Author : Lakewood News from Karen

Red light and speeding traffic cameras are a contentious and well known issue. Lakewood specifics from the staff memo:

The residents lost their appeal on the Whippoorwill development. At the Planning Commission meeting on August 21, residents brought up the numerous problems with the development. One of the main complaints was that Lakewood does not have jurisdiction to merge these parcels, which should be done through Jefferson County. The meeting lasted five and half hours and ended in a 4-2 vote against the residents. There is no further public review scheduled. Most of the commissioners that voted against the appeal stated that this wasn’t a site plan review so the concerns raised were not relevant. This was an appeal of the subdivision, which wasn’t a subdivision but a merger. The master site plan will have no public review. The approval will be made exclusively by city staff. City staff, Travis Parker and Max Kirshbaum, are the ones allowing the problems to happen. They could require the entrance and exit to be moved to Colfax. Commissioner Steven Buckley made an impassioned plea at the end of the meeting. He said: “I have become convinced tonight that it does meet the [subdivision] standards. And equally and firmly convinced that this project as it is currently proposed doesn’t meet, most likely, some of the  site plan approval standards. If it was my driveway, it was in that configuration, it was in that slope, I would be  scared as hell of what is proposed. “It is my hope, and it is my plea that the staff who is listening to my appeal and who heard that the residents came out and speak tonight …. I have seen the ingenuity and ability of engineers and architects time and again…. And I appreciate that it is a challenge to design a good roadway intersection there and a good driveway intersection at that location…. In my opinion, Y’all have missed the mark. You haven’t done it.” SCORECARD: Whippoorwill Appeal Elisa “Emo” Overall: YesEric Grebliunas: YesSteven Buckley: YesWilliam Furman: YesJenny O’Neill: NoKip Kolkmeier: RecusedRhonda Peters: No

Press release Les Schwab Tires, one of the leading independent tire dealers in the United States, opened a new store at 2165 S Webster St in Lakewood on September 5, 2024. This will be Les Schwab Tires’ first Lakewood location, and store manager Aaron Wheeler, who has been with the company for ten years, said he’s excited to bring the company’s great service to the community. Les Schwab Tires has a 70-year history of earning customers’ trust throughout the western United States and is top ranked nationwide by Forbes for customer service in auto repair and maintenance. Because safety on the road depends on more than just great tires, every time Les Schwab touches customers’ tires, its people take the time to check the surrounding components to make sure everything is squared away and it’s safe to be on the road. Offerings include brake services, alignment, shocks, oil changes, custom wheels, batteries and more. The 11,961-square-foot Lakewood store will feature 6 interior bays. The new location brings 16 great new jobs to the area, and the store is still on the lookout for passionate employees who want to build a career with Les Schwab Tires. The company offers a competitive package of pay and benefits designed to reward employees’ hard work. The company established its first profit-share program in 1954, and today it shares about half its profits with employees through generous health benefits, bonus and retirement programs. It also offers growth opportunities for everyone with comprehensive training programs and support that enable employees to build and advance in their careers. A grand opening celebration with food, fun and prizes for the community is planned for Sept. 27-28. About Les Schwab  Les Schwab Tire Centers (www.lesschwab.com) is one of the leading independent tire dealers in the United States, with more than 8,500 employees and more than 550 locations across Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and Alaska. In every market, Les Schwab takes pride in doing the right thing − staying focused on providing superior value and building customers for life. The first Les Schwab stores were opened in small towns and rural communities with one guiding principle: provide our neighbors with high-quality products and unparalleled customer service. This single-minded focus on service continues today.

There will be a public hearing on the Whippoorwill development on August 21 with the Planning Commission at 7 pm. This is the development residents have identified multiple problems with, which was previously posted in Lakewood Informer news at Concerns and Comments for Whippoorwill Dr. Lakewood resident organizers are asking for community support at this meeting. Find more information at change.org

