Transcript GOLDEN 2.21.13
Golden
February 21, 2013
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A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourgoldennews.com
Jefferson County, Colorado • Volume 147, Issue 12
Sheriff ’s facility on budget Construction contract approved this week By Glenn Wallace
gwallace@ourcoloradonews.com
Anne Beierle, Golden deputy director of utilities and environmental services, is working on a plan to protect the banks of Clear Creek. Photo by Andy Carpenean
Tending Clear Creek Open house meeting discusses crowd management By Glenn Wallace
gwallace@ourcoloradonews.com Golden asked residents how it should manage Clear Creek at a Feb. 12 meeting, and more than 130 people showed up to give their answers. “I think it shows that people here in Golden value our creek and want to protect it and keep it a natural, beautiful resource.” Ward 1 Councilwoman Marcia Claxton said at the meeting. The open house was held at the city’s community center and was inspired by issues the city had with visitors to the creek in 2012. Last summer’s record high temperatures, combined with lower-thanusual creek water levels combined to make the gently-flowing creek a major regional destination for recreation seekers. Problems regarding parking, drinking in public,
and dogs off-leash became common. “I think there was a lot of venting going on (at the open house) about what the corridor felt like last summer,” the city’s Environmental Services Director Anne Beierle said. Among those with complaints was Teresa Rohde lives two blocks from the creek. “There were just too many people, too many dogs,” Rohde said. Rohde was one of the 25 who used computer tablets at the meeting to fill out the city’s online survey about the creek. Among her suggestions: Stricter enforcement of city laws along the creek, and a potential dog ban on weekends. Other ideas were shared around the room, including details about the city’s plans to institute a new creek side rules citation, and surveys about different parking options. At the meeting Beierle stood next to a wall that showed an aerial survey of the creek bank’s current condition, as well as plans for what an environmental study recommends the city should do to pre-
serve the bank for the future. The study recommendations call for aggressive “hardening” of sections of the creek best suited for providing water access and recreation. Other sections, where established vegetation might be protected, were recommended to be fenced off. Beierle said she was anticipating a lot of community push-back on the hardening and fencing of the riverbank. “I was pleasantly surprised with how many people got it, and were OK with it as long as anything we try to do is really to protect what vegetation is currently there,” Beierle said. “No one said, ‘Oh no, just let the creek go.’” Beierle said some of the proposed fencing, and even a little of the hardening work could be completed in time for this summer’s crowds. More information and the online survey are available at www.cityofgolden.net. The city has scheduled a public workshop to gather more public input from 6:30-8:30 p.m. March 18, at the Community Center, 1470 10th St.
The construction phase of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Complex expansion and remodel project is about to get under way and reported on budget. Jefferson County Board of Commissioners approved a $26,209,592 construction contract with Haselden Construction during the Tuesday meeting. Phase One of the project, the preconstruction design and cost estimations, has been under way since January 2012, and contracted to Haselden Construction. Half a year earlier, county staff had warned the sheriff’s complex was estimated to come in as much as $8.6 million over budget. Value engineering and construction design savings were credited with bringing the project back in line. Most recently, Haselden’s Phase Two bid was actually $915,000 less than initially estimated after plan revisions. Facilities and Construction Management representative Anne Panza told the commissioners that “long term efficiency, and building quality was preserved” during the engineering cost savings changes at a staff briefing a week ago. At that briefing, Special Projects Chief Jeff Shrader with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said the plans for the new facility would greatly aid the agency, noting expanded evidence vault area with a doubling of useable space as one example. “We think it’s going to provide us with space for the next 20 to 40 years,” Shrader said. He added that gun and DNA lab space are still included in the revised complex design. One feature of the sheriff’s complex not included in the new design is an impound yard. Shrader said the department has privatized most of that operation, and already shifted about 80 percent of impounded vehicles offsite. Shrader said the freed-up space would be used to help stage for the coming construction. Construction could begin as early as March, and is expected to take 15 months.
House passes gun control measures Without a single Republican vote, measures move to Senate By Vic Vela
vvela@ourcoloradonews.com
State Rep. Sue Schafer, D-District 24, takes notes in while the House of Representatives are in session to vote on gun bills Friday at the Capitol. Photo by Andy Carpenean POSTAL ADDRESS
Four major pieces of a Democraticsponsored gun control package passed the state House of Representatives on Monday, following furious legislative action from the week before that included hours-long committee hearings and a passionate floor debate that went deep into the night.
Bills that seek to limit high-capacity ammunition magazines, ban concealed weapons from being brought to college campuses, as well as two others dealing with gun background checks, now move on to the Senate. Not a single Republican supported any of the bills. Meanwhile, Democrats did not vote in unanimity, with at least one — and, in one case four — Democrats voting against each one of the bills. About five hours was spent debating the bills on Feb. 18. But that was nothing compared to the marathon-like House ses-
sion from three days prior, where members spent about 12 hours debating gun measures on the House floor, before members voted for preliminary passage of the bills. And, highlighting the amount of attention the bills are receiving nationally, even Vice President Joe Biden ended up getting in on the action. Republicans charged over those two days of floor debate that Democratic guncontrol efforts infringe on the rights of law-abiding citizens, and that criminals, and not guns, are responsible for acts of Gun control continues on Page 24
GOLDEN TRANSCRIPT (ISSN 0746-6382)
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