July on the Creek
Photo by Chris Davell
Click to enlarge
What's happening in Golden today?
Events for Monday, Jul. 21st
- All day - CURRENT EXHIBITS AT THE MUSEUMS
- All day - Live Workouts with Community Center Pros
- All day - Golden History Tours
- 7-9AM - Clear Creek Corridor Cleanup
- 8AM - Municipal Court Criminal Arraignments
- 9AM-2PM - Blood Drive
- 10:15-10:45AM - Let's Dance - Registration Required
- 12-12:30PM - Mondays with the Mayor
- 1-2:30PM - Computer Basics
- 2-3PM - Virtual: Active Minds Monday
- 5:30-7PM - Downtown Development Authority Meeting - CANCELLED
- 5:30-7:30PM - The Fundamental Principles of Art
- 6-9PM - Teach Me to Play! Mondays
- 6:30PM - Movement Monday Running Club
- 6:30PM - Soundcheck Music Bingo
For more information, click the item above or visit the Golden Today Calendar
What’s in Bloom Along Golden’s Trails? Bractless Blazingstar!
Figure 1. Bractless blazingstar – Mentzelia nuda (Pursh) Torr. & A. Gray – on Schweich Hill. Right: Flowers of bractless blazingstar.
By Tom Schweich
Bractless blazingstar – Mentzelia nuda (Pursh) Torr. & A. Gray – is starting to bloom now in some of our open spaces. Look for it along trails that cross dry gravelly ridges and slopes in the late afternoon and early evening.
Bractless blazingstar is a short-lived perennial whose blooming is described as "vespertine," meaning that the flowers typically open around dusk or in the early evening. This timing is often an evolutionary adaptation to attract pollinators that are active during the evening or night, such as moths and bats. Many vespertine flowers are white or light-colored to be more easily seen by nocturnal pollinators in low light conditions.
The flowers of bractless blazingstar continue to secrete nectar long after the petals and stamens have withered and fallen off (Helzer, 2016). This attracts ants whose presence significantly improves seed production by warding off insects that might eat the developing seeds.
Two botanists we met before, Frederick Pursh and Thomas Nuttall, tangled in a public feud over who should get credit for discovering our plant. To set the stage, Pursh would have seen a single seed pod collected by Lewis & Clark while returning from the Pacific coast in 1806. But that was not enough material to describe a new plant. Nuttall, though, brought seeds back to England from his travels on the Missouri River in 1811. Live plants were grown from Nuttall’s seeds in the gardens of A. B. Lambert in southwest England and John Fraser in London. Nuttall thought he and Pursh had agreed to share authorship of the new species. But Pursh (1814), seeing those garden-grown plants, described them in his Flora of North America. Nuttall (1818) was quite unhappy with Pursh, complaining in print of Pursh’s “… unfortunate want of fidelity …”
References
Helzer, Chris. 2016. The Curious Case of Stickleaf Flowers – Yet Another Fascinating Natural History Story. The Prairie Ecologist. https://prairieecologist.com/tag/mentzelia-nuda/
Nuttall, Thomas. 1818. The Genera of North American Plants and a catalogue of the species to the year 1817. 2 Vols. Philadelphia: 1818. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/7244#page/305/
Pursh, Frederick. 1814. Flora Americae Septentrionalis; or, A Systematic Arrangement and Description of the Plants of North America. 1. London: White, Cochrane, and Co., 1814. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/1987#page/379/ and https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/197765#page/413/
Preservation vs. Densification
Planned additions to 1121 6th Street (map)
City Council discussed the "new" (3 year old) zoning code during their July 8th study session, and since much of their conversation focused on preservation, preservation-minded folks should watch that section of the meeting. The staff presentation begins at 36 minutes. Council discussion begins at 55 minutes and ends at 1 hour 12 minutes.
Patty Evans wasn't there but submitted written comments (p. 5). She appreciates the focus on preservation but thinks the code rewrite has had unintended consequences, including more scrapes of old homes that are then replaced by multiple homes on the subdivided lots. She thinks the new code has made housing more expensive in Golden. She wants to take another look at allowed garage space and including basements in square footage.
Here's a brief summary of comments by the rest of City Council:
The Mayor was concerned that the code focuses too much on single family homes and large duplexes. It's too concerned with rewarding preservation and not focused enough on building diverse (smaller) types of housing. She said that surveys and discussions with residents show that they are more concerned with getting additional affordable housing than they are about scrapes and preservation. She added that there are homes in Golden that haven't been maintained for decades and there's not a lot of value in preserving those. We have too many houses for families and not enough for smaller households (1-2 people).
Staff replied that they can take another look at the single family neighborhoods to find ways to encourage adding more cottages and multi-family housing types in the current single-family zones.
Rob Reed agreed that the code was focusing too much on preservation. We should be focusing on smaller lots and smaller houses. He would like the Planning Commission to offer more incentives for small house developments.
