Speaker 1: Thank you, Chief. I thank you. Thank you all. And thank you, Councilman Nu, for bringing that forward. All right, we we do have one more proclamation. Proclamation 352. Councilwoman Ortega, will you please read Proclamation 352?
Speaker 8: I would be happy to. Proclamation number 352, honoring Myrna Hipp for her public service and declaring May nine as Myrna Hipp Day. Whereas Myrna Hipp moved to Denver in 1976. Graduated cumulative. Cumulative from Metro State College and lived and worked in Denver until she passed away on March 27, 2016. Whereas Denver City Council wishes to recognize Myrna Hipp for her almost 25 years of service to the city of Denver and her dedication to providing affordable housing and community service to those in need. And. Whereas, Morris served as Deputy Director of the Office of Economic Development during Mayor John Hickenlooper's administration and as Director of Housing and Neighborhood Development Services under Mayors Wellington Webb and Federico Pena. Whereas, Myrna was responsible for the implementation of Denver's affordable housing programs from the 1980s through the 2000. She oversaw the city's investment of more than $175 million in affordable housing development and preservation, and more than $50 million in other neighborhood improvement projects that Denver residents continue to benefit from . Whereas, Myrna served on the Denver Housing Authority Board of Commissioners for 12 years, providing vision and leadership to transformative redevelopment, including the villages at Curtis Park, Benedict Park Place, Mariposa District, Sun Valley Transit Oriented Development Planning. And. Whereas, accomplish these feats while providing love and support to her loving husband Ernest, her son Rick KIPP, her daughter Lisa tunstall, Lenski and her brother and her brother grandchildren, other family members and friends throughout the community. And. Whereas, the city would like to honor Myrna here posthumously for her dedication to the city and her lifelong commitment to affordable housing and neighborhood services. Now, therefore, be it proclaimed by the Council of the City and County of Denver that the Council of the City and County of Denver. Acknowledgment of him for her public service and declares Monday, May 9th, as merely hip day section two that the clerk of the city and county of Denver shall affix and attest the seal of the city and county of Denver to this proclamation, and that a copy be transmitted to the family of Myrna Hip.
Speaker 1: Thank you, Councilwoman Ortega. Your motion to adopt.
Speaker 8: I move for the adoption of proclamation number 352.
Speaker 1: It has been second hand comments. Councilwoman Ortega.
Speaker 8: Thank you, Mr. President. So Mirnas life is weaved through these three proclamations that we've heard tonight. Mirna was an alum of Metro State College, which we just celebrated earlier this evening. And in her role, when the District one police station was closed down after they moved from their site in the Jefferson Park neighborhood over to Sunnyside. She was involved in putting that site out to bid and making sure that affordable housing was part of that project. And the work that Mirna did with the nonprofit and I see a number of them here in the audience tonight of ensuring that the role they played in this community in building and providing affordable housing units across the city was so vital to the survival of many of our families. And that's even more so important today as we have seen the price of housing escalate. Some of those very projects exist in my own neighborhood of Highland, where they are the only affordable housing left in that neighborhood. And so the work that she did was just so important to all of the families who benefited from this. I have enjoyed serving on the board of a nonprofit housing development group that worked very closely with Maria, and through that relationship, was involved in securing some city funding along with others, as is the process that all of these nonprofits go through to to be able to provide this housing. In her work at the Office of Economic Development, which has gone through different iterations with different names over the years, the Community Development Agency model cities. But in in her work, she funded many other community programs. I can remember representing Globeville, Swansea, Elyria and working to try to get, you know, some of the alleys paved in the neighborhood and, you know, some of the other neighborhood services, like a recreation center in the community. And it was the community development block grant funds that she was involved with helping to administer for low income neighborhoods across the city that truly benefited as a result of her work. I want to thank her family, her husband Ernest, her daughter Lisa, her son. Rick and her grandson, Miles, who she was just so proud of for you lending money to all of us and sharing her with the city, people that she worked with every day and with the communities that she served and was so proud to do. And I just can't imagine how how much her her passing has left a hole in your heart. But I know that many of us share that that pain with you as well, because she was such a dear friend to to so many people. And I just. I thought it was so important to be able to take a moment. In honor of her many years of contribution to this city and to all of the people who truly benefited from her work. Thank you, Mr. President. I just ask that this be supported, adopted by my colleagues.
Speaker 1: Thank you, Councilwoman Ortega. Councilman Flynn.
Speaker 7: Thank you, Mr. President. First, I would like to ask the secretary to add my name as a sponsor. I did respond last week, but it's not on the not on the list. I want to make sure that it doesn't go unnoticed, that our careers mirnas and mine had crossed paths several times, many times over the years. And I was just truly shocked, too, when whenever someone leaves us so suddenly just shocked at the news. And I'm very sorry to hear it, but I do want to make sure that my name is on there as a as a co-sponsor. And thank Councilwoman Ortega for bringing this forward. Thank you.
Speaker 1: Thank you, Councilman Flynn. Councilman Lopez.
