Coronavirus/COVID-19
Public Health References
CDC * Colorado * Jefferson County * City of Golden
JCPHD updates these numbers Monday through Friday at about 3 PM. Here’s the most recent Coronavirus report from Jeffco Public Health’s Case Summary Page:
Cases in Jeffco – Tues: 12,545 | Weds: 12,990 (+445)
Deaths in Jeffco – Tues: 356 | Weds: 360 (+4)
Ever Hospitalized in Jeffco – Tues: 889 | Weds: 898 (currently 149) (+9)
Recovered – Tues: 8,888 | Weds: 9,154 (+266)
Known Cases in Golden – Mon: 403 | Weds: 429 (+26)
School of Mines COVID-19 case page. | Masks are required. | City and County fire restrictions are in place. | Sign up for exposure notifications.
Virtual Golden
10:15AM Preschool Time with the Library
6-7PM Virtual Qs and Brews Trivia with the Library
Do you miss pub trivia? Join JCPL online as we test your knowledge on a wide assortment of topics! Join the program online. Note: You may be asked to download WebEx, if you haven’t already done so.
6:30PM City Council Regular Business Meeting
You can watch the meeting live on the Agendas page or on GCO.TV. To listen by phone, call: 408-418-9388 and enter event id number 146 166 7106. To submit public comment by email, send your email to this address by 5PM. If you want to comment live, during the meeting, register here by 5PM.
City Council will start with proclamations for 2020 Hunger and Homelessness Awareness and Action Week and Small Business Saturday.
Seasonal Use of Downtown Sidewalks and Parking Lanes
Council will consider a change to the municipal code that would allow downtown merchants to use not only the sidewalk but the parking lane in front of their businesses for sales, service, and outdoor display. Application to do this would no longer require permission from City Council; City staff could approve the merchant’s request. The application fee would be $50/year. If a merchant wants to build a permanent structure, which would result in permanent loss of sidewalk or parking spaces, the application would still need Council approval. This proposed change does not appear to be COVID-related, as it pertains only to April 1st – October 31st.
2021/2022 Operating Budget and Capital Improvement Plan
Council will review the budget submitted by the City Manager. There will also be a public hearing, so this is your opportunity to chime in.
Policy Prioritization
Council will consider changing their Rules of Procedure to allow a Councilor or one of the Boards/Commissions to propose a new policy. The proposal would go to the City Manager, so he could evaluate the staff time and money the new idea would require, and the proposal would required Council approval.
Study Session:
Astor House
Preservation-minded citizens have asked City Council to set up a Preservation Easement with the Colorado Historical Foundation. City Council discussed this in their last meeting and were divided on the subject: some trusted the recommendation of the Historic Preservation Board, Golden Landmarks Association, and Astor House Alliance and were inclined to set up the easement. Other Council members resisted having an outside party tell them what they could and could not do with the property. Tonight they will discuss a suggestion by City staff: paying the Colorado Historical Foundation to consult, but not giving them authority to stop changes.
JEDI
The Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) Subcommittee has been meeting to discuss what Golden could do to be an anti-racist community. They have begun sending City staff to “Advancing Racial Equity: The Role of Government” training and attending conferences on Racial Equity. Their next proposed move is to hire a consultant for $50K to help us create an Racial Equity Action Plan. They hope to hire someone who is black, indigenous, or of color for this role. This person would help them assess the extent of equity disparities in Golden; establish a framework to ensure that equity is part of City policy, programming, and budgeting; identify equity milestones and metrics; reduce disparities and increase the success rates of communities of color, women, immigrants & refugees, LGBTQIA+ (Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, plus), and other marginalized communities; make policy recommendations to advance equity in priority areas such as; affordable housing & homelessness, neighborhood development, economic development, police & criminal justice reform, education, transit & transportation services, and other critical municipal functions.
Strategic Action Plan
The City Manager will present a first draft of a Strategic Action Plan. The 5 Success Factors defined by Council are:
– Active, Connected, and Sustainable
– Affordable and Thriving
– Safe, Inclusive, and Engaged
– Respected a relational Governance, and
– Quality Services
The plan sorts city activities under those 5 Factors, including the Heart of Golden, complete streets, sustainability goals, various street, water, and sewer projects, rewriting the city’s zoning code, developing affordable housing, making the history museum & community center pay for themselves, increasing equity and diversity, enhancing safety…. See the draft plan for the complete list.
Executive Session – Regarding an Intergovernmental Agreement with the Colorado School of Mines
Real World Golden
3:30-4:30PM Vaccine, License & Microship Clinic @ Foothills Animal Shelter
5-7PM Cocktail Sampling at Launch Expresso Food Spirits (map)
Golden Moon Speakeasy will be on site at Launch Espresso Food Spirits in Golden giving out some complimentary cocktails of your choice! It’s your chance to try some of their unique products. Try the “Double Trouble,” featuring Ex Gratia and a shot of espresso. COVID restrictions are in place but there should be enough for everyone.
Live Music:
7PM Mr. David Booker at Golden Moon Speakeasy
Golden History Moment
95 Years Ago
The November 12, 1925 Colorado Transcript described a controversy that was running through the Golden community. City Council had been approached by the Presbyterian, Baptist, and Methodist ministers of the City, asking that the Golden Gem movie theater be closed on Sundays. Several people in their congregations had signed a petition seconding the request. They referenced an 1879 “blue law” saying that shows could not be performed on Sundays.
Another group of citizens signed a counter-petition. That group said the old ordinance should be repealed. They felt that Golden’s young people would be better off seeing a clean picture show “than they would be in Denver, or dancing at some road house, or parked in an automobile along some lonely highway.” The ministers countered that the pro-theater petition had been signed by students and Catholics.
An officer of the P.T.A. testified that the movies shown in the Golden Gem were always clean–particularly The Ten Commandments, which was a better sermon than any minister could preach. She added that some of the churches showed movies on Sunday nights, sometimes with live orchestras, and sometimes “there is some pretty jazzy stuff, even in Golden churches.”
The Chamber of Commerce came out in support of the movie theater.
The debate went on over several weeks. In the end, City Council said the 1879 law had been written for stage productions and didn’t apply to movies. Alderman Richard Broad summarized the affair as “much ado about nothing.”
Many 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!
