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What's Happening in Golden - Tuesday, Oct. 14th, 2025

News and events in Golden, Colorado. Tuesday, Oct. 14th, 2025

,   and  Barb Warden
13 min read
Click to enlarge

Golden Cemetery in the Fall

Photo by Chris Davell
Click to enlarge

What's happening in Golden today?

Events for Tuesday, Oct. 14th

Golden History Tours
Team Trivia Tuesday
Trivia Tuesdays

For more information, click the item above or visit the Golden Today Calendar

10:30AM Front Porch Friends Meeting @ The Community Center

Golden Community Center - Photo by Joyce Davell

The October Friends of the Front Porch meeting will feature special guests Matt Wempe and Lauren Simmons from the City of Golden Planning Department to talk about the North Ford Street Complete Street Project and the Past Forward Historic Preservation Project. They will also answer questions about parking and the Ore Cart. 

Front Porch Friends Meetings are occurring once a month. Join us at the Golden Community Center for friendly conversation and to support in planning and implementing future Front Porch activities. More information

Location:

Golden Community Center
1470 10th Street (Map)

5-7PM VIBE@Five - Meet the Candidates!

VIBE@FIVE is Golden's Happy Hour! Come join other members of the Golden Chamber of Commerce for this "Very Important Business Event" - VIBE! Stop in for a quick hello and a refreshment right after work and a chance to get to know fellow members of the Golden Chamber of Commerce and Golden Young Professionals. This is a great networking and socializing event. 

This event is for members of the Golden Chamber of Commerce and their guests as well as for members of the Golden Young Professionals. Become a member

Special Program Tonight!

Four city council seats are up for election this November. In alignment with one of our missions to be advocates for the business community, we are holding a Meet & Greet Happy Hour for the candidates! All candidates are invited. Details and the RSVP link are below. This is our monthly V.I.B.E. and is free to members, complete with appetizers from an award-winning chef, drinks, and a beautiful setting. Please join us for this fun and informative event!

In addition, the Golden Chamber sent a questionnaire to each of the eight candidates. We received written responses and have segmented them by Ward for you. The questions are focused specifically on economic and business issues. Please choose your ward and read through each of these answers to help you decide how to cast your ballot.

If you don't know which ward you're in, you can look here.

And for more from the city about the elections, click here.

Lastly, Leadership Golden led a candidate forum on October 7th. You can find a link to the video from the evening here.

Thank you for your interest in this important Golden City Council election!

Location:

Golden Lodge
1111 Newstar Way   (Map)

5PM City Council Study Session @ City Hall

Tonight's Study Session begins at 5PM. The Business Meeting will begin at 6:30PM. 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 6:30PM.

Tonight's Study Session Topics:

Swiftwater rescue training - Photo by Alan Pinkus
  • Clear Creek Whitewater Park Managment, 2025
    The Deputy City Manager will give the annual report on the City's crowd control efforts on Clear Creek. They saw "a noticeable increase in water rescues" this year, some of them performed by the outside firms who provide swiftwater rescue training classes in Clear Creek. They plan to provide more warning signs near Vanover Park next year, including both English and Spanish, as well as international "DANGER" symbols. They have had mixed success with the RFID (radio) tags that they have been using to track creek users, and will continue to place more emphasis on the facial recognition cameras that line the creek. The School of Mines did a study a few years ago that showed negative effects on water quality and wildlife habitat in the section of creek that runs through Golden. The report mentions that the city continues to monitor the aquatic ecosystems, but does not provide the results. The City provides significant funding and staffing throughout the season to make the Whitewater Park safe and clean. Learn more.
817 14th Street - single family home built in 1867/68, to be replaced by 40 affordable housing units
  • Request for Funding from the (Future) Affordable Housing Trust Fund
    Calvary Church and Habitat for Humanity plan to demolish a stone house at 817 14th Street (map). In its place they plan to build 40 affordable housing units. The target market is households earning 100% of the area median income ($98K for a single person and $140K for a household of four). The City expects to receive $3.15 million from CoorsTek as a condition of their receiving a Certificate of Occupancy for their new headquarters building. Habitat for Humanity has requested that the entire $3.15 million be allocated to this project. Staff recommends retaining some of the fund for additional affordable housing projects. Learn more.

