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AMA Construction celebrating 10 years of success

Denver, Colo. — February 01, 2012 — A lot can happen in a decade, for instance a company can be established and flourish as a success – which is just what happened to AMA Construction, Inc. which recently celebrated it’s 10-year anniversary.

AMA Construction, a commercial general contractor based in Wheat Ridge, takes pride in each and every project they’ve built and strives to provide a quality product and exceed expectations, while minimizing costs to the client. They’ve created a niche for themselves as long-time builders of financial institutions throughout the Denver-metro area. They methodically approach each project as a way to better improve the company – even taking the extra step to ask all involved parties for their honest feedback.

“We’re both privileged and humbled to be celebrating 10 years as a company,” said Eero Allison, AMA Construction’s president. “We wouldn’t be here without the valuable partnerships we’ve developed and the remarkable clients that we’ve worked with since 2002.”

Their approach to construction led them to be named the 2010 Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year. They’ve also received the 2011 Better Business Bureau (BBB) Torch Award for Marketplace Trust, Small Business Category and have maintained an A+ BBB rating since 2004.

AMA Construction, Inc. is a mid-sized commercial general contractor determined to redefine the role of the contractor in the building process. Specializing in construction of office buildings, retail centers, medical buildings, tenant finish, commercial remodeling and site development, AMA Construction is licensed in most Colorado Front Range communities, as well as Arizona and California. Uniting the objectives of owner and architect, AMA brings a higher standard in leadership, customer service and ingenuity to the industry.

For more information on AMA Construction please contact Heather Dean at 720-232-2160 or via e-mail at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). AMA’s website is www.amaconst.com.

CIG searching for ambitious intern to join the firm’s cast of characters

— January 30, 2012 — Job Description

Communication Infrastructure Group (CIG), a full-service public relations, communications and marketing firm in the Denver-metro area is seeking an undergraduate or graduate student interested in gaining experience in an agency setting. This internship is offered for spring 2012. The individual selected as intern will gain experience working on a variety of high-profile clients and accounts, including Denver International Airport South Terminal Redevelopment Program, CDOT US 36 Express Lanes Project, City of Commerce City, Denver Water and others. In addition to servicing clients, the successful candidate will also be responsible for planning and managing a children’s safety public service campaign on behalf of CIG.

Job Duties
Responsibilities include:

• Implement public service campaign focused on children and road safety
• Develop and publish website content
• Draft blogs for website
• Assist in production of newsletters for a variety of clients
• Draft press releases, media alerts and other media relations tools
• Assist in development of marketing materials such as flyers, brochures, advertisements, etc.
• Assist in special event coordination
• Research opportunities for placement of clients in local and national media outlets
• Assist in development and distribution of press information
• Assist in finding and archiving media clippings
• Assist with filing, copying and other clerical tasks
• Perform other duties as assigned

Qualifications
This internship is designed for current undergraduate or graduate students – journalism, public relations, communications and marketing fields required. This position requires outstanding verbal and written communication skills. Candidates should possess knowledge of business protocol, excellent organizational and interpersonal skills and a proven track record of prioritizing and completing multiple assignments on deadline with minimal supervision.

CIG anticipates this internship will require a commitment of at least 15 hours per week, with the potential for more. Hourly wage rate will be negotiated commensurate with the successful candidate’s experience. Upon request we will work with your college/university to accommodate the requirements of your school’s internship program.

The successful candidate will split time between CIG’s Denver office and field time with various CIG team members.

Submit resume and cover letter to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). No phone calls, please.

AMA Construction Completes New FirstBank Building

Denver, Colo. — January 10, 2012 — AMA Construction rang in the New Year with the completion of the new FirstBank building located at the busy intersection of Alameda Avenue and Federal Boulevard in Denver, Colo. AMA took just over five months to build this brand new 4,734 square-foot branch.

The Wheat Ridge-based contractor was responsible for completing not only the one story high building, but also the exterior shell, interior finishes, site and civil work and all landscape around the property.

AMA Construction, Inc., recipient of the 2011 Better Business Bureau Small Business Torch Award, is a mid-sized commercial general contractor determined to redefine the role of the contractor in the building process. Specializing in construction of office buildings, retail centers, medical buildings, tenant finish, commercial remodeling and site development, AMA Construction is licensed in most Colorado Front Range communities, as well as Arizona and California. Uniting the objectives of owner and architect, AMA brings a higher standard in leadership, customer service and ingenuity to the industry.

For more information on AMA Construction please contact Heather Dean at 720-232-2160 or via e-mail at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). AMA’s website is www.amaconst.com.

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11 New Year’s resolutions for PR and marketing professionals

PRDaily.com

— January 03, 2012 — As we prepare to ring in the new year, let’s take a few minutes to reflect on what’s most important as a marketer or PR practitioner, particularly as the media landscape continues to evolve.

Below are some reminders and/or resolutions related to our practice. These are simple rules. And the best part: they’re fairly easy to incorporate into working life, yet as guiding principals can make a big difference.

Resolve to be a better writer—in 140 characters or less. In an age of tweeting, being succinct is key and helps in making your content viral.

Resolve to think outside the confines of “traditional” PR. Instead of relying on an age-old press release, ask if a topic is better suited to a blog or social media post.

Resolve to know your audience. “Beats” are fluid in these days of the continuous news cycle. Know your audience and their of-the-moment interests. Resolve to check your contacts’ latest posts and tweets before reaching out with an idea or topic.

Resolve to be a storyteller. Some media deal in straight facts and figures; others paint with a different brush. Don’t bore with market potential for a new widget if that’s not their bag; instead tell them what they want to hear, which typically boils down to how it will impact their reader’s life.

Resolve to speak measurement upfront, not when asked by the client. What does the program, strategy or tactic you’re suggesting really do to impact the bottom line? If you can’t answer that question, both qualitatively and quantitatively, then perhaps it’s not the great idea you thought it was.

Resolve to be SEO friendly. Why make it hard to find the product or messages you’re trying to convey? Think of keywords that matter and use them in your blog, release and outreach so they can get crawled and drive traffic.

Resolve to be more visual. If a picture is worth 1,000 words then why not? Multimedia is the new text; incorporating photos and video makes a story more impactful.

Resolve to stay ahead of the game. This is one of the hardest challenges in PR. As fires, last-minute deadlines and “urgent” requests fly into the inbox hour by hour, it’s important to dedicate a portion of the day to ensure you’re staying ahead—or at a minimum on track—of your regularly scheduled program.

Resolve to slow it down and clean up your act. In this age of short, snippy emails and social media postings, it’s easy to post quantity over quality. Before you hit “send” take a second (or even third) look. It pays not to be sloppy.

Resolve to clear your head. When the going gets tough, the tough can get stressed. And what good does a foggy, frenetic brain do when push comes to shove? Little. There’s something to be said about the five-minute break. Try it. You’ll be better at your job because of it.

Resolve to give good counsel. Tell your boss or client(s) what they need to hear, not what they want to hear. This can sometimes be intimidating, but it’s important, and only right. We’ve all been there—there’s an expectation that PR will simply take orders—but you know in your gut the effort at hand will net nothing but peeved media and bloggers and worse, backlash that could damage several reputations, both the company and yours.

Here’s to a happy and healthy New Year to you all.

Carm Lyman is co-owner and president of Lyman PR, a consumer lifestyle communications agency. Based in Northern California, Lyman PR specializes in PR and marketing for consumer tech, mobile tech, music, b2b, hospitality and sports. She can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), or follow her on Twitter @carmlyman or @lymanpr.

See full article.

DIA settles with architect Calatrava on use of drawings

By Jeffrey Leib, The Denver Post

Denver, Colo. — November 17, 2011 — Denver officials have reached a settlement with Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava and his design firm that will allow Denver International Airport to use most of the work Calatrava did on the airport's South Terminal project, officials said Wednesday.

In a briefing to Denver City Council members, DIA manager Kim Day and city attorneys said the agreement calls for the airport to pay Calatrava’s remaining invoices on his design work, totaling about $543,000, and a $250,000 licensing fee that will allow DIA to use the bulk of the architect’s drawings submitted so far.

In September, Calatrava representatives said the designer and his firm, Festina Lente, were pulling out of the $500 million South Terminal proj ect because of disagreements with the venture’s program manager, Parsons Transportation Group, and Festina Lente’s lack of faith in the proj ect’s budget and timetable.

The project includes a train station at the south end of DIA’s terminal for RTD’s FasTracks train to the airport; a public plaza extending from the terminal’s fifth level; and a 500-room Westin hotel atop the plaza and train station.

Up to the point of the designer’s withdrawal, DIA, through Parsons, had paid Calatrava and Festina Lente about $13 million. The additional payments will take the total payout to the designer to about $13.8 million.

DIA and the city are getting their money’s worth from the deal, Day told council members, because the airport effectively is getting “two years of work” from Calatrava and his firm. And when the public sees the finished South Terminal project, it probably won’t even notice the lack of the handful of “signature” Calatrava design elements the agreement precludes DIA from using, she said.

Designs that the agreement deems as proprietary to Calatrava and off-limits to DIA include some white architectural elements on the upper exterior of the hotel and some Calatrava-designed columns, Day said.

“We got everything that we wanted,” she added.

DIA has to deliver the airport train station to RTD by January 2014.

Read more: DIA settles with architect Calatrava on use of drawings - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_19353054#ixzz1e5JFM3yi

Six Tips For Making Your Press Release Twitter Friendly

Tonya Garcia, PRNewser

— November 17, 2011 — Last week, we reported on results from a PRNewswire/Crowd Factory study that found Twitter drives more traffic to press releases than Facebook. So how do you make your press release more Twitter friendly?

-“It starts with the headline,” says Sarah Skerik, PRNewswire’s VP of social media. “The press releases that got the most shares and views were those that had headlines that were in the range of 120 characters, which makes them the perfect tweetable link.”

The number of characters is important for retweeting.

“You need to leave retweet space to remove any barriers for audiences,” said Tom Becktold, SVP of marketing at Business Wire. “A lot of people want to add a little comment so leave 20 or 30 characters.”

Still, Skerik cautions against making a headline too short. “You want to give people enough information about what the press release is about,” she said.

But more than just counting characters, the headline should include something eye-catching and newsworthy.

“Tweet facts and stats,” said PitchEngine founder Jason Kintzler. Moreover, depending on the client, the headline can be fun or “tongue-in-cheek” said Kintzler, who doesn’t recommend simply tweeting a headline, but does recommend tailoring the voice and approach of the release to the audience, which is more than just journalists.

-Numbers, numbers, numbers. Ever notice all the numbers and listicles on the covers of magazines? People like numbers.

“Numbers make ideas real,” Skerik adds. “If you have data within a press release, call it out in the headline.”

-Make sub-stories tweetable. “You might be talking about a new product, its efficiency gains,” other other features, Skerik adds. “It’s well worth highlighting those areas in bullet points. That makes the press release scanable. When you create that bullet, hopefully it’s in tweetable length, which makes it possible for people to like something, grab it, and tweet it.”

As Kintzler says, “One press release or pitch can be a few tweets.”

-”Hashtag properly,” says Becktold. A step further, make sure keywords and search terms are in the release so it can be found he says.

To add, Kintzler says that keeping SEO in mind and being concise work perfectly for Twitter. “More social but less deep; get the gist and get out.”

-Make quotes tweetable. We’ve read tons (and tons and tons) of press releases and oftentimes skip right over the quote. The quotes regularly contain no information or just plain ol’ suck, to be sure. Why not make the quote more interesting and substantive?

“If I knew my audience was active on Twitter, I would make sure that quote is tweet-able, and include the brand’s or person’s Twitter handle,” says Skerik.

-Include multimedia. Everyone agrees that video, audio, and other multimedia add value to a press release and further draws in your audience once they’ve clicked on the link in Twitter.

The very nature of Twitter versus Facebook explains the PRN/Crowd Factory results, Skerik says. Facebook is a powerhouse, but Twitter has a different purpose.

“Twitter is about trading information,” she says. “Tweeting a link to a news item is pretty much stock and trade.”

Moreover, “Facebook still feels a little less for business than Twitter,” adds Kintzler. “Twitter feels like a news source.”

In other words, consider the social media platform and create your strategy — and your press release — accordingly.

Poll shows high level of support from regional residents for RTD’s FasTracks

Support at 80 percent for transit expansion program

Denver, Colo. — November 08, 2011 — Seven years into the Regional Transportation District’s (RTD) multi-billion dollar FasTracks transit expansion program, 80 percent of metro-area residents say that approving FasTracks funding in 2004 was a good decision. This finding comes from the latest annual public opinion poll on RTD’s FasTracks program.

Not surprisingly, jobs/employment/economy continues to be seen as the top issue facing the Denver metro area, as cited by 47 percent of survey participants. However, when asked to identify the most important benefits specific to FasTracks, the top three mentioned were:
• Reducing traffic congestion – 26 percent
• Providing more choice to get to and from places throughout the region – 21 percent
• Making it more convenient to get around – 18 percent

Residents identified television news, newspapers, radio and online outlets as the primary sources most important to them for receiving information and updates about FasTracks.

Following is a summary of other key survey findings:
• 70 percent of metro residents have a favorable impression of RTD in general
• 56 percent of metro residents have a favorable impression of FasTracks, up seven percent from 2010
• Familiarity with FasTracks is moderately high, with 58 percent of resident classifying themselves as “very” or “somewhat” familiar with the program

The phone survey, conducted from a random sampling of residents across the eight-county Regional Transportation District, has 95 percent statistical validity, with a 4.2 percent margin of error. For a complete summary of the 2011 FasTracks survey, visit www.rtd-fastracks.com/main_7.

FasTracks will build 122 miles of commuter rail and light rail, 18 miles of bus rapid transit service, add 21,000 new parking spaces, redevelop Denver Union Station and redirect bus service to better connect the eight-county District. The FasTracks investment initiative is projected to create thousands of construction-related jobs during the height of construction, and will pump billions of dollars into the regional economy over the next 20 years.

Public Invited to Hear Two Competing Ideas for Denver Union Station Historic Building

Nov. 3 event to showcase proposals for the interior redevelopment of Denver Union Station

Denver, Colo. — November 02, 2011 — Two teams competing to redevelop the Regional Transportation District’s historic Denver Union Station building will present their proposals at a public event on Thursday, Nov. 3.

two and a half-hour event will be held in the Colorado Convention Center, Rooms 201 and 203, 700 14th Street (at California) in downtown Denver and begin at 6 p.m. Each team will have 30 minutes to present the details of its proposal with a 30-minute question/answer session with the public following each presentation. The first presentation by Union Station Neighborhood Company starts at 6:15 p.m., and the second presentation by Union Station Alliance will begin at 7:25 p.m.

Denver Union Station will serve as the intermodal transportation hub for the Denver metro region, bringing together rail and bus service, Amtrak, shuttle service, taxis, bikes, and pedestrian uses. As owner of the building, the RTD Board of Directors will decide soon how the interior of the building will be redeveloped to accommodate its new role as both an activity center and a transit station. As part of this process, RTD initially released a Request for Qualifications followed by a Request for Proposals, receiving two developer concepts for consideration.

Beginning in 2010, RTD commissioned a Stakeholder Committee made up of representatives from downtown interests, historic preservationists, the City and County of Denver, the Denver Union Station Project Authority and others to identify potential uses for the rehabilitation and reuse of the DUS Historic Building. The Stakeholder Committee developed building reuse goals, considered alternative reuse scenarios, evaluated the ability of the reuse scenarios to meet community goals, and discussed the process for selecting a developer to complete the building restoration and reuse.

The Denver Union Station project is part of RTD’s voter-approved FasTracks transit expansion program to expand rail and bus service throughout the Denver metro area. FasTracks will build 122 miles of commuter rail and light rail, 18 miles of bus rapid transit service, add 21,000 new parking spaces, redevelop Denver Union Station and redirect bus service to better connect the eight-county District. The FasTracks investment initiative is projected to create thousands of construction-related jobs during the height of construction, and will pump billions of dollars into the regional economy over the next 20 years.

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Transit Agencies Need to Invest in Marketing: A Lesson from Los Angeles

Ethan Arpi, thecityfix.com

Los Angeles, Calif. — October 26, 2011 — Los Angeles’ Metro is doing something that no transit agency in the country has ever done: it’s marketing its products and services as if it were a private company bent on turning a profit. But for Metro marketing isn’t about increasing the bottom line. It’s about reducing traffic, cleaning the air and making people’s commutes in this auto-clogged city a bit less stressful.

Matt Raymond, the Chief Communications Officer for Metro, is the brainchild behind Metro’s marketing push. During a trip out to Los Angeles I had the chance to talk with Mr. Raymond. “The key to putting together the group,” Mr Raymond said, referring to the in-house ad agency known as Creative Services, “was that we wanted to make public transportation cool.”

Read more and make sure to watch the video!

AMA Construction selected as Small Business Winner for Torch Award

Wheat Ridge, Colo. — October 18, 2011 — The Denver/ Boulder Better Business Bureau (BBB) announced this week the winners of its ninth annual Torch Awards for Marketplace Trust, naming AMA Construction as the small business winner.

Each year, by presenting the Torch Award for Marketplace Trust, BBB pays tribute to a large business, a small business and a nonprofit organization for exemplifying an outstanding commitment to fair, honest and ethical practices. The Torch Award illuminates the importance of trust within all types of trade and philanthropy.

As with the other firms in contention, AMA Construction went through a meticulous application process to illustrate its commitment to ethics and community leadership. An independent panel of judges looked at each applicant’s ethical standards and practices, long-standing reputation, marketing, advertising, management practices and training programs. In scoring firms through a lens of how far “above-and-beyond” the candidate went compared to its peers, AMA came out on top.

AMA Construction’s philosophy holds that the relationships and partnerships established along the way are what define success. In his acceptance speech, AMA’s President, Eero Allison said, “When it comes to integrity and trust, which this award represents, we definitely are not here by accident.”

Also named 2010 Small Business of the Year by the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, AMA Construction, Inc. is a mid-sized commercial general contractor determined to redefine the role of the contractor in the building process. Specializing in construction of office buildings, retail centers, medical buildings, tenant finish, commercial remodeling and site development, AMA Construction is licensed in most Colorado Front Range communities, as well as Arizona and California. Uniting the objectives of owner and architect, AMA brings a higher standard in leadership, customer service and ingenuity to the industry.

For more information on AMA Construction please contact Heather Dean at 720-232-2160 or via e-mail at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). AMA’s Web site is www.amaconst.com.

Urban Renewal Authority, Mile High Greyhound Park Selected for Rocky Mountain Real Estate Challenge

Premier Real Estate Event Features University of Colorado, University of Denver Student, Industry leaders

Commerce City, Colo. — October 07, 2011 — Over the last 10 years, the Rocky Mountain Real Estate Challenge (sponsored by NAIOP, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association) has created visionary development ideas for sites such as Solterra, the Denver Coliseum and most recently 9 Mile Station. The 65-acre Mile High Greyhound Park joins that illustrious list, with today’s selection as the Challenge’s 10th anniversary project.

The Challenge asks more than 50 of the state’s best and brightest graduate students from the University of Colorado and the University of Denver to evaluate and make recommendations for the Greyhound Park’s redevelopment as they compete against one another for scholarships, future employment, and the NAIOP Cup. Student teams begin a four-month period in December of working with industry professionals and the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) to analyze every aspect of the site. The Challenge culminates with a banquet event on May 2, 2012, where students will present their findings to the URA and an audience of over 600 people. Tickets for the event, which will be held at the Hyatt Convention Center, will go on sale in March.

“The redevelopment of the Mile High Greyhound Park provides students with a unique 65-acre infill project full of real-world challenges,” said Richard Morgan, Chairman of the NAIOP organizing committee. “From land-use and transportation, community engagement and financial considerations, we couldn’t have picked a better project to celebrate a decade of the Rocky Mountain Real Estate Challenge. We look forward to working with Commerce City to see this important parcel redeveloped in a timely manner.”

The Mile High Greyhound Park was built in 1946 as a greyhound race track and club, with its inaugural race in 1949. In 1980, the facility underwent significant renovations and dog racing came to a halt in 2008. Purchased by the Urban Renewal Authority in August, the property is located in historic Commerce City and is bound by 64th Avenue to the north, 62nd Avenue to the south, Holly Street to the east and Dahlia Street to the west.

“One of the city’s goals is to invest in our own future,” said URA Executive Director Jerry Flannery. “The purchase of the dog track was a pivotal moment for Commerce City and one that will define our community for years to come. It’s exciting to know the URA is going to benefit from the wealth of ideas and knowledge generated during the Rocky Mountain Real Estate Challenge – a premier event for the region.”

The property, one of three identified urban renewal areas within the city, was purchased by the URA to help the city achieve its vision of redeveloping the site as a mixed-use development. Its close proximity to major highways and two commuter rail lines, as well as designation as a Colorado Enterprise Zone – which encourages development by offering possible tax credits to businesses that choose to develop there – make it an ideal location for infill development.

A series of community meetings are underway as part of the URA-led planning process. Through these forums, which will last through November, the authority aims to identify community, nonprofit and business goals, needs and challenges for the redevelopment site. A comprehensive sub-area plan, completed in tandem with the Rocky Mountain Real Estate Challenge, is scheduled to be finalized next summer. Specific meeting details as well as ways to provide input can be found at www.c3gov.com/ura.

About the Urban Renewal Authority
The Urban Renewal Authority (URA was created by the City of Commerce City to assist in the redevelopment of blighted property and help foster the city’s growth and development. Past successes include: Victory Crossing, a 900-acre development containing Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, Civic Center and Adams City High School; City Plaza Shopping Center and the Historic Derby District. For more information, visit www.c3gov.com/ura.

U.S. Transportation Secretary awards RTD $1.03 billion grant for FasTracks rail lines

Major Milestone for Region's Transit Expansion Program

Denver, Colo. — August 31, 2011 — U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Federal Transit Administration Administrator Peter Rogoff today officially awarded the Regional Transportation District (RTD) a $1.03 billion Full Funding Grant Agreement (FFGA) to help build two rail lines in the FasTracks transit expansion program. A special signing ceremony was followed by the groundbreaking for the Gold Line at the site of the future Olde Town Arvada rail station.

“The Obama Administration is proud to partner with the Denver Regional Transportation District on a project that puts this region on a smart path to sustainable growth, while generating thousands of good local jobs,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “The citizens of Denver have made it clear they want transportation choices that reduce roadway congestion, promote cleaner air, and reduce our nation’s dependence on costly oil.”

The federal grant will help build the East Rail Line to Denver International Airport and the Gold Line to Arvada and Wheat Ridge, the main components of RTD’s innovative Eagle P3 project. The lines will be open to the public in 2016.

“As the population of the metro area continues to grow, transit will be even more important as communities plan for their future,” said Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper. “None of this would be possible without regional collaboration. Working together toward one vision has been key to FasTracks and is why we’re all here today.”

Through FTA’s New Starts program, transit projects that are deemed the most qualified to receive federal funding are rigorously evaluated on a number of criteria prior to award of an FFGA. RTD has worked with FTA for four years leading up to this award.

“This is an important day in the work we do at the federal level and here at the regional level, and now that partnership comes together to bring more transit options to our local communities,” said RTD Board Chair Lee Kemp. “This is also an important day because it signifies the confidence that the federal government has in RTD as good stewards of taxpayer dollars.”

With today’s award comes RTD’s Notice to Proceed to Denver Transit Partners, the contractor for the Eagle P3 project, to move forward with construction of the Gold Line and a short segment of the Northwest Rail Line to Westminster. Early construction work already has begun on the East Rail Line. These components of FasTracks combine for the largest transit public-private partnership in the nation.

“I applaud RTD for pursuing this innovative public-private partnership to help finance this vital regional link to the nation’s fifth busiest airport, given the adverse economic conditions we all face,” said Denver Mayor Michael Hancock. “It’s an example for other public entities on how bringing private sector resources to the table can keep infrastructure projects moving forward.”

Hundreds attended today’s ceremony in Olde Town Arvada, including many local, state and federal officials. The City of Arvada and Historic Olde Town Arvada hosted several activities around RTD’s ceremony, including a street fair to tie-in local businesses and the economic benefits that the rail line will generate, much like the gold rush of the 19th century.

“Back in the 1850s, this was the site of the first gold find in Colorado, which brought economic prosperity to this area, and now this federal investment will be a catalyst for new and sustained economic prosperity to the area once again,” said Arvada Mayor Bob Frie.

FasTracks is RTD’s voter-approved transit program to expand rail and bus service throughout the Denver metro area. FasTracks will build 122 miles of commuter rail and light rail, 18 miles of bus rapid transit service, add 21,000 new parking spaces, redevelop Denver Union Station and redirect bus service to better connect the eight-county District. The FasTracks investment initiative is projected to create thousands of construction-related jobs during the height of construction, and will pump billions of dollars into the regional economy over the next 20 years.

Officials celebrate new store, new jobs in Commerce City

King Soopers Marketplace Anchors Future Development

Commerce City, Colo. — August 30, 2011 — With construction equipment moving in the background, more than 40 attendees celebrated the official groundbreaking for the 123,000-square-foot King Soopers MarketPlace in Commerce City. The new store, opening in fall 2012, will be the cornerstone for Shea Properties’ 22-acre Reunion Marketplace Center, located at 104th Avenue and Chambers Road.

“Over the last 10 years, the growth in the northern range has helped double Commerce City’s population. More rooftops meant more expectations for services and stores,” said Mayor Paul Natale. “A grocery store has been a top priority for the city and today’s event – thanks in part to my city council colleagues – addresses a long-standing need for our residents and helps fosters a sense of community.”

The King Soopers MarketPlace, the second concept store of its kind in the metro area and the fourth statewide, offers a one-stop shopping location that meets the needs of today’s busy, health-conscious shopper. Traditional grocery offerings are expanded to feature locally grown produce; chef-prepared meals; specialty food bars such as sushi, cheese, chicken wings and soup; and more than 5,000 natural and organic items. The MarketPlace will also sell quality merchandise including home goods, furniture, dinnerware, small appliances and more.

“This is a great location for metro-Denver’s second MarketPlace concept and the partnership with the city was critical to our decision to locate here,” said Russ Dispense, president of King Soopers. ”As a Colorado company we are very excited about serving this community as a solution for much of what their family needs.”

King Soopers estimates that at least 300 construction jobs will be created through Colorado contractor Mark Young Construction and their subcontractors. When the store opens next fall, 250 newly-hired employees will serve residents throughout the city and region.
“It’s generally been said government doesn’t create jobs,” added Natale. “But government can and does create an environment that allows private enterprise to thrive. The city’s incentive program is one just one example of this.”

A 2009 economic study showed Commerce City residents spent an estimated $59 million annually in groceries outside of the city limits. The city set its sights on attracting a national grocer, leveraging its unique incentive program to provide nearly $2 million in rebates to King Soopers and Shea, allowing the project to move forward sooner than originally projected. To date, the city’s incentive program, created to help weather the economic downturn, has spurred more than $61 million in capital investment and created 565 new jobs.

“As the community’s developer, we recognize how valuable this is to Reunion and we’re excited that King Soopers has chosen to invest in this area,” said Chetter Latcham, president of Shea Homes Colorado. “The opening of this store is further indication of the continuing success and growth of Reunion. We realize this provides excellent exposure to our community and further enhances the home-buying and job opportunities available in Commerce City’s Northern Range. This store will draw thousands of shoppers.”

