WEEK OF MARCH 27, 2025
VOLUME 20 | ISSUE 39
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Replacement for water treatment plant gets green light City council OKs contracts to begin design work BY RYLEE DUNN RDUNN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
ARVADA LOOKS MAKE IMPROVEMENTS TO MOBILITY P4
COLORADO CREATIVES SWEAT THE FUTURE OF P16 ARTS FUNDING
and city where there’s really not a ton of available green space for adjacent residents. GOCO has a funding philosophy around equitable access to nature.” Ryan Stevenson, the City of Arvada’s Director of Vibrant Community and Neighborhoods said the Gold Strike Park renovation project would not be possible without partnerships like the one with GOCO — last year, the project got a $7 million boost from the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership. “We are incredibly grateful to GOCO for this generous grant, which will help bring the vision for Gold Strike Park to life,” Stevenson said. “Transforming this underutilized site into a vibrant and inclusive green space requires strong partnerships, and GOCO’s support is instrumental in making that happen. “This investment ensures that the park will serve as both a historical landmark and a welcoming recreational destination for the community for generations to come,” Stevenson continued.
Forty six years after Arvada’s newest water treatment facility was built, the city is starting the process of building a replacement plant, as the Arvada City Council approved a pair of contracts that allow contractors to begin design work and project management to start the building process. The proposed plant will replace the Arvada Water Treatment Plant, which was built in 1979 and was only designed for seasonal use. The average lifespan for a water treatment plant is about 50 to 70 years, according to the City of Arvada. Arvada’s City Council has raised water rates for residents each of the past three years in response to aging infrastructure. At the March 4 Arvada City Council Meeting, Stantec Consulting, Inc. was given a contract for $2 million in the contract’s first year to serve as the owner advisor — similar to a project manager — for the replacement plant. Stantec has completed similar projects in Lynden, Washington; Dryden, Ontario, Canada; and Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc., was given a $13.5 million contract for design services for the treatment plant. The company has completed projects involving water treatment plants in San Jose, California; Stanislaus County, California and Woodbury, Minnesota. The Arvada Water Treatment Plant is responsible for treating about 16 million gallons of water per day when it is operational, and only serves about half the city — anything west of Indiana Street does not receive water from this plant. The majority of water in Arvada (36 million gallons per day) is treated at the Ralston Water Treatment Plant, which functions year-round and serves the entire city. That plant was built in 1962 and was updated in 2000, though some repair projects are ongoing.
SEE GRANT, P12
SEE TREATMENT, P27
Site plan for the redesigned Gold Strike Park. COURTESY CITY OF ARVADA
GOCO awards $750k grant for Gold Strike Park
Great Outdoors Colorado grant to fund increased creek access, walking paths BY RYLEE DUNN RDUNN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
A SPORTS MEDICINE STRATEGY FOR HER P20
2025
VOTE NOW March 1st - April 15th
Arvada’s long-awaited Gold Strike Park redesign plan got an additional funding boost, as Great Outdoors Colorado awarded the city a $750,000 grant for the project. The project — which is set to break ground later this year — aims to revitalize the park, which bears historical significance as the site of the first documented discovery of gold in Colorado and is on the Colorado Register of Historic Places. The project will improve creek access, contain a natural splash area, incorporate an educational pavilion, have a bouldering feature and include a historical walking path. GOCO’s Denver Metro Regional Officer Matt Brady said the park revitalization project’s historical significance and location in a traditionally underserved part of Arvada when it comes to greenspace. “This project married historical significance and aspects to the region with it being the founding place of gold in the region,” Brady said. “The site itself sits in a neighborhood and area of the county
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