Alterra Mountain Company is moving its headquarters to a city-owned building (formerly owned by The Denver Post¶¶Òőap parent company) that has struggled to rent its office space.

The 16th Street rebuild is complete, and free buses are running seamlessly again from Civic Center to Union Station.

The University of Colorado Denver bought prime real estate needed to help fill vacant commercial space on the mall.

And the Downtown Denver Development Authority purchased the struggling Denver Pavilions.

None of these projects are happening by accident. The City of Denver, led by Mayor Mike Johnston’s vision to anchor each block of downtown with an attraction, is engaging in a concerted effort to attract investors.

In total, tax revenue flowing into the Downtown Denver Development Authority (DDDA) . Voters approved a plan to allow the authority to retain tax increment financing in 2024, and now those investments are taking shape.

The area from Union Station to Civic Center Park — often called the Central Business District or midtown — has failed to recover from the COVID work-from-home exodus that devastated our skyscrapers and the businesses that depend on weekday workers.

Desperate times require drastic measures, and this city’s beating heart cannot be allowed to fail. It is through that lens that we now applaud a level of public investment and corporate incentives that we would otherwise be uncomfortable with.

But we urge caution. The DDDA must remember that it is using a finite resource — taxpayer money. Being good stewards of that money is not only essential to the success of their mission, but taxpayers are watching and keeping tabs. Future voters will take note of how these deals play out.

Just last month, an experimental theater closed its doors without ever putting on a show, taking with it a $400,000 taxpayer-funded loan from the DDDA that will likely never be repaid.

The list of positive advances, however, is longer than the list of setbacks.

Alterra Mountain Company announced plans on Thursday to move its headquarters from its existing space in the hip RiNo neighborhood to the old Denver Post building, where the central business district meets Civic Center Park.

The deal – brokered with about $11 million in city and state incentives and loans – only makes sense under the condition that Alterra was considering moving its headquarters to Utah and the money from the DDDA and the state helped inspire the company to stay. We don’t like this arms race of corporate handouts, but we understand why the city must play it at this juncture of history.

The ski company will be an anchor for the southern end of the newly revitalized 16th Street, which, at least for now, has a continuous free shuttle running from the Civic Center transit hub northwest to Union Station. Alterra, which operates the IKON ski pass, and plans to move into the building at 101 W. Colfax Ave. in about a year.

Alterra’s chairman said during an interview Wednesday with The Denver Post that part of what sealed the deal was the vision of the state’s second-largest ski company becoming a part of the city’s civic fabric. We are excited to see how this vision plays out — a sledding hill in Civic Center Park, snowmaking on the now empty gravel pit near the transit hub, or some other urban nod to our mountain sports.

One medium-sized company that only requires employees in office a few times a week moving its headquarters two miles to a new building, isn’t going to fix everything overnight. Downtown is plagued by vacant commercial real estate, skyscrapers selling for pennies on the dollar and a general lack of foot traffic for businesses. There is still open drug use happening on the streets and close to the city’s homeless shelters, large groups gather during the days.

But the Alterra deal comes on the heels of another big announcement. Just as Rock Bottom Brewery announced it was closing its flagship location on 16th Street, the University of Colorado Denver announced it was buying the entire city block that the restaurant called home, including the 25-story tower on Independence Plaza.

The Denver Downtown Development Authority kicked in $4.5 million to help CU Denver buy the property for a total of $28 million. The DDDA is going to launch a small business startup lab in the building, focusing on helping local entrepreneurs build their businesses.

To get a feel for how dire things had become in the area, Independence Plaza last sold for $144 million in 2007.

We are glad that the DDDA is keeping the mall afloat until customers and tenants return, but we are skeptical about plans to pour millions more into the outdoor mall to reconfigure it and add condominiums on surface parking lots behind the mall.

Denver still has a long way to go to get back to the pre-COVID baseline, but with a half-billion dollars, a workable plan of attack and good stewardship of taxpayer money, this city will survive these downtimes.

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The city has had an ordinance in place since July 1 that requires the company to use technology to prevent the practice, which has drawn complaints for years. But still, residents have said that the problem continues.

