by Mark Smiley | Aug 3, 2015 | Glendale City News
by Marco Cummings
Writer for and on behalf of the City of Glendale
Photo by Seth McConnell
One of the biggest rugby events of the year returns to RugbyTown USA this month when Glendale hosts the Serevi RugbyTown Sevens (SRS) International rugby tournament August 14-16, 2015, at Infinity Park.
Seventeen teams from across the nation and the world, including teams from each branch of the United States Military, will compete in 50 rugby matches over the three-day period for a winner-take-all $10,000 prize.
“It’s our fourth year hosting so we’re quite excited,” said Glendale Raptors head coach Andre Snyman.
“It’s a unique tournament. Quality players come from all over the world: some from overseas, some local and some nationally based. It’s really a good opportunity for players to measure themselves against some quality teams. There’s always a surprise team that comes out of it, so I can’t wait for this year.”
USA Falcons vs Denver in the Cup Final during day three of the Serevi RugbyTown 7s at Infinity Park in Glendale, Colorado. Photo by Seth McConnell
The SRS tournament serves as a grand event to conclude the summer Rugby 7s season, a format which offers more fast paced action and explosive offense compared to the traditional 15 a side rugby union format seen during the Pacific Rugby Premiership season. It offers both a challenge for the Raptors and a delight to local fans.
“It’s tough for a club side to compete against teams with 12 All-Star players. I’m just trying to help the boys and get our team up to par,” Snyman said of the challenge. “There’s good teams coming in. Pretty much all the other teams are select sides. I’m busy recruiting players to strengthen our side. Unfortunately we’ve had some injuries and hopefully the players will be back on track for Serevi.”
One of those All-Star programs, Stars 7s Rugby, is excited to participate at Serevi RugbyTown Sevens for the very first time.
“Last year I attended Serevi RugbyTown 7s for the first time as several of our Stars players were playing for the programs involved. I was impressed with the competition and the quality of play,” said Star 7s Director Elizabeth Entwhistle. “As Stars Rugby 7s is building our program, we’re looking to play in the best competitions possible with a professional setting and SRT7s sets the benchmark for the men’s 7s game.”
This year’s action kicks off August 14 with Free Fan Friday, beginning with pool play competition divided amongst four different pools.
All five military teams will compete in Pool A. Tournament hosts Glendale will compete in Pool B alongside the Bermuda National Team, Stars Rugby 7s and Upright Rugby Rogues. Pool C will feature locals Denver All-Stars, newcomers Atlantis Rugby, Northeast Olympic Development Academy and Mexico Serpientes National Team. Rounding out the tournament field in Pool D are the Serevi Selects, Texas-based Negro y Azul, Collegiate All-Americans, and the Bahamas National Team.
Tonga withdrew from this year’s tournament, but this year’s tournament is far from lacking in international representation.
“Bermuda Rugby is extremely proud of our partnership with Serevi Rugby, and our participation at the SRS tournament in Glendale is a highlight in our calendar, and a focal point for the development of our 7s program,” said Bermuda coach Jonathan Cassidy.
New to this year’s tournament is a boys’ high school tournament, which will take place on the Infinity Park Sports Field adjacent to the men’s tournament. This year’s inaugural participants include clubs such as Atlantis, Utah Lions, Serevi Institute, Rogue River (Canada), Rocky Mountain Rebels and the Raptors Academy being featured.
At the conclusion of Friday’s matches, a Fallen Rugger Ceremony will take place on the pitch.
On Saturday, August 15, pool play will continue followed by the High School Cup Championship at 3 p.m. and the Armed Forces Championship at 3:56 p.m. Cup and Bowl quarterfinal matches round out the competition on Saturday afternoon.
The Armed Forces Championship has become a staple of the tournament and a highlight of the weekend for fans and participants alike.
“As Marines, our primary attraction to this tournament is the opportunity to square off with our fellow services in the Armed Forces Rugby Championship,” U.S. Marines Rugby coach Major Russell “Bubba” Strange said. “What makes it even sweeter is that Glendale hosts a first-class event that we could never replicate on a military base, and we expose our players to a higher level of rugby than what they are used to seeing.”
