By Steven Bonifazi / NewsBreak Denver
(DENVER, Colo.) Hello and welcome back to another Thursday edition of the Denver Daily Roundup, Denverites.
Today is Thursday, May 26. The weather in Denver is starting to warm up and is expected to last throughout Memorial Day Weekend.
Let's not waste anytime and get right into a few top, local stories from the NewsBreak Denver team you need to know more about this Thursday:
1. Denver requires HOAs to offer help during foreclosures
The Public Safety, Housing, Education and Homelessness Committee approved new regulations Wednesday on foreclosures as homeowners associations witness foreclosures on property owners in record numbers.
NewsBreak Denver's David Heitz reported there have been over 50 foreclosures in Green Valley Ranch in the past year for non-payment of fines for things including ripped screen doors, oil stains on the driveway and unauthorized basketball hoops. Denver’s new regulations, if approved by the full council on June 20, will require homeowners associations to:
- Provide at least 30 days written notice of property owners’ rights during a foreclosure. The information must be on a form approved by the city.
- Provide a list of legal and housing resources for homeowners facing foreclosure.
- Keep records of when homeowners received notice of foreclosure.
2. Free 'Wheel Deal' block party to tour Denver's District 10 neighborhoods
Denver councilmember Chris Hinds will host The Wheel Deal, a block party-like event, to offer Denverites a new way of community outreach.
The first of six Wheel Deal events will occur from 2 to 4 p.m. on May 29 on Acoma St. between 11th and 12th. Each Wheel Deal event will feature local art, food, entertainment, antique cars, bicycles and skateboards.
Denver's District 10 neighborhoods include Uptown, Golden Triangle, Capitol Hill, Cheesman Park, Congress Park, Alamo Placita, Country Club, Cherry Creek and Belcaro.
3. Curtis Park neighborhood rallies to improve Sonny Lawson Park
Sonny Lawson Park is getting a makeover with help from Curtis Park Neighbors and Denver Parks and Recreation.
Denver Parks and Rec partnered with the neighborhood organization to install an updated irrigation system and additional infrastructure improvements over the winter such as a permanent bathroom with an on-duty attendant, according to NewsBreak Denver's Margaret Jackson. Activities scheduled at Sonny Lawson Park:
- 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 25: Volunteers will plant the pollinator garden along California Street. The site is already cleared and the soil prepared.
- 5 to 7 p.m. June 3: A community celebration at the Charles R. Cousins Plaza at 24th and Welton streets to acknowledge park improvements. The celebration will coincide with the First Friday Jazz in the Plaza.
4. DougCo schools drop controversial Reading Recovery program
Elementary schools in Douglas County will no longer utilize Reading Recovery as a first-grade literacy intervention program.
The district spent $2.1 million in 2021-2022 on salaries, instruction material and related services for the program, according to data obtained through a CORA request. Additionally, the district's 30 literary specialists spent 20 percent of their time on Reading Recovery with 249 first graders this past year, NewsBreak Denver's Suzie Glassman reported.
Colorado's READ Act says districts do not have to utilize CDE-approved curricula, yet they have to show that their use is scientific and evidence-based.
Denver metro housing listings
- 3400 N Harrison Street, Denver, 80205: $252,000, $1,270 estimated monthly. Quadruplex. 2 beds, 1 bath, 849 sq. feet. Find more information here.
- 6550 E Mississippi Ave Unit 10, Denver, 80224: $335,000, $1,876 estimated monthly. Condominium. 2 beds, 1.5 baths, 1,045 sq. feet. Find more information here.
- 2747 W Amherst Ave, Denver, 80236: $485,000, no monthly estimate listed. Multi-family. 2 beds, 1 bath, 1,758 sq. feet. Find more information here.
- 2530 W 80th Ave, Denver, 80221: $525,000, $2,584 estimated monthly. Single-family. 3 beds, 2 baths, 2,147 sq. feet. Find more information here.
- 3218 S Holly Street, Denver, 80222: $625,000, no monthly estimate listed. Single-family. 3 beds, 1 bath, 2,112 sq. feet. Find more information here.