Gov. John Hickenlooper talks about the importance of Denver’s remodeled Union Station at a reception Tuesday night. (Lynn Bartels, The Denver Post)
Gov. John Hickenlooper stood in the renovated Denver Union Station Tuesday night and touted tourism and the economy while later dismissing political attacks.
Earlier that morning, the Colorado Tourism Office revealed spent an all-time high of $17.3 billion in Colorado in 2013 — facts that Hickenlooper was only to happy to point out that night.
On Tuesday afternoon, Republican Bob Beauprez, who wants to unseat Hickenlooper in November, protesting EPA power plant proposals and once again repeating his mantra about the lack of leadership in Colorado.
When asked about the charge, Hickenlooper shrugged.
“It’s a political season,” he said. “If I say ‘up,’ they’re going to say ‘down.’ If I say ‘left’ they’re going to say ‘right.'”
He reeled off a list of impressive economic stats from job growth to agricultural exports to the level of entrepreneurship taking place in Colorado. Then, of course, there’s the 120-year-old station’s $54 million . The grand opening was Saturday, and media reception was held Tuesday.
Joe Vostrejs, a partner in , a group tasked with the redevelopment of the historic building, said interest in the project has been phenomenal. He said he is fielding calls and e-mails from all over the country from people wanting to visit.
“In some respects it’s an unprecedented project,” Vostrejs said. “There are a lot of train stations that have been redone across the country. But I think the difference here is our train station — thanks to the forethought of a lot of people over the last 40 years — we’re sitting at the nexis of all this transportation, the light rail, the commuter rail, RTD. Everything converges here. It’s so dang convenient. It’s broken new grounds on how you can use a train station. Of course, when the trains start running to the airport, oh my god.”
Former state Sens. Jean White, R-Hayden, and Betty Boyd, D-Lakewood, and outgoing Sen. Lois Tochtrop, D-Adams County, at a reception Tuesday night at Denver’s Union Station. (Lynn Bartels, The Denver Post)
