DENVER — Monday marked the first time the city of Denver opened close to 50 cooling centers to help community members escape the high heat and hydrate.
Amber Campbell, the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment (DDPHE) public information officer, explained the cooling centers are at libraries and recreation centers and are free for the public to use.
“I don’t think they’re as highly utilized as we would like to see. We want people to really know that you don’t have to be experiencing homelessness to come to one of these cooling centers. They’re really meant for everyone in Denver. If you don’t have air conditioning, if your air conditioner is broken, if you’re just out at the park and you’re like, wow, I’m getting really hot, I need to go cool down, you can just come in,” Campbell said.
The heat has been no stranger to Denver; however, this is the first time this year the National Weather Service has activated a heat advisory for the area. Russell Danielson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Boulder, explained that they are seeing more high-heat days in the summer months…