Ruby's Domain (North Table Mountain)
Photo by Jen Rutter
Click to enlarge
What's happening in Golden today?
Events for Wednesday, Feb. 11th
- All day - CURRENT EXHIBITS AT THE MUSEUMS
- All day - Golden History Tours
- All day - Live Workouts with Community Center Pros
- All day - Golden Sports
- 8-10AM - Golden Startup Coffee
- 9-10:30AM - Golden Walks
- 9:30-10:30AM - Fit and Energize Exercise Class (Presbyterian Church)
- 10:15-11:15AM - Discovery Play
- 10:15-10:45AM - Toddler Time - Registration Required
- 1-2PM - Pottery Exploration @ Front Porch
- 1-3PM - Be Bold. Be Free. Paint What You See!
- 3PM - Ribbon Cutting: Bivy Beer Bar
- 3PM - Weekly Jam Session
- 3-5PM - Virtual/Call In: Hard Times Writing Workshop
- 6-7:30PM - Up2Us Community Meeting
- 6PM - Bingo Night
- 6-7PM - Deep Time Detour Webinar with Amy Atwater and Keegan Kuhn
- 6:30PM - Wednesday Night Trivia
- 6:30-8:30PM - Trivia Night @ Golden Mill
- 6:30PM - Historic Preservation Board Meeting
- 6:30-8PM - Wine, Women, and Wealth (WWW) in Golden
For more information, click the item above or visit the Golden Today Calendar
1-2PM Pottery Exploration @ Front Porch
Photo by Joyce Davell
Get your hands dirty with a brief introduction to pottery. In this one-day class participants will learn to make a mug or vase using the slab roller. Decorate your piece to suit your taste using stamping, carving or painting. Projects created during this class will be glazed and fired after you leave and returned to you 2 weeks later. Please bring an apron or work shirt. Active Older Adults aged 50+ | Register
Location:
Front Porch at the Community Center
1470 10th Street (Map)
1-3PM Be Bold. Be Free. Paint What You See! @ Foothills Art Center - Creative Campus
In this 2 session watercolor class, participants will capture what is seen - the scene, the object, or the person in an understandable way. Participants will learn about composition and color, values and abstract shapes, and how to tie all the elements together to create a unique painting. Participants will also explore how to use those elements to communicate the emotion behind the subject matter.
This class meets twice on 2/11 and 2/18. Register
Location:
Foothills Art Center - Creative Campus
809 15th Street (Map)
3PM Ribbon Cutting: Bivy Beer Bar @ Beer Bivy Bar
Join Bivy Beer Bar for their grand opening with a celebratory ribbon cutting at 3:15 p.m. sharp! More information
Location:
Bivy Beer Bar
600 12th Street (Map)
6-7PM Deep Time Detour Webinar with Amy Atwater and Keegan Kuhn
Dinosaur Ridge Director of Paleontology Amy Atwater and TRX Dinosaurs artist/owner Keegan Kuhn will share about a thrilling and ambitious new museum experience that aims to celebrate the scientific research around Colorado's prehistoric past, while commemorating Colorado's 150th anniversary (sesquicentennial). Find out how YOU can be part of this delightful and important project.
This event is FREE, but you must register to join the webinar.
The Golden Word - 02/11/26
6:30PM City Council Business Meeting @ City Hall
- Meeting Agenda
- Watch the meeting streaming live starting at 6:30PM
- 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 meeting
Note: The equipment in Council chambers has been broken, so you may not be able to watch the meeting live. They generally post the recordings of City Council meetings that same night.
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:
Housing Needs and Strategies Assessment
This is an update of the Housing Study that Council approved in 2022. The Study was cause for a lot of public conversation at the time, because it concluded that we needed 3,100 additional housing units in the next ten years. Of those, 2,300 (or 76%) should be affordable housing units and 19% should be senior housing.
According to the Housing Study, 95% of all workers in Golden commute in. One of the drivers for that goal of 3,100 new homes was the assumption that everyone who works in Golden should move to Golden.
Since that initial housing study, the State has added new requirements, saying that about 6.4 percent of the total housing stock should be handicap accessible. The City's consultants concluded that 420-700 of Golden's housing units should be accessible.
The report states that Golden had 8,721 housing units in 2024.
The report estimates that Golden has 72 homeless residents. The State also requires that we provide "Supportive Housing" for homeless individuals. Staff estimates that we have 72 homeless residents and need to provide 55 homes for them.
The report states that households with the following characteristics may be at risk of being displaced: "Households making at or below 30%, 50%, and 80% AMI, renter occupied households, housing cost-burdened occupied housing units with annual income less than $75,000, persons age 25+ with no high school diploma, persons age 5+ who speak English “less than well”, single-parent households with children under 18, housing stock built before 1970, race and ethnicity, overcrowded, and civilian non institutionalized population with a disability" and people living in mobile home parks.
Editorial Comment:
The City has built and acquired some affordable housing in the four years since the 2022 plan was released, but this addendum does not say where we stand with regard to the 3,100-household goal. The addendum also states that employment growth and household growth have both slowed since the 2022 study was produced, but it does not provide a new goal. Are we still aiming to add 3,100 households, or is there a new target?
It appears that we still have a tremendous appetite for more affordable housing. Is there any plan to spread it out into the newer/PUD neighborhoods, or will we continue to concentrate it in the Central Neighborhoods (and apparently the adjacent Industrial School land)?
