| Easier to read version: View this email in your browser Community Events update, Clear Creek crowding, affordable housing, street lights, Highway 6/58/93 improvements and more… Hello neighbors! While the rains aren’t quite done with us, I can safely suggest we are more than ready to ramp up for summertime. Congrats to our recent 2021 School Grads and all who persevered through this last year and more… now let’s get out and enjoy life! Before getting to the updates, I want to highlight a few upcoming Golden events many have been waiting for: . Golden Farmers Market opens June 5th! (runs into October) . Golden Summer Jam June 24th (at Colorado RailRoad Museum) sponsored by the Golden Civic Foundation. Tickets on sale June 7th. . BGoldN addresses food insecurity in our community. Look for ways to help at their website, with upcoming June fundraisers in conjunction with the Golden Lion’s Club and Rotary Club of Golden. . Homestead Open House at Golden History Park weekly on Saturdays… . The City of Golden is hiring! As the Splash opens, Community Center starts accepting walk-ins, Fossil Trace is in full swing, and Parks & Rec ramps up generally, consider a youth or adult seasonal job with the City! . Golden Police Virtual Safety Academy continues! All are welcome to sign up, the June 9th topic is motor vehicle theft. . The Golden Bike Cruise is back in action! Last Tuesday June-Sept. New location near the Armory. . Foothills Art Center presents ArtsWeek Golden July 8-16. Yay Art! Note: There is (already?!?) discussion of Fall elections for Golden City Council ward seats. At a later date I will share an announcement on my status as a potential candidate. For now, I continue to enjoy the opportunity to serve you and fellow residents here in Golden and remain focused on the work. Until then, I look forward to the joys of getting out and seeing everyone in person this summer!  My thoughts are with our troops at home and around the world, and to those who have lost loved ones defending our country. Please celebrate carefully and have a peaceful Memorial Day weekend. Stay safe,  Bill Fisher, RN Ward 4 City Councilor Golden, Colorado City Council Updates As I noted in the last newsletter, progress with vaccine distribution means I’m excited to share news focused on more traditional city matters. But first… A shout out to our superb City employees who, over the past year, responded remarkably and with flexibility to maintain critical services such as fire, police, water, plowing and road maintenance and parks access… and so much more during an unpredictable and capricious pandemic. Thank you! Clear Creek Corridor Summer crowding, pollution, noise, and safety  This winter, I joined a group of 20 or so folks invited to participate in a community advisory group to help City Manager Jason Slowinski consider ways to manage crowding and environmental impacts along Clear Creek. While I think the results may feel weighted somewhat in favor of industry vs. residents, there are dozens of mitigation measures that have been proposed and I look forward to seeing how effective they are. Learn more and review the Council Briefing Powerpoint on Guiding Golden… More importantly, what do you think? Let me know! 2021 Clear Creek Strategies Presentation (1.65MB) Affordable and Attainable Housing Nationwide this issue is growing quickly. While there appears to be little momentum nationally, we are seeing interest at the State and local levels. In fact, Gov. Jared Polis just signed House Bill 1117 allowing local governments such as Golden the ability to require some affordability in housing for new developments, an important step.Separately, City Council, at Mayor Weinberg’s request, held a special working session recently on housing affordability and attainability. From this we are recommending that City Staff consider long-term plans to address this issue. For example, we have encouraged the hiring of dedicated affordable housing staff to assist in this effort and take advantage of state or federal dollars that may become available. I’ve joined with several Councilors, led by Mayor Pro Tem Brown, working alongside community organizations such as Golden United’s Housing Task Forceand concerned residents regarding recent events to maintain appropriate access to affordable mobile home parks opportunities. Please let me know if you’d like to learn more or get involved! Programming Alert: Golden United Presents “Housing is Preventative Medicine” via Zoom on June 3rd at 6pm. Learn more and register. Infrastructure – Highways 58 & 93 mitigation Many of us in the North Neighborhoods have lived for years with increasing pollution, noise, and accidents along highways 58 & 93. Even prior to knowing the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, I’ve called for two things: shovel-ready projects to take advantage of recovery funding, and a focus on helping North Golden with safety and noise mitigation equal to work already done or in progress for Central and South Golden.I’m pleased to report that multiple important priorities for North Golden are now included in Golden’s Investment Ready Projects list. View: Golden Investment Ready Project List We also made it onto the County’s radar for important projects: The Jefferson County Transportation Needs master list was released by the County in March and submitted to our Congress persons, and include the following Golden priorities: . Highway 93 realignment and safety improvements at the north end of Golden . Highway 93 multi-use path to Boulder (bike/ped/etc.) . Highway 6 and Heritage Road interchange improvements (in progress) I’m also excited that Congressman Ed Perlmutter has included a $2.3 Million request for improvements to Highway 93 in