“When the public was told there would be a new law that prevents people from riding on sidewalks on July 1, and yet there are still people riding on sidewalks, it¶¶Òőap an erosion of trust,” Councilman Chris Hinds said during a committee meeting Wednesday.

Nick Williams, a deputy manager in the city’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure, said the company had rolled out some of the new technology — like audible alerts telling riders to leave the sidewalk — but he didn’t know when they would start using other techniques.

“Ridership on sidewalks has not gone as we hoped,” Williams said during the meeting. “That and misparked vehicles are the two biggest elements that create that friction between riders and nonriders. … We recognize this is one of the biggest threats to this program.”

As of Aug. 10, those who repeatedly ride on sidewalks can be punished with up to a $10 fine and an account suspension if they violate the rule at least four times, said Alaina McWhorter, the legislative liaison for DOTI. For the first and second offense, the rider receives a warning. For a third offense, they are fined $5.

Veo took over as the city’s sole scooter provider in May after the council voted to end the city’s relationship with the previous companies, Bird and Lime.

Its implementation of sidewalk restrictions has been slower than some officials hoped, but the company cited progress on Friday.

At the start, Veo spokeswoman Paige Miller wrote in an email, all rides on the company’s fleet began with an audio reminder encouraging riders to stay off sidewalks. And on July 1, she said, Veo activated a feature that provides audible warnings during rides downtown when the system detects possible sidewalk riding, urging riders to move to the street or a bike lane.

Since last week, she said, devices have triggered more than 300 automatic “slowdowns” using a newly active feature on certain downtown sidewalk segments. Veo has also recently prompted app users to take an online pledge not to ride on sidewalks.

“In coordination with DOTI, as we roll out slow zones, we will initially prioritize corridors with adjacent protected bike lanes so riders have a safe alternative nearby, as many riders who use sidewalks do so because they do not feel safe riding in the street,” Miller wrote.

New technology coming

The company is also planning to roll out additional deterrence through LiDAR — short for light detection and ranging — technology that improves sidewalk detection, allowing the company to cap the speed of any devices that go on a sidewalk to only 6 mph.

“I’m confident that within the next two to four weeks we should be able to give a more detailed timeline on when additional technology is expected to be completely rolled out,” said Williams, from DOTI.

Sidewalk riding has been illegal in Denver, at least officially, since the council passed an ordinance banning it in 2019. Then in 2025, the council passed another ordinance aimed at enforcing that rule. The only time riders are allowed to use sidewalks is if they are on the block where they plan to park the device, and they must ride at a maximum of 6 mph, rather than the usual 15 mph.

There were nearly 340,000 “sidewalk riding events” — which included illegal activity and legitimate use of sidewalks, such as for parking or starting a trip — between May 16 and June 30, according to a DOTI report.

Miller said that since more-active alerts began during rides downtown, Veo has seen a 10% drop in detected sidewalk riding.

But she said the company’s implementation of its anti-sidewalk technology would need to “reflect conditions in each neighborhood.”

“There is more work to be done, and DOTI and Veo will continue working with council members and community stakeholders to determine where and how these measures should expand,” Miller said.

The Colorado Polling Institute recently conducted a poll showing that nearly two-thirds of Denver voters saw more benefit than downside in the city’s electric bike and scooter program, with most supporters saying they approved because it either offered a convenient travel option or helped reduce car dependency.

Most of the people who had a negative opinion of the riders said they were concerned about reckless driving and the danger to pedestrians. About a third of that group said they were frustrated by the improper parking of the devices.

Parking problems

Veo is also working on addressing riders who leave their devices in the middle of sidewalks or in front yards, McWhorter said. One way officials are doing that is by installing parking corrals so that riders can see them on a map and know where is a safe place to leave their devices.

Some areas, like near Union Station, will soon have mandated corrals so that travelers can’t end their rides until the device is in one of the pre-set locations.

The city already has 280 parking corrals, with plans to add 40 more by the end of the year and 110 more next year.

The company is also working on rolling out “slow zones” where the devices can’t run at their top speed. Slow zones are already in place around public schools, the Cherry Creek mall, the 16th Street mall, Coors Field on game days and Wynkoop Plaza at Union Station.

