Dear Quiet Skies over Arapahoe County & Elected Officials,
The lead tests that were conducted at parks and open spaces north of Arapahoe Road by Teton Environmental, Inc. have been finalized. Tommy Davis Park, Orchard Hills Park, Hoffman Park and Silo Park were among several parks in the area that were tested. The Cherry Creek Parks and Recreation District Board denied the request to test for lead in Peakview Park, Orchard Park, Lakeview Park, Sunset Park and other parks and open spaces owned by the District.
The lead test results indicate there were high levels of lead found on surfaces, and of particular concern is the lead found on playground equipment in several parks. You can view the entire report here. This makes Bill HB24-1235 introduced by Representative Brown even more important!
Our attendance at the March 6th hearing at 3:00p (changed from 1:30p) at the State Capitol is imperative, whether we decide to give a 2-minute testimony or attend simply to show support. The hearing will take place at the Old state capitol, 200 E Colfax Ave, Denver, 2nd floor, eastern side of the building. Take the elevators to the 2nd floor, and enter the door right next to you (this is a CHANGE from the last communication)
Options Testify or listen to the hearing Online
There are several options to testify; in-person, testify remotely or listen to the hearing remotely. Testimony requires you to sign up and instructions can be found at the bottom of this email as well as a testimony template provided by Rep. Brown.
We know that the EPA has posted their final findings that aircraft that operate on leaded fuel cause a hazard to public health. Despite these findings, local operations and leaded fuel sales continue to rise at Centennial Airport despite the airport’s offering of unleaded fuel which began last May. Therefore, more lead and noise is being emitted. View Operations, Lead Fuel Sales, Noise Complaints Comparison Chart 2022 / 2023
Getting to the Capitol
We have decided against renting a bus as many people have opted to drive, carpool or take light rail. The bill is the first bill up in committee on March 6th so the hearing should start right at 1:30p.
Please consider attending the hearing and sharing your stories about how aviation noise and lead pollution has impacted you, your families and community.
Thank you for your continued support! We hope to see you and all of our elected officials on the 6th!
Donna, Audra & Lisa
Options to testify and listen to the hearing online:
To Testify In-Person
Go to https://www2.leg.state.co.us/CLICS/CLICS2024A/commsumm.nsf/signIn.xsp
Select, In-person, By committee and hearing item
Under committee name, select House Transportation, Housing and Local Government
Under meeting date and time, select 3/6/2024 1:30pm
Under hearing item, select HB24-1235
Fill in your personal information and select that you are in support of the bill
Select the blue 'Sign Up' button at the bottom
To Testify Remotely (you will go through the same process above after selecting “remotely”)
Guidance on how to testify (from Rep. Brown)
Testimony is 2 minutes. It is recommended to prepare a statement using the template below and practice beforehand to know how long it takes to read.
The Committee will call up people to testify in panels, usually in groups of four. After everyone in a panel testifies, committee members can ask questions of the panelists.
Template for oral testimony:
Good afternoon. Thank you, Chair Froelich and members of the committee for the opportunity to testify today.
Introduce yourself
I am here to urge the committee to vote yes on House Bill 1235.
Explain your personal experiences that relate to the bill.
Please vote yes on HB1235. Thank you for your time.
Written Testimony
Send your comments to the following list of House Transportation, Housing & Local Government Committee members (instead of the option to submit written testimony on the CO Legislature website)
meg.froelich.house@coleg.gov
mandy.lindsay.house@coleg.gov
andrew.boesenecker.house@coleg.gov
marc.catlin.house@coleg.gov
lisa.frizell.house@coleg.gov
Iman.Jodeh.house@coleg.gov
tisha.mauro.house@coleg.gov
jennifer.parenti.house@coleg.gov
alex.valdez.house@coleg.gov
stephanie.vigil.house@coleg.gov
don.wilson.house@coleg.gov
Listen to the Hearing Remotely
1. Go to https://sg001-harmony.sliq.net/00327/Harmony/en/View/UpcomingEvents/20240222/34
2. Find Bill HB24-1235
3. Select Start