by Mark Smiley | Jun 28, 2018 | Travel
by Ruthy Wexler
Beekeeper: Katherine Cornwell at home with her two hives of bees. Now a planning consultant, she worked for years as city planner for Seattle; Madison, Wisconsin; and — for eight years — the city of Denver. Madison, she says, “is the most like a bee colony. Itsdemocratic process was sometimes irritating as hell … If they did not want to do something, that city could not be moved. But when an idea was good, action was swift.”
While Denver continues to expand, the local bee population goes about its own complicated business — and a growing number of beekeepers are available to help when the two paths cross. On a recent sunny Friday, a large swarm threatened the pleasure of outdoor diners at Proto’s Pizza and so the construction crew across 15th Street called Katherine Cornwell, who is registered with the Swarm Hotline — and, it turns out, knows quite a bit about Denver’s expansion.
The small crowd attracted by Cornwell’s actions — gently scooping bees from the tree they’d settled on into an ordinary packing box atop her car — wondered how on earth she’d get the entire swarm into that box.
“See those bees near the hole of the box?” Cornwell explained. “See how they’re putting their butts in the air and fanning their wings? They’re letting the other bees know that the queen is inside.”
Fascinating And Wonderful
Katherine Cornwell didn’t know how much she would have in common with bees when she began studying them 10 years ago. All she knew was, she’d fallen in love.
Captured: Katherine Cornwell outside Proto’s Pizza on 15th Street, where she captured the swarm and explained to onlookers how she did it. The key was making sure the queen got inside the box, so other bees would follow.
“I was watching TV, which I rarely do,” she recalls. “This Haagen-Dazs commercial comes on — bees flying over a field toward a big succulent flower … then the screen goes blank. Words appear, ‘The honeybees are dying’ — and I start sobbing.
“I cannot explain to this day why it moved me so much. I was determined to learn more. I studied with Corwin Bell in Eldorado Springs — which ranks as one of the most lovely experiences of my life. I learned how fascinating and wonderful bees are. And I realized that bee colonies embodied principles I’d been thinking about in my own field, city planning.”
Bees And People
Expert: Corwin Bell, whom Cornwell studied under, teaches Bee Guardianship courses that show how bees, humankind and the natural world are connected and promote alternatives to conventional beekeeping. A computer animator and filmmaker, Bell has filmed hours of footage of honeybees. He travels the world to witness beekeeping under every condition imaginable.
As city planner for Denver from 2000-2008, Cornwell was inspired by her boss, the late Jennifer Moulton. “All around the city, wonderful things were happening. Civic Center, Stapleton, Central Platte Valley, Lower Downtown Denver …. Jennifer had such vision about the future, while preserving the past …”
Cornwell, who was co-author and project manager for Denver’s University Park Plan; East and West Colfax; the Main Street Zone District, and co-author of Blueprint Denver, now feels frustrated that current projects — like the widening of I-70 — do not take urban and environmental principles into account.
“As a city planner, I can tell you this project is counter intuitive. Widening roads in the urban core makes congestion worse …
“Development is now crafted behind closed doors,” Cornwell observes. “The so-called experts are just lobbyists, lawyers and spineless bureaucrats.
“And here’s where this relates to beekeeping. Bees and people are both very 
complex. Both need communication, both need communities … But developers don’t trust citizens. Politicians don’t ask what citizens want. So wealthy individuals with high stakes interests are superimposing their vision on the people.
“It’s not just those in charge. Citizens are not participating. But all bees participate in their community.”
Participatory Democracy!
“Bees have different roles, which they perform meticulously,” Cornwell explains. “The sentinel bee protects the hive, the nurse bee raises the baby bees, the scout goes out to find new food and new hives …
“When a scout finds a new potential hive, she doesn’t order everyone to go there. She comes back and communicates through a waggle motion danced in a figure eight pattern. Where she stops on the figure eight and how long she waggles indicates direction and distance of the new find. The number of times she repeats the dance correlates to the find’s degree of awesomeness, persuading other bees to check it out …
“If they agree, they’ll waggle dance about it too, until the whole colony decides as a group to go there.
“If that’s not participatory democracy, I don’t know what is!
“Denver,” she says, “is not behaving like a bee colony.”
Back To The Box
After a good hour — and a minor catastrophe, where the box’s lid blew off and Cornwell had to start all over! — the hive of bees all seemed to be collected and she entertained a few more questions.
“How did that swarm end up here?”
“Sometimes hives are disturbed by construction,” Cornwell said. “Which might have happened here. But usually they swarm because a new queen was born. The hive splits and the old queen leaves with half the colony to find a new home.”