DOTI officials said that while they see ongoing problems with the technology, they’re also proud of the rollout so far. Ridership in the program was up 12% in May and June compared to the same months last year, McWhorter said.

About 40% of the rides are through the company’s “access rides” program, which provides a discounted rate for income-qualified individuals. About 8,000 of the users under the previous providers — Lime and Bird — were using a similar program.

Veo says it has 11,000 people enrolled for the discount. About three-fourths of all rides are from people who live in Denver.

Through Nov. 8. Now a tradition, the surreal, lit-from-within sculptures of Bright Nights are back at Four Mile Historic Park with another round of gorgeous lantern sculptures that in some cases take 200 hours and 25 people to complete. “This year travels through space and time,” with oversized insects, flowers, sharks, and more.

Shows run 7 p.m.-11 p.m. Wednesdays-Sundays, through Nov. 8, at 715 S. Forest St. in Denver. Tickets: $28 online, $30 walk-up; $21-$23 for kids. Food trucks will be on site. Call 720-865-0800 or visit for more.

Union Station + Latin America

Sunday. The plaza around Denver Union Station is about to get even more lively on Sunday, Sept. 6, with “Ritmo & RaĂ­ces: A Latin American Heritage Celebration.” The event — Spanish for “rhythm and roots” — kicks off Hispanic Heritage Month with a free, family-friendly celebration featuring live music, traditional and contemporary dance, food, and history, organizers said.

The 11 a.m.-3 p.m. event, hosted with the Mexican Cultural Center, takes place on Wynkoop Plaza and the Terminal Bar patio, and also offers free face painting, bilingual tours of Denver Union Station, community-partner craft stations and Latin American-inspired food and beverage specials throughout. (Guests 21+ can also hit up the Terminal Bar Patio for a donation-based tequila tasting experience.) 1701 Wynkoop St. in Denver.

Remembering 9/11

Thursday. Aurora’s Colorado Freedom Memorial will, on Thursday, Sept. 10, mark a solemn occasion with “On the Eve of Change, Remembering the 25th Anniversary of 9/11.” The free, public program will feature “stories about the night before 9/11 in Denver as well as Jason Dahl, the United Airlines pilot of Flight 93, that crashed in Shanksville, Pa.,” organizers wrote. “There will be a civilian flyover, a static display of photos from 9/11 and a piece of steel from the North Tower of the World Trade Center,” plus firefighters and service members reading the names of those who were lost.

The Colorado Freedom Memorial is located at Memorial Park, at 756 Telluride St. in Aurora. The event will begin at 5:30 p.m., and seating is limited so attendees are encouraged to bring chairs. Visit for more details.

Symphonic folk

Sunday-Monday. When Boulder’s Gregory Alan Isakov takes the stage, there’s always the potential for magic. The longtime singer-songwriter, who sells out major venues internationally, is back in Colorado for a pair of shows at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, and he’s brought Colorado Symphony back with him.

The artists’ years-long, live collaborations have only gotten better since they started more than a decade ago, so expect a chemistry you wouldn’t often find with most pop-symphony sets (folkie or otherwise). 8 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 6, and Monday, Sept. 7, at 18300 W. Alameda Parkway in Morrison. Both shows still have resale tickets available, starting around $150-$200, via .

The Front Range Passenger Rail District’s Board of Directors voted 14-1 to refer the during a board meeting Friday morning at the Transportation Technology Center, a federal rail testing facility near Pueblo, after hearing mostly supportive public comments from community members.

If voters approve the tax, the measure will expand service for the Colorado Connector, or CoCo, a rail line funded in part by the Regional Transportation District and Colorado Department of Transportation that is set to link Denver’s Union Station to Westminster, Broomfield, Louisville, Boulder, Longmont, Loveland and Fort Collins through three daily trips starting in 2029.

The 0.333% sales tax – equivalent to 33 cents on every $100 spent – would extend the Colorado Connector south, adding two daily trips between Union Station and Sterling Ranch, Littleton, Colorado Springs and Pueblo. It would also add a fourth daily trip to the northern section of the line.

