision because it will happenover time in a planned way, but we are enthusiastic about thelong-term opportunities here,” said Lehigh. “We will leveragethe unique concentration of research facilities and talent atthe University of Colorado and Children’s Hospital to attractcompatible life sciences companies that will develop newtreatments and therapies for a wide range of conditions. Wewill create energy around a town center. As each step bringsnew growth, Fitzsimons will become the valuable asset that

everyone expects.”Lehigh noted that the nearby Forest City Stapleton

development, with a projected 12,000 homes andapartments by 2020, should provide the perfect complementto Fitzsimons, where bioscience park employees can livejust a short bike ride from work.

Jill Sikora Farnham, Executive Director of the FitzsimonsRedevelopment Authority (FRA), said the selection of ForestCity was based on its extensive experience developing lifesciences facilities and its commitment to the area throughits Stapleton project.

“Forest City brings three critical things to the Fitzsimonsproject — long-term capital, extensive contacts, andspecialized experience,” said Farnham. “It is a truepartnership. Our goals remain aligned and we share inthe vision and the success of the development.”

FRA is responsible for on-going oversight andcoordination. It will approve every parcel of land to bedeveloped, as well as master planning and design guidelines.FRA and Forest City will jointly market the project andcollaborate to liaison with the University.

“This deal will allow the bioscience park to fulfill itspotential,” Farnham continued. “We expect significantdevelopment in the next 10 years, but it is still a long termproposition. Full development of the park could potentiallytake as many as 20 years.”

Forest City and Fitzsimons Redevelopment Authority Partnership

New Two Billion Dollar Development Will Give GrowingBioscience Companies at Fitzsimons a Place to Put Down Roots

160-AcreBioscience Park

School RegistrationDeadlines

StapletonHot Spot

School EventsOdyssey School Open House9am on Jan. 11 and Feb. 76:30pm on Jan. 30 and Feb. 20[Contact 303-316-3944]

Westerly Creek AuctionSaturday, Feb 24thEvening, time tbdRoberts Building[Contact Melissa at 720-424-2640]

Free wireless internet will be availablein mid to late January in the outdoorcommon spaces of the East 29thAvenue Town Center and Founders'Green to residents and visitors. Thewireless service pops up on your laptopwhen it starts up, and a screenfeaturing StapletonOnline.com willappear automatically. This newwireless service is available to currentStapletonOnline.com users free ofcharge. Visitors to Stapleton may signup to use the wireless service as a visitorwhen the StapletonOnline.comhomepage appears on their computerscreen. For questions about the newwireless service, please emailinfo@StapletonDenver.com.

Tuesday, Jan 9th – Feb. 28thFirst round choice registration for all DPS schools

Tuesday, Jan 9thWesterly Creek ElementaryRegistration opens for 2007-2008303-322-5877, 720-424-2640 (Roberts)

Monday, Jan 22ndDenver School of Science & TechnologyCompleted applications due for 2007-2008.Only accepting incoming 9th graders.[303-320-5570]

Wednesday, Feb 21stDeadline for The Odyssey School lottery

Wednesday, Feb 28thWesterly Creek ElementaryFirst round choice registration ends[Contact Melissa at 720-424-2640]

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Planned Forest City/FRA Bioscience Park

Bioscience Park Center

Bioscience East

The Children’s Hospital

Tinted area on the map denotesthe Anschutz Medical Campus/University of Colorado at DenverHealth Sciences Center

Univ. of Colo. Hospital AnschutzCenters for Advanced Medicine

Univ. of Colo. Hospital Center forDependency,Addiction andRehabilitation (CeDAR)

Rocky Mountain Lions Eye Institute

Barbara Davis Center forChildhood Diabetes

Nighthorse Campbell NativeHealth Building

School of Dentistry’s LazzaraCenter for Oral-Facial Health

Vincent and Shirley Fulginiti Pavilionfor Ethics and Humanities

Building 500

Healthy Smiles Clinic

Perinatal Research Facility

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PERSPECTIVES ON BASEMENT RENOVATION

Q&A with a ContractorGregg Schulman of Affordable Home Services is the ownerof a local design and construction company that specializesin finishing basements. Gregg started his business when hisfamily moved to Stapleton in May of 2003. While most ofhis work is in basement finishing,his company also provideslandscape design and construction,custom decks and patios, andother home improvement projects.Most of his clients live inStapleton and Lowry.

What sort of timeline shouldpeople expect when finishingtheir basements?It typically takes 8 weeks fromstart to finish for most basements.Some projects take up to 10 weeksdepending on more customfinishing like built-ins, bars, etc.

What sort of process do you recommend?For any construction project, the more planning thebetter. I recommend that people go through a thoroughprocess of identifying their unique needs for the space, aswell as looking ahead to determine how the space mightevolve over time. I recommend having a drawing that isused as a blueprint; and I would suggest using an architectif the scope of the project warrants it.

Do you have general recommendations for folks regardingelements to include in a basement or level of finish?Create the space so that flows with the rest of the house.You don’t want to think of the space as “the basement” –often you’re adding 33% to the space of the house. The

elements included reflect theneeds of each individual, butit is always good to thinkabout which elements willadd a greater value over timesuch as bedrooms andbathrooms.

What are some of the bestbasements you’ve seen?Those that are warm,inviting, and open and thatreally flow from the upstairs.You can always tell theprojects that had solidplanning up-front and used

high quality materials. Special elements include play spacesfor kids that are super unique and family rooms thatintegrate some of today’s great technology, like a hometheater and lights that automatically turn on and off whenyou enter or leave the room.

What are some of the worst mistakes people make withtheir basement?Not getting reliable references from current clients and

going to see the work of the contractor they are hiring.Paying too much. Not planning and not having a detaileddrawing that thoroughly covers the entire scope of theproject.

Should people make remodeling changes to their mainfloor when they do their basement as part of thinkingthrough their use of space in their home?Absolutely. This is a great time to tackle other projects fora few reasons: 1) the sub-contractors are already in thehouse so they are more likely to give discounts, 2) thedisruption to the house will be lessened if it’s coordinatedwith the basement, and 3) many times you need access tobasement ceiling space and crawl space for upstairsprojects. Once the basement is finished, that is no longeran option.

Do basement projects require permits?It makes absolutely no sense to complete a majorconstruction project and not obtain the necessary permitsfrom the city. The process of permitting is not at alldaunting and will give the home owner an extra level ofprotection. Most of the issues related to inspections are foryour safety and to maintain the integrity of the buildingprocess. If your house burned down because of faultyelectrical work done by an unlicensed electrician with nopermit, your insurance company may decline a claim basedon that.To reach Gregg Schulman call 720-318-7933 or email

gregg@affordablehomeservices.com.

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303-296-1188

Gregg Schulman in his basement officewith his son Jake playing in the background.

Editor’s Note: This is the first of what we expect will be a periodic series onbasements. We encourage readers to email FrontPorch@fineprintco.com toshare your basement finishing experiences with the many households who

are pondering such a project. In this issue we feature commentsfrom a contractor and from an architect, along with twohomeowners’ descriptions of their basement renovation projects.

6

By Diane GordonBasements can be wonderful additional finished space, andmany Stapleton residents are choosing to finish theirbasements. But many homeowners do not know where tobegin in planning. So they call contractors initially for bidswithout having a design in place. This causes twoproblems: first, it is impossible to get “apples to apples”bids without details up front, and second, designopportunities are being missed.

Without a design, contractors bid off of very basicinformation. The result will be different types of bidswhich makes it difficult for a homeowner to compare bids.The first type is a contingency bid with a flat price for allwork, but the price will be high due to the assumption ofrisk for unknown factors and inevitable changes. Thesecond type is a low bid, which will seem great at first butwill often include only basic finishes and fixtures, leadingto costly change orders later.

Design alternatives should be explored before thebuilding process begins. There are always elements thatcannot be changed in a basement, such as columns orductwork, but they can be incorporated into the design asdeliberate-looking elements. I like to surround a room withsoffits for a coffered ceiling effect rather than simply box ina long run of ductwork. Structural columns can often behidden in walls or camouflaged by built-ins. Architecturaldetails from the main floor can be repeated to tie the wholehouse together. Clever storage areas can be carved out ofoddly shaped spaces.

Once the best possible layout is decided upon, theproject goes out to bid. I suggest having a bid set with anexisting floor plan, new floor plan, electrical and lightingplans, elevations of any walls with important details (suchas built-ins or special soffit treatments), and as manymaterials specifications as possible. Then all contractors bidoff of the same set of drawings, and this enables them toprovide much more accurate bids. Homeowners can makeeducated decisions when hiring, and the finished space willbe well thought out and flow with the rest of the house.

Good luck with your basement project!

Diane Gordon, M. Arch., is a Stapletonresident and provides basement space planningservices, as well as interior services such asmaterial upgrades, built-in design and colorconsulting. She may be reached at303.355.5666 or denvergordons@msn.com.

Above: Clever storage and utility areas can becarved out of oddly shaped spaces.

Above: There are always elements that cannot be changed in a basement,but they can be incorporated into the design as deliberate lookingelements, such as the beams in the guest bedroom.

Right:The Gordons’ basement renovationfeatures a large family room that picks uparchitectural details from the main floor totie the house together.

Diane Gordon, M.Arch.

An Architect Talks about the Importance of Design

7

What first started out as a long term goal for Kathy Duda andSteve Bowen – finishing their basement – quickly became theirimmediate goal when they found out they were pregnant withtheir fourth boy. Kathy describes their experience:

“Steve started putting together floor plans that incorporated acozy family room, one bedroom, a bathroom, and a craft room.We both felt that the bedroom needed to be a space that could beboth private and also open to public use when necessary.

It took us several attempts to get the layout right, and once wehad it, we were ready to find a contractor who was willing toembrace our creative efforts as well as work with our budgetconstraints. As always, fate seemed to intercede and we foundJames Ripley. He not only encouraged our creativity throughoutthe process, but enhanced it as well.

I always knew that I wanted to do something funky and fun,rather than a traditional reflection of the house upstairs. I wantedthe space to feel unique, both modern and old. I wanted it to bebright, cheery, and warm. I had a vision of a kid friendly spacethat could quickly be converted into a wine tasting room.

My initial design inspiration came (continued on page 11)

Kathy Duda, with sons Nathaniel, 8, and Luke, 4, enjoy the bright,cheery and warm feeling they created for their basement.Therecycled doors (below) hang on sliding tracks they found at ahardware store in Greeley.The bright green craft room featureshand decorated light fixtures.

A Homeowner’s Design Goals: “Funky and Fun”

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“We wanted our basement to feel like part of the home and not like a basement. Toaccomplish this, we knocked out the two solid walls going down the stairs and addedrailing that matches the railing going upstairs so it didn’t feel like you were going downinto a basement. Then we continued with the same carpeting and paint colors.

We added a small bedroom and a 3/4 bath with tile that matches the upstairsbathrooms. We put a door from the bathroom into the utility room where the furnace

and water heater are, so the door does not show from themain room and allows for a solid wall that makes thespace seem larger. We added a wet bar on an angle in thecorner, with glass cabinet doors a fridge and a microwave.We built a fireplace on an angle in the opposite cornerand put a free standing bar in front of the wet bar withsome unique lighting.

