After meeting several times with various neighborhood and business groups, the Colorado Department of Transportation has come to several compromises for increasing safety along Hampden Avenue and Havana Street in Denver and Aurora.
At first, the proposal, funded by federal safety dollars, was to put a concrete median all along Hampden and Havana to prevent left turns other than at street lights.
But that plan has been shelved in favor of a less drastic solution.
“I think we have a solution we can move forward with that balances both the needs of businesses as well as the safety of the traveling public,” said Mindy Crane, spokeswoman for CDOT.
The solution has been to nix the median proposal for Hampden in Denver and to rethink the one proposed for Havana in Aurora.
Tory Belsky, co-owner of the New York Deli News on Hampden, gave four weeks of her time to fighting the median proposal, which would have blocked delivery trucks and customers trying to turn left (north) into her driveway off Hampden.
“It’s not happening,” Belsky said Thursday. “We got the speed limit lowered from 45 to 40. I would like it to be 35, but I’ll take 40.”
Belsky said the new proposal calls for putting small medians around the proposed Target building at Tamarac Square.
After the speed limit drops, Belsky and her neighbors plan to walk along Hampden, cross the street at crosswalks and make sure the lights are long enough for pedestrians to cross safely.
For Aurora’s part, discussions are still underway to reconfigure the originally proposed median to include inlets and outlets that access businesses.
New CEO.
Jeff Potter, the former CEO of the once-flying-high Frontier Airlines has stepped down as the CEO of Exclusive Resorts and will remain with the luxury destination club as a member of the board of directors.
Philippe Bourguignon will take the reins as CEO. Bourguignon’s career highlights include chairman and CEO of Euro Disney, chairman and CEO of Club Med, president of Accor for the Asia/Pacific region and executive vice president for North America, vice chairman of Revolution Places and CEO of Miraval Resorts.
Lacroixs pull up stakes.
Colorado Avalanche president Pierre Lacroix and his wife, Coco, have sold their four-bedroom, four- bath home in Country Club Lane for $1.15 million.
The 5,251-square-foot home is in a gated community, with a finished basement with a bar as well as media and guest suites.
Freebie.
Johnny’s New York Pizza, 1000 S. Wadsworth Blvd., will dole out free 12-inch pizzas to Rockies fans should the hometown baseball team sweep the New York Yankees during the three-game set at Yankee Stadium today, Saturday and Sunday. The pizza giveaway date has not been announced.
Johnny’s owner John Keiley is so convinced that the Rockies will sweep this interleague series that he painted the main window of his Lakewood storefront with that prediction in January.
Eavesdropping
on a man at Piatti in Cherry Creek: “Sorry for the shakes, but I’m Irish and I’m sober.”
Penny Parker’s column appears Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday. Hear her on “Caplis & Silverman” between 4 and 5 p.m. Fridays on KHOW-AM (630). Call her at 303-954-5224 or e-mail pparker@denverpost.com.