At the conclusion of the Study Session, Council will pause for dinner. The Business Meeting will begin at 6:30.

Location:

City Hall Council Chambers
911 10th Street   (Map)

6:30PM City Council Regular Business Meeting @ City Hall Council Chambers

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!).

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:

  • Several changes to the municipal code designed to make infill construction less disruptive - learn more. This is the first reading. There will be a public hearing and a vote on October 28th.
  • Replacement pump station for Fossil Trace Golf Club - learn more. This is a sole source bid, not to exceed $900K, and is effective immediately upon Council approval.
  • Legislative policy statement - learn more. This memo reviews the issues that Golden supported during the 2025 state legislative session and lists the issues that we plan to support during the 2026 session.

Public Hearing on the 2026 Budget

See the proposed budget.

Location:

City Hall Council Chambers
911 10th Street   (Map)

6PM MTAB @ Public Works Building

A Not-Particularly-Public Meeting
This meeting of the Mobility and Transporation Advisory Board (MTAB) was originally scheduled for September 28th but had to be postponed due to lack of a quorum. Unfortunately, tonight's make-up meeting will be held in a conference room in the Public Works building (1445 10th St.), which is not equipped with cameras or the ability to broadcast live. Staff generally tries to make an audio recording, but those tend to be patchy and hard to follow.

New Business

    • Meeting Agenda
    • Attend the meeting @ 1445 10th St. (Map)
    • Send comments on any of the following topics to jpuhr@cityofgolden.net BEFORE 3PM
    • Provide in-person comment (limited to 3 minutes) during the meeting, at 6PM.

North Ford Street
The Board will discuss changes to convert North Ford Street into a "complete street." The meeting memo (pp. 7-58) includes 196 survey responses.

Downtown Dismount for Bikes
The packet includes a memo analyzing whether bicyclists should be required to dismount in the downtown area (p. 4 of the meeting packet). The board will provide comment.

Jackson Street will be narrowed to one lane in front of Safeway - enlarge

Unfinished Business: Redesigning Ford and Jackson Streets
This group last met on August 28th. Their topic that evening was a plan to redesign Ford and Jackson Streets through the Central Neighborhoods. The proposed changes include adding a bike lane, separated by a curb, on Ford Street and reducing Jackson Street from two lanes to one in front of Safeway. There were several controversial aspects to this plan. Three people appeared to offer public comment, and a fourth provided written comment.

Public Concerns
Those who commented were concerned about the safety of the planned bike lane and the city's ability to keep it clear of snow, leaves, and broken glass. They thought that trucks (such as the delivery trucks servicing Safeway) and emergency vehicles might be unable to navigate the narrowed intersections. They were concerned that many much-needed parking spaces would be eliminated on Ford. They wondered where people would put their trash & recycling bins on garbage day. They pointed out that there were many more cars on Ford Street than bicycles, and that the proposed changes would hurt more people than they would help.

MTAB Concerns
The MTAB board members also had reservations about the plan. They were concerned about making the streets and intersections too narrow for trucks, but added that if the design didn't work out, they could rebuild it. On the other hand, they agreed that narrower streets and slower traffic were safer for pedestrians. They asked whether they had to formally recommend the plan. The answer was a bit vague.

Unfulfilled Promise
Staff said they would summarize the discussion and address the concerns at the next meeting. Since the meeting was canceled, that didn't happen, but the project has since appeared on GuidingGolden. The plans are now described as 100% completed, and as far as I can tell none of the public concerns were addressed in the design.

Safeway and Parking
I sent some follow-up questions. I asked whether Safeway had been consulted about the plans to narrow the street in front of their store (thinking that might affect their delivery trucks). No discussions with Safeway took place; they were "notified of the meetings," as were all of the businesses along the affected route. I also asked how many parking spaces would be lost. We will lose 121 parking spaces to this project. Staff pointed out that parking could migrate into the side streets along the Ford-Jackson corridor.

No More Public Input
According to the GuidingGolden page, there will be one more open house about this project, but they will not be soliciting public comment:

"Since the project will have already been bid for construction, the meeting will not be an opportunity to revise the 100% design plans that were developed based on feedback from past community engagement opportunities."

Study Session
At this point, the board will move into study session. Staff will provide updates regarding Arapahoe pedestrian improvements, Hwy 93, Colfax, and other projects as applicable.

