Serving the community since 1866
WEEK OF APRIL 24, 2025
VOLUME 159 | ISSUE 17
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Officials suggest ‘free parking days’ in off-season Bid to ease resident frustration, boost downtown visits BY CORINNE WESTEMAN CWESTEMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Family members take part in the Courage Walk wearing shirts with Baby Samantha’s name and photo on them.
PHOTOS BY SARA HERTWIG
Jeffco residents impacted by crime find support, sense of peace at annual Courage Walk BY CORINNE WESTEMAN CWESTEMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Anyone who visits the Courage Garden on the south side of the Jefferson County Government Center complex will see people’s names among the flowers and trees. And every April, their loved ones and other Jeffco community members gather to ensure that the names and stories of those in the Courage Garden are never forgotten. On April 12, local organizations hosted the 32nd annual Courage Walk to honor Jeffco residents who have been impacted by crime — survivors, victims’ family members and friends, and their communities. The event always coincides with National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. As both organizers and participants have explained previously, the event helps remind people of “the resilience of the human spirit,” and that
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there are other people who share their experiences. This year’s theme was “Connecting, Kinship, and Healing for crime survivors” to mark “the progress made by those before us as we look to the future of Crime Victim Services that is even more inclusive, accessible and trauma informed,” it stated on its website. That morning, dozens of people assembled in front of the courthouse’s main entrance and then made a short pilgrimage together around the building to the Courage Garden, where the names of Jeffco residents who have been lost to crime are found. After reaching the Courage Garden, the group gathered in an area nearby for prayer, speeches and a ceremonial dove release. For more information about the annual event or the Courage Garden, visit jeffco. us/4912/Courage-Walk.
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VOICES: 8 | LIFE: 10 | CALENDAR: 13 | SPORTS: 14
Parking in downtown Golden can be expensive and frustrating, so much so that city officials have said some locals are avoiding the entire experience. Last May, Interstate Parking Company of Colorado took over downtown parking operations and enforcement, and as part of an agreement with the City of Golden. The two are sharing revenues while Interstate Parking takes on the associated expenses, such as personnel, kiosks and website management. Additionally, the city also expanded its paid parking from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays only to the same hours but seven days a week. Residents who live in city limits can sign up for a free two-hour parking pass at ParkGoldenCo.com, and there are separate mechanisms for downtown employees and others who live in special permit zones. During its first year with Interstate Parking, city staff said Golden’s parking revenues were mostly from violations rather than from paid parking itself. Last May, 38% of violations were Golden-area zip codes as locals handled the “initial shock” of new parking rules and enforcement mechanisms, staff members explained. While the percentage of locals getting parking violations has gone down since last May, the councilors remarked how some Goldenites are frustrated with this new system, or having to pay for parking in general and thus are avoiding downtown. At an April 8 work session, Mayor Laura Weinberg shared two ideas for limited “free parking days,” noting how the city currently enforces paid parking 365 days a year. If the city offers one or a few “free parking days,” she envisioned it would help draw some hesitant locals back downtown and generate foot traffic.
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As people gather in the Courage Garden to honor those they lost to violence, two girls walk up to inspect the doves that will be released at the conclusion of the event.
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