Speaker 6: Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, Councilman Ortega, for bringing this proclamation forward. And thank you to the family for being here, for sharing Moreno with us. I, I met Myrna when I was barely out of high school into college, and I was working in the community in the West Side in West Denver. And the first time I met her, she was just this really strong woman that wore the city seal on her lapel and knew a heck of a lot more about my neighborhood than I did. And she spoke of this vision. She looked at she worked with different community leaders. And for me, you know, seeing her than there there are people you you grow up associating. With with with different things. Different organizations have an aspect. When I looked at her, I saw the city. And I knew that that mariner meant well and her work will never be forgotten. One of the most impressive and most memorable recollections I have was being in the in the gymnasium over at St Joseph Church on Sixth Avenue. And it being packed. We had I don't know how many residents in there talking about my Lincoln Park plan, talking about, you know, the future of our neighborhood. And there was Myrna front and center facilitating the discussion, know how many different organizations and people were there. But you know, that was her that was in that was her element. And I will always remember her that way. Now, I could just say that. I was able to actually have a conversation not too long ago with her and to see her and to shake her hand and give her a hug. And she patted me on the back. And we just kind of shared that moment. And I'm glad that that's the moment that I get that I get a. Save up here and in my my chest forever. So thank you for sharing her with us. You know, we'll always remember her service to the city. We're always be grateful her fingerprint will last a very long time here. Thank you, Councilman, for bringing this forward.
Speaker 1: Thank you, Councilman Lopez, Councilwoman Canete.
Speaker 9: Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, Mr. President. I, too, would like to be added as a co-sponsor. I think I missed this one when I was out of the office last week and I only met Mirna a few times. I was working for a nonprofit organization and she was on the board of Making Connections. Denver at that time was certainly involved somehow in that work with the Annie Casey Foundation, and I remember her having very high standards and her saying to us that we better not just say we're going to do some work in a community or say we're going to be advocates for affordable housing. Better really deliver if we're going to get funding and if we're going to, you know, hold ourselves out as doing this work. And so I appreciated those high standards. It was certainly she was a presence in our work in that we were always thinking how would Mirna evaluate what we were doing, would we meet her standards? And so even though I didn't know her well, she influenced my work through those high expectations. And so obviously her legacy on housing is one that we will always be appreciating. So thank you to her family for allowing us to recognize her in this way. And thank you to Councilwoman Ortega for your acknowledgment. Thank you.
Speaker 1: Thank you. Councilwoman Canete. Any other comments? Proclamation three five, two, three. None. Madam Secretary, welcome.
Speaker 3: Ortega I. Susman. Brooks. Clark. Espinosa. Flynn.
Speaker 7: Hi.
Speaker 3: Gilmore, I. Can each. Lopez. I knew. Mr. President.
Speaker 1: Hi. Madam Secretary, please quote Vali Nasr adopts.
Speaker 3: A Lebanese.
Speaker 1: Lebanese 352 has been adopted. Councilman Ortega, someone you'd like to invite to the podium to receive the proclamation?
Speaker 8: Yes, absolutely. So I just want to first state that Mirna did not want to have any kind of fanfare. Honoring and recognizing her. And it took a little bit of convincing that really was to allow all of us to be able to come together and share with the family how much Mirna was loved by so many people . So I want to invite her husband Ernest to come to the podium on behalf of the family and if you could maybe introduce the family to us. And while he's doing that, I'd like to ask those who are here in honor of Mirna and all her many, many wonderful contributions to the city would please stand. Thank you. Thank you. Ernest.
Speaker 7: Thank you. First of all, I'm sorry the cops left because when Myrna died Easter morning, the first people that showed up were the cops. And. They were amazingly good. I wasn't very you know, I was really kind of out of it. But that guy, I and I still have his card and I'm going to send a note to the chief about how professional that guy was. So it's not just the people who die. Who are we should honor but but but them all. I'd like to introduce Bernice family, Rick Hipp, her son, Lisa Costa Lansky, her daughter and her wife, her husband Chris Costa Lansky. And their sons, Brett Costa Lansky. And Miles Hirsch. Miles Mirna told me one time that her job was to spoil Miles and and with everything Myrna did, she did well. And she did that very well. Very well. So thank you very much for for for recognizing her and and and she didn't like she didn't want accolades. But we think it's pretty cool. So thank you very much.
Speaker 8: Mr. President, I just want to. I want to also thank Ernest for his years of service to the city as a former city employee as well. Thank you.
Speaker 1: Thank you. Councilman Ortega, three great proclamations this evening. Council job. We're on to the resolution. So, Madam Secretary, will you please read the resolutions.
Speaker 3: From business development 308 resolution to set a public hearing for the formation and adoption of the Five Points Business Improvement District 309a resolution authorizing expenditures and the Economic Opportunity Special Revenue Fund, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Case Management, Employment and Training.
A proclamation honoring Myrna Hipp for her public service and declaring May 9 as Myrna Hipp Day.