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Virtual performance by the late Ryuichi Sakamoto is a glimpse into a future in which the reality of live shows is deliberately blurred

Kagami at the Roundhouse

THERE’S some faff before the show starts. You have to collect a headset and if you’re wearing prescription glasses you join another queue to get your tailored goggles. Once the equipment is fitted, you need to look for a red cube in the centre of the performance space – this proves it’s working.

The late Ryuichi Sakamoto’s body of work spans electronic and classical composition, large-scale art installations, and original scores for films including Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence, The Last Emperor and The Revenant. Inevitably, devotees of Sakamoto’s exquisite piano playing will reap the most from Tin Drum’s mixed reality show.

Prior to his death last year, Sakamoto worked with Todd Eckert and the Tin Drum team to produce this virtual performance, experienced with the aid of optically transparent mixed reality glasses.

The late Ryuichi Sakamoto

A ghostlike Sakamoto performs on his grand piano accompanied by striking visuals from falling snowflakes and raindrops to expanding tree root under our feet.

Kagami is presented in surround sound, and audience members are free to watch the concert seated or to explore the space.

I strongly encourage the latter as some of the dimensional art is more impressive from a standing perspective. I also loved watching Sakamoto close-up and audience members melt away in front of my eyes.

This immersive experience is a glimpse into the future in which the reality of live performance is deliberately blurred and artists can continue to entertain us long after their death.

Call me old fashioned but, however stunning the spectacle, I prefer to watch live/alive musicians who can interact with their audience. I felt the same about ABBA Voyage.

There is clearly an audience for this kind of event. Kagami has enjoyed sold out runs in New York and Manchester and will surely win new fans in London.

NB The headsets are not approved for use by children under the age of 14.

Until January 21 roundhouse.org.uk/series/kagami

Two slates of Westminster Public Schools’ candidates sounded off on issues ranging from test scores to cyberbullying during an Oct. 4 board of directors candidate forum.

One group says the district is doing well and should continue on its current path, while the other says WPS needs greater accountability and financial transparency.

The forum, held at the Westminster Grange Hall, was hosted by the League of Women Voters.

The Nov. 7 election is the first time in six years the WPS board election has been contested. The WPS board includes just five members, so no matter the outcome, the election will add new voices. Adding to future changes at WPS, longtime Superintendent Pamela Swanson is retiring at the end of the academic year.

Six candidates are running for three at-large seats. Board treasurer Christine Martinez is seeking a second term. The other two vacancies come as current board President Ken Cianco and Vice President Max Math, both term-limited, step down from their seats.

Martinez, Mary Beth Murphy and Audrey Yanos are running as the MMY slate. The three women advocate for expansion of the district’s Career and Technical Education programs, reinforcing school safety and mental health programs, and recruiting and retaining high-quality staff. They have the support of both the Westminster and Colorado education associations.

Husband and wife Charles and Brenda Gallegos have joined Anthony Sisneros to run as the ABC slate. They say they’ll take a new direction from the current board, which doesn’t acknowledge “the challenges we face as a district.” Those promised changes include improving student achievement, adding more fiscal transparency, and stepping up parent involvement.

Brenda Gallegos said she aims to be a liaison to the Spanish-speaking segment of the community. She delivered all her responses during the forum in both English and Spanish.

WPS adopted a competency based system (CBS) of education in 2009, which does away with grade levels and allows students to advance based on their ability. The system was referred to repeatedly during the forum.

Here are their responses to three of the questions posed at the forum.

WPS students’ math and reading proficiency scores have slipped. What do you plan to do?

Brenda Gallegos: This topic hits very close to home for me because my child is a part of this. The system has failed her in a way. I want to be able to open pathways for the community and for more tutors to be able to help the struggling students advance.

Murphy: When I look at the school accountability framework, I see WPS has indeed been successful in educating students and moving them forward. Since CBS began, there has been marked improvement. There is nothing I would want to change. Students are not defined by a test that is taken on one day. They do no measure what students are learning or what we are teaching.

Charles Gallegos: I agree, looking at a snapshot in time of test scores doesn’t tell the whole picture. But looking over the course of 10 years, we start to see a trend. That trend, in my opinion, has flatlined. I support CBS, but I do believe these scores show there are some inherent flaws that would need to be remedied in order for us to see if CBS works when it’s operating at peak level.

