Water Damage Restoration in Westminster, CO

‘The Canal & River Trust is like some sort of an agency that makes you feel like you’re doing wrong constantly’

Scott Macdonald and Amanda Rodgers canalside

LIVE-ABOARD boaters targeted with extra nightly mooring charges are asking: “Is this even our canal any more?”

The Canal & River Trust charges an extra nightly fee for boaters living in desirable “hotspots” of the waterway, on top of the cost of licence fees.

The charges mainly affect “itinerant boaters” – who routinely move from place to place along the canal – and who could in the past moor seven to 14 days without the extra charges.

Picturesque locations including Paddington Basin and Little Venice, where the “pre-bookable” charge is £25 per night on top of the annual charge, are being “privatised” and turned into a “ghost town” in a return to the bad old days of canals being “unlit no-go areas”, boat-dwellers said.

Scott Macdonald, who has lived in his historic wooden boat for six years, said: “It makes me so anxious I feel like I’m falling to bits. I feel like I have no rights as a boater,” he said.

“The Canal & River Trust is like some sort of an agency that makes you feel like you’re doing wrong constantly.

Paddington Basin: ‘The charges are affecting all the best bits of the canal, the hotspots’ [Malcolm Davis]

“I pay my licences, they are all up to date, I pay my insurance, all up to date. The charges are affecting all the best bits of the canal, the hotspots. And now these areas are all empty because people don’t want to pay the extra charge. No boater is having any part of it because it’s wrong.”

Mr Macdonald said the CRT could not be allowed to “effectively privatise” specific locations of the canal network, and added: “They’re putting up our fees every year and now this. It’s not going to stop, which is such a shame.

“If boaters are removed is this the canal any more? The canal creates a sense of community because people drop into the canal for various reasons, and there is a vibe around the canal that is good for mental wellbeing.”

The National Bargee Travellers Association which represent “itinerant boat dwellers” is calling for an end to hotspots that they say is discriminatory.

Chair of NBTA London Marcus Trower said: “The introduction of these new chargeable moorings is yet another example of the Canal & River Trust’s ongoing war on itinerant boaters and their determination to push us out of London and off the water altogether.

“With these chargeable moorings already standing empty, it seems that the CRT would rather see the towpath returned to the bad old days of unlit no-go areas than simply let boaters continue to live in peace, contributing to the safety, vibrancy and culture of London.

‘A vibe around the canal – is good mental wellbeing’

“However, just like when the CRT attempted to introduce bogus safety zones on the River Lee, boaters will continue to resist their dispossession and show that London is better with boats.”

On Wednesday the CRT said it had reviewed its practice and decided to abandon hotspots in Camden Town but not other areas, including Paddington and Little Venice.

The CRT suffered a huge blow from central government which last year announced a cut of around 60 per cent of its annual grant.

A CRT spokesperson said: “Boaters are a vital part of the fabric of London’s canals and over the past decade the number of boats on the capital’s waterways has more than doubled.

“Our charity works to balance the needs of all users, licence-holders who choose to continuously cruise as well as those with a home mooring.

“The vast majority of mooring in London is still free, but the addition of a small number of pre-bookable moorings ensures visiting boaters who are worried they will have nowhere to stop are not excluded from being able to visit our very busy London waterways, and can share the space.

“We’re doing all we can to increase the number of moorings where demand exists, and have added over one kilometre of free towpath moorings in central London over the past few years.

“Following a review of the usage and impact of all our pre-bookables, we have decided to return the Camden section to seven days free mooring.”

When it comes to fighting fires, Westminster firefighter August Rasche says every second counts.

"A fire typically doubles in size every two minutes," Rasche said. "The standard that we operate under is a four-minute response time."

Rasche, who is also the executive board member for the Westminster Professional Firefighters Union (Local 2889), say this standard is becoming harder to meet as the city's population keeps growing.

"In the last 20 years, Westminster has grown fire quite a bit. One thing that has not grown is the Westminster fire department. We have the same number of stations, the same number of ambulances, same number of engines as we had 20 years ago," Rasche said.

According to Westminster fire department officials, between 2020 through 2023, call volumes increased by 37%.

"We've gone from 7,000 calls for service to over 17,000," acting Fire Chief Erik Birk said.

This is why the firefighter's union is asking residents to support Ballot Measure 3C this election, which would implement a 0.5 percent sales tax increase to help fund the creation of two new fire stations in the city, among other plans.

"If we can get these stations built out, we'll get back to that level of safety that we experienced back in the early 2000s," said Rasche.

The extra 5 cents for every $100 spent in Westminster, would generate roughly 19 million dollars annually.

"We feel that that is a small tax filling a massive need," Rasche said.

One of the fire departments, which would be built from this revenue, will be situated near the Westminster Promenade. It is where the fire department has identified a growing need for service.