A request initiated by City Councilor Rich Olver has been taken off the schedule, outside of normal Council procedures. Olver requested a study session for the Terumo BCT ethylene oxide emissions in 2023. According to Olver, the study session will no longer be scheduled, after Mayor Strom asked the Ward 1 Councilors if this was something they were interested in pursuing. Apparently, they were not. As a result, the Council approval for a study session has been overruled. This is an irregular procedure. As previously reported in the Lakewood Informer news, Councilman Olver has renewed his request for this study session multiple times, including again recently. Unlike other Council Members whose requests are regularly approved, Olver does not usually get approval so this initiative caught attention as something other councilors would actually listen to. However, when Olver asked about the status, Mayor Strom responded that she checked with Ward 1 Councilors and they didn’t think it was necessary. Comments from Ward 1 Councilors suggest that Council Member Sinks was not consulted. However, neither the Mayor nor any single Councilor have the ability to overturn approval of the full City Council. Originally passed by consensus on June 12, 2023, Shahrezaei and Strom agreed at that point to hold the study session. What changed? At that time, Lakewood’s Mayor was Adam Paul. He did not schedule the session either. The question here is, why do some people’s request get priority timing and some never happen. Regarding the study session, Mayor Strom said, “There are not currently any plans to conduct a study session on this topic.  Study Sessions are primarily scheduled based on our goals set in the planning retreat that happens early in the year, this topic was not one that is on that list for 2024. … While this topic has not been discussed in a study session, there have been other conversations occurring as needed based on community input and requests, as you can imagine that’s occurring predominantly in Ward 1.  Heightened cancer risk is something that we take seriously, and we’ll continue to monitor the situation and respond accordingly.“ Council Requests for Action do not need to be previously discussed at the annual retreat. For example, City Council just approved a request to modify the Lakewood Advisory Commission. This item was not discussed at the annual retreat but will be heard by the full City Council. Ironically, that discussion was initiated by the Ward 1 Councilors and was approved July 8, 2024, including a hard deadline for results. The concept of not talking about anything unless it was approved at the annual planning retreat is relatively new and seems to applied selectively. Some topics, like public safety, have been denied multiple times. Ward 1 Council Member and Mayor Pro Tem Shahrezaei comments, “I’m in favor of hosting study sessions on topics that interest constituents. I am confident Charley Able and I did a good job keeping Ward 1 constituents updated during the EPA rule making process. Neighbors participated in the multiple EPA Q&A sessions and have been additionally updated on this matter. I have not heard once from a community member asking for Terumo to come in or a general update during a council meeting. These neighbors are informed on the matter already and I believe that because they rallied quite a bit on the topic in 2022.“ “It will be helpful for all of Council to hear that information” Council Member Shahrezaei, June 12, 2023. Ward 1 Council Member Glenda Sinks responds, “Are you familiar with the Open Meetings law that forbids us from discussing business off the record?  We follow that law to the nth degree.“ Councilor Sinks identifies the problem exactly. How did this item fall off the agenda completely?

Cross post from Ramey Johnson It’s important to share what I am seeing and hearing from our community. One popular Colfax business can no longer hang the American flag outside their door. The homeless living nearby take it down and shred or burn it. The employee I spoke with assumes they burn it to stay warm. He often finds foil with burn marks from illegal drugs near their area. Generally, they leave when he asks them to. A small business owner told me, “There is nothing that anyone can do.” He seemed resigned that the situation would not change. He showed me a counterfeit $20 bill and was waiting for the police. Normally, when he asks the homeless to leave, they do, but not always. Their barred glass door has been broken twice. One successful business owner who came from India 17 years ago is still waiting for citizenship. He is proud to be becoming an American citizen legally but frustrated with how long it takes. Pawn shop owners tell me people pawn personal items to pay for rent, food, and gas. He estimates that probably 10% pawn personal items for illegal drugs. A Day Labor employee told me that men come to work but likely spend money on drugs in the evening. A small business owner shared with me that he pays over $24,000 in property taxes (“real estate taxes”). He’s not sure how much longer he can make it. Lastly, the manager of a small business who immigrated from Vietnam when she was 17 told me she “loves to work for America.” She works 14-17 hours a day, 7 days a week. It’s clear she loves it here, but she shared that “America is becoming the communist country she fled.” She began to weep. It broke my heart to hear her say that about the country I love. These street stories are clear evidence that progressive public policies at the national, state, and local levels can no longer be ignored. Our eyes don’t lie.

Shared by a Lakewood resident Cross post from CBS Colorado, Karen Morfitt reporting Authorities in Colorado are warning the public not to use the blue USPS out door mailboxes after many reports of theft and a Boulder man was taken into custody.

Guest Post from Lenore Herskovitz On Tuesday, July 30 at 5:30 p.m. the Budget and Audit Board is holding a meeting in the City Manager’s Office Cabinet Room (2nd floor above City Council Chambers). This meeting is significant because the board will be discussing the results of a recent community survey that focused on sundowning Tabor refunds permanently in Lakewood. The City had budgeted up to $74,000 for the survey conducted by Magellan Strategies. It appears that the City is using OUR money to find a creative way to word a ballot issue to take away OUR money. Although the public is not permitted to comment at this meeting, it is interesting to pull back the curtain (similar to exposing the Wizard in the Land of Oz) and see how voters are lulled into believing that giving up our Tabor refunds is for OUR greater good. This is an “in person only” meeting. The members of the board will be discussing their recommendations for City Council. If you have any interest in the future of your Tabor refunds, please attend this important meeting and let the board know we are watching.

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