Last year the city spearheaded ‘Operation Food Network’ to gain personal anecdotes from residents about the difficulties about not having a nearby grocery store. “While more amenities have come into the northern part of the city, the MarketPlace will fill a void and people will be impressed with the quality and caliber of products,” added Councilman Jim Benson, who represents Ward II where the store is located.

Buffalo Run Golf Course celebrates 15 years this month

Community Invited to Celebrate with Buffalo Run at an Event on Aug. 14

Commerce City, Colo. — August 10, 2011 — Since opening on Aug. 9, 1996, Buffalo Run Golf Course has been witness to many hooks, slices, long drives and mulligan's. Most of all, however, the facility has been the beneficiary of extraordinary support from the community all along the Front Range. On the eve of its 15-year anniversary, the course is making plans to celebrate.

On Aug. 14 from 2 – 5 p.m. Buffalo Run invites friends, family and the whole community to celebrate its 15th anniversary with free golf instruction, free practice facilities and fun games for the entire family. Golf clubs and practice balls will also be provided for golfers of all ages.

“This is our opportunity to thank the community and those that have been with us from the very beginning,” said Mayor Paul Natale. “We’re celebrating a major milestone and we want everyone to be a part of it.”

Through the years, Buffalo Run has received numerous awards and honors, including 5280 magazine’s “Best Golf Course in the Denver Metro Area” and one of the Denver Post’s “Best Public Golf Courses for Colorado.”

Additionally, Buffalo Run has hosted prestigious professional and high-level amateur golf tournaments such as the Colorado Golf Association (CGA) Publinks Championship and the National Pro Golf Tour Regional Championship, both of which were played at Buffalo Run this summer.

“Buffalo Run has been a recreational mainstay in our community for the past decade and a half,” said Paul Hebinck, head golf professional and manager of Buffalo Run. “The success we’ve enjoyed with it is a direct reflection of the support the community has shown us over the years, and we look forward to celebrating that together on Aug. 14.”

About Buffalo Run Golf Course:
Buffalo Run is an 18-hole links-style championship golf course located in Commerce City, Colo. Designed by renowned architect, Keith R. Foster, Buffalo Run has been recognized locally and nationally as one of the region’s premier golf facilities, offering visitors of all ages and abilities a total golf experience for the last 15 years.

For more information about Buffalo Run, please contact Paul Hebinck at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or 303-289-1500. Visit Buffalo Run online at www.BuffaloRunGolfCourse.com.

Urban Renewal Authority races toward future, purchases Mile High Greyhound Park for redevelopment

Property will redefine Commerce City for Years to Come

Commerce City, Colo. — August 03, 2011 — The Commerce City Urban Renewal Authority (URA) today announced the purchase of the former Mile High Greyhound Park, a 65-acre site in the heart of Commerce City.

“One of the city’s goals is to invest in our own future,” said URA Chairman and Mayor Paul Natale. “Redeveloping the dog track has long been a priority and when the property came within reach, we jumped at the opportunity. It’s exciting to know the URA is going to work alongside residents and prospective businesses to redefine this key area in Commerce City.”

A series of community meetings are scheduled to begin this September as part of the URA-led planning process. Through these forums, which will last through November, the authority aims to identify community, nonprofit and business goals, needs and challenges for the redevelopment site.

A finalized strategic plan, including conceptual designs, land use diagrams, a market study, compatibility with neighborhood character, and a financial pro forma, is scheduled to be shared by May 2012. A Request for Proposal would then be issued, based on market conditions, to implement the plan. Input during the community forums is encouraged.

“For more than 60 years, the Mile High Greyhound Park was a major landmark for Commerce City. As a life-long resident, I remember when this location was overflowing with visitors from near and far,” said URA Vice Chair and Mayor Pro Tem Tracey Snyder, who represents the area. “The URA encourages all residents and businesses to engage in the process, because we have a unique chance to make this area into something that will last a lifetime, an area that will redefine Commerce City for generations to come.”

The URA, with Goldberg Properties acting on its behalf, closed on the property for $3.3 million on Aug. 2. On Aug. 1, a $4 million loan was appropriated by city council to the URA to facilitate this purchase. The URA accepted the loan and authorized the executive director to use these funds for facilitating development within the URA.

“This is truly a pivotal moment for Commerce City, and one that will define our community for years to come,” added Jerry Flannery, URA Executive Director. “We are truly on the right path for long-term success; this is yet another example of how all of us, working together, can build a Quality Community for a Lifetime.”

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ABOUT THE URA AND PROPERTY
The URA is a government authority whose goal is to identify and establish urban renewal areas within Commerce City. It is governed by city council members.

A former dog track and racing club, the Mile High Greyhound Park was built in 1946 with its inaugural race in 1949. In 1980, the facility underwent significant renovations and dog racing came to a halt in 2008. It currently is being used for off-track betting. The property is located in historic Commerce City and is bounded by 64th Avenue to the north, 62nd Avenue to the south, Holly Street to the east and Dahlia Street to the west.

More information at www.c3gov.com/ura

San Francisco tops list of ‘green’ cities in survey

By Wendy Koch and Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY

— June 30, 2011 — On trash day in San Francisco, bins in three colors line the streets, each with a different purpose.

The city requires residents to put recyclable materials into a blue bin, compostables into a green one and regular old garbage into a black one.

“We even recycle batteries,” says Johanna Partin, the mayor’s director of climate protection initiatives, adding they can be placed in a clear bag on top of any bin.

Since San Francisco launched the mandatory program in October 2009, it’s keeping 77% of discarded materials out of landfills — the highest such diversion rate in the United States, Partin says. She expects the city, which exceeded its 75% goal by 2010, to hit 90%.

The recycling program is one reason why San Francisco, a pioneer in the environmental movement, ranks as the greenest of 27 large cities in North America in a survey released today by Siemens Corp.

City resident Patricia De Fonte loves the system. While the garbage can is usually only one-third full, the recycling and composting bins are almost always full. “It takes so little effort to separate the compost, recycling and garbage,” she says.

Christina Becker isn’t sold. She keeps her family’s trash bins in the garage, and a problem with mice a year ago has left her unhappy with the idea of putting vegetable and meat scraps in the green bin. “The recycling is fine,” she says, but “I don’t want rodents.”

Some residents may grumble, but Partin says they benefit. “You only pay for the trash you send to the landfill,” Partin explains, noting they’re charged for the size of the black bin they choose. She says businesses save an average of 50% on their disposal bills.

San Francisco also was the first major U.S. city, in 2007, to ban grocery and chain pharmacy stores from handing out disposable shopping bags. About 100 million plastic bags each year don’t end up in landfills as a result, Partin says.

Other U.S. cities are blazing eco-trails of their own, according to the survey compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit:

•New York is turning green, literally, and it’s not just Central Park. The city intends to plant 1 million trees by 2017 and already has staked 483,229 and expects to hit 500,000 this fall.

“This is about caring for New York City’s urban forest,” says Amy Freitag, executive director of the New York Restoration Project, a private group founded by Bette Midler.

The project is partnering with the city’s parks department on MillionTreesNYC and raising money for the initiative. It’s enlisting botanical gardens, schools and other groups to help care for the trees, more than 100 types of which have been approved for use in the five boroughs.

“We plant a lot of oaks. They’re such noble trees” and their size allows them to absorb a lot of carbon dioxide and provide much shade, Freitag says.

“New York will be forever changed” by the initiative, she says. “People don’t think of it as the green oasis it’s become.”

•Denver is embarking on a 122-mile, $6.9 billion expansion to its current 35-mile light and commuter rail T-Rex network. Its voters approved a hike in sales taxes in November 2004 to pay for the initiative, known as FasTracks, which initially was projected to cost $4.7 billion.

The project, however, has been anything but fast.

“There was quite an unprecedented increase in construction costs” at the same time that tax revenue dipped during the recession, says Pauletta Tonilas, spokeswoman for FasTracks, part of the Regional Transportation District of Denver.

Tonilas says the city is considering another sales tax increase to fund the project, and if that happens, it could be done by 2020. Otherwise, she says, “it will just take a longer time.”

She says the first line, 12.1 miles, is 75% complete and is slated to open in less than two years. With existing funds, the city can finish at least half of the system.

“We are the trailblazer” for light rail, Tonilas says. “This is the largest, most ambitious, voter-approved transit expansion in the country.”

•Seattle is using $20 million from the U.S. Department of Energy to launch an energy retrofit program for 2,200 buildings, including 2,000 single-family homes.

“This program is designed for moderate-income families,” says Jill Simmons, director of the city’s Office of Sustainability and Environment.

She says they’ll get rebates but likely will pay 75% of the costs to make their homes more energy efficient. They can finance it themselves or add the cost to their monthly electric bills. (The city provides free retrofits for some low-income households.)

More than 250 homes have signed for the retrofit program, announced in April, and they’ll begin with an energy audit. Simmons says the city aims to finish all homes by June 2013. She says its goal is to make it easy for people to cut their energy use and, in turn, the city’s greenhouse gas emissions.

•Los Angeles is expanding its water and power department’s use of renewable energy, from 5% of the total in 2005 to 20% in 2010. It aims to hit 33% by 2020.

Nearly half of its renewable energy comes from the Pine Tree Wind Power Plant in Tehachapi, Calif., the largest city-owned wind farm in the USA.

The switch hasn’t boosted utility rates, says Romel Pascual, the city’s deputy mayor of Environment. He says Los Angeles now gets about 40% of its power from coal but aims to reduce that to zero by 2030.

“We want to be the cleanest and greenest big city,” Pascual says, noting the challenge given Los Angeles’ past problems with smog. “Our air quality has gotten much better.”

As part of its efforts, he says, “we’re promoting energy efficiency whenever possible” and offering some free services to small businesses and residents.

The city has also planted more than 300,000 trees since 2005 and aims, like New York, to plant one million. Pascual says it will give any resident seven free trees, delivered to their doorstep.

Councilmember Dominick Moreno to Meet with President Obama and Administration officials in D.C.

Commerce City, Colo. — June 17, 2011 — Councilmember Dominick Moreno traveled to Washington, D.C. this week to meet with members of the Obama administration and attend an intimate reception with the President. Moreno is a member of the Young Elected Officials Network, a network of young people in elected office, who was invited to the White House to discuss important issues facing states and localities.

“I’m excited to meet with the President and administration officials to discuss issues important to Commerce City. We need to work with the federal government to reduce unemployment and make sure people have access to quality jobs,” said Moreno. “I also want to discuss our infrastructure needs. Commerce City is surrounded by deteriorating roads and bridges and we need federal assistance to maintain them.”

The Young Elected Officials Network, a project of People For the American Way Foundation, provides support and training for over 600 state, county and city elected officials from all 50 states.

“We are thrilled to be able to take the observations and concerns of so many young, progressive elected officials to President Obama and the Administration,” said Andrew Gillum, Executive Director of the Young Elected Officials Network.

“These young leaders are on the front lines of progressive change, fighting for the values of fairness, equality and opportunity in their home communities,” Gillum added. “President Obama understands that national movements are built by individual citizens and their elected representatives working hard to bring about positive change in their own communities. We’re tremendously proud to be able to help the president get to know our communities and discuss the issues affecting states and localities across the country.”

The American Water Works Association Ranks Denver Water As Second Best Tasting In The Nation

Matt Ferner, The Huffington Post

Denver, Colo. — June 16, 2011 — The American Water Works Association (AWWA) announced its “Best of the Best” water taste taste results during their annual conference in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday and Denver Water from Denver, Colorado placed second in a comprehensive national taste test of state water utilities.

Denver Water tied for second with Glencoe Water Utility from the Village of Glencoe, Illinois. First place went to Greenville Water System from Greenville, South Carolina.

Denver Water competed against 24 other water utility competitors from across the country, all of which won regional competitions to be considered in the national “Best of the Best” taste test. The Denver Post reports that Denver Water won the regional competition among Colorado, Wyoming and New Mexico.

Other “Best of the Best” participants in the competition included: Anchorage (AK) Water and

Wastewater Dept.; City of Anniston, AL; City of Arlington (TX) Water Utilities; City of Baltimore, MD; City of Cashmere, WA; Cooper City (FL) Utilities Department; City of Fremont, NE; Hamilton (OH) Public Water System; Kansas City (KS) Board of Public Utilities; Louisville (KY) Water Company; Mancelona (MI) Area Water and Sewer Authority; Manchester (NH) Water Works; City of Mayville, ND; Moorhead (MN) Public Service; Artesian Water Company, Newark, DE; Rio Arriba, PR; City of Rocky Mount, NC; Sioux (SD) Rural Water System; Sun Valley (ID) Water and Sewer District; Washington (DC) Aqueduct; and City of Watertown (WI) Water Department.

The judging panel, comprised of water utility professionals, engineers, professors and reporters, rated each cities water system on its flavor characteristics.

The AWWA is the largest organization of water professionals in the world aimed at improving the quality and supply of water in North America and beyond.

Council Appoints Paolo Diaz to Fill Council Vacancy

Will fill term until the November election

Commerce City, Colo. — June 13, 2011 — The city council of Commerce City sworn in Paolo Diaz to fill the vacant at-large seat on the council. Diaz’s appointment puts the council back at nine members. The vacant seat was created when former at-large councilman Tony Johnson resigned for personal reasons.

Paolo Diaz is a six-year resident of Commerce City and is president of the Commerce City Cultural Council. A program manager for Junior Achievement of Rocky Mountain, Inc., he and his wife has two children.

Diaz was one of 16 candidates interviewed for the at-large seat. The other top candidates included Dr. Kristine Sumner and Joe Sandoval.

RTD picks up $486,465 federal grant to promote workforce development

Jeffrey Leib, Denver Post

Denver, Colo. — June 11, 2011 — RTD has won the largest job training and placement grant among 12 awarded by the Federal Transit Administration to promote workforce development in the transit industry.

FTA said the Regional Transportation District will get $486,465 for its Workforce Initiative Now (WIN) program, which aims to provide skills training and jobs on upcoming RTD FasTracks projects, including the $1.1 billion train to Denver International Airport.

FTA awarded $3 million in job- training funds. Other recipients include transit agencies in New Orleans; Buffalo, N.Y.; Los Angeles; Chicago; Salt Lake City; and Cleveland.

In the WIN program, RTD is collaborating with the Community College of Denver , the Urban League of Metropolitan Denver and Denver Transit Partners (DTP), contractor for the airport train and other FasTracks projects.

DTP is in charge of a public-private partnership called Eagle P3 that will build the DIA train, the Gold Line train to Arvada/Wheat Ridge, and a short leg of the Northwest commuter train as far as south Westminster.

In all, DTP is expected to construct projects for RTD worth more than $2 billion.

In a statement, DTP director Gregory Amparano said his consortium is “committed to making a portion of the jobs on the Eagle P3 project available to WIN graduates.”

DTP spokesman Chuck Easterling said peak construction will be in 2012-13, “so hiring will peak during that timeframe as well.”

RTD’s Daria Serna said her agency still is putting together a plan for spending the federal money on WIN and it does not yet know how many people will be trained.

RTD has said previously that the $6.8 billion FasTracks program will create and support thousands of jobs in metro Denver.

The first FasTracks projects underway are the $710 million West Corridor light-rail line from downtown Denver to Lakewood and Golden, and the $488 million redevelopment of Denver’s Union Station as a hub for FasTracks trains and existing RTD transit lines.

The West rail line is about 80 percent complete and due to open in May 2013. The Union Station project is about 40 percent complete.

Jeffrey Leib: 303-954-1645 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Read more: RTD picks up $486,465 federal grant to promote workforce development - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/recommended/ci_18251335#ixzz1PUq1yC6D
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Brake for Bela

Safe summer driving awareness campaign seeks to combat 16 percent seasonal increase in automobile/pedestrian accidents

North Denver Tribune

Arvada, Colo. — June 08, 2011 — Two years ago, in the summer of 2009, 5-year-old Isabela “Bela” Estes was lucky to survive after being hit by a car while playing near the street in front of her Arvada house. Today, Bela is the inspiration behind a grassroots public awareness campaign, called “Brake for Bela,” to alert both drivers and children of the increased risk of vehicle/pedestrian accidents during the summer months, while children are out of school.

Tragically, many accident victims do not share Bela’s fortunate recovery. More than 4,000 sons, daughters, mothers and fathers are killed each year while walking in their neighborhoods and death rates from vehicle/pedestrian accidents increase 16 percent during the summer months.

The Brake for Bela campaign is launching its inaugural year the week of May 23, just in time for the release of most major schools in Denver and surrounding suburbs, and will continue the education campaign through the end of August 2011. Sponsored by local public relations firm Communication Infrastructure Group (CIG), for which Bela’s mother Kristi Estes works, Brake for Bela aims to raise awareness among children, their parents and all drivers.

“While we are so happy that Bela is a happy, healthy, fully recovered 7-year-old, her experience deeply affected everyone on our team and moved us to action,” said Karen Morales, CIG owner and longtime friend of the Estes family. “As a public relations firm specializing in transportation and infrastructure issues, this campaign is an important and personally significant way for us to give back to the community that has given us so much.”

To raise awareness of the campaign, proclamations in support of Brake for Bela are being passed by City Councils throughout metro Denver, including Arvada, Brighton, Commerce City, Denver and Lakewood.

Join the call-to-action at www.cig-pr.com taking the Safe Driver pledge at www.facebook.com/brakeforbela. For more information contact Karen Morales at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or 303-618-7031.

Denver drivers urged to slow down for kids in Brake for Bela campaign

Matthew Rodriguez, YourHub.com

Denver, Colo. — June 08, 2011 — An Evergreen-based public relations firm has launched a public awareness campaign cautioning drivers and families to watch out for kids playing in neighborhood streets this summer.

Karen Morales, CEO and owner of Communication Infrastructure Group, decided to launch the campaign after the daughter of one of her employees was hit by a car in 2009.

“It really affected everybody on the team,” Morales said.

The Brake for Bela campaign is named for Kristi Estes’ daughter, Isabela, who recovered and is now 7. The campaign involves social media outreach, regional City Council proclamations and people passing out fliers at events.

“The part that affected our family the most were the what ifs,” said Estes, a CIG communications director who does public relations for FasTracks. “If we can educate drivers and kids and eliminate the what ifs for another family, then that’s what we want.”

Matthew Rodriguez: 303-954-2409 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Parker: Catch a ride with top-ranked RTD

Penny Parker, Denver Post Columnist

Denver, Colo. — June 02, 2011 — When it comes to public transportation, we're No. 1, according to a list of the top 10 Best Cities for Public Transportation recently published by U.S. News and World Report.

Denver and Aurora outranked big-name cities including New York (No. 2), Los Angeles (No. 3) and Boston (No. 4). Rounding out the top 10 were Portland, Ore.; San Jose, Calif., tied with Salt Lake City; San Diego; Seattle; and Honolulu, Hawaii.

Other major cities ranked were Washington (11th), San Francisco (13th) and Chicago (14th), which all have high ridership and public investment.

“They also experienced far more safety incidents — such as collisions, derailments and fires — per million trips than the cities in the top 10,” according to U.S. News.

RTD statistics show that metro Denver has 140 bus routes, five light-rail lines and roughly 10,000 stops — all covering a seven-county area the size of Connecticut.

Rich Grant, spokesman for city booster Visit Denver, noted that public transportation is a major consideration in attracting meeting planners who bring big-buck groups to town.

“Where else can you take a public bus that climbs 4,000 feet in elevation and drops you at the foot of a ski resort?” Grant asked, referring to Eldora ski resort at 9,200 feet. “And for the 15 million passengers who ride the 16th Street Mall shuttle bus every year? It’s free!”

Buffalo Run Golf Course shoots for young players

Joey Kirchmer, YourHub.com

Commerce City, Colo. — June 02, 2011 — Commerce City is unveiling new family-friendly features at its golf course this month in an effort to get youth more interested in the game.

The city is using a grant from the Professional Golfers’ Association to make the upgrades at Buffalo Run Golf Course, located off Chambers Road and East 112th Avenue. Funding from the grant helped pay for the addition of several new youth tees at the 18-hole golf course, which are closer to the hole and effectively shortens the driving distance for youngsters, said Paul Hebinck, manager of golf and head golf professional at Buffalo Run.

For example, the 18th hole at the course now features a youth marker that allows kids to tee off from 195 yards away, as opposed to the standard 550 yards.

“Part of the thrust of this is to provide an opportunity for kids in the community to come out and discover the fun of golf and make it a lifetime game,” Hebinck said. “It allows us to be a focal point in the community where families can enjoy playing golf and spending time with each other.”

Buffalo Run, which is owned and operated by Commerce City, is now recognized as a PGA Family Course, one of about 800 courses nationwide to receive the designation.

“The youth tees are pretty unique,” Hebinck said. “There aren’t many courses in Colorado that have them and they really allow for a better golf experience.”

Thornton resident Greg Hoffman, who frequently plays at Buffalo Run, looked on as his 5-year-old son, Tyler, tried out the youth markers at the course. The new kid-friendly features will allow him to play more often with his son and teach him “life lessons of the game,” including the value of professionalism and etiquette, Hoffman said.

“It’s a good bonding experience between father and son,” Hoffman said. “It’s a great game. It’s something you can keep with you your whole life.”

Commerce City was one of 55 municipalities in the nation to receive funding through the grant program, which is run through a partnership between the PGA and the National Recreation and Parks Association (NRPA). The program adds value to the community by giving parents a way to get their kids outdoors and engaged in physical activity, said Resa Kierstein, senior manager of partnerships for NRPA.

“In addition, as a direct result of engaging a new set of players to the game of golf, communities receive a wide range of economic benefits, including an immediate increase in revenue and long-term growth and sustainability,” Kierstein said.

The new features are set to be unveiled this week at Buffalo Run’s Summer Junior Golf Camp. The camp, scheduled June 6 to 9, is designed for kids of all abilities, ages 7 to 17.

Joey Kirchmer: 303-954-2650 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

See photos

5 social media blunders and how to avoid them

Pam Sahota

Ragans prdaily.com — May 25, 2011 — Ever worry about making a “social media snafu?” That’s a good thing. Being concerned, alert, and watchful about what you do on your social media channels is better than posting blindly and not having a “method to your madness.”

Time and again, brand representatives have made mistakes, and I will tell you: Blunders will happen to most of us. Whether it’s minor, like a mistaken tweet, or a larger gaffe, like a contest gone wrong, we all make mistakes.

Here are some “snafus” that reps for major brands have made (a.k.a., they’re human, too); you can learn from them and avoid making the same missteps.

Read the entire article

Bus driver goes the extra mile for kids

Lori Obert, 9News

Denver, Colo. — May 22, 2011 — The heart of the city can be fascinating to kids like Matthew Turner and his little brother Jahmir.

For their mom, LeTeisha, it can be scary sending her kids off to school - first on a train, then a bus, starting shortly after 6 a.m. She tries to ride with them but sometimes she can’t.

“I’m sick right now, so I’m kind of in and out of the hospital and some mornings I can’t get up to come down here with them. He keeps an eye out for them,” LeTeisha Shaw said.

That ‘he’ is Chris Moralez, an RTD bus driver who does more than just drive a bus.

“He just does little extra things that make a difference for them,” LeTeisha said.

Matthew and Jahmir both attend the Kunsberg School at the National Jewish Medical Center, a place for kids who suffer from chronic respiratory illnesses.

“They got pretty comfortable with the boys riding the bus with me, so she stopped riding with them. And, so I was always looking for them,” Chris Moralez said.

But getting to school was just the first part.

“It’s really fun just having him be my bus driver. None of my bus drivers help me with my homework before,” Matthew said.

Moralez, a father of three girls himself, says the boys have great minds.

“We’ll practice the states. They know all their states,” he said.

Recently, Moralez got switched from his route so the three had to part ways. It’s been tough for all of them.

“You see them every day. You see their good mornings and their bad mornings. It was definitely hard to see them go,” Moralez said.

Moralez was bumped from his bus route because someone with more seniority applied for it. He hopes he can get it back before the boys start school this fall.

Watch the video

Letters of Intent Sought for City Council Vacancy

Letters Should be Sumbitted by 5 p.m. June 3

Commerce City, Colo. — May 17, 2011 — Last night’s resignation of Commerce City Councilman Tony Johnson creates an At-Large vacancy on city council. In an emotional statement, Councilman Johnson thanked the community and his family for allowing him to serve the last eight years. The resignation is a result of the councilman’s recent move to a retirement community outside of the city limits.

“We want to thank Councilman Johnson for his years of service to the residents of Commerce City and wish him well on his future endeavors,” said Mayor Paul Natale. “Tony was the voice of reason for many council discussions over the years. During his tenure, we worked together to advance many priorities and policies that will help the city achieve its vision of a quality community for a lifetime.”

According to the City Charter, Section 4.5(b), “In not less than ten (10) days or more than thirty (30) days after a vacancy in an elected office occurs, the remaining council members shall appoint an eligible person to fill such vacancy to serve to the next organization meeting of the city council…” Residents interested in applying for the vacant seat must provide a letter of intent to the city clerk no later than 5 p.m. Friday, June 3, 2011. City Council will hold interviews and announce its selection at a future meeting consistent with the timeline established in the charter.

Residents interested in applying for the vacant seat must meet the requirements as outline in the City Charter of Commerce City:
• Be a citizen of the United States;
• Be at least 18 years of age;
• Be a resident of Commerce City for 12 months immediately preceding the appointment;
• Be a registered a voter of the city; and
• Not be currently on probation or parole for a felony or an offense comparable to a felony in the military.

Letters of intent should include the applicant’s name, a statement of intent and a declaration that the applicant meets the requirements outlined above. Letters can be submitted by 5 p.m. Friday, June 3, 2011 through a variety of means, including hand delivery, U.S. Mail, email or fax to:

City Clerk Laura Bauer
City of Commerce City
7887 E. 60th Avenue
Commerce City, CO 80022
Fax: 303-227-8798
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

The selected appointee will serve until the next organization meeting of the City Council, which will be held following the November 1, 2011 general election. The appointee will receive monthly compensation of approximately $843.82, a $5,000 life insurance policy and $5 annual recreation center fee. More information can be found at www.c3gov.com/elections or by contacting the City Clerk’s office at 303-289-3611.

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Denver among best U.S. cities for linking transit and jobs, says Brookings study

Cathy Proctor, Denver Business Journal

Denver, Colo. — May 11, 2011 — The Denver area ranks No. 6 out of 100 metro areas when it comes to how effectively it connects people to their jobs via mass transit, according to a new report by the Brookings Institution’s Metropolitan Policy Program in Washington.

The report, called “Missed Opportunity: Transit and Jobs in Metropolitan America,” analyzed route and schedule information from 371 transit systems in the nation’s 100 largest metropolitan areas to figure out how well the systems connect residents to jobs.

According to the report, 70 percent of metropolitan residents can get to public transit, but the typical commuter can reach only 30 percent of jobs via transit — even when the analysis allowed for a 90-minute commute, three times nation’s average commuting time.

But the situation is better in the Denver-Aurora-Broomfield area, according to the report.

Denver-area residents can reach 47 percent of the region’s jobs via a 90-minute commute on mass transit. Low-income commuters can reach 57 percent of the metro area’s jobs, the report said.

The report also found that 84 percent of the region’s working-age residents could live near a transit stop, higher than the 69 percent average for all 100 cities in the study.

Commuters had a median wait of 8.1 minutes between buses or trains when they got to the transit stop, less than the national average of 10.1 minutes.

