64 Years Ago
The April 21, 1960 Colorado Transcript provides some interesting insights into the interests and concerns of the time.
City Council had met several times with an architect, working to pare down the construction costs for the new municipal center. Citizens had approved a bond issue for $350,000, which was to fund both a city hall and an outdoor pool. The budget allotted $305,000 for construction of the city building. All initial bids exceeded that amount, so Council had chosen an architect to work through cost-reduction measures.
By April 21st, they were down to $311,000, and were feeling confident that they would make their goal. The architect was uneasy about making additional cuts: "I hesitate to do it. This center is for the city of Golden and our aim is to make the people happy with the result."
Council had decided to proceed with pool construction, and the front page featured a photo of a crew pouring concrete with the caption saying "SOME FOLKS THOUGHT this never would happen." They were still negotiating on costs for the rec center building, which would contain the bathrooms and showers. They were hoping that the state health department would allow them to open the pool without those amenities. They proposed setting up a temporary outdoor shower for patrons to use as they entered the gate.
In other news, both Golden Junior High and Pleasant View Elementary had received phone calls telling them there was a bomb in the school. The Golden and Pleasant View Fire Departments responded, searching the schools and finding no bombs. Several other schools in the metro area had received similar calls in the last month.
In happier news, Spudnuts–which were sweet, deep-fried pastries made of potato flour–were available on 13th Street, and they remained "The Freshest Thing in Town."
The Inter-County Regional Planning Commission was projecting that Golden's population would grown from 8,000 in 1960 to 12,000 by 1980. (They were very close: the 1980 census put Golden's population at 12,237.)
A new home, under construction at 2108 Washington Avenue, was being equipped with Golden's first fallout shelter. "The public is invited to view this useful installation which is incorporated into a new home at low cost."
