6PM Meg Van Ness will be speaking tonight at the Golden History Museum. The topic is Wild Things in Ancient Places: The Archaeology of the National Wildlife Refuges. Somewhere beneath the tracks of the bison, the nests of the piping plover, and the burrows of the black-footed ferret are the tools and fires of earlier peoples. These animals and their habitats are protected on our National Wildlife Refuges – a system of public lands that also offers a rare opportunity to preserve archaeological sites and historic places (and the occasional dinosaur).
The eight states that comprise the Mountain – Prairie Region of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Wildlife Refuge system extend from the Canadian border to the desert southwest. The cultural resources of the region span 12,000 years from Paleoindian camp sites to Depression-era fire towers. The paleontological remains, archaeological sites, and historic structures found on the Refuges are diverse and wonderful and provide some unique challenges. Presented by Meg Van Ness, Regional Historic Preservation Officer for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. $0 Members; $10 plus online registration fee non-members. Register.
6:30PM The Downtown Development Authority will meet tonight in City Council Chambers. They will consider a $2084 request from the History Museum to light the Greetings from Golden mural on the Clear Creek side of the museum building. They will also review their annual Community Partnership agreements. Visit Golden is requesting $15K; the Golden Visitors Center $20K, Miners Alley Playhouse $20K, and Foothills Art Center $15K. The DDA supports these organizations because they provide reasons for people to visit Downtown and spend money there.
They will also discuss the Legacy Fund that the Golden Urban Renewal Authority accumulated during the 20 years that they worked to revitalize Downtown. The original agreement was that if GURA did not find a major project to fund, to leave as their lasting legacy in Downtown, they would give the money (~$1.8 million) to the DDA at the end of 2019. GURA is asking for a little more time. They are leaning towards using some of the money to rescue the Astor House from its current blighted condition. They would like to finish it (install walls, bathrooms, etc.) so that it could be used for some public purpose.
Based on last month’s DDA meeting, that group is expressing more interest in using it to create affordable housing, possibly in Goosetown (the area around the newly-purchased Coors office building). A possible complication is that Goosetown was not part of the GURA area, and the GURA money was intended to be used within the GURA district.
One last wrinkle–City Council is starting to discuss whether the newly-purchased Coors office building should be remodeled to serve as affordable housing.
Other Monday Events:
10AM NREL Walking Campus Tour
10AM Everything Dinosaur Talk at Dinosaur Ridge
4PM STEM Girls at the Library
5:45PM Open Mic Night at the Library
6:30 PM Open Mic Night at Dirty Dogs Roadhouse
6:30PM Fireside Pickers at New Terrain Brewing Company
