John Keene

The latest section to be developed in the Stapleton neighborhood is what will be know as Central Park West. This area is slightly smaller than other parts of Stapleton running from 35th Ave on the north to Martin Luther King Drive on the south, between Syracuse Street and Central Park Boulevard. Basically, it's the area where the old parking garage used to stand and includes the Swigert-McAuliffe International School. As is typical when a new part of Stapleton is under development, many of the Stapleton Builders are relocation their sales offices to the area.

Central Park West is also the first area to be developed near the E. 29th Ave Town Center in several years, giving these residents some of the ammenities that drew the original Stapleton home owners to the neighborhood. In addition to being home to the newest Stapleton school, Central Park West will also be one of the closest filings to the new Denver Public Library. But maybe the best feature of this part of Stapleton is the availability of oversized lots! Several builders are selling lots big enough to install a wading pool in the back yard.

Below is a list of the new home builders and the models that the are currently selling:

However, before you simply pop into one of the model homes, I would suggest you contact a local Stapleton REALTOR. Since the new home builder will pay the commission of a buyer's agent, why not have a real estate professional who is familiar with the area guide you through the process? It doesn't cost you anything but will give you peace of mind having someone looking out for your best interest. In fact, the builders in Stapleton actually encourage buyers to use their own agent and currently over 60% of buyers do.

The key to using your own agent is to have that agent accompany you on your first visit to the builder.

Many times, when I bring clients to view a model home I will pre-register them with the builder and set an appoinment. This makes the initial visit much more efficient and takes away the pressure some people feel when they have to deal with a salesperson unaccompanied. Don't get me wrong, the sales staff for all the Stapleton builders are awewome! It's just that most people like to have a buffer and feel more comfortable discussing their true likes and dislikes with me, rather than someone they just met.

So I am ready when you are to go and explore Stapleton's newest sub-neighborhood.

Stapleton Block Party Day is May 14th - Denver, CO

Every year blocks, or even entire filings, across the Stapleton neighborhood come together to throw wonderful block parties. I live in the area NE of the new Denver Rec Center (Filing 12) and we have one of the largest block parties around.

The Filing 12 Block Party is such a success in part to several small business owners who live on the streets that line the "finger parks" and provide the following food/drink/amenities:

• Urban Mattress - Fun station with inflatable slide
• Universal Lending - Beer station
• Knop Home Team - Nathan's Hot-dogs
• Live Green Stapleton - Juice boxes, water and soda

Denver Rec Center in Stapleton FAQ

For some reason, I have received numerous calls in which the caller thought they were calling the new Denver Rec Center located in the Stapleton neighborhood.

I guess the good news is, when people are Googling the rec center they are finding the MoveToStapleton.info blog. The bad news is, they are confusing my number with that of the actual rec center, and clearly this blog isn't providing the information for which people are searching.

So I have decided to post the answers to some of the questions I have been asked and I will try to incorporate some more useful information.

Q. What is the address of the new rec center? A. 9651 E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd

Q. Is that the Stapleton Rec Center? A. Actually, no. The new rec center is officially named the Central Park Recreation Center. It just happens to be in the Stapleton neighborhood. The Stapleton Rec Center is located at 5090 Broadway.

Q. What is the phone number of the Central Park Rec Center?
A. 720-865-0750

Q. What are the hours?
A. MON-THU 5:30 am - 9:00 pm
FRI 5:30 am - 7:30 pm
SAT-SUN 9:00 am - 3:00 pm

Q. What time is open swim?
A. Open swim begins at 10:30 am every day of the week. Open swim ends at:
2:30 pm SAT-SUN
4:45 pm MON-THU
6:30 pm FRI

Q. What are the membership rates?
A. See table below

If anyone has suggestions for questions that I may have left off, please email me or post them in the comments section.

Ciji's Natural Pet Supplies in Park Hill - Denver, CO

I was in Ciji's today buying some dog food and picked up a flyer about a doggie ice-cream social that they are hosting on Saturday, June 26th. The event will be held at their store:

2260 Kearney St, Denver, CO, 80207, noon to 4pm.

I began going to Ciji's a few years ago after melamine began showing up in various brands of dog food (mine included). The employees there were very helpful in offering options and advise on switching to a natural brand.

Which brings me to another topic. Apparently I am going to have to switch brands again!

Ciji's Natural Pet Supplies may no longer carry the Innova brand, due to the recent sale of Innova's parent company to Procter & Gamble. But even if they decide to continue selling Innova, I am no longer comfortable feeding it to my dogs. (to see the other Natura brands that will also be effected by the sale visit their website: http://www.naturapet.com/)

Why, you might ask? Well, the problem with the dog food that resulted in the death of so many pets and the recall of many different brands of dog food was the source of the ingredients. The Chinese suppliers were adding melamine to boost the results of protein test.

So while P&G may not change the recipe of Innova brand dog food, they probably will have different suppliers of the ingredients. Which is a chance I'm not willing to take.

Luckily, Ciji's Natural Pet Supplies has many choices when it comes to pet food. I have already been feeding my cats Orijen, which is produced in Canada with locally sourced, human grade ingredients. So the decision to switch the dogs over to Orijen was pretty easy, and so far they seem to love it.

I will probably bring Obi to Ciji's Natural Pet Supplies for the ice-cream social to see if he also likes Nature's Variety's Sweet Spots, the 98% lactose free ice-cream for dogs. See you there!

Father's Day kicks off the Stapleton Farmers Market season. Beginning June 20th, the market will be open every Sunday through October 17th. The vendors set up around Founder's Green (29th and Roslyn) from 8:30 to 12:30. I'm glad to see that the market will be staying at this location and not moving back to the blacktop behind 29th Ave Animal Hospital. While that location as much closer to Starbucks, it could get really HOT!

But this week, as an additional treat, the Rotary Club will also be hosting a Pancake Breakfast from 8:30 - 11:30 at the same location. The Rotarians ask that adults donate $5, kids between 3-11 donate $3, whereas kids 2 and younger can eat for free. The proceeds will go to a number of charitable campaigns, from ending polio to the tree planting that the Rotary Club did along Westerly Creek in April.

To me, this is just another great example of how Stapleton residents not only contribute to our community but beyond.

For those that don't know, the Stapleton Farmers Market is run by Colorado Fresh Markets. These are the same people who put on the Cherry Creek Farmers Market, which was voted the top farmers market in Denver. Their website also has a great crop calendar which is easy to consult prior to walking around and squeezing "this-or-that".

Besides fresh produce, the vendors at the Stapleton Farmers Market also offer fresh bread, pies, cookies, and all sorts of other goodies. If you've never been before, come check it out.

UPDATE: This year the Stapleton Farmers Market appears to be bigger than ever. I say many new vendors, plus there was a portable climbing wall for the kids. I can't wait to see how many of the same booths will be back next week.