“How do you get the queen inside the box?”
Cornwell smiled. “Providence, good luck, or chance. Usually it’s pretty easy. If the bees are just hanging from a small branch, I’ll clip it so the whole thing falls into the box.
“Today, the bees were clumped on a tree trunk. So I gently scooped them a bit at a time until I saw them acting like I had the queen, you know, fanning their butts in the air.”
Mission accomplished, Cornwell put the box inside her trunk and began the drive to an organic farm in Boulder where the bees will take up residence in a hive box with million-dollar views of the Flatirons.
For more information on swarm removal or beekeeping visit coloradobeekeepers.org or call 1-844-779-2337.
by Mark Smiley | May 25, 2018 | Travel
City Forces Residents Into Mediation With Developer
by Mark Smiley
In the April 2018 edition, the Chronicle reported on a proposed condominium development called Green Flats that would be located on Holly Street, between Cedar and Alameda, south of the strip of businesses that includes Novo Coffee and Park Burger. The proposed project would have 27 condominium units, 40 uncovered parking spaces in back, a 20-foot setback from Holly street, and stand 35 feet high, seven feet higher than the Park Burger business complex.
On April 4, 2018, the overwhelming pro developer Denver Planning Board (an 11-person board appointed by Mayor Michael Hancock) entertained the application for this three-story condominium project. Residents from the neighborhood filed into the Planning Board meeting to speak in opposition.
All told, 17 people went on the record, some for, but mostly against the project. In a stunning turn of events, the Planning Board voted to deny the application finding that the “applicable review criteria have not been met.” The vote cast had six in favor, one opposed, and one abstention.
Residents who opposed this project had little time to celebrate . . . Most cities in Colorado prevent a similar proposal from being considered for at least a year, but not Denver. Instead the city forces the successful residents into immediate mediation with the developer with the city choosing a mediator who some claim leans toward being pro developer.
“The city is really pushing to have this developed,” said Denver realtor Denice Reich. “They are trading affordable housing for the myth replacement of affordable housing.”
Since the April 4 Planning Board meeting, the developer Jason Lewiston, president of Greenius LLC and the applicant representing the homeowners seeking the sale of their property Anna Dewitt, have submitted a revised application.
They are asking that all three parcels receive the same Urban Edge multi-unit 2.5 story designation that the current condos have only “with waivers.” The new application doesn’t include new plans, but now says there will be 25 units instead of 27. It is suspected by some opponents that the Planning Board’s staff recommended the amended application indicating it might be something the City Council finds acceptable. Critics charge that there is virtually no development the city doesn’t find acceptable.
The “mediation” was held on May 7, 2018, at Augustana Lutheran Church. According to some of the 24 attendees the mediator’s only task appeared to be to get a development that Lewiston would approve. The mediator made a list of questions and three residents were chosen to sit down with the developer and the applicants at a later date.
If you wish to follow what’s happening in this rapidly developing story, visit www. glendalecherrycreek.com or follow the Chronicle on Twitter, Facebook at @GCCChronicle.
Plan Denied: The initial proposed site development for a 27-unit condominium project on Holly Street was denied by the Denver Planning Board on April 4. On May 7, the city forced a pro developer on residents opposing the project.
Leading The Opposition: Denver Realtor Denice Reich has been opposed to the development on Holly Street stating that “they are trading affordable housing for the myth replacement of affordable housing.”
by Mark Smiley | Apr 27, 2018 | Travel
Scholarships Will Help Fund YMCA Summer Camp Programming
by Mark Smiley
Finding high-quality, affordable childcare can be a challenge for any family. Every year, the YMCA of Metro Denver serves more than 2,700 children in summer day camps as a leading child services provider. By offering scholarships to those in need, parents have found a safe, nurturing environment without the high price tag.
In 2017, the YMCA distributed over $750,000 in scholarships across the metro area. This year in Glendale alone, the YMCA estimates they will award $30,000 in scholarships for child care at the Glendale Sports Center. For one working father, these scholarships have been invaluable to his family.
“The Y offers a helping hand when you need it,” said Jdell Garner, father to 9-year-old Rosa Garner, who attends YMCA summer camp and after school programming at the Glendale Sports Center. “The extra funding has been a blessing. Without them doing that, Rosa wouldn’t be here.”
YMCA summer camps feature field trips, fun physical activities and educational weekly themes which allow kids to learn, play and thrive in a secure environment. Rosa Garner said, “I look forward to being here and I feel safe at the YMCA.”
Since enrolling Rosa in childcare at the Y nearly five years ago, Garner has noticed a change in her character. He said, “Rosa is learning how to be a leader and a young adult when she’s at the YMCA. She interacts with supervisors, stays organized and welcomes new kids.
