Coronavirus Update
Public Health References
CDC * Colorado * Jefferson County * City of Golden
Jefferson County’s case count page says that as of 3PM yesterday, there have been 2,191 cases in Jefferson County (up from 2,120). There have been 135 deaths (up from 128) and 334 are hospitalized (up from 327). There are 176 known cases in Golden (up from 172).
The Safer at Home protocol is now 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. Clear Creek is closed to all recreational activities.
Virtual Golden
7:30AM Citizens Budget Advisory Committee
The Citizens Budget Advisory Committee will largely focus on the impacts from the COVID-19 shutdowns. Our budget is heavily dependent on sales and use tax, and of course we expect those to be lower this year.
8-8:55AM Virtual Flow Yoga
9-10AM Virtual Power Training
4-8PM Order Dinner from the Rose
5:30-6:10PM Virtual Core Conditioning
5:30PM #LiveFromTheRose – Korey Foss
6:30PM Planning Commission Study Session
The Planning Commission will discuss the South Neighborhoods Plan, which they will be updating to accommodate the growth they anticipate in that part of town.
Golden Business News
You may recall hearing about BGoldN. This is the program that allows our local restaurants to provide meals for community members who are affected by the COVID-19 shutdown. They offer drive-through meal pick-up 5 days/week at Bell Middle School, 9AM and 1PM. (You can donate, thereby helping both unemployed community members and local businesses!)
Now there’s a new BGoldN service. You can buy gift cards from many different Golden businesses, all at one website. Right now, about 25 Golden businesses are signed up for the program, and there will be more to come. The idea behind this service is that you can give your favorite businesses some cash now, during their dry period, and enjoy using the cards later.
If you buy gift cards before June 1st, the businesses won’t pay any service charges.
Golden History Moment
I’ve long been puzzled by the origins of what we now call Lions Park. In my reading of old Colorado Transcripts, I’ve seen it called by many names. A 1953 article called it Golden’s City Park. A 1962 article remarked that both “Carpenter Park” (after a former Mayor) and “Memorial Park” had been suggested. The Transcript called it “Carpenter Park” throughout 1962.
In 1964, the paper stated definitively that the park was called “Kiwanis Memorial Park,” but went on to say that many were calling the the “Golden City Park.” In June of 1965, they called it “Golden Memorial Park.” The next month they called it “City Park.” In April of 1966 it was back to Kiwanis park.
A 1972 article described a City Council meeting in which one of the councilors (A Lions Club member) referred to “Lions Park.” Mayor Dave Crawford, a member of Kiwanis, corrected him.
So what’s the background on all of these names? The Park evolved gradually, over several years, and a lot of citizen labor brought it into being.
Several things were happening in Golden in 1953. A new highway was going to be built, going into Clear Creek Canyon (now called Highway 6). This was going to give many tourists a view of our “back yard,” where we put our unattractive things–notably the town dump. We also had a new water treatment plant, and suddenly it seemed unappetizing to store our garbage so close to our drinking water. So we closed the town dump in 1953.
The Baby Boom was also off to a big start in 1953. America became very kid- and family-conscious, and began to think of recreational facilities they could build for kids.
In 1952 community members decided that we should have a fishing pond for our youngsters, and felt that one of the holding ponds left from our previous pumping station should be used for that purpose. The Transcript warned, “the hole is 22 feet deep and so icy cold beneath the surface water that children could easily be given cramps. Also the water is untreated and might contain harmful bacteria.” Those conditions didn’t seem to deter anyone, but that winter a citizen decided that the kids needed a skating pond, so he used his tractor and dug a shallow pond. The ice skating was a hit with all ages, so it remained in use, whenever we got a hard freeze, well into the 70s.
The following spring, the City decided to use the new, shallow pond as a fishing hole, rather than the death trap 22′ deep one. The state stocked the pond, and it was a popular recreation spot for kids for the next 50 years.
By the early 60s, the Kiwanis Club was working hard to clear the land for recreational uses. They built the campground next to the water treatment plant. They cleaned out brush and bought picnic tables and installed fireplaces. In 1966, the City purchased the land between the outdoor pool and the water treatment plant, and at that point, the Lions Club got involved. They provided labor and financed some of the equipment for the tennis courts and the ball fields. The Optimist Club developed the playground, purchasing all the equipment. The DAR fixed up a triangle of land just off Washington Avenue, next to the Creek.
Most of the town’s leaders were members of one of these clubs, and there was some good natured rivalry between them. So why weren’t the different sections named after the groups that developed them–the Kiwanis campground, the Optimists playground, the DAR triangle park, and the Lions Club athletic park? I don’t know. At one City Council meeting, there was some discussion about the uneasy mix of Lions and Kiwanis serving together on Council. Someone suggested that at the next election if might be better if they let the Oddfellows run the City for a while.
For whatever reason, in 1976 the long-running debate over the name of the park was suddenly over. The Lions came to Council and asked permission to post a sign proclaiming the area to be Lions Park. The motion passed, but the Mayor (Kiwanis) suggested that the signs be limited in size to 6″x12″.
The Golden Transcript (originally called the Colorado Transcript) has been publishing since 1866. The Golden History Museum has been working on digitizing the historic issues. You’ll find old Transcripts online at coloradohistoricnewspapers.org.