The second day of the tournament will also see the return of the Glendale’s Bruises and Brews Beerfest with an impressive lineup of Colorado craft brews and distilleries from 12 to 4 p.m. Tickets for the Beerfest are just $35 and include entrance to all rugby matches held Saturday.
Sunday’s events will have implications for all tournament trophies including the SRS Shield, Bowl, Plate and Cup with games kicking off with a Shield Semifinal at 12 p.m. Championship matches will begin at approximately 3:30 p.m. culminating with the Cup Final set to kick off at 5:14 p.m.
Tickets for all events during the three-day weekend of rugby 7s action can be purchased by visiting the website at: rugby townusa.com/serevi.
by Mark Smiley | Aug 3, 2015 | Travel
by Mark Smiley
Many families in the Cherry Creek Valley with young children sooner or later have to make the momentous decision of whether to take the kids to Disneyland in Anaheim, California, or Disney World in Orlando, Florida. In the last 14 months, I have experienced both theme parks. Now Chronicle readers will be able to compare the two parks and my recommendation will be shared to help you decide if you are torn between the two.
When my family and I traveled to Disneyland in May 2014, we flew Southwest Airlines non-stop into Ontario International Airport. This airport is much less congested than LAX and is about a one hour drive from the park. When visiting Disney World in Orlando, we flew into Orlando International Airport. Flights are approximately $100 more per roundtrip ticket to Orlando. If you are staying at a Disney Resort in Orlando, you are transported from the airport to your resort and Disney reclaims your luggage for you. The next time you see your luggage is in your room.
Surprisingly, there is little difference in the amount of travel time to either destination which most families consider before booking a trip. It takes about one and a half hours extra to travel to Orlando. However, the inevitable California traffic jam significantly cuts into that 90 minutes you save.
Weather is, of course, a factor and in general
Anaheim is much cooler and more comfortable than Orlando. Orlando can get very hot and humid during the summer which makes for an uncomfortable day at the park, and hurricane season starts in the fall. Also, be prepared for a rainstorm in Orlando. It rains just about every day so a rain poncho is necessary. Make sure you bring one with you as they are very expensive inside the park. Hands down, Anaheim wins in the weather column.
One of the major factors in making the decision between the two parks is cost. Certainly there are more options to add on to a stay at Disney World, such as more expensive lodging, dining, and more parks to visit. But, comparing admission prices, a one day ticket to the Magic Kingdom in Orlando is $105 for adults and children under 10 are $99. Disneyland will run you $99 for adults and children are $93. Children under three years of age are always free at either park. When Disney World opened in 1971, a ticket cost $3.50.
On the other hand, those that want to be immersed in Disney culture and tune out the outside world for a week or more, can easily find a lot to do within Disney World. My family and I spent an entire day at Magic Kingdom in Orlando and then the next day, tackled Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom, and Epcot in the same day. Epcot has a fireworks and light show at 9 p.m. every night so those with younger children can make their way to Epcot and still be tucked in at a re
asonable hour. The Magic Kingdom show for instance, doesn’t begin until 10 p.m.
Disney World sprawls across 43 square miles, which is approximately the size of San Francisco and only 35 percent of the land has been developed to date. Walt Disney purchased all of the property under different business ventures for a total of $5 million. Now, Disney World features four theme parks: Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios. It also has two water parks, 27 resort hotels, four golf courses, and Downtown Disney featuring restaurants and shopping. If one person were to stay in every resort room on the property, it would take 68 years to accomplish.
By comparison, Disneyland is much smaller, covering 160 acres. It includes Disneyland Park, Disney California Adventure, Downtown Disney, and three hotels. Disneyland just celebrated its 60th anniversary while Disney World opened 16 years later in 1971. Disney is the number one amusement park corporation in the world drawing over 134 million visitors each year between the two resorts.