“We take a great deal of pride in how we’re able to connect people to jobs across the metro area,” said Pauletta Tonilas, a spokeswoman for the Regional Transportation District (RTD), Denver’s transit agency. “It’s only going to get better and more enhanced as we build out these FasTracks [regional transit] projects.”

Cities the study ranked high on connecting residents with jobs included Honolulu (No. 1); the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara area in California (No. 2); and Salt Lake City (No. 30).

At the bottom of the list was the Poughkeepsie-Newburg-Middletown area of New York (No. 100); the Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville area in Florida (No. 99); and the Augusta-Richmond County area of Georgia (No. 98).

The Honolulu transit system, at the top of the rankings, covered 97 percent of the city’s residents and connected them with 60 percent of the area’s jobs.

Poughkeepsie, N.Y., at the bottom of the list, covered 46 percent of the area’s residents and connected them with just 8 percent of the metro area’s jobs, according to the report.

“This is about how we become more productive, more competitive, more successful,” Robert Puentes, a senior fellow and the institute’s director of the metropolitan program’s infrastructure initiative, in a statement.

“Rising gas prices make that harder, so people need reliable alternatives. Our transportation strategies must improve the efficiency and flexibility of our labor markets and provide access to jobs. In many metros, we don’t have that now,” Puentes said.

Read more: Denver among best U.S. cities for linking transit and jobs, says Brookings study | Denver Business Journal

2011 Citizen Survey Results Released

Quality of Life, Satisfaction with City on the rise

Commerce City, Colo. — May 09, 2011 — Mark Twain said, “The public is the only critic whose opinion is worth anything at all.” Tonight, Commerce City released the results of its 2011 Citizens Survey, which provides quantitative data on resident perceptions and opinions on a number of aspects related to quality of life, community character, city services, and communication preferences. Overall, 55 percent of those who responded rated their quality of life within Commerce City as good or very good.

“I found the results of the survey to be very informative,” said Mayor Paul Natale. “The data provides Commerce City with the opportunity to address community needs and prioritize our goals to ensure we continue to meet citizen expectations.”

The city contracted with Corona Insights last month to conduct a telephone survey of more than 400 residents, with equal distribution of respondents living north and south of 96th Avenue. The raw margin of error was 4.8 percent, with a 95 percent confidence level. Survey results were then weighted so that age, gender and location were proportionally representative of the entire city. The result is a moderately strong survey that can accurately guide future decision-making.

“There are definitely areas of improvement that staff will begin to work on,” said City Manager Jerry Flannery. “But I am pleased that the overall feedback is positive and residents enjoy living here.”

Highlights from the survey include:
 Three in five respondents felt the Denver metro area was headed in the right direction.
 The most positively-rated aspects of Commerce City include parks and recreation, public safety and knowledge of city services. The highest levels of dissatisfaction with city services were in the areas of shopping and services location, the amount of these services and the image of the city.
 Ratings of Commerce City’s economic conditions were much more mixed, with one in five respondents giving a negative rating, compared to 26 percent who gave positive ratings.
 The most important issue for 35 percent of Commerce City residents centered on a need for economic development, shopping and services, or grocery stores.
 When asked to identify the highest priority among facility or service improvements, job opportunities and more shopping and services (including grocery stores) topped the list.
 Most respondents felt at least “somewhat safe” in being outside in their neighborhoods at night. One in 10 said they felt “unsafe” in their neighborhoods. Geographic location further affected resident’s opinion of being safe.
 More respondents had positive ratings than negative ratings of various aspects of their neighborhoods. Train traffic, the availability of restaurants and shopping and job opportunities had more negative ratings than positive.
 The most common issues reported were unkempt lawns, criminal activities, pet noise and graffiti. However, even these issues had a significant number of residents who felt that they were not problems at all.
 Roughly half of residents said they were proud to live in the city while 17 percent said that they were at least somewhat embarrassed. Most said they were embarrassed because of the city’s general image (presumably in the eyes of those who live outside the city), while others pointed to specific aspects of the city. This concept was reinforced by the fact that over half of respondents felt the city did not receive fair and unbiased coverage from people who live outside of the city.
 One in three respondents were at least “somewhat dissatisfied” with city communication.

The complete survey results are available on the city’s website at www.c3gov.com/2011survey.

Southwest: Our proactive response is crucial in a crisis

By Gil Rudawsky, PRdaily.com

— April 27, 2011 — Southwest Airlines is covering its social media bases on Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, LinkedIn, Gowalla, and FourSquare.

So when one of its planes slid off a runway at Chicago’s Midway Airport on Tuesday, the scrappy, Dallas-based airline simply flipped its social media crisis communication switch to “on.” No one was hurt, but photos of the plane sitting awkwardly in a grassy field made the news circuits.

Not wasting any time, Southwest sent out a tweet offering basic details. A post went up on Facebook. A media release was posted on its website and on its blog, called “Nuts About Southwest.” As details emerged, updates followed.

This was no fluke. Christi McNeill, who oversees social media communication at Southwest, told PR Daily on Wednesday that social media is a key component of the airlines’ crisis plan.

“As soon as we get some facts, we share it with our customers,” McNeill said. “We want our customers to find out about it from us, before it hits the evening news.”

So much for the “not commenting until the incident has been reviewed by the FAA and NTSB” response that some other airlines fall back on.

True to its crisis plan, Southwest did not delay in responding after passengers on the plane and witnesses bombarded social media with details of the event.

Southwest got out in front of the incident, taking the steam out of the news story. It had some practice, most recently after one of its 737 aircraft lost cabin pressure when part of the fuselage broke open. The airlines took 57 aircraft out of service while they were inspected.

On its blog, the airline offered eight updates in the days following the incident.

Southwest has figured out that immediately responding to a crisis and reassuring customers ameliorates bad news. It’s an ongoing process, said McNeill, which includes fine-tuning the plan after every crisis. “We want our customers to know us as being a no-frills, transparent airline, and [to] expect us to be honest with them,” McNeill said.

On Tuesday, following the Midway mishap, comments flowed into its Facebook page. Christian Williams said: “As a budding PR student, I’d just like to commend you on your straightforward honesty regarding recent events at Midway. I’m happy the public is backing you guys up; keep doing a good job at being a great and honest airline.”

That’s the kind of positive PR you can get when you encourage public response.

Read more
Gil Rudawsky is a former reporter and editor with 20 years of experience. He heads-up the crisis communication/issues management practice at GroundFloor Media in Denver. Read his blog at or contact him at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

RTD Board of Directors Decides Not to Pursue FasTracks Tax This Year

RTD to Evaluate Possible Vote in 2012

Denver, Colo. — April 26, 2011 — The RTD Board of Directors decided at a Special Board Meeting tonight not to ask residents of the eight-county district for a FasTracks sales tax increase in 2011. Over the past several months, RTD has evaluated and reviewed significant information, including economic indicators and input from regional stakeholders and the general public. Before tonight’s decision, the Board received a presentation of additional research from two outside economic experts and RTD staff before the staff provided its recommendation to move ahead with the current FasTracks Financial Plan, which assumes a 2012 sales tax increase of .4 percent to complete FasTracks by 2020.

“The RTD Board realizes that while economic conditions are slowly but steadily improving in the Denver Metro area, the timing is not right for a 2011 ballot initiative,” said RTD Board Chair Lee Kemp. “We remain committed to continuing to work with our regional partners to complete FasTracks sooner rather than later.”

RTD plans to take steps in the coming months to determine if 2012 is, in fact, the right time to let voters decide on whether to make an additional investment to complete FasTracks within the next decade. The RTD Board will have to take a separate, formal vote in the future to make a decision on pursuing a sales tax election in 2012. Without a tax increase in the near future, RTD estimates that completion of the final FasTracks program elements will occur by 2042.

FasTracks is RTD’s voter-approved transit program to expand rail and bus service throughout the RTD service area. FasTracks will build 122 miles of commuter rail and light rail, 18 miles of bus rapid transit service, add 21,000 new parking spaces, redevelop Denver Union Station and redirect bus service to better connect the eight-county District. The FasTracks investment initiative is projected to create thousands of construction-related jobs during the height of construction, and will pump billions of dollars into the regional economy over the next 20 years.

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The State of Commerce City is Strong

Initial 2011 Citizen Survey Results Cite Optimism, Opportunities

Commerce City, Colo. — April 26, 2011 — With 55 percent of residents rating their quality of life in Commerce City as good or very good, Mayor Paul Natale noted the state of the city is strong during his fourth and final State of the City address. More than 120 community leaders, business owners, non-profits, government partners and employees attended this morning’s annual event held at the Commerce City Civic Center.

As the fourth fastest-growing city in Colorado, Commerce City is well-positioned to expand upon its reputation as a regional leader within the metro area. From the city’s success at attracting new businesses to its commitment to creating a healthy community and preserving environmental resources, the address reflected on recent successes and discussed upcoming challenges. Mayor Natale also provided initial results from the recently-completed Citizen’s Survey, details of which will be presented at upcoming City Council meeting.

“In my final address, I thought about the city moniker – Quality Community for a Lifetime – and how our collective accomplishments support that statement,” said Natale. “I’ve also thought about how the goals established by City Council will further cement our status as a regional and national leader. Clearly our success over the last 12 months demonstrates that Commerce City doesn’t just talk the talk – we walk the walk every day, creating a quality community for all generations.”

Highlights from the Mayor’s speech include:
• Local businesses are optimistic with the business climate. More than 60 percent will be hiring staff this year and over half will be implementing capital improvements.
• Consistent with the city’s first-ever economic development strategic plan, the city attracted numerous new businesses within key industry clusters.
• More than 119,000 people used the city’s recreation center in 2010. More than a thousand programs were offered last year, with nearly 9,700 program registrations in 2010.
• The city’s expanded recreation and park amenities include 4.5-miles of the Second Creek Greenway Regional Trail.
• The $6.8 million 96th Avenue/State Highway 2 intersection project, which will improve safety and implement quiet zones, will be completed this summer, while the next phase of the 104th Avenue improvements, the U.S. 85/104th Avenue intersection project, will begin.
• The city has seen a nearly 31 percent decrease in crime from 2006 to 2009, and burglaries are down 45 percent from 2005 and 11.9 percent from last year.
• Seventy-nine percent of residents are somewhat over very satisfied with the city’s public safety efforts and feel somewhat or very safe in their neighborhoods.
• The city has more than doubled its population in 10 years, with 47 percent of the population of Hispanic origin.
• Established medical marijuana zoning ordinances that set standard for other cities.
• Identified and implemented more than $2 million in “green” improvements that will net more than $160,000 in energy savings and eliminate more than 1,200 tons of CO2.
• New and additional communication tools to increase resident knowledge about city programs, services and activities.

The program also included welcoming remarks by Mayor Pro Tem Tracey Snyder, followed by the presentation of colors by the Adams City High School Marine Corps Junior ROTC. Students from Stuart Middle School performed the national anthem.

“Over the last four years, change has put Commerce City on a path that must continue for future growth to occur,” concluded Mayor Natale. “I hope many of the great leaders in our community will consider public service in November as a way to contribute even further. Future elected officials must continue to be engaged not only within our borders, but throughout the region, ensuring a voice and presence in metro area decision-making.”

Prepared remarks from Mayor Natale and Mayor Pro Tem Snyder are available on http://www.c3gov.com. The address is archived on http://www.c3gov.com/videocenter and will be rebroadcast on Comcast Channel 8 on 10 p.m. Thursday April 28, 12:30 p.m. Saturday, April 30, and 3:30 p.m. Sunday, May 1. Highlights of the speech can also be found on Twitter, #C3SOTC.

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Divers Replace Old Valves On an Aging Denver Dam

The 105-year-old structure provides nearly half of the water supply for the Denver metro area

Kelly Davidson, ENR Mountain States

Denver, Colo. — April 25, 2011 — Denver Water is halfway through an $18.3-million modernization of the city's Cheesman Dam, with the underwater portion of the project complete and bidding for the second phase under way.

The two-year job, which began last spring with construction of a 1,200-sq-ft control building on the crest, is the 105-year-old dam’s first major rehabilitation. The main goal is to upgrade the original outlet works system with new hydraulic valves and pumps that provide more reliable upstream control over water levels.

Work also includes the decommissioning of original valves and installation of new trash racks to prevent debris from entering the intake system.

Located on the South Platte River about 60 miles southwest of Denver, the 221-ft-tall, granite-block structure, which has a 1,050-ft-long crest, allows for storage of 79,000 acre ft of water. It provides nearly half of all potable water to the metropolitan area.

Denver Water did not want to jeopardize that valuable water supply, so it chose to design the project using underwater construction methods to prevent drawing down the reservoir.

Almost a decade of planning and preparation went into the project, with most of the design work done by Denver Water’s own civil, mechanical and electrical engineers. Instead of carrying out costly underwater surveys, Denver Water pieced together construction drawings of the dam and budgeted for the unexpected.

Sonar studies and information gained when the 2002 drought exposed portions of the dam provided a good starting point, but most of the details were compiled from the original hand-drawn blueprints, century-old construction photographs and an 1895 field survey of the tunnels.

Saturation Diving
In phase one, managed by Global Diving & Salvage Inc., Seattle, the three internal gate valves were replaced with new hydraulic valves on the dam’s upstream face. Each valve was at a different depth, connected to outlet tunnels mined through a rock abutment.

Crews assembled an 80- by 80-ft barge to support dive operations, which began in April 2010 with three months of surface diving on the upper “auxiliary” level. Work on the middle and lower levels began in mid-July, with crews working 24 hours a day, seven days a week through early November.

The depths of those levels, 152 ft and 197 ft, required a complex saturation diving system to allow divers to work for long periods of time. During the 108-day operation, four-person dive teams worked in 12-hour shifts. Two divers worked underwater from a dive bell lowered from a barge on the surface, while two more divers rested and lived inside a decompression chamber on the barge for 28-day periods. During those periods, the chamber maintained the same pressure on the barge that the divers were subjected to underwater.

Hoses running from the barge supplied the dive bell with an air mixture, communications and power.

The airtight saturation system allowed divers to transfer from the dive bell to the compression chamber without the need to decompress to surface pressure.

While underwater, the two divers rotated in and out of the dive bell. At depth, divers relied on a helium and oxygen mixture. One diver remained inside the bell while the other worked alone in the dimly lit water—drilling, blasting, welding, grouting and anchoring pieces into the rock.

Helmet-mounted video cameras fed live video to monitors on the barge, where project engineers determined how to proceed.

“The risk of change orders was immense, and we knew that going in,” says Jeff Martin, the Denver Water dam-safety engineer in charge of project design. “To streamline the process, we negotiated a time and materials rate with Global Diving & Salvage prior to construction. This eliminated delays and budget surprises and allowed everyone to focus on the task at hand in the moment.”

Resident engineers from Krech Ojard & Associates, Hermitage, Pa., were on site around the clock to oversee the work and design alternatives as needed. Other key offsite team members, including design consultants from San Francisco-based URS Corp., remained on call to review any change orders.

Due to the compressed time line of dive operations, all of the major fixtures—including stainless steel valves, trash racks, gates and spools—were prefabricated based on the piecemeal construction drawings and assumptions that the tunnels were relatively straight.

Divers discovered otherwise, however. “The actual field conditions weren’t the same as what the drawings depicted,” says A.W. McAfee, one of the divers on the project. “The tunnels were all slightly curved, with rock overhangs in places where we needed clearance.”

Each tunnel was unique and posed its own challenges, according to Gordon F. Harbison, resident engineer with Krech Ojard & Associates. To some degree, each of the outlets had to be reshaped to accept the spool pieces to which the valves were mounted.

The largest change order was at the lower level, where divers discovered the inlet was not natural rock but a mix of masonry rubble and concrete. “The original workers built the portal out to meet the valve, and the rubble they created did not have the structural properties to hold the spool in place,” Harbison says.

Divers had to excavate the area and enlarge the opening to push the spool back into the tunnel where it could be anchored to solid rock. The $1.4-million change order meant three additional underwater blasts and an extra 18 days of work.

Protecting Habitat
Reshaping the tunnels required a total of nine blasts, carried out with a blast-bag protection system developed by Global Diving & Salvage from heavy-duty vinyl fabric typically used for salvaging sunken vessels.

“The fabric molds to the contours of the rock and essentially forms pillows that contain the blast and dissipate the energy,” says John Ventress, project manager with Global Diving & Salvage. “The system prevents damage to the downstream habitat.”

Despite $2.2 million in change orders, the project had no lost production or standby charges, Martin says. Dive work—which accounted for about $10 million of phase one’s $12.7-million budget—finished on schedule, with substantial completion in early November.

Starting later this spring, seven gate valves within the primary outlet works will be decommissioned and abandoned in place. At the auxiliary level outlet, the needle valve and the upstream slide gate will be removed and replaced with a new jet-flow gate.

Completion is scheduled for spring 2012.

Aurora Sentinel cuts back to weekly publication

DBJ's Mark Harden, Denver Business Journal

Denver, Colo. — April 20, 2011 — The Aurora Sentinel newspaper said Wednesday it will cut back to weekly publication of its printed edition in May.

The 102-year-old newspaper, which was recently sold, had been publishing a paid, home-delivered edition once a week and a free daily paper on other weekdays.

Starting May 5, the Sentinel will publish an “expanded” weekly newspaper and offer daily content online at aurorasentinel.com, it said in an article posted Wednesday on its website.

“Our decision to transform ourselves into a digital media company is consistent with the way people consume and produce news,” Aurora Sentinel Publisher James Gold said in the article. “It is the future of local media.”

He added: “The bottom line is, the daily news cycle is dead. Readers are no longer interested in reading stale stories long after it was news. We can offer news while it’s current, and make the best use of print for readers who want more than just roundups and updates.”

The weekly paper and website will offer expanded news, living and guide content, Gold said.

The Sentinel, along with the weekly Buckley Guardian and affiliated online products, were sold in February by Aurora Publishing Co. to Aurora Media Group LLC, owned by Gold and Tom Ratkovich. Terms were not announced.

Gold — managing partner for Leap Media Partners — succeeded H. Harrison Cochran as publisher.

No More Dancing in Denver’s Streets

by Stephanie Simon, The Wall Street Journal

Denver, Colo. — April 20, 2011 — It's generally not an occasion for mourning when a city reprograms its traffic signals. Markings at a downtown Denver intersection, top, allow pedestrians to cross diagonally. But an $800,000 overhaul of downtown Denver's traffic lights has touched off a bout of nostalgia here, as the city does away with a quirky street-crossing tradition known as the Barnes Dance.

The phenomenon began six decades ago, when a young traffic engineer named Henry Barnes arrived in Denver on a mission to unsnarl the chaotic streets. Mr. Barnes was particularly concerned about pedestrians. Then, as now across much of the U.S., crosswalks were set up to keep people moving parallel to the traffic—which was all well and good until a driver made a turn and plowed into the walkers.

Mr. Barnes decided he would time the red lights so all traffic at a given intersection would be halted for a set period, say 20 seconds out of every minute. That would give pedestrians a fighting chance to get across in one piece. More radically still, Mr. Barnes trusted those on foot to get to their destination without the confining guidance of crosswalks. He would open the whole intersection and let them cross any which way they wanted—even diagonally.

Legend has it that Denver pedestrians were so thrilled that some did jigs in the middle of intersections. The free-for-all crossing system promptly became known as the Barnes Dance.

The concept took off, and cities around the world—including Tokyo, London and Toronto—brought the Barnes Dance to select intersections.

But no city danced as much as Denver. As many as 48 times an hour, traffic would freeze at 45 downtown intersections. Pedestrians would take over the broad streets, tracing random paths across the intersection or stopping insouciantly smack in the middle to sip a latte, answer a cellphone or chat with a friend.

“It’s the craziest thing I’ve ever heard of,” said Alex Wiegers, an investment manager who moved to Denver from New York some years ago and views the Dance with bemused disdain. “It’s a pedestrian paradise in a non-pedestrian world. And it impedes the flow of traffic.” On that last point, reluctantly, Brian Mitchell must agree.

Mr. Mitchell is Denver’s chief traffic engineer—only the sixth person to hold the title since Henry Barnes, he says proudly—and it has fallen to him to end the Dance. Crews last week covered the walk signs that gave pedestrians the all-clear to cross diagonally. Traffic signals will be reprogrammed in the coming days.

Other cities may continue the tradition that Mr. Barnes began; just last fall, the town of Durango, in western Colorado, set up the system at a downtown intersection. But Denver will dance no more.

“We’ve hung on to it this long because of all the nostalgia,” Mr. Mitchell said. “We knew the public would lament that we’re losing a piece of Denver history. But we knew it would have to happen eventually. The time is now.”

Why now? That has to do with changing transportation patterns. Rising gas prices have pushed more Denver commuters to mass transit. The city’s light-rail system is adding an extra car to many trains to accommodate the new riders. That, in turn, means trains need more time to get through downtown intersections.

Pedestrians need more time, too. For years, traffic lights here and nationwide were timed to the stride of the average pedestrian, who covered 4 feet of ground per second, according to federal research carried out in the 1950s. A couple of years ago, however, the Federal Highway Administration urged traffic engineers to recalibrate to an average stride of 3.5 feet per second, after new research showed that Americans’ average walking pace had slowed over the decades. That would give elderly walkers more time to cross safely.

This lower speed meant trouble for Mr. Mitchell. To give today’s poky pedestrians enough time to amble diagonally across an intersection, he would have to keep cars idling at least three seconds longer at red lights.

Drivers were already being asked to wait longer for the light rail. He wasn’t about to add to their burden.

Traffic will still be stopped in all directions, but pedestrians who defy the new signals and continue to cross diagonally risk a $40 jaywalking ticket. Mr. Mitchell doesn’t dwell on that point. True fans of the Dance, he said, “will quickly figure out what they can get away with.“The walk signal won’t be as long as before. “But if they hustle,” he said, “they can probably make it.”

Volunteers Needed for Commerce City’s Victims Support Unit

Outreach Part of National Crime Victims' Rights Week Celebration

Commerce City, Colo. — April 11, 2011 — With 20 million Americans victims of crime each year, National Crime Victims’ Rights Week (April 10 – April 16) seeks to support those affected by crime and raise awareness of available programs and services. Last year, Commerce City served nearly 740 victims of crime and is using the celebration to solicit community volunteers for its Victims Support Unit and to raise funds to restock needed supplies.

The Commerce City Police Department’s Victims Support Unit is currently staffed by two full-time employee advocates and eight community volunteers. The unit is on-call 24/7, providing on-scene incident assistance to ensure victims are treated with dignity and respect. Staff and volunteers provide crisis intervention, advocacy, service referrals, and support during the criminal justice process. They can also assist with essential items for victims such as diapers, toiletries, teddy bears, and clothing.

“Even though crime rates in the city have declined by 8.3 percent, it is important to have advocates available when incidents do occur so victims are heard,” said Police Chief Philip Baca. “Community volunteers are very important to the success of our unit, supporting staff by providing additional coverage for nights, weekends and holidays. I encourage residents to consider volunteering their time to this rewarding program.”

Volunteers must be at least 18-years old, have insurance and reliable transportation and commit to at least one year of service. Applicants also will be required to complete the 40-hour Victim Services Academy, pass the CVSA exam and undergo a background check.

In addition to City Council’s acknowledgement of the unit, police department staff is holding an employee fundraiser to restock their supply cabinet, incentivizing donations with the promise of a casual Friday for all city personnel – including those in uniform. To date, the response has been tremendous; the department hopes to exceed the $500 goal set for employees by the end of the week. During Monday’s council meeting, resident Carolyn Kerls also donated $500 to the unit’s 501(c)3 organization, Victims Services Programs, in honor of her husband, retired Lieutenant Warren Kerls.

Community members interested in volunteering can learn more about the unit by attending Saturday’s Coffee with a Cop event from 8-10 a.m. at McDonald’s, located at 10400 Belle Creek Boulevard. More information about the unit and volunteer applications can be found on the city’s website, http://www.c3gov.com/police or by contacting Heidi Flowers at 303-227-8792 or Michelle Jaramillo 303-289-3655 for further information.

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Kids fishing derby set for April 9

Annual Fishing Frenzy offers prizes, experts and fun family activities

Commerce City, Colo. — March 29, 2011 — Youth ages 3-15 are invited to register to participate in the fourth annual Fishing Frenzy, a free kids fishing derby, on Saturday, April 9 at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge.

Along with prizes for biggest fish, smallest fish and most fish caught, the derby features family activities, including a craft station and fishing activities. Participants should bring their own fishing poles bait is provided. Expert fishermen will teach participants how to tie knots, cast a line, identify different fish and more at stations throughout the event. Breakfast and snacks will be available for a small fee from 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

The Fishing Frenzy offers two sessions from 9-10 a.m. and from 10:30-11:30 a.m. to accommodate a greater number of participants (youth may register for one session only). More than 300 children took part in the 2010 derby, filling the event to capacity. Register now by calling the Commerce City Recreation Center at 303-289-3789.

Another feature of this year’s event is a book drive sponsored by Commerce City’s Youth Advisory Committee. This group of young teens is asking participants to donate a new or gently used children’s book to benefit the Children’s Hospital and Adams 14 School District. Participants who donate a book at the fishing derby will be entered into a raffle drawing for prizes that include an iPod and gift certificates from area businesses.

To get to the refuge, take Quebec Street to 56th Avenue and head east to Havana Street. Turn north on Havana and follow it to the refuge’s main entrance at 5650 Havana.

Fishing Frenzy is sponsored by Commerce City, the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, Bass Pro Shops, Take Me Fishing and the Reunion Metro District. For more information, call 303-289-3659 or visit http://www.c3gov.com.

City Council Identifies Priorities for the 2011-2013

Economic Development, Expanding City Amenities Top List

Commerce City, Colo. — March 22, 2011 — Capitalizing on economic development opportunities, fixing Tower Road and State Highway 2, expanding the city’s trail and recreation network, and strengthening communication between council and constituents are some of the goals for Commerce City in the coming years.

During City Council’s two-day retreat, held at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, councilors reflected on the successes achieved during 2010 and considered more than 100 ideas from the community on how best to move the city forward.

“Planning and decision-making is not a one-time event,” said Councilor Jason McEldowney, who chaired this year’s retreat subcommittee. “Last year, city council made a conscious decision to be more strategic and develop tools to help establish goals for the city. This year’s annual retreat built on that concept, by really focusing in on how we want to move this city forward. The strategic framework established by council will allow us to communicate progress with our constituents and achieve a Quality Community for a Lifetime for years to come.”

City Council’s goals for 2011-2013 include:
• Develop a balanced and vibrant city economy.
o Cultivate economic development through business retention, expansion and job creation.
o Advance initiatives that expand city’s “business-friendly” environment.

• Effectively provide services and amenities that enhance quality of life and position the city for continued growth.
o Implement infrastructure improvements to increase mobility.
o Identify opportunities to improve transit, bicycle and pedestrian facilities.
o Expand recreational offerings and trail/park networks to improve quality of life.
o Identify additional amenities desired by residents and how best to financially deliver needs.
o Craft consistent customer service experience for constituents across all city departments.
o Promote activities that enhance public health, wellness and quality of life.

• Craft sustainable partnerships that benefit residents and businesses alike.
o Develop strong partnerships with school districts to enhance educational opportunities.
o Seek new opportunities to lead revitalization and redevelopment efforts within city.
o Expand opportunities for civic engagement by various constituencies.

