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Proposed Solar Farm on South Table Mountain, Buying & Selling City Property

Golden Eye Candy – Jen Rutter – March Morning – enlarge

Virtual Events

6-6:55AM Cycling
9-9:55AM Silver Sneakers Classic
10:15-10:45AM Virtual: Baby and Toddler Time
11-11:55AM HIIT & Sculpt
12-12:55PM All Levels Yoga Virtual
6:30-7:30PM Virtual: SAT Strategies


Real World Events

9-10:00AM Women’s Exercise and Bible Study @ First United Methodist Church
9:15-9:45AM Baby Time @ Golden Library
10:15-10:45AM Preschool Time @ Golden Library
11AM-12:30PM Golden Community Table @ First United Methodist Church
5-7PM Golden Community Happy Hour & Sponsor Social @ Buffalo Rose

6:30PM City Council Regular Business Meeting @ City Hall
Tonight’s consent agenda includes a $10/month increase in the retired volunteer fire fighter pension, a $900,000 extension of Fasick Concrete’s contract, including a 6% increase over last year’s bid, adoption of Council’s 2022 Strategic Action Plan, and the first reading of a change to the City’s water and waste water policy.

They will read proclamations for Donate Life Month, National Public Health Week, and National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week.

Staff will provide an update on the recruitment process for the City Manager position.

The Acting City Manager will present a draft licensing ordinance for summer tubing traffic. The proposal includes licensing the companies that rent tubes and imposing a surcharge on the purchase of tubes. Disposable containers will also be banned. See more details….

The recently-imposed lodging tax was passed with the understanding that some of that money would support Golden’s cultural organizations. Council will take a first look at how they might structure and appropriate such funding. They will review the methods used by several other cities.

West Colfax Complete Street Project Area

The Special Assistant to the City Manager will discuss the West Colfax Complete Streets project. The work has been delayed, but he will propose that we re-stripe the street to take it from two lanes each way to one lane each way. The goal is to eventually use the extra roadway for bikes and pedestrians.

Location of the proposed solar farm

They will discuss a landowner’s application to install a solar farm on South Table Mountain. Jefferson County Open Space opposes the plan because the solar panels would be very visible from South Table Mountain Open Space. Since Open Space owns the land surrounding the proposed solar farm, they also say that the property owner has no legal access to his property. Open Space would like the City of Golden to join them in condemning the solar farm as unsightly. That’s awkward for Golden, because we hope to build a solar farm of our own, and have considered even more visible locations. Learn more….

1225 Catamount Drive

Council will follow the business meeting with an Executive Session (no public, no cameras) to discuss “the purchase, acquisition, transfer, or sale” of 1225 Catamount Drive (the Brickyard House – map) and “Near South Golden Road and Johnson Road” (map).

South Golden Road and Johnson Road – Google Satellite images

Oddly, the Executive Session also includes a discussion “regarding the contract to demolish” the former Coors office building at 311 10th Street.


Trivia

6:30-8:30PM Team Trivia Tuesdays @ Buffalo Rose

6:30-8:30PM Trivia Tuesdays @ Golden Mill

6-8PM Toad Trivia Tuesdays @ Mountain Toad Brewing
7PM Trivia Night @ the Ace
7-9PM Team Trivia Night @ Tributary Food Hall


Golden History Moment

This photo from 1870 shows the future route of Highway 93, which would follow the foothills from Golden to Boulder – Dan Abbott collection – enlarge
Colorado Transcript, August 23, 1923

In 1923, Alderman Bert Jones wrote that better roads were one of Golden’s greatest needs. He proposed that we partner with Boulder to build the north and south ends of a road between the cities, then try to persuade the county and state to fund the rest.

Colorado Transcript, May 5, 1927

In 1927, a Transcript article reported that the state had committed $18,200 to help fund the proposed highway. Several more articles about the hoped-for highway appeared throughout that year and for several years following. There was always progress on the road, but it was never quite completed.

Colorado Transcript, August 20, 1936

In 1936, we were hoping to use WPA funds to complete the road from Golden to the Boulder county line. Boulder County had already completed their part of the road.

Colorado Transcript, March 29, 1951

71 Years Ago
The March 29, 1951
Colorado Transcript reported that the federal government planned to build “New $45,000,000 Atom Plant to Employ 1,000 On Special Secret Research War Work.” This was the Rocky Flats plant–now a National Wildlife Refuge. The mayor remarked that Highway 93 “had better be fixed fast.”

“It is reported that Boulder county is to put its end of Highway 93 in shape right away, and the same is hoped for in Jefferson county.”

Colorado Transcript, November 20, 1952

By 1952, there was a road of sorts, but apparently it was bad. The November 20, 1952 Transcript included a guest editorial describing Highway 93 as:

…a slow road to drive, but it is a terror on cars. Even the new cars with all their easy riding features bounce all over the roads…. The last six miles into Boulder are oiled, as is the first mile out of Golden, but between the two it really deserves the name Rocky Flats. Every year that I can remember the county commissioners have added a little gravel to the road. One good storm and a few cars later the road is just as rocky and rough as ever. Now with all the traffic to the atomic plant, there is a greater need than ever to improve the Rocky Flats road. Although some work has been done on the road recently, it still has a long way to go, before it can be considered adequate for the traffic on it.

Colorado Transcript, December 20, 1956

Significant work was finally done on Highway 93 in 1955-56. The December 20, 1956 Transcript reported that “Highway 93 from Golden to Boulder over Rocky Flats used to be one of the worst in the state. Now it is one of the best.”

Highway 93 from Golden to Boulder – Google Satellite image – enlarge

Thanks to the Golden History Museum for providing the online cache of historic Transcripts, and to the Golden Transcript for documenting our history since 1866!

Highlights