We had all the stereo speakers built in and wired tothe main system, added a piano and some comfortablefurniture and now have a great basement with plenty ofopen space, so it does not feel crowded and really doesn’tfeel like a basement.”Craig Roberts and Chuck Bihum

Removing the walls of the stairwell helped create an open and spacious feel upon entering thebasement.The bar and the fireplace built diagonally across opposite corners and unique lightingcreate a dramatic and sophisticated look. Using the same color palette and carpet as the mainfloor furthers the effect that the basement is a continuation of the house, and does not feel like abasement. Below: Homeowner Craig Roberts sits at the piano in his remodeled basement.

A Basement that Looks like a Home – Not a Basement

9

male party then pulled from the control of OfficerSimon and she attempted to control his movementaway from her. Officer Simon radioed for additional

assistance by officers and this party thenswung his fist at Officer Simon. OfficerSimon attempted to take the party into

custody and this individual then ranaway from the scene. Officer Simonpursued this party and caught theparty and took control of him onthe ground. This party continuedto fight with Officer Simon, whilehe was on the ground and at thistime Officer Keita and OfficerHollis arrived on the scene and

the three officers were able to placethe suspect under control and incustody.The District Two Top Cop Com-

mittee is very proud of Officer Simon and rec-ognizes the dangers faced on a daily basis by theofficers of the Denver Police Department as theypatrol in our neighborhoods. We thank them fortheir efforts and recognize the excellent work theydo each and every day.

10

Online Consumer Safety Tips from the Denver Police Department

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Character’s SportsBar & Grill (at theDoubletree Denver)

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Noodles and CompanyPanera BreadRadisson Hotel,Quebec’s Bistro

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MISC. RETAIL

Visit www.StapletonDenver.comto see the deals and discounts offered

by these Stapleton merchants.

RESTAURANTS

Purchase your Club Card at the Visitor Center,7480 E. 29th Avenue, 303-355-9600. Present yourResident Pool ID/Stapleton Club Card for discountsat these businesses. Offers may change monthly.

The Top Committee for District Two ispleased to announce the selection of OfficerAngela Simon #05109 as the Top Cop for

District Two for November 2006.On 11-23-06, Officer Simon received

a radio call on a male party possiblyusing narcotics. The male was stand-ing near a convenience store and wasstanding near a pay telephone. Offi-cer Simon arrived on the scene andobserved a party matching thedescription given by the com-plainant standing outside of thestore. Officer Simon approachedthis individual and he immediatelytook an item from his mouth, andplaced it in his pocket. OfficerSimon ordered the party to removehis hands from his pocket, and hebecame hostile and verbally offensive. OfficerSimon attempted to conduct a pat down search ofthe individual for her safety, and he was instructedto turn around and interlace his fingers behind hisback. The male party complied with this request andOfficer Simon began to search this individual. The

comparisons and then, compare “apples to apples” Factorshipping and handling into the total cost of the order.Then, stack these costs against your budget and needs.

Pay by credit or charge card. Do not send cash under anycircumstances. If you pay by credit or charge card online,your transaction will be protected by the Fair Credit BillingAct. Under this law, you have the right to dispute chargesunder certain circumstances and temporarily withholdpayment while the creditor is investigating. In the eventyour credit or charge card is used without your knowledgeand permission, you generally are liable for no more than$50 in charges per transaction. Many companies do nothold consumers responsible for any unauthorized chargesmade online and some card issuers may provide additionalwarranty, return and purchase protection benefits.

Check out the terms of the deal, like refund policies anddelivery dates. Can you return the item for a full refund? Ifyou return it, who pays the shipping costs or restockingfees. Check on when you can expect to receive your order.The law requires sellers to ship items as promised or within30 days after the order date if no specific date is promised.Can the recipient return your gift? If so, ask that a giftreceipt be included in the package.

Keep a paper trail. Print and save the records of youronline transactions, including the product description andprice, the online receipt, and copies of any email youexchange with the seller. Read your credit card statementsas you receive them to be on the lookout for anyunauthorized charges.

Don’t email your financial information Email is not a secure

Top Cop Named for November

Thinking about shopping online? It’s no secret thatbrowsing and buying online can save you time,money, and effort. The Federal Trade Commission

(FTC) the nation’s consumer protection agency and thetechnology industry recently launched Onguard Online, acampaign to help consumers integrate online safety in totheir daily online routines. The agency says thatconsumers who take a few precautions when they areonline can help minimize the chances of a mishap. Amongthe tips from OnGuardOnline.gov are:

Know who you’re dealing with. Anyone can set up shoponline. Confirm an online seller’s physical address andphone number in case you need to get in touch withthem. If you get an email or pop-up message from theseller while you’re browsing that asks for financialinformation, don’t reply or click on the link in themessage. Legitimate companies don’t ask for thisinformation via e-mail or pop-ups.

Read between the lines. Read the seller’s description ofthe product closely, especially the fine print. Words like,“refurbished”, “vintage”, or “close-out” may indicate thatthe product is in less than mint condition, name branditems with “too good to be true” prices could becounterfeits.

Calculate the costs. Check out websites that offer price

method of transmitting financial or personal informationlike your credit card, checking account, or Social Securitynumber. If you begin a transaction and want to provide yourfinancial information through an organization’s website, lookfor indicators that the site is secure, like a lock icon on thebrowser’s status bar or a URL, for a website that begins“https”(the “s stands for secure”). Unfortunately, noindicator is foolproof; some fraudulent sites have forgedsecurity icons.

Check a company’s privacy policy before doing business. Itshould let you know what personal information the websiteoperators are collecting, why and how they are going to useit. If you can’t find a privacy policy-or if you can’tunderstand it-consider taking your business to another sitethat’s more security conscious and customer friendly.

The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent,deceptive, and unfair business practices in the marketplaceand to provide information to help consumers spot, stop,and avoid them. To file a complaint or to get freeinformation on consumer issues visit www.ftc.gov or call tollfree 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) TTY 1-866-653-4261. The FTC enters Internet , telemarketing, identitytheft, and other fraud-related complainants into ConsumerSentinel, a secure, online database available to hundreds ofcivil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. andabroad.

For further crime prevention tips and techniques pleasefeel free to contact your Community Resource OfficersTechnician Michael Rappe at 720-913-1095 and TechnicianReyes Trujillo at 720-913-1094

By Shirley Amore, Denver City Librarian

The Denver Public Library’s history is asrich as any story I’ve ever read. Sincearriving in Denver from Sarasota, Fl.

in June, it’s been my honor to become betteracquainted with thetraditions of theLibrary, and tobegin working withthe staff and com-munity to continueshaping its future.

With nearly 70percent of Denverresidents holding aDenver PublicLibrary card, and

nearly 4 million physical visitors and 37 mil-lion online transactions, it’s clear that ourlibrary system is a beloved and trusted com-munity resource. Looking forward, the visionwe hold is for an expanded library system witha community presence in the emerging Staple-ton community as well as points east and west.Building on solid foundations, deliveringexcellent customer service, promoting literacyand enhancing community partnerships andrelationships are goals at the forefront of ourwork.

The Denver Public Library of the futurewill empower customers by:• Delivering information in real-time

City Librarian Shares a Vision for the Future• Creating environments for 21st-Century

learning• Promoting literacy for readers of all ages

and abilities• Providing materials in a wide variety of

formats, to support all learning styles• Providing expertise for in-depth research• Providing a community gathering space

Additionally, the future Denver PublicLibrary will offer strong, dynamic collections,educational and entertainment programs,wireless computers and access to state-of-theart functionality such as downloadable con-tent from music to feature films.

Denver Public Library customers definethe content and depth of our collections. It isour tradition to respond to changing use pat-terns and the evolving needs of the people ofDenver. In adapting to those needs, four newdistinctive styles of library service haveemerged:• Contemporary Library• Learning and Language Library• Family Library• Children’s Library

The emphasis of each library style inten-tionally differs from the package of servicesoffered at other locations. We believe this tar-geted approach to library service delivery willdraw current customers and new customersto the environment that best meets theirneeds for one visit or a lifetime of visits.

While the focus of the future library serv-ing the Stapleton community is yet to bedefined, we’re eager to explore with the com-munity its needs, and to tailor library servicesto the tastes of Stapleton residents. Already,we can envision developing collectionsaddressing lifelong learning needs, children,families, professionals and healthy lifestyleinterests.Denver Public Library Online:www.denverlibrary.org

The notion of the Internet-induced deathof the American public library is unfounded.In simple terms, the Internet has transformedour business, enabling us to deliver servicesnever before imagined, and with award-win-ning success! In 2006 the Denver PublicLibrary received a top technology award forour innovative Web site, and won the Col-orado Association of Libraries Web Site of theYear for our Web sites for children and teens.In addition, activity at www.denverlibrary.orgincreased 20 percent this year reaching morethan 37 million online transactions. In thearea of technology, increasingly popular ser-vices include accessing the Internet, borrow-ing from a worldwide network of Library col-lections, online chats with a reference librari-an at any time of the day, listening to pod-casts of children’s stories, and downloadingbooks, films and music from our extensiveelectronic collections.

from Vain Salon. I loved their acid washed concrete floors. A friendinspired us further by donating a bunch of beautiful, old, solid wood doors. Then we startedgoing to Bud’s Warehouse, where we were able to find a lot of eclectic high quality materialsat a fraction of the normal cost.

James encouraged us to be as involved as we wanted with the project. Many nights werespent staining doors and floorboards. It took Steve several months to finish the tile work inthe bathroom. I have to admit there were also a few nights of lost sleep, contemplatingwhether our ideas might be too eclectic. This was definitely one of the largest and mostexpensive “craft” projects we had ever undertaken.

The fact that we had several months to finish the project helped relieve some of our stress.The toughest and messiest piece of the project was the dry walling, but with a crew of fivepeople it was quickly and professionally completed over a three day period. However, thedust…COUGH! The project started in December of 2005 and was successfully completedin April.Kathy Duda and Steve Bowen

Shirley Amore

(continued from page 7)

Basements: Funky and Fun

What’s nextThe Denver Public Library continues to

look to the community for support. InNovember, the Library made a proposal tothe City’s Infrastructure Priorities TaskForce for $70.1 million to provide for thecapital infrastructure needs of existinglibraries and to build three new libraries inStapleton, Green Valley Ranch and WestDenver. The Cultural Facilities Sub-Com-mittee has completed its deliberations andgiven the Library projects a high priority.The next step is a review of all City projectsby an Executive Committee. The Mayorand City Council will review recommenda-tions and decide on how best to bring theoverall request to the voters.

Additionally, the New Year brings to theLibrary an invigorated General Fundoperating budget. Several opportunities aremade possible with the additional funding;the most outwardly visible of the comingchanges will include an increase in ourhours of service at the following locations:Denver Central Library, Bear Valley BranchLibrary, Montbello Branch Library,University Hills Branch Library, WoodburyBranch Library and Westwood BranchLibrary. For a complete list of Libraryhours, log on to www.denverlibrary.org orstop by your favorite Denver Public Librarylocation.