The tax won’t apply to items exempt under state law, including food, gasoline, residential electricity and gas, prescription drugs and medical supplies.

Community leaders and residents from across the region spoke in favor of the measure before the board vote Friday morning.

Larimer County Commissioner Kristin Stephens told the board that Fort Collins has been waiting for the train to become a reality for decades.

“I’ve heard some comments that this is not a good economic driver for Colorado and I think that is absolutely wrong,” she said. “States that have done this have thrived, and we need to do this for our state.”

Denver resident Gable Patterson also spoke in support of the measure and said he hopes people can see across party lines to see the benefit of the measure.

“We have already seen what happens when we just endlessly expand highways, and it is time to do something different,” he said.

Natalie Menten, a former RTD director from Jefferson County, spoke in opposition to the measure and said she could not see herself using the train. She also rarely uses RTD, she added.

Before the vote, Director Claire Levy — a Boulder County commissioner who represents a FasTracks community on the board — said the rail expansion should be looked at in the context of all of the transit expansion across Colorado, including more Bustang service and efforts to revive the Mountain Rail between Denver and Grand County, and eventually to the Western Slope.

“We shouldn’t overlook the transformative potential of this project to change how people get around Colorado for the better,” Levy said. “This couldn’t come at a better time with climate change and the impacts that’s having on everyday life.”

Rail district officials estimate the train will have the same environmental effect as permanently taking 29,000 cars off the road by saving an estimated 233 million vehicle miles a year.

El Paso County Commissioner Cory Applegate, who represents the Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments on the board, was the sole no vote.

In a statement to The Denver Post, Applegate said while he supports investing in transportation, there are still “significant questions” about project costs, how many people will likely ride the train and how it will benefit El Paso County and the Pikes Peak region.

“At a time when families and businesses are already dealing with higher costs, I did not believe this proposal provided the financial certainty or accountability necessary to justify such a substantial new tax burden,” he said.

“Denver does have very good Thai restaurants, and I respect that,” owner Shekhar Pokhrel told BusinessDen. “We’re not coming to reinvent Thai food. We use fresh spices, have wok cooking. That¶¶Òőap what we bring.”

Pokhrel will bring his pad thai and curries to 1625 Wynkoop, keeping the menu the same as his other restaurants. The cocktail section, however, will be bigger since there’s a larger bar in the space.

He said drinks will be “tropical-inspired” and served at a discount during daily happy hours alongside wine and beer.

“The core menu will be very familiar with the Busaba customer,” Pokhrel said. “I don’t want someone who comes to both Louisville and Denver to feel out of place at either.”

The build-out for the place is largely straightforward. Zoe Ma Ma’s kitchen is still in good shape, so the changes will be mostly cosmetic for the full-service restaurant, which will seat 85 people inside and has an outdoor patio.

Pokhrel signed a five-year lease for the space.

“I could not think of a better location in Denver,” he said of the spot, which is to the west of the train station and next to Thirsty Lion. “We’re going to bring a modern and sophisticated Thai vibe, like a modern cozy neighborhood spot. But it¶¶Òőap not like you need to be dressed up to go.

“When you go to Busaba, you can just go in your shorts and enjoy the happy hour.”

Pokhrel, a Nepal native, bought Busaba seven years ago from the family that founded it in 2010. That family, led by Suthinee “Mama” Phairatphiboon, built out a menu with recipes from life in Bangkok, Thailand.

Pokhrel came to Colorado 27 years ago to attend University of Colorado Boulder, where he graduated in 2006 with an accounting degree. After stints in Minnesota and New York, he came back to the state in 2014. Busaba in Louisville became his go-to spot, and when “Mama” and her family wanted to retire and move back to Thailand, Pokhrel bought the business.

At the time, the spot only had its Louisville location. But Pokhrel expanded Busaba gradually over the years. He said most of those were by happenstance and he wasn’t seeking them out. With Denver, it was different.

“Our customers have been asking us to come here for a long time, really since the first week I took over,” he said. “We wanted to wait for the right location, and this one feels like the right one to me. Being close to Union Station, you can have someone who lives two blocks away next to someone who just got off a plane at the airport. You have everyone here.”