• Create a community built upon a culture of leadership and excellence.
o Maintain sustainable financial plan that strengthens reserves and reduces existing debt.
o Prolong declining crime statistics trend with community policing initiatives.
o Create a communications program that builds pride, connectivity and engagement among Commerce City residents, businesses and employees.
o Establish coordinated and consistent flow of information about Commerce City through internal and external channels.
o Advance proposals that reform council practices and policies.

“Last year’s retreat identified a list of 114 priorities for staff to address. More than 103 – or 90 percent – are in progress or have been completed,” said Mayor Paul Natale. “I’m confident that the outcomes of this year’s retreat will be achieved by council and staff in the coming years.”

Staff will provide council and the community with quarterly progress updates, increasing government transparency.

Commerce City Leaders Meeting with Congressional Representatives

Funding for local service, community development programs hangs in balance

Commerce City, Colo. — March 14, 2011 — With calls to cut discretionary spending growing louder in Washington, D.C., this week’s trip to the nation’s capital by several Commerce City representatives is significant to the survival of many local programs and services.

The National League of Cities (NLC) Conference is a chance each year for Commerce City to grab the ear of their Congressional delegates, but this year’s meetings with U.S. Representatives Michael Bennet, Mark Udall, Ed Perlmutter, Diana DeGette and Cory Gardner might seem a little more urgent.

“A key piece of this trip includes the continued dialogue we have with our federal representatives to make them aware of the issues that are important to Commerce City,” said Mayor Pro Tem Tracey Snyder. “In addition to local programs and services, infrastructure priorities also need to be top of mind.”

Snyder will serve for a third consecutive year on the NLC’s Public Safety and Crime Prevention Policy and Advocacy Steering Committee.

“The privilege I have of serving on this committee is consistent with my continued desire to work on behalf of our residents,” added Snyder. I’m hopeful this work will bring public safety and crime prevention programs that benefit all segments of the community,” Snyder said.

City Councilor Dominick Moreno represents Ward 1 in the city’s core where many residents benefit from social service programs and also will serve this year on the NLC’s Human Development Steering Committee to help the organization protect funds for core social service programs that benefit senior citizens, veterans, at-risk youth and other segments of the community.

Among the local programs that could be at risk with federal cuts are those funded by Community Development Block Grants, Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants and Community Oriented Policing Services Grants. In recent years these grants have been used to renovate and improve the Derby Business District, hire four police officers and conduct an energy audit from which a city-wide Sustainability Plan was developed.

“It’s important that Commerce City is there to provide that personal perspective of what we’re facing. We need to stress to our representatives that we’re not just a line item on a budget,” Moreno said.

In addition to their meetings with the Washington delegation, the Commerce City council members making the trip will spend time with municipal representatives from around the country sharing information about local challenges and the best practices for meeting these challenges.

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Commerce City Opposes Xcel Energy’s Solar Rebate Reduction

City Council encourages utility, industry to reach compromise

Commerce City, Colo. — March 08, 2011 — The City Council of Commerce City unanimously approved a resolution tonight opposing the Public Service Company of Colorado’s (Xcel Energy) request to excessively reduce solar rebates for small-scale solar power home and business systems. The resolution also supported the Public Utilities Commission in advancing a more equitable agreement between both the utility company and solar companies, resulting in rebate amounts that would support the recovery of Colorado’s economy in a more sustainable manner.

“In the last year, Commerce City has taken steps to become a more sustainable city,” said Mayor Paul Natale. “We just installed 429 photovoltaic panels on the civic center roof that will reduce
the building’s energy usage by 30 percent – or more than $11,000 annually. This effort would have been cost-prohibitive without the solar rebate program.”

Xcel’s rebate program, funded by a two percent surcharge on customer’s monthly bills, resulted in 5,300 solar jobs and more than 400 solar businesses throughout Colorado. It is anticipated more than 75 percent of those jobs could be lost if the rebate program is eliminated.

“The global economic crisis made it difficult to operate businesses and had a negative effect on municipalities such as Commerce City, added Mayor Pro Tem Tracey Snyder. “City Council took steps to support local businesses by implementing a unique incentive program for new and existing businesses. One key aspect was providing additional funds for “green” improvements –like solar energy – to support the city’s sustainability commitments.”

A 2009 energy audit identified nearly $2 million in improvements to increase the energy efficiency of the city’s municipal buildings. The city also is developing a sustainable community strategic plan, creating short-and long-term strategies that accomplish substantive, specific, and enduring sustainability goals and objectives for Commerce City.

“Clean energy businesses are extremely important to Commerce City’s long-term economic growth and development,’ said Councilor Dominck Moreno, who sponsored the resolution.“Regulatory changes such as those proposed by Xcel negatively impact our ability to be successful. We are optimistic that the company and industry can reach a compromise as directed by the Public Utilities Commission that benefits the Colorado economy.”

Commerce City Unanimously Supports a 0.4 Percent Sales Tax Increase for FasTracks Program

Completion of North Metro Corridor one of City's top priorities

Commerce City, Colo. — March 08, 2011 — The Commerce City Council tonight unanimously approved a resolution that backs a proposed 0.4 percent sales tax increase to complete the Regional Transportation District’s (RTD) multi-billion dollar comprehensive transit expansion FasTracks program no later than 2019.

The RTD Board of Directors is in the process of deciding when and which sales tax proposal to put before Denver area voters– a 0.1 percent sales tax increase which would complete the FasTracks program by 2035, a 0.2 percent increase which would complete the program by 2027, a 0.3 percent increase for a 2024 program completion or a 0.4 percent increase to complete the program by 2019. The RTD Board is scheduled to vote Tuesday, March 8, on which proposal to support.

“Given the current economic climate in Colorado, it’s certainly a difficult time to think about backing any type of tax increase. But at the same time, as a council we need to be forwardthinking and consider what’s in the best interest for Commerce City,” said Commerce City Mayor Paul Natale. “Improving our transportation options sooner rather than later is critical to our community’s development. We need assurances new revenues will be used exclusively to complete the remaining unfunded corridors to provide benefits to all district taxpayers.”

Among the FasTracks lines yet to start construction is the North Metro Corridor line. This 18-mile commuter rail corridor is planned to run from Denver Union Station to SH 7/162nd Avenue in Thornton. The line will include a station in Commerce City, planned for the area of 72nd Avenue and Colorado Boulevard. City Council approved submitting official comments on the corridor’s Final Environmental Impact Statement last week.

“We have a vested interest in getting the North Metro line built sooner rather than later because it will provide Commerce City with a vital link to downtown Denver,” said City Manager Jerry Flannery.

The city’s location inside several major transportation corridors is a unique trait of our community that makes Commerce City so attractive to developers, Flannery said, adding that providing citizens with long-term transportation options helps contribute to the quality of life in Commerce City.

“Our constituents have financially supported the extension of light rail, bus rapid transit and commuter rail throughout the metro area,” said Natale. “It’s important to complete the entire system voters were promised in 2004 sooner rather than later – especially to northern areas that have yet to reap the benefits improved transit service provides.”

AMA Construction completes Colorado’s first high country Tuesday Morning retail store

Silverthorne, Colo — March 01, 2011 — AMA Construction recently completed the demolition and conversion of seven tenant spaces into one large retail space in just seven weeks. The new space will be home to Colorado’s first high country Tuesday Morning store, located in the Summit Place Shopping Center in Silverthorne, Colo.

Demolition of the 30-year-old building included removing all existing interior finishes and repairing and painting final finishes. AMA was also responsible for the installation of a new HVAC and electrical system. Now combined, the seven tenant spaces add up to an impressive new 11,916 square foot retail area for the Tuesday Morning storefront.

Located at Highway 9 and Interstate 70, the new Tuesday Morning, which specializes in upscale closeout merchandise, is planning its grand opening for March 1, 2011.

AMA Construction, Inc. is a mid-sized commercial general contractor determined to redefine the role of the contractor in the building process. Specializing in the construction of office buildings, retail centers, medical buildings, tenant finish, commercial remodeling and site development, AMA Construction is licensed in most Colorado Front Range communities, as well as Arizona and California. Uniting the objectives of owner and architect, AMA brings a higher standard in leadership, customer service and ingenuity to the industry.

RTD FasTracks Program Honored for WTS Small Project of Year, Diversity

Denver, CO — February 28, 2011 — Two elements of the Regional Transportation District’s (RTD) FasTracks program were honored at the 2011 Women's Transportation Seminar (WTS) Awards Gala held Thursday, Feb. 24, at Mile High Station. The WTS awards gala recognizes public and private sector professionals for excellence in all modes of transportation.

The RTD Systems Engineering Division received the Small Project of the Year Award for an innovative systems upgrade solution as part of a four-car platform extension project that was completed in December 2010.

“This was a very challenging project because we had to work around an existing operating light rail system,” said Pranaya Shrestha, RTD’s Senior Manager of Systems Engineering & Construction. “Our goals were to minimize inconvenience to our customers, maintain a high level of safety and quality, while meeting the schedule and budget.”

The project consisted of expanding power and signal system needs allowing RTD to operate four-car light rail trains to increase rider capacity. This work entailed relocating signal, communication equipment and associated duct banks at the Pepsi, INVESCO Field at Mile High, Oxford at City of Sheridan and Littleton Mineral stations.

The WTS Diversity Leadership Award was presented to Jacobs Engineering, the prime contractor serving as RTD’s FasTracks Program Support Consultant. In recent years, Jacobs has shown commitment and dedication through its inclusion of small and disadvantaged businesses as well as a diverse team as it provides flexible, innovative services to RTD in implementation of the FasTracks program.

“Jacobs is humbled to receive both the nomination and the diversity award,” said Brian Middleton, Project Manager of the Jacobs team. “Our achievement is made possible by our partner RTD who encourage diversity and make it possible for us to engage both a diverse staff and a broad spectrum of subcontractors each of whom bring a different perspective to the issues, adding value to the FasTracks program. Jacobs is proud to be part of the vision of FasTracks.”

WTS, founded in 1977, is dedicated to the professional advancement of women in transportation. The Colorado chapter has more than 200 members. It provides networking, educational and career advancement opportunities for its members.

FasTracks is RTD’s voter-approved transit program to expand rail and bus service throughout the RTD service area. FasTracks will build 122 miles of commuter rail and light rail, 18 miles of bus rapid transit service, add 21,000 new parking spaces, redevelop Denver Union Station and redirect bus service to better connect the eight-county District. The FasTracks investment initiative is projected to create more than 10,000 construction-related jobs during the height of construction, and will pump billions of dollars into the regional economy.

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Commerce City 4th fastest growing city in state

Census data shows population up 118 percent from 2000

Commerce City, Colo. — February 25, 2011 — According to data released earlier this week by the U.S. Census Bureau, Commerce City’s population increased from 20,991 residents in 2000 to 45,913 in 2010, making it the state’s fourth fastest-growing city amongst communities with at least 10,000 people. Based on current population, Commerce City now sits as the 19th largest municipality in Colorado, moving up seven places from 2000 census findings.

Of particular note, the number of people in Commerce City of Hispanic descent increased 94 percent from the 11,096 residents in 2000 to the 21,509 residents recorded by the 2010 census. Hispanics now comprise 47 percent of the city’s population.

“The census numbers give further credence to what we’ve believed anecdotally – that Commerce City is a vibrant, culturally diverse community,” said City Manager Jerry Flannery. “It’s encouraging to know that even with the economy slowing in the past couple of years, Commerce City has continued to develop,” Flannery added.

Census data is used in part to determine the state’s congressional district boundaries and determine where transportation funding goes and how the government allocates its services.

COMTO Colorado welcomes the Nuggets’ Chris “Birdman” Andersen and Grammy-nominated Jonathan Butler

Denver, CO — February 16, 2011 — On March 26, the Colorado Chapter of the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO) will host hundreds of leaders representing Denver's transportation industry at its 6th Annual Scholarship Banquet to support local high school students. The event will feature the Denver Nuggets' Chris "Birdman" Andersen as keynote speaker a performance by jazz legend, Grammy-nominated guitarist-singer-songwriter Jonathan Butler.

COMTO Colorado has sought to invest in promising young minority students who are seniors in high school and need financial assistance to pursue studies in the transportation field. Over the past five years alone, COMTO Colorado is proud to have awarded nearly $60,000 in scholarships to local students.

This year’s scholarship banquet will be held at the Omni Hotel in Broomfield, Colo. from 5 – 10 p.m. The evening will also feature Emmy-award winning journalist Tamara Banks as Master of Ceremonies, a silent auction, live auction and Celebrity VIP Meet & Greet with Chris Andersen and Jonathan Butler for select sponsors. All money raised during the event will go directly to the scholarship winners to pay for tuition, books, and/or room and board expenses.

Corporate tables can be purchased for $1,250 for COMTO members and $1,500 for non-members. Individual tickets are $85 for COMTO members and $100 for non-members. Those who purchase individual tickets or corporate tables by March 1 will be entered into a drawing to win tickets to the Celebrity VIP Meet & Greet with Chris “Birdman” Andersen and Jonathan Butler.

COMTO is a national nonprofit organization focused on providing training, education and professional development for minority professionals in all aspects of the transportation industry. For more information on the 6th Annual Scholarship Banquet and to purchase tickets online, visit www.COMTOColorado.org or e-mail .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). For questions, please contact Megan Rees at 303-956-4860.

Commerce City Mayor Pro Tem Tracey Snyder Reappointed to National Public Safety and Crime Prevention

Will represent Colorado and develop federal policy positions for National League of Cities

Washington, D.C. — February 15, 2011 — National League of Cities President James Mitchell, Jr., announced the appointment of Commerce City Mayor Pro Tem Tracey Snyder to the National League of Cities’ (NLC) 2011 Public Safety and Crime Prevention Policy and Advocacy Steering Committee.

“I am honored to be reappointed to this Committee for the third year, continuing to serve my city, county and the great state of Colorado,” said Mayor Pro Tem Snyder. “For many years, my focus has been on improving public safety and crime prevention activities, to benefit children, persons with mental illnesses, seniors and animals.”
This Committee develops NLC federal policy positions in the areas of crime prevention, public safety, homeland security, disaster preparedness and response, substance abuse, and municipal fire policy. Snyder will play a key role in shaping policy and advocating on behalf of America’s cities and towns on Capitol Hill, with the Administration and in Colorado.
NLC is the nation’s oldest and largest organization devoted to strengthening and promoting cities as centers of opportunity, leadership and governance. More information is at www.nlc.org.

DIA clips cost of South Terminal project by $150 million

Jeffrey Leib

Denver Post — February 10, 2011 — Denver International Airport has pared the cost of its South Terminal redevelopment project to $500 million from an earlier estimate of $650 million, airport manager Kim Day told City Council members Wednesday.

The project includes a new 500-room Westin hotel, a train station at the DIA terminal for the FasTracks rail line from Union Station, and a public plaza — all integrated in one structure.

The terminal proposal is part of a 10-year, $1.5 billion capital-funding plan for the airport that Day and DIA chief financial officer Patrick Heck revealed to council members.

Another more limited capital project on their list includes initial spending of about $8.5 million on design, environmental work and cost-benefit analyses for a planned seventh runway.

Even at a pared-down $500 million, the South Terminal project will be the largest single element of the capital-spending program over the next six years.

A committee that represents airlines at DIA gave qualified support for the airport’s growth plan, but added that it “remains concerned regarding the significant proposed 10-year” capital-improvement plan cost, “specifically” for the South Terminal redevelopment project, and the impact it will have on rates and charges the carriers pay at DIA.

In a statement, the airlines said they appreciated the “ongoing collaborative process” of working with DIA on the finance plan but added that “support of the plan remains contingent on our ability to develop and agree on a business deal that mitigates these costs and addresses other issues as part of our current lease negotiations.”

In the presentation to the council, Heck said the cost to airlines for every passenger they board at DIA will grow to about $15.09 a passenger by 2018 from about $12 today, in part because of new debt taken on to pay for the capital improvements.

That higher “cost per enplaned passenger,” or CPE, as the measure of airline expense is called, still will leave DIA with a lower CPE than Chicago’s O’Hare International, Washington’s Dulles International, San Francisco International and Los Angeles International, Heck said.

Last summer, Day and well-known Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava unveiled the $650 million design for the South Terminal project, yet questions arose among airport officials, their consultants and leaders in Denver’s finance department about the “affordability” of the project.

Calatrava has prepared a reduced design for South Terminal to save money, Day said. “He said, ‘Don’t tell me what to cut. Tell me your budget.’ “

The result is a new design for the hotel-train-station-plaza complex that is 25 percent reduced in area and 30 percent reduced in volume from the original design, she said.

Calatrava’s new design has eliminated one story of the hotel and office space in the South Terminal complex that the airport had included in the original plan. Airport officials determined there might not be a viable market for leasing such office space at DIA, Day said.

Jack Finlaw, chief of staff to Denver Mayor Bill Vidal, said Wednesday the mayor and Denver chief financial officer Claude Pumilia have “signed off” on the new, less-costly South Terminal design.

Heck said the airport most likely will sell bonds this fall to raise the initial money for South Terminal construction.

Work on the $176 million Westin should begin early next year, and the facility will be open for guests by late 2015, Day said.

The airport hotel has had a fitful history, with a number of planned “groundbreakings” in the past that were canceled because of external events.

Work on the $1 billion East Corridor train to DIA also is scheduled for completion in late 2015.

The South Terminal project may include construction of a Calatrava-designed commuter-rail bridge over Peña Boulevard, just east of the highway’s junction with E-470.

The Regional Transportation District has about $7.3 million in its rail-line budget for the bridge, but DIA has the right to take over construction of the span if it wants to enhance the structure with Calatrava’s design.

DIA separately has identified about $15 million in additional design and construction costs it could assume for the bridge, but the airport must settle on a plan with RTD to hand over bridge construction to the airport.

DIA has until April 30 to reach that agreement with RTD, Day said, adding that “Calatrava currently is doing a modification to the bridge, making the arch a little less high.”

Of the total $1.5 billion in capital spending, the airport expects to spend about $873 million over the next six years, Heck said, including about $467 million on the South Terminal project.

The airport already has spent about $33 million on the “initial concepting phase” of the project, Day said.

DIA engineering chief Dave Rhodes said the airport will work closely with the Federal Aviation Administration on plans for the new runway, which would likely carry a total price tag of between $200 million and $250 million.

DIA’s hope is that the FAA would shoulder at least 50 percent of the cost of a new runway. DIA opened in 1995 with five runways and added a sixth in 2003 at a cost of $166 million.

Because DIA is the nation’s newest major airport, and by some measures — including its lack of intersecting runways — the safest and most efficient, officials have touted runway expansion at the Denver airport for the boost it gives to the entire national airspace system.

Jeffrey Leib: 303-954-1645 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Read more: DIA clips cost of South Terminal project by $150 million - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_17345694#ixzz1DyLUSQXJ
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10 Best Cities for Public Transportation

Obama announced more funding for high speed rail, but these cities are already excelling

Danielle Kurtzleben

U.S. News.com — February 08, 2011 — President Obama is calling for $8 billion to go towards high-speed rail, as part of a six-year, $53-billion plan. The administration is hoping that the program will create jobs and boost American competitiveness in the long run. But on a smaller scale, an effective public transportation system can simply increase the quality of life in a city. By transporting people to work, school, local attractions, and healthcare facilities, public transit can reach into nearly every area of city life, from public health to tourism. Statistics show that public transit has experienced rapid growth, providing economic benefits to individuals and municipalities alike.

Public transit systems have become a part of daily life in many U.S. cities; the number of public transportation systems in the United States has increased more than sevenfold in the last 30 years, from 1,044 in 1980 to 7,700 in 2009. According to the American Public Transportation Association, a nonpartisan organization that advocates for public transit improvement, that increase in transit has spurred an increase in economic activity. The association estimates that for every one dollar invested in public transportation, four dollars are generated in economic returns. APTA also reported in January that in major urban areas, individuals on average save $9,656 annually by using public transportation instead of driving.

Analysis of data from the Federal Transit Administration and APTA shows which cities are among the best in the country for public transportation. All of these cities’ systems have unique features that set them apart. Portland’s public transit provides riders with a variety of travel options, including buses, light rail, commuter rail, streetcars, and an aerial tram. New York is unique simply by virtue of high ridership: in 2008, 4.2 billion trips were taken on New York metro area subway lines, buses, and railroads, six times the number of trips taken in Los Angeles, the No. 2 city. Minneapolis and Portland both feature fare-free transit routes in their downtown areas. And the Salt Lake City area’s Utah Transit Authority runs ski transit lines in the winter, in addition to its usual rail and bus services, and also features wireless Internet on its buses.

Additionally, many of the top cities for public transportation are improving their already high-quality systems. The FTA in January approved a 20-mile elevated electric passenger rail system to connect Honolulu with its suburban areas. Minneapolis and Austin have also both opened commuter rail systems in the last two years. Commuter rail systems generally serve to connect outlying communities and suburbs with central cities downtown areas, as opposed to light rail systems, which tend to operate more locally and with more frequent stops.

According to a U.S. News analysis, the 10 U.S. cities with the best combination of public transportation investment, ridership, and safety are:

1. Portland, OR

2. Salt Lake City

3. New York

4. Boston

5. Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN

6. San Francisco

7. Los Angeles

8. Honolulu

9 (tie). Denver

9 (tie). Austin

Other major cities that came close to making the cut were the Washington, D.C., metro area and Seattle, Washington, both at No. 11, and Chicago, Illinois, at No. 13. Though all three of these systems had relatively high ridership and public investment, they all also experienced far more safety incidents—such as collisions, derailments, and fires—per million trips than the cities in the top 10.

The rankings take into account per capita spending on public transportation, number of safety incidents per million trips, and the number of trips taken per capita. The cities that made the top 10 list excelled in different ways. The greater Minneapolis-St. Paul and Salt Lake City areas, for example, had the best safety records of the top 10 cities. These high marks helped them rank well overall, despite their comparatively lower per-capita ridership. New York and San Francisco-Oakland, conversely, ranked very high on ridership and public investment, but ranked lower in terms of safety.

The rankings also take into account cities’ surrounding areas. For example, Boston data includes ridership and population in the metro area that extends into New Hampshire and Rhode Island. Only metropolitan areas where more than 20 million trips were taken in 2008 (according to APTA) were included in the rankings.

Half-million Dollar Renovation Provides Updated Space for Keystone Symposia

AMA Construction begins tenant finish project to revamp the Summit County nonprofit

Summit County, Colo. — January 26, 2011 — AMA Construction crews began ramping up on a new $499,961 tenant finish project for Keystone Symposia, a nonprofit organization that serves as a catalyst for the advancement of biomedical and life sciences by connecting scientists within and across disciplines. Last year, AMA remodeled the first floor of the organization's current office building, which is home to FirstBank of Summit County.

Work on this project will include an eight-week build out of the second floor of this 8,297 square foot building. AMA crews will be responsible for tenant Improvements including all interior partitions and interior finishes, millwork for the break room and file counters, plumbing, mechanical and electrical work as needed.
AMA Construction, Inc. is a mid-sized commercial general contractor determined to redefine the role of the contractor in the building process. Specializing in construction of office buildings, retail centers, medical buildings, tenant finish, commercial remodeling and site development, AMA Construction is licensed in most Colorado Front Range communities, as well as Arizona and California. Uniting the objectives of owner and architect, AMA brings a higher standard in leadership, customer service and ingenuity to the industry.

For more information on AMA Construction please contact Heather Dean at 720-232-2160 or via e-mail at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). AMA’s website is http://www.amaconst.com.

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RTD staff: FasTracks needs 0.2% sales tax hike

Cathy Proctor, Denver Business Journal

— January 26, 2011 — The Regional Transportation District’s staff on Tuesday recommended the board consider asking voters to approve a 0.2 percent sales tax increase — 2 cents per $10 worth of goods purchased — to fully complete the FasTracks regional transit project by 2027.

The RTD board is expected to vote on the mass transit agency’s 2011 financial plan, including spending any new tax money, Feb. 22. If the board decides to put the question to voters this year, it has until Aug. 15 to approve the official ballot language.

Members of Denver’s business community in December said business people were inclined to support a tax increase for FasTracks, up to 0.2 percent. But they worried that voters would reject any new taxes due to the economic downturn.

But Phil Washington, RTD’s general manager, said the rocky economy is evidence the community needs to invest in the project.

“We’re asking you to invest in a hard time,” Washington said at media briefing Tuesday.

“We know the economy is bad. You need to invest in the region, in the jobs, in the increased economic benefit for the region. It’s about investing. I don’t look at the bad economy as a deterrent.”

Voters in 2004 approved a 0.4 percent tax increase — 4 pennies per $10 worth of goods purchased in the metro area — to help pay for FasTracks, an ambitious, 12-year, $4.7 billion construction project to build more than 100 miles of rail lines throughout the region.

But construction costs rose far beyond RTD’s expectations and revenue didn’t keep pace. FasTracks’ current estimated cost, if it’s finished in 2019, has risen to about $6.7 billion, with roughly a $2 billion gap between the money RTD expects to bring in for the project and what it will cost to build it.

If voters approve a 0.2 percent tax increase, with a completion date of 2027, the estimated cost for the entire project is about $7.2 billion, according to RTD’s presentation.

Another tax increase, on top of the 2004 tax, would help plug the gap and speed up completion of FasTracks.

The RTD staff looked at options ranging from a tax increase of 0.1 percent to 0.4 percent:

• No tax increase puts FasTracks’ finish line in 2042.

• A 0.1 percent increase means 2035.

• A 0.2 percent increase, 2027.

• A 0.3 percent increase, 2024.

• A 0.4 percent increase would finish the project by the end of 2019. A 0.4 percent increase would double the original 2004 request to 0.8 percent, but still be under 1 percent.

Under the 0.1 percent and the 0.2 percent options, RTD said it plans to pursue additional federal funding for FasTracks. Possible grants include a “Small Starts” grant of up to $75 million to help pay for the Southeast Corridor extension, and a “New Starts” grant of about $300 million to help pay for the North Metro line to Thornton, staff members said.

The 0.2 percent increase, plus federal money, would raise enough to complete all of the remaining FasTracks corridors by the end of 2024, with the Northwest line to Boulder and Longmont finished in 2027, according to the presentation. The 0.2 percent tax would end between 2041 and 2043.

The 0.2 percent option also would pay to start construction on the six remaining corridors, including upgrades to the U.S. 36 corridor, in the next four years and have all corridors complete or under construction within 10 years. That level also would put RTD in good position to snare additional federal money, according to the RTD staff presentation.

Washington said he expects the Eagle P3 segment of FasTracks will get a $1.03 billion grant from the Federal Transit Authority in May. The Eagle project will build the East line to Denver International Airport, the Gold line to Wheat Ridge, plus a piece of the Northwest line into Westminster and a commuter rail maintenance facility. The Denver Transit Partners consortium has a $1.3 billion contract to design, build, operate, maintain and finance the project. Including RTD’s costs, the Eagle project is expected to cost about $2.08 billion.

Washington said he spoke with Peter Rogoff, the FTA’s administrator, on Monday.

“He’s making plans to come out here,” Washington said. “We talked more about how the event [announcing the grant] would go than how the FFGA [Full Funding Grant Award] would be executed.”

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Commerce City names new Communications Manager

— January 14, 2011 — COMMERCE CITY – Commerce City has named Michelle Halstead as its new Manager of Communications.

