A Case Study of How Citizen Activism Can Work

By Stu MacPhail

This book was written primarily to honor the scores of citizens who worked to obtain a major central park in Lakewood, Colorado... in the face of strong opposition from their elected leaders. It is also meant as an encouragement to all civic activists (who seek worthy ends) to keep moving forward even when the odds seem stacked against them.

Lakewood, Colorado existed for decades as a large, populous unincorporated area on the west edge of Denver. In 1969 its residents chose to formalize their community by incorporating.

Early in the life of the new city residents began expressing their wishes that a major estate near the center of Lakewood be saved as open space and a park. The new city leaders saw the 200+ acre estate as a great future source of tax revenue once it was developed for retail, office and residential uses. That divide in civic values led to what was ultimately described as a David vs. Goliath battle.

At age 73 May Bonfils, the woman who had created the beautiful Belmar Estate, married a man who was 27 years her junior. She left him half of her estate, including control over it. He had already sold-off some of the land and was eager to sell-off more and develop the rest.
By 1969 the wealthy Ms. Bonfils had been dead for 7 years

At that point the relevant 200+ acre portion of the estate featured a 20-room mansion that had been built in the mid-1930s, at the height of the Great Depression at a cost of $1 million, as a lavish replica of the Petit Trianon Palace located on the grounds of the Grand Trianon Palace of Versailles in France.

The “gem-like” Belmar Mansion was located on 10-acres of lush landscaping with a swimming pool, a marble fountain and lots of statuary... overlooking a private 36-acre lake. Wanting her estate to be a private oasis, Ms. Bonfils had the lake and the rest of her property declared a state licensed Preserve to prevent “hunting, fishing or trespassing for any purpose.”

She was protecting a herd of 30 mule deer, preening peacocks, ducks, geese and swans that she had brought onto the property. She used part of the property to set up Belmar Farms where she raised prizewinning Suffolk sheep, Black Angus cattle, milk cows and chickens. She also raised oats and barley on an adjacent parcel of her land.

That 200+ portion of the estate was the land and features Lakewood citizens wanted to save in the late 1960s and early 1970s. This book chronicles the citizen vs. city hall battles that eventually saw the citizens prevail over their elected officials and local power brokers by a 2 to 1 margin at the ballot box. It is now a public park featuring natural areas and open space, including picnic areas, a small playground, hiking/jogging/biking trails and bridle paths, with a small year-round flowing stream, a restored lake and a bird sanctuary.

In a nut shell, Belmar Park has become a large natural oasis and place for serene contemplation in the middle of Lakewood... a park supporters of the late 1960s and early 1970s had hoped for... a park that exists only because of persistent citizen activism.

When this saga began, Lakewood had about 3 acres of park and open space per 1,000 population. Due to these citizen-driven efforts to save land for parks, by 2019 Lakewood now boasts 45.8 acres of park and open space per 1,000 population.

It is the hope of the author that other citizens who have contrarian aspirations for their communities will take this story as an inspiration to press forward (regardless of the odds) and let their activism improve their communities.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Stu MacPhail
• Release date: Apr 29, 2019
• ISBN: 9781370467099

Stu MacPhail

Stu has spent his life in journalistic and entrepreneurial endeavors. He managed a radio station, served as public relations director for a small college, edited a national trade journal for cable television, edited the English portion of a bi-lingual Mexican tourist publication, edited three books written by others, edited a neighborhood newspaper that he founded, and for the past six years has edited a nationally-distributed newsletter for state legislators (on the topics of federalism and the fifth Article of the U.S. Constitution... the Article that provides that states can meet in convention to propose amendments to the US Constitution). The newspaper that Stu founded in 1975 is LIFE on Capitol Hill. After publishing LIFE for 19 years, Stu sold the publication. It has since been sold to three other publishing firms, and now (after 42 years of continuous publication) is being published by Colorado Community Media. In addition to founding and publishing LIFE, Stu has founded, operated and sold a retail business and a real estate brokerage. Now retired, Stu lives in central Denver with his wife, Virginia. Between them they have 5 children and 8 grandchildren. He can be reached at [e-mail].

