THANKS, UpDoNA MEMBERS! Downtown Denver Development Authority – Downtown Safety Action Plan. Thanks to everyone who sent emails to the DDDA Board asking that it continue to support the Downtown Safety Action Plan. Our emails were received just in time for last month’s DDDA Board meeting wherein the Downtown Safety Action Plan was discussed. Thanks to Dawnna Wilder, Sr. Project Manager for the DDDA, who made sure that each board member received our emails. Lt. Kendall with the Denver Police Department presented statistics showing the positive impact that the Downtown Safety Action Plan has had in improving downtown safety. Based on the positive discussion, it is expected that the DDDA Board will approve funding. However, we won’t know for sure until March or possibly April. I’ll let you know as soon as a decision is made.
As an aside, UpDoNA’s Safety Committee meets monthly with DPD Lt. Koenigsfeld. He commented during our February meeting that UpDoNA is the most engaged and active RNO that the Denver Police Department works with! Way to go, everyone!
Denver Police Department Kiosk – Opening soon on Republic Plaza – A new Denver Police Department kiosk is set to open on Republic Plaza bringing a fresh, visible point of connection between residents, visitors, and DPD. The department is now inviting UpDoNA members to be part of this exciting launch by joining the volunteer team.
Kiosk volunteers will serve as friendly, knowledgeable guides for our downtown community. Duties include answering questions, sharing information about the neighborhood, helping individuals report incidents or file police reports, and offering general assistance to those who need it. The kiosk will also serve as a workspace for Denver Police officers, strengthening the partnership between DPD and the community.
Volunteers will complete a simple application and a brief online training. To make things even easier, the DPD volunteer coordinator has offered to meet interested volunteers at Spire to walk through the application process together. Several UpDoNA members have already volunteered, so join the group!
If you’d like to help shape this new downtown resource, please reach out to Lisa Pope at lisapope@updona.org or Gil Vondrasek at gilvon2001@gmail.com.
New Art Installations in Upper Downtown! Let’s continue with some more good news for Upper Downtown. Denver Arts and Venue and DOTI recently applied for $627,000 in DDDA funding to bring a temporary aerial art installation to downtown, and those funds were approved! The kinetic art installation from Poetic Kinetics will be installed in two-three locations this summer for four months. Two of those locations include Glenarm Plaza and Skyline Park 3 in Upper Downtown. The third location is Wynkoop Plaza. If you are unfamiliar with kinetic installations, they feature multiple floating, streaming canopies that play off light and wind.
Last summer, a Poetic Kinetic installation in Green Mountain Falls, Colorado attracted more than 100,000 visitors and resulted in a 36% year-over-year increase in sales tax revenue during the four-month-long installation period!
Skyline Park $30m Renovation Has Begun! Finally, after years of planning and waiting, there was a groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday, February 11th, at Skyline Park 2. Thanks to Rob Squire for attending and representing UpDoNA. Skyline Park 2 will have a park café, shaded picnic areas, small stage for events, improved lighting, and landscaping to enhance safety and vibrancy. The renovation is funded by the Elevate Denver Bond Program and should be completed by summer 2027. And, yes, the skating rink will return!
Restaurant and Business Openings this Spring: Otra Vez, a member favorite, is reopening this month on 16th Street. A new restaurant, Flaming Grill, is opening in the Spire building. Two Lazy Dogs on Champa Street should open in March or April. Peak Kickboxing is opening a location at 1336 Glenarm, behind Hyatt Place, and Le Macaron French Pastries is opening in the Denver Pavilions. How perfect – get your fill of margaritas and French pastries and then burn off the calories kickboxing!
As you can see, there are a lot of exciting things happening in Upper Downtown. UpDoNA and its members and volunteers are part of it!
Have a great St. Patrick’s Day! I’ll talk to you again in April.
Lisa L. Pope
President
Thumbnail attribution: Leo Marce
