Monday, April 25, 2011
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Diversity Video
Diversity Assignment
JTC 320
Allison Sylte, a sophomore journalism major, feels discriminated against by her peers because of the color of her hair.
Her fiery red locks make people look at her and treat her differently, she said.
The most significant time she was discriminated against for her hair was on “National Kick a Ginger Day,” she said.
When she was in high school, her friends and peers kicked her all day as a joke, but she said after it a while it stopped being funny.
“I just got sick of it,” she said. “I know I’m a “ginger,” but the jokes get old sometimes.”
She said she felt singled-out and annoyed because her friends simply would not stop.
Sylte also gets frustrated when she is in public with her friend who also has red hair because people automatically assume they’re sisters.
“When people see two blondes or two brunettes together, they don’t assume they’re related,” she said. “I shouldn’t have to feel inferior for having a unique hair color.”
Last week she was in the Lory Student Center with her red-headed friend, and an acquaintance of Sylte’s from one of her classes saw her and came over to chat.
“He said, ‘Oh, I didn’t know you had a sister who went to school here,’” Sylte said. “Everyone always thinks all red-headed people are related. We’re not.”
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Trail extension under the microscope
By Jason Pohl
Things got heated as the Fossil Creek Trail expansion project came under fire during the March 23 Parks and Recreation board meeting.
Mark Musgrave, a property owner near the area of construction, voiced concern over the expansion of the trail near his home. Speaking on behalf of an organized group of neighbors, he said there are “multiple areas of concern” regarding the project.
“We are worried about safety...the finances...and the lack of responsiveness,” Musgrave said.
According to the fcgov.com, the project will connect Spring Creek Trail across Pine Ridge Natural Area, under County Road 38E and end at Cathie Fromme Praire.
The tunnel near Highlands West Drive and County Road 38E will be similar to those located throughout Fort Collins, especially on Spring Creek Trail, and it is the predominant concern of Musgrave because of the blind turns onto a road “where people already speed.”
The posted speed limit at the intersection is 40 mph.
“I have had to call an ambulance in the past, and we think it will only get worse if this project continues," Musgrave said. “The tunnel comes out too steep.”
Musgrave also showed concern over the funding of the project, which is budgeted at $1.4 million through grants from Keep Fort Collins Great, the natural areas program and Great Outdoors Colorado.
“There's a lot of other things to be done in Fort Collins, and we don't know if this is financially the best project right now,” he said.
"We have had almost no response from anyone. They all point in different directions, and that concerns us, too," Musgrave said after the Parks and Recreation board explained that this project is not their business, but rather that of the county.
"It's important to remember who is in control of this," J.R. Schnelzer, a Parks and Recreation staff member said.
According to Director of Park Planning Craig Foreman, the county board has had traffic engineers take all the necessary precautions. They have also reviewed the additional signage that will be placed and vegetation that could obstruct views of the path.
"They have the plans laid and the schematics set, but I will pass these recommendations and concerns on to the county board," Foreman said.
The Parks and Recreation board decided to examine the area in question to determine if anything could cause alarm.
Construction began April 1 and is expected to take up to five months to complete. If construction goes as planned according to the city, there will be a road closure between Windom Street and Highlands West Drive. Detours around Horsetooth will be necessary.
For additional information on detours and to follow progress of the trail expansion project, visit www.fcgov.com.
What is included?
Cost: $1.4 million
Pedestrian Underpass
2 pedestrian bridges
Retaining walls
1 mile of new concrete trail
Governor pledges support after viewing Crystal Fires
leaving their marks on the forests of the Rocky Mountains. But this year, with the
Crystal Fires so close to Fort Collins and so early in the year, many are wondering
what the summer of 2011 might have in store for the wildfire season.
Governor John Hickenlooper was in Fort Collins yesterday for a press
conference after examining the Crystal Fires damage. After seeing the damage
firsthand, he spoke at the National Guard Armory on LaPorte Ave., and emphasized
a message of gratitude toward those who fight the flames. He also promised support.
