NORTH CITY PARK CIVIC ASSOCIATION Where Quality Living is a Standard, not a Sideline David T. Goens. President. 3235 E. 28th Avenue 80205. 303-393-8-151 Emaii: david.goens ri Northf.ityf'ark.com

August 9, 2011

Honorable Albus Brooks Denver City Council, District 8 2713 Welton Street Denver, CO 80205

RE: Council Bill 11-0548; Application to rename the Northeast Denver Community Park

Dear Councilman Brooks,

Thank you for meeting with North City Park Civic Association and Civic Association of Clayton last week concerning the proposed re-naming of Northeast Denver Community Park to J. Langston Boyd Park.

We have two requests:

1. Pull CB11-0548 from the scheduled Council vote. 2. Reconsider the current renaming application by sending this matter back to the Denver Parks and Recreation Advisory Board for action after proper notification of RNO's and consideration of community impact pursuant to DPR published policy.

We make these requests after deliberation and research of the current application process:

Due process has not taken place due to lack of proper notification of hearings by Parks and Recreation to affected RNO's prior to action by DPRAB. This has resulted in irreparable harm to the process, in general, and the affected communities, in particular. and rendered DPRAB incapable of carrying out its mandated duties .. Confusing or unclear policy by the Parks and Recreation Naming of Parks and Recreational Facilities Policy which states:

4.2 Proposals to rename parks are not encouraged and should be entertained only after full investigation and consideration of the impact of dropping the current name.

5.1 Petition should show community support for the proposed name.

The petition circulated by Shorter Community AM.E. Church, located at Martin Luther King Blvd. and Richard Allen Court and adjacent to Northeast Denver Community Park, located at Martin Luther Kind Bovd. And Colorado Blvd. did not include petition circulation to the communities of Greater Park Hill, North City Park / Skyland, Clayton, or N.E. Park Hill; all neighborhoods with official Registered Neighborhood Organizations.

An audit of the petition presented to Parks and Recreation revealed that less than 20% of the signors lived in North City Park (SkylandO where the park currently exists, or in the surrounding Neighborhoods. The majority of those who signed the petition are members of Shorter AME Church and live outside of any of the aforementioned neighborhoods. The net result is that the destiny of a NEIGHBORHOOD PARK is controlled by a city wide community and the community of neighborhoods in which the park exists and those neighborhoods which physically touch the park are excluded from community impact consideration as required by DPR policy. This impact cannot be reconciled with long established DPR pattern and practice concerning both notification of hearings and the definition and consideration of community impact. HISTORY:

The Park was the result of decades of effort dating from the 1960's primarily by members of North City Park Civic Association, along with Park Hill, Clayton and Whittier communities with the express purpose of keeping commercial interests at bay and to honor the many noteworthy community leaders as well as the common and unnamed "Foot Soldiers" dedicated to community building, human rights, complete inclusiveness, and the celebration of diversity who have and continue to work on behalf of the North East quadrant of Denver and the city as a whole, including the Reverend J. Langston Boyd Jr..

A few other neighbors and community leaders who served (and some who continue to serve) - who are honored with the current park name of Northeast Denver Community Park include:

George Brown, Lt. Governor Wellington Webb, Mayor Hiawatha Davis, Councilman Mildred Pitts Walter, Writer Harold Brewer, Community Activist J. Langston Boyd, Jr., Pastor AI and Claudette Rue, Community Activists Rosemary Marshall, State Representative Rachael B. Noel, DPS Board Member Carla Madison, Councilwoman Charles Cousins, Businessman Elbra Wedgeworth, Councilwoman , State Representative Omar Blair, DPS Board Member Regis Groff, State Senator Charles Burrell, Musician Darrell Anderson, Artist Gloria Tanner, State Senator James D. Peters, Jr., Pastor Anthony Thomas, Community Activist

We support maintaining the current name of the Park to honor the historical significance intended by the original founders and the proper honoring and recognition of both community leaders and "Foot Soldiers". In addition, we support the founders intent and, yet, the improvement of the park in a more contemporary fashion by honoring specific individuals in the form of a monument, memorial station, outdoor interactive library, size-appropriate statuary, special garden, dedicated benches or other monumental or feature.

We encourage and are willing to facilitate a task force formed of all interested parties representing the community at-large to develop various ideas and investigate costs for proper honoring/memorial and the funding of such costs of improvement.

We encourage you to postpone the Council vote and the renaming Ordinance (CB11-0548) and propose mediation between Church leaders and RNO leaders from Whittier, NE PH, GPH NCPCA and Clayton to encourage working together to assess the issue and develop a plan that all can live with.

Respectfully, ;\'j~~ Qh6JR David T. Goens Deborah Fard President, Vice President North City Park Civic Association North City Park Civic Association

~~n~ North City Park Civic Association

Cc: Councilwoman Robin Kniech, At Large Councilwoman Deborah Ortega, At Large Councilwoman Susan K. Shepherd, District 1 Councilwoman Jeanne Faatz, District 2 Councilman Paul D. Lopez, District 3 Councilwoman Peggy Lehmann (Council President Pro Tem), District 4 Councilwoman Mary Beth Susman, District 5 Councilman Charlie Brown, District 6 Councilman Chris Nevitt (Council President), District 7 Councilwoman Judy H. Montero, District 9 Councilwoman Jeanne Robb, District 10 Councilman Christopher Herndon, District 11 Mayor Michael B. Hancock Denver Parks and Recreation Denver Parks and Recreation Advisory Board City Park West Neighborhood Association Civic Association of Clayton Clayton Neighborhood Association Five Points Business District Greater Park Hill Community, Inc. Inter- Neighborhood Cooperation Neighborhood Advisory Committee to the Botanic Gardens Northeast Community Congress for Education Northeast Park Hill Coalition Points Historical redevelopment Corp. United Community Action Network Inc. Whittier Neighborhood Association