C A L E N D A R

Board Offi cers

ENHANCING AND PROTECTING THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN OUR REGION

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Photo by Bob Ashe. Denver Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Lorraine M. Anderson, Chairman Will Toor, Vice Chairman Richard M. Sheehan, Secretary Nancy Sharpe, Treasurer Melanie A. Worley, Immediate Past Chairman Jennifer Schaufele Council Member, City of Arvada Council Member, City of Boulder Commissioner, Jefferson County Mayor, Greenwood Village Commissioner, Douglas County Executive Director

October 2004

Friday, Oct. 22: The Water & Environmental Planning Committee meets at 9 a.m.

Wednesday, Oct. 27: Dispatcher testing held—call 303-480-6730 for more information.

November 2004

Wednesday, Nov. 3: The Metro Vision Issues Committee meets at 4 p.m.

Tuesday, Nov. 9: The Regional Transportation Committee meets at 8:30 a.m.

Monday, Nov. 15: The Transpor-tation Advisory Committee meets at 1:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Nov. 17: The Administrative Committee meets at 5:45 p.m. and the DRCOG Board of Directors meets at 7 p.m. Public hearing at 7 p.m. on Clean water Plan amendments

Friday, Nov. 19: The Advisory Committee on Aging meets at noon.

Thursday, Nov. 25: The DRCOG offi ce will be closed for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Friday, Nov. 26: The DRCOG offi ce will be closed.

Meeting dates and times are subject to change. Please call 303-455-1000 to confi rm meetings, or view a current calendar and download agendas at www.drcog.org.

All meetings are held at the council’s offi ce unless otherwise noted.

Union Station plan approved

The DRCOG Board adopted a resolution approving the Denver Union Station Master Plan at its Sep-tember meeting. DRCOG entered into a Memo-randum of Agreement (MOA) with the City and County of Denver, the Colorado Department of Transporta-tion and the Regional Transporta-tion District in 2001 regarding the acquisition and redevelopment of Union Station. The MOA called for the preparation of a master plan to provide a framework for development. The master plan was developed through a public outreach process involving many stakeholders, inter-ested parties and citizens. The station is envisioned to be a key facility linking seven rapid transit corridors. It will act as a hub for transfers and interconnections between light rail, commuter rail, bus and other types of transportation. The Board’s approval does not commit DRCOG to any funding of the master plan’s implementation. To view the recommended vision for Union Station, go to www.denverunionstation.org.

Campaign closes in October

The campaign to get drive-alone commuters out of their cars once a week will conclude at October’s end. More than 5,000 people took the RideSmartThursdays challenge, and organizers hope that it spurs some permanent changes. If everyone who typically drives alone to work altered that pattern just one day each week, the region’s rush-hour traffi c would be reduced by 20 percent. Commuters who took part in the effort committed to carpool, walk, ride a bike, tele-commute or take transit at least once weekly for the duration of the cam-paign. Registrants were eligible for prizes in three drawings held at events over the length of the campaign. To see a list of prize winners go towww.ridesmartthursdays.com. For more information on commuter services such as carpool and vanpool matching offered by DRCOG, go to www.drcog.org or call 303-458-POOL (7665).

Parker signs Mile High Compact

In September the Town of Parker became the 34th signa-tory to the landmark Mile High Compact. The DRCOG-led compact commits members to working together to manage and direct growth throughout the Denver metropolitan area. Cities and counties that have signed the compact since its creation in 2000 represent about 75 percent of the region’s population. Mayor Pro Tem David Casiano signed the document on the town’s behalf. Casiano also represents Parker on the DRCOG Board. The Mile High Compact is the agreement that communi-ties make to abide by the policies set forth in the Metro Vision plan. Metro Vision is currently being updated to extend the plan-ning horizon to the year 2030, and will be considered in its new form by the Board in January. For more information on the Mile High Compact or Metro Vision 2030, visit the council’s Web site at www.drcog.org.

Parker Mayor Pro Tem David Casiano signs the Mile High Compact.

Representative Betty Boyd and Senator Bob Hagedorn at the Sept. 29 forum.

Candidate forum

Board members had the opportunity to talk one-on-one with candidates running for state offi ce at a meeting held Sept. 29. The “Conversation with the Candi-dates” was held at the Holiday Inn at 455 S. Colorado Blvd. in Denver.

2005 budget approved

The Board of Directors approved the 2005 DRCOG Budget in Septem-ber. General operating fund expendi-tures in the 2005 budget are estimated at $11,396,678 and revenues are estimated at $11,447,174. In addition, the council will administer a variety of pass-through grants totaling approxi-mately $6,270,278 that will be carried out by local governments and other agencies. Revenues from membership dues have remained the same for thepast four years as dues have been frozen at the aggregate total set in 2002. Dues have been redistributed for each juris-diction to refl ect current population and assessed valuation.