He continued, “It’s a very uplifting experience to have her here. She normally comes home very happy and as long as she’s happy, I’m happy.”
The YMCA is recognized as a leader in childcare not only for the safe environment but the imaginative activities that nurture a child’s spirit, challenge their minds and strengthen their bodies. There is also a strong sense that anyone and everyone is welcome and respected.
“The YMCA of Metro Denver believes everyone should have the opportunity to participate in YMCA membership and programs regardless of their ability to pay,” said Nicole Limoges, Executive Director of the YMCA Sports Branch and Glendale Sports Center at Infinity Park. “Luckily, we are able to provide the amount of financial assistance we do because of the generosity of our donors.”
The YMCA of Metro Denver manages the Glendale Sports Center, a state-of-the-art fitness facility featuring programs that support physical, intellectual and spiritual strength. Glendale summer camp scholarships go quickly each year. Limoges recommends applying for 2019 programming in early February. For more information on child care at the Glendale Sports Center managed by the YMCA, visit www.denver ymca.org/glendale/child-care-day-camps.
by Mark Smiley | Mar 1, 2018 | Travel
by Lisa Marlin
Around The World: At the Pierre Michel French Cafe in Littleton, Camilo Salazar, left, and Gary Daniels, met up with Jie Ding, Chang Luo, and their daughter Yuding who are traveling around the world in their 1985 Citroën 2CV.
England. Russia. China. Colorado. Nine months into their two-year road trip, the Luo Family has traveled to all these places with their primary mode of transportation being a red 1985 Citroën 2CV. This small, no-frills French car was produced from the late 1940s to 1990 and still garners interest worldwide.
A group of Denver-area Citroën enthusiasts greeted Chang Luo, wife Jie Ding, both 38, and their four-year-old daughter Yuding, when the family stopped for lunch at a French café in Littleton on January 31. They’d recently journeyed to the Arctic Circle and were driving south through the Americas.
“It’s just life on the road,” said Ding, after unbuckling Yuding from a car seat in the back where their luggage is also stacked. “Chang enjoys cars so much and I enjoy traveling and meeting people so much and this car just combines our interests, so we enjoy it.”
This is not their first road trip. In 2011, Luo got the job of an automobile engineer in London. Before moving there, he and Ding carefully studied the feasibility of driving from their home in Shanghai to his new job in London along the ancient Silk Road and decided to do it. Five years later he bought and restored the Citroën, then he quit his job so he and Ding could take their young daughter on an even longer road trip before she starts school. Why travel in a 33-year-old car? “This car is very interesting. I put a lot of effort into it. It has to be this car,” he said.
Ding said the experience enriches their family time. “For two years we can spend 24 hours a day together, to plan together, to see things together. I think that’s really important and we appreciate that we have this time to do that,” she said.
The first leg of their trip began in April 2017 when they left England and drove through 19 countries on their way to China to visit family and friends. From there, they shipped the car to Vancouver, British Columbia.
“I do almost all the driving,” Luo said. “And the car needs attention from time to time, maintenance, servicing, and I do it all myself.” This seemed to be especially true in Colorado. “The elevation of Colorado is phenomenal, and the car feels it. The power has lost quite a few horses I would say, and the start can be quite tricky.”
He lifted the hood as the local Citroën enthusiasts gathered to peer inside and talk with him about the engine. Among them was Camilo Salazar who has owned several of the cars and keeps in contact with other owners around the world; that’s how he heard about the Luos’ trip and began emailing with them to help coordinate their trip through Colorado.
“The Citroën has the most impressive suspension in automobiles ever,” Salazar said, which makes it great for long distance trips. He said it’s also very simple to work on. “It’s basically a glorified lawnmower,” he said, which makes it louder than most cars and slower, topping out at 70 miles per hour.
Denverite Gary Daniels drove his Citroën across town to meet the Luos. It’s one of several he’s owned over the years. “Everybody has an interest in the car. You just have to ride in one,” Daniels said. “It’s so very versatile.”
Versatility can be important when traveling around the world in a car. Even though the Luos have a general plan to reach Argentina in a year, they’re not following a
Under The Hood: The Citroën is an air-cooled front-engine, front-wheel-drive economy car introduced at the 1948 Paris Mondial de Automobile and manufactured by Citroën for model years 1948-1990. In total, Citroën manufactured almost 9 million 2CVs and variants.
direct route by any means. After leaving Denver, they drove up Pike’s Peak, which was on their must-visit list in Colorado, but then changed their plans to head south from there, and instead ventured toward Montreal to celebrate the Chinese New Year with friends. On February 20, they sent word that they would be going to New York before traveling toward southern California where they’ll cross the border into Mexico. Wherever they go, they mostly stay in the homes of families they meet along the way or that they find through hospitality and networking services such as CouchSurfing.