Yanos: When I saw the CMAS (Colorado Measures of Academic Success) scores, I didn’t think it was a reflection of our students whatsoever. That CMAS score is a zip code test. Depending on the ethnicity and income level of your population dictates what your CMAS score is going to be. Our fight is at the capital for better assessment tests… a test that reflects our community and our students. It is not in our boardroom.

Sisneros: It’s critical to state a single test does not tell the whole story, but it is a crucial chapter in a year. We need to grade these students on an international standard so we can know how we’re doing in the world. I would ask what conditions created these outcomes. We know students of color are fully capable of demonstrating and achieving success. Why are our systems not fostering their ability?

Martinez: There is nothing standard about our children. They each have their own experiences, backgrounds and histories, and using a single standardized test created by white men to measure our kids and then rank our teachers is ridiculous. One state test on one day is nothing. We’re here … to teach, not prepare kids to take a test.

How do you plan to continue the current school board’s momentum? What do you hope to change?

Brenda Gallegos: I want all of us to be able to communicate with all of our parents, and all our students, so everybody can all be on the same page. I think there’s a lot of good that’s happening, but I feel we really need to open the communication for everyone.

Murphy: As a former CTE teacher, I would like to continue CTE courses. I would like to offer advanced courses in the pathways, so students can continue to learn and be job ready when they come out. I’d like to offer CTE classes to the adults in our community. I would continue the CBS. I would like to continue to have the highest salary schedules. There’s nothing on my radar right now I would like to change.

Charles Gallegos: We have to collaborate with the community, parents, teachers, with everyone across the board and figure out what are the problems. Otherwise we’re going to get a flawed conclusion. With CBS, I believe in the potential. But I do feel there are some inherent flaws. At least have the self awareness to say yes, this is a great system but there are problems with it, let’s address it.

Yanos: I believe the current board is doing a fantastic job. I am not a stranger to nor am I opposed to change. But I think my leadership style can best be described as pivot. Let’s keep doing what we’re doing, but find opportunities for growth and move in that way.

Sisneros: One thing I would want to change is the way we treat our marginalized students. I have a son with Down syndrome student. He was not able to attend school with his brother, I was told based on resources. I would do everything I could for these students. When we say students, I say all students.

Martinez: We have so much positive momentum happening. I want to keep running on all of these opportunities. We need more. How can we get all of the kids involved? We’re giving as many opportunities to our kiddos as we possibly can and I want to continue to see that happen.

How would you proceed in recruiting and hiring a new superintendent?

Brenda Gallegos: I feel we should have a search. We should make sure we’re finding the right person for our community, our school and for our people, and someone who’s going to understand our demographics.

Murphy: Somebody that already knows our system is best. We want somebody that would be supported by the staff and would continue the things Westminster Public Schools are doing. I would not be interested in a national search. Those are usually very expensive and not very successful.

Charles Gallegos: The superintendent that is chosen needs to share the same vision as the school board, so there are no conflicts of interest and the plan can be implemented seamlessly. I feel that search needs to be handled on a national basis, where we can draw from a diverse pool of candidates, and determine who shares our vision and who truly represents what we want to do for the district.

Yanos: I think it’s really important we hire somebody who understands our competency-based system … because it takes years to train that program (and) it’s not something anyone else is doing. We need to look for a superintendent who really understands it so … they can hit the ground running and keep us moving in the right direction.

Sisneros: I feel when we pay someone $300,000-plus a year, our community deserves a national search. Yes, CBS is great. But they shouldn’t be appointed just because you’ve served here. Whether the best person is in house or not, the community deserves the search.

Martinez: I think a national search would do us harm. We are hosting conferences where international people are coming to learn CBS from us. Are we going to train our national superintendent at this conference? Absolutely not. We have bench strength. We have people who have lived and breathed this experience, and that is where our focus needs to be.

Watch the full candidate forum on the Heart of Westminster website.

Tagged: CandidateselectionForumpublic schoolsWestminster

Westminster and Commerce City would no longer be required to post notifications of meetings, changes in regulations and other legal notices in local newspapers. That’s if voters give them permission to do so in the Nov. 7 elections.

Both cities are proposing that they instead post such notices on their websites.