Jack Kerouac’s first musical collaborator,composer, conductor and multi-instrumen-talist David Amram performs on January5th at the Denver Public Library in a seriesof events about the novel, its author and thewriters and artists they inspired.The centrallibrary will exhibit the original 120-footscroll upon which Jack Kerouac wrote hisfirst typewritten draft of the classic Ameri-can novel On The Road. It will be the firstexhibit to tell the story of On The Road andJack Kerouac's relationship to the city ofDenver and Denver native Neal Cassady,Kerouac's close friend and traveling partner,as well as the real life inspiration for DeanMoriarty, the hero of On The Road.

On Jan. 7th Amram will perform a specialtribute to his friend the late Hunter S.Thompson, a novelist and journalist deeplyinfluenced by Kerouac's work and who madehis home in Woody Creek, Colorado.Amram will be joined by Juan, Will andAnita Thompson, Hunter's son, grandson andwidow and will do a special encore perfor-mance of his poem Kentucky Southern Gen-tleman, as well as his rendition My Old Ken-tucky Home, which in the summer of 2005,he performed at Thompson's Memorial Ser-vice in Aspen with actor Johnny Depp. Theseand other programs are part of Fresh City Lifeprogramming. For more information visithttp://denverlibrary.org/programs/fresh/index.html.

Left to right - Larry Rivers, Jack Kerouac, David Amram,Allen Ginsberg, Gregory Corso(with back to camera) gather during the filming of “Pull My Daisy.” Photo credit: John Cohen

11

On the RoadKerouac’s Original Manuscript Comes to Denver

Natalie Robbins303.320.77528139 E. 29th Ave., Denver, CO 80238

Randy Leslie303.377.75572206 Kearney, Denver, CO 80207

12

A Closer Look — Kerry O’ConnellConstruction Executive for M.A. Mortenson

In his role as Construction Executive forM. A. Mortenson, the companyoverseeing the construction of

infrastructure at Stapleton for the ParkCreek Metropolitan District, KerryO’Connell is literally responsible for layingthe foundation for one of the nation’s mostambitious urban developments.

A native of Golden, Colorado, Kerryreceived a degree in ConstructionManagement from Colorado StateUniversity in 1979. After spending the firstten years of his career working for smallerconstruction firms, he joined Mortenson in1990. Among the projects he has workedon for Mortenson are Coors Field, the PepsiCenter and Concourse B at DenverInternational Airport.

Kerry believes his role at Stapletoninvolves more than just being a builder, itrequires “being a neighbor.” Thatcooperative spirit has won praise from officials atBluff Lake Nature Center and the Sand CreekGreenway who have applauded Kerry’s willingness toschedule work when possible to reduce detours thatlimit the public’s access to Stapleton’s open spaceamenities during construction. Kerry’s philosophyreflects the civic spirit of his employers at Mortensonwho also pride themselves on being good neighbors

as they have donated materials and labor to rebuild theplaygrounds of four local elementary schools and worked onother projects to benefit the community.

One of Kerry O’Connell’s personal priorities is tointroduce more young people to the rewarding aspects of acareer in the construction industry. He has been a supporterof the ACE (Architecture/Construction/Engineering) mentorprogram of Colorado for youth. He also donates his time as a

speaker for the Colorado Coalitionfor Patient Safety, which works tocreate a safer environment in thenation’s hospitals and other medicalfacilities. Kerry became interested inthat cause following a personalexperience in which he survived astaph infection after beinghospitalized for an injury suffered inworking around his home.

Kerry and his wife Anne, who runsa clothing store in Evergreen, havebeen married 27 years and have fivechildren: Brian is serving with theUnited States Army in Iraq, Adam isan assistant manager with OakleySunglasses in San Francisco, Eric ismajoring in drug and alcoholcounseling at Metropolitan StateCollege and Nicholas and Katie areattending high school and middle

school school, respectively, in Conifer.When asked what he would like to be doing five

to ten years from now, Kerry replies that he wouldlike to be promoting business development forMortenson and continuing his work to encourageyoung people to consider careers in construction.

“I have too many kids to even considerretirement,” he adds with a laugh.

Winners in a drawing for eleven reconditioned bikes given away by the Recycle Bicycles Programincluded (from front to back at left) Thomas Mudge, 7, Elliot Anderson, 8, and Seamus Peart, 7.At right is Odyssey physical education teacher Chad Harman, who ran the event.

The Stapleton Area Transportation ManagementAssociation, in partnership with Recycle Bicycles, hascreated the Bike, Walk & Roll program to promoteand support the use of alternative transportationoptions to and from school including bicycling,roller-skating, skateboarding and walking. One ofthe highlights of the program was a drawing forrecycled bicycles. Winners of the bikes also receive ahelmet and lock. Philips, Ashley and the Odysseyschools also received a bicycle pump.

Kerry O’Connell

Stapleton TMA and Recycle BicyclesOdyssey School’s Bike, Walk & Roll Project

Photo by Steve Groer

13

“Forever Free - Abraham Lincoln’sJourney to Emancipation.” The AuroraPublic Library, in cooperation with theAurora History Museum, presentsLincoln’s transformation into “The GreatEmancipator” through this AmericanLibrary Association (ALA) travelingexhibit for all ages. This is the exhibit’sonly Colorado stop on its seven-year tourof the United States. Admission is free.The Aurora History Museum is located at15051 E. Alameda Pkwy. Dates are:Jan. 7th through Feb. 24th. Exhibit hoursare: Tuesday-Friday, 9 am-4 pm; Saturday& Sunday, 11 am- 4 pm. This exhibitionwas made possible by grants from theNational Endowment for the Humanitiesand the Abraham Lincoln BicentennialCommission, created by Congress to planthe national celebration of Lincoln’s 200thbirthday. The public is invited to theOpening Reception on Jan. 7th at 2 p.m.for refreshments and a presentation byJohn Voehl as Abraham Lincoln.

This exhibit reexamines PresidentLincoln’s thoughts about slaverythroughout his political career and theconditions that led to the EmancipationProclamation and features reproductionsof rare historical documents, periodphotographs, and engravings, lithographs,and political ephemera. Sections of theexhibition focus on: young Lincoln’sAmerica, the House Dividing, war for theUnion, the Emancipation Proclamation,the Role of Black Soldiers in the CivilWar, & the Final Months of the Civil War.

Other activitiesat the AuroraHistoryMuseumwill include:Movies at 11amevery Saturdayfrom Jan. 6ththrough Feb. 17th (appropriate for ages 12to adult). This series of highly acclaimedmovies is directed by Ken Burns. Subjectsinclude conflicts between the Union andStates’ rights, the EmancipationProclamation, the Battle of Gettysburg,Lincoln’s presidential campaign, Lee’ssurrender at Appomattox, and concludingon Feb 17th with The Better Angels of ourNature-1865, in which Lincoln dies fivedays after victory.Civil War Crafts & Toys for ages 7-12Civil War Photography for ages 8 to adulton Jan. 21st from 2-3:30 pmAngel of the Rockies for ages 8 to Adult onJan. 28th from 2-3:30 pm. This programfeatures Aunt Clara Brown, anex-slave who came to Colorado in 1859,showing her life and lifelong search for herfamily, who were sold away from her inthe years preceding the Civil War.

Numerous free activities are alsoscheduled for both adults and youth atvarious libraries, including Abe Lincolnstepping briefly into the 21st century tospeak to visitors and craft activities forchildren.For details, visit www.auroralibrary.org,or call 303-739-6600.

Denver Botanic Gardens

January Events18th Annual Blossoms Of LightNightly through Jan. 21, 2007.One million colorful lights draped inelegant designs will illuminate the plantsand trees on a new path throughout theGardens. The exhibit features romanticand popular kissing spots and the popularHoloSpex glasses, which magicallytransform the lights into shimmering 3-Dsnowflakes. New features include giantwaterlily sculptures that will illuminate theMonet Garden Horseshoe Pool and LEDlighting.

Additionally, some of the 26 sculpturesfrom the Living Bronze Sculptures by

Robert Wick exhibit will be lighted & willincorporate seasonal plantings. Each nightincludes seasonal entertainment, and warmdrinks & snacks are available at numerousfood stations throughout the path.

Ticket prices: Adults $8, Children $6.Members receive $2 off admission.Time: 6-9 p.m. Denver Botanic Gardens islocated at 1005 York Street in Denver,Colorado. Visit www.botanicgardens.orgor call 720-865-3500 for moreinformation.

Jan. 7th through Feb. 24th

Aurora History Museum

Over twenty of Aurora’s art teachers willdisplay ceramics, paintings, photographsand other media at Downtown AuroraVisual Arts (DAVA) Gallery at 1405Florence St. in Aurora. The opening of the6th annual show of teachers’ artworks willbe Friday Jan. 19th 2007 from 4 to 8 pm.“The aim of art educators in creating

their own art is to increase theirunderstanding of the creative process and tosupport why people make and love art. Withour hectic lives, many of these artworks are a

labor of love. We always have the need todeepen the mystery of life.”-Beverly Baldwin, Aurora Hills MiddleSchool, exhibition coordinator.

The exhibit offers youth anopportunity to think about teaching as acareer choice, and it gives the entirecommunity an opportunity to celebratearts & education. The exhibit reinforcesconnections between DAVA’s art programsand arts programs in local public schools.The free exhibit will be open to the publicfrom January 18th to February 16th,2007, from 11 am to 5 pm, Monday toFriday or by appointment.

Downtown Aurora Visual Arts is anonprofit arts organization whose missionis to strengthen the community throughthe arts with youth as its primary focus.For more information about ourprograms, visit www.davarts.org , callDAVA at 303 367 5886, or emaildavagallery@qwest.net

Jan. 18th – Feb 16th

Aurora Public Schools ArtEducators’ Exhibit at DAVA

Jan. 13th 2-4pm.“Back to ‘Cleanin’ - Remembering Memphis!”Presented by the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.Colorado Holiday Commission. Meet at theMLK Memorial statue in City Park and thegroup will form teams to clean up themarade route to Civic Center Park. Theproject honors the sanitation workers ofMemphis and makes a statement to Denverabout the greater purpose of the MLK, Jr.Commission. Participants receive acommemorative T-shirt to wear at Monday’sMarade. Call Jacqui Shumway at 303-744-7676 by Tuesday, Jan 9th, so we can plan forenough shirts and supplies.

Following the event, from 4:30 - 7:00pm, a reception for all afternoon participantsis being scheduled with Dr. Derek King, Dr.Martin Luther King, Jr.’s nephew.

Jan. 13th, from 10:00 am - 1:00 pm,Marshals Training will be held at the District2 Denver Police Station, 39th & Holly.Lunch will be provided. All marshals areencouraged to attend the “Back to ‘Cleanin’– Remembering Memphis!” event beginningat 2:00 pm. Call Vern Howard at 720-971-1329.