“We are willing to provide immediate resources to Larimer County and to
these crews that do the real heavy lifting,” Hickenlooper said. “They are putting their
lives on the line to make sure the fire doesn’t get real out of hand. We are just very
grateful. There’s no way to express that.”
The Crystal Fires have burned more than 3,200 acres this week just west of
Fort Collins, but officials now say it is sixty percent contained. Still, even with the
governor’s promise for support, many students at Colorado State University also
worry about how close the flames have recently been to Fort Collins.
“Yeah it's really scary,” junior Kaylie Shannon said. “And the fact that it’s
starting so early makes it even more scary. We have a whole summer to worry now.
I just hope people do what they can to minimize the risk.”
Junior Brittany Mann agreed. “It's spring and that's when it's supposed to
rain the most so if the fires are starting in the rainy months then summer is going to
have even higher chances for fires since it will be dryer and hotter,” she said.
“In meteorological terms, I have not seen a satisfactory explanation of why
suddenly we’re having such a dramatically dry spring, and winter really,” the
governor said. “We are going to face a very difficult summer. I don’t think anybody
doubts.”
It’s that lack of a promise for weather to quench the dry conditions that
leaves some uneasy.
“I'm worried about what this summer will bring as far as fires, since it's so
hot already,” junior Kaitlyn McNamera said. “It's even more worrisome how close
they are to Fort Collins due to the higher amounts of wind we experience.”
As many worry, and watch the Crystal Fire threaten homes near Fort Collins,
the governor believes the state is prepared for the dry summer.
“We do have a state wildfire preparedness plan,” he said. “It’s in place. I think
we are as ready as we can be in terms of having contingencies laid out and plans in
place. But this is going to be a challenging summer and I think there’s going to be an
awful lot of heavy burden put on our emergency management teams around the
state.”
Nobody has been injured or died in the Crystal Fires. Fifteen homes have
been destroyed. Larimer County is now in a fire restriction until next month, but is
still permitting use of fire pits, grills and stoves in campsites as long as they are
contained.
Crews hope to have the fire contained before the new week begins. The
governor believes fighting this fire will help in preparation and understanding for
others to come.
“I think one of the keys to fighting fires, aside from just having to trust in the
providence of God to provide a little moisture and diminish the winds in some way
is to get out there early, understand a lay of the land and where are the greater
risks,” he said.
Poudre Schools Discuss Innovation
The proposed plan would give PSD $300,000 annually to be allocated among all the schools in order to support their funding for programs such as bilingual immersion, science programs, art programs and more.
The plan also designates categories for the funds, granting up to $100,000 to school wide programs, preschool through middle school and high schools. These funds would ultimately be used to implement innovative measures to improve the schools.
If the Board of Education approves, the funding would become available by the beginning of summer of 2011.
While the stages of innovation, the proposed structure in which schools would improve with the funds was warmly received, many of the teachers who were present disagreed with the structure of the actual funding plan, calling it “disproportional” and “rigid”.
“We just don’t know how many kids will actually be affected by this plan the way it is now,” said Deidre Sullivan, a member of the school board’s task force. “There isn’t a lot of equity here, and some schools may end up with more funding than others. There is no guarantee that every student will have a chance at a better facilities and programs.”
Other problems were mentioned, including the potential for schools to double-dip into the funding, as well as increasing tension and competition between schools.
A majority of attending members sought to revise the plan to get rid of the categories and simply reward schools from the $300,000 pool based on merit, as well as number of students among other factors. They also suggested that the funds be distributed by review committee via open application.
“Our goal is not so much to attract new students, but to improve the education of students in these schools now,” said community member John Lynn.
Electric Board Looking to Philosophies to Provide Better Utility Rates
The Fort Collins electric board met on Wednesday to discuss philosophies that are expected to help provide better and cheaper utility rates for residents next year.
Fort Collins utilities hired R.W. Beck, an SAIC Energy, Environment & Infrastructure LLC company to spearhead the project.
Scott Dave, on official with SAIC, said studying these philosophies would help develop an understanding of how existing policies and strategy will support future rate changes.
“Before dealing with rate changes, it is important to understand what we are doing today at a principle level that can take us to the next level,” Dave said.