For the past three years, Halstead has served as the Colorado Department of Transportation’s local government liaison where she has developed and managed relationships between CDOT and the local elected officials, staff and public policy entities across 29 Colorado counties.

“Commerce City has a wealth of wonderful stories to be told, and we are excited to have someone of Ms. Halstead’s capabilities now on board to help us tell them,” said Commerce City City Manager Jerry Flannery.

Halstead will begin work with the City Monday, Jan. 24, where she will be responsible for overseeing the city’s internal and external communication efforts with various audiences including residents, businesses, community organizations and local media representatives.

“I welcome the exciting communication opportunities and challenges that are associated with a vibrant, growing community like Commerce City,” Halstead said.

Prior to her work with CDOT, Halstead served as a public information officer with Kiewit, working on the region’s high-profile Transportation Expansion (T-REX) Project.

RTD board hears three tax options to complete FasTracks

By Jeffrey Leib

Denver Post — January 12, 2011 — RTD officials presented three scenarios Tuesday night for finishing the financially strapped FasTracks transit expansion, with different completion dates for the project depending on how large a sales-tax increase the agency asks voters to approve.

One option presented by Regional Transportation District planners to the board of directors would ask voters for a 0.4 percent tax increase this year or next to complete the entire $6.7 billion project, including the North Metro commuter-rail line to Thornton/Northglenn and the Northwest train line to Boulder/Longmont, by 2019.

However, some business and government leaders in the area question whether the public will approve a doubling of the existing 0.4 percent FasTracks tax, especially in an uncertain economic climate.

An alternative offered by the RTD staff would ask voters to approve a 0.2 percent tax hike in November, with the aim of getting as much as 90 percent of FasTracks built by 2022 and the full program built by 2027.

If RTD went this route, the agency would likely market the 0.2 percent tax vote as an “extension” of the existing 0.1 percent Metropolitan Football Stadium District tax — which expires at the end of this year — coupled with a net increase of another 0.1 percent.

The final option would ask voters to support only a 0.1 percent increase, in effect substituting the new levy for the stadium tax.

An increase of 0.1 percent would allow RTD to build up to 81 percent of FasTracks by 2022 and get the full project completed by 2035, staffers told board members.

Under all three tax scenarios, RTD would begin to construct interim FasTracks elements early using about $305 million in identified funds. These elements include:

• Spending $90 million to ensure that HOV/HOT managed lanes on U.S. 36 will be extended from Pecos Street to the Interlocken commercial complex instead of stopping at Wads worth Parkway.

• Using $90 million to extend light rail in the Interstate 225 corridor from the current terminus at I-225/Parker Road north to East Iliff Avenue.

• Building the North Metro rail line from Union Station to its first stop near the current National Western stock show complex, also at a cost of $90 million.

• Building a $17 million park-n- Ride site in Longmont that eventually will serve an end-of-line station for the Northwest train.

RTD planning chief Bill Van Meter told directors that Federal Transit Administration officials have suggested that RTD would be a good candidate to win federal funding for another FasTracks rail line if the agency selects either the 0.2 percent or 0.1 percent tax hike, each of which push full project completion beyond 2019.

RTD is close to securing a $1 billion FTA grant for FasTracks trains to Denver International Airport and Arvada/Wheat Ridge, and it’s unlikely the federal agency would be able to contribute significantly to another FasTracks project before the end of this decade.

At RTD’s Jan. 25 meeting, the public will be able to comment on the three tax scenarios.

Read more: RTD board hears three tax options to complete FasTracks - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_17070729#ixzz1AqWoyOkq

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Cost for DIA project may be cut by up to $150 million

Jeffrey Leib

Denver Post — January 05, 2011 — The cost of Denver International Airport's ambitious $650 million South Terminal redevelopment plan could be cut by up to $150 million as airport officials scrutinize the initial budget looking for savings.

In July, DIA manager Kim Day teamed with noted Spanish architect and designer Santiago Calatrava to unveil plans that included a rail station at the airport terminal for the FasTracks train line, a new public plaza above the train station and a 500-room Westin hotel.

All are to be integrated in one structure adjacent to the south end of the existing tented terminal.

The South Terminal project also includes plans to construct a “signature” Calatrava-designed commuter-rail bridge over Peña Boulevard near its junction with E-470 for the train that will serve DIA by 2016.

Day and DIA chief financial officer Patrick Heck say the budget for the South Terminal expansion already has been cut, but they declined to say by how much. They insist the project still is on track.

“We are tightening things up. I think most people will not even notice the overall changes we are making in the project,” Day said. “We are making it more efficient and more affordable.”

Slimmed-down project

Others close to the review of the venture’s finances say airport officials have been promoting a slimmed-down project, with between $100 million and $150 million pared from the original cost estimate.

As one cost-saving measure, planners have lopped at least one floor off the hotel design.

In the past, representatives of airlines operating at DIA have expressed concern that an overly expensive South Terminal expansion could end up loading on costs at the airport that might rebound on carriers as higher rates and charges.

When airlines experience increased airport costs, they often pass them on to travelers as higher ticket prices.

Trimming the South Terminal project budget will help DIA keep its costs competitive with other airports, officials say.

“We remain concerned about the significant cost estimates associated with the South Terminal development,” Southwest Airlines properties manager Steve Hubbell said Tuesday. “However, we continue to work closely and collaboratively with the airport to assess those costs and the funding plan in an effort to minimize the impact to the airlines and our customers.”

Airport efficiency

Airlines judge the efficiency of airports by a measure called cost per enplaned passenger — a carrier’s expense at an airport for each passenger it boards.

DIA’s cost per enplaned passenger, or CPE, at the end of 2009, the most recent full-year reporting period, was $12.72.

Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport reported a CPE of $12.83, while Dallas-Fort Worth International’s CPE was about $7.17.

DFW has embarked on a major capital expansion that will increase its CPE considerably over the next decade.

A review of DIA’s third-quarter 2010 financial statement, for the nine months ended Sept. 30, shows approximately a 14 percent increase in the sum of facility rental charges and landing fees paid by airlines when compared with the same period of 2009.

That increase occurred in advance of major South Terminal redevelopment costs, which have yet to get onto the airport’s books.

In a recent statement, Jack Finlaw, the chief of staff for outgoing Mayor John Hickenlooper, said Hickenlooper, Deputy Mayor Bill Vidal and Denver CFO Claude Pumilia “share the same goal: developing a plan that is affordable and makes sense for DIA.”

“This is a very complex and dynamic project,” Finlaw said, “and it is important to the administration that a thorough analysis is done before the financial plan is finalized. We intend to have a plan to share with Denver City Council and the public early in 2011.”

Hickenlooper will be sworn in as governor Jan. 11, and Vidal will serve as mayor until a replacement is elected in the spring.

According to a review of financial documents requested by The Denver Post, DIA had spent at least $28 million on the South Terminal project by Dec. 10, mostly on what it calls “initial program management services” for “visioning” and planning.

“An overall concept”

“The visioning process is designed to gather data, establish and define criteria, and develop an overall concept that integrates all program elements,” according to a document prepared by DIA and Parsons Transportation Group, which has a $160 million “program management” contract to oversee design and construction of the South Terminal project.

The $28 million that DIA has spent so far is part of that management contract. Calatrava’s firm, Festina Lente, is one of numerous subcontractors to Parsons and has received about $8.3 million of the initial spending as of the early December date, according to DIA’s accounting.

The most pressing decision DIA has on the South Terminal project is whether to pay for a “betterment” of the Regional Transportation District’s commuter-rail bridge over Peña Boulevard as part of Calatrava’s plan for an iconic “gateway” to the airport.

In preliminary DIA budget documents for the South Terminal project, the airport identified a construction cost for the rail bridge over Peña Boulevard of $10.1 million, which includes about $7.3 million that RTD will contribute.

It is not yet clear whether the $10.1 million will be enough to build the bridge design that Calatrava unveiled last summer.

DIA has until the end of this month to decide whether to make the bridge betterment.

Read more: Cost for DIA project may be cut by up to $150 million - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_17012533#ixzz1AMdhHZPB

Denver Union Station renovation moving along right on track

Jeffrey Leib

Denver Post — December 30, 2010 — RTD is uncertain how some elements of its $6.5 billion FasTracks transit expansion will be paid for, but redevelopment of the project's heart — Denver's Union Station — is proceeding rapidly. About 20 acres around the historic rail terminal are being transformed into a new light-rail station, a 1,100-foot-long underground bus depot and an eight-track commuter-rail station, all at a cost of about $484 million.

The Denver Union Station Project Authority plans to renovate the historic station, portions of which are more than 120 years old. The Regional Transportation District is exploring new uses for the rehabilitated station, which could house retail and other commercial tenants.

The authority, which goes by DUSPA, must complete the entire Union Station redevelopment by April 2014.

The new $57 million light-rail station, with two platforms and three tracks, is about 60 percent complete and is due to open in July. The station is about two blocks west of the historic station and will be primarily served by an extension of the 16th Street Mall bus shuttle.

The current light-rail platform is next to Union Station, but that facility must be vacated so contractors can build the second phase of the underground bus station, said Michael Sullivan, DUSPA’s development manager for the project.

RTD’s light-rail operations cannot be switched to the new station until 16th Street is extended there so mall buses can ferry passengers to and from light rail, Sullivan said.

From the new light-rail platform, travelers can get to Union Station by walking underground through the bus terminal or by walking at ground level along a newly constructed and landscaped 17th Street above the bus depot. Three sets of escalators and elevators will convey passengers from the underground station to 17th Street.

The new bus terminal will replace RTD’s existing Market Street station.

Work on the $219 million bus terminal is about 30 percent complete. The terminal will have 22 bus bays and separate parking spaces for an additional six buses.

Commuter-train lines built as part of RTD’s FasTracks program will arrive at Union Station on tracks constructed just west of the structure. The open-air commuter-rail station, costing $145 million, will sit over the easternmost portion of the underground bus terminal.

The tunnel in Union Station that has taken passengers to their trains for about 95 years will be eliminated to allow construction of the commuter-rail platforms above the tunnel area.

To allow development of the new commuter-rail station and renovation of the historic structure, DUSPA is moving Amtrak’s operation out of Union Station on Feb. 1.

The project authority has renovated a building at Wewatta and 21st streets, just west of Coors Field, to serve as a temporary Amtrak station until late 2013. Contractors have removed the steel rail-platform canopy from tracks west of Union Station and relocated them to the new Amtrak platform near Wewatta and 21st.

“We’re working hard to make a temporary and reasonable accommodation for our customers,” said Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari. “The good news is that it is only temporary, and our plan is to be back in the historic station in a little more than two years.”

Jeffrey Leib: 303-954-1645 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Click here for the Denver Post photo gallery.

RTD FasTracks “Top 10 List” for 2010

RTD — December 29, 2010 — Denver – The Regional Transportation District (RTD) FasTracks program celebrated numerous milestones throughout the course of this past year. Below are the top 10 milestones for FasTracks in 2010.

1. RTD completed the procurement for the Eagle P3 project, selecting Denver Transit Partners (DTP) as the concessionaire team and issued the initial Notice to Proceed to DTP.
2. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced $120 million recommended in the president’s 2011 budget for the FasTracks program.
3. The FTA announced approval of $304 million in Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) and Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing Program (RRIF) federal loans for Denver Union Station (DUS).
4. RTD signed agreements with the BNSF Railway Company and Union Pacific Railroad for railroad property acquisition, relocation, construction and joint corridor operations needed for the FasTracks build-out.
5. The East Corridor project broke ground, the West Corridor project celebrated 50 percent construction completion, and DUS celebrated construction progress.
6. RTD completed the U.S. 36 Phase One Transit Improvements, the first FasTracks project to be completed.
7. The RTD Board approved the Environmental Evaluation reports on the Southeast, Southwest and Central Corridor Extensions.
8. Staff made substantial progress toward securing the $1.03 billion Full Funding Grant Agreement (FFGA) with the FTA for the Eagle P3 Project.
9. The Board adopted a new Strategic Plan for Transit Oriented Development (TOD) reflecting emphasis on Transit Oriented Communities and development of a new TOD Pilot Program.
10. The RTD FasTracks team developed a construction ready/finance ready plan and implemented the stakeholder input process to gather regional feedback on the short-term and long-term options for completing the FasTracks vision.

This is just a partial listing of the many accomplishments and milestones the agency achieved, and RTD anticipates a number of major accomplishments for 2011, including construction kick-off of both the Gold Line and Northwest Rail projects, major construction progress and the introduction of four-car trains to the current system.

FasTracks is RTD’s voter-approved transit program to expand rail and bus service throughout the RTD service area. FasTracks will build 122 miles of commuter rail and light rail, 18 miles of bus rapid transit service, add 21,000 new parking spaces, redevelop Denver Union Station and redirect bus service to better connect the eight-county District. The FasTracks investment initiative is projected to create more than 10,000 construction-related jobs during the height of construction, and will pump billions of dollars into the regional economy.

Commerce City approves an incentive package to grow a King Soopers

Patricia Calhoun

Westword.com — December 21, 2010 — Food deserts -- that's what areas without grocery stores are called. And Commerce City is ready to provide some irrigation for the desert area around Reunion, a planned community whose plan has so far lacked a supermarket.

The result? About 16,000 people in the northern range of Commerce City are without a supermarket and wind up driving fifteen minutes—to Thornton, to Green Valley Ranch, to the SuperTarget in Brighton—to get to one. “This was the number-one priority coming into my job,” says Brittany Morris, who became Commerce City’s economic development director two years ago last week.

And now it looks like Morris will be able to check one thing off her list: Yesterday the Commerce City City Council approved an incentive package designed to attract a King Soopers Marketplace to the northwest corner of 104th Avenue and Chambers Road. The almost $2 million package would provide incentives not just for the grocery, but for the developer, Shea Properties. “We’re very excited about it,” she says.

Because the store would be a King Soopers Marketplace, a larger store concept, the council also approved a Shea rezoning request that would allow a 123,000-square-foot big box pad. But there were some conditions on the deal. For starters, “a shovel in the ground by fall 2011,” says Morris, which means that the store could open by the third quarter of 2012.

Gentlemen, start your carts.

RTD’s Eagle Project wins regional award for Deal of the Year

THE BOND BUYER RECOGNIZES PUBLIC-PRIVATE FINANCING TRANSACTION THAT TRIGGERED START OF FASTRACKS COMMUTER RAIL LINE TO DIA

RTD — December 13, 2010 — The Regional Transportation District’s (RTD) FasTracks Eagle P3 Project was presented with the 2010 Deal of the Year award for the southwest region by The Bond Buyer newspaper last week at a ceremony in New York.

RTD issued nearly $398 million of tax-exempt private-activity bonds in August for the Eagle P3 Project, the first public-private partnership for commuter rail in the United States to include design-build, financing and long-term operations. The selected concessionaire, Denver Transit Partners (DTP), is responsible for paying back the bonds through annual service payments from RTD based on performance. The project consists of electrified commuter rail over 36 miles, with a total of 15 stations including the FasTracks hub at Denver Union Station (DUS). The total capital cost of the Eagle P3 Project is $2.1 billion.

The project includes the East Corridor between DUS and Denver International Airport, the Gold Line between DUS and Arvada/Wheat Ridge and a segment of the Northwest Rail Corridor to Westminster. The East Corridor and the Commuter Rail Maintenance Facility already have notice to proceed to construction. All corridors are scheduled for opening in 2016.

The award program, in its ninth year, recognizes some of the country’s most innovative municipal bond deals. The Bond Buyer, a daily newspaper established in 1891, reaches more than 40,000 municipal finance professionals, bond issuers, government officials and investors. The Southern California Public Power Authority won the national Deal of the Year Award for its Milford Wind Corridor Phase 1 Project. The 2010 awards received 80 nominations of deals that closed between Oct. 1, 2009, and Sept. 20, 2010. The transactions ranged in size from more than a billion dollars to a few million.

The Eagle public-private-partnership project is part of RTD’s FasTracks program. FasTracks is RTD’s voter-approved transit program to expand rail and bus service throughout the RTD service area. FasTracks will build 122 miles of commuter rail and light rail, 18 miles of bus rapid transit service, add 21,000 new parking spaces, redevelop DUS and redirect bus service to better connect the eight-county District.

COMTO Colorado announces the opening of its new office

— December 02, 2010 — The Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO) Colorado Chapter is excited to announce the location of its new headquarters at Kimball Hall, 700 E. 24th Ave., Suite #3, in Denver, Colo. The new office location will mean that COMTO now has a permanent base of operations where the activities of the chapter can be centrally located.

“Our objective is to establish a presence in the Denver community,” said Walter Bembry, President of COMTO Colorado, “Our original ‘office’ was really just wherever we could meet – a restaurant, an individual’s home or a generous company’s conference room. Now, we will have a functional base of operation that serves as a resource to empower minority and women owned businesses through training, education and networking and the youth through scholarship and mentoring opportunities,” added Bembry.

COMTO is a national not-for-profit organization founded in 1971, on the campus of Howard University in Washington, D.C. COMTO was created to provide a forum for senior minority professionals in the transportation industry. COMTO’s mission is to provide full access to employment, career and contract opportunities for minorities and women within the transportation industry. For more information, please visit www.comtocolorado.org.

Union Station transformation also brings redevelopment

Dave Young, Fox 31 KDVR

Denver, CO — November 15, 2010 — A quiet renaissance is taking place in downtown Denver, as Union Station transforms into the transportation hub for FasTracks.

The area around it is transforming into a magnet for redevelopment.

A hundred plus years ago, Union Station was America’s gateway to Denver with arrival of 180 trains a day.

And now construction is underway for Denver’s biggest change in years.

“With the completion of the commuter line from DIA to downtown it’s the portal for the whole world to downtown,” said John Desmond Vice President for Planning and Environment for the Downtown Denver Partnership.

The underground bus terminal is well on its way on the west side.

And in the next few years on the 40 acre site around the FasTracks central hub at Union Station, an estimated $1.5 billion of development is taking place.

The $500 million in mass transit funding on the project already is generating an economic boom.

“This is really a renaissance that makes us compete against other cities on a more favorable basis,” said Chris Phenicie, Senior Vice President of CB Richard Ellis, who’s leased more than 15 million square feet of downtown office space in his two decade career in Denver.

Phenicie says like his 400,000 square foot 1900 16th Street Building, the first of nearly two million feet of office space is already filling up with national name companies, anxious to be part of what is happening here.

“There’s a whole lifestyle change that’s motivating people to come to this market,” said Phenicie, “And with the supply constraint not everybody is going to get in, it’s going to make for a very special place.” It will bring about 3,000 residential units, 650 hotel rooms and tons of grocery and retail space.

Also it will be generating millions more in revenue and development surrounding the area.

“You’re generating not only access to jobs downtown but also people who want to live in downtown can now commute to other places in the region,” said Desmond.

Just a few years ago, the area under development was full of empty warehouses, rail yards and debris scattered empty lots.

Now it’s quickly becoming one of the most attractive spots for relocation in the country.

Some companies with very big names, both out of state and already with a presence in Colorado, are going to be part of the mix, but officials hesitate to name names until the deals are done.

And that’s bound to bring more good economic news for downtown Denver.

Watch the video here.

Boomers Joining Social Media at Record Rate

After Slow Start, Nearly Half of all Baby Boomers Online Use Social Media Now; It's Mostly Mom Wanting to Be in Touch

By Joshua Norman

CBS News — November 15, 2010 — That mom and dad have joined Facebook is no longer news. It has even been parodied on Saturday Night Live already.

What is astonishing is the rate of growth in the number of Baby Boomers joining sites like Facebook, which between this year and last has skyrocketed.

Social media use among internet users aged 65 and older grew 100 percent last year, so that one in four (26 percent) people in that age group online are now logging in to Facebook, Twitter and the like, reports the Pew Internet and American Life Project in a recent study.

Take a look at the soon-to-retire young Boomers, and that number is even greater: half (47 percent) of internet users aged 50-64 use social media now, an 88 percent growth from the previous year. The number of Facebook users in the U.S. aged 55 and older grew from around 1 million in early 2009 to 10 million in early 2010, according to istrategy.com, a website that tracks Facebook data.

This begs the question: What is sending Boomers to Facebook and Twitter at such a high rate?

One answer might be that Boomers are just catching up on technological trends that their kids and grandkids ravenously consume and discard. Broadband connections are increasingly available for less money and computers and mobile devices are increasingly cheaper and easier to use.

But a more likely key driver for Boomer social media use is a desire to connect with ever-more-distant kids and grandkids, who are avoiding the plain old telephone and connecting more often via social networks.

“I keep in touch with people through Facebook on a fairly regular basis,” said Bruce Johnson, 60, a media lawyer based in Seattle. “I learn what’s going on across the country and across the world. I’m actually surprised that more people don’t communicate with social media on a more regular basis. It’s a fascinating interactive tool.”

However, social media has also become an essential business utility, as well as a handy research and sympathy tool for the larger number of Boomers caring for aging parents. Bargain hunting, general research, and a general curiosity are some of the lesser reasons more and more older folks are going to sites like Facebook, by far the most popular social media site among older people.

“The ability to reconnect with family and old friendships is the primary driver that (causes) boomers to start to experiment with Facebook,” said Brian Solis, new media expert and Author of “Engage”, in a recent interview with CBSNews.com.

“One of the things they learn almost immediately is that when their profile is public they (receive a lot of) inbound connection requests of other friends and family and it takes on a new life for them,” Solis said. “It’s a baptism-by-friend-request, learning the value of social networking.”

While Facebook might be the most popular site, Baby Boomers make up a greater percentage of Twitter users and drive its growth as much as any other age group. Solis, in a recent study released on his website, says that around 15 percent of all Twitter users are 55 years old and older. According to istrategy.com, only around 10 percent of Facebook’s 100 million or so U.S. users are older than 55 years old.
Using Facebook and its like for business might be the second largest impetus for Baby Boomers joining social media, but that is a trend affecting every age group.

“Social consumerism in general is shifting to social media,” Solis said. “Consumers can connect with brands directly. Social media provides access to exclusive content and information, as well as discounts, promotions, and special offers. Local businesses and services are going to benefit from this. (Applications like) Facebook Places will change that. Facebook is going start to introduce you to things immediately around you in the real world.”

So, whether the Boomer Facebook user is a business owner or a savvy consumer looking for bargains or the best local doctor, there is something in social media for almost all business-related needs.

“I’m a comedian, and I decided I need to be there as well to promote myself, my ideas,” said Ed Ayres, stage name “Smooth Edward,” 59, of Norwalk, Conn. “It has helped. I have an amazing number of new friends, if you can call them that. If I can’t ask you to help me move, are you my friend?”

An ever-larger number of Boomers are also finding their parents are moving in with them, and they’re using social media to make the experience easier, reports Matt Carmichael for Advertising Age magazine online.

“(Elderly caregivers) use social media for 150 minutes per month and view 70 percent more pages than the average internet user,” Carmichael writes while examining a study by gerontologist Laurel Kennedy. “They are driven to these sites by several primary reasons: To validate and reinforce their feelings; To simplify and customize their lives because using social media to keep up with friends and family can help keep things streamlined; and for information and advice.”

It is this last aspect—using social media to vet things with people you trust—that is fundamentally increasing the importance of the experience for everyone, especially boomers, Solis said.

“I start my research on Google, but I take my decisions to Facebook,” Solis said. “People expect their friends to guide their decisions. Social media can give people a contextual relationship.”

Boomers, like everyone else, are also finding that social media experiences can be incredibly inane.

“My first time getting on after having accrued a handful of friends, there was this back and forth by a freelance writer I know describing how she was thinking about chili, was assembling the ingredients from her cupboard, was starting to make it, was making it, was almost done making it, was eating it and was cleaning up, interspersed with her friends comments about same,” said Tom Henderson, 62, a reporter and crime novel author based in Detroit. “It just freaking amazed me.”

To avoid both the banal and the occasional bad interaction, wherein you say something you wish you hadn’t online, Ayres the comedian said he has a strategy.

” My wife and I do have an agreement,” Ayres said. “We are not one another’s Facebook friends. Maybe that’s because we’ve been married 40 years and we know better.”

Commerce City’s economic incentives gain national attention

Monte Whaley

The Denver Post — November 05, 2010 — A massive program to jump-start the local economy has doled out more than $500,000 in incentives to businesses, homebuilders and homeowners and is getting national attention in the process.

Commerce City expects to reap more than 250 jobs and $15 million in capital investments under the program, which has already attracted an engine remanufacturing plant.

The incentives include offering builders a $1,500 rebate for every home built in 2010 or 2011, providing new grocery and eating places with a 50 percent sales-tax rebate for the first two years of operation, and temporarily waiving half of the building fees associated with residential home improvements.

There are rebates available to “green” businesses, as well. And if a new or existing business in a target industry aims to create more than 50 jobs or invest more than $10 million in capital improvements, it is eligible to get above what is offered in the package.

Cummins Rocky Mountain LLC will build a $13.3 million, 178,000 square-foot facility just east of 104th Avenue on Havana Street. There, it will remanufacture and distribute a line of diesel engines. The plant, the largest Cummins High Horsepower diesel engine remanufacturing plant in North America, will result in 70 new jobs. Eventually, 150 people will work there.

Cummins had considered moving to Salt Lake City but was swayed by Commerce City’s package of sales- and use-tax rebates, said Brittany Morris, Commerce City’s director of economic development.

“We believe this is the most comprehensive incentive program in the state because we touch every single facet of Commerce City life,” said Morris, adding that the city worked in concert with Adams County and the state to land the Cummins plant.

The incentive program is set to end Dec. 1, after which the City Council will determine whether it will be extended. So far, Mayor Paul Natale is impressed.

“It’s been terrific for us because it’s allowed us to move forward while some cities haven’t been able to do so,” Natale said.

Home building, which has been stagnate in other parts of the metro area, has already been buoyed by the program, which began June 1, Morris said. The city issued 220 building permits so far this year, compared with 130 in 2009.

“This has been great timing for us with the economy the way it is,” Natale said. “We are moving stuff out there that we never thought we could move.”

Commerce City’s efforts have been highlighted in national trade magazines, and Morris has been asked to speak at the Atlanta Regional Commission’s Community Planning Academy on Dec. 9.

“So far, the program has been a real positive for us,” Natale said. “It’s something we will take a long hard look at extending.”

Monte Whaley: 720-929-0907 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Preparing for Takeoff

Regional airports expand capacity and upgrade passenger service and security

Kelly Davidson, Mountain States Construction

— November 01, 2010 — Despite the economic slowdown, airport construction projects are continuing in the Mountain States region, where population and air traffic are increasing. Federal and state grants are driving improvement and expansion projects, and competition for the jobs is fierce, which is helping lower costs.

Following is a snapshot of the some of the projects in the region.

Denver International Airport

The most activity going on right now at any one airport is at Denver International Airport, where construction of a 22.8-mile commuter rail line to downtown recently began and a financing plan is in the works for a south terminal redevelopment program that could cost as much as $900 million.

The $1.3-billion East Corridor line from Denver’s downtown Union Station to the airport should be operational by spring 2016. The commuter train is being developed and financed through a public-private partnership between the Regional Transportation District and Denver Transit Partners, an international team jointly led by Irving, Texas-based Fluor Corp. and Australia’s Macquarie Capital Group Ltd., which will operate the system for RTD.

The new train line is a critical part of the first phase of the airport’s redevelopment program, which calls for a commuter-rail station located at the south end of the terminal and a rail bridge over the main roadway into the airport.

