Bennito L. Kelty
Audio By Carbonatix
Jane Goodall passed away two weeks ago, and her words have been echoing in my mind: “You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” We all have the power to choose the kind of difference we make, and I want the best for the inhabitants of Denver.
In less than three weeks, we, the people of Denver, will have the opportunity to ensure our voices are heard by our mayor and city council when we vote on whether or not to support their initiative, the Vibrant Denver Bond — $950 million in proposed debt.
We all recognize that our city’s roads, bridges, bikeways, pedestrian crossings, buildings (such as rec centers and libraries), parks, pools, playgrounds and cultural facilities all need improvements, repairs or new structures. Approving the bond would create funds to address these issues. However, please consider the following questions before deciding whether to vote yes or no:
- Given the uncertain economic conditions and the federal funding that has already affected Denver’s 2025 budget, leading to a significant shortfall for our 2026 budget, is now truly the right time for a bond? I believe it would be wiser to be frugal with our funds and focus on completing projects from previous bonds that remain unfinished and have gone significantly over budget, requiring additional funds to complete. We could always pursue a bond next year or later; there isn’t an urgent necessity to do this now.
- Of the 200+ proposed projects, are these really the projects that the citizens of Denver want and believe to be priorities?
The bond process faced criticism from community members and city officials for being rushed and not adequately incorporating public feedback. Some members of Denver City Council even hinted at the possibility of blocking the proposal.
Councilwoman Sarah Parady noted: “I’m a little worried that part of the larger thought was to support catalytic investment, which to me shouldn’t be our top priority when we have existing neighborhoods with existing needs.”
Prior to announcing the bond, the city surveyed about 6,000 people regarding their project priorities, with 79 percent prioritizing parks, playgrounds, trees and trails. There was a 73 percent priority for street, bike, pedestrian and bridge safety; however, very little funding in the Vibrant Denver bond is allocated for street, bike and pedestrian safety.
Approximately 46 percent of the funds ($441 million) for Vibrant Denver are designated for transportation and mobility, with two projects consuming the majority of that funding: $89 million to rework and partially demolish the Eighth Avenue viaduct and $50 million to repair the Sixth Avenue viaduct.
Furthermore, $139 million will be funded by Denver citizens in an area where the owners of the Broncos, members of the Walton family, have been acquiring all the real estate for a new football stadium and are planning to redevelop the neighborhood — indicating that the infrastructure improvements will primarily benefit them.
We should demand full transparency; the Eighth Avenue viaduct was not included in the previous six-year Capital Improvement Plan, and a portion of it was recently demolished and rebuilt with $10.8 million from the Elevate Denver bond in 2022.
I am sharing this to raise awareness about some of the hidden details in the push for the Vibrant Denver bond, which is being marketed to us as “full of energy and enthusiasm.” The reality is far from that. You have the option to vote on specific categories, and you can also choose to vote no on all of them. Let’s collectively engage more with our city council members and the mayor’s office to ensure that all citizens of Denver are truly represented in our mutual best interests.
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