The first phase of the project which is currently on-going, cost Fort Collins Utilities $135,000, a price which board member, Steve Yurash said he was concerned about.
“I think that we definitely do need to analyze these principles; however, I feel like we might be spending a little too much,” Yurash said. “That’s all I’m saying.”
Dave said he was certain the long term benefits of the project would help erase any doubts Yurash had about the program.
“These principles would comply with council policy, as well as applicable laws and regulations and existing obligations,” Dave said. “Preparing unbundled cost of services doesn’t mean unbundled rate services but determining where the costs of services are coming from.”
Vice president with R.W. Beck, Lynn Adams, said the first step to achieving the goals of the project was enhancing communication between Fort Collins Utilities and its customers.
“Communication is very important. We are currently working on ways to fully entertain people in dialogue,” Adams said. “We are organizing polls, focus groups and also internet communication systems to get people’s opinions and better get them involved.”
Board member, John Graham said he was excited about the prospects of the project but that he would like to see the quantified risk access of the project at some point in time.
R.W. Beck will present its second phase of the project, Specific Rate Design Options, to the electric board on May 4.
Fort Fund Grant Applications Altered
By Aliese Willard
Two people dance in an event put on by Streetmosphere,
Old Town, Fort Collins. Photo from the Beet Street website.
Recently awarded with the 2011 Governor’s Arts Award for the state, the city of Fort Collins will now be able to better promote its stellar contributions to the arts.
Board members discussed a proposal for a marketing grant to promote Fort Collins’ cultural events at the Cultural Resources Board meeting March 31.
“Now that we have all these fabulous events, we need to tell people about them,” said Katy Schneider, Tourism and Communications manager of the Fort Collins Convention and Visitors Bureau. “It’s a resource issue in terms of time and money. We need to be more proactive about encouraging people to promote outside of Fort Collins.”
Schneider outlined the proposal, which would revise the process of allocating Fort Fund monies, with a new focus on advertising local events in Northern Colorado.
“It would be appropriate (for groups) to approach us and ask for help (funding),” Schneider said. “There are organizations out there who have produced great content, and people need to hear about it.”
Board chair Sue Beck-Ferkiss said she was supportive of changing the regulation and investing more money in promotion of events and tourism. She also reminded board members that the Downtown Development Authority is willing to match funds allocated by the board to give to different groups. CVB liaison Diane Gaede said she was not excited about reviewing more applications, and Beet Street liaison Patrick Moran was concerned about spending money on advertising.
“Print can be a great asset, or a hole you throw money in,” Moran said.
Beck-Ferkiss eased the tension by suggesting that applicants for Fort Fund grants be given a supplemental and optional sheet that would give them the additional choice to be considered for matching dollars on top of the grant.
In other business, board members snacked on yogurt pretzels and cashews as they appointed fellow board members for leadership and liaison positions for the next year.
Jan Gilligan, the current vice-chair who was not present at the meeting, was selected to be the next chair when Beck-Ferkiss’ term ends. Chris Clemmer will take over the position of Vice Chair, and John Hayes will be the new board liaison for the Downtown Business Association. Members Diane Gaede, Carol Ann Hixon and Patrick Moran all retained their current positions for the next year.
All board members then chose which programs or cultural events aided by Fort Fund grants they will attend. Among the events are dance, musical and theatrical performances, art shows, the Trimedia Film Festival, recreational events like “Articulture” at the Gardens on Spring Creek, and community gatherings such as Pride in the Park, put on by the Lambda Community Center.
Photo from Fort Collins Articulture website
Liaisons were especially excited to attend Wine Fest on April 22, where they will participate in a night of wine and food tasting at the Hilton to support Disabled Resource Services.
Beth Flowers, senior producer of Beet Street, made a special appearance to forewarn the board that Beet Street will be applying for monies from Fort Fund for the group’s Streetmosphere outdoor performing arts event.
Flowers said that the group’s “funding had changed quite dramatically,” and is “much less than we’d planned for.”
She reviewed Beet Street’s Streetmosphere program highlights, including that the program brought in $45,000 last year. Flowers is excited about new program offerings for the coming year. She said that70 percent of the performers are new, and several well-known performers, such as singer/songwriter Wendy Woo, will come to Fort Collins.