Book preview

A Case Study of

How Citizen Activism Can Work

The True Story of

How Belmar Park in Lakewood, Colorado

Came into Existence

Belmar… A Mansion Lost

Leads to a Major Park Created

Through Persistent Citizen Activism

By Stuart MacPhail

Copyright 2019 Stuart MacPhail

Smashwords Edition

***~~~***

Preface

By Dick Hilker,

Editor of the local community newspaper, the

Lakewood Sentinel, during the era covered by this book.

This book might well have been titled You Can Fight City Hall -- And Win.

It is the story of how a large public park was established smack-dab in the heart of Lakewood, Colorado, on land surrounded by pricey commercial and residential real estate.

Certainly, many cities across the US have been able to preserve parks in similar locations. But establishment of the 127-acre Belmar Park was rare for a couple of reasons.

First, most central parks were created in the 18th or 19th centuries, during the early days of urban development. Belmar became a reality in 1974, when it was already located across the street from what, at the time, was the largest shopping mall between the Mississippi River and the West Coast.

And, in the case of Belmar, the preservation of prime open space was the result of a multi-year grass-roots citizen campaign that was opposed by municipal officials and the land owner. That effort involved thousands of Lakewood residents who shared a vision: Preserve it now or lose it forever.

Author Stuart MacPhail recounts the long struggle. Almost a half century later, he didn't have to rely on musty newspaper and government archives. A public relations guy by trade, Stu was one of the volunteer leaders of the Save Belmar movement. He was in the front lines of the fight.

This book recounts the seemingly never-ending obstacles that were overcome. And it documents and preserves an important event in Lakewood's early history.

Looking back, preserving the Belmar Estate, once the home of Denver Post newspaper heiress May Bonfils Stanton, also had a secondary benefit not readily apparent at the time.

The fledgling municipality of Lakewood was only two years old in 1971. It was then what urban planners called a bedroom community. For the most part, genuine civic spirit was difficult to find.

Lakewood's proudest moments in that era were state high school football championships won in 1960, 1964 and 1968. But the Save Belmar effort united a wide-range of residents -- from high-schoolers to adults -- in a common effort. It created a new level of citizen involvement which still survives in many forms.

From the standpoint of our newspaper, the Lakewood Sentinel, the Belmar campaign had to be responsible for a record number of letters-to-the-editor on one subject.

Almost a half century later, we can only speculate as to why the Lakewood city administration and city council pushed back so hard against the Belmar acquisition.

Most likely, their motive was based on potential tax revenue for the new city. Belmar was a valuable piece of land. If developed for commercial use, it would generate a lot of tax dollars for the city. And income was a legitimate concern for city leaders in those days.

But everything worked out for the best. Well, almost.

The ornate Belmar mansion could not be saved from demolition. The reason remains murky, as MacPhail notes. The exquisite structure could have been a civic treasure and a cornerstone for the park today. But the major goal was achieved. And it was a big win.

DICK HILKER

Former editor of the Lakewood Sentinel

Contents:

Preface

Background

Power-Brokers at the Time

Major Individual Influencers of East Jeffco’s Destiny

The Belmar Estate – An Overview

The Battle Begins to Save Belmar as a Park

Kountze… A Lake or A Catchbasin?

Belmar Mansion ‘Being Ravaged’

City Teases Belmar Land Acquisition While Proposing Bonds

City Leaders Declare War Against Citizens

What Was Belmar Land Really Worth?

Round Two Gets Underway

Belmar Purchase & Bond Issue – A 2 to 1 Victory

The Political Fallout

Belmar Park Today

About the Author

Additional Reference Sources

Compiled in 2019 by Stuart MacPhail,

from personal memories, citizen interviews, and extensive research through the archives of the Lakewood Sentinel (formerly Jefferson Sentinel) newspaper.

When the City of Lakewood, Colorado publishes information about the origins of its Belmar Park, it usually simply says The City of Lakewood acquired the land in 1973 and established Belmar Park. Actually, 1973 was near the end of the story. The real back story started in 1969 and grew from there.

Most of Lakewood’s early city officials (elected and upper administrative staff) never wanted the Belmar Estate land for a park. If it had not been for persistent, aggressive citizen activism… against huge odds… Belmar would not be a park today.

This essay is primarily about that back story on the origins of a 127-acre park (now expanded to 132 acres) in central Lakewood, Colorado called Belmar. It is also a good case study on the power of ordinary citizens (in any community) who band together in non-violent challenges to official government and civic leaders.

Citizen activism can… and does… Work!

While this report provides