his District Projects Funding Request(not guaranteed, of course). We are still working to include improvements along Highway 58 and near the Village at Mountain Ridge (such as additional berms and other noise efforts). However, this news gives hope to all who wonder if it’s worth the conversation and effort on improving highways near our homes. There’s more to be done, and this is a start. If you’d like to talk more about these projects or additional mitigation, please reach out and let’s chat! City Street Lights update A couple of years ago Golden purchased all of our street lights from Xcel Energy. Unfortunately, Xcel has been fairly uncompromising in working with us, and thus I’m not thrilled that Staff presented a $1+ Million adjustment that came before Council last week regarding this purchase. Being on the forefront of taking ownership of our community has a cost. However, the reality is that we’ll still save money and have more flexibility down the road. The Good news? If you happened to see street lights coming down around town, don’t worry! Each of these will be repositioned onto a new pole over the course of the summer. About 125 of the lights we purchased are on Xcel power poles, and the City has to replace them as part of the agreement. We will be replacing lights with energy-saving LEDs to meet our community energy reduction and climate action goals (along with saving money). If you have questions/comments about a specific pole, you are welcome to touch base with me (as several residents have already) or speak directly with Public Works. City Council: Live and In Person starting June 8  No more zoom meetings? Well, not quite, but I’m excited to announce that City Offices and Golden City Council will be shifting to in-person visits and LIVE City Council meetings starting in June – another chance for us to connect in person. Meetings will still be broadcast on GCO.TV and online, and we are considering options for hybrid public comment – allowing both electronic comments and live comments from the public. Misc….Want to have a voice in our future? Golden is undertaking a Tourism Strategic Planning process. If you haven’t taken the survey, consider sharing your thoughts at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/visitgolden 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. Uber & Lyft are also offering free rides for vaccinations through July 4th. 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.Until then, I look forward to the joys of getting out and seeing everyone in person this summer! 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 |
Tag: Golden Police Department
Golden Police Virtual Community Update for District 2 (Mar 18, 2021)
On March 18th, 2021, the Golden Police Department’s Officers Page and Guess joined Mayor Pro Tem Brown and Councilor Dale (Ward 3) and myself (Ward 4) for a virtual community safety update.
Wards 3 and 4 (District 2) encompass the Central and North areas of Golden. Which ward do you live in? Find your location on the Golden Ward Map here.
Presentation focus
o Recent crime trends in Golden, especially changes during 2020
o We were joined by Commander Greenwell of Lakewood from the Colorado Metro Auto Theft Taskforce regarding crime trends related to vehicular theft in the Denver Metro and Golden areas
o Attendees received actionable home safety tips
o Officers Page & Guess provided a Q&A session at the end for attendees.
Note: The various speakers are only on audio. The Presentations on auto theft trends and crime prevention tips show as video as the session progresses.
Thank you to the women and men of the Golden Police Department for assisting with this evening’s presentations and tips, as well as for the daily work you do in keeping our community safe.
Additional Resources from meeting
- CMAT website – lockdownyourcar.org – searchable hotspots for auto thefts.
- Bike recovery: ProtechDNA.com/bicycle to track stolen bikes and return them to owners (Golden has now joined this program)
- Additional Community Policing Resources (Citizen Police Academy, bicycle registration, fingerprinting, records requests and more)
- New! Golden Police Online reporting tool and links to Crime & Traffic Statistics
- Article with list of 2020’s Top 10 Vehicles Stolen in Denver Metro Region
March ‘21 Weekend Update
Golden Safety, Council updates, School of Mines IGA, District 2 Golden Police Safety Presentation and Q&A, Golden Water Resources, US 6 & Heritage intersection, and more…
| View this email in your browser (may be easier to read/view) Good morning! The weather this weekend has me feeling optimistic! Plus, we have more vaccine doses, reduced case trends and opportunities to return to school for more of our children. City Council has also been able to add back more traditionally Golden-centric issues. It’s great to continue progress from last year and accelerate efforts to enhance and preserve Golden! I can also share that Golden’s financial condition remains strong and is bouncing back after critical belt-tightening last year combined with our diverse economy. In fact, January 2021 actually saw both increased Sales and Use tax receipts for the City from the year before. Yet, our economic recovery remains uneven, and Historic Downtown businesses are still facing a road to recovery. To support vitality and a more thriving downtown, City Council recently voted to allow seasonal use of parking lanes by local businesses, based on successful lessons learned this past year. I want to share a few updates and opportunities to get involved around Golden. NOTE: several items happening or due this week! Stay safe, Bill Fisher, RN Ward 4 City Councilor Golden, Colorado US 6 & Heritage Similar to the Linking Lookout