Colorado Press Association Board of Directors’ President Brian Porter said the change might sound practical, but would make it more difficult for residents to keep track of what elected officials are doing.

“Newspapers are the go-to, trusted source of information for the community in which you reside,” Porter wrote in an email. “This is why our print products are well-read, and why we operate the highest traffic-volume websites in each community. The most appropriate and most valuable way to inform the community always has been and continues to be to publish the item in the newspaper.”

Porter said he hopes voters vote “No” on the measures.

Colorado statutes require cities and towns to post notices in full in a newspaper. But according to the Colorado Municipal League, home rule cities that have adopted their own charters, such as Westminster and Commerce City, may ask voters if they can opt out of that requirement to inform of the public of important government business through a newspaper.

At least 35 Colorado cities and towns have asked voters to let them opt out since 2008, and voters agreed to that change in 31 of those ballot measures.

Westminster’s ballot question gives city officials a choice, asking voters to permit the city to post meeting notices and ordinances on the city’s website or in newspapers or both – whichever they deem most effective. The current ordinance requires newspaper publication.

Commerce City’s question simply asks voters to change the city charter to allow legal notice of ordinances, documents and other legal publications on the city’s website.

Both cities are currently required to publish their legal notices in Colorado Community Media publications, the Westminster Window and Commerce City Sentinel Express.

Tim Regan-Porter, CEO for the Colorado Press Association, noted that having to scan multiple websites for legal notices makes it more difficult for residents to keep up – and easier to miss something important.

“Publication of crucial public information in newspapers is a requirement in all 50 states and these laws date back to the first acts of the U.S. Congress,” Regan-Porter wrote.

He noted that Colorado cities, towns, counties and special districts are also required to post their notices on a common website that the Press Association maintains, publicnoticecolorado.com.

“These local efforts to move this information to government websites violate the spirit of these laws and make public access more difficult and less reliable,” Regan-Porter wrote.

This article has been updated to correct the title of Brian Porter.

Tagged: advertisementslegalmeetingsordinancespublic notice

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Story was updated at 11:30 a.m. Nov. 8

Westminster residents approved a plan that could lead to ward voting in the city and said yes to three plans that broaden municipal authority for the city manager.

A question asking residents if they wanted the city to present a plan for creating geographic wards or voting districts received enough support to win, with 13,153 yes votes compared to 11,774 no votes according to unofficial results in the 2023 election as of 11:30 a.m. Nov. 8.

The city asked residents if they wanted to create a commission to review council districts at the polls in 2021, but voters turned that question down.

All members of the City Council are elected at large, by all Westminster residents.

Proponents of council districts have said voting would give individual neighborhoods better representation on the council and would make it easier for candidates without a lot of money to run campaigns since they would only need to focus on voters in their ward rather than the entire city.

Now, councilors will have two years to come back to voters with a plan to create some form of geographic voting.

In other issues, voters approved three management questions. A question that allows the city to adopt a fund-type budgeting system won approval 14,296 votes to 9,567 votes.

A question that asked to move the city’s fiscal deadline from July 31 annually to Sept. 1 also won easily. Voters approved that measure by 18,864 votes to 5,486

A third financial question asked if the city manager could appoint a staff member to verify appropriations are in place before any contract or agreement is signed. That measure passed 15,449 votes to 8,737.

Voters also overwhelmingly approved a measure allowing the city to post meeting notices, ordinances and other legal documents to the city’s website rather than a newspaper. That measure passed 20,520 votes to 3,931.

At least 35 Colorado cities and towns have asked voters to let them opt out since 2008, and voters agreed to that change in 31 of those ballot measures.

Westminster’s ballot question gives city officials a choice, asking voters to permit the city to post meeting notices and ordinances on the city’s website, in newspapers or both – whichever they deem most effective. The current ordinance requires newspaper publication.

Westminster is currently required to publish legal notices in Colorado Community Media’s publication the Westminster Window.

In keeping with promises to deliver thousands of affordable homes, the groundbreaking for what’s called the Uplands included something for almost everyone: local food from Westminster’s Valente’s Deli, craft beer from hometown brewery Kokopelli’s, music by the Westminster High School drumline, balloons, bulldozers and star power in the form of speeches from local, county and state dignitaries.

