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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

Arrests for shoplifting in Lakewood are down 56% over the last 5 years. Reported shoplifting cases are also down but not by as much due to a sharp increase in reports last year. Council Member Rich Olver recently made the point that the two Walmart stores on Wadsworth have taken out their self-checkout aisles. By speaking to the store managers, he confirmed this change was due to shoplifting. Olver noted that something must have changed for Walmart to go the expense of closing what was supposed to be a long-term investment for self-checkout lanes. The visible proof at Walmart shows that shoplifting is up. On March 12, there were reports that three busloads of people were dropped off at the Walmart on Colfax and Wadsworth. These three busloads of people reportedly came in, filled their carts and left without paying. Click here for more on Douglas County policy to fine bus passenger drop off Walmart has no official comment on the bus incident. Unfortunately, many business are unable to make comment on recent crime trends without enduring public backlash. However, again, the proof of increasing shoplifting is in the change of checkout lanes. For years, stores in Lakewood have been putting up gates and extra security guards at most grocery stores. Stores Face Difficulty Prosecuting Stores have long been resigned to enduring loss through shoplifting. For one thing, the bar for prosecution is extremely high. Regular customers and store employees are deemed unreliable witnesses. The store must get the accused to agree to wait for police without chasing them or restraining them. The store must prove intent. Proving intent is almost always the act of concealment. If there is not a consistent witness throughout concealment, or if there is no concealment, the store may have a problem getting a court to pursue. If the store is fairly confident they have the procedure right, they still have be sure the police will arrive “in reasonable time.” If any of this goes wrong, the store could be sued for illegal detention or false imprisonment. There is no benefit of the doubt in the “Shopkeeper’s Privilege” to hold accused shoplifters. On the other hand, Colorado and Lakewood are committed to diversion programs that will allow an offender to “avoid the collateral consequences associated with criminal charges and convictions”. To sum up: There may be good reason for residents to believe shoplifting is increasing while arrests are decreasing in Lakewood news. Reader Recommended Business: Kirk’s Painting — Best Quality Attitude and prices — Free estimates 218-251-3932

From QuikTrip LAKEWOOD, Colo. (April 11, 2024) — QuikTrip (QT), one of the nation’s leading convenience and gasoline retailers, announced the opening of a new location in Lakewood at 5201 W. Mississippi Ave., located at the northwest corner of S. Sheridan Blvd. and W. Mississippi Ave. This is the 12th QT location in Colorado, with four more locations scheduled to open throughout 2024 and others in early 2025. “We are excited to continue bringing QuikTrip’s signature commitment to quality and efficient service to Lakewood,” said QuikTrip Corporate Communications Manager Aisha Jefferson. “The QuikTrip team is working hard to ensure our customers enjoy best-in-class service and amenities from day one, and we look forward to continuing our reputation as a good neighbor in the Lakewood community and throughout the Denver metro.” This location will create approximately two dozen new jobs, and all interested applicants should apply online at www.quiktrip.com/store-jobs/. For decades, people have looked to QT for an on-the-go snack or meal as well as a safe and comfortable atmosphere. The Lakewood location will include full-service QT Kitchens, featuring freshly prepared grab and go items and custom-made menu items. QT Kitchens customer favorites include warm, soft pretzels, custom breakfast tacos, hardwood smoked BBQ sandwiches, cold brew coffee and frozen treats like QT’s QuikShake®. Customers will also be able to enjoy fresh donuts, sub sandwiches, wraps, QT’s signature pizza by the slice and roller grill items.  Since its founding in 1958, QT has established a reputation for taking great care of its employees, receiving national recognition as a top place to work year after year. In addition to providing superior benefits and opportunities for advancement, QT offers competitive pay, tuition reimbursement, medical insurance and excellent 401k benefits. QT is also proud of the positive impact it has in the communities it serves, with the company donating five percent of its annual net profits to charitable organizations. Among the organizations QT supports are United Way, Safe Place, local food banks, schools and Folds of Honor, a non-profit whose mission is to provide educational scholarships to the military and first responder families of those who have been killed or disabled while on active duty. Over the last 66 years, QT has grown its footprint to more than 1,000 stores across 17 states and employs over 31,000 people. About QuikTrip QuikTrip Corporation is a privately held company headquartered in Tulsa, Okla. Founded in 1958, QuikTrip has grown to a more than $11 billion company with more than 1,000 stores in 17 states. QuikTrip gives back to the communities it serves, donating five percent of net profits to charitable organizations in those communities. With more than 31,000 employees, QuikTrip has consistently been ranked as one of the top convenience store marketers in product quality and friendly service. To find out more about QuikTrip, visit www.quiktrip.com.