Monday, Jan 15th, 2007 Marade,“Perseverance, Character, Hope!”Presented by the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.Colorado Holiday Commission.This year’s annual event will honor the“Little Rock Nine” with its theme of“Perseverance, Character, Hope!”Entertainment will feature area youth.School Board Presidents from districts in thegreater metropolitan Denver area have beeninvited to lead this year’s event. Dr. MartinLuther King, Jr.’s nephew., Dr. Derek King,Sr. will be this year’s keynote speaker andone of the marade marshals, along withMayor John Hickenlooper and Governor BillRitter (invited.) The event will featureadditional musical celebration as songbirdsand drummers along the route will beencouraging participants to sing and danceas they make their way down East Colfax toCivic Center Park. (Anyone wishing to be asongleader, please contact Jacqui Shumwayat 303-744-7676.)

The festivities will begin shortly before10 am at the MLK Memorial in City Parkand organizers plan a step-off time of 10:45am. Please be a part of this civil rightscelebration by carrying signs that express thisyear’s hopeful message and by contributingto the collection for “The Stone of Hope” -the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial inWashington, D.C.

Park Hill Walking ClubThe Club meets every morning at Park HillUnited Methodist Church at 7:30 am totake a walk around our historicneighborhood. Walks will generally be short(1 to 2 miles) at first and lengthen as thegroup chooses. The group has an addedfeature of Qi-Gong stretching and warm-upbefore starting and will always have a localbusiness destination. This EWAP group(Exercise With A Purpose) and will focus ongetting in shape for the 5K (3.2 mile) marchand parade (marade) on Martin Luther KingDay. To join the group or help coordinateother walking times, call Jacqui Shumway at303-377-5882. Walkers meet at the Glencoeparking lot at Park Hill UM Church, 5209Montview Blvd.

Martin Luther King Events

Denver Schoolof the ArtsAIDA –

All-School PlayJanuary 25, 26, 27 (Cast 1)February 1,2,3 (Cast 2)

DSA Schomp Theatre @ 7:00pmTickets go on sale on 1/9/07Call 720-424-1713 for tickets

starting January 9th.Located at Montview and Quebec

Jan. 15th is an SCFD-sponsoredFREE Day for Colorado residents

at the Botanic Gardens

THE ART OF URBAN LIVING

14

Information of interest from local real estate professionals

Real Estate Corner

Moving On Up!

Temple MicahCommunity Outreach Programs

7341 E. 29th Ave., Denver 80238

303-316-7701

All cuts $10Up to 4 people (Expires 2-1-07)

Everybody’s a kid!Coffee hour special1/2 price cut – 1/2 price colorMon. - Fri. 9 - 11:30 am (Expires 2-1-07)

shampoo included

So, you just found out thatthe dream home you pur-chased is going to face a pileof construction dirt for thenext 3 years.

How come no one evertold you that the street youlive on was going to be oneof the busiest thoroughfaresin Stapleton?

The builder originally told you thatyour picturesque views would not beobstructed; now, the neighbor’s kid’s tele-scope is pointing at your bedroom window.

These are just a few of the dilemmasthat residents often run into at Stapleton.

Often times with new development,there are many questions that a buildercannot answer simply because the masterdeveloper has not yet decided what pur-pose the vacant land will serve. If you findyourself faced with this predicament don’tbe discouraged, you have options! In fact, amajority of the for-sale signs in Stapletonare residents who have decided to move upin Stapleton.

If you are thinking that moving up maybe right for you, here are some things toconsider on your next purchase:

Increasing Size and StyleMoving up will offer you the chance to

add space that is more conducive to theway your family lives. It will also allow youto choose the features and upgrades thatyour current house may not offer.

Saving Time and MoneyOften times using the same realtor to

sell your house as to purchase a new onecan save you money on both the sale andthe purchase. Using a well educated Staple-ton realtor can save you from the pitfalls ofanother bad location, or a house that doesnot fit your needs. Unlike realtors, buildersdo not have the advantage of showing youhouses other than their own product.Therefore, they rely on realtors to presentyou, their clients, will all the possibilities

that Stapleton has to offer. Theyattract realtors participation bykeeping them updated with theircurrent inventory and the incen-tives they are offering.

Often buyers feel they willsave money by going directly tothe builder. This is just not true.The compensation given by abuilder to a realtor is a recog-

nized fee that has no impact on the finalcost of your new home. In addition, it isalso a great idea to have someone actingas an advocate for your needs. As accom-modating as the builders or builder’sagents may seem, they are still acting as asellers agent with product to be sold.

Finding Off-Season StealsWhen real estate enters the slower sea-

son, the bargains begin to surface forbuyers. However, as the weather warmsup these unbelievable incentives may dis-appear. Similarly, selling your house inthe off-season can be an advantage to sell-ers as you will not have to compete withthe increased number of houses that areon the market in the summer months.Appreciating the ImportantRoles of ParksThe parks at Stapleton will increase thenumber of parks in Denver by 25%, andwith backyards becoming smaller, thelocation of your house may be crucial inretaining the value of your investment.Some of the best homes in Denver are sit-uated within walking distance of a majorpark. Perhaps now is the time to look atthe housing that will be situated to theNorth of the new Central Park!

These are just a few things to considerif you are thinking of a change, but don’twant to leave beautiful Stapleton!Jon Mauck is a Realtor with Dardano &

Associates INC.Metro Brokers located inthe East 29th Avenue Town Center at Sta-pleton. He can be reached at 303-246-3953.

Jon Mauck

Blood DriveHelp others by giving blood. A Blood Drive,sponsored jointly by Temple Micah and ParkHill Congregational Church, takes placefrom 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 7 at2600 Leyden St., Denver, where bothcongregations share space. Bonfils BloodCenter will park a bus near the building. Tofind out more or to schedule anappointment, prospective donors can reachHoward Belon, chair of the Social ActionCommittee at socialaction@micahdenver.orgor through the temple office, 303-388-4239.

Soup-Cook-off to Support Habitat for HumanityThis volunteer opportunity coincides withother social action efforts planned that day.Temple Micah congregants and anyoneinterested are invited to roll up sleeves in thekitchen in preparation for a Soup-Cook-offat 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 27 at 860 ElmSt. to raise funds for Habitat for Humanityhome-building.

Lifelong Learning OpportunitiesEducational opportunities in life-longJewish learning, under the tutelage ofRabbi Adam Morris, open to the greaterDenver community. Kolel/Adult Studyprograms start at 9:00 a.m. at TempleMicah, directly before 10:00 a.m.Shabbat services on 2nd and 4thSaturdays of a month. A Kolel class onJan. 13 will explore Ethical Issues—Everyone’s Right?: Assisted Suicide. Theconversation turns to other Ethical Issues— Them or Us: AnimalExperimentation on Jan. 27, Kosher $$:Capitalism vs. Compassion on Feb. 10and Wild Card: To Be Determined byCurrent Events on Feb. 24. TempleMicah’s Sunday Shiur meets at 9:15 a.m.For more information, contact theTemple Micah office, 303-388-4239,email office@micahdenver.org or visitwww.micahdenver.org.

The University of Colorado Hospital’s AF Williams Family MedicineCenter is now open at 3055 Roslyn across from Walgreens in Stapleton’sEast 29th Avenue Town Center, according to Dr. David Graham,

medical director of the facility.Dr. Graham said the clinic opened in late November with an emphasis on

full array of family medical services providing pediatric and full adult care,including geriatric care. The women’s health services include prenatal anddelivery care. A physical therapy clinic is scheduled to open early this month,

A staff of 36 physicians, which includes residents in training for familymedicine, and more than 20 registered nurses and medical assistants areavailable to serve patients of the center. Call 720-848-9000 for information, toschedule appointments or arrange for a tour.

AF Williams Family ClinicNow Open in Town Center

AFWilliams Family Clinic in Stapleton’s East 29th Ave.Town Center

2007 StapletonCommunityBudget Ratifiedby DelegatesThe Stapleton communitydelegates met on November 8, 2006 to discuss the upcom-ing 2007 community budget for Stapleton. Keven Burnett,MCA Executive Director, presented in detail the operationaland reserve budgets for 2007. The budgets will be based onthe current community assessment level of $31.65 perhousehold per month. Given the continued growth of theStapleton community, it is anticipated that this assessmentlevy will generate $1,545,531 in assessment revenue for thecommunity. Assessments revenue accounts for 75% of theannual community budget. Total revenue anticipated for2007 is $2,054,715.

The Community budget must fund the maintenanceand operation of developed infrastructure within the Staple-ton Community that is not supported through the City andCounty of Denver. These facilities include communitypools, neighborhood parks, landscaped medians, towngreens and plazas, pedestrian lighting and communityevents.

The largest single expense category for the community isthe operation and staffing of the two community pools.Together they account for 16% of the annual budget. TheFiling 15 pool is not reflected on this year’s budget due tothe planned opening date scheduled for Memorial Dayweekend 2008. We hope to see construction completed onthe playground portion of the pool area by mid-summer2007.

The Stapleton MCA will be moving into its permanent

facility sometime inlate spring 2007. Thenew space will accom-modate the MCAExecutive Directorand staff as well asthe Stapleton “Com-munity Room,” a 900square-foot meeting

facility designed for Stapleton community groups toreserve and use for a variety of functions.

The Stapleton MCA continues to take on greaterresponsibilities for the community events. The 2007events budget accounts for a continued menu of commu-nity concerts, movies, markets and festivals. We will beannouncing the complete summer schedule in late spring.Event information will be located and updated on both ofthe Stapleton websites: www.stapletononline.com andwww.stapletoncommunity.com.

As a means of keeping the community fiscally strong,the MCA will continue to fund both the community feefund as well as the neighborhood reserve fund, allocating$335,586 to future projects and repairs.

The Community Delegates have ratified the 2007budget as presented and have sent it to the MCA Execu-tive Board with their support to pass it as presented.

The MCA Executive Board Met on November 16,2006 and unanimously passed the 2007 operational bud-get.

For more information on MCA activities, events andgovernance please go to one of the community websiteswww.stapletononline.com orwww.stapletoncommunity.comKeven Burnett is the Stapleton MCA Executive Director.

He can be reached at the MCA office by phone at 303-388-0724 or by email at kburnett@stapletoncommunity.com

M.C.A. News

15

An interactive exhibit featuring a little-known butcritical wetlands habitat is on display throughFebruary 15 in the Visitor Center at the Rocky

Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge.Called “Playas…Gems of the Plains,” the traveling

exhibit describes playalakes and theirimportance to wildlife,especially birds.Visitors can watch adocumentary and thenlisten to bird calls andother sounds of theplayas through anelectronic kiosk. Theexhibit includes 20educational panels andhands-on games andactivities. The freedisplay is open tovisitors every Saturdayand Sunday from 7:30a.m. to 4 p.m.

Considered one ofthe most importantwetland habitat types for birds, playa lakes are clay-lineddepressions in the landscape that fill and drain with waterafter it rains or snows. Playas are home to diverse plantspecies, which produce seeds for waterfowl and otheranimals to eat. More than 200 bird species use playas duringthe breeding, wintering and migration seasons.