Read more from our partner, .

The company, founded by Ari Rubin in 2020, is trimming its footprint from 5,500 square feet to 3,300 in the move. Flock was represented by Andrew Piepgras of Lincoln Property Co. in the two-year lease deal.

“We initially leased that space with the expectation that we were going to grow the team in Denver, but three things have happened,” Rubin said of the LoHi space. “We decided to grow a lot of our team to be more distributed to better deal with the real estate we have that¶¶Òőap more dispersed across the country.

“The Colorado real estate market has also been weird. It¶¶Òőap slowed a lot, so we’ve grown less here,” he continued. “And the third thing is AI has just shifted the type of people and amount of people you need to run any kind of business, in particular a real estate business.”

Rubin and Flock eyed a downtown office because it¶¶Òőap even closer to key highways and Union Station. With clients often coming in from the airport, he wanted them to have less friction than they had in LoHi and, before that, Cherry Creek.

Along with an office in Denver, Rubin also has an office in the Bay Area of California, where he lives, and in New York City. The business also recently leased space in Ohio, its largest market by the number of homes, and has several employees in Atlanta, Georgia.

He also has remote employees scattered across Arizona, Florida, Texas and the rest of the country, bringing Flock’s total headcount to 50.

“For the nature of our business, we have to have an in-field presence to get boots on the ground in places and check up on properties,” he said.

Flock appraises homes of landlords looking to sell without triggering costly capital gains taxes. Instead, Rubin and Flock buy the homes through a process called a 721 exchange and then offer shares of its total fund at that value, minus a processing fee Rubin said is comparable to paying a broker.

Flock manages and collects rent on those properties, handling about half itself and using property managers for the others. That money is paid out in quarterly dividends to its shareholders.

Flock has 1,805 homes in the fund, which is worth $350 million, Rubin said. That number has doubled in the past year and pays out $1 million quarterly.

Rubin declined to comment on the company’s revenue, which comprises asset management and onboarding fees. He told BusinessDen in early 2025 that Flock posted $10 million in revenue in 2024.

Rubin said Flock’s top markets are Ohio, Colorado, North Carolina, Texas and the Kansas City area.

“Phoenix and all these Sun Belt markets where everybody said people are moving there during COVID, they’re down 15% from its peaks,” Rubin said. “If you said to people five years ago that it’d be going through the patch it¶¶Òőap going through now, people would look at you like you’re crazy.

“But in Ohio, you’re seeing amazing occupancy because people are moving there for affordability,” he continued. “You just never know what¶¶Òőap going to happen.”

Denver Mayor Mike Johnston brought Mosher, who had headed the redevelopment of Union Station, out of semi-retirement to serve as his manager of special projects in 2024.

“When Bill joined the team, he said he wanted to help the city, the mayor, and downtown. I can confidently say he has done all three,” Johnston said in the announcement. “Bill is an amazing advocate for Denver and has forgotten more about downtown than most of us will ever know.”

Mosher has assisted the city’s efforts to redevelop the Burnham Yard area into a new stadium for the Denver Broncos and to revive Upper Downtown.

The region’s largest concentration of office towers, which were built mostly during the oil and gas boom, has fallen on hard times since the pandemic sent workers home. Many towers sit more than half empty, and some have sold at 5 cents on the dollar paid in better times.

“After 50 years of experience in nonprofit and real estate, the last place I expected to end up was in City Hall, but I’ll forever be grateful that I did,” Mosher said in a statement. “I’m incredibly proud of the work we’ve done to address downtown’s challenges, particularly around the revitalization of 16th Street and Upper Downtown, as well as the commitment we’ve made to invest as a community through the Downtown Development Authority (DDA).”

Denver voters in 2024 expanded the boundaries of the DDA, which was created to assist in the redevelopment of Union Station and Market Street Station, and approved $570 million in funding.

A little over half of the money has been allocated, with the two largest awards funding a low-interest loan for the redevelopment of the twin towers of the Denver Energy Center and the purchase of the Denver Pavilions and two nearby parking lots.

Mosher has compared the importance of the Denver Pavilions to Upper Downtown’s renewal to what Union Station represented for the LoDo area.