Encircles Entire Metro! Press Release from DenverOrbital.org (DENVER, CO) Locals and visitors to Denver alike now have a new way to explore the region. The ‘Denver Orbital Trail’ (AKA the ‘DOT’) is a 177-mile, 28-segment, walking, running, and wheeling route linking existing trails and public-access paths to completely encircle the Denver metro area.  The DOT’s designer is Golden resident Michael Tormey, a Civil Engineer currently working on transportation safety projects on public lands. He developed his love of walking the outdoors in the English countryside while in graduate school in London. He says his goal in developing the DOT route was to create something that would get more people outside exploring more of the region. “A circular walk brings you right back where you started,” Tormey said, “but along the way, I hope you find yourself seeing all this incredible region has to offer, that you find yourself changed along the way.” He wanted to make sure as much of it as possible is easy for walkers of all ages and abilities, close to amenities and facilities, and public transportation-accessible. It’s a long route, so it’s been divided into manageable parts. The 28 segments vary a lot. They range from 2 to 12 miles in length, all perfect for day hikes. This was not just drawing a circle on a map! Tormey walked every inch of the DOT to confirm and document the trails, which enabled him to build a detailed website with plentiful information on every segment, including photos. While walking the route, he discovered some side-trail opportunities, which are also included on the website. He calls those, of course, ‘sub-orbitals’! It took Tormey a few months to walk the entire orbital, but he says the beauty of it is that it’s ‘hop-on, hop-off’. “People can walk as many or as few segments as they like. They can take as long as they want to complete the whole circuit,” Tormey says, “Or maybe they never get all the way around. That’s OK too. That said, there’s something great to see on every single segment, so my hope would be that people aim for a complete orbit!” The development of the DOT was generously supported by a micro-grant awarded by the Denver Community Active Living Coalition (CALC) in partnership with the Department of Transportation & Infrastructure (DOTI) and Denver Streets partnership (DSP). The website is DenverOrbital.org. We’re on Instagram and Twitter @DenverOrbital.

(Recently Remodeled and Upgraded at Taxpayer Expense) Guest Post by Chuck Bedard I happened to be “in the neighborhood” of the palatial palace which is home to the Jefferson County Schools Administration Building – more on that later – or jump to the end to read what Jeffco should do.  I decided to poke my head into the School Board’s Study Session.  The portion most intriguing to me dealt with the disposition of the first 5 of the now-closed elementary schools. It appeared that the two District employees giving the presentation to the School Board had both drawn the “short straw.”  Neither seemed to be particularly prepared to answer the Board’s questions beyond the specific slides provided in the presentation.  The slide presentation followed a similar format for each of the five schools.  The first school discussed was Glennon Heights Elementary.  I have some familiarity with Glennon Heights – at least I know where it is located.  The presenters acted like they had no real idea where the school was.  But, since it was the first school on the list I’ll continue to use it as the example . For example, the lead presenter noted that students who had attended Glennon Heights and were now at Belmar Elementary had access to public, RTD transportation to Belmar.  True, RTD runs along Alameda with stops near Quail (Glennon Heights is about a half mile from Alameda) and Garrison (Belmar Elementary is a little over three/quarters of a mile from the Alameda bus stop).  The K-5 grade students taking the RTD transportation would have quite the hike – probably doable for the fifth-grade student.  I’m wondering if the Jeffco Staff would feel comfortable putting their kindergarten students on the RTD bus and having them walk 3/4 of a mile down the busy Garrison Street.  However, the presenter made sure that the Board knew that public transportation was available to each school.  Why is the availability of RTD even a factor for consideration in the closure/sale of elementary schools? The presenter also suggested that Jeffco Schools will never have any real increase in student population – at least in the neighborhoods serviced by the five schools.  While the student population may not be at peak levels now, that isn’t to say the numbers will not be increasing in the very near future.  Many of the Jeffco neighborhoods are starting to have new, young families move in – replacing the “old, white, rich people” a designator so eloquently used by the City of Lakewood.   In the Glennon Heights neighborhood, 29 new rental homes are close to being on the market and given the average number of children per household of 1.93, nearly 56 children will be looking for a school.  However, the Jeffco staff seems confident that the number of new students in these areas will be small and temporary structures at some of the schools will be more than adequate.  BUT, keep this in mind:  once those schools are permanently eliminated, there’s no going back.  The schools will be gone and there is precious little space available to build new schools to replace what Jeffco wants to squander.  And rest assured that the voters in Jeffco are not going to be eager to pass any bond seeking to build new schools. To their credit, some of the Board members asked thoughtful and probing questions.  One Board member questioned the already over-crowing at one of the schools filling the gap from a closed school.  She noted that space was so tight that teachers had to put filing cabinets in the hallway to make room for more desks.  In response, the Jeffco staff quickly noted that those teachers just didn’t know how to appropriately use their space… hopefully, the teachers at the impacted school got the message and will start being more space-conscious.  Or, maybe the staffer should visit that school and really see what’s happening. Another Board member expressed concern over how to respond to her constituents about the more than $8,000,000 of taxpayer dollars recently spent to renovate these 5 schools.  The Jeffco staffers responded like deer in the headlights. Jeffco’s dire financial status is not debatable.  Jeffco does not have a good track record of making wise decisions when it comes to its finances.  Even selling the 5 schools will not get Jeffco out of the financial hole it has dug.  But, here is something that might help… I wish I could take credit for this ingenious idea, but I overheard it from a group of people talking in the hallway after the Study Session:  Why doesn’t Jeffco Administration unload the palace that they reside in and strategically place various departments in the closed schools?  Why shouldn’t the administration staff be willing to “live” like the people they govern?  Jeffco Administration could save a ton of money and save the schools for future students.  WOW!  What a thought!!