Although playa lakes are unfamiliar to most people, morethan 60,000 of them are found in the Great Plains region,which includes Colorado, New Mexico, Nebraska, Kansas,Oklahoma and Texas. Playas have attracted large grazinganimals and hunters throughout history, and they also serveas the primary recharge source for the largest groundwater

system in North America.“Although we don’t have any playas at the refuge, they

can certainly be seen throughout Colorado,” saidSupervisory Park Ranger Sherry James of the U.S. Fish andWildlife Service. “The exhibit gives people an opportunity to

learn about thishabitat type and itsimportance towildlife.”

The award-winning exhibit wasdeveloped by theNorthwest TexasMuseum Associationand has beentraveling throughoutthe Great Plainsregion since 2003.The exhibit wasfunded in part bythe Playa LakesJoint Venture, whichthe U.S. Fish &Wildlife Servicesupports.

Since roughly 90 percent of playas are found on privateproperty, educating landowners and citizens about theimportance of conserving these wetland areas is a majorpriority of the Playa Lakes Joint Venture, which hasproduced online educational materials and kids activitiesthat can be found at www.pljv.org.

After viewing the exhibit, visitors can join free guidedtram tour or enjoy hiking along miles of trails at the refuge.To find out more about the exhibit and other natureprograms and activities at the refuge, call 303-289-0930, orvisit the refuge online atwww.fws.gov/rockymountainarsenal.

Stapleton’s Neighbor

Free Exhibit at Refuge Sheds Light on Playa LakesU.S. Home to 96 Percent of Critical Wetlands Habitat Type

Students study information about wetlands habitats

16

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agencyrecognized six Denver area companies for their leadershipin Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) at E-Star Colorado’sENERGY STAR Summit. Four of the six companieshave strong ties to Stapleton. The Stapleton EPA IAQLeadership Award winners included New Town Builders,McStain Neighborhoods, EnergyLogic and LightlyTreading. EnergyLogic and Lightly Treading are homeenergy rating companies that work closely with Stapletonbuilders to provide third-party verification of energyperformance.

These leading Colorado companies are the first in thecountry to participate in EPA’s new voluntary IAQinitiative, which labels each ENERGY STAR qualifiednew home that includes EPA recommended features forreducing risks of IAQ problems and related health risks.Americans are increasingly concerned about air qualityinside their homes. Asthma, allergies, mold, carbonmonoxide and volatile chemicals are just a few of theseconcerns the new IAQ label addresses. For moreinformation on the ENERGY STAR IAQ program visitwww.energystar.gov/homes.

Stapleton Builders and RatersWin Indoor Air Quality Awards

E-Star Colorado, a statewide non-profit that promotesenergy efficiency in housing, together with U.S.Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR forHomes program, presented the 2006 New MillenniumENERGY STAR Builder Awards to this year’s winninghomebuilders during the first annual ENERGY STARSummit on December 4th, 2006. The winners of the NewMillennium awards havedesigned, constructed, andmarketed top quality, high-performing homes judged tobe some of the best in the state.

Harvard Communities wasawarded the prestigious NewRising Star Builder award forthe Denver Metro area. Theaward is given to the Coloradohome builder who shows themost improvement andcommitment to buildingenergy efficient, high-performance homes. Theaward presentation notedHarvard’s exceptionally energy efficient homes, theircommitment to the rigorous testing of every home theybuild, as well as their on-going commitment to takingenergy efficiency to even higher levels. “We have beenbuilding ENERGY STAR homes for several years,” John

Keith, President of Harvard Communities, said “and wecontinue to improve the energy efficiency of our homeswith our current homes exceeding ENERGY STAR standardsby more than 50 percent.”

New Town Builders, who won the New Rising StarBuilder award in 2005, was recognized this year as theProduction Builder of the year for building high-

performance market-rate homes inthe Denver Metro area. Thesehomes exceed the energyrequirements of ENERGY STARand demonstrate a whole-house or“systems” approach to increasingenergy efficiency in the home.

Now in its sixth year, the NewMillennium ENERGY STARBuilder Awards recognize andcelebrate Colorado home buildersand contractors who demonstratea clear understanding of thepositive effects of energy-efficientconstruction on their businesses,homeowners, and the state

economy. The awards program is intended to show thebuilding industry the benefits and advantages ofconstructing highly energy-efficient homes. The awardsalso help consumers identify Colorado’s leading energy-efficient homebuilders.

As part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005home builders are eligible for a $2,000tax credit for a new energy efficient

home that achieves 50% energy savings forheating and cooling over the 2004 Internation-al Energy Conservation Code (IECC) with atleast 1/5 of the energy savings coming frombuilding envelope improvements. To meet thetax credit requirement, builders must gobeyond the requirements for ENERGY STAR.

New Town Builders has spent the last yearcreating new plans and specifications toincrease the energy efficiency, comfort, indoorair quality, and durability of their homes,which already qualify for ENERGY STAR.New Town’s goal was to increase the value andcomfort of their homes for their buyers, andwas pleasantly surprised to find out that thechanges they made also qualified them for thenew federal energy tax credit. “By meeting thisrequirement we are now able to provide thisimproved product to our customers at an evengreater value,” said Bill Rectanus, BuildingSystems and Technology Manager for NewTown. “So far we have met the tax creditrequirements on two of our homes inStapleton and we expect to achieve theincreased level of energy efficiency required forthe tax credit on many of our future homes.”

The homes that have met the requirement forthe tax credit are two of New Town’s new modelhomes, located at 10108 and 10168 28th Ave.

(Left to right): Doug Bauman, Kurt Darrow, Mike Stude,John Keith and Jim Florea

Sustainability: Stapleton Builders Recognized

Harvard & New Town Win New Millennium ENERGY STAR Builder Awards

New Town Builders Rewardedfor Increasing Energy Efficiency

17

Sustainable New Years ResolutionsThe beginning of the year is often a

time when people reflect on pastaccomplishments and set some goals

for the year ahead. One of the goals of thesustainability program at Stapleton is tofocus on the practical ways to make sustain-ability easy to do for anyone. For example,our New Leaf and New Leaf for Kids publi-cations demonstrate simple steps anyone cantake each month to incorporate more sus-tainable actions into daily life.

It’s important to understand the bigpicture when we are making changes to ourdaily habits. The time for debate aboutmany environmental issues is over – whatactions each of us will take is now thequestion. For example, while some mightstill debate global warming, climate changeis definitely happening. All we have to do islook in our own backyard to the mountainsand observe the shrinking ski season to seethe impact of adding carbon dioxideemissions to the atmosphere.

Although we try to make sustainabilityeasy to incorporate into each day,sometimes it is necessary to exert someeffort. A recent example has to do withrecycling. Denver Recycles received multiplecomplaints when it switched from recyclingbins to recycling carts. Complaints wereabout the carts themselves and the locationof pick-up – with pick-up locations in thestreet and in the alley both generatingcriticism! The big picture is that since theCity of Denver switched from bins to cartsDenver residents are recycling 24% morematerials. Keeping these materials out ofour landfills is great!

Life is busy with families, jobs & activities,but it is also important to think about ourimpact on the environment. Sometimes it isgoing to require a little extra effort, but that’sokay. In the larger scheme of things it isworth it…especially when you look aroundat all of the children at Stapleton and thinkabout the impact on future generations.

Winter Tree Care TipsWhile many of us have put our gardeninggloves away for the season, it is importantto keep an eye out for your trees during thecolder months. Follow these tips below tohelp preserve your trees this winter:

When to water - During prolonged dryperiods in the fall and winter (October -March), water one to two times per month.Water only when the temperature is above40 degrees and no snow cover exists.

Water deeply and slowly - Apply water so itmoistens the soil in the critical root zone toa depth of 12 inches. The critical root zoneis also called the dripline, which is the termgiven to the area under a tree where it shedsrain or irrigation water. If you visualize anumbrella in the rain, the area where the rainfalls to the ground would be the dripline.Methods for watering include a deep rootfork or needle, soaker hose or soft spraywand. Apply water to many locations underthe dripline. If a deep root fork or needle isused, insert the device no deeper than eightinches into the soil.

Tree roots are not like carrots - Tree rootsystems can spread two to three times widerthan the height of the tree. Most of thetree’s absorbing roots are in the top twelveinches of the soil. Water should be appliedwithin the dripline.

How much water to apply - To assure survivalof the tree, apply 10 gallons of water foreach inch of the tree’s diameter. Forexample, a two-inch diameter tree will need20 gallons per watering. Use a ruler tomeasure your tree’s diameter.

Mulch helps retain soil moisture - Mulch iscritical to conserve soil moisture. Applyorganic mulch within the dripline, at adepth of four inches. It’s best to eliminateturf prior to adding mulch. Leave a six-inchspace between the mulch and trunk of trees.Mulch materials may include wood chips,bark, leaves and evergreen needles.

Moisture is needed to avoid disease - Stressedtrees are more vulnerable to disease andinsect infestations and branch dieback.Keep a watchful eye for anything that looksout of the ordinary.

For specific guidelines on how long towater depending on your chosen wateringdevice and the size of your trees, look forthe Save our Shade brochure on DenverWater’s website at www.denverwater.org.

Denver Residents ChallengedTo Recycle More In 2007

Mayor John Hickenlooper’s “Green-print Denver Initiative” has challengedDenver residents to increase recycling in2007 by 50 percent. With your participa-tion and involvement, you can help us tonot only meet this challenge but exceed it!

Three big changes have beenimplemented during the past year and ahalf. Conversion to the new larger,wheeled recycling carts has beencompleted, seven new acceptablerecyclables have been added to theprogram and no more sorting of materialsis required by residents. You and manyother residents have welcomed thesechanges and results are evident in theincrease in tonnages collected andnumber of new residents signing up forservice. This is a great start, but there isstill more to be done.

Challenge 1: Increase Recycling ParticipationIf you’re not already signed up forrecycling, join today. If you are signed upfor recycling, get your neighbors andfriends to sign up too. There are threesimple ways to sign up for recyclingservices: Call 3-1-1,Online at denvergov.org/DenverRecycles,E-mail us at denverrecycles@ci.denver.co.us

Whichever method you choose, you’llneed to provide your name, address andphone number and we’ll take care of therest. There is no charge to participate inthe recycling program. Once signed up,

we’ll deliver a recycling cart to you in about3 to 6 weeks along with all the informationyou need to get started.

Challenge 2: Increase Amount RecycledMake sure you are recycling all of theseitems as you can:

• Corrugated cardboard• Magazines & catalogs• Paperboard (cereal boxes, paper towel

rolls, etc.)• Junk mail• Phone books• Steel cans & empty aerosol cans• Brown paper bags• Plastic bottles• Office paper• Glass bottles & jars• Aluminum cans, aluminum foil and

pie tins• Newspapers

Also, make sure you are not contaminatingyour recyclables with unacceptable items.

NO Plastic bagsNO Plastic tubs or traysNO Paper milk, juice or ice cream cartonsNO GarbageNO Styrofoam

For more information about DenverRecycles programs call 3-1-1 or visit uson-line atwww.DenverGov.org/DenverRecycles.