Since the Magic Kingdom in Orlando was based on Disneyland, the two parks are very similar in layout and share some — but not all — of the same attractions. And even when both parks offer the same rides, there are always differences. For example, the Splash Mountain and Pirates of the Caribbean attractions at Disneyland are longer and considerably different from the Disney World versions. My four-year-old daughter Eleanore wasn’t able to tell the difference.
When visiting either park, you enter at the Main Street Railroad Station and walk down Main Street U.S.A. toward the 77-foot-tall Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland or the 189-foot-tall Cinderella Castle at the Magic Kingdom. At each park, the castle is the main hub, from which you can take paths to Fantasyland, Adventureland, Frontierland, or Tomorrowland.
As you would expect, given Disney World’s much larger size, there are many attractions at Disney World that you won’t find at Disneyland Resort. What might be less obvious is that there are also some key attractions at Disneyland that are not available at Disney World. At Disney California Adventure, for example, the entire Cars Land is unique to Anaheim. Disneyland features three rides that Disney World does not have: Indiana Jones Adventure, California Screamin’, and Matterhorn Bobsleds. All told, the Magic Kingdom in Orlando has only 10 more attractions than Disneyland despite its larger footprint.
Waiting in long lines scares most parents. Children don’t exactly relish it either. Both parks use the Fastpass+ system which is included in the cost of your theme park ticket. FastPass+ is a ride reservation system and is designed to moderate wait times at popular attractions. Somewhat like making a dinner reservation at a restaurant, FastPass+ allows you to make a reservation to ride an attraction at a Disney theme park. You can request a specific time, such as 7:30 p.m., or you can let the FastPass+ system suggest some times. You wait in an entirely separate line and I did not experience a wait longer than 10 minutes for a ride that had a posted wait time of 60 minutes or more.
You can reserve three Fastpasses in advance of your trip to Disney World and when you have completed all three rides, you can go to a kiosk and obtain one more. After completing that ride, you can request another and Disney offers a limitless supply. Popular rides are difficult to reserve so I recommend reserving your rides 60 days in advance and 90 days in advance if you are staying on the property. These Fastpasses are linked to your admission ticket and you scan in your ticket or wristband before entering the line.
Disneyland works differently. They use a printed ticket system and they are available to obtain at the attractions themselves. They are only available the day of issue. I definitely recommend familiarizing yourself with the Fastpass+ system before you embark on your trip and make your reservations early.
While vast, Disney World is easy to get around via an excellent complimentary transportation system. Getting between theme parks and resorts generally requires a 10- to 30-minute shuttle on a bus, ferry, or monorail.
Due to its smaller size, Disneyland is manageable without bus shuttles. The hotels are within walking distance of the theme parks, and the entrance gates to both parks are separated by about 100 yards.
The other difference between the two parks is the types of visitors. The most obvious is that Disneyland has a higher percentage of locals. The park draws less people than Disney World, with a large majority of them being people that live within a couple hours drive of the park. Disney World draws many more tourists from all over the world and most fly in or have to travel a much longer distance.
Many of the guests at Disneyland have grown up and are second or third (and some cases more) generation visitors visiting on a regular basis. Disney World has seen a growing number of these types of visitors thanks to Disney Vacation Club and similar programs, but it still is not the same as Anaheim.
For the novice and those who have never been to either theme park, I recommend going to Disneyland in Anaheim. It allows you to experience the magic of Disney without being completely consumed by it. It is more cost effective, the weather is better, and the surrounding area has a lot to offer beyond Disney.
For those who want a more complete Disney experience, Disney World is your ticket. If you want a complete turnkey Disney experience and have budgeted for it, there is no place quite like Disney World and all it has to offer. One of the best times to visit is the first week in December when temperatures are moderate, kids are in school, and the lines are shorter.
