BACK FENCE NEWS LINKS
This column provides you with links that I have found this past week that best keep you informed about RTD subjects in Denver and Colorado and may also contain articles that best reflect the coming new urbanism around Denver, Colorado, America, and around the planet. Enjoy. *************************************** Sign up for our very popular weekly newsletter sent out every Sunday morning. email: voyager3811@comcast.net and write: "Sign me up" in the subject line.
| BACK FENCE MUSINGS
 This Column covers events, meetings, workshops and Town halls related to the West Corridor or Transit Oriented Developments in general. RTD held its quarterly Elected Officials Briefing on February 12, 2010 at the West Corridor Project Office, 10445 West 6th Ave., Lakewood, CO. 80215. The meeting was hosted by Matt Cohen, District M RTD Board Director and started precisely at 7:30am. Notables included Colorado State Senator, Betty Boyd, SD21; Lakewood City Council Members, Karen Kellen and Vicki Stack, Ward One, Cindy Baroway and Scott Koop, Ward Two, Sue King, Ward Three; Golden City Council member, Marcia Claxton, Ward One; Lakewood City Public Information Office, Kathie Beard, Lakewood City Traffic Engineer and West Corridor Project Coordinator, Dave Baskett; Light Rail Ombudsman for Lakewood, Jerry Goldman; City of Denver Liaison with RTD, Brian Brinkerton; City of Golden Planning & Development Director, Steve Glueck. Also present were Fran Yehle of the Eiber Neighborhood Association, and Sara Farrar-Nagy of the Two-Creeks Neighborhood Association. Jim Starling, West Corridor Project manager began by telling the group that kick off meetings focusing on the Sheridan and Wadsworth parking garages would soon start. An outside construction group will construct the garages, and they hope to have all documentation ready to accept bids by the end of 2010. He reported that there has been continued progress on the acquisition of Right-Of-Way properties saying that over 60% of the properties have been acquired that are ready for construction, but that continued challenges still exist due to the difficult real estate market. As of January 31, 2010, there were 319 parcel impacts, 319 total number of parcels certified, 6 total number of appraisals or value findings in process, 257 total number of appraisals or value findings completed, 257 total number of value findings approved, 193 total number ready for construction. Kathy Berumen, Public Information Manager, Denver Transit Construction Group, was up next reviewing for some of the new city council members how the word about construction activity that will impact the population near the site. It's very methodical by check list broken down by date, area, and type and duration of the activity that includes pre-warning signs, door hangers, fixed street signs, updates on the website, and of course, RTD's email list, which now numbers over 4,000 names refined to be broken down into specific areas near the activity. Brenda Tierney, FasTracks Public Information Involvement Team, was next and told the group that RTD has implemented a business outreach plan. She mentioned that a few of the small businesses have been impacted more than others, and as a result in the RTD online newsletter they will be highlighting a local business and the business can send RTD their logos, information about their business, and the business will have a highlighted spot on the RTD West Corridor Website. RTD will encourage the public, and all RTD employees via email to use those businesses effected; one added note, RTD will also put advertising from those businesses in door hangers if they wish in the impacted area. Brenda Tierney also announced that there will be a RTD website sign up for tours of the West Corridor in April, July, & August and will be open to everyone. The tours will be from 9am to 11am and they will all be on a Friday. Please see the link below to sign up. She also mentioned RTD also plans an elected official's tour in September. Councilor Stack then mentioned that she thought that RTD "had done a beautiful job" with some of the construction in some places, and at that time, Mr. Cohen chimed in and addressed Ms. Stack and Sara Farrar Nagy's previous comments about the job that the public information outreach group had done about street closures and notifications. Mr. Cohen to Councilor Stack: "Thanks for acknowledging that and I wanted to address some of the concerns that Vicki and Sara brought up. With a project of this magnitude, we can't be vigilant enough in terms of sensitivity to those directly impacted. And I know that Kathy and Brenda work exhaustedly to try and reach out to those who are impacted - or will be impacted - but I think that your comments echo the sentiment that we (RTD) need to do more. I have heard from Mr. Washington (General Manager of RTD) himself that he wants RTD to be as sensitive as possible. This project is going to negatively impact some people and there is just no way around this...but overall I have to say that sensitivity to the impact on constituents is right at the top of RTD's priority list." Terry Martin, Denver Transit Construction Group, deputy manager, gave the group an updated PowerPoint slide show of the three West Corridor construction sections. Once again, I can't show you the specific photos taken at the meeting, but I can give you the link to the West Corridor photo gallery where you can get your construction photo fix: West Corridor Photo Gallery However, the most important thing he did mention was that "there was this big surge of construction that started mostly in the area - between Union Blvd and the Jeffco Station. And what we are seeing right now, is that we are on the "second surge" of construction. There's been a lot of work that has opened up and will continue to open up in the next two months." At this moment, Dave Baskett, spoke up which will be of significant interest to the Eiber Neighborhood: "Shortly after they complete the drainage boxes going along 13th Ave and come up to Richey Park, then the City of Lakewood will begin a project with Urban Drainage and Flood Control in Richey Park to increase the size of the retention pond -- and if you remember going back, we made the decision that if we didn't handle the 100 year flood events during construction with RTD, then probably a large portion of the Eiber Neighborhood would forever be flooded because it would be cost prohibitive to try and actually come in later and go in under the operating light rail. And we are also working on a separate project with CDOT by building another box culvert under Wadsworth at 12th Avenue that will take the school district property out of the 100 year flood plain, and that would tie-into the end of the construction that is being done there." The