The meeting was called to order by Cathy Noon at 6:47 pm with 19 members present and adjourned at 9:05 pm.

Arapahoe County Sheriff [www.arapahoesheriff.org] Lieutenant Ray Torres

• Suspects committing street robberies since October have been apprehended.
• He asked that CenCON remind homeowners about the Drop it. Lock it. Stop it., a program to prevent garage burglaries.
• He also asked CenCON to remind homeowners to help stop ‘puffer car’ robberies. Stay with your car when it is running.
• The anti-graffiti campaign is continuing. The appearance of graffiti is increasing throughout the city.

Arapahoe Library District [www.arapahoelibraries.org] Eloise May, Executive Director

• The library at Streets at Southglenn is moving along with an adjusted budget. Three meeting rooms will be built.
• ‘The Dewey’, replacing ‘By the Book’, has all of the programs in one place. A pullout section for each library includes their schedule of programs and news.
• New teen website launched on January 7. Website improvements for the adult side are planned.
• Culturefest 2008: Connections – programs & events to highlight connections in local & global communities in March.

Arapahoe Park & Rec District [www.aprd.org] Rebecca Nash

• A Matching Fund/Partner program with the neighborhoods has been adopted. The application was distributed with more information available on the website.
• District is submitting grant application for Spring Creek Park. Have received funds from Arapahoe County.
• The District will give positive testimony at Centennial Planning and Zoning on the Open Space Master Plan.
• The district is beginning a tree and shrub maintenance program with emphasis on preventive care.
• Xcel is removing some trees from underneath the power lines. They are not trees planted by the district.

• Reported on the 3-alarm apartment fire at I-25 and Dry Creek that was under construction. Both Denver Water and Inverness Water opened more valves to meet the demand for more water. A heater was responsible for starting the fire resulting in about $1 million in damage.
• Parker and South Metro are studying a merger between the two districts. Working with consultants to determine feasibility. First draft of the study available by mid-March. Citizen input will be solicited.
• Parker Fire District is doing a condemnation in the Estancia area for property to build a new fire station in that area.
• www.cfpd.org     www.littletongov.org     www.parkerfire.org     www.southmetro.org

South Suburban Rec. District [www.sspr.org] Jean Flynn,

• An election will be held in May for the board of directors as one person is term limited and are seeking candidates. Potential candidates contact: Nancy O’Connor at office and petition must be filed by February 29. Board meets the 2^nd and 4^th week of the month and receives about $1600/year. Mail-in ballot requests are on the website at www.sprd.org.
• Forms for Matching Gifts program were distributed for any improvements to So. Suburban facilities in neighborhoods.
• Eggcellent celebrations: March 22 annual egg hunt at deKoevend Park at 9:30 am & Sheridan at 11:30. Easter brunch on March 23 from 10:00 – 2:00 at Lone Tree Golf Course.

City of Centennial [www.centennialcolorado.com] Gail Carissimi, Citizen Response Liaison

• Open Space Advisory Board will schedule a bus tour in late Feb/March for Council Members to prioritize recommendations for parks, trails and open space in each Ward.
• Over the past weekend, Council and management staff worked on visioning goals and objectives with the 5 Star Institute.
• City expects to soon finalize a 10-year, $19 million agreement with the Sheriff’s Department for public safety & law enforcement.
• Centennial is working on a variety of special events for late Spring and early Summer. Two events highlight fun & fitness while two will center on movie and entertainment nights.
• Centennial Connection, the latest edition of the newsletter, has been mailed.

• Wayne Reed introduced the staff and the topic. He noted that the Planning Department was a contract entity for a first 5 years of the City and by bringing it in house, the City is saving hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. It is a very lean staff and they are doing more in house. Projects for this year: re-write of Land Development Code with citizen input; Open House on February 29 to meet the staff; & workshop #2 will be held. Staff will be efficient, effective innovative, accountable, and responsive.

Neighborhood Resource Guide Megan Connett, Administrative Assistant

• Ms. Connett reviewed the draft of the first ever Neighborhood Resource Guide. It included: neighborhood organization, safety, building, zoning, code enforcement, neighborhood assistance, and city contacts. Input from numerous sources was utilized to help compile information.
• Next steps; incorporate suggestions, present to council, work with a designer to make it user friendly. These are consistent with Comprehensive Plan values. CenCON members gave numerous suggestions to include in the booklet.

The City is considering changes to regulations concerning off-premise signs, freeway oriented signs and other provisions.

Jeff Brasel presented the proposed sign code updates.

• Issues: appearance, lack of options, limited arterial frontage, competitive disadvantage, the Comprehensive Plan.
• Proposals: 1) height of free standing sign height to 10’ for businesses per zoning; 2)off-premises signage – large format retailers (bus shelters, emergency services, services oriented towards travelers – proposal would allow large format retailers w/in 1/4 mile of an arterial the option of off-premise signage; 3) freeway oriented signage.
• This proposal will go to Planning and Zoning Commission on January 30.

JPA Sub-Area Plan (re-initiating the planning process) Gary Wilson, Long Range Planning Manager

• The City is recommencing this project and reintroduced the plan to CenCON. Gary Wilson reviewed the JPA (Joint Planning Agreement) Study Area. It was put on hold in March ’07. With no changes, the draft was circulated on Jan. 15. The plan is to be re-named as the County is no longer participating. The issue goes to Planning and Zoning and then to Council for approval.

• The City is preparing a scope and process for this important sub-area and will begin a planning process in the coming month.
• Southglenn Sub-Area Plan: Redevelopment of mall site and surrounding neighborhoods. A steering-Land Use Committee is needed as the plan is developed. The neighborhood surrounding this area will be included in a redevelopment plan. The Land Use Committee meets 1^st Tues of month at 6:00 pm. Ron Phelps, Southglenn HOA, agreed to serve on the committee. The staff is seeking CenCON’s input at the meeting and will keep CenCON informed throughout the project.

Traffic 101 Workshop – possibly March 19 with the final date yet to be determined.

• Parker Road Corridor Study [covers Hampden to E-470] www.parkerroadcorridorstudy.com. Some concern expressed about the plans for the Arapahoe Road –Parker Road intersection.
• Community Association Institute –membership renewal. Andrea moved to renew CenCON membership. Ron Podboy seconded. Motion carried.
• Arapahoe County is working on senior issues and will provide a presentation in March. Programs for Seniors-in-Need are available.
• A $750 check was presented in gratitude to Eloise May of the Arapahoe Library District for allowing CenCON to meet in their facilities.

• Presented the draft brochure about CenCON - intended to market the organization. Estimates for printing are being sought. Jim Levy moved not to exceed $200 to print 300 copies. Ron Podboy seconded the motion. Motion carried.

• Dues statements will go out in March. Member organizations are asked to update the leadership information for their HOA.

Home Rule Charter Commission Update: A public hearing was held on January 17 with a second one scheduled on February 12. The website, centennialcharter.com, contains all information, communications, and comment received from Centennial citizens. The Commission meets most Thursday nights at 6:15 pm in the Council Chambers. Overall, the charter reflects the status quo of the operations of the city. Some of the issues that have changed: identify Wards as Districts, the number of votes needed for emergency ordinances (3/4 of the council), a higher level of votes may be required for some items, and an appointed (hired) positions for clerk and treasurer. The February CenCON meeting will include a presentation about the Home Rule Charter.

It was moved by Don Doerr & seconded by Andrea Suhaka to approve the minutes of the November meeting. Motion carried.

Page last updated on: 03/28/2009