Serving the community since 1866
WEEK OF MAY 29, 2025
VOLUME 159 | ISSUE 22
JUDGE DENIES CHANGE TO GEER’S BOND
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TECH PROGRAM HELP GRADS TAKE OFF P4 Looking east from Archer Street, concept art from May 20 shows the exterior of the City of Golden’s new municipal center and police headquarters at 311 10th St. Construction is expected to take at least 18 months, with staff set to move into the building in 2027. COURTESY IMAGE
Goldenites ‘impressed’ with latest designs for new municipal center MAY THE MUSIC BE WITH YOU P10
afterward. ing the City Council chambers, and some City scheduled to break ground, shortly Vargo and other officials unveiled up- employee-only areas accessible from the dated exterior and interior designs at a May lobby. finalize budget in July 20 community meeting. The latest artwork Because of the site’s natural slope, the BY CORINNE WESTEMAN CORINNE@COTLN.ORG
For now, the City of Golden’s new municipal center and police headquarters still only exists on paper, but that won’t be the case for much longer. Golden will break ground this summer at the vacant lot at 311 10th St. City Manager Scott Vargo said the city has tentatively scheduled a groundbreaking ceremony and open-house-type event for the evening of July 23, but Golden is still finalizing details. The city will also finalize its budget around that time, he said. Then, construction will start “in earnest” in August or September, Vargo said. Work is scheduled to be done by the first half of 2027, and Golden employees will move operations into the $60 million building
showcased an exterior made of a mix of dark-gray and light-gray brick, with exposed timber and large windows on the inside. Tom Wuertz, co-owner of Handprint Architecture, outlined the floor plan for the three-story building and its campus. There will be a street-level public parking lot off Vasquez Street, with a plaza acting as a connective space between the parking lot, 10th Street and the building’s east entrance. This is the tentative spot for Golden’s Liberty Bell. There will also be a west entrance and plaza off Archer Street that will help connect the building to the Clear Creek corridor. Whether walking in from the east or west, community members will enter a “working lobby” that will have gathering spaces and workspaces, Wuertz described. There will also be public meeting rooms, includ-
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lobby will actually be on the second floor, Wuertz said. The first floor will be a walkout basement that will house the secure Golden Police Department facilities. It will be accessible to employees only via a secure sub-level parking area. Meanwhile, the building’s third floor will house employee workspaces. Additionally, Wuertz explained more of the building’s energy-efficiency and sustainability features. The building will be oriented with the best angles for solar absorption and natural ventilation, he said, and the campus will also have solar energy panels and geothermal energy wells to help power the building.
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