“Bill’s impact on Denver goes well beyond any single project or initiative. He brought decades of development experience to lead DDA at a moment when downtown needed both fresh thinking and experienced leadership,” said Matt Archuletta, regional director of The Beck Group, which is closely involved in restoring several buildings. “We are a better Denver because Bill chose to invest his expertise back into this community.”

Mosher, a Denver native, will continue to serve as CEO of the Denver Convention Center Hotel Authority, the nonprofit corporation behind the $285 million, 1,100-room Hyatt Convention Center Hotel built in 2005 and recently renovated.

Mosher’s consulting responsibilities will transition to Chief of Staff Jenn Ridder and Deputy Chief Projects Officer Jen Welborn.

Tens of thousands of “The Last of the Bugs” are expected at the Colorado stops of the on Saturday and Sunday night, according to the agency.

Coors Field has the capacity to host more than 50,000 people.

RTD plans to add cars to the both nights, officials said in a news release. All RTD services will run on regular schedules.

The A, B, C, E, G, N and W lines all stop at Union Station near the ballpark, which is about a half mile walk. Bus routes 120X, 38, 52, RX and 8 also stop near Coors Field.

Concertgoers should plan for large crowds and budget extra travel time. Service alerts and schedules are available through the or .

Re: “RTD’s head in the sand approach does not inspire confidence,” July 26 editorial.

Your contention that RTD needs to face up to the reality of its budget shortfall is right but falls short of providing a complete vision for RTD moving forward.

Yes, start with relying on reserves — combined with cuts to its least utilized service routes. Then redirect resources to create corridors of affordability where car-light living can become realistic.

A monthly RTD pass costs $88, barely more than a tank of gas, not to mention car payments, depreciation, maintenance, and insurance — an increasingly expensive combination.

RTD can make car-light living preferable and boost ridership generally by investing in more frequent (every 10 minutes or less) bus service in target areas to better connect its rail lines with neighborhoods and key amenities.

Start with RINO. Boost bus service between 38th and Blake Station to Union Station and to grocery stores in downtown and uptown to make car-light living viable for those who prefer it or need it.

The Central Park neighborhood also provides an opportunity for the region. It has an abundance of grocery stores but lacks fast, frequent connections to existing and planned retail amenities for those living in many areas along the A Line.

Denver’s path to prosperity can be rebuilt by doubling down on the pieces of RTD that are working well (such as the A Line) and focusing on approaches that have proven to boost ridership elsewhere ( more frequent bus service to critical amenities like grocery stores).

Mark Mehringer, Denver

I would like to share two comments regarding the recent editorial on RTD.

RTD’s ridership and budget problems are closely tied to the high vacancy rate for downtown office space. Denver currently ranks at or near the top of major U.S. cities with a downtown office vacancy rates of 36.5%. Because RTD’s ridership depends so heavily on a robust downtown work environment, returning to pre-COVID ridership levels will be difficult without a broader government and private sector commitment to revive downtown employment.

RTD’s $200 million budget shortfall nearly matches its $190 million commitment to the Front Range Passenger Rail (Colorado Connector) project. With just three round-trip trains per day, this project will provide redundant/parallel service to highly successful bus rapid transit lines like the US 36 Flatiron Flyer, which offers nearly 100 round-trips per day, and the upcoming CO119 Diagonal Flyer.

Failing to deliver on the original FasTracks commitment to the northwest metro area is not a sufficient reason to continue funding a “set up to fail” project. RTD should strongly consider withdrawing its funding from the Colorado Connector. That money would be better spent on enhancements to the existing bus rapid transit lines serving the NW metro area, albeit not a politically popular course of action.

Karl Buchholz, Broomfield

Recent coverage of RTD’s budget and ridership crisis completely ignores the elephant in the room, public safety. Until city leaders and RTD officials address the rampant, dangerous behavior at our transit stops, everyday citizens will continue to avoid the bus system.

My office sits at the corner of Lafayette Street and Colfax Avenue, right next to an RTD stop. Every single day, I watch our public transit infrastructure double as an open-air drug market and encampment. I routinely have to ask individuals to stop smoking crack and meth on our building’s steps, only to be met with aggressive and hostile threats.

