By The G.E.S. Gazette Staff
At the last Community Advisory Group meeting for the Globeville Levee Improvements project, the team shared information about Phase 2 of the project regarding design progress, construction timeline and phasing.
Denver and the Mile High Flood District are designing and constructing the project to upgrade the existing levee and flood control system along the west bank of the South Platte River.
The meeting also sought community feedback around future levee amenities such as plant palette, artistic elements, levee wall treatments and area history/signage, according to Nancy Kuhn, a spokesperson for the Denver Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI). About 20 community members attended, including Globeville residents and business and property owners along the levee. Key takeaways and input included:
• Generally positive reception to concepts presented for wall pattern or texture options and art treatments to levee walls.
• Concerns among attendees about the visual aesthetics of the levee wall along Ringsby Court and an expressed desire to rethink that wall.
• Attendees recommended informative signs along the river illustrating plant names and the historical and practical uses for them
• Celebrating and documenting historic elements, timelines and significant events or areas in the Globeville neighborhood.
• Interest in a community garden along the trail. The design could use trellises, tiers and/ or fruit trees.
• Suggestion to leave portions of the wall open to graffiti, since it is likely graffiti will happen anyway.
“The city has not yet identified funding for art or amenities along the levee corridor, but the project could potentially prepare and set up space for that to occur in the future,” Kuhn said. “The potential amenities that were discussed haven’t been confirmed or given a timeline for installation, but the meeting did provide a gauge for what the community may want to see.”
Phase 1 construction, from 50th Avenue to Franklin Street, is complete. This is part of the “52nd and Emerson Water Quality Project” (which includes Carpio-Sanguinette Park and Heron Pond) and was built concurrently with the 51st Avenue Bridge Project.
Phase 1 construction included raising and realigning the existing earthen levee embankment. Phase 2, from 50th Avenue to 38th Street, is nearly complete with its design stage, and construction is anticipated to begin in late 2024.
More information about the project can be found at the DOTI website under “Current Transportation and Infrastructure Projects” and at a link in this article at gesgazette.com.
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