The first phase, estimated to cost $650 million, also includes a 500-room Westin Hotel and conference center, a public plaza connected to the existing terminal, more than 100,000 sq ft of retail and other concession space, and improvements to the existing concourse baggage and train systems.

A second phase, calling for a new parking structure and renovations to the Jeppesen Terminal Great Hall, is expected to cost $250 million. However, the scope and timeline of the second phase will depend largely on financing and other variables, airport officials say.

Parsons Transportation Group’s Denver office will manage the program, with Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava overseeing the conceptual design. Calatrava’s initial design concept, which was unveiled in July, aims to preserve the existing Jeppesen terminal and the signature white-tented roof designed by Denver architect Curt W. Fentress.

Gensler, a global architecture firm with a Denver office, will design the $179-million hotel portion of the project. M.A. Mortenson Co., also of Denver, will act as the construction manager/general contractor, collaborating on the design to ensure on-budget and on-time delivery by late 2013.

General airport revenue bonds will cover the majority of the cost for the first phase. Revenue generated from the new hotel, retail shops and concessions will be used to repay the bonds. Airport officials say no general fund money or city tax dollars will be used for the project, but the financial implications on airline rates and charges have yet to be determined.

A financing plan should be submitted before the end of 2010 to the Denver City Council, which oversees the airport budget.

The activity at DIA comes just months after the airport completed a $7-million, 1.6-MW solar electric-generating system to power its fuel storage and distribution system.

Other Front Range Airports

Also in the metro area, Hensel Phelps Construction Co., of Greeley, Colo., recently completed major construction on a new $13-million Air Traffic Control Tower at the Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport in Broomfield. The 125-ft-tall tower will not be fully operational for several months until the Federal Aviation Administration installs and tests new radar equipment. BPA Group, Seattle, designed the project, which also included an adjacent 7,0000-sq-ft administration base building.

At Colorado Springs Airport, roughly $20 million in construction projects are in various stages. Bids have been received and are being evaluated for more than $12 million in taxiway, runway and apron rehabilitation projects, including $7.4 million in asphalt pavement repairs and resurfacing for the airport’s only crosswind runway.

Meanwhile, construction of two access roadways in the Airport Business Park will get underway later, with funding sourced from Defense Access Road program administered by the U.S. Dept. of Defense.

Public Invited to Denver Hearing Regarding I-70 Mountain Corridor

DENVER — October 15, 2010 — The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and Federal Highway Administration are holding another public hearing on the future of the Interstate 70 Mountain Corridor.

It will be held in Denver on Thursday, October 21, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at CDOT Headquarters, 4201 East Arkansas Avenue. The hearing includes an open house and written comments from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., a presentation from 6 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., and verbal and written comments and open house from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Citizens are encouraged to attend and provide verbal or written comments on the proposed transportation solution (Preferred Alternative) presented in the Revised Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS). The document identifies and describes the improvements that address the future transportation requirements of I-70, between C-470 and Glenwood Springs.

Information about the proposed Preferred Alternative, other alternatives considered, and their respective impacts will be on display at the hearing. Project team members also will be available to answer questions.

Comments received during the hearing will be officially documented by a court reporter.

Those unable to attend the public hearing are encouraged to review the document online and comment at http://www.i70mtncorridor.com through November 8, 2010. A hard copy of the document also is available for review at 24 locations listed on the website.

All comments received at the public hearing and during the review period will be addressed and considered before the Final PEIS, scheduled for completion in winter 2011. The Record of Decision is expected in spring 2011.

Reasonable accommodations will be provided for persons with disabilities or language barriers. Please contact CDOT’s I-70 Mountain Corridor Environmental Manager Wendy Wallach at (303) 365-7046 or e-mail .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), if you require such assistance.

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CIG client wins two awards at 2nd Annual CSU Alumni Media Festival

Regional Transportation District wins awards for Public Awareness campaign and social media

— October 04, 2010 — Denver, Colo. – The Regional Transportation District (RTD) communication team was awarded two top prizes at the 2nd Annual Colorado State University (CSU) Alumni Media Festival Awards Sept. 24 at the Lory Student Center on the CSU campus in Fort Collins. RTD won a first place Cammy Grande Award for the "FasTracks at Work" public awareness campaign and a second place Cammy Award for its recently launched social media campaign.

The CSU Media Festival Awards recognize CSU Department of Journalism and Technical Communication (JTC) alumni, students and faculty for excellence in communications, journalism and media relations.

Pauletta Tonilas, Public Information Manager for the multi-billion dollar FasTracks transit expansion program, and Liz Viscardi, Account Coordinator for Communication Infrastructure Group (CIG), are both CSU Aalumni and represented the RTD Communication Department at the awards dinner.

CIG had a primary role in the creation and implementation of both campaigns, as the public relations agency of record for RTD’s FasTracks program.

CIG created the creative and effective “FasTracks at Work” campaign in 2009 to educate the general public about the FasTracks program’s construction progress and to promote the short-term and long-term economic benefits of FasTracks. Campaign tools included a “FasTracks at Work” logo, educational video, brochure, newsletter, construction signage and advertisements.

By using several in-house and free communication tools, such as the RTD sign shop, advertisements on the RTD Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) screens at major stations, e-newsletters, RTD and FasTracks websites, Your Hub.com and YouTube.com, CIG was able to make the most of the limited budget. The campaign generated a strong message of job creation and economic benefit that continues to resonate as a key positive impact of the FasTracks program. The initial “FasTracks at Work” campaign will be given a fresh look and feel each year to help educate the public at-large about the progress of FasTracks.

The other winning campaign was RTD’s launch into social media. In March 2010, RTD launched both a Regional Transportation District Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/RideRTD, and a @RideRTD Twitter page, http://www.twitter.com/RideRTD, to extend the agency’s outreach to both local and national online audiences. The sites were established to share news about RTD in a cost-effective manner using existing internal resources. Postings on both Facebook and Twitter cover both the current RTD system and FasTracks, creating a one-stop shop for users. The launch also included videos streamed from the FasTracks YouTube.com channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/RTDFasTracks). RTD now has more than 1,100 fans on Facebook and more than 550 Twitter followers of @RideRTD.

CIG’s Liz Viscardi is the co-manager of the daily duties required by the two social media sites and has led the efforts to develop and implement the policies and procedures regarding social media for the entire agency.

CIG is a DBE, WBE and SBE certified full-service public relations/involvement and marketing communications firm specializing in the high-impact fields of public infrastructure, engineering and construction, local government and education. For more information visit http://www.cig-pr.com or contact Karen Morales at 303-618-7031. Follow CIG on Twitter @CIG_PR.

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Denver Union Station Project Authority celebrates construction

MAYOR HICKENLOOPER JOINS OTHER OFFICIALS TO CELEBRATE CONSTRUCTION PROGRESS AT DENVER UNION STATION

News Release from Denver Union Station Project Authority

— September 07, 2010 — DENVER – The Denver Union Station Project Authority (DUSPA), Regional Transportation District (RTD) and City and County of Denver hosted a Denver Union Station Construction Celebration today on the west side of the historic station on the site of the future commuter rail station.

State and local officials participated in the ceremony, including Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, Denver City Councilwoman Judy Montero, Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) Executive Director Russ George and RTD Chairman Lee Kemp.

DUSPA Board Chair Elbra Wedgeworth told an audience of project stakeholders, elected officials and people watching via a live webcast that DUS is the latest in a long line of major accomplishments for the Front Range and the people of Colorado.

“We always think big in Colorado – DIA, the Summit of the Eight, FasTracks, the Democratic National Convention and, of course, Denver Union Station,” Wedgeworth said. “We can all be very proud of what we are creating here together.”

Mayor Hickenlooper called Denver Union Station the next transformational project in Denver. “Once a key portal of decades past, DUS will again be a vibrant hub for our City and serve as an emblem of 21st century redevelopment, innovation and regional collaboration,” Hickenlooper said.

Denver Union Station is the centerpiece of the RTD’s FasTracks transit expansion program and will serve as a multimodal hub for the region. The project will generate thousands of jobs and add more than $3 billion into our state’s economy over the next decade, creating jobs and improving transportation mobility choices.

RTD General Manager Phil Washington said job creation is such a vital component of FasTracks that the agency is taking the lead to establish a regional workforce development program to train skilled workers as part of the DUS project. “As a region, we have kept our collective vision for this great building and development at the forefront” said Washington. “As a result, today we see visible signs of progress and how our regional partnership is putting people to work and boosting economic development.”

RTD Chairman Lee Kemp noted that construction of Denver Union Station is critical to RTD’s effort to complete the entire $6.7 billion FasTracks program. “DUS will serve as a multimodal hub for the region,” Kemp said, “integrating RTD’s light rail and commuter rail corridors, a new regional bus facility, the 16th Street Mall, Amtrak, bicyclists, pedestrians and six new public spaces.”

FasTracks is RTD’s voter-approved transit program to expand rail and bus service throughout the RTD service area. FasTracks will build 122 miles of commuter rail and light rail, 18 miles of bus rapid transit service, add 21,000 new parking spaces, redevelop Denver Union Station and redirect bus service to better connect the eight-county District. The FasTracks investment initiative is projected to create more than 10,000 construction-related jobs during the height of construction, and will pump billions of dollars into the regional economy.

The Denver Union Station Project Authority is responsible for the financing, acquiring, owning, designing, constructing, renovating, operating and maintaining the Denver Union Station redevelopment project. The Authority is a partnership of RTD, the City and County of Denver, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) and the Denver Union Station Metropolitan District.

Earn up to $75 when you choose not to drive solo

— August 10, 2010 — Join 36 Commuter CASH, an innovative program to combat traffic congestion on U.S. 36 and the Diagonal Highway. The program pays U.S. 36 and Diagonal Highway commuters who currently drive solo to work when they “make the switch” to a cleaner commute option. Participants can earn $2 per day, as much $75 in a 60-day pledge period.

Instead of driving solo, get paid to try one of these clean commute options:
• Bicycle
• Carpool
• Ride transit
• Vanpool
• Telework
• Walk

To get started, visit 36commutingsolutions.org or call 303-604-4385. For commute options resources and individual trip planning assistance, please contact Natalie at 303-604-4385 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Drive green, earn green!

RTD and Union Pacific Railroad sign agreements on railroad property for FasTracks program

Railroad property purchase marks major milesone in moving FasTracks forward

News Release from RTD FasTracks

— August 04, 2010 — Officials from the Regional Transportation District (RTD) and the Union Pacific (UP) Railroad held a signing ceremony today, Aug. 4, to finalize agreements for RTD’s purchase of railroad property and the construction and relocation of UP facilities necessary for the FasTracks transit expansion program.

These agreements total $78 million and mark another major milestone for the FasTracks program, providing property needed to build the East Corridor (from Denver Union Station to Airport Boulevard), the Gold Line (from Pecos Junction to Ralston Road), and the West Corridor (relocation of UP’s Burnham Yard Lead to the south). This is the second property transaction between RTD and UP for FasTracks. The first transaction, which totaled $118 million to purchase the right-of-way to build the North Metro Corridor, occurred in 2009.

“It is great to celebrate yet another milestone for the FasTracks investment initiative,” said Phil Washington, RTD General Manager. “The agreement we came to with Union Pacific is a demonstration of how well agencies can work together to benefit the greater good.”

“Today marks the culmination of several years of diligent work by many,” said Tony Love, Union Pacific Railroad Assistant Vice President of Real Estate. “The end result of this hard work is an agreement with a focus on safety and customer service for both freight and commuter rail traffic.”

The signing ceremony was held at the law office of Jacobs Chase LLC in Denver, Colo.

FasTracks is RTD’s voter-approved transit program to expand rail and bus service throughout the RTD service area. FasTracks will build 122 miles of commuter rail and light rail, 18 miles of bus rapid transit service, add 21,000 new parking spaces, redevelop Denver Union Station and redirect bus service to better connect the eight-county District. The FasTracks investment initiative is projected to create more than 10,000 construction-related jobs during the height of construction, and will pump billions of dollars into the regional economy.

Celebrating 10 Years of RTD’s Southwest Light Rail Corridor

Over 81 million boardings since opening day July 14, 2000

News release from RTD

Denver, Colo. — July 15, 2010 — This month the Regional Transportation District (RTD) is marking ten years of light rail service along the Southwest Light Rail Line. Since RTD opened the 8.7-mile Southwest Light Rail Line July 14, 2000, the line has carried over 81 million passenger trips.

RTD Chairman Lee Kemp said, “The Southwest Rail Line connected downtown with a suburban area to help meet the current and future needs of the region. The importance of providing rapid transit options, including the full FasTracks system, cannot be overstated and the Southwest Line is yet another example of how successful passenger rail can be.”

In May 1995, RTD received a Full Funding Grant Agreement in the amount of $120 million for the $177 million Southwest Corridor line. The line opened in July 2000, adding 8.7 miles of light rail and 5 stations, bringing suburban commuters from the Englewood, Sheridan and Littleton areas into downtown Denver. This was the first light rail line running from a suburban area to downtown. Ridership exceeded projections by nearly 70 percent on opening day and continues at levels above projections.

The City of Englewood took the opportunity to redevelop the all-but abandoned Cinderella City shopping center, which once housed 1.35 million square feet of retail space, into a Transit Oriented Development (TOD) village. Utilizing a pedestrian-friendly, mixed-use concept that combined retail, entertainment, residential, office, civic and open space elements, the RTD Englewood Light Rail Station was the cornerstone to its success. A former department store was transformed into the new Englewood City Center, housing City Hall, the Library and the Museum of Outdoor Arts. The Englewood City Center community is now an international model for TOD.

The Southwest Corridor has been a tremendous addition to Littleton’s quality of life. Ridership exceeded projections on opening day because Littleton citizens love the convenience of riding the train to sporting events and jobs in Downtown Denver.

The City of Sheridan is also connected to many desirable destinations through the RTD light rail system which affords many transportation options that would not be available if it was not for the Southwest Light Rail Line.

For route and schedule information, please call RTD’s Telephone Information Center at 303.299.6000. Call 303.299.6089 for the speech and hearing impaired. Visit RTD’s web site at http://www.RTD-Denver.com.
###

RTD Board selects Denver Transit Partners for Eagle P3, FasTracks’ single largest contract

PRIVATE TEAM PROPOSES TO BUILD RAIL LINES TO DIA, ARVADA-WHEAT RIDGE AND WESTMINSTER $300 MILLION UNDER RTD’S BUDGET AND AHEAD

— June 15, 2010 — The Regional Transportation District (RTD) has selected Denver Transit Partners for the single largest FasTracks contract to build and operate commuter rail lines to Denver International Airport (DIA), Arvada-Wheat Ridge and south Westminster.

Denver Transit Partners’ proposal is $300 million lower than RTD’s budget estimate and it plans to open the line to DIA by January 2016, 11 months ahead of RTD’s deadline. Denver Transit Partners’ proposal along with RTD’s project costs total $2.085 billion, compared with RTD’s budget estimate of $2.385 billion. The RTD “best-value” evaluation rated it both the higher technical proposal and the lower cost proposal of the two bidding teams.

The sponsoring members of Denver Transit Partners are Fluor Enterprises Inc. and Macquarie Capital Group Ltd. They are joined by major partners Ames Construction, Balfour Beatty Rail Inc., Alternate Concepts Inc. and HDR. (See accompanying sheet for company profiles.)

“It is a remarkable achievement for RTD to get a project of this magnitude through a public-private partnership that meets our goal of contracting under our budget and ahead of our schedule,” said RTD Chair Lee Kemp. “We said three years ago that public-private partnerships would be a vital part of keeping our FasTracks program moving forward. The decision tonight shows that the faith placed in us by the Federal Transit Administration and our stakeholders through some difficult times was justified has been rewarded.”

With this decision, RTD will have 47 miles of new rail under construction or under contract, more than double the amount of rail in RTD’s existing light rail system. It also represents nearly 40 percent of the total FasTracks rail network now under contract.

The Eagle P3 Project packages several FasTracks projects into a single contract to design and construct the East Corridor to DIA, the Gold Line to Arvada-Wheat Ridge, a short segment of the Northwest Rail corridor to south Westminster and the commuter rail maintenance facility in north Denver. This design-build method is similar to how RTD and the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) implemented the Transportation Expansion (T-REX) light rail and highway project, which was completed under budget and ahead of schedule in 2006.

Eagle P3 takes public-private partnerships to a broader level. In addition to final design and construction, Denver Transit Partners is bringing private financing to the table and, under a concession contract, will also operate and maintain the rail service on these lines for 40 years. In return, RTD will make annual payments to Denver Transit Partners based on its performance in meeting RTD’s service standards. Through this arrangement, called Design-Build-Finance-Operate-Maintain, RTD reduces its need for upfront cash. RTD also expects the project to attract $1 billion next year through the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Full Funding Grant Agreement process. Anthony Loui, FTA’s Eagle Project Team Leader, attended the RTD board meeting from Washington as a representative of FTA Administrator Peter Rogoff. The FTA has been a fully supportive partner in RTD’s pursuit of a P3 project.

Early construction work, such as relocation of utilities and freight tracks along the East Corridor, is projected to start by late summer.

Two teams spent the past two years working on proposals. RTD will pay the other team, Mountain-Air Transit Partners, a $2.5-million stipend in exchange for the intellectual property in its proposal. That gives RTD the option to use cost-saving ideas from the non-selected proposal.

The two proposals were thoroughly evaluated over two months by more than 120 people including RTD staff and representatives of cities and counties on the Eagle corridors – Adams County, Arvada, Aurora, Denver, Westminster and Wheat Ridge – along with staff from CDOT and DIA. RTD had technical, financial and legal input from consultants Jacobs Engineering, Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer.

“This is a significant, prestigious and strategic selection,” said Patrick Flaherty, head of Fluor’s Infrastructure business. “We expect this to be the first of many public-private partnership transit projects procured under the available method in the U.S. in the coming year. We are delighted to have been selected by the Denver RTD. Our entire team is looking forward to helping the RTD realize its FasTracks vision and we are committed to working closely with local businesses and other stakeholders to involve them in the project and increase the long-term competitiveness of the Denver area,” said Flaherty.

Eagle P3 is a key part of RTD’s strategy to keep FasTracks moving forward in the difficult economic environment that has affected large public projects nationwide.

“RTD is the first transit agency in the United States to pursue this type of comprehensive public-private partnership that includes not only the design and construction, but the financing and ultimate operation and maintenance of the end product,” said RTD General Manager Phil Washington. “RTD has always been on the front line of finding innovative methods for delivering projects. Now this project can get on with creating thousands of jobs.”

FasTracks is RTD’s voter-approved transit program to expand rail and bus service throughout the RTD service area. FasTracks will build 122 miles of commuter rail and light rail, 18 miles of bus rapid transit service, add 21,000 new parking spaces, redevelop Denver Union Station and redirect bus service to better connect the eight-county District. The FasTracks investment initiative is projected to create more than 10,000 construction-related jobs during the height of construction, and will pump billions of dollars into the regional economy.

First FasTracks project complete, saving bus commuters up to 30 minutes round-trip

$23.3 million US 36 Phase I Transit Improvements complete with the opening of US 36 & Broomfield park-n-Ride and bus ramps

— May 06, 2010 — The Regional Transportation District (RTD) joined the City & County of Broomfield and 36 Commuting Solutions, along with all of the jurisdictions along the US 36 Corridor, to celebrate the completion of the US 36 Phase I Transit Improvements at the site of the new US 36 & Broomfield park-n-Ride, at US 36 and Transit Way.

The $23.3 million US 36 Phase I Transit Improvements project is the first project to be completed in the FasTracks Program. The elements of the project include new park-n-Rides, bus pull-outs, and pedestrian bridge projects at three key US 36 interchanges – McCaslin Boulevard in Louisville, Church Ranch Boulevard in Westminster, and 116th in Broomfield. Together, these projects combine to save up to 15 minutes each way for bus riders commuting between Denver and Boulder.

Located near the 1STBANK Center, the US 36 & Broomfield park-n-Ride provides a 1,500- space parking garage, shared with the 1STBANK Center and Arista, a new pedestrian bridge and bus-only slip ramps. The park-n-Ride officially opened Sunday, May 2, as part of the May RTD service changes and resulted in the closure of the existing Broomfield park-n-Ride at 120th Avenue and Wadsworth Parkway. The movement of the park-n-Ride and addition of bus-only slip ramps help add to the overall commuter travel-time savings.

“Over the past couple of years I’ve found that RTD has made my commute from Boulder to Westminster fast, convenient, and much more economical than driving,” said George Craft, an RTD commuter. “I take the bus at least 80 percent of the time, giving me time to relax and read. I hardly remember the last time I bought gas. And what RTD has done to improve transit service along US 36 is remarkable. The new Broomfield park-n-Ride and bus slip ramps alone reduced my commute by almost 20 minutes. I really appreciate the RTD FasTracks investments into US 36 to jump start bus rapid transit and make transit more competitive with driving.”

The next phase of the project for US 36 is a joint Colorado Department of Transportation/RTD US 36 Corridor project, which includes highway and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) elements and is partially funded through FasTracks. US 36 BRT service is proposed to run along the18-mile corridor between Downtown Denver and Boulder. It will serve Denver, Westminster, Broomfield, Superior, Louisville and Boulder.

FasTracks is RTD’s voter-approved transit program to expand rail and bus service throughout the RTD service area. FasTracks will build 122 miles of commuter rail and light rail, 18 miles of bus rapid transit service, add 21,000 new parking spaces, redevelop Denver Union Station and redirect bus service to better connect the eight-county District. The FasTracks investment initiative is projected to create more than 10,000 construction-related jobs during the height of construction, and will pump billions of dollars into the regional economy over the next 20 years.

View Broomfield Enterprise coverage of the new park-n-Ride.
View 9News coverage.

Communication Infrastructure Group Celebrates Five Year Anniversary

During recession, local public relations and marketing communications firm has experienced nearly 400 percent growth

— May 05, 2010 — While the professional services and consulting industries have been hit particularly hard by the recession over the past three years, local public relations firm Communication Infrastructure Group (CIG), LLC, has experienced steady revenues and a nearly 400 percent increase in staff size. Launched in May 2005, CIG started with one full-time and one half-time professional. Five years later, the boutique firm has grown to six full-time and two half-time associates.

This month, CIG celebrates five years in business. Founded by local communication veteran and University of Denver Adjunct Professor Karen Morales, APR, CIG specializes in high-impact, long-term public infrastructure projects, as well as the local government and education sectors. Morales, former communication director and spokesperson for the Transportation Expansion (T-REX) Project, has since grown her boutique firm from the ground up, taking on several high-profile clients and projects throughout Colorado, including RTD’s FasTracks program, Denver Water, CDOT’s I-70 Mountain Corridor project, Wheat Ridge, Longmont, Adams County and Cherokee’s redevelopment of the former Gates Rubber Factory, among many others.

Morales attributes the company’s success during the ongoing recession to two key philosophies: 1) Hire the right people; and 2) Smart growth management.

“When I decided to launch CIG in 2005, I promised myself that I would never grow the company beyond my ability to hire only the right people for both our clients and our culture,” said Morales. “During the first three years, we had the opportunity to expand exponentially, but we held back a bit to ensure we grew for the right reasons. I had a very clear picture as to how and why we would embrace growth in a way that would keep CIG true to the quality, customer service and culture we wanted to provide.”

The company plans on celebrating its five-year anniversary with past and current clients and colleagues, as well as blogging about some of the more humorous moments of the past five years at www.cig-pr.com.

CIG is a DBE, WBE and SBE certified full service public relations/involvement and marketing communications firm specializing in the high-impact fields of public infrastructure, engineering and construction, local government and education. For more information visit www.cig-pr.com or contact Karen Morales at 303-618-7031. Follow CIG on Twitter @CIG_PR.

RTD FasTracks rolls out 1.2 million pound bridge over 6th Avenue

— May 03, 2010 — On the weekend of May 1, 2010, a 286-foot, 600-ton light rail bridge was rolled into place over 6th Avenue as part of the FasTracks West Corridor Project. The highway was opened 30 hours earlier than anticipated.

The joint decision by the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), RTD and its contractor to completely close the highway for one full weekend reduced what could have been months of lane closures. By assembling the bridge on the side of the highway over the past several months and rolling the bridge into place over a weekend substantially minimized the impact to commuters traveling on 6th Avenue.

The 12.1-mile West Corridor light rail project is the first of the FasTracks corridors to start construction. The West Corridor line will operate between Denver Union Station in downtown Denver and the Jefferson County Government Center in Golden; serving Denver, Lakewood, the Denver Federal Center, Golden and Jefferson County. The corridor is scheduled to open to the public in 2013.

Click here to watch a time-lapse video of the process.

View CBS 4 coverage

View 9News coverage

AMA Construction named Small Business of the Year by Denver Metro Chamber

Award reinforces philosophy that good business requires good relationships

— April 22, 2010 — AMA Construction was named Small Business of the Year by the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce (DMCC) on Wednesday at the annual Business Awards Luncheon hosted at the Downtown Hyatt Regency Hotel.

“Good business requires good relationships,” said Eero Allison, president of AMA Construction. “Since day one, our company philosophy has always focused on building strong interpersonal ties between the owner, architect and contractor. This philosophy extends through our membership in the Chamber and is reinforced by the many positive relationships we’ve built with other Chamber members.”

Each year, the DMCC recognizes small, emerging, nonprofit, green and minority-owned businesses that have made outstanding contributions to the Denver-metro community. AMA Construction was the only general contractor up for an award at this year’s luncheon.

AMA Construction, Inc. is a mid-sized commercial general contractor determined to redefine the role of the contractor in the building process. Uniting the objectives of owner and architect, AMA brings a higher standard in leadership, customer service and ingenuity to the industry. The company specializes in construction of office buildings, retail centers, medical buildings, tenant finish, commercial remodeling and site development.

For more information please contact Heather Dean at 720-232-2160 or via e-mail at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). AMA’s Web site is www.amaconst.com.

Union Station project funding guaranteed

Feds also guarantee funding for other FasTracks lines

Published by Denver Daily News

— February 08, 2010 — Federal Transit Administration officials swept FasTracks and Union Station supporters off their feet Friday with an announcement that “all the funding for Union Station is now secured.”

Union Station will receive a $300 million loan from the federal government to fund the $480 million redevelopment project, Peter Rogoff, FTA Administrator, announced outside the FasTracks lines at Union Station on a gorgeous afternoon.

Rogoff also announced the department’s intention to sign full-funding grant agreements of more than $1 billion for the proposed Gold Line corridor from Union Station to Wheat Ridge and the east line from Union Station to Denver International Airport.

President Obama has already proposed $40 million each for the two corridors as part of his budget proposal for fiscal year 2011.

“Make no mistake about it, the discussion is over, Union Station is going to happen,” said Rogoff to a crowd of cheers.

The Denver City Council recently guaranteed the loan with the use of general funds if necessary.

The Regional Transportation District, however, says it will cost $6.7 billion to build all of FasTracks, and will likely still ask voters to double the existing tax. Without additional revenue, FasTracks would be about $2.5 billion short, if the agency wants to complete the transit expansion project by 2017.

But the news Friday was all good for FasTracks planners, who have now crossed their last hurdle in beginning construction on the Union Station redevelopment project.

A prideful Mayor John Hickenlooper said voters should be very proud of themselves for having approved the FasTracks project in 2004.

“The voters are the ones who saw the promise and they recognized that this is something that not only will help our mobility and attract businesses, but it will also define this state as a collaborative place where we get things done, and that in the end, that will perhaps be the greatest economic part of all.”

