Centennial Council of Neighborhoods – September 2006 Minutes

The meeting was called to order by Cathy Noon at 6:50 pm and was adjourned at 9:00 pm with 15 members present.

Arapahoe County Sheriff,   Mark Fisher, Captain

• Assisting City of Aurora in planning the funeral of Mike Thomas, City police officer. Funeral will be held in Arapahoe County.
• Working high-crash locations and writing tickets. As a result auto accidents have been reduced by 183 crashes over 2004 thru June 2006. Top ten crash locations have been identified. High use intersections of Arapahoe Road are included in the top ten crash locations.
• Department is planning for opening of Light Rail to accommodate the Dry Creek, and I-225 and Parker Stations.
• www.arapahoesheriff.org

Arapahoe Library District,   Eloise May

• Colorado Ballot Issues presentations: October 10, 7:00 p.m., Smoky Hill Library and October 16, 7:00 p.m., Koelbel Library.
• Over 265 teens, donating over 3930 hours, volunteered to assist with the summer reading program for kids.
• A Harvest Storytelling Extravaganza has storytelling events at all libraries during October. Check website for times.
• The budget is being prepared for board to approve in December. Revenues have stayed flat and no cuts or increases to staff are anticipated.
• Friends of the Library annual Book Sale raised about $30,000 this year. Book store sales at Koelbel and Smoky Hill are increasing with approximate revenue approaching $50,000/year.
• www.arapahoelibraries.org

Arapahoe Park & Recreation District,  Rebecca Nash

• The District is gathering research and bids on projects.
• Information was requested regarding fees being charged for leasing space for antennae for cell phone coverage.
• www.arpd.org

Fire Districts,   Bob Rinne, Chief - South Metro Fire District

• All local fire district chiefs attended the national fire conference in Dallas. It included attendees from 40 countries.
• SMFD has put two new medic units into service. They are identified by diagonal striping as standardized by the US Department of Transportation.
• Fire Prevention week will be October 2-7. October is fire safety month. Fire prevention education is being stressed.
• In the South Metro Fire District, all paramedics and EMT’s are going through a refresher course and drilling on a variety of scenarios.
• The Cunningham Fire District will host an Open House at Fire Station 2, Smoky Hill & Buckley, October 7, 9:00 – 1:00 pm beginning with a pancake breakfast.
• In response to a question, it was learned that a map of fire plugs is available.
• Eloise May suggested partnering with libraries for fire prevention month.
• www.cfpd.org      www.littletongov.org      www.parkerfire.org      www.southmetro.org

South Suburban Park & Recreation District,  Jean Flynn

• South Suburban is in the midst of the budget process. October 4 is public meeting at Goodson Rec. Center to discuss fees and charges. Some fees are increasing by $1 while other increases are gasoline related. The budget may be reviewed at the administrative office.
• A Punt, Pass, and Kick event is scheduled on September 30, 9:00 am, boys and girls ages 8-15, at David Lorenz Park. Participants will receive an NFL certificate. Parents must sign kids in and provide a copy of birth certificate to prove eligibility.
• It was reported that there is some erosion in the drainage area of Lorenz Park on C-470 side.
• Family Sports Center is providing discounts up to 50% off of activities during September 28-October 9. A pass special of 10% will be offered on drop-in fitness classes and other activities during November 26-December 25.
• www.sspr.org

City of Centennial,  Sherry Patten

• Budget meetings are taking place with departments presenting their requests on Sunday, October 1. The formal budget approval meeting is on December 11.
• The Streets at Southglenn is moving along. A sales office should open in the next few weeks.
• SE Light Rail line is opening on November 17. A community party is scheduled on November 18 at Dry Creek Station, 10:00-2:00 pm. Sports teams have been invited to attend. Empty Bowl project will collect food for food banks. Proceeds go to 9 Cares, Colorado Shares.
• Additional funds have been approved to fix potholes and broken concrete that have been on the list for some time.
• A Neighborhood map is almost ready. CenCON will receive copies for review in the near future.
• At the request of the Youth Commission, an ordinance that would prohibit possession of tobacco by a minor has been approved by the Council.
• The newly created Stormwater Authority has been approved by all entities and the first meeting was held last week. Council Member Bart Miller was elected Chairman & County Commissioner Rod Bockenfeld was elected Vice-Chair.
• The Tabor question has been certified for the November 7 ballot.
• The next Centennial newsletter will go out by January 1.
• www.centennialcolorado.com