discussion then turned to the design of the 1,000 unit parking structure at that will be on the east side of 14th and Wadsworth Blvd. Mr. Cohen asked at what phase of the project "were we at?" "I'm hoping," Mr. Cohen continued, "that when we get there is a dynamic structure that is an asset to the neighborhood rather than then a detriment - 1). Something nice to look at, and 2) something that provides within legislative boundaries the ability to do something beside just have a parking structure. What's exciting is the possibility of looking at multiple uses - an example: pop-out retail that would allow for some complementary businesses, jobs - to be right there where it's organic to what we have. I'm hoping that we continue to move in that direction." Sara Farrar-Nagy commented that since the subject has been brought up, it would seem like the opportune time for public input. Are you listening, City of Lakewood? Mr. Basket speaks up: "Let me tell you what the status is." This is separate from the West Corridor," he continued. RTD has hired a consultant. They have a kick-off meeting schedule next week (week of Feb. 22, 2010?) with all of the agencies. What the City of Lakewood is trying to do is to get RTD to establish a baseline budget of what would have to be spent to build a 1,000 car parking structure and do the various things ordinarily required of the City, i.e., the landscaping, the sidewalk construction, drainage, and etc. Once the baseline is established then see what we can do to shift things around to get some of things you are talking about (pop-out retail, etc.) and then perhaps we get into the thing like we did with the station itself where there are betterments that could be added. But at the very least if we get design in -- well, some of some of the things we talked about - we're looking at some things in the future, we think, that there will be plug-in electric vehicles. So we should consider building a 1,000 car garage that has this capability designed in easily and inexpensively built into the structures. We've looked at Belmar, for example, and they have solar panels on top; if you think of that first when you're designing it then that can be added in rather inexpensively. As for any ideas for a plaza - we don't and RTD doesn't have any money now, but if we had master plan of what we would like to see what would be available in the plaza, those items could be added in at a future date. We're encouraging - and will encourage - when we have these kick-off meetings going on that there is public input on what we would like to get there." Comment from me: OK, Lakewood City Planners -- you heard what Mr. Baskett has said, (and I have it on audio) - there will be public input on the Wadsworth Parking structure. And the first public outreach meeting will be -- when? Sara Farrar-Nagy added an additional comment that she would like to see a similar public input concerning the Sheridan Street Garage, but acknowledge that it would be difficult considering the bazaar three-sided Denver City boundaries that surround the future parking garage, while at the same time having the traffic impact the residents of the Two-Creeks Neighborhood considerably. Brenda Tierney spoke up: "I'll tell you right now that if we have public input on one garage, we'll have public input on both garages." Matt Cohen changed subject by saying that "we're confident that in just three short years and three months, we are looking forward to opening this line." Richard Clark replied: "I just wanted to echo that -- that in May 2013, We will have trains open to the public -- no ifs -- ands -- or buts about it." The meeting wound down from there with a discussion the APE - the Annual Program Evaluation that came out last month. Here's the good news: The overall budget for the entire Fastracks budget went down to 6.5 Billion - but that the bad news was that revenue projections were down even more, widening the gap to a 2.5 Billion shortfall to complete the entire transit hub system with all lines being built by 2017. Matt Cohen: "The plan from RTD to overcome that shortfall and get the program done as was originally intended has two options to it - here's the common denominator between both options -- both of which means that RTD has to ask the taxpayers for more money. Option A, is we ask in 2010. Option B, is that we ask in 2012. The ramifications of those options are if we go in 2010 and win - another 4tenths of a percent - that we complete the project by 2017. If we delay that 'ask' until 2012 and were successful, the program is delayed until 2019. But we are confident that if we can get that additional funding in 2012 it could definitely be built out by 2019." The meeting continued to wind down with discussions back and forth about revenue projections, and how could RTD be so wrong with its cost evaluations, costs of materials, and blah, blah. Then the discussion turned to "what did RTD learn from the financial meltdown and commodity speculations?" Which then led the group to Mr. Washington's first request as General Manager and that was to conduct a study into "what did RTD learn" which then revealed that the study was complete and was online at RTD's website. This promoted Ms. Tierney to announce that she would send all of us attending the meeting the online address for the study. I have placed the URL address for you below. Please be advised that this is a pdf file and may take a while to be uploaded to your computer. RTD's Lessons Learned in 2009 Also, please do not miss the opportunity to take the free RTD bus tour of the corridor. The link is below that will take you to the RTD West Corridor events calendar. Click on the area that says "west corridor tour." Another box will open and you will see "click here" highlighted on the bottom of the pop-up box. Click that and it will open a form for you to fill out with your name and etc. RTD's Events Calendar The next meeting will be May 14, 2010 at the West Corridor Project Office. | -- Photos on the West Corridor -- Below: Wadsworth Blvd. Bridge with girders in place looking east from west side of Blvd. Feb 27th 2010  Feb. 13th 2010  looking NE., Feb. 13th, 2010   Below: Rail storage at 1290 Harlan St. Most likely for Area 2, east of the Federal Center to Sheridan Blvd., Jan 17, 2010 From a tip from my Facebook friend, Elia Fisher.  Wadsworth Blvd, Jan 16th, 2010 below  Solid Bridge Support rising on west side of Wadsoworth Blvd & 13th Ave. January 16th, 2010 below   Wadsworth Bridge construction at 13th Ave looking west, Dec. 22, 2009 below  December 20, 2009 below             Inidana St. Abutment, 10-16-09  Indiana to Union Blvd, 10-16-09  US 6th Bridge east of Union Blvd. concept drawing, courtesty RTD, Sept. 2009  Above US 6th Ave Looking west towards Jeffco Cty Building, Aug. 2009 |
