Speak with CW Sawyer about the issues on your mind! Due to the uptick in COVID cases, Office Hours will be held (mostly) virtually by private phone or Zoom appointment. Occasionally, CW Sawyer will hold in-person Office Hours at a local D5 business. In-person Office Hours are by appointment only. Please email our office or call 720-337-5555 to reserve an appointment. If you're unavailable for these dates, please contact our office to schedule an appointment at another time. 

In late November, CW Sawyer and City of Aurora At-Large Councilmember Curtis Gardner announced a Joint Community Gun Buyback Program that will launch early next year to help reduce the incidence of gun violence in both cities. RAWtools, a Colorado Springs-based non-profit organization that works with municipalities and faith-based community partners, will host drive-through gun buyback events at soon-to-be identified churches, synagogues and/or other community gathering places. Four events are planned in Denver and four in Aurora, and locations, dates, and times will be announced in January.

Residents can anonymously turn in firearms for destruction. Trained volunteers then destroy recovered firearms to ATF standards and convert them into garden tools and jewelry. While we know that individuals participating in criminal activity will not typically turn in their firearms at a buyback event, working to reduce the number of available guns in our communities is part of an overall strategy to address gun violence.

Some data indicates that for every dollar spent at a local business, about 80-cents stays in the community. We are lucky to have many fantastic local businesses in D5! Click here to find out about just some of the businesses along E. Colfax. And if you can, take some time to explore the micro-shopping areas near your neighborhood!

One D5 family-run business that gives back is Stargazer Fine Chocolates and Coffee, located at 700 Colorado Blvd. Mention "support our local schools" when making a purchase and a 10% donation is made to local public schools. Please consider supporting Stargazer and all the locally owned businesses in D5!

Thank you to everyone who participated in community engagement for the 8th Avenue Traffic Study. Click here to see the final recommendations. Some improvements can be funded in 2022 and others will need to wait until 2023. We will update you as information becomes available.

Our office will again partner with local traffic engineering firm Fehr & Peers and surrounding neighborhood organizations to conduct two additional traffic studies: 6th Ave. from Colorado Blvd. to Quebec St., and Dayton St. from Alameda Ave. to Mississippi Ave. These two studies will include surveys, data collection, and community meetings.

Here's an opportunity to send a message of support and good wishes to our Denver 911 Dispatchers and DPD District 3 Officers who work so hard for our communities. If you have a greeting or messages for one or both of these Virtual Holiday Cards, please click here to send an email by December 17. Please sign your greetings/messages with your name, or identifying group/business, or nothing, if you wish to remain anonymous. If your child would like to draw a picture for our Dispatchers and Officers, please take a picture of their drawing/cards and email image. DPD wishes you a safe and happy holiday season!

One way to help support our neighbors in need is to take part in D5's Annual Southeast Denver Gives Blood Drive. Our office is again partnering with Lowry business Vitalant Blood Donation to collect 75 blood donations in January, which will save as many as 225 lives. Vitalant's Lowry location is at 717 Yosemite St., just north of Great Lawn Park. Throughout our state Vitalant must collect more than 3,000 blood donations each week to meet the demands of their hospital partners. Click here to learn more about current national and regional blood supply. You can give blood at any Vitalant location and still participate in the Southeast Denver Gives Blood Drive. Click here to learn more, find out if you're eligible to donate, how to donate funds, and more. Thank you!

your blood donation appointment now!

Denver Water will begin a water main replacement project in the Washington Virginia Vale and Hilltop neighborhoods beginning in early January to replace more than 7,500 linear feet of aging water mains underneath the road. The project will last about five months, and work hours are typically Monday-Friday, 7:30am to 5:30pm, and some weekend work may be required. Denver Water says that if they encounter customer-owned water services lines that contain lead, they will coordinate directly with the property owner to replace the lead service line with a copper service line at no direct cost to them.

To see which areas are impacted, check out the map to the right or click here for a pdf you can download. Crews will work from south to north, completing all work south of E. Alameda Ave. and in East Alameda Avenue, to accommodate upcoming paving there. If you have questions about the project, call Denver Water Customer Care at 303-893-2444.

Remember that new water rates take effect January 1. For help paying water and wastewater bills, click here for information on LIHWAP assistance and eligibility.

$75,000 Grant Provides Safety and Aesthetic Improvements to Four Locally Owned Businesses on E. Colfax

The Fax Partnership and Wells Fargo have joined together to provide safety and beautification improvements to a few businesses in the E. Colfax neighborhood through Wells Fargo “Hope, USA” which contributed $75,000 to the effort.. This week, CW Sawyer was honored to be part of an event at Restaurante El Tamarindo (East Colfax & Syracuse) showcasing the improvements. Big thanks go to The Fax, Wells Fargo, and the Wells Fargo employee volunteers whose hands-on work helped to make these improvements happen.