RTD/TREX Update,  Tex Elam, Transportation Coordinator, Centennial

On Friday, November 17, the SE Light Rail opens and will be free. On Sunday, November 19, actual service begins. The biggest impact will be on increased bus service in the eastern part of the City including Southlands to 9-Mile station. The Park and Ride at Smoky Hill and Picadilly is moving along with legal agreements being worked out. He described various bus service additions including connections to DIA. All begin on November 19. He outlined call-n-Ride service areas which will be available at the southern stations. About 18 call-n-Rides are operating in the metro area. He described access to parking garages at Dry Creek station and pointed out various problems yet to be resolved.

Lazy Hills,  Michael Hayutin

Michael Hayutin , Westar Management Corp for Lazy Hills Commons proposal, described the property at Parker and Lewiston/Jasper, as about 4 acres. Westar has been working with residents of Lazy Hills and Cherry Creek Water & Sanitation District to bring adjacent homes, currently on well water, into the water system. He said the proposed development had 25,000 sq. feet of retail uses on the site including banks, amenities and services for the surrounding neighborhoods. A 360-degree architecture is planned. The site is quite steep and retaining walls will be built around much of the property with landscaping. Concerns expressed included: lighting and hours of operations. The drainage is tied into the City of Aurora’s system.

Centennial Grand,  Heather Vasquez, Klipp

Heather Vasquez, with Klipp, said a re-zone request would be submitted in about 4 months for property at Syracuse Way and Peakview Ave. to change from commercial to mixed-use residential zoning. The proposed development on this site consists of condominiums and town homes for the site with one 30-story tower in the north (same height as Chevron tower) and a lower tower on the south with town homes. Parking garages would be included with 1.75 spaces per unit. Views to the west are exceptional. Condos would have access to concierge service. Anticipated price is $400/sq. foot. 380 -500 units depending on height. A market study of the area found that current residents do not want to leave. The development would be aimed at empty-nesters. Average age of those surveyed was 40-50 years of age.

Concerns: glut of residential units, noise abatement

CenCON Reports,  Cathy Noon, President

• Community Association Institute Centennial Round Table on September 20 had a good turnout and received positive comments.
• Senior Fair, sponsored by the Arapahoe County Council on Aging, will be October 20 at the Buck Center in Littleton. The Arapahoe County Council on Aging, meets the 3^rd Monday, 1:00 pm at Greenwood City Hall.
• The Corner Star development has received CDOT approval for the south egress onto Parker Road.

Minutes,  Gerry Cummins

Lynn Leader moved to approve the minutes of the August meeting. Frank Green seconded the motion. Motion carried.

Treasurer’s Report,  Don Strickland

Plans,  Jim Levy, 2^nd Vice-President, CenCON Plans

• Upcoming plans include: Inverness Re-plat south of Fleming’s Restaurant for an extended stay hotel and a retail support center; Centennial Promenade, a re-plat from hotel and commercial to retail uses (north of the old Expo & J.Alexander’s); Copperleaf Community Center. Quincy and 470, with a community center building and children’s play center. More replats for commercial development are in the works.
• City and County still working on JPA. Questions about NE corner of Colorado Blvd. & Dry Creek; also express lanes on C-470 and the impact for traffic on Colorado.
• Centennial is now providing notification of plans to CenCON for plans outside of Centennial.

Next CenCON meeting – October 23, 2006

Page last updated on: 11/02/2006