April’s Second Saturday Social April 13 at the Baugh House (44th and Robb, 10:00-2:00) will celebrate Earth Day and make available information on Wheat Ridge’s Sustainability program.
The concept of Reducing, Reusing, and Recycling is gaining in importance. Awareness about recycling by composting is common knowledge these days, but it’s time to take a deeper dive into the three R’s.
For example, consider your wardrobe and clothes-buying habits. Earthday.org offers guidelines, which include shopping secondhand first, buying only the clothes needed, buying natural fabrics instead of synthetics and shopping locally. Above all, they recommend donate or sell used clothing – don’t just throw it out.
Society members have also organized a plant exchange, so bring along seedlings and spare seeds to increase your garden’s variety. After all, that’s what pioneer farmer Bert White did when he lived in the Soddy and famously switched from other produce to celery farming. Presented with Pascal celery seeds smuggled back from Europe by a friend, White took a chance and built a small empire selling a new kind of celery and its seeds! White’s efforts will be commemorated in a new piece of public art for the Historical Park, described below.
May Festival and the Old P.O. Mural Project
Energy is revving up for the WRHS’s much-loved May Festival, scheduled for May 10th, 10:00-2:00, at the Historical Park. Along with the traditional activities like Maypole dancing, lawn games, costumed folks strolling about in 1890s garb, live music and an auto show, the Old Post Office Mural Project will finally come to fruition. Mark Oatis, a renowned sign painter who has roots in Wheat Ridge, will be finishing up a mural on the north wall of the P.O. He’ll start the project several days earlier so the content will be recognizable at the event. Virtually everything pictured in the mural links to the area’s agricultural history of celery farming with a bit of surprise whimsy included (also historically correct). Plan now to attend and watch as the City’s newest piece of public art emerges right before your eyes!
Blue House / Lutheran Chapel Update
Seems like it’s taking forever, but progress on the disposition of the Blue House and Chapel continues, albeit at a snail’s pace. A public announcement about the property’s new owner should come in May, according to a recent report to the Historical Society from City Manager Patrick Goff.
The Planning Commission approved the rezoning of the entire 100-acre Lutheran property, and City Council should okay the rezoning at its April 28th meeting. The Council also has approved a service plan submitted by Intermountain Health for the creation of a Metropolitan District for the campus. This new district, to be implemented starting in May, will build, own and maintain the campus infrastructure, including roads, utilities, landscaping, etc.
The City has hired an architect to investigate whether any of the current buildings on the campus can be converted for city use. When made public, that report, hopefully, will contain good news for the historic buildings. Conversations about the how the Blue House and Chapel could be incorporated into civic development will continue to be a topic of discussion over the next year.
