June 2010 - 2nd half

 

The temperatures have run hot and cold in June – I wish the economy would be more of the former and less of the latter! We passed a number of job-creation bills during the past legislative session (see the Voters’ Voice, page 2), and I’m hoping to see them make a big difference in Colorado as soon as they take effect this summer.

 

Please come to my next Legislative Coffee this Thursday, June 3, 7:30 – 9:00 a.m. at Panera’s, 7739 Wadsworth Blvd. I am continuing to hold these informal meetings on the 1^st Thursday of each month throughout the rest of the year. Because I don’t have to rush off to the State Capitol from June through December, the coffees will last a little longer than the ones during the session, so we’ll have lots of time to chat about whatever topics you choose. 

 

At my Town Hall Meeting on June 19, the first presenter was Brent McFall, City Manager for Westminster. He gave an overview of the plans for the redevelopment of the Westminster Mall. The city plans to make it an “urban downtown” with offices, stores, restaurants, entertainment facilities, and affordable residential units. Its proximity to the U.S. 36 RTD Park-and-Ride, as well as a future station of the Northwest Rail, makes it an ideal location for this kind of development. Despite the name of the mall, the City of Westminster does not own the property, and its prime landlord is partially at fault for its demise over the last decade because he has never re-invested in the property. However, McFall said that malls have a “life span,” and this one has reached its end. Therefore, the city is utilizing its “legal tools,” such as establishing an urban renewal authority, and working with a developer. They hope to have a final plan by the beginning of 2011. The project plan is titled “Westminster Center Urban Reinvestment Project.”

 

The second speaker was Arvada City Council member Rachel Zenzinger, who explained the plans that King Soopers has to expand its store at 80^th and Wadsworth. She said that the current store, built in 1974, is in the “old style mall shopping center” which the owner, Amcap, desires to update. King Soopers has purchased most of the retail space on the east side of the shopping center so it can expand the store out to the front of the building. The other stores that are still in the building will remain; some will be relocated to the south side of the building. King Soopers will expand from its current size of 72,000 square feet to 126,000 square feet – making it the biggest King Soopers in the state. The store will not be closed during construction, fortunately, but the construction will take place over the next 18 months.

These are some of the things I’ve been doing as your State Senator since my last newsletter:

On June 18, 2010, I observed a meeting of the State Council on Educator Effectiveness. This group was formed originally in January by the Governor’s Executive Order and was called the Educator Effectiveness Council. The meeting I attended was the council’s fourth meeting, but the first one since the passage of Senate Bill 191, which changed its name slightly and added a few duties. The meeting was held from 11:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., with only a half hour lunch break. The group had a discussion about how SB 191 affects their scope of work, about what their goals and objectives should be, and about what their “deliverables” are. They agreed that there are many questions they need to answer, such as the following: What elements need to be in place by 2014? What should the pilot look like? What part of the work is the Technical Advisory Group supposed to do? How will the council make its work compatible with the work of the Quality Teaching Commission and the School Leadership Academy, which have been in place for some time? They discussed a draft of their project plan, differentiating between Quality Standards, Performance Standards, and System Guidelines. About mid-afternoon, one of the council members pointed out that the council should probably have most of their work done by December, in order to have time to refine their recommendations and meet the March 1, 2011, deadline for passing them on to the State Board of Education. She expressed concern that no work has been going on between their monthly meetings, and they have received nothing to read and study. Then she said, “I don’t feel like we’re making appropriate progress for what our charge is.” 

I am continuing to host my monthly Town Hall Meetings on the 3^rd Saturday of each month through the summer and fall, at the Standley Lake Library, 8485 Kipling Streetfrom 10:30 a.m. to noon. Please note two exceptions: the September meeting will be on the 4^th Saturday, September 25, at the Susan B. Duncan YMCA, 6350 Eldridge Street, and there will be not be one in December. See my next newsletter for the topic of the next Town Hall on July 17.

 

If you live in Senate District 19, you may already have received this year’s issue of The Voters’ Voice on your doorstep, containing a summary of key bills passed during the recent legislative session.   If not, hopefully by the end of August a volunteer will be bringing it by (if not, let me know, and I’ll be glad to send you one).