One of the main claims Lakewood made in regards to the new Navigation Center homeless shelter, was that crime does not increase around shelters. A recent article from Denver shows disputes that claim…. Crime calls up 2,900% at hotel converted to homeless shelter in Denver “In the first three months after the City of Denver converted a hotel in Denver’s Central Park neighborhood to a shelter for the homeless, calls for police and first responders rose 2,900% compared to the previous three months when it served as a hotel, according to city data obtained by CBS News Colorado.” Read more… An important note is the Denver article is that Cole Chandler, Denver Mayor Michael Johnston’s senior adviser on homelessness, said that “residents are also being educated on relying less on calling 911 for various issues.” Lakewood police have already encouraged local food banks to manage trespassing calls on their own. Deprioritizing crimes associated with homelessness is a policy defended by Lakewood officials. If crime does rise around the navigation center, Lakewood residents may be on their own. However, the new Lakewood shelter is in an area with historically high crime so it is unlikely a rise in crime will be noticed, especially since it will have been operating as an “emergency” shelter on and off throughout the winter. Shoutout to News For Reasonable People for bringing Denver’s issue to attention

While Saying They Won’t Remove the Consequences to Crime Disclosure: The author, Karen Morgan, is a member of the Lakewood Advisory Commission. All views and research are her own and do not represent Lakewood nor the Commission. Have you wondered why people are allowed to come wash your windshield and solicit money in the middle of the street? Have you heard there is a law against that? Yes, there is a law against that. Lakewood does not enforce it. Have you seen evidence of lax enforcement, like the comments below from nextdoor.com? All of the situations quoted above have complicating factors and reasons for the law not being enforced. Some of the most popular reasons are: For these reasons, there are a number of crimes that Lakewood routinely forgives through various programs. Following this thought process, a person might think: What’s the point of having a law that is not enforced? A recent proposal from the Lakewood Advisory Commission aimed to research unenforced or partially enforced laws to see if it would make sense to remove them. City Council came out strongly against the proposal. Listening to some Council comments, a person may think Lakewood supported enforcing and penalizing all crimes. Mayor Strom: “I can’t imagine telling a voter that we said we’re going to get rid of the consequences to crime. “ But that is NOT WHAT HAPPENED. In fact, nine Councilors, the Mayor and the City Manager defended the current practice of removing the consequences to crime for all the reasons listed above. This was a “have your cake and eat it too” moment for the city. Picking up on the quote above… Mayor Strom continued with praise for the “innovative” new city programs that are “very much on the side of addressing the homelessness challenge.” The programs she referred to do, in fact, remove the consequences to crime, by diverting offenders into receiving resources instead of penalties. Lakewood Programs that Remove Penalties to Crime Outreach Court is a special court that will connect a person to resources, rather than impose penalties. Council spent a majority of their speaking time defending this growing program. For more on Outreach Court, click here for Lakewood FAQ, click here for forgiving of crimes, click here for original news story. For example, Councilor Sinks says this program works to bring people to [Outreach] Court so they can be forgiven and then get an ID while there. Councilor Stewart defended the Court with the idea that moving the court to a less intimidating place helps people “mitigate” their failure to appear. Councilor Low also believes that low-level offenses are “how we get people in front of Outreach Court”. Note: Failure to Appear is cleared (i.e. forgiven) 99.999% of the time City Manager Kathy Hodgson provided a litany of resources that are provided at Lakewood Outreach Court, including everything from blankets to food to housing assistance. The number of people served at the Outreach Court increases every month, which the city counts as a success. The measure of success does not include recidivism rates nor overall crime rates. Providing people help