Month-End Appeal
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Public Health References
CDC * Colorado * Jefferson County * City of Golden
Coronavirus report from Jeffco Public Health’s Case Summary Page, as of 3PM Friday:
Cases in Jeffco
Friday: 2634 | Monday: 2684
Deaths in Jeffco
Friday: 208 | Monday: 209
Ever Hospitalized in Jeffco
Friday: 419 | Monday: 423 (currently 17)
Recovered
Friday: 2297| Monday: 2328
Known Cases in Golden
Friday: 112 | Monday: 112
The Safer at Home protocol is in effect. Check the City’s site to learn more about what that entails. Everyone is still requested to wear a mask that covers the nose and mouth when leaving the house. City and County fire restrictions are in place.
Virtual Golden
9-9:40AM Virtual Core Conditioning
10:15-11:15AM Baby and Toddler Time with the Library
1-2:30PM Zoom into Watercolor with Janet Nunn – Lotus Blossom – Register with Foothills Art Center
Real Golden
The slide from Parfet Park down to the Creek is open again.
City Council Meeting Tonight
6PM City Council has scheduled a special meeting tonight to discuss safety concerns related to the pandemic.
Council is in a difficult position. If public health were the only concern, the best thing to do would be to shut down the town and ask everyone to stay home. That’s not the only concern. Many people depend on our small businesses for their livelihoods, so the city has worked hard to help them stay open and operate safely. They’ve been trying different configurations of barriers to provide the restaurants with extra outdoor dining space. They’ve provided the merchants with masks that they could hand out to their customers. They’ve promised to support any safety measures that the merchants specify.
But what can and should they do about Clear Creek? Based on the protocol used in previous years, when the Creek is running high and fast in the spring, the Police Chief is authorized to forbid people from entering the Creek. When the flow slows to a certain point, kayaks are allowed, and when it goes lower still, all bans are off, so tubers, waders, swimmers, and anyone else can enter.
Ever since we built the kayak park (thus turning the Creek into a pleasant place to be), it has attracted mobs of visitors. And why not? The view is great and–unlike waterparks–there’s no admission charge and no charge for parking. This year the crowds are poised to be worse than usual, because so many other recreational options are shut down.
Many Golden residents feel a bit ambivalent about the whole thing. We like the Creek ourselves, but it’s so crowded with visitors that many residents avoid it entirely. In the meantime, we’re bearing the expense of maintenance and staffing (rangers, EMTs, police, parks personnel, etc.). What’s in it for us?
It does attract LOTS of visitors to town, but the merchants say that the people who come to the creek don’t shop and don’t eat in our restaurants…so there’s little financial justification for hosting all those people.
This year comes with a new set of complications. The Creek is as attractive as ever, and many (or most) of the people who come are disinclined to observe social distancing or wear masks. Gentle suggestions that people wear masks and maintain social distance have not been effective.
What can City Council do to keep Golden residents, our first responders, and our visitors safe? That is the subject of tonight’s special meeting. They will discuss mask requirements and any other steps that they can and should take to improve safety during the pandemic.
You can watch the meeting live on GCO.tv or Comcast Channel 8 or 880 (HD). To listen to the meeting by phone, call: +1-408-418-9388 and enter access code: 146 550 5700.
Golden History Moment
In 1969, the Colorado Transcript went from being a weekly paper to publishing Monday through Friday. The name changed at that time to the Golden Daily Transcript. It also began publishing national stories from syndicated services, so in reading those early Golden Transcripts, I’ve picked up a lot about the early years of the Nixon administration.
Here’s a sampler of what was happening in Golden at the end of June, 1970 (50 years ago).
The outdoor pool on 10th Street was drawing big crowds.
A raft capsized in Clear Creek and the Golden Fire Department rescued its two passengers
The County dump burned, but fortunately the smoke from the fire drifted east instead of towards Golden.
The pipefitters at Coors were on strike.
We dedicated our new library (which is now the Golden History Museum).
The accused Rapist of a 12 Year Old Golden Girl Was Caught.
The Armory was for sale.
Golden’s Coin-Op Laundry (now the Colorado Cidery) opened for business.
The Golden Symphony (now the Jefferson Symphony) played at Red Rocks.
It was a very good year for roses.
The Kiwanis club was selling fireworks in the Safeway parking lot
Jaycees were selling flowering trees to help pay for the City’s fireworks display.
The Golden Marlins (swim team) won their first meet of the season.
A Golden teen-aged girl was shot to death in Parfet Park. Golden police were searching Clear Creek for the murder weapon.
The Golden Tourism booth was doing a brisk business. Vi Hader, executive secretary of the Golden Chamber of Commerce remarked, “I swear, I don’t know who’s tending the corn in Iowa. Everybody in Iowa is vacationing in Colorado.”
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