| View this email in your browser for a better viewing experience July 4th Weekend Council Update Community Events, Clear Creek crowding and Grant Terry trail paving, a lodging tax, protecting our youth and more… Happy Independence Day I hope many of you are finding ways to get out and about this summer or enjoy a peaceful weekend here in Golden.Golden Community Event Highlights Golden Lions Club again hosts the annual July 4th Celebration in Lions Park on Sunday at 1pm, with Golden’s fireworks display usually around 9:30pm. Please note that all personal fireworks are illegal in Golden city limits. Foothills Art Center presents ArtsWeek Golden starting July 8th. A concert by Wildermiss Thursday night (Free, RSVP required) kicks it off with a Juried Art Festival Saturday and Sunday downtown. Yay Art! Colorado State Senator Tammy Story will host a Golden Town Hall along with Representative Monica Duran (Golden) and JeffCo Commissioner Andy Kerr, July 13th, from 6-7pm in Parfet Park. Bring a chair! Golden Police Virtual Safety Academy continues monthly! All are welcome to join.Golden City Council meetings July 13, 20, 27th in-person and live stream. Hot Topics Include: . New Golden residential waste services contract (with recycling & composting) . City Strategic Action Plan progress update by City Manager . Lodging Tax discussion – what should it help pay for? . Mobile Home park re-zoning to support affordable housing . Marijuana Excise Tax – should Golden introduce Recreational pot shops? . Golden Zoning Code rewrite – Draft 2 has been released! Discussion with Planning Commission, share your thoughts. . City 2nd Quarter financial updateWith July 4th upon us, many are thinking about safeguarding our independence of spirit. I see this reflected in the strong community spirit that drives Golden – within our government, our citizens, our residents and our volunteers. May you and your family enjoy celebrating and have a peaceful Independence Day weekend.Stay safe and leave fireworks to the pros,  Bill Fisher, RN Ward 4 City Councilor Golden, Colorado Council Updates Clear Creek Safety & Paving Summer crowding, safety, and paving part of Grant Terry trail With warmer weather and bigger crowds, the Clear Creek summer season is upon us. Thanks to all of you who provided feedback from my last newsletter. At a recent City Council meeting, we received a “thumbs up” to increase oversight and management of the Creek for crowding and safety. Staff will be preparing what this looks like and how City Council, the Parks & Rec & Museum Board, and residents can stay involved. Safety update: The City has now added a water safety flag system (Red-Yellow-Green) to help visitors using the water stay safer depending on water conditions. Grant Terry Trail (GTT) A paving project is underway along Clear Creek just west of Golden by Jeffco Open Space through most of July. I’ve received several questions and comments about this process. This is a Jefferson County Open Space project (not Golden). Apparently, the original path parallel to US6 is no longer being constructed, hence the desire to improve GTT. The project will result in the loss/change of about 1/3 of a mile of the Grant Terry Trail as soft surface only, but trail users are gaining 1.5 miles of soft-surface only Flume Trail and Welch Ditch trail (where bikes will be prohibited). I and other City Councilors have requested that Golden and JCOS hold a public tour and discussion to help everyone understand the changes and decision process. FAQ and more details at my website. Grant Terry Trail paving project update Lodging Tax discussion Did you know Golden is one of just a few cities in the U.S. without a lodging tax? Hard to believe, but it’s true! A lodging tax is a nearly-universal way to ask visitors to fairly and equitably contribute to what brings them to Golden in the first place. Tourists are drawn here because of our world-class amenities and scenic environment, culturally rich downtown and historic neighborhoods, trails and parks, museums and beautiful Clear Creek. . . all paid for by Golden residents. It’s a matter of fairness. We pay lodging taxes in other cities, but visitors to Golden do not return the favor. Who pays a lodging tax? The lodging industry? No. Golden residents? No. Only tourists pay for overnight rentals to help support the services they use and enjoy. The City is proposing funds generated by a lodging tax be used to offset significant impacts of tourism and help our local businesses remain competitive, with the remainder put in a dedicated Golden Fund. Other ideas include enhancing our community through workforce housing and affordable living solutions, universal broadband internet access, sustainability, parks and open space, improved food security, public transit options and more. If Council forwards this for a citywide vote, you get to decide this November whether a lodging tax will improve our financial security and the health, welfare, and safety of Golden. I share additional thoughts in the July edition of the Golden Informer. Take the opportunity to learn more and share your thoughts with us! Guiding Golden: Lodging Tax Discussion Protecting our Youth City Council is undertaking various initiatives to improve the health and welfare of our children. Councilor JJ Trout and I have introduced a Health Beverages Initiative to support parents wanting to provide healthier guidance and options for kids when eating out. Did you know an 8 oz ‘child-size’ soda has about 6 teaspoons of sugar? This is the total added sugar the American Heart Association recommends kids consume in an entire day. In fact, the average child in the U.S. consumes over 30 gallons of sugary drinks every year – enough to fill a bathtub. Whoa! This program may ask restaurants offering Kids’ Meals to package them with water, non-sugary sparkling water, or milk. This would not prevent parents from ordering other drinks (e.g. soda, juice, chocolate milk). Look for this to come back to Council this summer or fall. Support or have questions about this? Please share your thoughts with City Council! Learn more about hidden sugar Some community members are working with Jefferson County Public Health to consider ways to protect our youth from flavored vaping nicotine products In 2019 Golden City Council took steps to protect youth by raising the age to purchase to 21 for all tobacco and nicotine products. Continuing that conversation around flavored nicotine products is an important next step. Help shape the future of tobacco prevention in Golden Monday, July 19th from 12 – 1pm. Zoom Meeting Please join the Jefferson County Public Health Tobacco Prevention Initiative onJuly 19th from 12 – 1pm for a continued community dialogue about opportunities to strengthen tobacco prevention efforts in Golden. We invite you to share your story, provide input about the direction of tobacco prevention initiatives in Golden, and discuss ways we can work together over the next several months. If you are not able to join the meeting but would still like to provide feedback, feel free to touch base with me or contact Kelsey Campbell at krcampbell@jeffco.us. To receive the Zoom information, please RSVP using this link. RTD Service Changes – Golden public comment needed! RTD is proposing continued reduced services for Golden area residents.As the region begins to recover from COVID-19, RTD is proposing service changes. Unfortunately, Golden is not in line for any service enhancements in the new draft proposal. For example, the GS line between Boulder and Golden and on to NREL is a priority to many here in Golden, but is not currently planned for reinstatement. We also face continued reduced frequency on the RTD West Line Light Rail. Now is the time to be heard! The final virtual public comment session is July 7th. Learn more, and log in to attend the meeting to have your voice heard on July 7th at noon. www.rtd-denver.com/service-changes COVID-19 Vaccine Update Everyone 12 and up is now able to receive the COVID-19 Vaccine. There are many same-day walk-in clinics and vaccination sites available and appointments if you’d like to schedule one! State of Colorado: Where to get vaccinated JeffCo Public Health: COVID-19 case count and vaccine info Vaccine Spotter: www.vaccinespotter.org/CO/ JeffCo Public Health Vaccine Clinic information Mobility Issues? Check here for Denver regional resources. State of CO voice hotline: 1-877-268-2926, staffed 24hrs a day. And thanks to everyone in Golden for staying safe! Wear masks if you are not vaccinated, continue physical distancing, and wash your hands. Feedback?Email bill@williamfisher.com and visit www.WilliamFisher.com for regular updates and to communicate your thoughts, ideas and concerns.Copyright (C) 2021 Bill Fisher for Golden Ward 4. All rights reserved.Update Preferences |
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William "BilFish" Fisher for City Council