by Mark Smiley | May 27, 2016 | Travel
by Mark Smiley
Craft beer fests are popping all over the metro area and for beer enthusiasts, it seems as if there is a different one each weekend.
A sold-out crowd braved the snowy and cold weather to attend the Bacon and Beer Classic at Sports Authority Field in April. Denver is one of eight cities to host this event around the country. It started in Seattle in 2014 and they are held in sports stadiums in each participating city.
Over 20 local restaurants provided bacon dishes and over 50 regional breweries offered craft beer throughout the concourse. Guests also tried their hand at giant Jenga, struck a pose at the photo booth, battled it out on the bungee run, branded themselves with bacon and beer-inspired tattoos, and some competed in a bacon eating contest.
Much different weather drenched the first ever Craft Beer Fest at the Downtown Aquarium in May. The outdoor event in the sunny and 80-degree day featured 16 breweries including local breweries Joyride and Renegade.
This event has room to grow as the land surrounding the aquarium has room for many more breweries. Some preferred not to attend as Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world’s largest brewer, had several of its breweries on hand which are deemed as anything but craft beer.
Those in attendance, however, enjoyed the beautiful day and many good beers to sample. In addition, the breweries themselves were happy they participated and will be back next year.
One of the larger beer fests this summer will be Summer Brew Fest at Mile High Station on July 22 and 23, 2016. Each day features different breweries in a venue that lends itself to a high quality experience. Visit www.denverbrewfest.com/summer for more information.
On the weekend of August 6, 2016, Keystone Village will play host to the 20th Annual Bluegrass and Beer Festival. It’s the longest running beer festival in the state. Throughout the two days, attendees will be able to pair their favorite brews with free bluegrass music from Jeff Scroggins and Colorado, T Sisters, Lonely Heartstrings Band, Mason Town, Mandolin Orange, Tim O’Brien, Peter Rowan Band, Larry Keel Experience and more.
“This is a special summe
r for us at Keystone’s River Run Village,” says Maja Russer, marketing and events director for the Keystone Neighbourhood Company, the organization that coordinates and produces six summer festivals in River Run Village at Keystone Resort. “We’re proud that we were a pioneer when we started the first ‘micro-brew’ festival in Colorado 20 years ago. Since then, we’ve grown and improved the Keystone Bluegrass and Beer Festival and launched new festivals like the Mountain Town Music Festival three years ago and this year’s debut of Keystone’s River Run Village Art Festival.”
For more information on this festival, visit www.keystonefestivals.com/festivals /bluegrass-and-beer.
Also, look for our coverage on the largest beer fest in the country. The Great American Beer Fest comes to the Colorado Convention Center October 6-8, 2016. Tickets for the general public go on sale August 3, 2016. Visit www.greatamericanbeerfestival.com for more information.
by Mark Smiley | May 27, 2016 | Glendale City News
by Marco Cummings
GLENDALE, CO – AUGUST 14: Raptors vs Stars Rugby during the Serevi RugbyTown 7s tournament at Infinity Park in Glendale, Colorado on August 14, 2015. (Photo by Seth McConnell)
Writer for and on behalf of the City of Glendale
With back-to-back Pacific Rugby Premiership (PRP) Championships now in hand for the Glendale Raptors, the focus shifts to the summer rugby season and a different version of a game which Glendale Mayor Mike Dunafon has called “the world’s community sport.”
Summer’s arrival also marks a new season on the rugby calendar, with the focus shifting from the Rugby 15s game of the PRP to Rugby 7s. Like 3v3 basketball or soccer, or the seven-on-seven scrimmage version of American football, Rugby 7s is a fast paced, high scoring version of the game tailored to delight spectators. This year, Rugby 7s will be placed in the world spotlight, making its debut as the newest competitive sport at this year’s Rio De Janeiro Summer Olympics.
The sport’s presence on the global stage is an exciting prospect for rugby’s growth on the local level in places like Glendale, a city which dubs itself as RugbyTown, USA.
“Sevens will be in the Olympics and it is also a major springtime competition on university campuses and places rugby out in front of the public,” explained Glendale Director of Rugby Mark Bullock. “This can lead to curiosity in 7s and, ultimately, an interest in 15s. At the lower level, it can be used as an introduction to the game due to the fact there are less players involved on the pitch at one time. At the upper level, it is a highly skilled endeavor and if we play quality sevens it can be added to recruiting players who may also play 15s.”
