Business Card Handouts with SaveBelmarpPark.com and QR code
Can use Avery 8871 Clean Edge business cards or print on plain paper and trim with scissors. 10 cards per sheet.
Printable 11 x 8.5 Banners – 2 per sheet
These banners could be used on bulletin boards or other areas. Cut the sheets in half and post one banner per room.
Citizen Research and Commentary:
Belmar Park area notated aerial view
You may also submit a CORA request to Lakewood to try and get the most current document versions.
Kairoi Community Commitment Letter
S Yarrow Lot Line adjustment – a subdivision replat!
Grading inside Belmar Park – Lakewood incorrectly says the park will not be touched. Here’s proof it will be.
Dec 6 Kairoi Meeting Minutes – Private meeting with 3 residents from one HOA
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We send 1 to 3 emails per week. Or less.
Many bird species in Belmar Park are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA). Any bad behavior, even unintentionally, towards these protected birds is likely a crime. The ponds are also Federally Registered bodies of water. If the ponds are polluted due to construction activity, chemical dumping or vandalism, that is also likely a crime.
US Fish and Wildlife Special Agent in Charge-Lakewood, Colorado
Email: fws_tips@fws.gov
(303) 236-7540
134 Union Boulevard Suite 640 Lakewood, CO 80228-1807
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is authorized to pay rewards for information or assistance that leads to an arrest, a criminal conviction, civil penalty assessment, or forfeiture of seized property. Payment of rewards is the discretion of the Service and is linked to specific federal wildlife laws. The amount of any reward we may pay is commensurate with the information or assistance received. Please discuss the possibility of receiving a reward with the Service personnel receiving your information or assistance.
FOX31 Oct 8, 2023 – Gabby Easterwood – Archived at FOX31 but may still be available.
Channel 7 Oct 8, 2023 – Danielle Kreutter
The specifications are from the Kimley-Horn civil engineering sheets contained in the 2nd site plan submittal to Lakewood.
There are 411 units planned, not 412 as reported elsewhere. But these specs are subject to change.
Chris White recently provided this historical summary in March 2024.
Hello. My name is Chris White. My father, James E. White was one of the founders and first board members of the South Jeffco Recreation District. He and other members of the Board were responsible for acquiring the land and water rights of the Belmar Park. (Please note, when the City of Lakewood was established, the City assumed control of the parks–including Belmar Park–established by the South Jeffco Recreation District–the remaining parks to the south of Lakewood became part of Foothills Recreation District.)
I believe that Belmar Park is iconic to the history of Jefferson County–it symbolizes the vision and devotion of Jefferson County residents who had a vision and felt the civic responsibility to create a beautiful environment within the urban community.
When my family bought a house in 1953 in a new development near Depew and 1st Avenue, the nearest swing set and baseball backstop was at Washington Heights Elementary playground, approximately a quarter mile away on busy 1st Avenue. The nearest baseball diamond ballpark with a grass outfield was at South Alameda; the only outdoor public basketball court and goal was at North Alameda, nearly a mile away; the nearest public swimming pool that offered public Red Cross swimming lessons was an indoor pool, Progress Plunge, more than three miles away in Denver. Certainly there were no natural areas that were set aside to be sanctuaries for wildlife and learning centers for the neighborhood children. Indeed, there were no grass parks south of 6th Avenue—no place for a picnic, no place to safely fly a kite, no place to play a pickup game of softball or football.
Then in 1955 several men and women of the community——came together to address the need for an expanded, unified recreation district. The men—Fred Hendrickson, Warren Jackson, Ray Ross, Doc Weaver, and Jimmy White–were all veterans of World War II with kids about the same age. They were engineers, an architect, and a physician. The wives of the men were equally engaged and influential in the formation of the district. For instance, in my family the ‘prime instigator’ was my mother, Pat. With three children between the ages of four and ten, she was well aware of the complete absence of parks and activities and ‘encouraged in her persuasive manner’ my father to take action. Incidentally, Mrs. Hendrickson and my mother were both very active in the PTA at the school, county, state, and national levels. According to the History of Lakewood, during the final two years to get the measure on the ballot, the wives walked door to door with petitions. “We talked with every homeowner.” Betty Jackson said. And, as Cheri Weaver, daughter of Doc Weaver reminded me last night, the children of the directors were enlisted to distribute flyers all through the Alameda neighborhoods.