Ding is blogging, in Chinese, about their adventure so their family and friends back home can keep up. “We have lots of stories to share with our followers to tell them what is going on in other countries. The normal family, what do they do?” she said. “Meeting car club friends has been the best part of our trip, we have been so surprised to see there are still quite a lot of Citroën fans in North America.”
After having lunch in the French café with their new Colorado friends, the family loaded back into their Citroën, buckling Yuding in her car seat. Luo said his daughter is coping very well with her new lifestyle. “She entertains herself in the car by drawing, singing, looking around, especially when we were in the north, in Alaska and northern Canada where there were many wild animals. That was a lot of fun.”
In a blink, they were off again, wide-eyed and heading down the highway in their bright red Citroën, adventure bound.
by Mark Smiley | Jan 29, 2018 | Travel
Have A Dog-Gone-Good Time At Chinese Bark In The Park Party
Bowwow The Night Away At Chinese New Year Gala
With Your Puppy Love, Pampered Pals At McNichols Feb. 9
One of the most internationally celebrated events of the year, the Cherry Creek Valley’s Chinese New Year Celebration hosted by the Nathan Yip Foundation has become one of the biggest and best in the nation. This year’s event commemorates the Year of the Dog — the 11th in the 12-year cycle of Chinese zodiac
Party Palace: The Cherry Creek Valley’s Chinese New Year Celebration is in the McNichols Bldg. on the northwest corner of Civic Center Park, Feb. 9, 6 p.m.
sign events — in the McNichols Bldg. on the northwest corner of Civic Center Park, Feb. 9, 6 p.m.
No bones about it, attendees will get caught up in the energy as they chase after their dreams in the Valley’s first and original Chinese party. Now in its 15th year, it is one of the biggest of its kind outside of China. Spread over three floors of the McNichols Party Palace, the multitude will have a “dog-gone-good time” enjoying food, interactive entertainment, plus an authentic Chinese Night Market.
All proceeds from the evening will benefit the Foundation’s funding of educational projects for the most vulnerable children in rural Colorado and China. Last year’s Chinese New Year Party raised more than $250,000. The Foundation is named for the son of Denver residents and founders Linda and Jimmy Yip. The Yips lost their only son Nathan in a 2002 car accident. For years the Yips, with a team of volunteers and friends, built schools and provided supplies to rural, forgotten areas in China. Now they are putting that same effort into rural Colorado communities.
Run With Big Dogs
Dog is man’s good friend who can understand the human’s spirit and obey its master, whether he is wealthy or not. The Chinese regard it as an auspicious animal. If a dog happens to come to a house, it symbolizes th
Chinese Characters: Attendees at Nathan Yip Foundation Chinese New Year Celebration will meet colorful characters at party Feb. 9. Now in its 15th year, it is one of the biggest events of its kind outside of China.
e coming of fortune. The invincible God Erlang in Chinese legend used a loyal wolfhound to help him capture monsters.
According to Lunar New Year pros, the Year of the Dog will be a good year for action and should offer new business opportunities and, furthermore, is conducive to festivals, especially fundraisers such as the Nathan Yip Foundation celebration.
Guests will run with the big dogs at this year’s canine carnival featuring world-class performers including lion dancers, a karaoke stage, silent disco, fortune teller, Chinese calligraphers and portrait artists. More: This year guests will also be blessed watching the “im’paws’ible” as dogs entertain. Acro Dogs — good doggies performing for this good year — are an added attraction. It’s the Year of the Dog after all, and you’ll discover dogs have talents ranging from Yoga and Irish dancing to painting and more.
Indoor Street Party
Tree Of Luck: According to Lunar New Year pros, the Year of the Dog will be a good year for action and should offer new business opportunities.
East Meets West: The biggest and most colorful celebration in the East is now one of Denver’s biggest party events. The Nathan Yip Foundation celebration provides funding for educational projects for the most vulnerable children in Colorado and China.
Dog-Day Night: This year’s event commemorates the Year of the Dog, the 11th in the 12-year cycle of Chinese zodiac sign events.
Night Market: Spread over three floors, attendees will have a “dog-gone-good time” enjoying food, interactive entertainment, plus an authentic Chinese Night Market.
This year’s colorful celebration is getting an exciting twist of the dog’s tail: The festive, fun-filled Chinese-themed Night Market has been expanded. It’s a new-fangled version of a street party complete with troupes of acrobats, Chinese lion dancers, and of course tasty themed food stations. It features fabulous foods, thrilling lion dances, and shock-red lanterns.