Growth and development will continue to be the key focus for Glendale heading into this year’s 7s season. Toward the end of the Raptors’ PRP campaign, the team was affected by the loss of some of its top players to the recently established Professional Rugby Organization (PRO) league. Play of the PRO league will continue throughout the summer, meaning Glendale’s 7s side will also be affected.
“Obviously this season, we will not have guys like Chad London, Hanco Germishuys and all of the other guys in the PRO League,” Glendale Raptors head coach Andre Snyman said of the upcoming 7s campaign. “Those guys will be committed until the end of July, so it’s going to be a different situation.”
Snyman acknowledged the new challenges his team faces in re-establishing itself, but was likewise excited at the prospect of the player development aspect they present.
“It’s going to be a different situation. We will be competitive, but it will be more of a development side than PRP level side,” he continued. “We have to really focus this summer on developing players; taking them to these tournaments so they can experience the next level.”
GLENDALE, CO – AUGUST 14: Raptors vs Stars Rugby during the Serevi RugbyTown 7s tournament at Infinity Park in Glendale, Colorado on August 14, 2015. (Photo by Seth McConnell)
With the experience gained this summer, the Raptors head coach is not only looking for diamonds in the rough, he’s looking to polish them into players that could contribute to Glendale defending its PRP title come Spring 2017.
“It will definitely be a good tool to prepare for the PRP season in 2017,” Snyman explained. “Last summer, Johnny Ryberg came out of the 7s mold. During the last couple of games in the PRP season this year, he stepped up and did really well. Hopefully this summer we can pick up one or two players for next season in the PRP. It will be an opportunity for players to showcase their skill and for me to groom them.”
He’ll have plenty of opportunities to do just that. The Raptors will be competing in five different 7s tournaments this summer, beginning with a trip to San Diego on June 18 at a qualifying tournament hosted by Old Mission Beach Athletic Club (OMBAC).
The following weekend, Glendale will participate at the Denver Tournament hosted at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City.
Glendale will then open July with a trip to Kansas City, Missouri, on July 9 for another qualifying tournament.
Later that month, Glendale will take its travels north of the border, participating in the Magnificent 7s tournament in Canada on July 24.
The Raptors 7s season will conclude with arguably what has become the pinnacle of Rugby 7s tournaments in North America. For the fifth year, Serevi RugbyTown Sevens will make its return to Infinity Park (Aug. 26-28) with 20 teams competing (including one representing each branch of the U.S. military) over the course of 70 matches for a $10,000 winner take all purse. In addition to the expanded format, this year’s edition of SRS will also feature a college level tournament.
It’s a spectacle which will be sure to delight both participants and fans once more.
“We’re excited,” Snyman said. “This year is going to be bigger than the previous years. It’s going to be big and there are some quality teams that have committed already. We’re all looking forward to it.”
Rugby 7s is a game which requires players to close faster, hit harder and dig deeper; and it will all be on display in Glendale this summer.
by Mark Smiley | May 27, 2016 | General Featured
Major Change To Virginia Village Neighborhood If Sold
by Megan Carthel
Some big changes may be on the way for the intersection at Arkansas and Colorado Boulevard.
Currently, the Denver headquarters for the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) offices are housed in the residential area. In an old 1955 building over 500 state employees walk the halls every day. Spokesperson for CDOT Amy Ford says mice and asbestos are issues in the current building, along with toilets fitted for elementary students, not adults.
The carpets are a faded blue and tan and green tiles lead visitors and staff through the hallways. Not everything is outdated though. Computers, large TV screens and seemingly nice, modern chairs accommodate employees with their everyday tasks. However, by as soon as early 2018, these state employees could have a new office. David Fox, property management deputy program manager, said moving locations and building a new office is a good business decision.
“I think with every business decision, there’s some idea of ‘let’s get more efficient,’” Fox said. “We can do a lot more things with amenity spaces to make things nicer for employees, but yet get more efficient with our building footprint.”
In May 2013, CDOT completed a building evaluation of four campuses, the Denver HQ, Region Four HQ, Region Two HQ and Old Aurora R1 HQ. The Region Four HQ in Greeley was recently rebuilt and relocated. The $9.9 million offices opened in November 2015.
The plan is to combine both the CDOT headquarters on Arkansas and the Region One office on South Holly. The new building design has a target of 200 square feet per employee, aimed to house around 700 employees, that’s nearly 100 square feet less per employee than the current situation. While nothing is set in stone yet, the numbers CDOT is currently working with, estimate the total cost of building a new office space at a different location at over $44 million.