Another issue addressed by the board was the Opera Fort Collins program change. Because the performing arts venue the Lincoln Center is still not completed from renovations, Opera Fort Collins will be performing “Madame Butterfly” at CSU’s University Center for the Performing Arts May 20 and 22. Opera Fort Collins will perform the opera “Carmen” at the Lincoln Center once the building is completed.
The next board meeting will be Wed. April 27 at 5 p.m.
Art in Public Places
Public Meeting 2
The walkway into Edora Pool and Ice Center will get a mini makeover when a sculpture of a 10-year-old hockey player is erected later this year. The Art in Public Places board approved construction of the sculpture in a meeting held on March 23.
Titled ‘Next Goal’, the sculpture was donated by the Sandra Kobelt Hau Memorial Foundation in memory of the foundation’s namesake.
Hau volunteered countless years of time and money to EPIC and to the growth of Northern Colorado Youth Hockey.
“Sandra was quite a supporter of Epic,” said Steve Kramer, artist of the sculpture. “She really helped with the growth of NCYH when it was first formed and she stayed involved until she passed away. She loved hockey and what it stood for.”
The bronze, life-sized sculpture will make its home on a triangle of land bordering the parking lot and sidewalks on the west side of the main entrance. Landscaping will also be added around the triangle to enhance the design of the sculpture.
“No one uses the walkways there anyway right now,” said board member Anne Bossert. “It’s more convenient to walk through that triangle, but now its just dead grass and dirt. The sculpture will not only be esthetically pleasing, but also commemorate a lady who helped EPIC in countless ways.”
The Art in Public Places board also voted on a local artist to be commissioned to design a piece for an outdoor wall that will divert water from the Poudre River into a historic channel that flows by the Environmental Learning Center in southeast Fort Collins.
The board received four submissions from artists located within a 75-mile radius of Fort Collins and were looking for someone who captured the spirit of the project and the area.
“The piece needs to enhance the area,” said Andrea Faucett, an engineer from Ayres Associates working on the project. “The artist also has to be able use a non-invasive technique.”
The board selected Lynn Hull, a Colorado based environmental artist that specializes in pieces that blend nature and art.
“Lynn uses natural materials,” said board member Shelby Sommer. “She’s got experience working on large, outdoor pieces that incorporate the elements.”
Old Town library to be remodeled
Resolution passes through city council
By Courtney Riley
JTC 320
- 6,000-square-foot expansion in southeast corner
- Larger community room
- Additional computer space
- Expanded children’s area
- Study rooms for groups and individuals
- Cyber café
- Improved access to collections
- Mechanical and electrical upgrades
The Fort Collins City Council unanimously approved a resolution at an adjourned meeting last Tuesday, March 29, to amend an ordinance from 1975 that will allow the Main Library in Old Town to be revamped.
The People’s Ordinance No. 2 from 1976 restricted the amount of construction done in Library Park. The citizen-initiated amendment to the ordinance requires that 85 percent of Library Park’s area remain open space.
Wendy Williams, the assistant to the city manager, presented the overview of the planned renovations to the library.
The plan is to build a 6,000-square-foot expansion under the library’s cantilevered second floor in the southeast corner. The interior remodel includes a larger community room, additional computer space, expanded children’s area, study rooms for groups and individuals, cyber café and improved access to collections.
The mechanical and electrical systems will be upgraded, and the new building is expected to meet a net-zero energy goal, meaning it will use the same amount of energy as the old building.
“It’s going to be a pretty exciting space,” Williams said. “It will have a modern, new, expanded and refreshed interior.”
The Poudre River Library District will use existing funds to pay for the Main Library remodel and expansion. The district has set aside funds for this purpose and will not need additional money from taxpayers to accomplish the project.
The project is also anticipated to benefit the surrounding neighborhoods and Old Town by becoming a desirable, attractive destination.
“One of the things that the downtown library does is that it drives people into a vibrant part of town,” Williams said. “Not only is it a draw for community activities, but also a draw for all sorts of cultural and economic activities.”