Our property is consistently littered with trash, discarded pipes, and human feces. These same aggressive, heavily intoxicated individuals then board the Colfax buses. It is absurd to wonder why ridership is plummeting when commuters are forced to fear for their physical safety before they step on board.

RTD does not need more marketing; it needs a spine. We need an immediate zero-tolerance policy for aggressive behavior and open drug use, alongside an active and unannounced security presence on transit routes–like federal air marshals. Ridership will only return when RTD and the city finally prioritize the safety of law-abiding, fare-paying citizens.

Max Odom, Denver

Leave my green lawn alone

Re: ”Don’t make your neighbors resentful. Let your grass go dormant,” July 26 commentary.

Ten years ago, after twenty-five years living in a well-maintained weed patch that turned to mud every winter, over five consecutive summers I started putting in a lawn at 600 sq ft per year. Hand weeding, rototilling, regrading to fill low spots, adding soil enhancements (manure) and finally seeding and watering. All by hand.

I chose grass seeds of ryes and fescues formulated for arid, high-altitude applications. My grass is very well suited to the application. Being retired, I have the time and inclination to water my lawn with a single hose, by hand. I obey the letter and spirit of the law regarding water restriction times and days, and I am allowing my backyard to suffer in comparison.

My lawn is an oasis for my grandkids and it¶¶Òőap a luxury I’ve earned after a life without. My neighbor’s petty “resentments” regarding my lawn are as irrelevant to me and my lawn care regimen as Arizona squandering its Colorado River shares, watering most of their irrigated golf course acreage and allowing unrestricted residential swimming pool permits, with cost being the only impediment to having one in your backyard. If your conscience eats at you, Xeriscape your yard if you want. When more of you do so, it leaves more water for us that love our lawns.

I refuse to be shamed for my choices on this matter by my neighbors or Krista Kafer. Perhaps Krista Kafer could stop using her Denver Post-sanctioned “soapbox” to advocate for the politics and politicians that regurgitate the lies of climate denialism if she wants to make a specific contribution to our community, and to humanity in general. Leave me and my lawn out of it.

Paul Barnkow, Arvada

Re: “Will residents face more severe water restrictions?,” July 26 news story.

I’m reading with interest the articles regarding the water restrictions imposed by Denver Water and that the restrictions aren’t generating the reductions requested.

In my HOA, in southwestern Centennial, south of Greenwood Village, the HOA waters twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays throughout the entire day. Watering begins in the morning and continues throughout the day, all day each of the two approved days. Additionally, the HOA has made no move to remove grass in the 75 acres that comprise our community.

As recently as 10 years ago, Willows Water, our local provider, could be notified of unintentional watering of streets and sidewalks at midday, and they would note the information and notify the user. The watering would stop. In the last few years, when Willows Water was notified about the non-approved hours of watering, they indicated they no longer want to receive that information.

It will be interesting to see what next year’s watering schedule brings. A small amount of grass in the backyard was kept, making my house viable for future sales; however, the lack of water will likely make that grass extinct.

Unfortunately, with the current administration stating, “climate change is a hoax” there will be fewer efforts to recognize and mitigate the issue. For those of us who recognize the reality of climate change, these hot, hot summers will be the norm, not the exception.

Polly Archuleta, Centennial

If you have an issue with a neighbor, you should talk to them before calling the cops, or in the case of our current water shortage, Denver Water. Filing anonymous complaints against one’s neighbors does not promote community.

We have lawns in our neighborhood that are suspiciously green, for sure. But if someone is ignoring watering restrictions and using far more water than is recommended, the water department has precise numbers taken from residential meters.

The water department established the restrictions and enforcement, and is the water department’s responsibility. Let’s not add “water snitch” to the list of all the things that already divide us. If the department is serious about cracking down, we will see the evidence. So far, there is no evidence the water department takes its own restrictions seriously.

Barry Noreen, Denver

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RTD staffers compiled five scenarios with progressively larger cuts to routes and service hours, along with progressively larger savings, according to documents prepared ahead of a Tuesday night meeting of the district’s .