and resources rather than proceeding with criminal charges is what’s known as “diversion”. The pros and cons of diversion is a whole topic unto itself. Some people love it, such as the ACLU who is known to sue governments who do not make diversion known to those who qualify. Others are still looking for evidence of any benefit. Getting an ID is not a consequence to crime. Forgiving (i.e. clearing or mitigating) is not a consequence to crime. The city’s fierce defense of Outreach Court shows the city is very much in favor of removing the consequences to crime, at least for some crimes, for some people. Non-enforcement also happens routinely, with full Council support. For example, Council Member LaBure said “I think we’re not gonna be able to police our way out of a lot of the problems and the challenges that we’re facing, so we gotta find new strategies to help our police department to make sure that, they’re not spending their time on sort of low-level crimes and that are really focusing on the real, important challenges.” Council Member Shahrezaei supported “the creative ways that we’re serving some of our most vulnerable in the community” and said these programs have a “positive impact on us.”  She feared people who might want “want to eliminate programs that don’t impact everyone.” Another “creative way” of serving the community is through the LEAD program. This program diverts crimes associated with homelessness by “providing resources to those committing low-level crimes.” Low-level crimes named by the police include trespassing, drug paraphernalia, and public intoxication. Explanations for non-enforcement include lack of time, lack of resources, and the low-level nature of the crime. The rest of Council supported the track Lakewood is on, that is lessening enforcement, for a variety of reasons. Councilor Mayott-Guerrero said “our police force is doing an incredible job balancing really difficult changing circumstances within our city and our working very hard to recommend and figure out their staffing challenges to figure out how to again address some of these crimes.” Read more here about current police philosophy of treating the individual, not the crime, in Lakewood news. Taking Lakewood at it’s word, non-enforcement and consequence-removal programs are already in place. That it not the question. The question is if it might make sense to research alternative programs that do the same thing. One alternative is law removal. For example: These kinds of policies seem the natural progression of the track Lakewood is on. It is similar to suggestions from the city to “lessen deportation fears”. Are Current Practices Working Councilor Olver was the only one to suggest that current practices are not working. Speaking to the manager of the Walmart on Wadsworth, he has confirmed that the self-checkout lanes in both stores have been closed due to rampant shoplifting. He suggested that research go forward, not to remove laws but to

In the last week, Lakewood citizens launched a petition, started gathering signatures, and had the petition stalled by the city. From Save Open Space Lakewood Today Lakewood citizens start to take back their parks and open spaces from developers Thursday, March 21, 2024—Today Save Open Space Lakewood launches a petition requiring the City of Lakewood to strengthen and adhere to its ordinances to preserve land and open space.   Once the petition reaches a requisite 6,000 Lakewood citizen signatures, it qualifies to become a ballot issue. Initiative Summary as Set by Lakewood City Clerk: Shall the City of Lakewood Municipal Code Chapter 14.16. PARK AND OPEN SPACE DEDICATION be repealed and replaced to eliminate the option for developers to pay a fee in lieu of parkland dedication and to require the City to accept open space and land dedications for current and future developments. For the full initiative text and to learn where Lakewood registered voters can sign the petition, go to SOSLakewood.org or contact Cathy Kentner at (303) 349-2434. Gross ineptitude or sabotage? City of Lakewood’s actions last week and in the past show loyalty to developers over citizens Citizens’ petition to save Lakewood’s parks from developers deemed invalid due to City error, robbing petitioners of time to secure enough signatures for citywide vote  Is this gross ineptitude or sabotage by Lakewood, which has thwarted dozens of citizen-led efforts, many to combat large developments next to parks and open space Read the full story at Save Open Space Lakewood