Denver City Council tonight, unanimously approved the referral of seven 2017 General Obligation bond (GO bond) measures to the November ballot. 
 
“I am incredibly proud of this thoughtful, balanced and responsible investment package that was created by and for the people of Denver,” Mayor Michael B. Hancock said. “This bond package represents an unparalleled opportunity to invest in our city to repair roads and bridges; improve our parks, playgrounds and rec centers; upgrade our police and fire stations; and enhance our libraries, cultural institutions and Denver Health Medical Center.”
 
The measures referred to Denver voters this fall were created with the most public input of any bond proposal in Denver’s history. Denver residents provided more than 4,000 ideas, comments and suggestions for investment through emails and public meetings, 60+ volunteer stakeholder committee members spent countless hours reviewing potential projects, and dozens of city staff spent more than a year to make this bond package a reality.
 
Mayor Hancock continued, “I look forward to continuing the conversation about the importance of these projects with Denver residents. I want to thank City Council for their partnership throughout this entire process, as well as the stakeholder committees, city staff and Denver residents who proposed ideas for investment. This truly is the people’s bond package, and we created it together.”
 
The package of infrastructure investments includes 460 projects valued at $937 million. More than half of the projects on the list will fix and repair existing infrastructure, with the remainder dedicated to upgrades and new infrastructure across the city.
 
The seven ballot questions include:

• $431 million for transportation and mobility projects
• $116.9 million for city-owned cultural facility improvements
• $75 million for a new outpatient care center at Denver Health Medical Center
• $77 million for safety facility projects
• $69.3 million for Denver Public Library improvements,
• $151.6 million for parks and recreation and
• $16.5 million for city-owned facility improvements

 
“This GO bond represents some of the most critical investments we can make in our city for the next decade and beyond. My Council colleagues and I had a healthy debate about each project and evaluated each one carefully. Ultimately this was the package of projects we were proud to refer to the November ballot because they offer balance, equity and an opportunity for all areas of the city to see improvements,” said Council President Albus Brooks.  
 
The city began the GO bond process in 2016 by engaging the Denver community in a conversation about the improvements they want in their neighborhoods and throughout the city. With six public meetings, a map-based online tool, City Council engagement, and comment cards located at libraries and recreation centers across Denver, the city received more than 3,000 investment ideas. The stakeholder phase of the GO bond process saw an additional 1,000+ emails from residents advocating for projects and each stakeholder committee meeting featured a public comment period. 
 
Visit www.denvergov.org/2017GObond for more information about the bond process and projects

2017 GO Bond
Thank you so much for your huge response to my last call for action on the 2017 GO Bond List!  Both the Jewell Bridge and $7 million for the Alameda Underpass are included in the current list.  This is a direct result of your participation in the process.  The bond list is now in front of City Council, and we will be voting on it over the next couple of weeks.  Can you help make sure that these projects stay on the list?  Do you have time to send a quick email to tell my colleagues how important these projects are?  

Email all of City Council about your priorities.  
Here is the email address: dencc@denvergov.org.

There will be a public hearing on the 2017 GO Bond package in front of all of Council on August 7th, you can also sign up to speak during that hearing if you are interested. Learn more about how to sign up here.

You can download the entire list as of today here. To see a one page description of each project, download the summary here. 
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Proposed Music Festival at Overland Golf Course
The contract for the proposed music festival has been finalized and made public.  You can review the entire contract here and the slides from the presentation about the contract here.
  
There will be a public hearing about this contract in front of City Council on Monday July 24th.  If you would like to speak at the hearing you can learn more about how to sign up here.

The Mayor’s Office recently announced the 2017 GO bond stakeholder committees that will thoroughly examine the capital facilities and infrastructure needs of Denver and make project recommendations for bond funding.

The diverse, 60+ volunteer committee members will focus on five programmatic areas: Transportation and Mobility; Parks and Recreation; Arts and Culture; Safety Facilities; and City-owned Facilities. An Executive Committee will also be chaired by Roxane White, the President and CEO of the Nurse-Family Partnership and former Chief of Staff to Governor John Hickenlooper. Executive Committee co-chairs will be Jandel Allen-Davis M.D., the Vice President of Government and External Relations at Kaiser Permanente and J. J. Niemann, President of the Inter-Neighborhood Cooperation.

The stakeholder committees will consider over 3,000 ideas from the community combined with project ideas identified by City Council, city agencies and the projects listed in the city’s Six Year Capital Improvement Plan, called Elevate 2020. The city also received information about major capital needs from other partners, such as city-owned cultural facilities.

The stakeholder committees will hold meetings from mid-March to May. You can find more information at www.denvergov.org/2017gobond.

It has been 10 years since the last GO bond issuance, the $550 million Better Denver Bond Program. The Better Denver Bond Program allowed Denver to improve, preserve and build roads, libraries, parks, city offices, and other facilities. You can see examples of these projects and read more about the last bond here.
 
Initial public meetings will begin next month. Information gathered from the public will help identify a package of proposals that will be submitted to City Council next summer for referral to the November 2017 ballot. 
 
The foundation of investment considerations for the 2017 bond is based on Elevate 2020, the 2015-2020 Six Year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). The CIP identifies Denver’s major city asset rehabilitation needs and new investment opportunities in capital infrastructure.  Public and City Council input on the CIP and additional projects that are eligible are an important part of the process.  Additional projects that the 2017 bond can pay for must be city-owned and -operated assets.
 
The yearlong process will include four phases of thoughtful input and assessment:
 
FALL
Community meetings hosted by the City and Denver City Council members to help gather input:

• Tuesday, November 15, 6-7:30 p.m.: Montbello Campus, 5000 Crown Blvd.
• Thursday, November 17, 6-7:30 p.m.: Teller Elementary School, 1150 Garfield St.
• Tuesday, November 29, 6-7:30 p.m.: Corky Gonzales Library, 1498 Irving St.
• Thursday, December 1, 6-7:30 p.m.: Lincoln High School, 2285 S. Federal Blvd.
• Tuesday, December 6, 6-7:30 p.m.: Bruce Randolph School, 3955 Steele St.
• Thursday, December 8, 6-7:30 p.m.: South High School, 1700 E. Louisiana Ave.

 
WINTER
Task Forces tapped to examine and prioritize short and long-term capital facilities and infrastructure needs of the city and make project recommendations.
 
SPRING
The recommended investments are presented to the public and additional engagement efforts are launched.
 
SUMMER
Proposed investment packages submitted to Denver City Council for referral to the November 2017 ballot.
 
Those interested in providing input can submit questions and comments at any time during the yearlong process by emailing 2017GOBond@denvergov.org or visiting any of Denver’s libraries or recreation centers between November 14 and December 21. General information about the 2017 GO Bond process and regular updates will be provided at www.denvergov.org/2017GObond.