Globeville Community Conversation About a Library

On July 20th 2022, thirty residents attended a meeting at the Globeville Recreation Center to discuss a proposed library for Globeville. Facilitated by Annie Kemmerling, Director of Neighborhood Services for the Denver Public Library, this was the second such community gathering. 

Kemmerling began by introducing Nola Miguel, Director of the GES Coalition and Tierra Collective Community Land Trust, library staff members, city agency staff and members of the Globeville Redevelopment Partners, LLC (GRP). She then gave an update on what was discussed at the previous meeting.

The facts are:

• The budget for the library is $12,000,000 

• The money comes from the voter-approved 2021 Rise Denver Bond. 

• The funds need to cover land acquisition, building costs,
   renovations, collections and equipment. 

• An estimated 8,000 - 10,000 sq. ft. is needed for the branch.

During the initial gathering, the neighborhood expressed a desire for a location close to schools and housing, accessible by walking and transit. (I wondered if anyone from the Development team had noticed the damaged sidewalks in front of the Recreation Center). Locations suggested at the previous meeting included: Argo Park, the former First German Congregational Church at 44th and Lincoln, several vacant lots, the former Salvation Army site at 47th and Broadway, and the lot at 4995 Washington Street.

At the July 20th meeting, Kemmerling gave an update on the status of the suggested sites. Most sites were ruled out for various reasons: 

• The city charter forbids building any structures on park land 

• The former church needs too many repairs, including asbestos removal 

• The vacant lots cost too much and need development from the ground up. 

• Two locations, the Salvation Army site at 47th and Broadway

   and the lot at 4995 Washington are still viable options. 

• The 4995 Washington location became the focus of the presentation.

David Block, from the Evergreen Real Estate Group (part of the Globeville Redevelopment Partners) shared his vision of combining low-income housing, a food market and the library at the 4995 Washington location. John Ronan of John Ronan Architects from Chicago showed slides of similar projects his firm had created in Chicago. Ronan emphasized that the projects he showed were to stimulate discussion and were not suggestions for the library in Globeville.

The meeting was then opened up for comments. Resident Jenny Santos said that it was remarkable that Globeville citizens are asked for their input and thanked the committee for the dialogue. Carla Padilla, longtime Globeville resident and Associate Director of the arts nonprofit Birdseed Collective, raised concerns about security and the homeless population that gathers around libraries. Padilla also hoped the architecture could reflect the blue-collar, ethnically diverse personality of the neighborhood and commented out that a lot of newer buildings seem very sterile. Anna Elizabeth hoped the library could provide a home to documents, photos and artifacts from Globeville.

Kemmerling thanked everyone for their participation and assured residents that their ideas would be taken into account. Although a date for the next discussion has not been decided, residents can share their wishes and concerns at:

community@denverlibrary.org

The building that houses the Globeville Recreation Center was originally known
as the Globeville Community Center and was built in 1921.
The Center had an auditorium for meetings, dances, and social functions.

It was also the location of Globeville's first library. 
Photos courtesy of the Denver Public Library

Annie Kemmerling, Director of Neighborhood Services
 of the Denver Public Library
Photo by Mary Lou Egan