Extra! Extra!
Photo by Richard Luckin
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What's happening in Golden today?
Events for Tuesday, May. 27th
- All day - CURRENT EXHIBITS AT THE MUSEUMS
- All day - Live Workouts with Community Center Pros
- All day - Golden History Tours
- 8-10AM - DeLong Park Weedbusters
- 9-10AM - Women's Exercise and Bible Study
- 9:15-9:45AM - Baby Time - Registration Required
- 10:15-10:45AM - Preschool Time - Registration Required
- 1:30PM - Triad - Senior Safety
- 5PM - City Council Study Session and Business Meeting @ City Hall
- 5:30-9PM - The Golden Bicycle Cruise
- 5:30-7:30PM - Exploring the Elements of Art
- 6-8PM - Books & Benders
- 6:30-8:30PM - Team Trivia Tuesday
- 6:30-8:30PM - Trivia Tuesdays
- 6:30-8:30PM - Bar Bingo Night
- 7PM - Pub Trivia
For more information, click the item above or visit the Golden Today Calendar
5:30-9PM The Golden Bicycle Cruise @ Armory Parking Garage
A family-friendly Bicycle Cruise that takes place on the last Tuesday of the month from May to September. Beer, Bands and Bikes!
May 27 - Disney
June 24 - Disco
July 29 - Wild West
August 26 - My Favorite Sitcom
September 30 - Zombie Apocalypse
Hope to see you cruisin' this summer!!
More information
Location:
Armory Parking Garage
14th and Arapahoe (Map)
When:
5:30-9PM on Tuesday, May. 27th
5PM City Council Study Session @ City Hall
- Meeting Agenda
- Watch the meeting streaming live starting at 5PM
- Attend the meeting @ City Hall Council Chambers - 911 10th Street - (map)
- Send comments on any of the following topics to PublicComment@cityofgolden.net BEFORE 3PM
- Provide in-person comment (limited to 3 minutes) during the Business Meeting, at 7PM.
Tonight's Study Session begins at 5PM and ends at 6:30PM. The Councilors will then have dinner. The Business Meeting will begin at 7PM. Public comment is not allowed during the study session, though you can send written public comment ahead of time. In-person public comment must wait until the Business Meeting at 7PM.
5-5:30PM Status Report on New City Hall
The retired Planning Director and Deputy City Manager will update Council on the new City Hall. They hope to break ground on July 23rd. They will be providing a preview of the "Design Development Site and Building Package." They do not plan to post the actual document (when they receive it) as it is "a very large file."
The DD plans show the overall site plan, drainage, basic landscape and security plans, building elevations, and a high-level floorplan to focus broadly on the general location of departments and work groups. The architect will also detail the basic design and construction approach.
5:30-6PM Comprehensive Plan Update
The Principal Planner will update Council on a planning update to the Comprehensive Plan. Pages 4-12 of the meeting memo list some of the public comments staff has received. From those, staff has deduced the need to:
- ensure available and affordable housing
- enable aging in place
- transition from a ‘small town’ to a ‘small city’ feel
- expand development review outreach
- coordinate land use, transportation and parks planning
Page 17 of the memo cites the 2022 Housing Needs Assessment, which concluded that Golden needed 3,100 new homes in the next ten years, of which 2,600 should be affordable housing. Staff has submitted that plan to the state and is awaiting feedback. The Comp Plan update will also incorporate the state's new planning and policy mandates, including Proposition 123, which requires increased affordable housing.
City staff will evaluate how the policy priorities of Prop 123 could be codified as ongoing City policy or implementation recommendations in the Plan.
6-6:30PM Building Decarbonization
The Sustainability Manager will present a recent reporting detailing how we could "decarbonize" the City's two largest buildings—the Community Center and the Facility Maintenance area. Steps would include switching from natural gas to solar and possibly heat pumps.
Dinner Break
Council will break for dinner at the conclusion of the study session. The Business Meeting will begin at 7PM.
Location:
City Hall Council Chambers
911 10th Street (Map)
When:
5PM on Tuesday, May. 27th
7PM City Council Business Meeting @ City Hall
- Meeting Agenda
- Watch the meeting streaming live starting at 5PM
- Attend the meeting @ City Hall Council Chambers - 911 10th Street - (map)
- Send comments on any of the following topics to PublicComment@cityofgolden.net BEFORE 3PM
- Provide in-person comment (limited to 3 minutes) during the business meeting, which begins at 7PM.
Public Comment
The meeting begins with public comment. If you want to address Council, you will have three minutes to speak. Any public comments received by email before 3PM will be posted in the meeting packet after 3 (so check back then!).
Consent Matters
Items on the Consent Agenda are considered non-controversial, not needing discussion. Everything in this section will be approved at once, with one vote.
Any councilor wishing to discuss one of the issues can request that it be removed from the consent agenda and discussed and voted on separately.
These are the items on the Consent Agenda:
- Award a Street Improvements contract for $1,165,060.22 to Martin Marietta
- Approve an updated IGA with Arvada, Edgewater, Golden, Lakewood, Wheat Ridge, and Mountain View for use of a Regional Criminal Justice Records Management System.