Whatever you choose, Disney offers a wide variety to pick from for those who want magic sprinkled on them or for those who want a magic shower. For more information on these parks, visit www.disney parks.disney.go.com.
by Mark Smiley | Aug 3, 2015 | Main Articles
McCrimmon And Six Other Citizens Sue Every City Council And
Planning Board Member But Kudla Scores Free Land From City Council
by Charles C. Bonniwell
Seven citizens who own homes and business property in Denver adjacent to the Mount Gilead Parcel that has been rezoned for high density have brought suit in Denver District Court against the Denver City Council and each of its members in their official capacity as well as the Denver Planning Board and each of its members in their official capacity. The seven citizens are: Arthur Keith Whitelaw III, John Derungs, Katherine K. McCrimmon, Laura Pitmon, Denise Sigon and Alan and Rita Singer. Attorney for the plaintiffs is Gregory Kerwin of the national law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP.
The suit alleges that the City Council and the Planning Board failed to follow the city Zoning Code and violated their obligation to observe their quasi-judicial obligations and instead their decision appeared to be based on campaign contributions. The suit also alleges that Planning Board member Jim Bershof had a direct conflict of interest acting as Property Owner Representative and as “Point of Contact for Application” along with developer Peter Kudla.
Peter Kudla and Metropolitan Homes were not finished obtaining the Denver City Council giveaways. On July 27, the Council vacated 34 feet along South Monaco Parkway resulting in Kudla and Metropolitan Homes gaining approximately a half acre of land for no consideration. Resident Caroline Schomp declared regarding the latest transaction, “The developers win again!”
The lawsuit alleges that District 5 Councilperson Mary Beth Susman and her staff had extensive ex parte contacts with developer Peter Kudla as well as well as with other Denver councilpersons concerning the Mt. Gilead property.
Experts indicate that if the plaintiffs’ attorneys are able to depose Denver councilpersons about their meetings with Kudla and his agents about the project it could expose how zoning decisions are actually made in the City and County of Denver and it could expose the fact that City Council hearings are not, in fact, quasi judicial, but simply a matter of political muscle applied by developers.
Neighborhood activist Richard Witholder noted, “This lawsuit could rip away the veneer of fair hearings in zoning matters in Denver and expose the incredible corruption of it all. This could be a real game changer for not just the Mt. Gilead property, but all of the controversial decisions over the last several years. You know that Peter Kudla does not want how he really operates in this town out in the open.”
However, citizen suits against the City and the City Council for their zoning decisions have, to date, met up with little success. Lawsuits by citizens regarding Hentzell Park, West Highland, Sloans Lake and Buckley Annex/Boulevard One have all been dismissed by Denver District Court judges who repeatedly refuse to even allow a single claim to ever go to a jury in a single case. The stonewalling by Denver District Court judges has left some residents outraged.
One local attorney who did not wish to be identified stated, “To be appointed a Denver judge one has to be politically connected, and so many of the judges are fully part of the sleaze that permeates the entire City and County complex. The incredible corruption and brutality of the Denver Sheriff’s Office was only exposed because a suit was brought in federal court in front of Judge John Kane. The local Denver courts allowed the misconduct and corruption to continue on unfettered year after year, case after case and they never did anything about it. Denver’s citizens need to get a change of venue out of the City and County of Denver or to federal District Court to have any chance of a fair hearing.”
Others are however much more sanguine. “They have an extraordinarily strong case,” stated Witholder. “I don’t see how the Denver Courts can just throw this suit out the window as it has so many others. It’s finally time that ‘judicial review’ actually means something in this city. If this suit proceeds it will change how business is done in this city for a long time to come and there are going to be a great number of red-faced and potentially disgraced city council members. The powerful in Denver are terrified about the potential of this case and that is a very good thing for the average citizen.”
by Mark Smiley | Aug 3, 2015 | Main Articles
Reiterates No Condemnation
Kholghys Still Not Pleased – Reject Offer
by Mark Smiley
The City of Glendale sent out a press release confirming that it had offered M.A.K. Investment Group, LLC, the owners of Authentic Persian and Oriental Rugs and the surrounding land, $11 million for the land which M.A.K. Investment Group, LLC acquired for $6.5 million in 2006. The price was determined by an independent appraisal ordered by the city from the well respected Colorado firm Chase & Company. The press release declared that the “Glendale Urban Renewal Authority has taken no action to condemn the property and has no intention to do so in conjunction with this project.” M.A.K. Investment Group, LLC is an entity owned by the Kholghy family from Iran.