Sustainability at Stapletonby Melissa KnottDirector of Sustainability for Forest City Stapleton, Inc.

Quality TimeHappy New Year to everyone! The hustle and bustle of the holiday season is finallyover, the relatives are all back to their homes, and our lives are almost back tonormal. I hope your 2006 was as rewarding as ours; we set lots of goals and we didour best to reach them. As we look forward to a brand new year we are all thinkingand writing of new things we’ll do and new ways to do it. These things, often called“resolutions” tend to dissipate about March of every year. As a family, one of thegoals we set every year is to spend more “quality time” with our children. But whatexactly is “quality time?” Is it watching television with our children, or is it playingball or reading a book together? “Quality time” is when you and your child are ableto have a learning experience together.

This learning experience could come from learning to play an instrumenttogether, to gardening, taking an art class, skiing, dancing or many other activities.As adults we sometimes think that buying things for our children is all we need todo to show them we care. But if you ask most kids to tell you about something thatmade them happy, they will usually describe an experience in their lives, not the toysand McDonald’s we bought them. As parents, if we work on finding things we cando with our children, then those golden memories they describe will be things theydid with us. What an impact we would have on raising our children if we allallowed ourselves to not just live our lives through watching them, but join in onlearning new things together!

In our profession, we see this quality time in watching some of our families takemartial arts classes together. They have the opportunity to make mistakes together,encourage each other, assist each other, laugh together and watch each other grow.As each family member’s skills, confidence and self-esteem grow, their relationshipsgrow. In learning a life long skill together, they are gathering memories that willnever be forgotten, memories that are priceless, unlike the toy we bought for them 3weeks ago.

As we all work hard to be successful in our endeavors, for all the financial reasonsthat are necessary, let’s not forget how important it is to share some of our time withour children. This year, 2007, let’s try and replace our “Oh I’m just too tired,” I’mtoo old for that,” I’m just too busy,” with “Hey, What if we did this together?”Realize that by giving your children this “quality time,” you are giving them thebest expression of your love they could ever have, and in the future you’ll behappy you did.Mike and Karen Giles own Mike Giles Family Karate in Stapleton’s Quebec Square

at 7505 E. 35th Avenue across from the United Air Lines Flight Training Center. Call(303) 377-KICK for more information or visit www.mikegileskarate.com.

Let It Snow“Let is snow. Let it snow. Let it snow.” Every parent has faced the situation: You’re carryingyour little one in January, and she let’s out a blood curdling scream, “Nooo!” You freeze in apanic to see what horrible creature has stabbed needles in her eyes, only to discover that shewas just really excited to see snow. She’s happy as a clam, while you need a moment to getyour heart rate down to human levels.

Snow is not only fun for kids, but it can also be educational. Making snow angels canentertain little kids until they are frozen, while also enhancing gross motor and visual-spatialskills. With older kids, talk about how many Eskimo words there are for “snow” and why.How many? Limitless. Why? Because snow is so important to them. Ask your child to lookfor the different types of snow: Anniu = falling snow; Api = ground snow; Siqoq = smoky(drifting snow); Upsik = wind beaten snow; Mapsuk = overhanging drift; Kaioglaq = sharplyetched wind eroded surface; Tumarinyiq = ripple type drift; Kimoaqtruk = snow drift; Pukak= bottom snow layer (depth hoar); Salumaroaq = smooth surface of fine particles; Natatgo-naq = rough surface of fine particles; Quinzhee = snow shelter. This promotes language skillsand multicultural awareness.

Take a pot outside and have your kids fill it to the top with snow. Bring it inside and leaveit on a table. The snow will all melt, but the water will only take up a fraction of the pot thatwas filled with snow. Why? Put the pot on the stove and bring it to a boil, until all the waterhas steamed away. Talk with your kids about the differences between solids, liquids and gases.If they freeze the water instead of boiling it, does it become snow again or merely ice? Canthey apply the same experiment to other things, like ice cream?

For older kids, conduct the same activity with a thermometer. Teach them how to read it,and have them use it outside and inside. Decide jointly at what temperature they need towear their heavy coats and gloves, and when they can sport lighter jackets. See how much thetemperature changes from the first light in the morning to the middle of the day, when thesun is the brightest. These activities are entertaining for the kids, but they are also learningproblem-skills, planning, daily living and scientific thinking skills.

Parents have hundreds of these “teachable moment” opportunities everyday with theirkids. Some are obvious, and some take a bit of explanation. Now, thanks to incredibleresearch and efforts by Civitas, the Ad Council and United Way of America, these BornLearning Techniques are available to parents in simple forms. Nationally, they are promotingthe Born Learning concept through public service announcements and a wonderful website:bornlearning.org. Here in Colorado, Mile High United Way, Anna Jo Haynes of Mile HighMontessori, the Children’s Museum and others have partnered to spread the Born Learningconcept in our community.Tom Downey is the Executive Director of the Children’s Museum of Denver,

(tomd@cmdenver.org). He lives at Stapleton with his wife, Lori Fox, and daughtersCate and Ella.

Dr. Brian Tseng, a board-certifiedpediatric neurologist at Children’sHospital, won’t be moving to the newfacility at Fitzsimons until it is finishedin late 2007, but he knows the precisedistance from his Stapleton residence(2.2 miles) because he already runs orrides his bike to a research lab atFitzsimons where he hopes to developnew treatments to slow the progress of

Muscular Dystrophy in children. Dr.Tseng’s research, funded by the NationalInstitutes of Health, Children’s Hospitaland private sources, focuses on youngboys who are vulnerable to a particularlydevastating and too often deadly strain ofthe disease.

Brian and his wife Cindy, akindergarten teacher at Westerly CreekElementary School, have two children,

Greg (11) and Anna (7). Brian received hismedical degree from the University ofTexas at Houston and a Ph.D. in molecularbiology from MD Anderson CancerCenter, also in Houston. Cindy was fourtimes an All American swimmer at theUniversity of California at Berkley and anOlympic finalist. The couple lived inCongress Park before moving to Stapletonthree years ago.

Faces of Fitzsimons

As part of

our ongoing

series about

Fitzsimons, the

Front Porch

will profile

residents of

the Greater

Stapleton area

who work at

Fitzsimons.

Please email

FrontPorch@

fineprintco.co

to suggest

people for

this series.

Brian Tseng, M.D., Ph.D.

18

Dr. Brian Tseng, a pediatric neurologist who has a Ph.D. in molecular biology, poses for a family portrait with his wifeCindy, aWesterly Creek Elementary school teacher, their children Anna, 7, and Greg, 11, along with their pet turtles.

Family Kicksby Mike and Karen GilesMike Giles Family Karate

A Little Bit of Clean Up Goes a Long WayGoing to the mail box the other night after work, I stepped onto the grass and into amess – someone was rude enough not to clean up after their dog. Aside from thestink on my shoes and irritation at a lazy pet owner, as a veterinarian, I automaticallythink of the risk of parasites and zoonotic diseases. In a community full of children,taking the effort to clean up goes a long way towards protecting their health as wellas that of our pets.

Picking up after your pet is not only hygienic, lawful and courteous, but alsohelps to keep the soil free of parasites such as roundworms and hookworms. Theseparasites are potentially zoonotic to humans, meaning that they are transmissibleunder natural conditions from animals to humans, in this case via feces and risk oforal-fecal contamination or via the skin, called cutaneous larval migrans. Childrendue to their play habits are at higher risk of infection than adults.

Prevention of worms can be achieved with good personal hygiene, goodenvironmental hygiene by cleaning up waste on walks and in the back yard,elimination of intestinal parasites in pets with regular deworming and makingpotentially contaminated areas, such as uncovered sand boxes off limits to children.

We and the Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC) recommend treatingpuppies and kittens prophylactically to prevent latent infections, fecal examinationstwo to four times a year, using year-round heartworm/intestinal parasite medicationsin dogs and enforcement of leash and “pooper scooper” laws. Additionally, cleaningup pet feces promptly and regularly to remove potentially infective eggs before theybecome disseminated into the environment via rain, insects or the active migrationof the larvae.

Feces can also transmit other parasites such Giardia, a very common single celledorganism that can cause diarrhea in both people and animals. It can also betransmitted via contaminated water. The same principals of prevention apply as forintestinal worms, but also it helps to prevent your dog from drinking frompotentially contaminated water sources – puddles, reservoirs, streams and canals.Giardia is very treatable with medications.

So, pet owners, please grab your bags on the way out the door and clean up afteryour pets. There’s no place so isolated that you can be sure that your pet’s wasteproducts would not put another animal at risk of catching something or someperson at risk of stepping in a noxious surprise. And, make sure to ask yourveterinarian what would be the best means of prevention of intestinal parasites foryour pet.Dr. Smith’s clinic, The 29th Ave. Animal Hospital, is located in the East 29th Ave.

Town Center at Stapleton in the courtyard next to Fantastic Sams. Call 303.394.3937for more information.

Vegetarian Meal IdeasSo here we are again. It’s January. We’re broke, two pounds overweight, and still craving evenmore chocolate. What’s needed is a resolution that won’t be too painful to keep. I have asuggestion. Every family should have at least one vegetarian meal that they enjoy and eat on aregular basis. Meat is expensive for your pocketbook and the planet. It is often high in fatand cholesterol and it crowds out healthier food on your plate. Most dietary guidelinesrecommend only four ounces per day and most Americans eat much more than that. Yeah, Iknow, it tastes really good and when you want a hamburger, steak, or roast chicken nothingelse will do. But sometimes you don’t have a specific craving and you don’t need a heavy meal.So here are some suggestions to get you started:

Tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwichCheese and crackers and applesPasta with marinara or pesto sauceA frittata, omelet, or other egg casseroleButternut squash risotto

As you can see, there are a lot of things you can do that don’t involve tofu or veggie burgers.(I have to confess that I don’t like beans so you’re on your own with those recipes.) Here is arecipe for a hearty vegetable stew that is flavored with bacon (and beer!) but otherwise meatfree. It takes a little time to put together but is worth the effort. The combination ofvegetables can be changed but it tastes best with a variety. I usually serve this with just a loafof bread but a green salad is nice too.

Carbonnade of Root Vegetables, serves 66 slices of bacon, diced3 medium onions, diced1 teaspoon dried thyme11/2 tbsp. Balsamic vinegar2 medium turnips, peeled and cubed1 small rutabaga, peeled and cubed1 small butternut squash, peeled and cubed2 medium red potatoes, scrubbed and cubed3 medium carrots, peeled and

cut in 1 inch lengths

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large dutch oven, cook the bacon over mediumheat until it is crisp. Drain off all but 3 tablespoons of the fat. Add the onions andthyme and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are very soft and begin to color,10 to 12 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon vinegar and stir up any browned bits from thebottom of the pan. Add the remaining vegetables and the flour to the pot, stirring so theflour dissolves. Stir in the beer, brown sugar, salt, nutmeg and pepper. Cover, transfer tooven, and bake 45 to 55 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Stir in the mustard,parsley, and remaining 1/2 tablespoon of vinegar. Serve sprinkled with cheese.