- Approve purchase of three new new Ford hybrid vehicles ($51,409 each) and one Ford F-150 truck ($49,875) for a total cost of $204,102. These are for use by the police department.
- Reimburse Table Mountain Soccer Assocation $330,000. They had contributed funds to install synthetic turf at the Rooney Fields Sports Complex. The City had since decommissioned that area and plans to use natural turf on the Ulysses sports complex (now under construction).
- Purchase "upfitting services" for two dump/plow trucks at a total cost of $358,922.
Proclamations
- LGBTQI+ Pride Month - June 2025
- National Gun Violence Awareness Day - June 6, 2025
Public Hearing
The Community Marketing Committee was established in 2000. Prior to that time, merchants received a 2.5% credit on their sales tax submissions. The merchants agreed to contribute that 2.5% to a marketing fund. This constitutes a significant budget--over $600,000 this year.
The City's full-time marketing manager, who was responsible for running the Visit Golden program, left a year ago. The job has been vacant since that time.
The merchants have not been happy with the City's management of the marketing program, which they have found expensive, cumbersome, and lacking in local knowledge and involvement. They proposed spinning off the program to be a separate non-profit entity, similar to the Chamber or the Welcome Center. They wanted to hire their own marketing manager--someone who lived in (or near) Golden and spent time talking to the business owners.
City Council discussed the merchants' proposal at their January 14th study session and rejected it.
Location:
City Hall Council Chambers
911 10th Street (Map)
When:
5PM on Tuesday, May. 27th
Understanding the Budget #9: Property Taxes - part 3
While Loretta is a member of the Citizens' Budget Advisory Committee (CBAC), these articles reflect Loretta's personal understanding and do not represent positions of the CBAC.
Colorado Senate Bill 24-233 extended the 2023 adjustments to the actual value and the modified assessment rates into 2024. Colorado House Bill 24B-1001 created property tax limits for certain local governments and a process to waive the limit for all school districts. It also set new assessment rates for future years
In 2024, the formula used remained the same as 2023.
Property Taxes Due = (Assessed Value – any applicable adjustment) x Assessment Rate x Mill Levy
Actual Value: The residential assessed values are to be reduced by up to $55,000 and commercial properties by up to $15,000 per Colorado Senate Bill 22-238 and Colorado Senate Bill 23B-001.
Assessment Rate: The assessment rates vary according to type of property. These are several of the main categories and the associated 2024 assessment rates.
Residential: 6.7%
Agricultural and Renewable Energy: 26.4%
Oil & Gas: 87.5%
All other vacant land, commercial and industrial property types: 27.9%
Before these rates were decreased by the legislature, the residential rate was 7.15% and the commercial rate was 29%. Excruciating detail on the rates for many different property types can be found here.
Mill Levy: The 2024 total Mill Levy for most properties within the city limits of Golden is 90.8060. One mill means $1 per $1000 of value. So, the 90.8060 mill levy appears in the formula as .0908060.
Residential Property Example:
If your residential property is assessed at $750,000, your property tax is:
($750,000 - $55,000) x 6.7% x 0.0908060 = $4,228.38
(Actual Value) x (6.7% Assessment Rate) x (.0908060 Mill Levy)
Commercial Property Example:
If your commercial property is assessed at $750,000, your property tax is:
($750,000 - $30,000) x 27.9% x .0908060 = $18,199.73
(Actual Value) x (27.9% Assessment Rate) x (.0908060 Mill Levy)
Golden does not receive the majority of the property tax paid on properties within the City limits. Where does the money go? That is determined by breaking down the Mill Levy portion of the formula.
Tune in tomorrow to learn more about the Mill levy!
The full "Understanding the Budget" series is available here.
This Saturday: Free Paint, Electronics, and Mobility Devices Recycling Event
The Golden Rotary Club will once again be sponsoring a recycling event this Saturday, May 31st, in the High School parking lot. Details follow:
Hello Golden CO, and all Colorado residents! Join us in making a positive environmental impact and supporting the Rotary Club of Golden’s Youth Programs by participating in our FREE paint and electronic recycling event on Saturday, May 31, 2025, from 9 AM to 1 PM. We encourage you to spread the word to friends, family, and neighbors about this eco-friendly initiative. Together, let’s support environmental sustainability and youth in our community!
This free recycling event will take place at: Golden High School Parking Lot; 701 24th Street; Golden, CO 80401 (map).
Here’s what we accept: -
PAINTS (by Green Sheen) - Paint types: Oil-based, acrylic, latex, stains, shellacs, lacquers, sealers, varnishes, urethanes. - Container sizes: Sample sizes, one gallon, and five gallons are all welcome. - Quantity: Bring as much as you have; there’s no limit! - Condition: Paint must be in its original, non-leaking, labeled container. Please note, we cannot accept spray paint, paint thinner, solvents, cleaning agents, adhesives, roof patch materials, or drywall mud.