All of it unfolded under a brilliantly sunny late September sky.

The hosts of the private event did not, however, extend an invitation to neighboring homeowners, many of whom have fought the project for years. Several of them protested the Sept. 27 groundbreaking and then continued the following day, standing at the entrance of the old farm property with signs reading, “Save the Farm,” “No Uplands development” and “Who paid who?”

Historically a working farm, 2,350 homes will be built on it. Those homes will be developed in a mix of styles and price points, including single-family houses, townhomes and apartments, including rentals. The 234-acre project is a partnership that includes Oread Capital & Development, Varde Partners, Peak Development, and Dream Finders Homes.

While supporters of Uplands say many of the homes will be affordable, price points have yet to be set.

“The first homes will begin construction in 2025, so prices won’t be determined until closer to that date since there are so many factors, like the price and availability of materials,” said Sara O’Keefe, a consultant hired to help the Uplands developers with communication. “We have a tremendous amount of horizontal infrastructure to get in place before we can start building homes.”

It’s taken about a decade for the project to get to this point. Oread Capital president Jeff Handlin joked at the ceremony that he had hair when he began work on the Uplands.

“Today we stand at the threshold of something extraordinary,” he said. “The Uplands was never intended to be just another housing development. From the beginning, our vision was to create a model of sustainability and affordability, with plentiful missing middle housing. And above all, we were passionate about leading on water conservation, design innovation, and thoughtful placemaking.”

He was flanked by officials, including Gov. Jared Polis.

Polis praised Uplands’ planned mix of housing types, public parks, bike lanes and efficient water usage.

Like much of the Western U.S., Colorado suffers from an acute housing shortage, pushing up home prices and rents and also causing homelessness. Municipal and state officials have been struggling against intense local opposition to increase housing construction and ease these pressures.

“This project will be an inspiration for other parts of Colorado, and indeed across the country,” Polis said. “It’s exactly the kind of development we need more of.

“We have a major problem with lack of housing in Colorado. We simply need more units that individuals and families can afford. These homes will be accessible for first-time home buyers, seniors looking to downsize, young professionals and so many others. Not only that, but this community is being built with affordability, mobility and sustainability as the foundation.”

Polis has made creation of affordable housing a priority in the past year. In August, he issued an executive order to streamline developments that are centered around transit. In issuing that order, his office stated that nearly one in three Colorado households spend more than 30% of their income on housing and the state is expected to add an estimated 1.72 million more people by 2050.

Westminster Mayor Nancy McNally also praised developers for compromises in the planning process, including reducing some of the originally proposed density and preserving popular mountain viewpoints.

“The Uplands has listened,” she said. “They heard the community. They heard us as a council. I can’t thank you enough for caring about the community.”

Adams County Commissioner Steve O’Dorisio and Westminster Public School Deputy Superintendent Dr. Jeni Gotto also gave short speeches, citing benefits the development will bring to the region and the school district.

Meanwhile, protesting neighbors, who stayed at the entrance to the groundbreaking event for hours, view the development in a very different light. They’re disappointed to see the project moving forward, and said many questions remain.

John Palmer, a 60-year area resident whose Lowell Boulevard home is across the street from the site, opposes the development and believes multi-story housing shouldn’t be built there. “Multi-story units are not conducive to our neighborhood.” The existing housing, he adds, ”is all single-family detached homes.”

Palmer’s many concerns also include water runoff and potential flooding he believes could result from converting open land to a development with large areas of hard surface and increased traffic.

Palmer doesn’t feel heard. “Our city council … they not once listened to our community concerns or needs. It was all basically rubber stamped for the convenience of the developer.”

And he feels housing costs will not be as affordable as the developers say.

Karen Ray, a resident of the adjacent Shaw Heights neighborhood and a member of the Save the Farm citizens group, said that opponents fought the development for years.

“Most importantly the priority was around the open space,” she said. “It’s pristine, beautiful land, and it’s been a landmark in this city for over 100 years.”

She worries for the character of the neighborhood.

“It’ll completely change the dynamic of this whole area,” she said.

Full buildout of the Uplands is expected in about 15 to 20 years at the site, which is located between Federal and Lowell boulevards and 84^th and 88^th avenues. It was owned by The Pillar of Fire Church until it sold to Uplands developers.