This group of like-minded activists devoted the first three years to research of the legal issues and meetings to promote the district. They met with baseball, softball, and football associations, PTA’s, service clubs, and other community organizations to promote the issue. Then they organized a formal group to take advantage of the new state recreation act. They set the boundaries of the district, selected an initial Board of Directors, and began to gather the necessary number of signatures. After two long years they gathered more than the required 1500 signatures. With these requirements met, they petitioned the District Court to form the South Jeffco Recreation District. During this process each family contributed personal funds—several borrowed money—to establish an account for promotional materials.
With all of the requirements met, the District Court established the South Jeffco Recreation District, approved the first board of directors, and allowed the board to borrow $15,000 for its first budget, and the South Jeffco Parks and Recreation District was officially formed on December 31, 1959. The first Directors included:
As you can imagine, from the very start these five men faced tremendous challenges. They started with one park, no office, no employees, and a rapidly growing community that expected immediate results throughout Jefferson County. Of course they started without a mission statement, short term and long-.term strategic plans, needs assessment surveys or even consultants in recreation management. Yet, these five men responded with uncommon collective purpose, vision, foresight, and initiative born of their firm resolve to serve the community with the best they had to offer. They immediately hired George Sperry as the first superintendent and purchased and moved an old WWII building to South Alameda Park. Ray Ross’ wife served as the first secretary without pay since the tax revenues had yet to come in. They worked out schedules and regulations with the existing little league football, softball, and baseball associations to share the use of that park. They entered into agreements with Jefferson County School District to create more parks adjoining elementary and middle schools in new developments like Belmar, Glennon Heights near Green Mountain and Columbine. They convinced builders to include large tracts of land as open space in their developments that would later be converted to parks maintained by the district. They expanded the sport activities to include tennis, basketball, flag football, and swimming lesson–first at Progress Plunge and later at the district pools. They also initiated summer classes for kids such as Hiking and Nature, Arts and Crafts, Story Telling, Theater and Music. Within five years they amassed 47 acres of parkland from a mill levy of only 3 mills in the sparsely populated end of the county. Within seven years they amassed the resources to build and staff three small outdoor pools at South Alameda, Glennon Heights. By the tenth year they had built an administrative office and large indoor/outdoor pool near Carmody Junior High School, three neighborhood pools, a multitude of neighborhood parks, and had successfully negotiated for the land and water rights for the Foothills Golf Course.
Of course, they also confronted serious problems. Primarily the number of housing developments and the population of the county were growing faster than the revenue sources for new parks, facilities, and activities. At the same time, the owner of a large tract of land who demanded to be exempted from the district—literally challenged the legality and fairness of a tax levy for any independent park and recreation district—pursued litigation against the district. The administrative infrastructure required to manage the parks grew exponentially; yet, they had only the one temporary building. In acquiring land they also had to negotiate water rights. They bought water rights everywhere and whenever they could. According to Warren Jackson, the credit belonged to Weaver and White. “Fifty dollars an inch seemed like a lot of money in those days, but Doc Weaver and Jimmy White knew this was the key!” For instance, when the Directors negotiated the purchase of the land for Foothills Golf Course from the Federal Government at an absurdly reduced cost, they also had to negotiate the water rights. (Incidentally, Mr. Hendrickson was a principal figure in these negotiations.) So, they and their immediate successors persevered and prevailed to create what is now one of Colorado’s, and the nation’s most scenic, complete, and active independent Parks and Recreation Districts. Frankly, if these five founders had not acted when they did in 1959, given the rapidity of growth and the anti-government sentiment, the task would have been much more difficult if not impossible ten years later in 1969—certainly the district would not have had the reputation, resources, and facilities they now enjoy.
As you know, the City of Lakewood was established in 1969 and established its own park system independent of the South Jeffco Park and Recreation District. In 1998, the citizens of the district and city voted for exclusion of the district from the City and a plan for this was adopted by both the district and city. The city took over the ownership and maintenance responsibilities of the former Foothills parks in Lakewood in 2000.
I applaud your efforts and, though I currently reside in Loveland, will be very interested in the outcome. Please let me know if there is anything I can do.
Various emails from the LLC that also uses the same name Save Belmar Park: