Author : Lakewood News from Karen

The April 22 Lakewood City Council meeting had two hours of public comment, most of which were advocates of a ceasefire in Gaza. This seemed to be a scheduled appearance, with some Council Members in possession of prepared statements on the subject and one member, Councilor Olver, wearing a T-shirt in support for Israel. In this case, that sign of support was all he was allowed to demonstrate because his comments were interrupted by a motion to adjourn by Councilor Shahrezaei, who followed the motion with the words “We’re done with you, Councilor Olver.” The early adjournment not only cut off Olver’s comments but deprived three Councilors of their ability to make a ward report. This motion came after Shahrezaei herself made a statement in favor of a ceasefire, so the motion seems intended to stop Olver’s pro-Israeli sentiment. The motion passed by a vote of 6-5. Councilor Comments: Shahrezaei: Thanks everyone that came out and shared in public comment. She says “there’s some of us who’ve had the opportunity to connect with leadership in your group quite frequently” and she continues to offer her small sphere of influence to support this cause. She wants to continue this conversation Mayott-Guerrero: “Thank you all for your energy and sharing your frustration and continuing to care when it is very, very easy to stop caring.  And I absolutely feel aligned with you all.” Signals her willingness to talk about bringing a motion to a future meeting on this topic. Cruz: Thanks the group for bringing stories to shed light on how the tragedy unfolding every day in Gaza is deeply connected to our lives here in Lakewood. “I have been publicly standing as an individual and calling for a bilateral and permanent ceasefire for months… It pains me that with the limited power I have as a member of this body that we have not done more to listen to all of you and send this message more formally, but I do commit to continuing to listen” and says she will do what she can to “pave the path forward towards a free Palestine.” Stewart: Thanks everyone for coming and says this humanitarian crisis is incredibly dire and “I am up here today, urging our federal government to do absolutely everything in our power to ensure that aid is getting to the people who desperately need it and that we are working towards peace.” Low: “Hamas is a terrorist organization in a region with a complicated and long history…. The violence the Netanyahu government has unleashed in response has been horrifyingly disproportionate…. We do need a ceasefire and we need it now.” He is not planning on addressing this topic again as a Lakewood City Councilor. Olver: “Isn’t it great that we can do this? You know where you can come in and speak and I can take the other side and we have a conversation. That’s one of the advantages of living in America.” Olver wears a t-shirt saying “I stand with Israel”. Starts to explain the meaning of “From the river to the sea”. Could not complete his comments. Council Member Shahrezaei defended her actions when questioned at the Ward 1 meeting. Shahrezaei said that a meeting can be ended at any time. However, interrupting the current speaker to make a motion is not allowed by either Robert’s Rules, Bob’s Rules, or Council policies. Scorecard: Adjourn the Meeting Rather Than Finish Council Comments Strom: Aye Shahrezaei: Aye Sinks: Aye Mayott-Guerrero: Aye Cruz: Nay Stewart: Aye Low: Nay Olver: Nay Rein: Nay LaBure: Aye Nystrom: Nay

Letter from Celia Greenman regarding The All-America City Award – National Civic League I am writing because I have heard that Lakewood is being considered for the All American City award.  According to your website, some of the areas of focus for this year’s theme are: Removing barriers to participation in civic lifeImproving public meetings through innovative practicesUndertaking reforms that give people a meaningful say in public decision-makingCreating a stronger sense of belonging and communityPromoting deliberative forms of public decision-makingAdvancing equity and inclusion In the above six categories I would say the City has failed.  Since the election of the new mayor in November, public comment has been pushed to the end of the agenda, whereas it had been historically in the beginning after the opening ceremony.  Mayor Strom has said this is to allow Council to complete their business, whereas a former City councilman once responded, “The people’s voice is the City’s business”.  The change in schedule means that people who work, have families, and/or who rely on public transportation can be excluded from in-person comment.  Remote Call-ins have been restricted because of recent hate speech.  Comments submitted on a web forum are often unread by City Council (a notation at the end of a comment signifies the number of council people who have read the comment.  At the April 22 Council meeting, a motion to adjourn was passed, leaving three councilors without an opportunity to give a report that might have provided diversity of thought.  