From K Morse
To CdeBaca, Candi – CC XA1404 Member Denver City Council Candi.CdeBaca@denvergov.org, amanda.sawyer@denvergov.org amanda.sawyer@denvergov.org, amanda.sandoval@denvergov.org amanda.sandoval@denvergov.org, chris.hinds@denvergov.org chris.hinds@denvergov.org, Kashmann, Paul J. – City Council Paul.Kashmann@denvergov.org, Herndon, Christopher J. – City Council District 8 Christopher.Herndon@denvergov.org, ortegaatlarge@denvergov.org ortegaatlarge@denvergov.org, Deborah Ortega deborahortega@icloud.com, Kniech, Robin L. – City Council Robin.Kniech@denvergov.org, stacie.gilmore@denvergov.org stacie.gilmore@denvergov.org, kevin.flynn@denvergov.org kevin.flynn@denvergov.org, jolon.clark@denvergov.org jolon.clark@denvergov.org, kendra.black@denvergov.org kendra.black@denvergov.org, jamie.torres@denvergov.org jamie.torres@denvergov.org
Council Representatives,
You’re more than likely familiar with the statement pictured above.
Selling off open space may not seem like a life or death situation to you but it is just one more step in that direction for all life forms that exist today. News outlets reported last week that July 2019 was the hottest on record. Our air and water quality is increasingly compromised by human activities. We loses countless species (mammals, birds, insects, etc.) each year through extinction due to human activities, including encroachment on their habitat, pollution and the resulting warming of our planet.
Our increasing landmass of asphalt and concrete contributes to local warming, which contributes to the need to use more fossil fuel to cool our homes, cars, offices, etc., not to mention lost productivity, health issues and more. I encourage you to step outside of the City and County and head across the street to the greenery of Civic Center Park on a 90+ degree day. Take in the very noticeable difference in temperature between the streetscape you’ll cross on your way to the park and the park itself. It’s dramatic. We need more trees, plants and other natural landscape, not less.
It is incumbent on each and every one of you to do what you can to Stop Park Hill Golf Course from being covered in asphalt and concrete. Let’s not be shortsighted here and think about our own personal interests in open space or financial gain today. Let’s think about the future that we want to leave for our children and their children. Each generation is supposed to leave the world a better place than they found it for the next generation. Quite frankly, those of us living today are doing a terrible job of ensuring our kids, grandkids and beyond will have a habitable place to live and thrive in. It is critical that we not lose any more open space in this city.
In addition to the heat effects of the increasing asphalt and concrete landmass, we are rushing to send precious water out of our system. Before our city was developed as densely as it is today with buildings and other infrastructure, rain water would seep into the soil of yards, parks and other open spaces and recharge and then get stored in our aquifers. Don’t worry, somehow, water still made its way through rivers and other tributaries to our neighbors to the west. We need water here in Denver too. Future generations are going to need water. Instead of water percolating through our soil, recharging and then getting stored in our aquifers for future use, it’s rolling down city streets and the like and being rushed to the S. Platte as fast as is possible, shortchanging the critical needs we will have in this city.
As our leaders, I am imploring you to think big, think about the future. YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE for future generations. You also have the choice of bearing the responsibility for future impacts to human and other life (animals, etc.) for the inconvenience and suffering that future generations will experience as a result of increasingly hotter seasons and reductions in access to fresh, clean water. Please STOP the development of Park Hill Golf Course. Vacant and underutilized buildings in the area, where concrete and asphalt current covers the land can be repurposed or demolished and replaced with new infrastructure.
Your sincere and thoughtful consideration on this matter is greatly appreciated.
Regards,
Kimberly Morse
Denver Resident