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An update on the Downtown Golden Character Plan and the City Council will consider a resolution on regional ozone pollution. A new Clear Creek bridge and trail are on the way. We cover some news from the campaign trail and take a look at the upcoming (November 8th) City Council meeting. Thanks for being here.
1. Public Process to Begin for Downtown Golden Character Plan
2. City Council to Consider Resolution on Ozone Pollution
3. New Clear Creek Bridge and Trail on the Way
4. News from the Campaign Trail
5. City Council Meeting Agenda: Thursday, November 8
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1. Public Process to Begin for Downtown Golden Character Plan
On Thursday night city council decided to kick off a public comment process on the draft Downtown Design Guidelines and the draft Downtown Character Plan. The draft plan is the product of a ton of hard work by representatives from the Planning Commission, Golden Urban Renewal Authority, Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, and Historic Preservation Board, an impressive amount of public input, and a great deal of outreach to downtown merchants, property owners, and residents. This plan would replace the current but outdated downtown plan. The draft plan is fairly lengthy and includes quite a few specific recommendations about each of four key areas (and a host of other items):
- Adopt design guidelines to help maintain downtown's scale and historic character.
- Improve downtown's streetscape and its "walkability."
- Pay special attention to land use within the downtown area to make sure we protect the character while still promoting a healthy downtown economy.
- Begin crafting a plan for the entire Clear Creek Corridor that places a high priority on maintaining public ownership of the areas that are currently owned by the city and improving the recreational and park values of those lands.
Please consider looking over the draft plan and offering your thoughts. You can download the plan or I can mail you a copy. I think we'll start to have open houses and public meetings on the draft plan early next year, and I'll let everyone know about them so you can weigh in. In the meantime, I would welcome your comments and ideas.
2. City Council to Consider Resolution on Ozone Pollution
As I wrote last week, Golden and the rest of the Denver Metro region continue to struggle with ozone pollution, and on November 20th we are scheduled to go into what's known as "ozone non-attainment" under the Clean Air Act. Ozone pollution is particularly problematic for kids, our older residents, and anyone with asthma or other respiratory ailments.
Our ozone pollution problem is fundamentally regional: although Golden suffers from some of the highest ozone pollution levels in the state, for the most part it's caused by things outside of Golden over which we have very little control. Some of the major sources include vehicle emissions across the Denver Metro region, new oil and gas drilling across northeastern Colorado (especially in Weld County), and our coal-fired power plants. Last night I proposed to city council that we adopt a resolution expressing support for regional efforts, and we will address it at our city council meeting on December 6.
I've posted the draft resolution and some background information on my web site if you'd like to learn more.
3. New Clear Creek Bridge and Trail on the Way
We've got a bunch of activity happening along Clear Creek these days, not least of which is a new pedestrian bridge on Jefferson County Open Space a bit west of 6th Avenue. The bridge will connect the trail on the north side of Clear Creek with the open space on the south side, and we'll eventually see trail connections all the way down the south side.
Our hopes of building a trail along the south side of the creek through town were buoyed earlier this fall when the Colorado School of Mines took on the last of the radioactive waste cleanup. The effort had become stuck somewhere in the back and forth between the state and the school, so I started working with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment in the spring to shake things loose, and CSM was able to start this final phase in August. Many folks have worked hard to make this happen for many years, and I'm pleased I was able to play a role in finishing this important project. As for the south side trail, we expect that we'll see at least part of the trail next year, and if we are able to get some additional grant funding we may even be able to complete it in 2008.
4. News From the Campaign Trail
Don't forget to vote! Tuesday is the last day to turn in your ballot, and you can hand deliver it to either Golden City Hall (911 10th St.) or the Jefferson County building (100 Jefferson County Parkway). City Hall is open Monday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. with extended hours on Tuesday (7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.). The County building is open 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday, and on Tuesday it is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. If you are registered to vote and haven't yet received your ballot you will want to call the Jefferson County Elections Department right away. You can reach them at 303-271-8111.
To learn more about my campaign, please visit my web site, call me (303-216-1680),
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, or read the Golden Transcript endorsement. They wrote: "In our opinion, it's time for a new approach to council," "Smith is the candidate with the qualifications," and "It is time for a new vision from a new, proactive mayor as we move toward the future." You can read the full endorsement at the Golden Transcript's web site. Finally, if you want to volunteer for my campaign during these last few days just let me know and I'll plug you in.
5. City Council Meeting Agenda: Thursday, November 8
Our next city council meeting is scheduled for Thursday the 8th at 7 p.m. You can download the agenda on the city's web site. The agenda includes:
- The final public hearing and discussion on the proposed 2008 city budget. The proposed budget places a heavy emphasis on maintaining the city's water system, wastewater system, and other infrastructure. It also prioritizes public safety (such as our fire and police departments), our effort to keep the high-speed superhighway out of Golden, and our commitment to maintaining the quality of our community services amenities like the community center and our trails. A number of weeks ago I proposed using some of our excess sales and use tax audit revenues to give our road maintenance budget an extra boost; the proposed includes this extra money for roads.
- A proposal to extend by one year the existing agreement between the city and Golden Landmarks Association regarding the loan of an artifact collection housed at the Astor House and Clear Creek History Park.
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Jacob Smith
Golden City Council
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(303) 216-1680
smithforgolden.com
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