Therefore, I conclude that the City has not removed barriers to participation in civic life or improved public meetings. Also, whereas planning departments in Greeley, Ft. Collins, Colorado Springs and Golden are extremely helpful, in my experience, returning calls and emails the same day I left a message and sending out requested information immediately, Lakewood has a convoluted process where instead of being able to contact staff directly by email the message goes through Lakewood requests with a 3 – 5 day response period. (The legal department does not respond to the public).  Although the city has hired a communications manager we now are getting more on social media sites like Facebook and Instagram but less regarding publication of upcoming Council meetings and their proposed agenda. The report on the City Council Annual Planning Retreat was available two weeks after the meeting  (this states the priorities and goals that Council has set for the upcoming year) but has not been mentioned in any city mailing. Another city publication (Looking @ Lakewood) formerly included reports from the City Councilors in all the wards in each issue which kept the public informed about the city as a whole. Now one ward is highlighted in each issue. In addition the City, while proclaiming in City Council meetings that the schools that have been closed are not under the purview of Lakewood but rather Jefferson County, has held private meetings with the Jefferson County School district’s COO and a non-profit organization for the homeless community regarding the next steps for one of the elementary schools.  The meetings have been held with no public input. This does not align with the City removing barriers to participation in civic life or undertaking reforms that give people a meaningful say in public decision making. In 2019 Lakewood voters approved a Strategic Growth Initiative to limit the growth of development in the City.  Despite this support from the people, Lakewood continued to find exemptions and ways to continue to construct large non-descript apartment buildings.   Some of these projects allowed no input from the public.  One such project, under consideration, is located directly adjacent to a park that Lakewood describes on its website as “the crown jewel in Lakewood’s park system”.  The six-story 412- unit luxury apartment building went through 2 years of process in the planning department before notice was given to surrounding residents and the public.  Decisions were made by the Planning Director and Community Resources Department to allow the developer to pay a fee in lieu of donating the parkland acreage that is required by City ordinance, and which could have buffered the development and saved mature trees, of which 65 are scheduled for removal.  People opposing this project have repeatedly been told there is nothing the City can do. Development projects are not reviewed by City Council and have not been referred to the City Planning Commission in over 12 years.   Therefore, I conclude that this does not create a stronger sense of belonging and community, and does not promote deliberative forms of decision making.  For years a local university has been purchasing property for university use, which is against the City zoning code.  In spite of the fact that the City (with contributions from two Citizen Interveners) won a lawsuit against the university in Jefferson County District Court and the decision was affirmed by the Colorado Court of Appeals, city staff still refuses to enforce an ordinance pertaining to the prohibition of university uses in low density residential neighborhoods.  This is an equity issue and an illustration of how the City is willing to set aside a court ruling that favored neighborhoods to support big money interests, in this case a university.  Therefore, I conclude that the City is not advancing equity and inclusion. In summary I do not know the qualifications of the other finalists for this award, but I hope other cities are not as dismissive of citizens’ desires to be included in the civic process as Lakewood has been. The pervasive feeling of constituents is a lack of trust, transparency and accountability for our  local government. That shouldn’t be characteristics of an All Star City and I urge you not to consider Lakewood for this award.  However, if the award is based on just political conditions, the qualifications really do not matter. Sincerely, Celia Greenman Lakewood, CO

