Sherpa House in the Morning
Photo by Richard Luckin
Click to enlarge
What's happening in Golden today?
Events for Tuesday, Jul. 9th
- All day - CURRENT EXHIBITS AT THE MUSEUMS
- All day - Live Workouts with Community Center Pros
- All day - Tubular Tuesdays
- 8-10AM - DeLong Park Weedbusters
- 9-10AM - Women's Exercise and Bible Study
- 9AM - Golden Seniors - Coffee Klatch
- 9:15-9:45AM - Baby Time
- 10:15-10:45AM - Preschool Time
- 10:30AM - Front Porch Friends Meeting
- 4:30-5:30PM - Teen Advisory Board - Golden Library
- 5PM - City Council Study Session and Regular Business Meeting
- 6:30-8:30PM - Team Trivia Tuesday
- 6:30-8:30PM - Toad Trivia
- 6:30-8:30PM - Trivia Tuesdays
- 6:30-8:30PM - Bar Bingo Night
For more information, click the item above or visit the Golden Today Calendar
Where are we with the new City Hall?
The Former Coors Office Building - Photo by Patrick Klein
The Heart of Golden project began in 2019, when the City bought the Coors office building and parking lots. Their initial plan was to relieve several space concerns using that building, but they soon decided that the building was not suitable for their needs, so they demolished it.
They then held several community open houses showing renderings of trails and parkland that extended from the RV park to Vanover Park. This included the proposal to build new municipal buildings where the Coors office building had been, demolishing the current City Hall, and turning that property into parkland. The fire station would stay where it is, and the library probably would too. People generally liked the idea of a bigger park, covering more of the "creekfront."
City staff continued planning for this proposed change. In February, staff recommended that Council finance the new building(s) using "Certificates of Participation." This is a form of debt that does not require voter approval.
The memo for that meeting stated that "projects that are for government operations would generally fall under the decision-making umbrella of the elected officials and the use of COPs, while projects for amenities that benefit the general public may be more appropriate for a general election where the public decides if they want the project and are willing to approve the debt to finance it." A previous memo explained that projects that lack public appeal should not go to the voters, because they might say no.
While not a formal or final decision, Council gave staff the go-ahead to pursue COP funding.
This pre-decision caused considerable consternation in the community. A range of costs had been discussed over time, but the estimate at that period was $59-65 million to build a new city hall/police building. This did not include a future parking structure, demolition of the current City Hall, or development of the parkland along the Creek. Some citizens thought that was too much debt for the City to take on without a vote by the taxpayers.
May 14th was an exciting City Council meeting. During the study session, staff explained their plan to hire a project manager to oversee design and construction of the new building.
The business meeting began with public comment, at which a newly-formed group of citizens appeared, asking Council to allow the voters to decide whether to fund new municipal buildings. (Watch the public comment at this link, starting at 1 hr, 50 minutes.)
The group emphasized that they were neither for nor against new facilities; they simply wanted the voters to approve the expense. They stated that, if necessary, that would collect signatures from voters petitioning a change to the city charter which would limit what Council could spend without voter approval. At that time, they did not specify the limit.
Later in that meeting, Council approved the the contract to hire a project manager for the new building(s) at a cost "not to exceed $644,902."
After the May meeting, the citizens group continued to meet and discuss their proposed change to the City charter. They met with the City Manager and with most of the City Council members, repeating that they were neither in favor nor opposed to the proposed new buildings/demo of the current buildings--they simply wanted voters to approve the expense.
That group plans to present their petition to Council tonight. It sets $15 million as the limit that Council can spend without voter approval. Critical infrastructure projects, such as water and sewer, are exempt from the limit.
City staff and Council are concerned that if this spending limit is put on a ballot, citizens will approve it. Once the charter is changed, they would be forced to bring the new municipal buildings to the voters--who might or might not approve the expense.
Staff feels that they need more time to develop their plans and get some good conceptual drawings, so they can more effectively persuade voters of the desirability of the new buildings. To that end, they will ask Council tonight to approve a contract with an architecture firm for "lump sum fee not to exceed $2,620,610."
Unless Council agrees to limit their non-voter-approved spending to $15 million, the petitions will soon be in circulation.
Personal Observation:
From what I have observed, Council genuinely feels that this project is the best thing for the future of the community. Some of them seem offended to have their judgement questioned. They are both saddened and irritated at the loss of faith in government.
5PM City Council Study Session and Business Meeting
Golden City Hall - Photo by Joyce Davell
- Meeting takes place at Golden City Hall - 911 10th Street (map)
- Meeting will be broadcast on this page
- Meeting agenda is here.
5-6:30PM City Council Study Session
No public comment is accepted during City Council Study Sessions, though you are free to send emails by 3PM to PublicComment@cityofgolden.net. Comments received by 3PM will be added to the meeting packet.