Phone: (303) 455-1000 e-mail: drcog@drcog.org Web site: www.drcog.org

DRCOG Principal StaffJennifer Schaufele

Executive Director, 303-480-6701

Susanna D. Bozinovski Aging Services Director, 303-480-6736

Betty McCarty Administrative Offi cer, 303-480-6703

Karin McGowan Policy and Legislative Development Director, 303-480-6716

Jeffrey H. May Metro Vision Resource Center Director, 303-480-6746

Shepard NevelMembership Services and Community Outreach Director,

303-480-6711

Sherry Patten Public Information and Communications Director, 303-480-6786

George J. ScheuernstuhlMetro Vision Planning and Operations Director, 303-480-6743

4500 Cherry Creek Drive South, Suite 800Denver, Colorado 80246-1531

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AgingMetro Vision

The region will soon have a better idea how to set priorities for meeting the needs of its older adults. The results of a new needs assess-ment are expected to shed light on the direction required for future resources and policies related to this rapidly-growing segment of the population. The needs assessment was conducted by National Research Center, Inc. as part of a statewide effort. The results of the needs assessment will be explored more fully in upcoming issues of the Regional Report. Residents of long-term care facili-ties are part of the aging population always in need of further resources. The DRCOG Ombudsman program is looking for volunteers who are will-ing to advocate for these older adults. Volunteers visit residents in area facili-ties; act as a resource for residents and their family members; and assist in resolving disputes between residents and the facilities where they live. As the area agency on aging, DRCOG is required to visit each of the region’s more than 300 facilities once a month, and wouldn’t be able to meet this goal without the help of dedi-cated volunteers. DRCOG provides full training for all volunteers before they begin making visits, and asks for a commitment of one hour per week. For more information on becom-ing a volunteer ombudsman, contact Penny Cook at 303-480-6799 or pcook@drcog.org.

A public forum hosted by DRCOG and CDOT at DRCOG’s offi ce drew a crowd on the evening of Sept. 30. The forum gave citizens an opportunity to examine components of the the draft version of DRCOG’s Metro Vision 2030 plan, as well as the state’s long-range transportation plan. The draft Metro Vision plan is an update of the Metro Vision 2020 plan originally adopted by the Board in 1997. It outlines long-range strate-gies to manage growth in the region so as to best preserve quality of life for residents. Visitors were encouraged to study displays giving details of the plans and ask questions of staff; formal presenta-

tions were given later in the evening with more question and answer time following. Forums were also held in Boulder on Oct. 4, and Centennial on Oct. 5.Those who didn’t have a chance to attend the forums still have the opportunity to review and com-ment on the plan. The draft Metro Vision 2030 plan can be downloaded at www.drcog.org, or copies can be obtained from the Public Information offi ce. A public hearing on the draft plan is planned for the evening of Dec. 15, and the Board is expected to act on the plan at its Jan. 19 meeting. For more information or to provide comments, contact the regional council at 303-455-1000 or drcog@drcog.org.

Belmar wins Phoenix Award Lakewood’s Belmar develop-ment at West Alameda Avenue and Wadsworth Boulevard has been honored with a Phoenix Award for excellence in brownfi eld rejuvena-tion. The Phoenix Awards were cre-ated in 1997 to honor individuals and groups who create new and pro-ductive uses for abandoned industrial areas, also known as brownfi elds. Award winners are chosen every year from each of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 10 regions. An independent panel of environmental

professionals and business, academic and government leaders chooses the honorees. Belmar blossomed on the site that was once home to the Villa Italia Mall. Contamination from dry cleaning and automotive facilities had to be removed from soil and groundwater for the Belmar project to move forward. The award was presented to the City of Lakewood, Continuum Part-ners LLC and the contractors involved with site cleanup at the Brownfi elds National Conference in St. Louis at the end of September.

Seminars for Success offers local government employees the chance to explore meaningful topics with local instructors in a small class setting. Below are some upcoming fall offerings. If you advance your Web skills, you’ll want to attend Dreamweaver on Monday, Oct. 25 and Tuesday, Oct. 26. This course will introduce students to the basics of the Macromedia Dreamweaver MX Web develop-ment application. A basic under-standing of the computer oper-ating system you are using and all three HTML levels is recom-mended. The two-day class costs $590, and space is limited to 12 students. Sessions run from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day. On Oct. 28 you can learn more about diversity through Exploring Differences in the Workplace. Tara Powers will lead two half-day sessions; choose 8:30 a.m. to noon or 1to 4:30 p.m. The fee for this seminar is $89; participants will be asked to fi ll out a diversity questionnaire prior to attending. Many people in a professional environment fi nd themselves called upon to give speeches or presentations from time to time. Learn how to speak with con-fi dence at Success…It’s All In Your V.O.I.C.E., a class held on two successive Thursdays Nov. 4 and 11. Dee Dukehart will help participants fi nd their style. Please note that this class will be held at DeVry University, 925 S. Niagara St. It runs from 8:45 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. both days, and the fee is $205. On Tuesday, Nov. 16, Penny McDaniel teaches the last of a four-part series on Alternative Dispute Resolution. Media-tion Skills will explain the role of mediation as a process for resolving confl icts. It will defi ne mediation, teach you to recognize the advantages of mediation and identify the types of issues appro-priate for mediation. The session runs from 8:45 a.m. to 3:45 p.m., and the fee is $120. To register for any of these classes or to fi nd out more, go online to www.drcog.org under “Training and Testing,” contact Mona Manning at mmanning@drcog.org or call 303-480-6729.

Bert Melcher from the Sierra Club talks to Bill Broderick, DRCOG planner.

Centennial Council Member Andrea Suhaka examines displays as Scott Lehman of the Rangeview Metropolitan District (right) talks to another forum attendee.

Displays of information helped visitors navigate through the plans.