For years, the City of Lakewood has been asking water districts to lower their fees on new development. Water districts have understandably said no to this request. The water board sets tap fees, not the city.  Well, Lakewood had enough of asking. New state legislation was introduced by Representative Chris deGruy Kennedy, forcing water districts to be “reasonable”.  His jurisdiction covers Lakewood. His wife is now running for his house seat. He worked with at least one member of the Lakewood Planning Commission and City Council to write this bill on behalf of special interests that will restrict authority of water boards throughout the state to set responsible fees. http://leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb24-1463 Kennedy has bipartisan support. There is little time left for water districts to oppose the bill. The Special District Association (SDA) helped write this bill, without letting its members know. They remain silent on a position but Kennedy has repeatedly stated he has their support. In fact, one member of the SDA was referenced in the bill itself, in the form of a Colorado Supreme Court decision in which his district won. He was not notified or consulted. He had to explain to the SDA that the legislative interpretation cited in the bill was wrong. Both Representative deGruy Kennedy and the bill authors cite a supposed difference in fees between different districts as justification for this bill. We can show a variation from $2,000 to $47,000. These fees are tied to infrastructure costs in each district. Asking one district to artificially lower fees because of another district is like asking Colorado to lower income tax because another state doesn’t have it. Sounds “reasonable”, right? There is no problem with tap fees except that people don’t like fees. If you give developers a break on fees, do you really think they will lower housing prices? Lakewood gave exceptions to developers for affordable housing for the last five years and got NOT ONE affordable unit. This bill will only be transferring costs to existing customers because SOMEONE will have to pay. Ironically, the bill’s Lakewood sponsors and authors will not have their rates raised because they get service from a private company that is not subject to this legislation – a private company that charges more tap fees than many special districts.

Cross-post by Karen Morfitt, CBS News Room 110 at the Mountain View Inn has everything Joyce Gonzales needs. “It’s small, but it serves the purpose, you know, for me,” she said. Over the last three years, she has worked at a nearby gas station to pay $425 a week needed to live here. From the pots and pans on the wall of her kitchen to the small couch and TV in her living space, she has made it a home. “Don’t have much but it’s all I have. I don’t want to lose it,” Gonzales said. The reality is she will likely have to leave. The motel was sold to Recovery Works earlier this year, which informed long-term guests they would need to vacate. “I said ‘So you guys are going to make someone homeless to help someone who is homeless?’ What is the purpose here?” Read the full story at CBS news…

Tip from Robert Greenawalt, https://improvejeffcoschools.org/ Here is an example of how much Jeffco schools’ staff wanted to keep quiet the talks about Emory and the City of Lakewood/Action Center. The conversation in this clip https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWRI8v0vpl8 occurred at the very end of the November 1, 2023 Board of Ed study session. Staff was directly asked why they wanted the property declared surplus and their answer was that it was big and potentially costly to maintain. There was no mention that they had most likely been approached by, and had discussions with, Lakewood and possibly others. That was deceptive at best and lying by omission at worst. This deprived the Board, and community, of very important information. There is something very wrong with what transpired that evening. Note: Read more of Robert’s reporting on Jeffco fiscal issues at https://improvejeffcoschools.org/ Thank you, Robert!

Guest Post from Bill Foshag Editor’s Note: This plan will be acted on by City Council during the April 22 meeting. Check that meeting packet to see the full proposal for the LAC side of the story. The Lakewood Advisory Commission (LAC) put together a “Beneficial Home Electrification and Upgrade Program” (BHEUP).  This plan will come a great expense to the residents of Lakewood, and will mandate drastic changes to the City’s building code.  The Plan The BHEUP plan targets Lakewood homes and multi-family buildings for CO2 reduction. It is presented in response to a proposal at a July 2023 City Council meeting where the Advisory Committee was approved to look into policies and actions to expedite “green renovation” in Lakewood’s residential buildings.  Lakewood has a 2015 “sustainability plan” that calls for reducing the city’s CO2 emissions to 20% below 2007 levels by the year 2025.   According to the plan, “Partnering in the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy commits Lakewood to achieve net zero community greenhouse gas emissions by 2050”.  Achieving these goals means the entire elimination of the use of natural organic fuel sources (oil, natural gas, and coal).  There is no discussion in the report why the city has partnered with a global organization that does not represent our residents. Achieving these goals means the entire elimination of the use of natural organic fuel sources (oil, natural gas, and coal). The plan states that 21% of Lakewood’s CO2 emissions come from residences.  