Board members will present any new topics for discussion.

Location:

City of Golden Planning and Public Works
1445 10th St (Map)

The Golden Word - 10/14/25

Play now.

Golden History: Rules for thee, but not for me

The Golden Trailer Court (now Vanover Park) had a mix of cottages and mobile home spots - Golden History Museum collection
Click to enlarge


77 Years Ago
The October 14, 1948 Colorado Transcript announced a public meeting about a proposed zoning ordinance. This was only one in a multi-year series of meetings on the topic.

In the 1940s, after 80 years of yearning for growth, Golden was suddenly inundated with new residents, as returning WWII veterans used the GI Bill to attend the Colorado School of Mines. The newcomers were desperate for places to live, and residents were encouraged to rent out rooms in their houses.

Colorado Transcript – August 31, 1944
MORE HOMES BADLY NEEDED
There are literally thousands of people who would like to live in Golden if they were able to find suitable quarters.

Newcomers were living wherever they could–in tents on vacant lots, in trailers parked inside the CSM Field House, and in repurposed turkey coops. This inspired city leaders in 1944 to propose a zoning ordinance, to protect homeowners from having Hoovervilles built next door.

Many property owners were worried that zoning would infringe on their rights to develop their property, and the proposed zoning regulations were shouted down in one loud and vitriolic meeting.

September 14, 1944
THE WEDNESDAY NIGHT ZONING MEETING
We haven’t met a single person who feels real proud of this meeting. Several have told us they were sorry they went so far….”

Unbridled growth continued, with no regulations on quality or placement of new structures until City Council made a second attempt to introduce zoning in 1948.

December 2, 1948
ORDINANCE IS FAVORED BY PROPERTY OWNERS
Property owners of the south Golden area voiced themselves as being in full accord with the provisions of the proposed zoning law…in fact, many property owners believed that provisions could be even more strict than proposed. This area has been designated by the planning commission as R-1. This provides for single family dwellings only, with garage. There would also be height regulations, minimum height regulations, provisions for front yard, side yard, and back yard….

New Homes, Post-Zoning Ordinance, in the Bunzel Addition (pre-the painted “G” on South Table Mountain!) – click to enlarge

After a lengthy public input process, the motion passed in April of 1949. Hundreds of zoning-compliant houses were built in the years that followed.

Weather

Overnight's Weather

Overnight: A slight chance of rain showers. Mostly cloudy. Low around 44, with temperatures rising to around 47 overnight. Northwest wind around 2 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Tuesday's Weather

Tuesday: A slight chance of rain showers before 7am. Mostly sunny. High near 72, with temperatures falling to around 68 in the afternoon. East wind 2 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Tuesday Night's Weather

Tuesday Night: Mostly clear. Low around 51, with temperatures rising to around 54 overnight. West northwest wind around 6 mph.

Tuesday Night: Mostly Clear, 51°F

Wednesday: Sunny, 78°F

Wednesday Night: Partly Cloudy then Slight Chance Rain Showers, 50°F

Thursday: Chance Rain Showers, 62°F

Thursday Night: Slight Chance Rain Showers then Partly Cloudy, 41°F

Friday: Sunny, 63°F

Friday Night: Mostly Clear, 43°F

Saturday: Mostly Sunny, 64°F

Saturday Night: Mostly Clear, 43°F

Sunday: Sunny, 72°F

Sunday Night: Mostly Clear, 49°F

Monday: Mostly Sunny, 71°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, Stephanie Painter, Greg Poulos, Ann Norton & Jonathan Storer, Mary & Don Parker, Saré Merrigan, The Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum, 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, Robert Thresher, Tonie Mattox, and Centennial State Wealth Advisors

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, Mary Eiberger, Kevin Nichols, Ed & Carol Freza, Laura and Curtis Moore, Ruth Hund, Shelley & Jerry Devitt, Eileen Masterson, Kate Olivier, Amy Korengut, Pam Logan, and Clare Shier

Followers:
($5-9.99/month)
Golden Community Garden, Lora Haimes, Mariane Erickson, J.J. Fraser, Mel Perkins, Bob Hamilton, Steve Stevens, Vicki Olson, Emily Kurzinski, Nanette Johnson, Peyton Gibson, Sally Berger, Kristen Morgan, and Joyce Sutton

Highlights