“It is a class B building that we will be doing,” Ford said. “And when I say class B, this is not the Taj Mahal. This is not designed to be a monument to state employees. This is designed to be a working building where we can most effectively attract and retain our employees and do very good work.”
Ford said the funding for the project comes from a capital budget to maintain assets, which has $20 million annual, state-wide budget. CDOT would also be issuing bonds against that budget to help pay for the new building.
“This is money that would not go to fixing your pot hole or that kind of thing. This is money that’s already dedicated to keeping these assets up,” Ford said.
The other option for CDOT is
to renovate the existing building. According to a financial comparison analysis conducted by CDOT and Jones Lang LaSalle in 2014, the total cost for renovation would be just over $16 million. The same analysis showed the total net cost over a 20-year period to renovate and maintain the Arkansas location would cost around $56 million.
“We strongly believe that, ‘A,’ it’s a good business decision,” Ford said. “‘B,’ that it benefits our capacity to deliver more for the state.”
Fox and Ford said the ideal location for the new office would be within five miles of the State Capitol, visible to the traveling public and near light rail, bus and bike transportation. According to the analysis done in 2014, some potential relocation sites include the Federal Center Station, Decatur and Federal Station and I-25 and Broadway. Ford said the final location selection has not been decided, and that CDOT is keeping that information “close to the chest.”
“We’re not done yet by any stretch,” Ford said. “Nor is it a sure thing we are moving.”
For the new building to be approved, CDOT must present their guaranteed maximum price, what the land can be sold for and the price estimate to build a new office, to the Transportation Commission. The commission will hear CDOT’s case and make the final assessment later this summer. According to Transportation Commissioner District 1 Representative Shannon Gifford CDOT is negotiating with the owners of more than one possible site. The location is expected to be finalized in June. Gifford seems to be in favor of the relocation project.
“The new building is projected to save CDOT $6 million over a 20-year analysis period when compared with updating existing buildings that are past their useful life,” Gifford said. “The savings are attributable to multiple factors, including more efficient plans (reducing the gross square feet per employee); reducing the total number of buildings; using more efficient mechanical systems, windows, and insulation; and, selling 20 acres of land while acquiring only approximately three acres.”
So what would happen to the current site if it’s sold? CDOT is working with Jones Lang LaSalle, a brokerage firm, to sell the property estimated at just over $11 million according to the 2014 memorandum. Jones Lang LaSalle had no comment when the Chronicle reached out to the firm. Fox, however, said developers were interested in the land before talks about a relocation began back in 2011.
The Arkansas site is currently zoned as a CMP-EI2, or campus, educational/institutional site. This zoning allows a maximum height of 150 feet, but any part of the site within 175 feet of a protected area, usually single family homes, is limited to 75 feet. Residential, educational use and office space are allowed. The 1.16-acre parcel of land closest to Colorado Boulevard, is zoned as a S-MX-5 area, allowing for mixed use facilities and up to five stories. The communications tower that sits on the property would remain on site as it is owned by the Governor’s Office of Information Technology, and would not be sold as part of the CDOT space.
As for the Region One office site, the location is zoned as a MX-3 site. This allows buildings as high as three stories or 45 feet, and can be used in a variety of ways from single family or multi-unit housing, community centers, daycares, open space, schools, restaurants and retail, hotels and more. Of course the Denver Planning Board and certain members of the Denver City Council have proven they are happily willing to rezone properties for powerful developers with high powered lobbyists.
Paul Kashmann, the City Councilman for District 6 where the present facility is located, said if the properties were redeveloped, he would like to see the spaces used for residential developments or green space.
“I would love to see affordable residential be a part of the package on both sites. The surrounding communities have not yet gentrified, and I’d like whatever comes to support, rather than degrade the affordability of the community,” Kashmann said. “I’d love to see some additional green space. Mainly I’d hope the Arkansas development would not add big congestion to the already crowded Colorado Boulevard corridor, and I’d love for the South Holly Street site to complement both South Holly Street’s commercial opportunities as well as East Evans Avenue.”
Some residents near the Arkansas property oppose the redevelopment as worries over traffic congestion, noise and construction might disrupt their relatively quiet neighborhood.
Skylar Ocheltree and Kristen Kinnaird live together in a house across the street from the current CDOT headquarters. While they don’t mind the current building situation, they fear another large building would be put in place, bringing more traffic and congestion. Their neighbor a few houses down and closer to the building, Blake Crawford, feels just about the same, unless something can add property value to his house.
“Any additional [infrastructure], unless it raised the value of my house, is non-beneficial,” Crawford said.