Williams emphasized that the history, value and local pride associated with Library Park will be preserved.
“There are a lot of lovely old trees in that area, and most of those will remain untouched,” she said.
Michael Liggett, the president of the board of trustees of the Poudre River Library District, said it’s very important to keep the traditional feel of the library and surrounding area, while making it more modern.
“We hope to make it a continuing part of our community,” he said.
There will also be enhancements to the exterior walkways and landscape that are intended to make the environment of the library more aesthetically pleasing.
“We want to bring the park into the library and the library out to the park,” Holly Carroll, the executive director of the Poudre River Library District, said.
Fort Collins resident Thomas Edwards said he is relieved the city council passed the resolution because he believes the library is very outdated.
“This city has kept on growing, but the downtown library hasn’t,” he said. “We need to grow this library.”
Council member David Roy posed the question of how the library will be a successful business in the future, considering many people use digital forms of obtaining books and information.
Carroll said the library’s business is actually growing. People are visiting the library traditionally, as well as using its virtual services, such as e-books, downloadable books and digital audio.
She said over 3.3 million items were checked out last year.
“In these hard economic times, the use of the library has grown. We’ve seen a big increase,” she said. “The use of the library and the respect for it is exceptional.”
Mayor Doug Hutchinson said he is excited for the new renovations to take place.
“I think Fort Collins is a library town,” he said. “I’m delighted to support this resolution.”
“Building Communities of Trust” initiative in Aurora
The Human Relations Commission (HRC) of Aurora, Colo. lent its services to what it calls an exciting new initiative, the first of its kind in this city.
The “Building Communities of Trust” initiative aims to bring diverse groups of citizens in the community together with police officers, and, according to the HRC, allow them to speak openly to each other, and work on how they can better understand and trust each other when officers are in the field.
The Department of Justice states that the initiative’s purpose is to build “trust and transparency to help keep communities safe.”
Commissioner Deondrea Harris focused specifically on the homeless population of Aurora, and their relationship with the authorities. According to Harris, many people in this particular population feel unfairly treated by the police, and that they do not have a voice in the community because of their status.
“Hopefully we'll have some ideas from both sides that the police and homeless people have decided on,” said Harris.
Harris stressed that each group needed to talk about the reality of how they feel they are being treated, or mistreated, in order to resolve issues and start to build trust. She thinks that these meetings will be effective in the community.
This initiative was created by The Office of the Program Manager and Information Sharing Environment, in partnership with the Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance and Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, and the Department of Homeland Security.
“The success of the (initiative) largely depends on the ability to earn and maintain the public’s trust,” according to the Nationwide Suspicious Activity Reporting (SAR) Initiative (NSI) website.
The NSI website also says this initiative, if successful, will help empower marginalized citizens like Aurora’s homeless population, to feel less alienated when it comes to police interactions.
“Residents will feel that they have a stake in programs that the police may implement, that the police are transparent in their motivations, and that they are assisting the police in improving public safety,” said Edwin J. Delattre, author of “Character and Cops: Ethics in Policing,” who was also referenced in “Building Trust Between the Police and the Citizens They Serve: An Internal Affairs Promising Practices Guide for Local Law Enforcement.”
“If citizen involvement is used only in response to misconduct or corruption, citizens are likely to feel isolated and wary of law enforcement. If they feel included through collaboration, though, they will gain a broader appreciation of police work and gain insight into, and consequently trust of, law enforcement,” said Delattre.
Harris, who described the current relationship between the authorities and Aurora’s homeless population as “tense,” says she is excited and hopeful for what this initiative could bring to the community.
Women’s Commission meets, sexual assault addressed
The members of the commission are planning a trip to Fort Collins City Council this month to make a presentation to council members on the issue of sexual assault in the city. Mostly, they wish to present the seriousness of the matter, and offer their help.
After a retreat in February which planned out what they want to accomplish in the coming year, the Women’s Commission aims to concentrate on issues concerning women in the city in three focus areas, or subcommittees: health, poverty and safety, the latter of which sexual assault falls under.