Susan Gamble describes herself as an enthusiastic amateur who has cooked tasty and nutritiousmeals for her family every day for many years. She is a Park Hill resident who has children ages 3and 5. She can be reached at susanandpark@mac.com.

www.SellStapleton.com(The Name Says It All)

Vegetable stir-fry and riceVegetarian pizzaQuesadillasFalafel

2 Tbsp flour1 cup beer, preferably ale1 1/2 tsp. brown sugar1 tsp salt1/4 tsp nutmeg1/2 tsp black pepper1 teaspoon Dijon mustard1/4 cup minced parsley1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

aplace foryouWe’re saving a place for you atSt. Matthew Lutheran Church.No matter your age, where you come from,or who you are, there is a place for you.

You’ll meet friendlypeople, eager towelcome you!

SundayMornings9:00 a.m.

St. Matthew Lutheran ChurchBarb Martens, Pastor16th & Havana Street

303-366-1373

at Stapleton

Not many people know that when Melissa Feigwas an undergraduate student at Ithaca Collegein New York, she played college rugby forCornell University. Ithaca did not have a rugbyprogram and because Melissa was determined toplay the sport, she secured permission to playfor the Cornell rugby team.

Today, the Stapleton resident brings the samepersonal determination to another “team effort”in her role as the administrator for theDepartment of Radiation Oncology for theUniversity of Colorado Health Sciences Centerat Fitzsimons. For the past six and a half years,she has worked to help CU provide the bestcare for cancer patients as she oversees budgets

and finance, human resources and other keyelements of her department.

Melissa moved to Stapleton in April of2006 after deciding that it was the kind ofneighborhood in which she wanted to raiseher 15-month-old son, Max. The QueensNew York native says she appreciates acommunity in which she can get to knowher neighbors.

Melissa enjoys riding her bike, snow-boarding, playing golf and just spendingtime with her son. While she finds Col-orado almost the perfect place to live, theeast coast native admits she misses the beachand is “still looking for the ocean!”

Melissa Feig, MBA, MSHA

Melissa Feig, administrator of the Department of Radiation Oncology, describes the functions ofthe CAT scan machine behind her, which is used to find abnormalities in the body and assist inprocedures by helping to accurately guide the placement of instruments or treatments.

Good Foodfor Good Healthby Susan Gamble

19

From the Stapleton 80238

To reach SUN, please email stapletonneighbors@msn.com

Views on theTell us about your Newones that didn’t work,

Abby ReynoldsCaroline, 6, Gordon, 18 months, Annie, 3

“My New Year's Resolutions are pretty simple: tospend quality time with my family, to exercise andstay healthy, and to be the best person I can be.When I set a resolution or goal I find that it is mosthelpful to focus on very specific things. Whether thegoal is to meet my friends to exercise in the morningthree times a week, or to read to my children everynight - the best thing to do is be specific with yourgoals and to share them with family and friends sothat they can help you meet your goals.”

20

Westerly/Stapleton Foundation/SUN Tutoring Program Starts Strong– More Volunteers Needed!While the new tutoring program being organized byWesterly Creek and co-sponsored by the StapletonFoundation and SUN is off to a strong start, additionalvolunteer tutors are always needed. The program is focusedon improving student achievement levels in grades 4-7. Thistutoring program is a very important educational initiativein our community, and volunteers are key to its success. Ifyou are interested in volunteering, please contact BernardDouthit at 303-355-3324 or Bernard.Douthit@trizetto.com.

SUN Holiday Gift Drive forMercy Housing a SuccessSUN reached its goal of fulfilling the wish lists of the 31Parkside residents whose holiday wish lists would otherwisego unfulfilled. SUN hopes to get the word out early andoften in 2007 to broaden community involvement in thiskind of philanthropic activity.

Denver Facing PressingInfrastructure NeedsSpecial from the DenverInfrastructure Task ForceMarilyn Miller of the Denver Infrastructure Task Forceaddressed the November SUN Board meeting, providing facts,figures, and background on the Task Force’s work and takingquestions and input about capital projects in the Stapleton areaand throughout the city. Potential capital needs in theStapleton area range from much-needed upgrades to the Quebectransportation corridor to a city public library. The below is anexcerpt from materials distributed by the Infrastructure TaskForce.Just as homeowners maintain and update the infrastructureof their houses, the City government must care for theinfrastructure of buildings like police stations, recreationcenters and libraries.

Currently over 110 Denverites, representingneighborhoods, businesses and nonprofit organizations areworking on committees looking at Denver’s infrastructuremaintenance needs and how to pay for them. Over 300people came to open houses in late October and earlyNovember to give the committees advice about whatmaintenance was most important and what types of

S.U.N. Meetings are open to the publicMeetings are usually the 4th Thursday of the month

in the Stapleton Development CorporationLarge Conference Room, 3rd Floor, 7350 E. 29th Ave.

financing mechanisms were possible. Go towww.denverinfrastructure.org to learn more and to giveyour input.

What is the history behind this effort?Traditionally, the City has not had a large enough

revenue stream dedicated to keeping our capital assetsmaintained. As a result, periodic “catch-up” bond issueshave been submitted to the voters to restore our capitalassets to functionally acceptable levels. In 2005, the Mayor’sInfrastructure Task Force found that Denver was deferringapproximately $25.4 million annually (in 2005 dollars) incapital maintenance needed to meet reasonable standards.

Some of the main reasons the City’s capitalmaintenance program has fallen behind are:

The City’s infrastructure has grown as Denver hasexpanded, and the dollar amounts committed to capitalmaintenance have not kept pace with this expansion of theasset stock. In addition, as we have grown, existing assetsare experiencing more concentrated use.

The main dedicated funding stream for capitalimprovements (the Occupational Privilege Tax or OPT)has remained static in nominal dollar terms and thereforethe real (inflation-adjusted) buying power of this revenuestream has actually decreased 25% over the past 20 years.

Because Denver expanded rapidly in the post-war boomof the 1950s, some of the City’s assets recently havereached or exceeded their useful life of approximately 50years and therefore need to be replaced or rehabilitated.

A citizens group of finance professionals have beenconvened to look at ways to solve this maintenanceproblem in the future. Some of the ideas being discussedare:

Change the dedicated annual capital funding sources toones that keep pace with the increasing costs ofconstruction. For example, change from the OccupationalPrivilege Tax to a set proportion of the current propertytax.

Ask the voters to approve a three mill property taxincrease to fund the gap between currently available andrequired annual capital maintenance funding.

Commit future revenue streams that result from thesunset of excise tax obligations, completion of existing taxincrement financing payments to Denver Urban RenewalAuthority, repayment of certain other obligations, andfrom non-committed revenues of the new ConventionCenter Hotel. Use these increased revenue streamsexclusively for infrastructure maintenance on an annual,on-going basis.

Add staff or contract workers to provide the capacity toinitiate (and complete where possible) annually-fundedcapital projects in the year of funding.

Invest in asset condition management data systems tokeep inventory, condition, and other data in real time, aswell as keep maintenance records and provide replacementschedules.

Every four years, update and review the City’s capitalasset inventories and condition assessments to determine if

standards are being met at the available funding level.Adjust funding goals depending on the results of thisquadrennial reassessment.

Continue to use proceeds from sale of property to fund“catch-up” capital expenditures and keep up an aggressiveasset disposition program. This could raise between$250,000 and $1,000,000 annually, on average.The goal is to allow the City to bring all asset categories upto targeted standards over the next 10 to 12 years andprovide a means to maintain them at that level with as littletax impact as possible. The Task Force welcomes yourfeedback. Please visit www.denverinfrastructure.org to jointhe discussions, and to share your ideas.

Dani Raeburn, M.D.Sutton, 8 weeks“I’m a big list maker. I kind of drive myself crazy,but if it’s on my list I’ll get it done. I want to bemore efficient if I can, and free up some brainpower! I bought a book called “Getting Things Done”by David Allen and I plan to use it to make betterlists. This book promises to free your brain. Youknow nothing will slip by because you’ve delegated atime and a place for everything.”

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Point of View

TO ADVERTISE IN THE FRONT PORCHEMAIL: FrontPorchAds@fineprintco.com CALL: 303-526-1969

VISIT: www. StapletonDenver.com (Select PRESS at the top of the page)

TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE FRONT PORCH visit website above

StreetYear’s resolutions... ones that worked,ones you’re making this year.

Lorena ReyesTina Fresquez, 11; Jasmine Fresquez, 9

Three years ago I made a New Year’s Resolution to quitsmoking and I did it. I completely quit, cold turkey andI haven’t smoked since.

Dave RansomAlex, 1

“I don’t think I believe inNew Year’s Resolutions. Imake resolutions every dayand break them. RecentlyI’ve resolved to keep moreon an even keel and not getupset and I’ve done prettywell at it.”

Letters to the Editor – The FrontPorch will publish Letters to the Editor asspace allows. We reserve the right to editlength. Please mail your letters to TomGleason, editor, The Front Porch, ForestCity Stapleton, Inc., 7351 E. 29th Ave.,Denver, CO 80238 or email:TGleason@StapletonDenver.com

Mexican Restaurant– Home of the 20” Burrito –

303-321-4711 • 3737 Quebec St

Free Margarita with purchaseof Chicken or Beef Fajitas (coupon expires 2/1/07)

FOR SALE

PIANOS, NEW FROM$2,400. Reconditionedfrom $1,495.All with war-ranty. Onofrio PianoCompany. 1332 S. Broad-way. Tony Uva, Stapletonresident for over 3 years.303-777-2636

CHILDREN'S BUSINESSFOR SALE. Buy this prof-itable business and workwith children! Retiringowner seeks entrepre-neurial buyer for turnkeyopportunity making$40K+ annually. Contactagent, Jim 303-758-4600or jjohnston@baltd.com.

COFFEE SHOP FORSALE. Profitable, staffed,quality retail shop. Sixthyear, busy location, nearbySuperWalMart openingJuly. Make $50K+ doingwhat you love! Contactagent, Jim 303-758-4600or jjohnston@baltd.com.

BABY CO'OP, looking forStapleton Moms with asingle infant to swap anafternoon or two a week.Contact megincolo@hot-mail.com.

Part-time admin and mar-keting assistance at non-profit environmental officeat Stapleton. Drafting let-ters, newsletter, pressreleases; organizing events;working with database andwebsite; filing, copying, andother general tasks. Flexi-ble hours approx20hrs/week. kkramer@sandcreekgreenway.org

ALTERATIONS BYNUNTA 20 years of expe-rience. In the neighbor-hood!Women and Men’sclothing, Bridal andEvening Gowns, Uniforms,Home Decorations (Cur-tains, Pillows, Bedding)Office: 303-317-3139; Cell:303-358-4841

ARCHITECTURALDESIGN SERVICES, one ofa kind basement design,unique playrooms and spe-cialty children’s rooms.STIX Design, LLC 303-715-9414

BASEMENT FINISHING— “Best Bang for theBuck.” 100’s of References.Licensed and Insured.BluePrint Design & Con-struction, Inc. 303-467-9400.

