Thank You & Happy New Year
As 2023 begins, I wish to thank everyone who supported my election campaigns in 2020 and 2021, in particular my wife, Lora, and our friends, Ellen and Liz, who helped canvas each year. It has been an honor and a privilege to serve two concurrent terms as the District 11 Community Delegate, and I trust whoever prevails in the race to hold the North End leadership role in 2023 will be a passionate supporter of the community and its evolving needs.
A 501(c)(4) nonprofit community organization, the master community association (MCA) operates by consensus, with the board of directors (BOD) ratifying issues brought forth by the community delegates. The MCA is an integral component of our community, and its decisions have a lasting impact on our quality of life, including but not limited to the resale value of our property.
Sunset at Central Park, Denver, Colorado
In the past two years there has been great progress in Central Park, a collection of twelve distinct neighborhoods bound by common governance, and I am proud to have been actively involved in a range of issues, from diversifying the board to bolstering programs for income qualified individuals and families to working to ensure the long-term financial viability of the community at large.
Yet, the MCA is not the only citizen led organization that has a profound impact on our community, and I encourage everyone to take it upon themselves to learn more about the vital role that the Westerly Creek Metropolitan District (WCMD), the Park Creek Metropolitan District (PCMD), and the Stapleton Development Corporation (SDC) play, and how they interact with the MCA.
During my tenure as the District 11 Community Delegate, the MCA board formally came under resident owner control as the developers Forrest City (former) and Brookfield (current) relinquished control, voluntarily giving up their BOD seats. This was a planned action, one that was drafted into the governing documents of Central Park, and came as no surprise.
By contrast, the evolving relationship between WCMD, which collects the Mill Levy, a special tax every Central Park owner pays, and PCMD, the organization that spends the Mill Levy, constructing and maintaining a variety of structures throughout the community, has been contentious, with the SDC, partially comprised of members of WCMD and PCMD, acting as a counterbalance.
Lora A. Wilson, PhD and John B. Holt, MPS
After years of legal wrangling, the cost of which is paid by Central Park owners, WCMD and PCMD have agreed to terms that will change the composition of their respective boards and potentially alter the nature of their relationship. Again, I encourage everyone to take an active interest in the intersection of the MCA, WCMD, PCMD, and the SDC, for their interactions have the potential to profoundly impact property values and more.
To learn more about this and other pertinent community matters, please contact your community delegate as she/he will have the most up to date information. Also, if you wish to become more involved in decisions that impact everything from parks to pools to programs, please consider attending the monthly MCA meetings, which offer a platform for residents to speak.
Once more, thank you everyone who supported my election campaigns in 2020 and 2021, it has been a rewarding experience to serve the community I call home, and I trust that whoever takes on the mantle of District 11 Community Delegate in 2023 will do so with purpose and vision. Of course, I was pleased to endorse my friend and neighbor, Josh Dembicki, for the role in 2022, and if duly elected, trust he will do great work.
Lastly, the website I designed, built, and maintain, North End Neighbors, will remain online for several quarters, serving as a reference point for issues past and present, e.g., the blog section contains articles on a range of subjects with links to pertinent resources.