WR2020 E-News November 13, 2009

In this issue:

Please send proxy vote or attend Annual Meeting on November 17
Policy change progress with Comprehensive Plan and 2A & 2B
WR2020 and City awarded grant for 38th Avenue market study
Shop locally and fill out a Passport for your chance to win
Meet new WR2020 team members

Please send proxy vote or attend Annual Meeting on November 17

Three board seats are up for election at the November 17th annual meeting for Wheat Ridge 2020. Our members (if you receive this email you are a member) vote on our board slate. If you are unable to attend the meeting, please print this form, vote and return it to our office by noon on November 17. Otherwise please attend and bring a friend.

Wheat Ridge 2020 Annual Meeting
6:00-7:30pm, Tuesday, November 17
Wheat Ridge Recreation Center

Besides electing board members, we will watch a short video about WR2020 clients, hear from our committees on their work and how you can get involved and have plenty of time for meeting fun people who share a passion for our community.

The following gives a little background on our slate of nominees to the board.

David Land-Closson is a Wheat Ridge resident. He was the first recipient of a WR2020 Frontyard Landscape Grant. He has also volunteered to help other recipients with their landscape plans as he is a professional landscape architect at Davis Partnership Architects.

Carol Salzmann is a Wheat Ridge resident. She is also the Executive Director and Vice President of the Lutheran Medical Foundation. Carol has represented the largest employer in Wheat Ridge on our board for the past two terms.

Don Seyfer is a Wheat Ridge resident. He owns Seyfer Automotive on Harlan in eastern Wheat Ridge and recently invested in major façade and sign improvements to his business. He has served two terms on the WR2020 board.

Please approve or reject this slate with your vote and get it into the WR2020 office today.

Policy change progress with Comprehensive Plan and 2A & 2B

Thank you to all of our members and neighbors who gave input and advocated for the passage of the recently adopted Comprehensive Plan. The plan provides a progressive vision for Wheat Ridge that encompasses the goals of the Neighborhood Revitalization Strategy and identifies Wheat Ridge 2020 as a key partner in achieving the vision. Our compliments to the City Council, Mayor, city staff and citizens who worked so hard in achieving this key policy goal.

We also gave thanks for the passage of 2A & 2B in the recent city election. Wheat Ridge has now opened the door to conversation on appropriate development on the I-70 and Wadsworth corridors. While many market challenges remain, regulating height and density through the zoning code rather than the city charter in these urban renewal areas removes a technical barrier to investment and development.

Wheat Ridge 2020 would like to acknowledge and thank Wheat Ridge resident and University of Colorado— Denver graduate student Jennifer Walter for her help in creating educational materials on 2A & 2B and coordinating our educational forum.

Additionally, Wheat Ridge 2020 congratulates our newly elected and re-elected City Council members and Mayor. We look forward to working with you and existing Council members as we face challenges and respond to opportunities facing our community.

WR2020 and City awarded grant for 38th Avenue market study

Wheat Ridge 2020 is pleased to announce our participation in the Community Revitalization Partnership Program. The Department of Local Affairs has awarded the City of Wheat Ridge $3000 in matching grant assistance to help us pay for a team of experts to help in conducting a market study for 38th Avenue, Sheridan to Wadsworth. The team is coordinated by Downtown Colorado, Inc. and will be hosted by Wheat Ridge 2020 December 2-3. In preparation, we are surveying local businesses, property owners and customers along 38th Avenue to share information on what is currently happening in the local market. Business, property owners or customers who are interested may participate in focus groups on the evening of December 2. Please contact dbalkaswheatridge2020 dot org to get more specific information on attending. There will also be a final presentation on findings December 3 and a report with implementation strategies. The Neighborhood Revitalization Strategy and Comprehensive Plan call for a detailed look at 38th Avenue and this market study will help provide information to help guide our strategies and investments on the corridor.

Shop local and fill out a Passport for your chance to win

You may find yourself with shopping lists this time of year and we want you to start your shopping locally. Wheat Ridge business organizations have banded together to support Passport to Wheat Ridge, a new "shop local" campaign that culminates with a prize drawing for shoppers and promotes the city's businesses during the upcoming holiday shopping season.

"Beginning November 1, download a Passport to Wheat Ridge at www.ewheatridge.com or pick one up at designated locations. Spend a minimum of $5 at any Wheat Ridge business, have the merchant verify it on your passport and you'll earn entries for a drawing of fantastic prizes,"said
Loretta DiTirro, Enterprise Wheat Ridge President.

Each passport contains squares for eight businesses. Once completed, participants drop the passport at a designated location such as Wheat Ridge 2020. There's no limit on the number of entries, and winners need not be present at the drawing to win. The campaign runs through 5 p.m. on December 31, with the prize drawing conducted at the Enterprise Wheat Ridge breakfast
meeting on Tuesday, January 12, 2010.

We hope you will shop and win as you support Wheat Ridge businesses.

Meet new WR2020 team members

Wheat Ridge 2020 Executive Director Britta Fisher has reached out to partner organizations to help fill some of our short-term staffing resources utilizing programs funded by federal stimulus. There are several new faces on the Wheat Ridge 2020 team.

Nancy Ford, Business Outreach Intern
Nancy Ford,
Business Outreach
Intern

Nancy Ford is a marketing research consultant and instructor of business and the fiber arts. As an avid supporter of small business, she is currently enjoying her outreach to the Wheat Ridge businesses on West 38th Avenue. When not working at Wheat Ridge 2020, she is writing a book on weaving and creating fiber art. Nancy was placed with Wheat Ridge 2020 through
the Grow Your Own Employee program of the Jefferson County Workforce Center.

Sharon Legg, Community Development Intern
Sharon Legg,
Community
Development
Intern

Sharon moved to Denver in early summer of 2009 from Tucson, Arizona, to be closer to the mountains for hiking and skiing. She found herself in landing in Wheat Ridge and is now working with neighbors in targeted parts of Wheat Ridge to make community investments. Sharon was also matched with WR2020 through the Jefferson County Workforce Center.

Her background is in healthcare and marketing where she did clinical pathology analysis as a medical technologist, market research, business development and product management. Sharon has a Bachelor of Science in Business/Marketing from the University of Utah and a Masters of Business Administration from Norwich University.

Kat Ross, Office Assistant
Kat Ross,
Office Assistant

Katherine Ross brings a wide range of work, educational, and life experiences. Her previous work associations include Centura Health, El Paso County, and UCCS. She holds a degree in Fine Arts from the University of Colorado and a two-year degree in Computer Information Systems. Kat's current artistic endeavors include creating vision and memory boards and writing
personalized versions of Haiku. She also enjoys hiking, biking, horseback riding, bowling and attending cultural events.

Kat was placed for training with WR2020 through the Senior Community Service Employment Program.

We hope you will join us in welcoming these talented ladies to the Wheat Ridge 2020 team.