I am surprised to see this Resolution come through on the Consent Agenda. I don't recall this ever being discussed at a Planning Commission meeting, nor at a City Council Study Session. If I, a casual reader, had significant questions about the document, I would guess that those august bodies would have had more.
Grampsas Parking Lot Improvements
Council will approve a $1,388,536.61 contract to re-do the parking lot at Tony Grampsas Park.
Streamgage
Staff is asking Council to approve a $16,000 expense, recurring annually, for a gage on Clear Creek that collects hydrologic data.
Cost Estimating Services for the Lena Gulch Project
Council will approve a $174K contract with a consultant who will provide independent cost estimating services for the Lena Gulch project.
Presentation of National Community Survey Results
The City does a survey every two years, polling a small, statistically valid sample of the population to see now the City is doing. Staff will present the results tonight.
Adopting the City's 2026 Strategic Plan
The Deputy City Manager will present this year's Strategic Plan.
Live Music for Wednesday, Feb. 11th
- 6-9PM Chris Koltak @ Miners Saloon
- More Live Music
4-8PM Chrispy @ Mountain Toad
5-9PM Open Mic @ Cannonball Creek
6PM Live Music @ Rock Rest Lodge
6PM Open Mic @ Scully's Cafe
For more information, visit the Golden Today Calendar
Golden History: Eggs for Uncle Sam
83 Years Ago
The February 11, 1943 Colorado Transcript announced that 25% more chicks would be needed in 1943. The United States was producing food for war-torn Europe as well as domestic consumption. The Golden Mill stood ready to provide premium feed to Golden’s poultry-producing households.
The paper also reminded its readers to plan their Victory gardens. “Last year about 80,000 Colorado farmers grew home gardens. This year it is estimated that more than twice as many–165,000–will be needed.”
Weather
Overnight: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 31. West southwest wind around 3 mph.
Wednesday: Partly sunny. High near 60, with temperatures falling to around 56 in the afternoon. West wind 3 to 7 mph.
Wednesday Night: A chance of rain after 5am. Mostly cloudy. Low around 40, with temperatures rising to around 44 overnight. West wind 3 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Wednesday Night: Mostly Cloudy then Chance Light Rain, 40°F
Thursday: Chance Light Rain, 56°F
Thursday Night: Chance Light Rain, 36°F
Friday: Chance Rain And Snow, 53°F
Friday Night: Chance Light Rain then Partly Cloudy, 33°F
Saturday: Sunny, 55°F
Saturday Night: Mostly Clear, 35°F
Sunday: Mostly Sunny, 62°F
Sunday Night: Partly Cloudy, 37°F
Washington's Birthday: Partly Sunny then Slight Chance Light Rain, 62°F
Monday Night: Chance Light Rain then Chance Rain And Snow, 38°F
Tuesday: Chance Rain And Snow, 53°F
News About Golden - February 11, 2026
134 more people laid off from federal renewal energy lab in Golden
By Michael Booth
Colorado Sun
The Golden renewable energy lab formerly known as the National Renewable Energy Laboratory laid off an additional 134 employees across both research and operations Monday, further shrinking the renowned center under changing Trump administration priorities... Read more...
National Laboratory of the Rockies, based in Golden, axes another 134 positions
By John Aguilar
Denver Post
The National Laboratory of the Rockies let go 134 employees on Monday, the second time in less than a year that the facility formerly known as the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, or NREL, has terminated staff... Read more...
JCPH Consumer Protection and Selected Services Relocate Beginning March 2
Jefferson County
Jefferson County, Colo. – Jefferson County Public Health (JCPH) will relocate select public-facing services and internal operational teams beginning Monday, February 23, 2026, to support staff, strengthen operations and improve service coordination.
The following programs will begin operating from the Courts and Administration Building (CAB), located at 100 Jefferson County Parkway, Suite 4500, Golden, CO 80419... Read more...
‘Goldens In Golden’ Draws Record 5,500 Golden Retrievers To Colorado
By Jen Reeder
Forbes
The Colorado city of Golden gleamed with the sheen of thousands of golden retrievers on Saturday for the annual free event Goldens in Golden... Read more...
Large crowd breaks record for Goldens in Golden
By Brooke Williams
Fox 31
DENVER (KDVR) — Thousands of people and their best friends flooded the streets of Golden on Saturday, breaking the all-time attendance record for the annual Goldens in Golden event... Read more...
These dog lovers get a Golden break from a ruff news cycle
By Sarah Matusek
Christian Science Monitor
Venus wore a mini pink cowgirl hat and a bandana to match. Blanche was dressed as Cupid, complete with wings. Libby, in her mermaid fin, paused to scratch an itch.
No matter how their humans dressed them, a full range of golden retrievers was on display in Golden, Colorado, this weekend... 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 Cultural Alliance, Miners Alley Performing Arts Center, The Golden Mill, Golden Chamber of Commerce, Golden History Tours, Miners Saloon, Golden Hayride Outpost, Unite Fitness, Clothilde Elingbow, Michael Mason, Goosetown Station, and Earth Sweet Boutique
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, 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, Robert Thresher, Tonie Mattox, Centennial State Wealth Advisors, Steve & M.L. Richardson, and Jeremy & Stephanie Keller
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, 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, Clare Shier, Wendy Weiman, and Marge Frueh
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, Joyce Sutton, Mary Rains, Craig Champlin, Stan Swisher, Bill Way, and Chris Toney