By attending city council meetings and voicing their concerns, they hope to make these matters heard more so by the city, ultimately hoping for a stop to these incidents that harm women’s safety. The commission hopes to present to city council at least six times this year, with at least one presentation focusing on their concern with sexual assault.
“Here are some of the outstanding issues in our committee, and this is why we are presenting them,” committee member Merry Hummell expressed at their March 23 meeting.
There’s also a new police chief, former Capt. Jerry Schiager, in town, and the women have a plan to discuss the issue of sexual assault with him.
“He may have some very specific concerns that he wants to address,” Annette Zacharias said, who was chair of the commission last year.
Staff Liaison Suzanne Simpson wants to jump at the chance of speaking with him and plans on asking, “How can we help?”
With an organized game plan for the coming month, the Women’s Commission is preparing to address the issue of sexual assault in Fort Collins and make its seriousness, and their concern about the issue, more prevalent.
Fort Collins Residents Express Themselves Through Art In Public Places
Upon first glance, when one enters the Fort Collins city building the intimidating atmosphere seems to sit on the shoulders of every person. The clean spotless furniture, the many computers, the floor that easily bounces the image of every item in the room back at you on the almost mirror-like floor. The professionally dressed workers seem to fit perfectly into the machine that runs the entire city of Fort Collins like fine tuned human gears. But as you venture up the beautiful staircase into one of the second floor training rooms you might see, not suits, but t-shirts, jeans, and even little children scurrying about with hands full of a sticky snack. This was the scene for the Art in Public Places meeting on March 23 in the Fort Collins City Building.
“Such a big crowd today,” said the head of the Art in Public Places board, Ellen Martin.
The meeting began with a quick roll call of the board and introductions of anyone else in the room. Community members in the room are then given the opportunity to approach the board with a proposal, potential complaint, or problem that they might have regarding art in the city. Fort Collins resident Sandy Limberg addressed the board first about a painting that he wanted to be relocated because the building that it was on was scheduled to be torn down. The large painting displays two large silhouetted swing dancers against a vivid background.
“I would really like to see this moved. If I feel that people are just trying to stone wall me and they just want to deal with it I will go to city hall,” said Limberg.
The animated Limberg continued his proposal for why the painting should remain in the city, and he suggested alternate locations for the extremely large painting. He began his mission in December and has been fighting non-stop since then. The painting was used as the backdrop for a popular swing dancing party that occurred in Fort Collins a few months ago and Limberg became attached to the painting because it visually depicted his love for swing dancing.
“That night was just magic, the people were dancing and you could see the picture in the background, it was so wonderful,” Limberg said.
The board was skeptical however about whether or not the painting was even worth saving because of its tattered condition and complicated structure. The painting was put on a series of large wooden squares and mounted on the building in pieces. They also questioned whether or not the painting was even intended by the artist to be a permanent structure. Originally commissioned about 5-8 years ago at the Fort Collins Farmers Market, the painting was intended to be a part of a series of paintings that would appear on the wooden squares.
“I don’t think the idea was for it to be permanent. It was supposed to be changed every year but that didn’t work out,” said Martin.
After a bit of debating on what to do with the art piece the board moved on to a proposal for a sculpture that was going to be placed outside of EPIC Arena. The large sculpture being proposed by the members of the Sandra Kobelt Hau Memorial Foundation was a life-size child in a hockey outfit.
“I’ve had a lot of help from everybody choosing everything,” said the creator of the piece Steve Kramer.
The board was very pleased with the sculpture and unanimously agreed that it should be placed in front of the arena. Kramer said he took a lot of time deciding the uniform size of the child, the face, and the over position that the child would be standing in.
“It captures that whimsy, that feeling of determination that every kid want to score! Score and then go have oranges,” said Kramer.
This description led Kramer to name the sculpture “Next Goal”. Even thought the sculpture looked like it took a lot of time and energy Kramer says, “Anytime you work collaboratively with the people on order to get something done for the people and the community it’s a lot easier.”
The meeting ended with a quick review of what was discussed and what was on the agenda for the next meeting.
(Picture 1-Swing Dancing Painting)
(Picture 2-"Next Goal")