"Neighborhood identity" at the forefront ahead of public discussion for La Alma-Lincoln Park in Denver

The City of Denver is hosting its first public meeting on Thursday to discuss the future of the La Alma-Lincoln Park. This comes just months after a 62-year-old man was shot and killed there in May.

Gary Arellano was shot and killed at the park while trying to break up a fight. Jamie Arellano, his niece told CBS News Colorado the park was like a second home for him.  

"It was just a place for him to come and hangout," Jamie said. "He grew up in this neighborhood since he was a child, him and his brothers. It's just sad to see such a good thing maybe go away, memories, a lot of memories."

Despite Gary's death and other crime in the area, Elaine Limmer, a Denver senior parks planner, they don't plan on closing the park, but they do want to make improvements. Limmer added the meeting is a way to hear from the community about their desires for the park and for people to provide input.

"The goal of this is to make sure that the park's future improvements are really reflective of the neighborhood identity and what the residents of that area want to see," Limmer said.

Limmer added that safety at the park is a top concern that will be discussed at Thursday's meeting.

"We're asking specifically about safety, and how people experience feeing unsafe or safe, and what kinds of improvements would help a feeling of safety," Limmer said.

Jamie agrees that safety improvements need to be made, and she just hopes those improvements don't take away or change the place that was so special to her uncle Gary.  

"I do hope they do make it safer for them, put some type of patrol; they do need camera's or something," Jamie said. "I really do hope they see what we're going through. Hopefully, they do get some kind of structure."

Thursday's public meeting was scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. at the La Alma Recreation Center. A link to a survey to provide input will be available for those who cannot attend in person. For more information, visit the city's page for La Alma-Lincoln Park.