A few times in the past month or so, I have mentioned Union Station Advocates, a new organization that I have had the opportunity to help establish and serve on its board of directors. Today I want to tell you a bit about Union Station Advocates and why you should join us in our efforts.

The big redevelopment of Union Station and the addition of all the new transit elements there will create one of the busiest places in Downtown Denver. After all of the FasTracks lines are up and running, RTD estimates that 190,000 people a day will travel through the Union Station transit district. That represents an incredible opportunity for us to create one of the best public spaces, not only in Denver, but in any major city anywhere. Getting that accomplished, however, will not happen without a lot of dedication by a lot of people.

All areas within the entire Union Station transit district in between or surrounding buildings and transit elements are part of the public realm that can become attractive, successful public spaces. These include the large plazas in front of the historic station along Wynkoop Street, the connecting walkways around the planned wing buildings, the elevated plaza above the commuter rail tracks, the areas surrounding the commuter rail platforms, the entry plaza at 17th and Wewatta, the entire 17th Street Promenade from Wewatta to the light rail station, and the areas around the light rail platforms over to both the Millennium Bridge and the proposed 18th Street Pedestrian Bridge. There’s the grand train room inside the historic station too. Our mission at Union Station Advocates is to ensure that all of those public areas are designed, constructed, managed, maintained, and programmed in the absolute best manner possible.

We’ve seen what has happened to Civic Center Park and to Skyline Park. Public spaces that do not have strong advocates on their behalf can slide over time into misuse, disuse, poor maintenance, and mismanagement. Our goal at Union Station Advocates is to never let that happen at Union Station; rather, to be there as an organization from the beginning to help establish and sustain Union Station as Denver’s premier urban public gathering place, and to make sure that you, Denver citizens, always have an active role in the design, function, and governance of those spaces.

Things are going to start happening fast at Union Station. On June 4, the four finalist consulting firms vying for the opportunity to design the public spaces at Union Station will be presenting their qualifications and design philosophies at a public forum, followed almost immediately by the selection of the winning firm. By later this fall, the design for the public spaces should be nearly complete. Construction of the plaza and the first wing building along Wynkoop will begin in 2009. The time to get engaged is now.

We are all volunteers at Union Station Advocates and we are a not-for-profit organization. So, in order for us to achieve our goals, we need your help. If you have the time and energy to help us host meetings, organize events, stuff envelopes, etc., please let us know. We’d love the help. If you don’t have the time to commit but could contribute financially, that would be greatly appreciated too.

A special “charter” membership in Union Station Advocates is $40 through May 31 (that’s this Saturday) after which it goes to $50 a year. We’ve just added a “pay by credit card” feature on our Membership page to make it easy for you to join. Your membership in Union Station Advocates demonstrates your civic interest in our historic Union Station and its rebirth, and it also helps us pay for our website and for the various events and projects that we plan in support of our cause. Please join today.

Denver has a long tradition of its citizens rising to the occasion to achieve great things. Union Station is that opportunity before us now. I hope you will join me at Union Station Advocates in helping make Denver Union Station one of the city’s finest public places.