The mayor believes the federal government is finally seeing how taxpayer dollars can be spent on collaborative efforts that benefit communities as a whole, such as building FasTracks stations along with affordable housing and at Brownfields sites.

“You are seeing a revolution in how the federal government can maximize our tax dollars into something that can really be rejoiced over,” said Hickenlooper, a Democrat who is also running for governor of Colorado.

U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., spoke at the event of the 10,000 jobs the FasTracks project is expected to create.

“Ten-thousand good-paying jobs for Coloradans who want to get to work, we’re gonna help pay the bills, feed the family and help parents put money away to fund their child’s education,” said Bennet.

For RTD Chief Phil Washington, the announcement Friday brings his district one step closer to seeing FasTracks trains zooming in and out of a beautiful, redesigned Union Station.

“I can see the trains, I can see them coming in to this historic Denver Union Station, I can actually see them,” he said. “I hope you can see what I can see in terms of this build-out of this great FasTracks investment initiative, and also this great historic Denver Union Station. This is going to transform this entire region.”

Hello. Good-bye. Atlantans can only wave as rail car follows the future to Charlotte, NC

Published by Saporta Report

— February 02, 2010 — Tracks were being laid in front of the Metro Atlanta Chamber this week so Georgians could see an actual light rail car — making a stop in town for a couple of days.

The light rail vehicle, which also can operate as a streetcar, was on its way to Charlotte, N.C. as part of the North Carolina city’s second phase of its public transit system.

The symbolism was eerily ironic. The closest Atlanta was to seeing light rail was a two-day stop for a vehicle headed to our biggest competitor — Charlotte.

Of course Siemens, the German firm that designed and manufactured the light rail car, wanted Atlantans to see what they could have if they got their act together.

Proposals exist. The Atlanta streetcar. The BeltLine. But all those plans are just lines on paper. In Charlotte, permanent rail lines have been built, light rail vehicles have been purchased and transit operations are being expanded.

Pat McCrory, who served as mayor of Charlotte from 1995 to 2009, was in Atlanta this week to participate in a “Sustainable Transportation” program put on by the government of Switzerland (more on that later).

“Every city is going through the same thing,” McCrory told the Georgia audience, mentioning other Southern cities like Nashville. “The (city that) will win this war will be the one that moves the fastest.”

McCrory, a Republican, said public transit received bi-partisan and business support in Charlotte. There was a massive “selling” job to show what Charlotte was “going to look like if we do nothing.”

Because the transit lines were linked to land-use plans, developers were able to see they could benefit from the city’s investment.

McCrory said it’s important that transit is built where it makes economic sense and is part of a transportation network.

“The right is only going to want to build roads. The political left will want to put transit everywhere out of fairness. This is not a fairness issue,” McCrory said. “There needs to be an inter-connected system of sidewalks, bikeways and buses.” Later the mayor said “you can’t do rail alone without the land-use plan.”

McCrory said transit is not a project with a beginning and an end. When Atlanta first built MARTA, it was the envy of the nation. But then, Atlanta stopped investing in transit. But in Charlotte, McCrory said: “We never finish what we started.”

On the same panel as McCrory were several Georgia leaders — Jim Durrett, a MARTA board member who is executive director of the Buckhead Community Improvement District; former Athens Mayor Doc Eldridge, who is now president of the Athens Chamber of Commerce; and Georgia Sen. Jeff Mullis, who has chaired the transportation committee.

The bottom line — there’s no money in Georgia for transit. There’s not even enough money to support the limited transit systems we currently have. And there’s not the political will among legislators to increase taxes to pay for transit.

“When politicians don’t have the guts to vote for a tax increase, then they let the voters pass a tax increase,” Mullis said.

Even that is on a slow train. Gov. Sonny Perdue has said such a question shouldn’t go before voters until 2012. Remember what McCrory said? The city that builds transit the fastest will win.

Under that scorecard, the United States is behind and Georgia is even farther behind.

In Switzerland, the national policy is to invest in sustainable transportation. Already the Swiss use public transportation for 19 percent of all its trips compared to only 2 percent in the United States. The Swiss traveled an average of 1,307 miles by train in 2007, compared to 1,228 in Japan and 839 in France. In the United States? The average American only traveled 87 miles by train.

The Swiss continue to support investments by rail, and roughly half its transportation budget goes towards public transit.

The Swiss ambassador to the United States, Urs Ziswiler, said there’s a $3 per gallon gas tax that provides revenue for transit. A gallon of gas costs $7.56 in Switzerland, more than twice the cost in the United States. The high cost of gas encourages the use of transit and discourages car and truck travel.

The Swiss currently are building a 35-mile tunnel under the Swiss Alps to connect Zurich to Milan — primarily to shift the movement of freight from trucks to rail. The total project will cost $30.2 billion, and 65 percent of it is going to be paid by a truck tax (a further disincentive to move goods by truck).

According to Swiss officials, the beauty of the truck tax is that it was being paid by trucks traveling from all over Europe. Ambassador Ziswiler said the truck industry strongly opposed the tax, but public support more than made up for that opposition.

Michaela Stockli, an official with SwissRail, showed a slide of all the different modes of rail and public transit that exists in Switzerland — at least a dozen — including tramways, funiculars, light rail, streetcars, trolley buses, high speed rail and so on.

“We have 2 billion passengers a year,” Stockli said of the country with 7.5 million residents. “We do 50 trips per year. Our railway is not only about money. There’s a lot of pride and beauty and emotion.”
She then showed a gorgeous video of trains traveling through the Alps, through cities and throughout beautiful landscapes showing how unobtrusive rail is on the environment.

After that presentation, Georgia State University economist who was moderating a panel discussion, asked those attending the Swiss program on Sustainable Transportation: “Who here has rail envy?”

The crowd applauded.

Ambassador Ziswiler later said Switzerland has had the political will to invest in public transit, and it has been able to pay for it by pricing modes of transportation that it wants to discourage.

Asked about Georgia, Ziswiler said that from what he had heard: “I don’t see the political will.”

So here we are in Atlanta.

The best we can do is have a light rail vehicle on display for two days before it completes its journey to Charlotte, N.C. — a city and a state that enjoys the political will to invest in a sustainable transportation future.

Guess who is winning this competitive war. And guess who’s losing.

In Haitian Earthquake Disaster, Twitter Gets the Word Out

Published by FOXNews.com

— January 13, 2010 — Haiti's cellular network collapsed when Haiti's buildings crumbled following a 7.0 magnitude earthquake, but the Internet kept running, allowing communities to form. Via Twitter, Ustream, Twitpic and more, citizen journalists spread the word of the disaster.

The power of Twitter to turn eyewitnesses into on-the-scene journalists stood out in the wake of the massive earthquake that struck off the coast of Haiti Tuesday. Graphic photographs of Haitians covered in rubble promptly shot onto Twitter, far ahead of anything from the traditional news wire services.

Despite damage to the impoverished nation’s communication network, power wasn’t cut off for the entire island, meaning Skype and the Internet were still available.

As Haitian radio and TV host Carel Pedre noted via Twitter, “I don’t have a phone! We can Skype!!” And of course, the Internet was still up, meaning that while the mainstream media scrambled to get reporters and photographers on the ground in the area, residents were already posting hundreds of photos and reports about the situation on the ground.

“It’s worse here then in the media. people need help and there is none,” tweeted Haitian photographer Frederic Dupoux.

“The worst damage is in Carrfour (South of Port, near the Palace) we are hearing that many two and three story buildings did not make it,” reported Troy Livesay.

To follow the latest news from Twitter, search the site for hashtags,a hash symbol and brief snippet of text that group Twitter posts into themes and categories. These tags tend to emerge organically as Twitter users notice other people using them; following the earthquake, people quickly developed the #Haiti and #HelpHaiti tags.

FoxNews.com has set up a Twitter List, a selection of Twitter accounts specific to the Haitian earthquake. Follow the list for the very latest news on the disaster. Another way to keep tabs on the dynamic information on Twitter is through a service called What the Trend, which lists currently trending topics on Twitter. Along with #HelpHaiti and #Haiti, the site points to YELE, explaining that Haitian musician Wyclef Jean’s official Twitter page is calling for people to help Haiti Earthquake Relief by donating $5 by texting YELE to 501501.

Photos also shot around the Internet. Haitian photographer Marvin Ady quickly began snapping photos of the disaster and uploading them to twitpic, with captions such as ” Home is all rubble now” and ” House split in half in Haiti.”

Twitter is a text-only service, so a number of Web sites exist to host photographs to whom people can link from their tweets—services like twitpic, tweetphoto, yfrog and more. But few of these allow visitors to search them effectively, so yet another group of sites exists as search engines for those image-hosting services.

The most powerful is PicFog, which offers real-time image searching capability. Search the site for Haiti and you’ll find the latest images linked from tweets and posted to the the image hosting sites. And in the world of video, UStream is a popular and free video-streaming site. Following the earthquake, journalist Pierre Cote quickly set up a feed of video from Haiti, and others are sure to follow.

10 Things Every Company Should Know: Why RE needs PR in 2010

Published by renewableenergyworld.com

— January 12, 2010 — Renewable Energy companies need Public Relations (PR) for several reasons. These are the top 10 things I believe every company should think about in 2010.

1. Grab the Spotlight
The renewable energy industry is at the forefront of the global economy and under the spotlight on the stage of technology and innovation. That spotlight is still up for grabs, and PR can help put the focus on you, your company and your cause. A PR plan is the foundation to achieving awareness and exposure, and outlines a strategic and tactical process to reach desired audiences.

2. Tell your Story
Every company has a story, from how it got started, to how it survived. PR can tell your story in a fresh way that makes the news, giving your company a stronger voice in the industry and presence on local, national and international levels.

Why bother telling a story if the right people don’t hear it? Or worse, what if they DO hear it but don’t understand it?

3. Educate and Inform
Right now there is an opportunity to educate the entire country. People will not support something they do not understand, and education is the key. An integrated marketing and PR campaign can help close this gap in communication by reaching out to targeted audiences and eliminating fear that so often hinders action and acceptance of change. An educated public is the only public that will make the right decisions towards a sustainable future.

4. Navigate the Political Agenda/Secure Funding
Funding is one of the biggest barriers to start-ups and small companies in the renewable energy industry. We give our clients strategic counsel and writing that delivers a strong message to catch the attention of the decision makers in Washington. Politicians need to understand energy in order to effectively communicate to constituents and colleagues. Plus, if they know more about how funds are spent they will be less reluctant to hold back financial support and also be more determined to find additional resources.

5. Be Media Savvy
Not all innovators and tech-heads are media friendly, but there are many opportunities for improvement in this area. Media training is an indispensable tool with the potential to completely alter the public perception of a company and influence the way a message is delivered. When interacting with the media, the reputation of your company is at stake. You need the best possible representation to share with the world.

6. Deliver your Message
In every organization there must be a clear core message that employees can understand and communicate to outside audiences like suppliers, buyers, investors, media etc. After this message is created and fine-tuned, it must be effectively communicated to the right people at the right time.

7. Implement Cultural Change
In order for renewable energy to be effectively integrated into our culture, we must make the American public adopt and embrace new technologies. Earned media coverage, speaking opportunities and event creation can elevate the importance and desire of renewables- especially those that have already demonstrated successful implementation and a positive return.

8. Win the Energy Game
Although wind and solar seem to be the most dominant and promising players in the industry, there other energy options like hydroelectric, tidal, biomass, geothermal, hydrogen, among others. By garnering earned media coverage we enhance your credibility, grow your business and give you an advantage over the other players. Energy is a tough game, and while we all work and collaborate to become less dependent on fossil fuels, we still need to work on building up each individual sector to make alternative energy as a whole, the best (and most obvious) solution.

9. Build a Brand
Since the industry is still changing and expanding, there hasn’t been specific branding of a company or product in relation to renewable energy yet. Sure First Solar seems to be the clear leader in the solar market, but does the public outside of the energy industry know this? People may be interested in buying solar panels one day, but are not yet able to or may not even know where to go to buy the panels. The goal is to heighten awareness of every citizen, making them view your company as the energy leader. In 2010 there is an opportunity to become the go-to resource for your specific energy industry.

10. Expand your Network
This goes back to the standard principle, ‘It’s all about who you know’. Having the right people (powerful and connected) on your side pushing for you, plays a large role in the success of your business. PR can facilitate these connections by securing speaking roles at conferences, positioning your company message at networking events (in many ways, especially catering to VC’s), assisting in online networking via social media and more.

These are just a few ways that I believe marketing and PR can help businesses in the renewable energy industry. I may be in the communications field, but alternative energy is something I’ve always been passionate about. We have an opportunity to change the world, and the leaders of this change are right here in this industry.

FasTracks costs have dropped, but so have funds for project, RTD says

Published by Denver Business Journal

— January 12, 2010 — The recession has lowered the cost of building Denver's financially troubled FasTracks rail-transit project, but it's also cut the amount of sales tax revenues that the Regional Transportation District expects to get to help pay for it, transit agency officials said Tuesday.

FasTracks’ latest estimated construction costs dropped to $6.5 billion, from $6.9 billion in 2009, but projected sales tax revenues for the project also dropped—to about $4.1 billion, down from $4.7 billion a year ago.

The result: the gap between total project costs and forecast revenues is now pegged at about $2.4 billion—up from $2.2 billion a year ago, RTD officials said.

But if voters approve a 0.4 percent tax increase in 2010, a second tax increase to help pay for FasTracks, RTD would have enough money to finish FasTracks by 2017 and also to operate it, according to the review.

“With a 0.4 percent tax increase you can afford to complete it by 2017, and you can afford to operate it immediately,” said Tim Romer, managing director for Goldman Sachs’ public sector an infrastructure group, which was hired to give RTD financial advice on FasTracks.

RTD officials took the numbers, its annual evaluation of FasTrack’s budget and revenue forecast, to the agency’s board of directors Tuesday. That presentation kicks off 35 days of presentations to business and political leaders as well as other groups throughout Denver, said Phil Washington, RTD’s general manager.

Washington, and RTD Board Chairman Lee Kemp, said Tuesday during a mid-afternoon briefing on the evaluation that RTD remains committed to finishing Fastracks.

“This board is 100 percent together on making sure this whole FasTracks project gets done,” Kemp said. “That’s board members in the south, in the east, in the north and west—because that’s what voters told us they wanted in 2004.”

The Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce was getting a presentation on the evaluation’s results Wednesday.

“We’re looking forward to seeing the numbers, reviewing them and seeing what the plan is,” said chamber spokeswoman Kate Horle.

RTD’s latest figures represent an assumption that FasTracks will stay on its original construction schedule, with completion slated for 2017, and remain at its original scope. Voters in 2004 approved a 0.4 percent sales tax increase, four pennies per $10 spent, for the project.

FasTracks then was billed as a 12-year construction project, to be finished in 2017, to lay more than 100 miles of mass transit rail throughout Denver, encompassing six new rail lines and extensions of three others.

Costs were originally estimated at $4.7 billion, but ballooned as high as $7.9 billion in 2008.

The drop in estimated construction costs announced Tuesday, to $6.5 billion from $6.9 billion a year ago, is due to several factors, RTD officials said.

More engineering has been done, giving officials a better idea of what’s needed to build the project, and materials costs are lower, according to the agency.

But the global recession also dropped forecasted revenues.

In 2004, RTD forecast a year-over-year growth in sales tax revenues of 6.06 percent. In 2009, the revenue forecast was cut to 4.8 year year-over-year growth.

Now, after a review by a metro-wide group of economists, RTD cut the forecast again—to a 3.7 percent year-over-year growth rate. That’s the middle range of high, medium and conservative estimates put together by the panel of economists.

The bottom line is that the agency doesn’t have enough money to build all of FasTracks by 2017, and even if it did, the projected sales tax revenues wouldn’t cover the operating and maintenance costs anyway, Romer said.

And RTD’s options remain the same: Cut FasTracks’ originally proposed lines to fit the budget, push the completion date from 2017 out beyond 2035 to allow more money to come in over time, or get more money more quickly via a second, voter-approved tax increase to keep FasTracks’ scope and timeline intact.

RTD Board Names Phil Washington New General Manager

— December 15, 2009 — Denver, CO – The Regional Transportation District (RTD) Board of Directors voted unanimously today to enter into contract negotiations with Phil Washington to serve as the agency’s new general manager and chief executive officer.

Washington has been the interim general manager since the departure of long-time GM Cal Marsella in July. Prior to his appointment to the interim position, he served as RTD’s assistant general manager for administration for the past nine years. His responsibilities included overseeing the finance, procurement, information technology, human resources, treasury and disadvantaged business enterprise departments.

Washington was one of three finalists announced by the board last week. The other finalists were British Columbia Rapid Transit Co. president and CEO Douglas Kelsey and former top United Airlines executive Sean Donohue.

The decision by the board follows a six-month national search and extensive local public input process.

Before joining RTD, Washington had a distinguished 24-year military career, retiring as a decorated active-duty U.S. Army soldier, having attained the rank of Command Sergeant Major, (E-9). He is the recipient of numerous military honors and citations for outstanding performance of duty and leadership. Washington holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration from Columbia College and a Master of Arts degree in Management from Webster University.

“It speaks volumes about what an exceptional agency we have that following an exhaustive nation-wide search, the best candidate for the job was right here at RTD,” Chairman Lee Kemp said. “Phil has clearly demonstrated to us over the past six months that he is more than ready to lead this agency forward.”

Kiewit named contractor for Denver Zoo’s $50M Asian Tropics exhibit

Published by the Denver Business Journal

— November 30, 2009 — The Denver Zoo said Monday it has selected Kiewit Building Group from among five bidders as general contractor for the zoo’s 10-acre Asian Tropics exhibit, the largest exhibit in its 113-year history.

The exhibit, budgeted at $50 million, is to be built along the zoo’s southern edge. When finished in 2011, it will be home to Asian elephants, Indian rhinos, Malayan tapirs and other endangered Asian animals.

The zoo will break ground on the exhibit Wednesday. Mayor John Hickenlooper, zoo President/CEO Craig Piper and Denver Zoological Foundation Board Chairman Patrick Green will be among those on hand.

Kiewit — a unit of privately held, Omaha-based Kiewit Corp. — previously built the Denver Zoo’s Bird Propagation Center in 2007.

Other bidders on the project were J.E. Dunn, G.E. Johnson, Haselden Construction and PCL.

SGB USA to open 1st U.S. factory in Colorado

Published by the Denver Business Journal

— November 18, 2009 — SGB USA Inc., an arm of German transformer manufacturer Starkstrom-Beratebau GmbH, on Wednesday said it will set up the company’s first U.S. manufacturing plant near Denver.

The company makes transformers that convert electricity generated by wind turbines into a form that can be delivered onto the power grid. In Europe, the company supplies all the major wind turbine manufacturers, a list that includes Danish company Vestas and U.S. turbine manufacturer GE, said Kerwin Stretch, general manager for SGB’s Wheat Ridge manufacturing plant.

SGB’s headquarters is in Regensburg, Germany.

Vestas has a wind blade manufacturing plant in Windsor, north of Denver, and is building additional manufacturing plants along the Front Range.

SGB expects to hire up to 10 people and invest about $1.4 million in the plant in Wheat Ridge in the 44th Industrial Park near the junction of Colorado 58 and Interstate 70, according to Stretch and the city’s announcement.

The plant will assemble components and test the transformers before they are shipped to customers, Stretch said.

“This plant is intended to just be a gateway,” Stretch said. “We have some big plans over the next few years. The first part of my job is to get this up and running.”

Stetch said the plans include adding additional capacity to SGB’s U.S. manufacturing operations and that he’s “90 percent sure it will be in the Denver area.”

SGB expects to start shipping units in the first quarter of 2010.

Wheat Ridge worked with the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade, the Metro Denver Economic Development Corp. and the Jefferson Economic Council to land SGB. The city offered tax incentives to SGB, according to its announcement, but didn’t say how much and officials couldn’t be reached for comment.

Wheat Ridge seeks donations for park sculpture

Published by the Denver Post

— October 24, 2009 — The city of Wheat Ridge has selected a design for a 17-foot sculpture by Kevin Robb to anchor the west side of a new park at West 38th Avenue and Kipling Street.

About $30,000 is still needed to complete the stainless steel sculpture.

The total cost is about $50,000, but Mayor Jerry DiTullio said $10,265 in private donations has been raised, and Samuel, Son & Co. Inc., a local stainless-steel supplier, made an in-kind donation of steel valued at $10,000.

Citizens interested in making a tax-deductible donation to the mayor’s art initiative can do so by writing a check payable to the Wheat Ridge Foundation. It’s asked that “Public Art Campaign” be noted on the check. Donations may be mailed to Wheat Ridge Foundation, Attn: Mayor’s Office, 7500 W. 29th Ave., Wheat Ridge CO 80033. The Denver Post

Denver Nearly Doubles Public Transit Ridership - Despite Light Rail Expansion Delays

Published by Common Current

— October 22, 2009 — The boldest move by a US city to remake its transportation system occurred five years ago, when Denver metro area voters in 31 communities committed $4.7 billion in sales tax funding for its FasTracks initiative.

It turns out not one of the 119 miles of promised light rail have been built yet because of material and land acquisition cost increases, a poor economy and other complications. Through city-wide strategies for making public transit, walkability and bikeability the modes for addressing freeway and city arterial congestion, however, Denver has so-far succeeded despite the snafus.

The city has almost doubled its public transit ridership since FasTracks was passed in 2004. In 2004 about five percent of city commuters used public transit; that figure hit nine percent in 2008, figures recently released by the US Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.

So how did the Mile-High City make itself into a case study for how to take a car-dependent Sun Belt metro and move it toward multi-modality?

For the complete article click here.

Communication Infrastructure Group wins 2009 Small Business Award

Expertise in Transportation Communication, Dedication and Support to COMTO Colorado Cited in Nomination

Evergreen, CO — October 15, 2009 — Communication Infrastructure Group (CIG), LLC was honored today with the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO) Colorado Chapter Small Business of the Year award. CBS4 reporter Gloria Neal presented CIG Owner Karen Morales with the award at the 2009 COMTO Awards Luncheon, held at the Denver Athletic Club in Denver, Colo.

“CIG has volunteered many hours as event coordinators and public relations consultants in support of COMTO Colorado, including the chapter’s 2008 Democratic National Convention event, the 2009 scholarship banquet and other key programs,” said Neal.

In addition to public relations and public information, offers marketing, graphic design and corporate training services, CIG specializes in the industries of construction and infrastructure development, local government and education.

“Supporting the essential work of COMTO Colorado is important to us,” said Morales. “We are honored by this award and look forward to continuing to help promote the value of diversity in the transportation industry.”

Other awards at the luncheon were presented to Dr. Mary Davis, Outstanding COMTO Member; LTK Engineering, Corporate Citizen; former Colorado Department of Transportation Commissioner Gregory McKnight, Diversity Leadership; and former RTD General Manager Cal Marsella, Lifetime Achievement.

About Communication Infrastructure Group, LLC
Communication Infrastructure Group (CIG) is a full-service communications, public relations and marketing firm specializing in large public infrastructure projects and integrated strategic communications for the local government, construction/engineering and education fields. CIG is a certified small, woman-owned business enterprise (DBE/WBE/SBE). For more information, visit www.cig-pr.com.

Look Who’s talking

For better or for worse, businesses can't ignore social networking

Published by the Denver Business Journal

— October 02, 2009 — Businesses no longer canignore online social networking websites once seen as the province only of teens and tech geeks.

They’re playing a bigger role in how companies interact with their customers, blurring old distinctions between marketing, customer service and public relations.

“It’s where your customers are,” said Ari Newman, co-founder of Boulder-based Filtrbox.

His company makes software that helps more than 200 businesses find and analyze what’s being said about them online.

For more information read the attached file:

DBJ_social_networking_articles.pdf

Fossil plants found at FasTracks construction site

Published for 9news.com

— September 16, 2009 — Fossils of plants dating back at least 64 million years were found at a construction site for the FasTracks program last week.

The plant fossils were found just west of 6th Avenue and Simms Street while crews were preparing the area for construction of a retaining wall.

Representatives from the Denver Museum of Nature and Science came in and found fossil leaves in the rock layers that ended up there between 64 and 66 million years ago. The museum says it was right after the extinction of dinosaurs.

Some fossilized tree stumps were also found in the same area.

The fossils were dug out last Friday and Saturday.

While in some instances, historical finds like this could delay a construction project, there will be no delay in the West Corridor construction schedule. Since none of the fossils were new species, the museum was able to gather quality specimens within a few days.

After a Year of Crisis, Taking Stock

Stimulus: Big Impact on GDP, 1 Million Jobs Created or Saved, White House Report Says

Published by Washington Post

— September 16, 2009 — The economic stimulus package President Obama rushed through Congress during his first days in office is rapidly pumping energy into the nation's once-moribund economy and has already created or preserved more than 1 million jobs, Obama's chief economic adviser said Thursday.

In her first official assessment of the $787 billion stimulus, Christina Romer, chairman of the president’s Council of Economic Advisers, concluded that the package of tax cuts and government spending—the largest dose of economic medicine in U.S. history—has poured about $150 billion into the economy since its passage in February, boosting overall economic output by about 2.3 percentage points during the quarter that ended in June.

While the economy remains in recession and has shed more than 3 million jobs since the stimulus money began flowing, the downturn would have been more severe and the number of jobs lost far greater if the stimulus had not been enacted, Romer said. As spending continues to ramp up throughout 2010, the power of the package should grow stronger, she said, though she declined to rule out the possibility that additional government action may be needed to lift the nation out of its worst economic slump in a generation.

“Let’s take the $787 billion we have—that we think is absolutely working effectively—and see where we stand at the end of this year or early next year,” Romer told reporters.

Republican lawmakers, who voted unanimously against the stimulus package, quickly dismissed Romer’s assessment and accused the White House of whipping up a self-serving estimate of saved jobs that can never be substantiated or disproved.

“Despite skyrocketing unemployment rates and millions of lost jobs, the administration can use these models time and again to avoid accountability. By creating the immeasurable metric of ‘jobs created or saved,’ the administration can make job claims month after month that fly in the face of economic reality,” said Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.).

Added Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.), chairman of the Republican Study Committee: “The fuzzy math used to produce these claims of jobs ‘saved or created’ bears no resemblance to anything our children learn in school . . . Considering the so-called Recovery Act is little more than a spending binge for liberal constituencies, it’s no surprise the White House has to fudge the numbers to make it look successful.”

In a 48-page analysis, Romer cited an array of independent estimates that back up the administration’s claims. For example, Mark Zandi, chief economist for Moody’s Economy.com, projects that the stimulus will have created about 1 million jobs by the end of September, while the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office projects that the number could be as high as 1.5 million.

The numbers from two other independent forecasters, Macroeconomic Advisers and IHS Global Insight, come in much lower, projecting around 650,000 jobs saved or created so far. But “what is so striking,” Romer said, “is the broad . . . sense that this program has been very important both to real GDP growth and to the change in employment.”

Brian A. Bethune, chief U.S. financial economist for IHS Global Insight, said his firm agrees that the stimulus has had a big impact on economic growth but differs with the White House on job creation. “Since early 2009, there has been strong productivity growth, which means firms are making do with fewer people and squeezing more out of the people who are working,” Bethune said. As a result, “fewer jobs are going to be needed.”