Kashmann hopes to work with his constituents to determine what could go in the space of the current CDOT headquarters if the land is sold.
“Mainly folks are anxious to know what will go in on the property and are anxious to have a voice in determining the impacts on their neighborhood from whatever development does go into these large parcels. I want the community to have real impact on crafting the eventual outcome,” Kashmann said. “It would be my goal to involve the community as much as possible in future redevelopment on these sites. Whatever projects end up taking place will have some degree of impact on the community. Building in an urban environment cannot be hermetically sealed. But, as we do on a near daily basis, we will work with builders and developers to minimize the impacts as much as possible.”
by Peter Boyles | May 27, 2016 | Blasting with Boyles
There have been many dynamic duos throughout history, fictional and real, Batman and Robin, Roy and Dale, Woodward and Bernstein.
So keep those cards and letters coming in, and in spite of them, Anonymous and I are teaming up to do a scathing hard-hitting exposé on how the power elite in the front range can virtually get away with anything — or can they?
So return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear when out of the clear blue of the western sky comes Denver Players and Sugar dubbed at the time the priciest, most exclusive adult service provider in town. Westword, at the time, wrote that Denver Sugar catered to wealthy and powerful men, and according to several former employees included politicians, sports stars, and CEOs, and the leading partners in the most prestigious law firms in Colorado.
The story about Mayor Hancock buying prostitutes from Scotty Ewing’s Players and Sugar had, at this point, disappeared from the radar screen for over a half decade, other than my two-bit radio show. If you all recall, over five years ago the mayoral race was between Chris “son-of-Roy,” Romer and the developers’ favorite son, Michael Hancock.
It was a mail-in ballot, no one was sure who was ahead in the voting, and I was bootlegged a copy of Denver Sugar’s client list. All the names had been blacked out except for Michael and the number for the city and a phone number. It was his cell phone and we called it on the air and his automated voicemail went on. Hancock always appeared on my radio show, we appeared to have a great relationship, and I had already voted for him. He actually went to high school with our then morning show producer Greg Hollenback.
I’m not a moralist, I believe prostitution should be legal, but these are the people who enforce Denver’s Johns ordinance. That’s where they seize your vehicle, and tell your wife and your boss that you were trying to buy sex on West Colfax, but not if you’re a city council member. Where’s the justice? It’s seemingly okay for wealthy and powerful men to pay $300 for a session with a young woman. These pleasure palaces seemed to be operating in the open. But the same power put bait cops on Federal Blvd. to catch a working man on a Friday night who had too much to drink. Why is it okay for the power elite to do exactly the same thing as some hapless blue collar working man who had a little too much to drink on the weekend? Needless to say Michael Hancock never talked to me again.
But it’s a greater story than just a mayor/ former city councilman procuring sex. I really don’t care. But what it is about is the power elite. It’s the same people who brought you DIA, and are building massive apartments and buildings on park and church land, and give each other countless awards — man of the year, humanitarian awards, husband of the year, at $500 a plate dinners and testimonial plaques you can hang on your office wall. Haven’t you had enough?
And slipping in comes Anonymous. I completely disagree with Anonymous on Denver’s homeless policy. Hancock and Hickenlooper created this mess and Anonymous wants this to expand and continue. But here’s where we agree, Anonymous says they’re going to tie the can to Hancock’s tail about his involvement in buying ladies of the night if he doesn’t rescind the homeless sweeps. This ain’t Hobson’s choice; he’s jammed.
But even better, with really smart people viewing the Anonymous video, is seeing Hancock being told they’re going to put him on the sex ring. What is the first document that appears in their video? None other than the five-year-old story that appeared here in the Glendale Cherry Creek Chronicle. “What, you expected they were going to use The Denver Post or Channel 9?” This was a very sophisticated video so we’re writing this in the middle of May, who knows what the skyline will look like when the paper drops.
But what is conspicuous by its absence, with the exception of Westword, Channel 7, 710 KNUS, and the Glendale Cherry Creek Chronicle, is the local Denver media. I was heavily influenced by a Marxist sociologist from the ’50s, whose name is C. Wright Mills, who wrote a book titled The Power Elite, and in a nutshell if you control 51% of anything you own it. So I ask you how much power does it take to kill a series of stories that threaten to shake the very fiber of the establishment. Let’s see what happens next.
So Anonymous — stay in touch —Peter@710KNUS.com, waiting to hear from you — together we can get the story out. I am Legion, I am everywhere, and I, also, do not forget. Mayor Michael Hancock, expect me.
— Peter