Notwithstanding the city’s repeated assertions that it has no interest in condemning M.A.K.’s property the Kholghy family has undertaken a massive anti condemnation public relations campaign with the help of Virginia based Institute for Justice and the far right wing paramilitary group the Oath Keepers.
Merchants Of Hate
Former Republican Congressman Tom Tancredo, accused of using virulent anti Hispanic rhetoric, is another supporter of the Kholghys. Tancredo had the Kholghys on his co-hosted radio show on 560 KLZ until the owner of station had Tancredo removed from the air. Glendale has a large number of Hispanics both legal and undocumented. Tancredo, who is famous for wearing a hat emblazoned with the “Border Patrol” on it, headlined one or more rallies held by the Kholghys. Some African Americans and Hispanics in Glendale are outraged by the conduct of the Kholghys. They accuse the Kholghys of using the allegedly racist paramilitary group the Oath Keepers and former Congressman Tancredo to intimidate and harass minorities in the city who might oppose the Kholghys’ plans.
Few individuals in Glendale in the minority community can afford the very high end costly rugs sold at Authentic Persian and Oriental Rugs and some have claimed minorities are treated with disrespect when they go to the store. The Kholghys have denied the same as well as allegations that they are b
igots.
Glendale businessman Barret O’Brien, who is on the Board of Directors of the Greater Glendale Chamber of Commerce, stated, “Just look who the Kholghys employ and have as supporters. Glendale is a wonderfully diverse place with a large number of minorities. When Tancredo, the Oath Keepers and the Institute for Justice are your supporters it tells you everything you need to know about what the Kholghys and their backers are all about. The Kholghys are definitely not nice people and I don’t know any community in Colorado that would want them moving into town after what they have pulled in Glendale.”
Nasrin Kholghy was not pleased with the City’s offer. She told the Denver Business Journal: “We have repeatedly said that we do not want to sell our land. We have a more family-oriented vision for it than the City of Glendale has.”
The last statement has some observers wondering what exactly she meant by a “more family-oriented vision” considering the Kholghys’ neighbors are Shotgun Willie’s adult nightclub and Fascinations, an adult superstore that sells sex toys and the Kholghys themselves rent to a marijuana shop on their property. Observers indicated that the Kholghys, in fact, hope to ignore or av
oid the city’s zoning and master plan by building large scale apartment buildings next to the creek.
The Kholghys have also indicated a desire to build within the Cherry Creek flood plain which would appear to violate federal and state law as well as enraging environmental groups. A large number of apartment houses would in effect destroy the proposed entertainment district to the benefit of the Kholghys but the detriment of all other property owners along East Virginia Avenue and make congestion along Colorado Boulevard significantly worse than it already is according to traffic control experts.
Glendale 180 Proceeding
The City of Glendale also announced that it was moving ahead with its proposed Glendale 180 entertainment district sans the Kholghys. A downtown development authority has been established which is to be approved by the landowners in an election this fall.
Key Glendale businessman David Peterson, who is a co-owner of the Bull & Bush Brewery as well as a director on the Greater Glendale Chamber of Commerce, stated, “We applaud the City’s actions to provide a fair and transparent process around the creation of Glendale 180.” He went on to note, “Today, we are one step closer to Glendale becoming a world-class destination for the entire Denver region.”
by Mark Smiley | Aug 3, 2015 | Editorials
On July 20, a brand new Denver City Council was sworn into office. A majority of the members of the Council (seven) are new. The Denver City Council over the last decade has increasingly been seen by the citizens it purports to serve as utterly corrupt and controlled by real estate developers and unions that fund most of the members’ campaigns. Few people believe that the public quasi-judicial hearings before the City Council are anything more than a form of kabuki theater, with the decisions made behind closed doors prior to the hearings, in violation of state and local law. The public now knows that their participation before the City Council is a sham.