In addition to themed food stations and full open bars, the Indoor Night Market offers fun wares for sale, just like travelers see throughout Asia.
The delicious and diverse tasting stations will feature food prepared by Denver’s Catering by Design. The Seattle Fish Company is sponsoring the marketplace. The company’s CEO James Iain went to school with Nathan Yip.
Helping At Home
Because the annual event celebrates Chinese New Year, many people think all of the Foundation’s work is still in China. However, as the world has changed, so has the focus of Foundation’s effort.
In the metro area the Foundation continues supporting such groups as the George Washington High School’s Mentoring Program, Patriot Pairs. The Foundation contributes all of the expensive graphing calculators for the all mentees plus finds the most overlooked areas to help. At East High School, Nate’s Pass Program supplements bus passes for students that need transportation to school.
“But the real forgotten areas of Colorado are the rural areas,” according to Board Member Denise Gliwa. There are not many organizations traveling to the far corners of our state and learning and recognizing the educational needs of these students and school districts, she notes. With a “hands on” approach, Jimmy and Linda Yip travel to these areas and really find out their educational needs.
Country School Upgraded
Some of the work the Foundation did during the past year included a Technology Grant to Eads High School to upgrade its science classes so students can actually do experiments. The ventilation in the classroom was so bad students could not do the necessary work.
At San Luis Valley’s Center Consolidated School District the Foundation provided funding for teacher pay so that every teacher could do family Home Visits in the small agricultural community.
The Foundation also urbanized a professional development partnership between the schools in Montezuma-Cortez with the STEM School in Highlands Ranch. The STEM teachers visited Montezuma-Cortez and the MC teachers and admin visited STEM to learn and share ideas.
Providing Computers
A team of volunteers last year traveled to the San Luis Valley and dropped off 40 laptop computers to the San Luis Valley Board of Cooperative Education Services (BOCES). The computers were distributed to students in the area who do not have a computer at home.
Following that, the team delivered another 40 laptop computers to the Ute Mountain Ute Reservation, for the same purposes.
An additional 40 computers were distributed to Colorado’s Eastern Plains plus 18 to Eads. This was done in cooperation with Rose Keating and her organization Tech For All. The decision to provide the computers was made because students without computers at home are at a huge disadvantage when it comes to computer literacy. Information: 303-817-8400.
by Mark Smiley | Dec 17, 2017 | Travel
First National TV Partnership In Domestic Professional Rugby
by Glen Richardson
Nationally Televised: Major League Rugby, which includes the Glendale Raptors, will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network beginning in April 2018. This marks the first national television partnership in the history of American professional rugby.
Major League Rugby (MLR) and CBS Sports Network have announced an exclusive, multi-year television partnership. CBS Sports Network will televise the inaugural season of the new start-up league beginning in April 2018, marking the first national television partnership in the history of American professional rugby.
The Glendale Raptors who call Infinity Park their home were founded in 2007 and now, 11 years later, will be broadcast to all homes carrying the CBS Sports Network. “We are thrilled to announce this partnership,” said Glendale Mayor Mike Dunafon. “The exposure this will give our city is another way we are building upon the vision we had over a decade ago.”
CBS Sports Network will televise a 13-game package with 10 weeks of regular season coverage — highlighted by a Major League Rugby Game of the Week — and two weeks of postseason coverage in 2018, including the semifinals and the first MLR Championship Game.
“We look forward to being the television home of Major League Rugby,” said Dan Weinberg, Executive Vice President of Programming, CBS Sports. “MLR will showcase the speed, power and agility of this exciting sport and we are excited for the launch in April.”
“Partnering with CBS Sports Network is a great step for Major League Rugby and for the sport of rugby in America,” said Major League Rugby Commissioner Dean Howes. “There is no question that rugby is growing fast in the U.S. market. A successful professional league is a critical component of that growth. Television partnerships are incredibly important to any professional league, and we are excited to chart a path to success together with CBS Sports Network.”
Major League Rugby will launch with seven teams in Austin, Houston, Glendale (Colorado), New Orleans, San Diego, Seattle and Salt Lake City (Utah). Each is a key rugby market with a long history of support for the game. The members have strong, local and civic-minded ownership groups with deep ties to their communities and have established grassroots programs, venues in place or in development, and a player pool featuring the best players in North America, reinforced by up to five international signings in the 15-player, Rugby Union format.
For more information on the Glendale Raptors, visit www.glendaleraptors.com. For more information on CBS Sports Network, including a full programming schedule, go to www.cbssportsnetwork.com.