But the stimulus has clearly prevented a large number of jobs from being destroyed, Bethune said. “Instead of losing 3 million jobs, we would have lost 3.5 million. That seems to be a reasonable calibration at this point. And it’s something that most credible macroeconomic forecasters would attest to,” he said.

The Council of Economic Advisers report also marshals evidence from abroad, noting that in the countries that adopted aggressive stimulus policies, such as the United States, economic performance exceeded expectations. And it finds support in domestic data: After two quarters of declining spending, state and local governments—among the earliest beneficiaries of the stimulus—increased spending in the second quarter at the highest rate in more than five years.

Meanwhile, the Cash for Clunkers program, which was funded with money diverted from the stimulus, fueled one of the largest surges in auto sales in U.S. history and increased employment by as much as 120,000 jobs, the report said. Cash for Clunkers “has much in common with a range of initiatives” in the stimulus package, including a tax credit for first-time home buyers, business investment incentives and weatherization subsidies, the report said. All are “designed to move demand from the future, when it is likely to be less crucial, to today, when it is clearly vital to generating recovery.”

Taken together, the evidence suggests that “we are on track to hit the 3.5 million jobs” the president promised to save or create when he first called for a stimulus package in January, Romer said.

Storm victims in whirl of repair in Colorado

Wheat Ridge residents glad to see crews on roofs after July's fierce weather

Published by the Denver Post

— September 08, 2009 — Thick piles of shingles wait for installation on the roofs of homes, and contractors are keeping busy as the cleanup continues in a swatch of the metro area hammered by a July storm.

Water jets through the roof and into Barbara Trujillo’s apartment whenever it has rained since a July 20 storm roared over the Kline Apartments near the corner of Kipling Street and West 38th Avenue in Wheat Ridge.

Last Thursday, a crew was busy repairing her roof to end the gush of water that has plagued her whenever the weather turns sour.

“Every time it rains, it comes in,” said Trujillo, 44. “It has been a mess.”

The storm spawned two tornadoes, uprooted trees, damaged vehicles, blasted out windows and downed power lines,

“Every time it rains, it comes in,” Barbara Trujillo said of the apartment that suffered a damaged roof in the July 20 storm. “It has been a mess.” A crew was busy last week fixing her roof. mostly in Lakewood, Arvada, Englewood and Wheat Ridge.

After the storm peppered buildings and vehicles with golf-ball-size hail, the Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association estimated insured damages at $350 million.

Since Jan. 1 Wheat Ridge has issued 542 roofing permits, compared to 18 during the same time period last year, said Heather Geyer, a spokeswoman for the city.

At Kipling Village Apartments, more than 200 windows have been replaced, and roofers are pounding shingles into place.

“We suffered a lot of damage. We did have a tree that fell into a building,” said Kristina Hammack, 25, the assistant manager of the complex.

Jose Espinoza, 33, who lives in the 300-unit Kipling Village complex, said it took a day to clean his apartment after hail and debris blew in. “In the next apartment, it broke the TV and everything,” he said.

Maintenance workers from Argentx, a company that manages the complex, replaced most of the windows. “We wanted to make sure it was done properly,” said Hammack.

The day after the storm, Jim Stephens used a chain saw to cut downed limbs and uprooted trees, and he raked a thick tangle of debris from his mother’s property near West 32nd Avenue.

Across the street now, a home is edged by stand of newly planted juniper trees, price tags still fluttering from their branches.

In the days following the storm, Hammack said, she was deluged by contractors seeking work. “For the first week, we had five roofing companies a day coming in.”

“Every day I come home, there’s probably three business cards in the door. There really are a million contractors in the area,” said Matt Saba, 30.

In front of one low-slung ranch home, a hand- lettered sign advises, “No more sales man.”

While there are many salespeople patrolling the damaged areas, they haven’t caused any real problems, said Wheat Ridge’s Geyer.

Tom McGhee: 303-954-1671 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Quillen: Fallacy of the carbon footprint

Published by the Denver Post

— August 20, 2009 — Reading Chuck Plunkett's article about the "Prius Effect" in Sunday's Post inspired a thought experiment.

In essence, the article argues that as automobiles become more fuel-efficient, their “carbon footprint” (the amount of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide produced per passenger mile) correspondingly shrinks. Indeed, it shrinks below the carbon footprint of light rail, whose streetcars are generally powered by electricity produced from coal.

Calculating a carbon footprint can be exceedingly complicated. My winter woodstove burns biomass from the current carbon cycle, rather than fossil fuels from some ancient carbon cycle, so presumably it’s wholesome. But the cordwood is generally cut with gasoline-powered chainsaws and hauled to town with gasoline-powered vehicles, all with carbon footprints.

Then you need to get into the manufacture, shipping and maintenance of the cast-iron stove, the wood-cutter’s trucks and tools, the ratio of dead wood (emits carbon dioxide as it rots) to recently live wood (absorbing carbon dioxide before the tree was felled) in the wood pile, the amount and source of the electricity used by my little wood-splitter — reckoning all this could take weeks, and the numbers could change with every cord.

So to avoid all that work, let’s get to the thought experiment. Posit an extremely energy efficient automobile that has no carbon footprint. For our purposes, we can imagine it runs from rooftop solar panels or batteries charged by nuclear power plants or, for that matter, pixie dust. The point is that it is cheap to run and does not consume fossil fuels.

All our transportation problems are thereby solved, right? Not exactly.

1. Cars need roads, and roads need maintenance, everything from snow removal to rebuilding bridges as they decay.

Traditionally, we’ve paid for that with fuel taxes, and without fuel to tax, there would have to be another method. We could go to toll roads built and operated by private entities, or some sort of Big Brother system based on mileage and vehicle weight, or perhaps funding from general tax revenues.

Thanks to reduced driving and better fuel economy, we’ve already seen the start of “creative highway financing” from our General Assembly. Instead of taking the honest and sensible course of making the public case for a gasoline tax increase to meet a highway funding shortfall, the legislature raised auto registration fees, which have at best a tenuous connection to highway wear and tear. More unfair taxes loom.

2. Our thought-experiment Imaginary Green Car doesn’t pollute and it has no carbon footprint. But as noted, it will use roads. And the more of them on the road, the more congestion, gridlock and general aggravation.

Thus there will be a demand for more freeways and more lanes on existing freeways, as well as wider streets to handle the traffic. More space devoted to roads means less space available for productive enterprise.

Meanwhile, a light-rail corridor has a much smaller physical footprint, even if it does have a carbon footprint in our thought experiment.

3. Where do we park all those cars? About 30 percent of the typical American city is paved either with roads (see above) or parking lots. More cars mean more need for paved parking, which has pernicious effects ranging from urban “heat islands” to polluted and intensified storm-sewer runoff.

So even if we could build cars with no carbon footprint, that wouldn’t come close to solving urban transportation problems. The carbon footprint may be the fashionable tool of analysis these days, but it can obscure as much as it illuminates.

Ed Quillen (.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)) of Salida is a freelance writer and history buff, and a frequent contributor to The Post.

CDOT finishes first stimulus-funded job

Published by the Denver Business Journal

— July 21, 2009 — Colorado’s first road project paid for with money from the federal economic stimulus package is complete, the Colorado Department of Transportation said Thursday.

The one-mile resurfacing of Belleview Avenue, between Federal Boulevard and Santa Fe Drive, kicked off May 19 with a press conference attended by Gov. Bill Ritter, local, state and federal officials. The original budget for the project was $1.2 million, but the final price tag, including engineering and other costs, was slightly less than $678,000, CDOT said.

Aggregate Industries’ West Central Region of Golden was the contractor on the project, with a bid of $407,407 for the work — about 30 percent under CDOT’s construction cost. Mike Altergott, an estimator with Aggregate Industries, said in early April that the project would probably have between 12 and 20 people working on it.

“This is a great accomplishment for CDOT, our contractor and the state of Colorado as we work to improve our economy and our transportation infrastructure,” CDOT’s executive director, Russ George, said in a statement.

RTD plans to buy BNSF property

Published by Longmont Times-Call

— July 21, 2009 — The Regional Transportation District has agreed to buy BNSF Railway property that’s to become part of the FasTracks system, including an initial southern segment of the Northwest Rail Corridor.

RTD expects to pay $93.7 million to buy BNSF right of way and other properties the railroad company owns between Denver’s Union Station and a point near 72nd Street in Westminster, under an agreement the transit agency announced Thursday.

The RTD plans to use that real estate for commuter rail service on FasTracks’ Gold Line between Denver and Wheat Ridge, as well as for the southern segment of the Northwest Rail Corridor between Denver and Longmont.

The RTD’s agreement with BNSF also commits the transit agency to spending an estimated $32 million to relocate or realign several BNSF facilities between Union Station and Pecos Street, including work at BNSF’s 23rd Street yard.

The RTD board still is wrestling with how to cover a projected $2 billion shortfall to complete the entire $7 billion FasTracks system by the original 2017 target date. But FasTracks spokeswoman Karen Morales said Thursday that the money to buy the BNSF properties and pay for relocating BNSF facilities will be available under the transit agency’s current system-improvements budget.

Formal purchase agreements are to be carried out by January, when the RTD expects to take over ownership of the BNSF property.

Morales said the RTD still is negotiating with BNSF over terms of an operating agreement under which the RTD would pay the railroad company for “time slots” during which the transit agency would operate Northwest Rail Corridor passenger service on the tracks north of Westminster — tracks BNSF would continue to own and use for its freight trains.

Morales said the RTD expects to complete the agreement about shared use of those tracks by sometime next year.

Tweeting companies may help Twitter earn revenue this year

Published by Bloomberg News

— June 25, 2009 — SAN FRANCISCO -- Twitter plans to generate its first revenue this year from companies such as Whole Foods Market, Dell and Starbucks, which use the micro-messaging site to communicate with millions of customers.

“The idea is if they are getting value out of Twitter, then we could add more value to what they are doing, and we could get some revenue,” Twitter co-founder Biz Stone said Monday. “We think we’ll get to something this year, however simple, that shows we’re making some money.”

The Internet service could make money by verifying Twitter accounts, said Stone, so users “following” brands would know it was Whole Foods or Coca-Cola sending tweets, which are instant messages that can be 140 characters long.

Twitter also could offer statistics to businesses detailing how effective their tweets are and offer multiple accounts to large businesses with many branches, he said.

FasTracks seen as key to Denver’s reputation

Published by the Denver Post

— June 25, 2009 — Building FasTracks is crucial to raising Denver's status to that of a first- tier city, according to a panel of real- estate experts.

“FasTracks is a symbol of Denver emerging as a first-tier city,” said John Greenman, vice president of investments for development firm Corporex Colorado.

Greenman spoke Wednesday at the South MetroDenver Economic Development Group’s 14th annual Real Estate Breakfast at the Marriott DTC. The panel, moderated by Denver Post editor Greg Moore, included Byron Koste, executive director of the University of Colorado Real Estate Center; and Martin Newburger, principal of KSL Capital.

It’s also crucial that the region figures out a way to share sales-tax revenue from the shopping centers that will be built near FasTracks stations, Koste said.

Otherwise, communities along the line will be competing for the same retailers, and each stop will look the same, he said.

About $1.4 trillion in real-estate debt is set to mature over the next four years, but it’s unclear how that debt will be restructured, Greenman said.

“Lenders are hoping if they just stall, they won’t get the property back—they don’t want the property back—and the economy will get better,” he said.

At $6.9 billion, FasTracks is the largest transit expansion in the country, a network of rail and bus lines the Regional Transportation District hopes to complete by 2017.

Margaret Jackson: 303-954-1473 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

PR exec pushes social media

by Jacksonville Business Journal

— June 19, 2009 — Social networking Web sites are booming, and public relations professionals are encouraging the business community to keep up with the trend. "I think many are doing a disservice to their companies," said Michael Cherenson, the chair and CEO of the Public Relations Society of America. "Now is not the time to hibernate. To be understood, you have to understand."

Cherenson is in Jacksonville to kick off the PRSA’s Sunshine District annual conference PRVille 2009 from June 18-20, which will focus on the growth of social media and how it should be used by area businesses.

“There’s no doubt media has changed,” Cherenson said. “It’s gone from a passive form of news to active, but I don’t think traditional media is gone. This is just another tool.”

According to a Conference Board report this month, 43 percent of the online community uses social networking sites, which is up from 27 percent a year ago.

In addition, a quarter of those users are logging in from their workplace, and 22 percent of Twitter users cite work-related reasons for being on the Web site, The Conference Board reported.

“Social media is here to stay,” said Lynn Franco, the director of The Conference Board Consumer Research Center, in a press release. “Online social networking is more than just a fad among the younger generation. They’ve become an integral part of our personal and professional lives.”

Although the majority of Internet users still use these Web sites for personal reasons, Cherenson said businesses need to use social networking to energize and interact with their publics.

“People are embracing this stuff because it’s cool,” he said. “But they need to be doing it for strategic reasons. I encourage people to become a native of all the social networking sites.”

Cherenson said each social Web site is different, and they each have their own benefits depending on the users and who they are trying to connect with online. For example, passive people who don’t want to do a lot of communicating prefer YouTube, active members of the online community work well with Facebook and Twitter is for those interested in micro-blogging and short pieces of information, he said.

No matter which Web sites businesses participate in though, Cherenson said they need to be comfortable with transparency because there are some challenges and negative side effects to social networking.

“It’s like singing in the car with the windows wide open. You have to assume everyone has a copy,” he said. “And you have to understand the public you’re trying to serve. If you don’t they will either turn you off or shut you down.”

Businesses have to have compelling content, and they need to be honest, Cherenson said. It would be easy for someone to create a fake name and profile to discredit someone, which is why a code of ethics is more important now than it has ever been, he said.

“Social media is nothing more than trust,” said Peter Shankman, one of the keynote speakers during PRVille 2009 on Friday. “People take your review at face value.”

Social media outlets do open doors for dishonesty, and they provide another way for a company to make mistakes before a large audience very quickly, Shankman said. But social media also provides businesses many opportunities to reach an audience and listen to what they are saying.

“Trust in our institutions is eroding,” Cherenson said. “The business community needs to be schooled in communication and technology by those who understand it, so they can effectively use it.”

House Democrats Craft Transportation Bill

by Wall Street Journal

— June 19, 2009 — WASHINGTON -- House Democrats are crafting a transportation spending bill that would cost roughly $450 billion over six years, but no consensus has emerged on how to fund it, according to people familiar with the matter.

The bill for the first time would establish standards—like reducing oil consumption and spurring economic growth—that would influence which highway and transit projects get federal funding. It would also consolidate to six or fewer the number of Transportation Department programs used to channel money to states, giving local officials more flexibility to combat their transportation challenges.

The legislation is being drafted by House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman James Oberstar (D., Minn.), who plans to release a blueprint of his bill later this week. He declined to comment.

Many lawmakers agree on the need to better target spending and to spend more on mass transit and rail networks relative to highways. But the question of how to pay for the nation’s aging infrastructure is becoming increasingly thorny for Congress and the White House.

The current system relies heavily on taxes from gasoline and vehicle purchases. Revenue from these sources is dropping as Americans drive less and opt for more fuel-efficient cars and trucks. Meanwhile, states are encountering similar funding problems due to declines in tax revenue. The result is a growing gap between the nation’s infrastructure needs and what is being spent to maintain and upgrade it.

Some lawmakers, bolstered by groups ranging from the American Trucking Associations to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, want to raise gas taxes. The current federal levies of 18.4-cents per gallon of gasoline and 24.4-cents per gallon of diesel haven’t been significantly raised in 16 years.

“At some point we’re going to have to” raise gas taxes and index future increases to inflation, said Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D., N.Y.), in an interview on Tuesday.

The Obama administration has opposed any gas-tax increase. The White House also opposes any quick transition to a new system, which has been tested in Oregon, where drivers are taxed based on the miles they drive rather than the number of gallons they pump into their gas tanks.

People familiar with the matter say Mr. Oberstar hasn’t come up with a funding solution, and the task of writing the bill’s funding component will fall to the Ways and Means Committee. Things may proceed even slower in the Senate. That makes it unlikely Congress will pass a new bill by the time the old one expires at the end of September.

Meanwhile, states may be forced to further curb their transportation spending if Congress doesn’t come up with more money soon. Last year, Congress opted to transfer $8 billion from the Treasury’s general fund into the Highway Trust Fund to prevent last-minute cutbacks.

“In the short term, there will have to be a reliance on the general fund,” said Timothy Lynch, senior vice president at the American Trucking Associations. “There just does not seem to be a critical mass yet to see any increase in fuel taxes.”

RTD survey: 63% support tax hike to finish FasTracks in 8 years

Published by Denver Business Journal, 01/26/09

— June 19, 2009 — A phone survey of 700 likely voters in metro Denver, conducted Jan. 6-12, found 63 percent would support paying more taxes to get FasTracks done by 2017, the original time frame, the Regional Transportation District said Monday.

Respondents said they’d “generally support” increasing sales tax for RTD by up to 0.4 percent, or 4 cents on a $10 purchase, according to the RTD-commissioned poll.

That would double the amount of taxes metro-area residents currently pay for FasTracks.

Voters in 2004 approved paying an extra 0.4 percent to build FasTracks, which then had a $4.7 billion budget and a 12-year construction timeline to build more than 100 miles of rail lines throughout metro Denver, redevelop Denver Union Station and improve bus service.

Since then, skyrocketing construction costs have ballooned the budget to $7.9 billion even as the recession has shrunk RTD’s sales tax revenues to pay for the project—creating a roughly $2 billion shortfall on the project.

RTD’s board of directors is expected to make a decision this spring on what to do in the face of higher costs and lower revenues. Options on the table include shortening the transit lines, extending the time frame of the project by decades, or asking voters for more money.

That said, respondents told pollsters they thought approving FasTracks in 2004 was still a good decision, despite the budget problems that have cropped up since then.

About 83 percent of respondents said it was a good decision in the 2009 poll, compared to 79 percent with the same answer in RTD’s 2007 poll.

About 53 percent of respondents thought RTD could deliver the full FasTracks project with the current budget problems.

The poll was done for RTD by The Kenney Group.

The margin of error for the poll was plus or minus 3.7 percent.

Twitter catches on with Charlotte City Council

by Charolette Observer

— June 18, 2009 — For a minute at Monday's council meeting, Councilman Warren Cooksey appeared to be transmitting code. "The hashtags are clt dash cc and goat debate zero nine," he said to the television cameras, before leaning back in his chair, smiling. "What?" said Councilman Michael Barnes. "It went over our heads, Mr. Cooksey," said Mayor Pat McCrory. "Oh, the Twitterers know," Cooksey said. And, thus, what had been an underground phenomenon officially burst onto the wonky scene of Charlotte city government.

Cooksey is one of four council members who use Twitter—a microblogging service started in 2006 that has grown to an estimated 4 million users—to send out short blasts of information to people who have signed up to “follow” them electronically. The messages, or tweets, are limited to 140 characters.

As anyone who’s sat through a City Council meeting knows, it’s hard for Charlotte’s leaders to reduce their thoughts to a couple quick sentences—but some are trying. Typically, the council members use their Blackberries or other PDAs to post notes about their schedules, thoughts on an issue or even real-time comments from the dias during a council meeting.

“I approve of almost anything that increases interest in local govt.,” Cooksey (@wcooksey on Twitter) tweeted during Monday’s meeting, as the council debated whether to allow pygmy goats in urban areas. That message went out to the 260 or so people who have signed up to receive his updates.

A number of gadflies and city government onlookers have also chimed in on the City Council’s “twonversation.” Their tweeting picked up remarkably during the pygmy goat debate.

“You know, some cities use goats as an eco-friendly way to maintain public spaces. Also, my dog is bigger than a pygmy goat,” one person remarked on Twitter.

“CLT will never be a cool, world class city like Seattle, Portland or St Paul until we allow pygmy goats!” Tweeted another.

“Spending way too much time deciding if we should allow pygmy goats in residential areas,” Councilman John Lassiter grumbled from his Twitter-equipped PDA.

As a social media format, Twitter is something pundits can’t seem to agree on. It doesn’t make money, and studies show that people tend to have a fleeting interest in it.

But outside its entertainment value, government agencies and politicians across the country are experimenting with ways Twitter can help distribute information. During the flooding in Fargo, N.D., for example, Twitter helped organize people to build dikes, according to the Associated Press. In Topeka, Kansas, the city staff has started tweeting live bits of information during council meetings. In Charlotte, the Fire Department uses Twitter to report fires and warn people about traffic accidents.

It would seem a useful tool for politicians hoping to keep their actions in the public’s mind. In an election year, Charlotte’s City Council members tweet about their attendance at ribbon-cuttings, volunteer work or lobbying on behalf of the city. Sometimes council members tweet about their breaks from work, too.

“Get this for a great afternoon,” Councilman Andy Dulin tweeted this week. “My 4 o’clock appointment gets canceled and my 9 yr old invites me to Night at the Museum. Awesome!”

As in life, some council members have more followers than others. Anthony Foxx (@anthonyfoxx), who is running for mayor, has 698. Cooksey, who has offered Twitter trainings to his colleagues, has picked up 268. Dulin (@adulin) has 146.

Lassiter, also a mayoral candidate, has started a couple of Twitter accounts. He has 66 followers on @lassiterjohn, the account he uses most. Lassiter said he’s still getting used to the idea of Twitter, but the idea of tweeting during meetings bothers him.

“I’m supposed to be paying attention,” he said.

While some city leaders are curious about the phenomenon, others eschew it.

“I’m sorry. I’m an anti-Twitter guy,” McCrory said, after Cooksey’s plug for the service at Monday’s council meeting. The mayor said he has enough to do answering e-mails and phone calls.

Council members Warren Turner and Patsy Kinsey agreed.

“It’s too time-consuming,” Turner said. “And, secondly, I don’t think it’s the way you communicate.”

Edwin Peacock, who does not have an account, said he’s not thrilled by the real-time updates about people’s daily lives.

“I have never broken radio silence with, ‘I’m thinking about going to sleep,’” he said. But after someone else tweeted one of his remarks during the pygmy goat debate, he said he’s considering taking one of Cooksey’s Twitter training sessions.

“Now that I know people are saying things about me, I’m interested,” Peacock said.

Communication Infrastructure Group Announces Web site launch

New Web site better reflects the experience, expertise and focus of CIG

Evergreen, CO — June 18, 2009 — Communication Infrastructure Group (CIG), LLC, a DBE, WBE and SBE certified public relations and public information firm announced the launch of its new Web site, http://www.cig-pr.com, today which highlights the agency's industry focus and expertise.

CIG, which, in addition to public relations and public information, offers marketing, graphic design and corporate training services, specializes in the industries of construction and infrastructure development, local government and education.

The new Web site offers users an inside look at the people, projects and expertise of CIG through client case studies, an extensive portfolio and an interactive blog where visitors can comment and discuss on the latest news, issues and trends in the realm of PR and communications.
“Our goal is for users to not only take away something about effective public relations and associated services, but also learn something about the people behind CIG,” said Karen Morales, CIG’s CEO and owner. “We really feel the new site better expresses who we are, what we do and what makes our firm stand out.”

To check out the new Web site, or for more information about CIG, visit http://www.cig-pr.com.

About Communication Infrastructure Group, LLC
CIG was formed in 2005 on the premise that there is a different and better way to provide public relations services. To this end, CIG employs the best of the best from the respective fields and has earned a reputation for high-level strategic communications and outstanding customer service.

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For more information, visit www.cig-pr.com.

RTD’s Assistant GM Named Interim Chief

Agency veteran says he won't take "increase of one nickel"

Published by The Denver Post

— June 09, 2009 — RTD's board of directors on Tuesday chose Phillip Washington, 51, as the interim general manager to run the transit agency when current GM Cal Marsella leaves at the end of next month.

For the past nine years, Washington has been assistant general manager for administration at the Regional Transportation District, with responsibility for departments that included finance, procurement, human resources and information technology.

Before joining RTD, Washington spent 24 years in the military, retiring from the Army after reaching the rank of Command Sergeant Major.

Washington’s annual salary at RTD is $172,790. Noting the agency’s troubled financial condition, he told directors, “I’m not going to take an increase of one nickel.”

Marsella’s compensation, which included an annual base salary of about $300,000 and what some considered an overly rich benefit package, has been a point of controversy in recent months.

RTD’s board plans to hire an executive search firm to help find a permanent replacement for Marsella and some directors say the agency should consider hiring two top officials to lead RTD: one to run the current bus and light-rail operation and the other a large-project “czar” who would be responsible for getting FasTracks built.

FasTracks includes at least six new rail lines, yet the agency is short about $2.2 billion to get it built on time.

The RTD board hopes to have permanent leadership in place by early next year.

“We have many challenges right now,” Washington told directors, including “critical questions for FasTracks.”

“We will get this investment initiative done,” he said, referring to the $6.9 billion program, and “build out this transit system so it is the envy of the world.”

Washington said he will be a candidate for permanent general manager “if the board thinks that it is in the best interest of the district.”

Also Tuesday night, RTD officials reported that the agency’s sales and use tax collections declined 18.7 percent in April compared with the same month last year. For the first four months of this year, they are down 13.8 percent from the comparable 2008 period.

RTD depends on sales and use taxes to fund about 60 percent of its operations.

Finance chief Terry Howerter told directors he planned this year and next to transfer $24 million from RTD’s capital acquisition reserve “to beef up” the agency’s operating budget.

The capital fund is used to buy equipment such as new buses, but Marsella said RTD used some federal stimulus money for bus acquisition, which helped allow for the transfer.

Marsella also told directors that private consortiums bidding to win a public-private partnership, or PPP, within FasTracks are concerned “about the bankability of moving into this agreement.”

Some of the firms worry that Colorado’s Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights might put constraints on the PPP process.

“We are looking at alternatives,” Marsella said, that would “obviate the TABOR question.”

Small Colorado Town is Rolling in the Money

Published by CBS4 Denver

— April 29, 2009 — While many cities and towns are struggling in the recession, one town in northern Colorado has far more money coming in than it's ever had before -- Timnath.

Most towns probably start their sales tax base with smaller stores, a few restaurants, or perhaps a gas station on the interstate, but not Timnath, which is located southeast of Fort Collins. Timnath’s first real source of sales tax is a Wal-Mart Supercenter, which opened Wednesday morning.

Timnath is still a very small town—fewer than 500 people live there, but that’s twice the population of three years ago.

“This can and it will change the whole town because the town’s laid out a whole plan, and this gives us a way to fund that plan,” Timnath Mayor Donna Benson said.

Benson says the million dollars a year the Wal-Mart is expected to collect for Timnath made a bond issue possible that’s starting to fund more than $12 million in town improvements, like upgrading the old bridge over the Poudre River.

“That’s a $4.5 million new bridge that we’re totally funding with this,” Benson said. “We’re bringing in sewer, the first phase of that, to Old Town, and we’re also doing some flood mitigation.”

Some shoppers from nearby towns say they’re fine with Timnath getting the taxes if they get the convenience.

“It’s directly on the way home, so don’t have to do anything but take a left into the parking lot,” Fort Collins resident Stacy Tyler said.

“Being from smaller towns in this area, we all have had to shop in Greeley, Fort Collins, Loveland, and I’d like to see the other smaller communities get some of the tax revenues from it,” Fort Collins resident Wendy Seaman said.

Timnath is also benefiting from some grant money from Wal-Mart. The company has given more than $30,000, including, among others, funds for a new park and grants for nearby schools.