WHAT’S HAPPENING IN GOLDEN TODAY?
6-6:55AM HIIT (Virtual)
8-9AM Morning StArt: An Artist Coffee Meetup with Katy McClure @ Foothills Art Center
10AM-2PM Money Mingle @ On Tap Credit Union
10AM Wild West Walking Tour
10AM and 1PM Wild West Short Tour
10:15-10:45AM Toddler Time @ Golden Library
10:30AM The Friday Tour @ Colorado Railroad Museum
11:34AM Full Moon
12-12:55PM All Levels Yoga (Virtual)
1-1:45PM Silver Sneakers Yoga (Virtual)
1:30PM The Friday Tour @ Colorado Railroad Museum
3PM Vaccine, License & Microchip Clinic @ Foothills Animal Shelter
3-5PM Dungeons & Dragons Hangout @ Golden Library
6-7:30PM Borderlands Curanderos @ Golden History Museum
Join Metro State University professor Jennifer Koshatka Seman, author of Borderlands Curanderos: The Worlds of Santa Teresa Urrea and Don Pedrito Jaramillo, as she discusses U.S.-Mexico borderlands during the turn of the twentieth century. More….
See the complete calendar of events.
LIVE MUSIC
5-8PM Live Music @ Eddy Taproom
5-7PM Naked Dawn Duo @ Morris & Mae
5:15-8:15PM The Cosmic Charlies @ Goosetown Station
5:30-8:30PM Michael London @ Over Yonder
6-10PM Playback @ Wrigley’s
7-10PM Bunny Blake @ Buffalo Rose (Sky Bar Stage)
9PM Karaoke @ Ace Hi Tavern
GOLDEN HISTORY MOMENT
31 Years Ago
The May 5, 1992 Golden Transcript reminded residents of an upcoming vote regarding Vanover Park. Due to some technical/legal issues, the citizens were being asked to give the park to Jefferson County.
Three years earlier, the City of Golden was working on its brand new Clear Creek Master Plan. The plan’s goal was to turn the polluted creek into a showplace and a recreational paradise. The first step was to build a trail network along the creek.
One of the impediments to this plan was a cluster of trailers and small rental properties at Ford and Water Streets known as the Golden Trailer Park. City officials contacted the owner, Scott McDougal, who was not interested in selling the property. He explained that his family had owned it for 30-40 years. The park included 15 trailer spaces and six apartments. The trailer spaces rented for $75/month. He said many of his tenants lived on low incomes and many had lived there for several years. He thought it unlikely that they would be able to “find anything comparable in the Golden area.”
The City chose to condemn the property, paying the owner $290,000. They then proceeded to grade and seed the area and install an irrigation system. The total cost for land, design, demolition, and construction of the park was $608,920. They planned to fund the park with the City’s share of Jeffco Open Space money.
Complications arose when the City asked the County to reimburse the expense. The Open Space fund requires that Jeffco buy property and then give it to the City. The gift comes with a “reverter” clause, saying that if the City ever stops using the land as a park, ownership reverts to the County. The fact that the City had already bought the property–rather than allowing the County to do so–made this process unworkable.
The obvious solution would be for the City to give the property to the County, so the County could give it right back, with the reverter clause added.
BUT–our City Charter said the City couldn’t dispose of parkland without a vote of the citizens. Even if the County planned to give it back, five minutes later, the rule still held.
So the May 12, 1992 election was required so that citizens could approve giving the property to the County. To Council’s and Staff’s relief, the transfer was approved, 363-83.
Postscript
According to the September 12, 1989 Transcript, my late friend Lorraine Wagenbach suggested the name for park, in remembrance of a man who was lynched on that site in 1859. Other suggestions included “Lynch Tree Park” and “Marvin Gardens” (honoring Marv Kay, who was mayor at that time).
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!