Work continues on the High Line Canal Trail Underpass project at E. Mississippi Ave. and Parker Rd,, to continuously connect the Canal Trail and make it safer for people utilizing that section of the Trail. With project teams pausing work for a few weeks this summer to allow for additional quality control and safety reviews, Denver’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI) is moving the project’s expected completion date to spring 2022. While work is underway, remember that portions of the High Line Canal Trail will remain closed with detours in place.

Click here to sign up to receive project updates. 

Click here to visit the project page and for a detour map.

Yes, pickleball is sweeping the City - read this recent Westword article - and our office has fielded several inquiries about adding pickleball courts in D5. There are currently no pickleball courts in our district for two reasons: (1) tennis courts that could be used for pickleball are all in single family zoning, and because the noise from pickleball has brought resident complaints, DPR has made a policy that they won’t add pickleball courts to single family zoned areas; (2) tennis courts where USTA league and tournaments are played cannot be have pickleball striping. DPR wants us to know that high demand for more pickleball will be part of future planning. Click here to see where you can find pickleball courts around Denver.

If you're active in your Registered Neighborhood Organization (RNO), the D5 Team thanks you for the time and dedication you invest in your community! We also want to remind you that all RNOs must submit an online renewal form by January 31 to be considered in good standing for the 2022 calendar year. New organizations may also register during this period. Click here to access to forms or to find your RNO on an interactive map. A few updates of note:

The update about trash, recycling and compost pick up day changes was by far the most-read item in the November D5 Newsletter. To learn more about the changes, the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI) recommends residents check their mailboxes for the Wastewise within the next couple of weeks. DOTI also launched a new online resource where you can find 2022 collection schedule information and a link to a searchable map. You can also download the “Denver Trash and Recycling” mobile app - current collection days are now shown, new schedules will be loaded in January.

If you are interested in commenting during a hearing, please review the guidelines and FAQs, and sign up to speak here. Sign-up begins 45 minutes prior to the Committee’s scheduled start time and ends 15 minutes before the meeting begins. Click here for information about how to participate virtually.

There are currently four open rezoning requests and one Legislative Rezoning proposal in District 5. Click here for more information and updates.

Upcoming hearings on re-zoning requests in other Denver Districts are listed below, dates are subject to change. For more information on proposed re-zonings around the City and their public hearings visit the Denver Community Planning and Development website. If you don't have internet access, you can still attend Council meetings by phone. Call 720-928-9299 and enter the Meeting ID of the meeting you wish to listen to. Click here to learn more and to see a Meeting Calendar.

Help warm the heads, hands and hearts of a Denver family in need through Mayor Hancock’s annual Virtual Giving Tree Campaign. Donations can be made through Giving Tree donation wish lists found on Amazon and YouGiveGoods. Both online giving options feature warming and hygiene items at various price points for purchase. Purchased items will be delivered directly to the Denver Human Service’s GIVE Center. Thank you in advance for your generous support!

Click here to complete a form to request more information.

The Office of Climate Action, Sustainability, and Resiliency (CASR) shares news on their work with our office monthly. Here's some of the latest. Click here to learn more!

November was an exciting month for climate action in our city with the official release of the Climate Protection Fund’s Five-Year Plan, passage of the Energize Denver Building Performance Policy, approval of two major contracts for solar and building electrification, the awarding of six green jobs contracts, and the release of a new funding opportunity to support solar, EVs, and battery storage for Human Service Providers. Stay engaged with CASR in the new year to learn how our city is leading the charge in climate action.

This is a portion of a longer article published by the Office of the City Forester. Click here to read the full article and get more winter watering tips.

Why is winter watering vital? In the fall and winter, trees drop their leaves and become dormant as they prepare for colder temperatures. However, newly planted trees experience the greatest growth in their root system during this time. Not watering throughout the winter is the largest contributing factor to the mortality of newly planted trees. It is best to slowly give any newly planted trees 10-15 gallons of water before putting the hose away for the winter and to supplement with 10-15 gallons of water during dry periods and when temperatures are above 40 degrees. Do not water when temperatures are near or below freezing. This Colorado State Forest Service article (also linked to in our article) has some good information on general winter tree watering.

The D5 Team brings you just a few of the events going on in our city. To stay up-to-date on more happenings, you can sign up to receive Denver's Office of Special Events' monthly newsletter.

Free to attend! Click here for more information.

110-foot-tall immersive art installation, music and lights show every night on the 16th St. Mall at Welton St

Free to attend! Click here for more information.

Free to attend! For the best viewpoints, stand along the 16th Street Mall. Click here for more information about this and other Downtown NYE events.

Union Station 1700 Wewatta St. to 17th & Tremont

The Parade launches 16 days of the National Western Stock Show. Click here for more information about the parade and all the NWS events..