ELECTRONICS (by 3R Technology Solutions)- Computers/Laptops, Cameras, CD Players, Mobile/Desktop Phones, Copiers, Monitors, TVs, CD/Recording Devices, Fax Machines, Game Consoles/Software Systems, Hard Drives, Hubs, Keyboards, Mouse, Modems, MP3 Players, Network Switches, Optical Devices, Printers, Routers, Servers, Software, Surge Protectors, Toner, Adding Machines, Typewriters, Small Appliances, Stereos/Speakers, Two-Way Radios. All electronic recycling is free with the exception of a $30 fee per TV.
MOBILITY EQUIPMENT (by Crutches 4 Africa) - crutches, walkers, wheelchairs, canes, leg braces, knee braces, ankle boots, prosthetic legs, air casts, baby jogging strollers, bicycle trailers, rollators, etc.
Donations to the Rotary Club of Golden will be appreciated to help support their many youth programs. Cash, Credit Cards, or Checks payable to the Golden Rotary Foundation (www.goldenrotary.org) will be accepted.
Register for this event here: https://circular.eco/event/Golden2025
Live Music for Tuesday, May. 27th
- More Live Music
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: Busing Comes to Golden
From the Golden Daily Transcript – May 27, 1975
Click to enlarge
50 Years Ago
The May 27, 1975 Golden Transcript included a brief article entitled “Busing comes to Golden, kind of.” That titled would have resonated with the readership of that time in a way it no longer does. From 1973-1995, Denver was one of several cities around the country with a mandatory busing program, where children were bused from one district to another, in an effort to desegregate schools.
In this case, it referred to Coors brewery tours. That year, Coors was trying to solve a long-standing parking problem. For many years, visitors taking the brewery tour had parked in the triangle-shaped lot near the brewery entrance. The lot was always full to overflowing and they often had to turn away visitors.
Coors was considering having tourists park at their property on McIntyre Street. The downtown merchants didn’t like that idea because Coors visitors brought a lot of business to the downtown stores and restaurants.
The company had purchased the block between Ford and East, 13th and 14th Streets several years earlier. That block had held the Catholic church and Duvall-Davison lumber yard since the turn of the century, but both were torn down in 1973.
They decided to try having visitors park in that lot. They hired parking lot attendants and bought vans to bring their visitors from the new parking lot to the tour entrance. They considered it an experiment and quickly decided that it was working well.
Apparently, the system remained satisfactory, since Coors is still using that lot and shuttling visitors to the tour entrance. When Coors tours reopened after the COVID shutdown, they discontinued the free tours and moved to a paid, ticketed system. The demand still exceeds supply of available tickets!
Weather
Overnight: Patchy fog. Mostly clear. Low around 45, with temperatures rising to around 47 overnight. West wind around 6 mph.
Tuesday: Patchy fog before 9am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny. High near 73, with temperatures falling to around 68 in the afternoon. Northeast wind 5 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New rainfall amounts less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Tuesday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 9pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 9pm and 10pm, then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms between 10pm and 11pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 51. West northwest wind around 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
Tuesday Night: Chance Showers And Thunderstorms then Mostly Cloudy, 51°F
Wednesday: Showers And Thunderstorms, 68°F
Wednesday Night: Showers And Thunderstorms Likely, 51°F
Thursday: Chance Showers And Thunderstorms, 67°F
Thursday Night: Chance Showers And Thunderstorms then Partly Cloudy, 52°F
Friday: Slight Chance Rain Showers then Chance Showers And Thunderstorms, 79°F
Friday Night: Chance Showers And Thunderstorms then Partly Cloudy, 55°F
Saturday: Mostly Sunny then Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms, 76°F
Saturday Night: Mostly Clear, 55°F
Sunday: Sunny then Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms, 83°F
Sunday Night: Partly Cloudy, 59°F
Monday: Mostly Sunny then Chance Showers And Thunderstorms, 84°F
News About Golden - May 27, 2025
Golden in the driver’s seat heading into Final 4 of 4A baseball state tournament
By Dennis Pleuss
Colorado Preps
US AIR FORCE ACADEMY — Golden has been in the Final 4 of the Class 4A baseball state tournament recently, but the Demons have never been in this position.
Golden (25-3 record) went 3-0 during the first weekend of the double-elimination state tournament. Victories over Cheyenne Mountain and Falcon on Friday, May 23, followed up by a marathon 12-11 victory over Windsor on Saturday at Erdle Field at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs automatically pushed the Demons’ ticket to the 4A championship game Saturday, May 31, back at Erdle Field... Read more...
These 7 Colorado brewery patios feel like backyard parties
By Shauna Farnell
Denver Post
Nothing beats a cold pint of frothy suds in the summer except for sipping it at a brewery that doubles as a giant backyard party.
With Colorado’s mind-boggling bounty of craft breweries, there are a few standouts for their expansive patios, lawn games and outdoor live music. If you want to make the brewery your outside activity for the day, here’s where to go... Read more...
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 City Brewery, 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, Joy Brandt, Tom Reiley, Michael Mason, and the Colorado Railroad Museum, 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, and Vic DeMaria
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
Followers:
($5-9.99/month)
Golden Community Garden, Lora Haimes, Mariane Erickson, J.J. Fraser, Mel Perkins, Bob Hamilton, Kim Linton, Steve Stevens
