The Official Newsletter of Platt Park People's Association
January/February 2021
PLATT PARK POST
Welcome New Editors of the Platt Park Post
by Greg Pulliam, 3PA Ad Sales
Wow! Two neighbors stepped up and volunteered to be editors of the Platt Park Post, in response to the appeal in the November-December issue. Welcome to Gretchen Healey and Mark Newton! They have agreed to share the load and work as co-editors — such good fortune for Platt Park!
Gretchen has lived in Platt Park for more than 16 years. Her regular line of work is assisting travel-related businesses in crafting and maximizing the effectiveness of their communications to clients and potential clients. Gretchen was a member of the
3PA Board from approximately 2005–2009.
Mark has lived in Platt Park for ten years. He retired two years ago after 35 years teaching journalism in public schools, most recently at Mountain Vista High School in Highlands Ranch. Mark said he has been looking for something meaningful to do in retirement. The Platt Park neighborhood is fortunate that Mark has chosen the PPP as a recipient of his talents.
THANK YOU to Gretchen and Mark! And THANK YOU again to our immediate past Platt Park Post editor - Nora Weiser!
Neighborhood Notes
Maybe it’s been a Covid thing but it sure seems like it has been a longer, colder-than-usual winter around here. The ice on my pond has been there since about Thanksgiving. Guess it is a mixed blessing that all my fish were served up last fall as delicacies to the wandering hordes of raccoons, coyotes (do coyotes eat fish?), assorted birds and probably a squirrel or two. Let’s get some of those warm Colorado days going, shall we? Hope you are enjoying (and reading) the online version of the Platt Park Post. We hope to get back to print eventually but for now at least this version is in living color. Yeah!
Let’s lay to rest one of the burning questions you’ve been wondering about. What the heck is the big blue building on South Broadway named Cookies that always has a line outside? If you were hoping for some purveyor of amazing cookies (maybe white chocolate macadamia?) you’d be wrong. Pot shop! Yep. I guess not just any cannabis dispensary but evidently something of a big deal if you are an aficionado of such things. Cookies is a California-based company with over a dozen locations. They are known for some of their unique strains that have developed a considerable following, hence the line. Not sure if they sell actual cookies however. So now you know.
Speaking of lines on Broadway, the other little shop that I’ve been seeing daily lines in front of is Wake & Bake Denver (1301 S Broadway). No not a pot shop (but maybe a little play on words there??) but doughnuts. Now if you are still coming out of your Covid quarantine haze
you may be asking, “wasn’t there a Winchell’s Donuts there just the other day?” and you’d be right. Juan Lopez, the new owner, purchased the Winchell’s in 2019 with an agreement to run it as such for a year. When that period ended everything changed. Juan is still selling donuts, not boring old Winchell’s donuts, but a whole new experience from décor to, well, the donuts. The menu is greatly expanded to include a host of pastries as well as savory delights like pastries stuffed with hot links, sausage and cheddar, eggs and much more. There are bagel sandwiches, espresso drinks and fresh juices…all kinds of fun. Wake & Bake is open from the slightly unusual hours of 1 a.m. (yes, that’s ‘a.m.’) to 4 p.m. every day. You can order online at wakeandbake.live.
Probably old news to many of you by now but way back last summer, at 1472 S. Pearl Street, next to Stella’s Coffee shop, etc. Eatery (not a typo) opened. Hey, let’s open a brand-new restaurant right square in the middle of the pandemic. Who’s in? Well as it turns out new owner Tim Chladek was all in. Tim had been considering opening a restaurant for some time. On Mother’s Day 2020, he was patiently waiting to grab some takeout from Sushi Den (yes, per his mother’s request). Parked outside the recently closed Palizo Italian restaurant he inquired about the space and as he tells the story three days later, he was under contract to purchase the building. In what had to be some sort of a world record for opening a new restaurant, about two months later etc. Eatery was born.
