Talk Of The Neighborhood
Compiled by Cara DeGette, Editor, GPHN
The Elusive Vaccine Shot
Now that March has arrived, so too may our elusive winter snowstorms — just in time for spring.
It’s hard to imagine that a full year has passed since COVID-19 brought the world to its knees. In late February, we marked a grim milestone: a half-million dead in the United States alone. In Colorado, nearly 6,000 have died. Another 424,000 have tested positive to the coronavirus — who knows how many more of us were smacked by the bug but never had access to a test for confirmation?
On one hand it’s astonishing that vaccines have already been developed, approved and are being rolled out.
It’s equally surprising — and not in a good way — that as of this writing Colorado has not developed a centralized system so people can easily sign up and get their shots. The state has had a year to plan for this moment, and our governor has always prided himself as a tech-savvy dude. Yet, good luck trying to chase down an appointment for a vaccine.
We’re still in early phases for regular people (i.e. beyond the frontline healthcare workers) who are eligible for vaccinations. That means people over age 65 have largely been the ones who have had to maneuver through bewildering online mazes, trying to figure out where to go and (at times desperately) signing up on multiple lists hoping one will result in an actual appointment. Fingers crossed that by summer, when vaccines are expected to be available to everyone, Colorado will have a reasonable system in place.
In the meantime, as we reported elsewhere in this month’s issue, one good site to check for available appointments in Colorado is vaccine-finder.nickm.org It was developed by a private citizen, and includes available appointments statewide at Safeways, Albertson’s, Walgreens, CVS’s, Walmarts, Sam’s Clubs (and sometimes King Soopers when the link is working). You may find yourself driving to a Safeway or Walgreens in Woodland Park or New Castle or Fort Collins, but hey, think of it as the vacation you haven’t been able to take for a year.
Visioning The Golf Course
Greater Park Hill Community, Inc. has added a link on its website dedicated to updating residents on the latest twists and turns at the Park Hill Golf Course. The land is currently protected by a conservation easement, but Westside Investment Partners hopes to develop it. In conjunction with the developer, the Denver Planning Department has moved forward with a process it calls a “visioning” plan for the property.
Shanta Harrison, who is representing the GPHC Registered Neighborhood Organization on the steering committee, provided this overview of what happened at the group’s first Zoom meeting on Feb. 17.
“Facilitator Nita Mosby Tyler spent the first hour speaking to the group and allowing brief discussion about equity – how it is defined, and its relevance to the process that the steering committee is undertaking.
“The next several minutes were allotted to James Roy II of Denver Metro Community Impact, who briefed the participants on the role of the Community Navigators – members of the community who will be charged with community outreach activities on the ground, operating separately from the steering committee. The navigators themselves were not identified at this time. It was revealed however, that those chosen as Navigators would be paid for their services.
“The final minutes of the meeting were spent discussing portions of the agenda for the next meeting, which will include drafting a charter for the group. The next meeting is tentatively set for March 9.”
Make sure to check out the dedicated link, at /greaterparkhill.org/resources/phgc/, for periodic updates and for information about and how to access upcoming meetings. (You can also watch the Feb. 17 meeting via YouTube at that link.)
Time For An Audit
A number of updates are on the schedule for the March 4 meeting of Greater Park Hill Community, Inc. The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. and usually runs until about 8 p.m. The meetings are currently held online via Zoom — just go to greaterparkhill.org/join-us/community-meetings/ for all the details. Everyone is invited to attend.
Among the March agenda highlights:
• Denver Auditor Timothy O’Brien is expected to provide an update, explain what the office is doing, learn about neighbor’s concerns about various aspects of the operations of the Denver government, and receive suggestions for future audit work.
• Deputy DA Tim Hoffman is expected to provide an update on what’s happening in the Denver District Attorney’s Office.
• Denver Police Department Community Resource Officer Heidi Lewis is expected to provide an update on incidents and trends occurring within District 2, a territory that includes Park Hill.