A lawsuit filed by seven citizens, Whitelaw v. The Denver City Council, Case Number 2015CV3247, threatens to unmask the entire corrupt process by which zoning decisions are made in the City and County of Denver. It is assumed the office of the City Attorney will do anything and everything it can to prevent this case from ever getting its day in court. The City Attorney’s Office played a similar blocking role in the case of Hunter v. The City and County of Denver. In that case the City Attorney’s Office’s role in hiding evidence and conducting phony investigations concerning the Denver Sheriff’s Department and the City Jail were exposed. As a result, the City Attorney Scott Martinez was threatened by Federal District Court John L. Kane to have his law license revoked for his part in the cover-up.
A key difference in the two cases is the Hunter case was in United States District Court while the Whitelaw case is in the District Court for the City and County of Denver. It will take a Denver state court judge who is as brave and intrepid as Federal District Court Judge John L. Kane to ferret out the dishonesty that takes place on land use votes at Denver City Hall. Is there such a person on the state bench? If the past is any indication it is not encouraging. In case after case state court judges appear to be part and parcel of the cover-up, refusing to allow even a single instance for a claim to ever go to a jury. But it took years and years of Sheriff’s Department malfeasance at the City Jail before the Hunter case reached the desk of Judge Kane and then everything blew up. Before the Hunter case many people also assumed reform at the Sheriff’s Department was virtually impossible.
What about the City Council reforming itself and the way it conducts business? On the encouraging side, the voters voted in
three individuals — Rafael Espinosa, Wayne New and Paul Kashmann — dedicated to reforming the system, as well as an auditor, Tim O’Brien, who is not under the control of Mayor Hancock and real estate developers. But there are 13 members of the Denver City Council. Six returning council members rushed in the final days of the old council to approve every corrupt decision possible before the new council members were sworn in. In addition the Mayor and the developers were able to elect two new members, Kendra Black and Stacie Gilmore, who good government advocates have labeled the “Dirty Duo” for their absolute craven obsequiousness to the most revolting aspects of the Hancock administration.
Part of the problem and the difficulty of the system reforming itself is that some of the checks and balances that were built in the City Charter have been thoroughly compromised. The City Charter provides for an 11 person citizen Planning Board pursuant to which residents can bring their thoughts and concerns and the Board, in turn, advises the mayor and Denver City Council on land use matters, including planning and zoning. Unfortunately under the Charter the mayor gets to appoint every Board member. Mayor Hancock, instead of appointing representatives the community has chosen, developer controlled hacks and people under his control are appointed. At one time, being on the Planning Board was considered an honor, but today is a black mark disqualifying a former member for elective office in Denver as Anna Jones found out in this last election in her race against Wayne New.
In theory Denver employees and elected officials are supposed to, under the City Charter, “adhere to high levels of ethical conduct so that the public will have confidence that persons in positions of public responsibility are acting for the benefit of the public.” A five person board is supposed to enforce the Denver Ethics Code. That has become a joke. The only thing that citizens can be assured of is that the persons appointed to the Ethics Board by the mayor and the City Council are void of any personal ethics or they would not have been appointed to the Board in the first place. The Board’s latest disgrace, in a long line of disgraces, is its opinion concerning Councilwoman Stacie Gilmore, a close friend of the mayor and wife of the acting head of the Denver Parks and Recreation Scott Gilmore, who is also a close friend of the mayor.
Some people assumed that being on City Council while your husband heads up Parks and Recreation would present various conflicts of interest — but, not a problem. On cue, the Ethics Board issued an extraordinary opinion coming to the absolute opposite conclusion.
The Ethics Board claims its hands are tied by a too permissive Ethics Code including the conflicts of interest rules and that it will be making recommendations to beef it up. We would suggest that the Ethics Board recommend abolishing itself as it has lost any and all credibility with the citizenry who now knows it serves only as a fig leaf for approving the most corrupt of practices of the Denver city government.
Is the government of the City and County of Denver in fact capable of reforming itself? The answer is probably not anymore than the Sheriff’s Department was capable of reforming itself. As a result, the citizens of Denver should watch with a careful eye all the developments in the Whitelaw case as it may represent the last great hope for honest government in land use decisions in the City and County of Denver for quite a period of time.
— Editorial Board