The concept of etc. is to serve comfort food, not just American style, but comfort food with an international flare. At the time of this writing due to Covid restrictions, etc. Eatery is limited to 25% seating capacity and takeout. During this period the menu is pared down as well but Tim hopes by end of February or early March to be back to full menu for both lunch and Dinner. In addition to American comfort staples like burgers and fried chicken you’ll find things like pork belly banh mi, karaage (Japanese-style fried chicken), ahi poke bowls, Texas-style chili and so much more. Right now, for lunch they feature six different kinds of soup. We sampled the minestrone and chicken noodle, and both were amazing - perfect for a chilly afternoon. As the weather warms up all four patios will be open so it’s a perfect place to take in the happenings on Pearl Street along with your meal. Covid operating hours are Wednesday through Sunday Noon till 9 pm. You can order online at etcdenver.com.
The infection rate in Denver is trending down at the time of this writing and spring is not that far around the corner. With a few million vaccinations hopefully under our belt and some diligent mask wearing maybe by our next issue we can all feel like we are climbing out from under the pandemic somewhat. We can only hope! All the best to you and your loved ones.
Stay safe and, as always, see you around the neighborhood,
Tom Snyder
My Second Great Love Affair, My First Love Being Air
by Jen Grauer, Platt Park Green Team
What do increasing smoke days from forest fires, non-swimming days in reservoirs due to blue-green algae, plant damage from grasshoppers / insect infestations, and man-made snow at ski resorts have in common? Drought.
According the the US Drought Monitor, as of January 12, 2021, Colorado is at these drought levels:
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100% of Colorado is abnormally dry:
Hay production decreases, irrigation begins sooner -
100% of Colorado is in a moderate drought: Wildfires, dryland crops suffer, ski season limited
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91% in severe drought: Longer fire season, farmers reduce planting, low snowpack/river flow
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73% in extreme drought (including Denver County): Large wildfires, city landscapes dying, insect infestation, fish dying, rafting/fishing/hunting/ skiing reduced, reservoirs extremely low, water temperature increases
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27% in exceptional drought (the highest, worst level): Dust storms that remove topsoil (think depression era dust bowl), large economic losses in agriculture and tourism
When the water keeps flowing out of our taps and the price of water is still relatively cheap in our “Great American Desert,” it’s easy to neglect our duty to conserve water, especially during times of abundant snowfall and rain but even during times of drought.
Like money, we need to reduce our spending/use of water to ensure we have enough for today’s critical needs and the future. Every drop we save today will increase the surface water in rivers and reservoirs and build up our “savings” in the groundwater.
Visible water savings:
We interact with and use water every day. Its most important functions are humidity, hydration and growing food. We are lucky enough to also enjoy water to keep ourselves and society healthy and clean.
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Turning off a faucet while washing hands or brushing teeth = saves from 1/2 to 5 gallons
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Taking standard size bath for 30 minutes instead of a shower for 30 minutes = saves 40 gallons
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Reduce shower time by 10 minutes and switch to 1.5 gpm aerated shower head = saves 35 gallons 35 gallons per shower x 30 days = saves 1,050 gallons
Have you looked at your gallon use on your water bill? Can you make changes to get closer to “water efficiency” each month?
Water efficiency is:
2,440 gallons or less with 2 people in your house
4,880 gallons or less with 4 people in your house
Invisible water savings:
All products—food, beverages, containers, all things/stuff and energy— require water to produce. Each product has a water footprint that we cannot see directly but reduces the amount of freshwater available for use. Of all the fresh water Colorado uses, 89% goes to agriculture and the largest percent of our agriculture is in raising cattle.
Dinner at Park Burger? Choosing the Veggie Park Burger instead of the beef Park Burger = saves 570 gallons of water.*
Jeans have a hole but you already lived through that trend in the 80s? Choose second-hand jeans (sans holes) here and here instead of new = save 2,900 gallons of water
Vacation souvenir? Take a picture and leave the T-shirt in the shop = save 650 gallons of water
All that grocery shopping got ya thirsty? Wait until you get home and skip the plastic bottle = save 1.85 gallons of water
With just a few easy choices and habit changes we can ensure Colorado—and our global society—has enough water for drinking, food, daily life, recreation and our economy.
Denver City Council Lucky 7 District Update
by Jolon Clark, Councilman