The list of possible cuts is not definitive, and RTD board directors on Tuesday night acknowledged the staff proposals may have caused confusion and alarm. The committee — the first of two to review the proposals — ultimately declined to recommend service cuts, and directed staff to come up with ways to cut up to $12 million through fare increases.

“That list is not something we’re voting on at this point,” Director Patrick O’Keefe said during the committee meeting. “This is pretty inside baseball. I get it. I understand. But we have to be better about how we’re describing what we’re voting on and when.”

All but one of the five service cut scenarios put together by agency staffers cut the — which had 2.3 million riders last year — to save an estimated $9.5 million.

Other services included in the service cut scenarios included the B, R, L and T light-rail lines, and the between Union and Civic Center stations along 18th and 19th streets in downtown Denver.

But the FreeRide, the hop-on, hop-off shuttle that connects Union Station and Civic Center Station along the 16th Street mall, is one of RTD’s most popular routes, agency data shows.

The proposal to eliminate the FreeRide sparked concern among Denver officials, including a downtown advocacy group and Mayor Mike Johnston’s office.

“We are deeply sympathetic to RTD’s budget situation, but cutting a popular service used hundreds of thousands of times a month and millions of times a year isn’t the answer,” Johnston spokesperson Jon Ewing said in a statement, adding that has highlighted the route’s importance to downtown.

“It¶¶Òőap the kind of thing we need more of if we want people to use public transportation, not less,” Ewing said.

Downtown Denver Partnership President Kourtny Garrett said she knows RTD has tough budget decisions to make, but she described the shuttle as critical infrastructure for downtown.

“As it weighs those decisions, the Downtown Denver Partnership urges the agency to weigh the substantial and measurable momentum the FreeRide has generated since the completion of the 16th Street reconstruction, and the outsize role it plays in connecting workers, residents and visitors across downtown’s core,” Garrett said.

RTD’s proposal to cut the 16th Street shuttle comes less than a year after agency leaders cohosted a grand opening for the newly renovated pedestrian mall after a three-year, $175.4 million

As part of the construction, crews installed nearly 1 million granite pavers, which officials said have better friction and drainage to support the RTD shuttle. Before the October grand opening, RTD General Manager Debra A. Johnson praised the 16th Street bus service as “a prime example of how RTD is making lives better through the connections it provides.”

‘Why are we here?’

Emotions ran high at several moments during Tuesday’s committee meeting as directors disagreed over the best path forward to solve RTD’s $200 million budget deficit, including through increasing rider fares.

Shortly before a vote on fare increases, Director Karen Benker exhorted her colleagues to come together and compromise, and, if they voted no, to put forward their own proposals.

“We need to make a decision. If not, why are we here? Why are we here if we can’t do this?” she said.

That sparked a response from Director Michael Guzman, who told Benker he did not “appreciate being spoken down to like that.”

“I’m sure none of us do,” he said. “And I do understand that we are here to do the hard work of civic leadership. So can we move on?”

The committee then approved a motion instructing agency staffers to come up with different scenarios to raise $8 million to $12 million through fare increases, with four committee members voting in favor and two against.

‘Denver is very upset’

Board members also discussed proposed service cuts, and Benker asked her fellow directors to consider a potential dollar amount to target for service cuts rather than a percentage, because the percentages have “already been in the media, and it has alarmed some of our customers and some our cities that we service,” she said.

The scenarios compiled by RTD staffers ranged from 5% in service cuts to save $15.5 million to 20% cuts and $62 million in savings.

Benker proposed asking RTD staffers for three new service-cut scenarios that would save $20 million because of the “controversy” about the first five scenarios.

“If we were to take the list that we were given, it’s not going to pass,” Benker said. “I know my cities will be very upset. Denver is very upset.”

But the committee rejected that motion and instead voted to recommend no service cuts next year. RTD’s operations, safety and security committee will vote on the same service cut recommendations during a virtual meeting set for 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, and RTD’s full board is set to meet about budget recommendations on July 28.

If approved, the RTD board will likely make final decisions about service cuts and changes in September, agency officials said.