CARPET CLEANING/WINDOWWASHING –Stapleton Owned & Oper-ated 303-320-1297

CERTIFIED ROLFER for Sta-pleton. 25 years experience.Blends Rolfing with gentlecranial sacral and movementtechniques. No-charge con-sultative session to discussindividual needs.Appoint-ments available at Stapletonor Capitol Hill. JaneHarrington, www.harringtonrolfer.com 303-664-9024.

CONSIDERING RENTINGYOUR HOUSE/ Townhouse?Full Service Property Man-agement Company. Expert inextremely hot Stapletonmarket.Will get top $$$.Call/email Tom Cummingsfor free consultation.303-324-6988TJCMGMT@msn.com.www.StapletonForRent.com

DAVE'S PAINTING SER-VICES. Superior workman-ship, your satisfaction isguaranteed. Reasonableprices. Highest quality paintand materials. Call forfriendly consultation. Special-izing in Stapleton neighbor-hood, owner lives in Staple-ton. Call Dave at 303-909-1700.

DENVER’S RESIDENTIALPAINT SPECIALISTS Interi-or/Exterior. 12 years in Busi-ness! Neat, conscientiouscraftsmanship, color consul-tations, polite, respectful, andfully licensed/ bonded/insured crew (same crew for3 years), impeccable localStapleton references. CallJohn with Premier PaintWorks, Inc. at 303-864-9247.

FRESH COAT PAINTING.Stapleton owned.MC/Visa/AX Insured, bondedStapleton discount.www.freshcoatpainters.com303-321-2903

HOUSE CLEANING –Mature, honest, friendly,dependable. 303-671-9065

HOUSE KEEPING- 15 yearsof experience, affordablerates, free estimates andmany references. For moreinformation please contactJuana Ramos at 720-3713290

HOUSE PAINTING "Wetake the PAIN out of Paint-ing" JC's Painting & Mainte-nance, Inc. services the Den-ver Metro area with clean,neat, professional serviceand exceptional results allhomeowners appreciate. Call303-474-8882 or visit us atwww.jcspainting.com toschedule your Free in-homeestimate.

MASSAGE IN THE COM-FORT OFYOUR HOME!Relaxation, Sports Injuries,Pre/Postnatal, Stress Reduc-tion. Certified, Licensed, 22years experience. Call Ann at303-321-8324 for moreinformation.

PIANO LESSONS. Openingsavailable for all ages. Locatedin Stapleton. Paula Rundgren,602-908-0928.

CLASSIFIED ADSFOR SALE SERVICES

SERVICES

SERVICESPIANO SERVICE --Tuning,repair, reconditioning. Reg-istered Piano Technician,Member of Piano Techni-cians Guild. 28 years expe-rience serving metro Den-ver close to Park Hill andStapleton. David Nereson303 355-5770

PROFESSIONAL CLEAN-ING SERVICES. – “SizzlingSpecial” Insured, Bonded,Worker’s Comp.Afford-able, Reliable, Individual-ized Service, Commer-cial/Residential, MemberDenver BBB, Free Esti-mates, Credit CardsAccepted,Always Clean303-431-9808 www.den-verhousecleaning.com

PROPERTY MANAG-MENT for single family,townhomes and condos.Can’t sell your home,don’t want to sell at aloss, need a renter to payyour mortgage for you?Call Steve Charlett, Doc-tor Relocation,“Your OneSource for Real Estate &Property Management” at720-308-6835!

PSYCHOLOGISTACCEPTING NEWPATIENTS – Over 15years’ experience in help-ing adults of all ages witha variety of issues. Officeconveniently located twoblocks from Cherry CreekMall. Dr. Donna Rait, Suite204, 90 Madison Street,Denver, 303-842-3012.

QUALITY AFFORDABLEHANDYMAN! InsuredHandyman Servicesinclude: baby proofing,ceiling fans/light fixtures,closet organizers, assem-bly, repairs, pictures hung,fence staining, etc. No JobToo Small! Bob 720-434-3649 besthandyman@comcast.net

TURN BACKTIME. Clear,Smooth.Radiant skin.TheTimeWise system deliversanti-aging benefits you cansee. Call for free pamper-ing and product gift.Denise Zaiontz, Mary KayCosmetics 303-355-4612,www.marykay.com/dzaiontz

TUTORING! Academictutoring in all subjectareas for grades pre-K-8.Affordable one-on-onequality instruction cateredto your child's learningneeds! Visit www.staple-tontutoring.com or call303-333-4846.

BEAUTIFUL CRESCENTFLATS APARTMENTS.Contemporary urban flats,above E. 29th Town Center.1 Bedrooms from $1000, 2bedrooms from $1695.Floor-to-ceiling windows,in-suite washer/dryer. Petfriendly. Immediate occu-pancy. Enjoy all Stapleton

amenities. 1-877-768-2663.7484 E. 29th Ave. EHO.Please call for specials.

BOTANICA ONTHEGREEN APARTMENTS.Stylish condo style apart-ments by Founders Green.1 Bedrooms from $950, 2Bedrooms from $1545, 3Bedrooms from $1700.Garage, private balcony.Pet friendly. Immediateoccupancy. Enjoy all Staple-ton amenities. 1-877-768-2663. 7484 E. 29th Ave.EHO. Please call for spe-cials.

STAPLETONANDLOWRYTOWNHOMES— Homes available forrent. Have 2, 3, 4, & 5 BRproperties available bothimmediately and for future(30+ days) move-in. 303-324-6988 orTJCMGMT@msn.com.www.StapletonForRent.com

CABINS, LAND, HOMES:45 min to Breck. 1 hr. toDenver. Public lands near-by. Browse our inventoryonline or come up for acoffee! www.Jefferson-RealEstateInc.com , 800-686-0822

KIDS’ ADS

A FREE DWARF RABBIT -Comes with accessoriesand cage. If wanted orhave questions, please call303.388.2270.

KIDS TO DELIVER FLYERSin Stapleton. Call Jordan atStep By Step Flyers 303394-3531

ULTIMATE DOGWALKERCustom Scheduling. GreatRates. Stapleton Resident.Parental Supervision. Hai-ley 303.388.2270

Email classified ads tofrontporch ads@fineprintco.com by the 15th of themonth, along with name,address and phone. Desig-nate months to run ad. Besure you get a confirma-tion that the ad wasreceived with the numberto call to make credit cardpayment. Rates:15 words or less is $10.30 words or less is $18.45 words of less is $35.Kids under 18 can run adsfree.

FOR RENT

KIDS’ ADS

TO PLACEADS

WANTED REAL ESTATEFOR SALE

HELPWANTED

SERVICES

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Ron SmithKira, 2

“The most memorable NewYear’s Resolution I canremember is when we spentNew Year’s Eve in Hawaii andwe were so taken with it,lying on the beach lookingout at the ocean, that wemade a resolution to go backagain with our best friends,and we did.”

22

Holding computers with their own images, DSST Tech Crew members, left to right, bottom row:PaulWeaver, Britta Ulm; middle row: Randy Crock, Colette Lyons, Ian Clanton-Thuon, Lee Semien;back row: Derek Ewald,Will Harris, George Till, and DSST Director of Technology, Mark Inglis.

The students at Denver School of Science and Technology always have someone available tohelp when they have a computer problem — the Tech Crew.This bunch of computer savvy kids,headed by Marc Inglis, Director of Technology, are a support network that helps students and

teachers keep their computers in working order. At weekly meetings after school the Tech Crewtalks about problems they’ve had and go over ideas for solving them.They also help with the“less fun” tasks such as checking the computers in and out, keeping insurance records, and doingall the paperwork necessary in a school that issues a computer to every student. PaulWeaverdescribes the most fun part as going on field trips to Microsoft of HP conventions when they arein town and learning about new products.

Stapleton resident Scott Purcell has ananswer for anyone who is interested increating a family tree or a lastingpersonal memoir that will be a legacy forfuture generations:WebBiographies.com.

WebBiographies is a web-basedservice that enables you to post yourfamily genealogy and/or create anautobiography (which includes ascrapbook) to be shared with family andfriends, and to preserve your legacy forfuture generations. WebBiographies isintuitive and makes it easy for anyone toorganize their life-story and to invitefriends and relatives to add theircomments and observations as theyrecord the details of their lives.

Once a person has registered on

WebBiographies.com, a series of questionsprompts the users (referred to as“Biographers”) to establish basic facts. Thesystem then suggests topics that triggermemories and stories which can be postedinto any of the pre-defined journalingchapters, including: family, growing up,work, health, romance, life & friends,hobbies, education, travel and adventures,culinary, entertainment, holidays, and advice.WebBiographies provides permanent storageof up to 2,000 megabytes to registered usersfor as little as a $99 once-in-a-lifetime fee.The online memoir of a member who passesaway is kept online forever.

For more information, visitwww.webbiographies.com or contact ScottPurcell at (303) 807 3606 or emailscott@webbiographies.com.

Your Family Tree, Your Journals…Your Legacy – WebBiographies.com

Denver School of Science and Technology

Whiz Kids Keep Computers Humming

23

Stapleton Resident

Amazing AspensStudents used cardboard in lieu of

paint brushes to create these aspen treeimages. They then added color in an

effort to make their pictures “sing”about color and rhythm

Amazing Aspens by Gisselle Lucio, 6thgrade, Roberts Building, Tempera paint

& watercolor on paper

CollageStudents looked at art byFrenchman Henri Matisse& African AmericanRomare Bearden, two ofthe most famous collageartists in modern history.Collage is art made of cutand glued paper andpictures. The student’sassignment was to tell astory using only colors andshapes. They were alsoinstructed to try to createa rhythmic or musicalpattern in their imagery.Rhythmic Collage byAnthony Farmelo, 1stgrade, Westerly Creek,Collage

Self Expression With HandsStudents made compositionsusing only their hands and fingersdipped in paint to create a personalself expression, as in this artworkentitled, “Hand Prints”by Melisa Luna 6th grade,Roberts Building,mono print on paper.

Falling LeavesOur youngest artists drew trees thatwere losing or had lost their leaves.

They included a trunk, primary andsecondary branches. They first drew

their pictures with oil pastels andthen used watercolor paint.

*Fall Tree Rhythms Kaylea ChidesterKindergarten / Westerley Creek Oil

Pastel and watercolor on paper.

Self PortraitsNahome Samuel Asmerom,6th grade, Roberts Building,created a self portrait in pastel chalkDestiny Litt 5th grade / RobertsSelf portrait in Pastel chalk

Young Artists Blossom at Westerly Creek ElementaryWesterly Creek art teacherThom Padick gave hisstudents the followingassignments and sharedtheir remarkable resultswith the Front Porch.

24

The Blizzard of ‘06

Digging Outand Having FunAbove: Francisco, 4, foreground, and sister Paulina, 6, help their fatherMark Koester dig out the family car.Top right: Katy Boehm (front) and Abby Edinger ride a sled from abackyard fort into the alley.Far right: Cameron Shook,11, hunkers down in his snow fort andfires a snowball at the photographer.Right: Sarah Batt skiis down 25th Street.

Photo by Kathy Epperson