Don Cameron agreed that preservation isn't a hot topic for him. He would like to revisit the decision to keep "RE" zoning. These are extra-large lots, mostly in the Beverly Heights neighborhood, and he would like to change the zoning to allow the lots to be subdivided or converted to cottage clusters.
The mayor agrees that we should revisit the decision to keep RE (bigger lot) zoning. She would like to see more cottage compounds, even if it means an individual lot contains more square footage of building.
Staff pointed out that the price per square foot on cottages would tend to be higher, but that the smaller size might result in their being more affordable.
Paul Haseman isn't as concerned about preservation but wants to make sure new homes built among older homes are compatible.
Lisa Vitry thinks scraping homes is OK, but not scraping all the vegetation (as in 24th & Illinois, where large trees were removed to make more room for houses).
Bill Fisher thinks we need to avoid making it worthwhile to demolish an $800K house and replace it with a $3 million house that's much larger.
The mayor repeated that she wants to incentivize developers to build small homes rather than big homes.
12-5PM City Council Off-Site Meeting @ Table Mountain Inn
Photo by Richard Luckin
City Council will meet, without cameras, to discuss City business at the Table Mountain Inn. The public is entitled to be there.
Their posted topics are:
1. Economic Development - overview and discussion of city programs, relationships, economic conditions and opportunities
2. Charter Commission – overview of charter commission purposes, structure, scope and possible future appointment
2-3PM Virtual: Active Minds Monday
At Jefferson County Public Library, we foster continuous learning and connections. Keep your minds engaged every Monday! Be sure to explore our website for additional weekly event options, including call-ins and livestreams.
Today’s theme: Buddhism
Buddhism is the fourth largest religion in the world with some 500 million adherents. Join Active Minds for an examination of its origins, teachings, beliefs and practices. We will discuss the life and teachings of Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha) and discuss the various types of Buddhism, including Zen Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism, and others.
Save your spot for this Zoom program.
When:
2-3PM on Monday, Jul. 21st
6:30PM Soundcheck Music Bingo @ Buffalo Rose
Always free and always fun!
Location:
Buffalo Rose
1119 Washington Avenue (map)
Golden History: Celebrating Buffalo Bill Days at The Astor House Gazebo
46 Years Ago
The July 18, 1979 Golden Transcript was promoting events planned for the upcoming Buffalo Bill Days weekend. One of the highlights would be Golden Landmarks Association’s ice cream social, in the back yard of the Astor House. The servers would be based in the gazebo, and chairs and tables were set out to allow people to relax in the garden
Golden’s citizens voted to preserve the Astor House in 1972. Members of the Golden Landmarks Association threw themselves into the work of restoring both the house and the yard. By 1979, the yard was an oasis of trees and flowers, including a reconstructed gazebo.
GLA member Gene Child spearheaded the effort to rebuild the gazebo, which had stood in the yard in the early 20th century. The gazebo was later turned into a storage shed, and remnants of the shed were still in the yard when the City acquired the property. Gene used those remnants to determine the dimensions of the original structure.
GLA received a $2,000 grant from the Colorado Centennial/Bicentennial Commission to fix up the “Golden Legislative Park” (backyard of the Astor House), including the gazebo. Gene appealed to Warren Tech school for carpentry help. The students built the structure at the school. The City moved it to the park, and Golden High School Key Club members provided the muscle to move it into position.
“I think it adds a lot to the park,” Childs said, wiping his brow after completing work on the gazebo. “On a nice day it will give somebody a good place to take a lunch break.”
After the Astor House Museum was dismantled, the little park went through a period when no one was claiming or maintaining it. It was filled with weeds and strewn with empty liquor bottles. When the City cleaned it up in 2020, they found that people had been camping in the gazebo, so they removed it.
Golden History: Plying the Inland Waterways of Golden
Photo by Tom Young from the Golden Transcript – July 21, 1977
Click to enlarge
48 Years Ago
The July 21, 1977 Golden Transcript featured this photo of a kayaker on 12th Street. Admittedly, the car a few feet north was not in flood conditions, but our storm sewers were clearly overwhelmed on the south side of the street. The building in the background is the Loveland Block, aka the Old Capitol Grill restaurant.
The caption informs us that Golden had received 3.2-3.4 inches of water the previous night. A separate article about police activity reported that the storm’s booming thunder had tripped burglar alarms at Golden Furniture, Meyer Hardware, S&S Electronics, and Golden Animal Hospital.
Weather
Overnight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 67. West southwest wind around 7 mph.
Monday: Partly sunny, with a high near 91. North northwest wind 3 to 8 mph.
Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 66. West southwest wind 6 to 9 mph.