"Some of that increase can be attributed to an aging population, mental health needs and many other factors," Birk said.

Funds would also be used to hire 45 firefighters and paramedics and modernize three of the city's existing stations.

"Some of these stations were built over 50 years ago and were not built for modern fire service or a diverse workforce," Birk said. "We do not have equitable amenities for our female firefighters, and 10% of our firefighters are female."

The Westminster fire department would also be able to create a new training facility, removing existing challenges with having sometimes go outside of the city to conduct critical training.

"Right now, our training facility is a parking lot with a small structure on it, and it is not sufficient for the expectations of a modern fire department," said Rasche.

If this measure passes, the firefighter's union hopes the two new stations will be built by 2029 and before they begin the process of modernizing existing stations.

Gabriela Vidal

Gabriela Vidal is a reporter for CBS News Colorado. Read her latest reports or check out her bio and send her an email.

Twitter

A 131-room La Quinta Inn by Wyndham hotel in Denver’s northern suburbs sold to a new, locally based owner in a deal completed last week.

Sairam Northlenn LLC, a Westminster-based company, spent $8.6 million acquiring the property from Denver Northglenn Hotels LLC, a company based in Shenandoah, Texas, according to Adams County property records.

The hotel property is located at 345 W. 120th Ave. in Westminster, off the busy 120th Street and Interstate 25 intersection in the northern metro-area suburbs.

Tusar Dash formed the Sairam Northglenn LLC, according to business filings with the Colorado Secretary of State.

Commercial real estate brokerage Marcus & Millichap helped in the transaction, marketing the property for sale on behalf of seller Denver Northglenn Hotels, the brokerage said.

Skyler Cooper, Marcus & Millichap senior vice president of investments, and Christy McDougall, associate, helped find a local in-state buyer.

“This marks yet another successful transaction, with both parties being valued repeat clients," Cooper said, in a statement.

The three-story La Quinta Inn was built in 1986 and renovated in 2023, according to Marcus & Millichap.

The 120th Street and I-25 intersection averages more than 200,000 vehicles passing by daily, the real estate company says.

Other hotels off I-25 and Interstate 70 through the Denver metro area have changed hands in recent months.

One, a La Quinta Inn just north of downtown, was acquired by Colorado Coalition for the Homeless late last year and is expected to be torn down and redeveloped as a housing complex.

Denver-Area Commercial Mortgage Companies

Dollar volume of commercial loans closed in Colorado in 2023

View this list

WESTMINSTER, COLO. — Marcus & Millichap has arranged the sale of La Quinta Inn by Wyndham Denver Northglenn, a three-story hotel at 345 W. 120th Ave. in Westminster. A private seller sold the asset to a local buyer for an undisclosed price.

Built in 1986 and renovated in 2023, La Quinta Inn offers 131 guest rooms and is centrally located between Boulder, Colo., and downtown Denver.

Skyler Cooper and Christy McDougall of Marcus & Millichap represented the seller and procured the buyer in the deal. Adam Lewis served as Marcus & Millichap’s broker of record in Colorado.

FIRESTONE, COLO. — SRS Real Estate Partners has negotiated the sale of a retail building located at 10935 Colorado Blvd. in Firestone. An East Coast-based developer sold the asset to a local private investor for $5.4 million.

The Learning Experience occupies the 10,000-square-foot building, which was built in 2023, under a new 15-year lease.

Ryan Tomkins of SRS Capital Markets represented the seller in the deal.

MODESTO, CALIF. — Aspen Real Estate Financial (AREF), in partnership with Stanislaus Regional Housing Authority and California Affordable Housing Agency (CalAHA), has acquired the 50-unit Rumble Road Apartments in Modesto for $17 million, or $340,000 per unit.

AREF handles 100 percent of the total capitalization of the acquisition, along with reserves to cover lease payments and operating expenses. The program is a long-term lease to own, where AREF donates all equity and upside value to Stanislaus Regional Housing Authority.

Stanislaus Regional Housing Authority, on a 35-year lease to own the property, will begin implementing a workforce housing platform at the property where the rent levels are structured to fall within moderate income housing as defined by HUD at 80 percent to 120 percent of area median income.

Located at 2531 W. Rumble Road, the community offers 10 one-bedroom units and 40 two-bedroom apartments with air conditioning, ceiling fans, stainless steel appliances, double-pane windows, walk-in closets, full-size washers/dryers and tankless water heaters. Community amenities include a clubhouse with a fitness center, play area and onsite property manager. AREF has provided funds to gate the entire community.

Matt Benwitt of Lee & Associates LA North/Ventura represented the buyer, while Marcus & Millichap represented the seller in the transaction. Nick Benjamin and Tom Lewis of CalAHA participated in the lease-to-own structure of its Stanislaus Regional Housing Authority member. Jim Kruse of Stanislaus Regional Housing Authority and its employees undertook the due diligence for the formation of the lease.