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Week of February 9, 2023
JEFFERSON COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 12 | CALENDAR: PAGE 11 | SPORTS: PAGE 24
VOLUME 18 | ISSUE 34
Our in-depth look at the housing crisis
Arvada Chamber of Commerce to participate in National Civics Bee pilot Program will bring national social studies competition to Colorado for first time BY RYLEE DUNN RDUNN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Gov. Polis stresses more housing is key to Colorado’s economic health BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
If lawmakers don’t act to make housing more affordable now, “we will soon face a spiraling point of no return.” That’s what Gov. Jared Polis said in January, during his annual State of the State Address. He noted myriad problems linked to rising housing costs. People, he said, “are being forced out of their neighborhoods with no hope of ever living close to where they work.” “That means more traffic, lost
time and money spent on long commutes, more air pollution, and greater economic and workforce challenges,” Polis said. Polis added that rising housing prices are “putting the dream of homeownership out of range for more and more Coloradans.” The governor’s assessment squares with the findings of Colorado Community Media in our four-week series exploring what many experts say is a housing crisis — one that affects practically everyone in the Denver area. Lower-income workers are seeing larger chunks of their paychecks
go to landlords. Young families can’t find starter homes they can afford. Retirees don’t see any attractive options for moving and downsizing, meaning their homes stay off the market, helping keep prices high. “Just look west,” Polis said in his address. “In California, decades of poor planning has led to interruptions of drinking water and electricity for entire towns and cities, average home prices over $1 million in major cities and 16lane freeways” with “bumper-toSEE STRESSES, P14
The Arvada Chamber of Commerce announced on Feb. 1 that it would be hosting the regional portion of the National Civics Bee for Jefferson County this spring, the first time the humanities competition has been held in Colorado. The competition is open to any middle schooler (6th to 8th grade) in Jefferson County, including students from public, private and charter schools. The competition features two portions; an essay contest that will yield 20 finalists to compete in a live quiz competition. The top three finishers of the regional quiz competition will compete a statewide championship round. The National Civics Bee is run by the United States Chamber of Commerce Foundation. This year’s Colorado pilot program will be evaluated in order to plan future iterations of the competition in the Centennial State. The Buena Vista, Craig, Denver Metro and Greater Pueblo Chambers of Commerce will all be hosting regional civic bee competitions similar to what the Arvada Chamber will organize for Jeffco. New Mexico, Iowa, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Texas and Washington all host Civics Bees. The deadline for submissions for the essay portion of the contest — the guidelines of which are posted on the Arvada Chamber’s website — is Feb. 23. The regional winner will receive $500, while the state winner will receive $1,000. Arvada Chamber of Commerce President Kami Welch SEE PILOT, P3