Monday Night: Partly Cloudy, 66°F
Tuesday: Mostly Sunny then Chance Showers And Thunderstorms, 90°F
Tuesday Night: Chance Showers And Thunderstorms then Mostly Cloudy, 66°F
Wednesday: Partly Sunny then Chance Showers And Thunderstorms, 86°F
Wednesday Night: Chance Showers And Thunderstorms then Mostly Cloudy, 63°F
Thursday: Partly Sunny then Chance Showers And Thunderstorms, 86°F
Thursday Night: Chance Showers And Thunderstorms then Partly Cloudy, 62°F
Friday: Mostly Sunny then Chance Showers And Thunderstorms, 89°F
Friday Night: Mostly Clear, 63°F
Saturday: Sunny then Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms, 92°F
Saturday Night: Mostly Clear, 66°F
Sunday: Mostly Sunny, 95°F
Supporters
Many thanks to the people and organizations who support What’s Happening in Golden? If you would like to support local news, please CLICK HERE!
Sponsors:
($100/month and up)
Buffalo Rose, Buglet Solar, Foothills Art Center, Golden Cultural Alliance, Miners Alley Performing Arts Center, The Golden Mill, Golden Chamber of Commerce, Golden History Tours, Miners Saloon, Golden Hayride Outpost, Unite Fitness, Tom Reiley, Michael Mason, Colorado Railroad Museum, and Goosetown Station
Friends:
($50-99.99/month or $550/yr)
Tall Pines Painting, Baby Doe’s Clothing, Goozell Yogurt & Coffee Paul Haseman, Donna Anderson, Carol & Doug Harwood, Beth Bidwell, Stephanie Painter, Greg Poulos, Ann Norton & Jonathan Storer, Mary & Don Parker, Saré Merrigan, The Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum, Vic DeMaria, and Joy Brandt
Supporters:
($25-49.99/month or $250/yr)
Laura King and Scott Wilson, Bobby German and Alison McNally, Forrest Jones, Barry & Liz Bettis, Cheryl & Tom Schweich, Marjorie Sloan, Chris and Joyce Davell, Rick Flint, Forrest Jones, Cynthia Merrill Tamny, Stephen Pero, Meg Van Ness & Steve Kalasz, Steve & Karla Schaefer, Bud Rockhill, Steve Enger, Kristie Brice & Mike Schwartz, The Golden Hotel, Kurt & Janet Siegfried, Ella Lyons & Jeanne Fritch, and Robert Thresher.
Members:
($10-24.99/month or $110/yr)
Brad Miller & Julie Bartos, Holly Thomas, Jim and LouAnne Dale, Ann Pattison, Thomas Hoffman, Carol Abel, Brian Quarnstrom, Sandra Curran, Bobby German and Alison McNally, Kathy Smith, Karen Smith, Carlos & Nancy Bernal, Robert Storrs, Michele Sannes, Elaine Marolla, Dixie Termin & Ron Miller, E Tom Hughes, Crystal M Culbert, Patrick A. Madison, Alice Madison & Jim Kalivas, Deb Goeldner, Christopher Ball, 6th Chair Home Services, Dot & Eric Brownson, Rosemary Coffman, Emeline Paulson, Sandy Schneider, Mark and Cathy Pattridge, Cheryl G Leidich, Jen Rutter, Frani R Bickart, Jennings and Litz, Bill Sedgeley, Nancy Hughes, Justin L Wade, Kathi Eggers, Traci Case, Donna Owen, Leslie D Lutz, Karen Oxman, Catherine Skokan, Ross Fraser & KC Gilliland, Lynne Haigh, Elizabeth Hilliard, Frank Young & Terre Deegan-Young, Kathy Hirons & Jack Markin, Jess & Anthony Monasterio, Heather Duncan, Lee Ann & Pete Horneck, Carol Cameron, Cheryl Williamson, San Daugherty, Jim Garner, John and Carol McEncroe, the Golden Welcome Center, the Golden Transcript, Koshare Eagle, Ken and Colleen Krantz, Traci Neuman Lacey, Jo Barber, Jamie Cookinham, Kermit Shields, Meridee Cecil, Vicki Olson, Colleen & Michael Ramey, Nancy & Pete Torpey, Jax Baker, Simon Maybury, Rose McLaughlin, Cameron Chambers, Joyce Gravina, Patrick Klein, Barb Robie, and Mary Rains, Richard Caldwell, Janice Waring, Sam & Marilyn Baron, Carmen Johnson, Cherryln Parker, Mary Eiberger, Kevin Nichols, Ed & Carol Freza, Laura Moore, Ruth Hund, Curtis Moore, Shelley & Jerry Devitt
Followers:
($5-9.99/month)
Golden Community Garden, Lora Haimes, Mariane Erickson, J.J. Fraser, Mel Perkins, Bob Hamilton, Kim Linton, Steve Stevens, Vicki Olson, and Emily Kurzinski