5-5:30PM The Deputy City Manager and Assistance to the City Manager will provide background and next steps for the Heart of Golden/New Police & City Hall plan. They will recommend approval of a contract to hire the architects for the project. Approval will occur later, during the business meeting. (See Where are we with the new City Hall? for more background on this project.) Learn more.
5:30-6PM Staff will update Council on the "Historic Preservation Policy & Engagement Study" that they have commissioned. They began with public tours of our three historic districts in June. They will hold a public open house on July 22nd. They will also online engagement to accept more comments. The team's recommendations will be available for review in October. Learn more.
6-6:30PM Staff will present their Transportation Demand Management strategy for downtown Golden. The goal of this plan is to reduce the number of single occupancy vehicles that visit downtown (and possibly the South Golden Road corridor). Proposed solutions include improved public transportation (the Ore Cart buses), more bike racks, wider sidewalks, 4-day work weeks including 2 days of working at home for City employees, and rebates for ebike purchases, eliminating free parking for employees, car shares, and fewer parking spaces. Learn more.
6:30-7PM Dinner break
7PM Regular Business Meeting
Public Comment is accepted at the beginning of the meeting. You'll have 3 minutes to speak. Alternatively, you can send emails by 3PM to PublicComment@cityofgolden.net. Comments received by 3PM will be added to the meeting packet.
Consent Matters include items considered uncontroversial, probably not requiring discussion.
- Extending the City's relationship with the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) beyond the initial 10 years, which began in 2014. Learn more.
- Denying a property owner's request to be removed from the 8th and 9th Street Historic District. Learn more.
- Granting Comcast a non-exclusive franchise agreement to offer cable services in Golden. Learn more.
Hiring Architects for New Municipal Buildings
They will consider approving a $2,620,610 contract for an architecture firm to design the proposed new municipal buildings on the site of the former Coors office building. Learn more.
Executive Session
After the business meeting, they will withdraw into Executive Session (no public, no cameras) to provide periodic evaluations of the City Manager and City Attorney.
Update on the M
M-less Mt. Zion - Photo by Chris Davell
News from the School of Mines:
Unfortunately, the repairs to the Mt Zion "M" are more substantial than Mines had hoped. You'll see the "M" fully off for a period of time while we work with an electrical contractor to obtain the parts required to get the "M" back to its full glory.
Traci Case
Chief of Staff
Infrastructure and Operations
Mines
Live Music for Tuesday, Jul. 9th
6PM Karaoke with Linda @ Dirty Dogs Roadhouse
6PM Open Bluegrass Pick Night @ Over Yonder Brewing
For more information, visit the Golden Today Calendar
Golden History: Splendid Rail Accommodations
Colorado Central Railroad in its headquarters town of Golden - Denver Public Library Collection
Click to enlarge
145 Years Ago
The July 9, 1879 Colorado Transcript included an advertisement for the Colorado Central Railroad, which was approaching its 9th anniversary of operation. The CCRR offered three trains each way between Golden & Denver.
They also went from Golden through Clear Creek Canyon, offering transportation to Black Hawk, Central City, Idaho Springs, and Georgetown.
At that time, they also had northbound trains which carried Golden-ites to Boulder, Longmont, Fort Collins, and Cheyenne. From Cheyenne, they could go anywhere, east or west, on the transcontinental railroad!
Weather
Overnight: Clear, with a low around 59. West wind around 6 mph.
Tuesday: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Sunny, with a high near 87. North wind 3 to 10 mph.
Tuesday Night: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms before 7pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 62. Northwest wind 5 to 9 mph.
Tuesday Night: Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms then Partly Cloudy, 62°F
Wednesday: Sunny then Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms, 88°F
Wednesday Night: Partly Cloudy, 64°F
Thursday: Sunny then Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms, 93°F
Thursday Night: Partly Cloudy, 68°F
Friday: Sunny then Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms, 98°F
Friday Night: Partly Cloudy, 67°F
Saturday: Sunny then Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms, 97°F
Saturday Night: Partly Cloudy, 68°F
Sunday: Mostly Sunny then Chance Showers And Thunderstorms, 98°F
Sunday Night: Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms then Mostly Cloudy, 69°F
Monday: Mostly Sunny then Chance Showers And Thunderstorms, 94°F
News Relating to Golden - July 9, 2024
Colorado School of Mines names Jack Maness new University Librarian
By Emilie Rusch
Colorado School of Mines Newsroom
Jack Maness has been appointed University Librarian at Colorado School of Mines.
A 20-year veteran of academic library management, Maness currently serves as Associate Dean for Scholarly Communication and Collections Services at the University of Denver Libraries. He will officially join Mines on Aug. 1... Read more...
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Laura King and Scott Wilson, Bobby German and Alison McNally, Ann Norton & Jonathan Storer, Forrest Jones, Barry & Liz Bettis, Cheryl & Tom Schweich, Marjorie Sloan, Chris and Joyce Davell, Rick Flint, Forrest Jones, AC Development, Cynthia Merrill Tamny, Stephen Pero, Meg Van Ness & Steve Kalasz, Steve & Karla Schaefer
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