Virtual Events
TriceraTOTs
9-10AM Zumba
11-11:55AM HIIT & Sculpt
12-12:55PM All Levels Yoga Virtual
Real World Events
9:15-9:45AM Baby Time @ Golden Library
10AM and 1PM Wild West Walking Tour
10AM, 1PM, 4PM, and 6PM Wild West Short Tour
10:15-10:45AM Preschool Time @ Golden Library
4:30-5:30PM Teen Advisory Board @ Golden Library
5PM VIBE@Five @ Cheese Ranch Deli (map)
VIBE@FIVE is Golden’s Happy Hour! Come join other members of the Golden Chamber of Commerce for this “Very Important Business Event” – VIBE! This event is for members of the Golden Chamber of Commerce and their guests as well as for members of the Golden Young Professionals. Become a member
Stop in for a quick hello and a refreshment right after work and a chance to get to know fellow members of the Golden Chamber of Commerce and Golden Young Professionals. This is a great networking and socializing event.
6:30PM City Council Regular Business Meeting @ City Hall – MEETING PACKET
Council will meet early–at 5:30–for an executive session (no public, no cameras) to discuss “pending legal proceedings concerning the operating protocol for the Green Mountain Reservoir and a matter before the Water Quality Control Division concerning Clear Creek). The regular meeting will start at 6:30.
Tonight’s consent agenda includes the first reading of an ordinance concerning the new bag and retail delivery fees that will take effect next year.
A representative from the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) will discuss their current programs.
The big topic of the night is approval of the Heart of Golden plan. The meeting packet explains that phase 1 will focus on the eastern end of the creek front–a new city hall and police department. The park-like elements in the central and west areas will be planned several years in the future.
The meeting packet provides cost estimates for the new buildings, which range from $50-70 million. It describes methods that cities use to pay for projects. For a project as large as this one, the two options are bonds, which require a vote of the residents, and Certificates of Participation (COPs), which can be acquired without a vote. City Council bought the Coors office building and property using $25 million of COPs, using the community center and one of the fire stations as collateral.
City staff’s summary and recommendation is: “Staff requests direction from Council regarding moving forward with Heart of Golden Phase 1 planning, with the general understanding that the City would seek to finance the initial phase of the project with Certificates of Participation at a level accommodated by existing revenue sources, supplemented by additional one time or other revenues as necessary.“
The next topic will be the planned 6% excise tax on recreational marijuana, which they expect to bring in $800,000-$1million/year. Staff is asking Council to discuss how that money should be allocated.
The business meeting will be followed by a study session. The History Museum has just published a study called “Indigenous Connections: Native American Ethnographic Study of Golden, Colorado and the Clear Creek Valley.” Museum Director Nathan Richie will tell Council about the study and answer their questions.
They will hear updates from the Council Subcommittees, which are “Appointee Evaluation,” “Legislative,” and “Boards and Commissions.”
Finally the Interim City Manager will provide a mid-summer update of Clear Creek issues. Visitation has increased this summer. The average number of creek users per hour is 513 on weekends and 114 per weekday. One of the busiest days this year was the 4th of July. During the hour from 12-1PM, there were 799 creek users and 1,524 people on the trail by Lions Park. A daily average of 42% of trail users are carrying tubes. 90% of trail users are complying with the new striping on the trail, which tells people to keep to the right.
There have been 10 water rescues, including two deaths. Parking along 10th Street now requires registration. The first two hours are free, and it’s $2/hr after that. They generated $8632 in parking fees during the month of July, and issued 109 parking citations. This fall, the City will pave part of Vanover Park because the creek users are too much for the grass. The packet also includes a study done on Clear Creek Aquatic Health, which is somewhat strained by rising temperatures and the number of creek users.
I normally provide links to the staff memos for each topic, but the Granicus system wasn’t working last night. Councilor Brown was kind enough to send me the entire packet which you can download from this link.
Opinion Section
I’m concerned about the Heart of Golden project. It’s true that we have spent a lot of time gathering public comment, but almost all of the discussion was based on parks and pickleball courts, while almost all of the cost will come from building a new City Hall–and that’s the first thing on the schedule.
Today’s Golden History Moment describes the process we went through when we built the current city hall. A group of determined boosters made the rounds of the stakeholder groups and explained why we needed it. In the end, the voters were asked to vote on a bond issue, and it was approved.
I feel like we’re skipping a few steps this time. Do the residents want a new City Hall? Why do we need it? Is the current building over-crowded? Is it falling apart?
Are we doing it because we want more contiguous parkland? (We may not get it: the library isn’t sure they want to move, because they prefer to be in the center of the action, not off in a remote location.) Would the residents be just as happy if we turned our new Coors property into parkland, instead of building a new City Hall there?
I’m not saying we don’t need it; we just haven’t been told why we do. We need the persuasion part of the process.
That’s why I don’t like Certificates of Participation–they don’t require a vote. If we’re going to take on $50, $60, or $70 million in debt, I believe the citizens should be told why we need it, and then vote yes or no.
I asked Mayor Weinberg whether approval of tonight’s Heart of Golden Plan (which includes the suggestion that we use COPs) meant they were, de facto, approving a new City Hall. She said that they would likely include the design money in the 2023 budget and make the construction decision in 2024.
So stay tuned, ask questions, and be prepared to offer your opinions. It’s only a done deal if we stop paying attention.
Live Music
6PM Karaoke with Linda @ Dirty Dogs Roadhouse
6PM Live Music @ Nomad Taqueria
6PM Open Pick Night @ Over Yonder Brewing
8:30PM LoCash (part of the Wildland Firefighters Benefit) @ Buffalo Rose (main venue)
Each year, wildland firefighters die while protecting our homes, our communities and our great outdoors. Join Coors Banquet and 106.7 The Bull as we honor these heroes at Coors Banquet Presents, A Benefit Show for the Wildland Firefighter Foundation featuring LOCASH on August 9th. All ticket proceeds and donations from the show will go to Wildland Firefighters Foundation. More info….
Trivia
6:30-8:30PM Team Trivia Tuesdays @ Buffalo Rose
6:30-8:30PM Trivia Tuesdays @ Golden Mill
7PM Trivia Night @ the Ace
7-9PM Team Trivia Night @ Tributary Food Hall
Golden History Moment
In 1958, Golden’s leaders–particularly the Chamber of Commerce–determined that we had outgrown our pioneer-era City offices. That spring, Heinie Foss, owner of the Foss Drugstore, led a committee to plan a new complex of buildings that would include the city offices, police and fire departments, a swimming pool, library, museum,and recreation center.
The committee spent much of 1959 waging an “intense campaign” to persuade voters of the desirability of the project. The campaign succeeded, and in November of 1959, the citizens approved a $350,000 bond issue.
The project went out for bid of February of 1960. The bids came in higher than expected, so council had the plans reworked and down-scaled. The swimming pool opened in June of 1960 and the rest of the municipal center was dedicated in May of 1961.
The building has been enlarged and upgraded several times over the years, and the library and the history museum have both moved out to leave more room for city offices.
Thanks to the Golden History Museum for providing the online cache of historic Transcripts, and to the Golden Transcript for documenting our history since 1866!