The sources of the remaining 79% of CO2 emissions in Lakewood (commercial, transportation, unspecified “consumption”, and other sources) are not targeted for reductions.  The report does not state why residences are specifically targeted and why larger CO2 contributors are excluded.  Traditionally, governing bodies have found it easier to regulate individuals, as corporations and larger organizations have lobbying groups and funding, and are better equipped to fight back and litigate if necessary. The plan states that the targeted properties are multi-family units over 20,000 square feet, with certain exemptions for new homes under 2,500 square feet, and remodeling of existing homes.  Further reading shows in fact, that it calls for changes to be made to the EDM which would include all existing residences and all new construction regardless of square footage under this plan. The plan LAC proposes has four primary recommendations to achieve the goal of greenhouse gas reduction: 1. Establish a Lakewood program for tax credit and rebate match for qualifying upgrades. 2. Make additions to the Enhanced Development Menu (EDM), Article 13 and (continue to) adapt as conditions develop in order to meet goals. 3. Add full time employees as deemed necessary at the Lakewood Building Department and Sustainability Division to implement and administer recommendations. 4. Develop a comprehensive community outreach and education plan to promote and support appropriate electrification and weatherization. Adding more support staff to implement these changes has budget implications at a time Lakewood is already asking for more money. The plan calls for partnering with companies such as BlocPower, a for-profit corporation based in New York.  No doubt BlocPower would profit from Lakewood’s adoption of this proposal.  Representatives from BlocPower are noted as assisting in preparing this plan. A Sense of Urgency The LAC is making this proposal with a sense of urgency:  “The LAC supports urgent adoption of these recommendations so Lakewood staff will have time to develop programs affecting the 2025 city budget. Federal funds are available now and state funds become available in 2024” and: “They (Federal funds) may not be available indefinitely, especially given the uncertainty of election outcomes and politics. It is therefore imperative that Lakewood takes the below listed steps related to funding opportunities…”. A quick approval of this plan by City Council allows less time for resident’s feedback.  It does not allow for careful analysis of the necessary expenses and possible consequences of a proposal that will be very costly for the residents and likely to require unacceptable lifestyle changes. Mandated Major Changes The plan seeks to take away homeowners energy choices and impose city mandated regulations via changes in the building code and permitting processes to achieve these goals: “Broad adoption of electrification is necessary to make significant change. Where voluntary reductions fall short of decarbonization goals, upgrades at the point of replacement of heating appliances and furnaces can be encouraged at permitting or through the expansion of Lakewood’s Enhanced Development Menu: EDM. Additionally, Federal, state, and local incentives can assist most homeowners in the transition away from greenhouse gas producing systems and can be weighted to further assist homeowners when affordability is insurmountable.” Heat Pumps The plan advocates the use of heat pumps to replace natural gas furnaces.  Heat pumps can be thought of as air conditioners that can be run in reverse.  They generally work well and efficiently within certain specific indoor/outdoor temperature ranges, but when those temperatures ranges widen, the efficiency drops.  Working as a heat pump, the units depend on a certain amount of heat to be available in the ambient air outside so that heat can be transferred indoors for heating.  For residential heating, heat pumps can work fairly well when the outside temperatures are in the 50 to 60 degree range, but their efficiency and ability to heat a home drops considerably when the temperatures approach 40 degrees.   Below 40 degrees, heat pumps are not able to maintain indoor temperatures at comfortable levels so some sort of back-up heat source is required.  The back-up is typically either a natural gas furnace or an electrical (resistive) heating source.  While resistive heating works well, it is very expensive compared to natural gas heating.  Heating homes in this area with heat pumps is very expensive, not efficient, and not practical considering the cold winters we have in Lakewood. The plan also mentions heat pump systems for heating water.  The BHEUP proposal states: “Add electrification compliance of a heat pump water heater at the replacement of natural gas hot water heaters. This achieves GHG emissions reduction