project for US 6th and 19th a couple years back, Golden is working with Jefferson County and the state to redesign the US 6th and Heritage Road intersection.The second of several public input sessions was held February 24th. You may still comment and take the survey here (only through March 10th), as well as watch the Feb 24th meeting presentation and see graphics of the four options presented. There is funding for the study and design, but no identified funding yet for construction. Hopefully this process creates a shovel-ready option in case Federal funding becomes available. The Golden Transcript’s Paul Albani-Burgio has a nice article on this process and alternatives. School of Mines & Golden IGA InterGovernmental Agreement After years of input and negotiations, we are expecting to have an IGA come before Council for a vote this Spring. Mayor Pro Tem Brown joined me and City Manager Slowinski for a public meeting for residents this past December, and the attorneys have made final tweaks to the draft. Along with the IGA there is a second “Operational IGA” Golden and Mines are working on. Click the link below for details. View Draft IGAs & FAQ Mines Community Updates: if you want to receive notices about the quarterly Golden community meetings, email operations@mines.edu to be added to the list. Quarterly meeting dates and presentations are here: https://www.mines.edu/operations/community-news/ Zoning “In” – Golden’s Zoning Code Update We should pay attention to the first major overhaul of our zoning code in 50 years. And more than two years in the making, this may affect what you can do with your property and what your neighbors can do next door. Watch the video presentations, especially the January 28, 2021 Draft presented to the community. You may still provide comment and feedback via Guiding Golden, or email me or City staff. Tune in March 23rd for a City Council study session discussion about the draft Zoning language with our Planning Commission. Read the March Golden Informer article with additional Zoning information. Remember: There will be more opportunities to provide input throughout Spring and Summer, please stay engaged and share your thoughts! District 2 Golden Police Safety Presentation Just announced! Residents of Wards 3 & 4 are encouraged to join us for a Virtual GPD Community Safety Presentation with Q&A on Thursday, March 18th at 6pm online. I am co-hosting this community event with Mayor Pro Tem Casey Brown and Ward 3 Councilor Jim Dale with special thanks to our Golden Police Department. – Get updates on what’s been happening in Golden and Wards 3 and 4 over the past year. – Learn how we can stay safer, and watch a presentation on auto theft trends by the Colorado Metro Auto Theft Task force. – Tips for crime prevention will also be offered, followed by an opportunity for community members to ask questions. Pre-register for the District 2 Safety Presentation I’m proud of the work our Golden Police Department has been doing on our behalf, no more so than this past year. Thank you to the women and men of the GPD, and I appreciate their participation in this event! Monthly Golden Safety Academy for residents from the Golden Police DepartmentDive in deeper and join one or all of this great series of monthly virtual events. The next meeting is virtual this week! March 10th, 6pm, and covers Residential Crime Prevention Tips. Learn more and sign up here. Golden Boards & Commissions Pro resident tip: our volunteers drive much of the progress in maintaining and improving Golden! Consider whether there is an opportunity for you to join in this effort. Get involved! You have just a few more days to submit an application to be a volunteer on one of our terrific boards and commissions (due this Friday, March 12th). https://www.cityofgolden.net/government/boards-commissions/Apply City Council recently met with each Board & Commission chair to collaborate on their 2021 Work Plans. Read more about each plan to learn about the tremendous work underway! (scroll down the agenda for specific work plans). Golden Water Resources Finally, a note of caution regarding our water resources We know Colorado remains in a serious drought condition. Golden continues to have strong water resources and rights, with multiple reservoirs and decades of forward-thinking planning. To do our part in addressing challenges of drought and continue to think ahead to ensure continued need water supplies, Golden is asking all users to voluntarily reduce irrigation use this year by 10% (e.g. limit outside watering to 3x/week).  Read more about Golden’s Water Division and resources here.Look through a good article in the March Golden Informer. For a great visual primer on Golden’s water supplies, review the Water Conservation and Efficiency presentation (from our city water website). COVID-19 Vaccine Beginning March 5th, people 60+ are now eligible for vaccination. Inclusion for people 50+ as part of 1B.4 starts approximately March 21st (view full vaccine rollout phases and eligibility) As many of us are seeking more COVID-19 vaccine resources, I’d like to share some additional links worth investigating. – State of Colorado: Where to get vaccinated – JeffCo Public Health: COVID-19 case count and vaccine info (Note: JCPH Arvada vaccine location now accepting 65+) – State of Colorado Vaccination pre-registration: https://www.comassvax.org – Vaccine Spotter: https://www.vaccinespotter.org/CO/ – Kaiser Pre-registration website (do not have to be a member) – 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 please remember to Stay Safe Golden! Wear masks, continue physical distancing, limit unnecessary travel, 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 | Unsubscribe |