Guest Post from Laura Majors We all rely on our elected officials, both paid and volunteer to do the right thing, work together, and make the best decisions possible for the city, county, and school system. When they aren’t talking, community amenities are put at risk. Our neighborhood, in the north end of Ward 1, is in a position to lose many amenities that can isolate a neighborhood. We are being handed “plans”, then input is received and largely ignored, with a concession here and there. Here are the example of what we are experiencing: Graham Park & Graham House: The Graham House and Park were donated to the city for a park with house for meetings and education. Last Autumn, a small group of neighbors and HOAs (in a largely non-HOA neighborhood) were notified of “improvements” to this park. The plan included the demolition of the Graham House. The reason for the demolition plan was the cost of fixing up the building as event rentals had decreased, largely for the reason that the building had not been maintained. According to counts of the responses on at the initial community meeting and on https://www.lakewoodtogether.org/grahamparkimprovements , community members want to keep the building, yet this request was ignored. The new plan after community involvement, is to demolish the building. An open records request response said that there is no record of a legal review by the City Attorney whether or not demolishing the building in respect to our city charter is legal, section 14.3, page...
Resident generated news about Lakewood, Colorado
Resident generated news about Lakewood, Colorado
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Store grand opening event will feature tire installation, fun, food & prizes Press Release Easterseals Colorado’s vehicle will get some top-notch new tires at the two-day grand opening celebration of Lakewood’s new Les Schwab Tires store. Les Schwab is donating the tires as part of its Tires for Purpose program and will install them during the festivities on Sept. 27. The West Metro Chamber of Commerce will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Sept. 28. More details can be found below. Easterseals Colorado helps people with disabilities, their families and caregivers all have the opportunity to thrive in our communities through programs and services. New tires on their vehicle will help advance the organization’s mission by enabling staff members to help people move around and transport supplies. The community is invited to join the grand opening celebration at the 11,961-square-foot Les Schwab Tires store at 2165 S Webster St., featuring the tire installation at 11 a.m. on Sept. 27. Visitors will enjoy food, snacks and a chance to win prizes, gift cards and more. Come by for a free brake check and pre-trip safety check, as well as a visual inspection of the most important parts of your vehicle. In addition to welcoming a new community supporter, with the opening of the Lakewood Les Schwab Tires store residents now have a new option for one-stop shopping to ensure their vehicles are equipped to safely transport them wherever they need to go. Les Schwab’s offerings include brake services, alignment, shocks and more – a more robust range of...
Repost from Bob Adams on NextDoor.com Dear Mayor Strom: As Mayor, you and the City Council are asking us (in the November ballot measure) to allow you to permanently keep and spend all the extra tax dollars you over collected, not just this year, but next year and every year after that, as well as asking blanket permission to raise taxes anytime without a vote of the people. We know these extra tax dollars were not an accident, but deliberately over collected – in anticipation of your ballot measure. How are our tax dollars being spent? As a taxpayer, I was shocked to learn we pay Lakewood City Manager, Kathy Hodgson, $368,137 in base salary per year – nearly as much as the President of the United States at $400,000 and much more than the vice president and governor. This seems really high for a town the size of Lakewood. The city Manager in Ft. Collins (slightly larger) is paid $97,232 and Colorado Springs (much larger), $104,517. Please advise and explain the total compensation package currently being paid to the city manager. Please include additional fringe benefits, any bonus amounts paid, deferred compensation, expense accounts, retirement benefits and any other benefits. As you know, all of this is public information. Thank you in advance. This information will help us evaluate your Ballot Measure. Sincerely, Bob Adams Lakewood. Further information: As an addendum, I’ve just learned that our Lakewood city manager also has a deputy city manager who is paid $207,000. ...
Repost from Colorado Engaged The video below, recorded in early February 2024, discusses Jefferson County’s plans to invest millions of dollars in taxpayer funds on Navigation Center(s) and outlines their expectations. In particular, I recommend watching the discussion at the 15:30 mark, where Commissioner Andy Kerr shares his position that public funds should be spent on individuals regardless of where they’re from or legal status. The response from Jeffco staff highlights that, depending on the funding source and any restrictions, their approach is essentially “the more, the merrier.” The opening section of the video touches on Proposition 123, which may be confusing for some viewers. For context, Prop 123 was narrowly approved by voters in 2022 and reallocates TABOR refunds to support government-managed, taxpayer-subsidized housing and homelessness initiatives. The video explores three main revenue streams: federal ARPA funds, Prop 123 allocations, and county public funds, which are currently capped under TABOR but could be uncapped if voters pass Measure 1A in the 2024 election. Two major developments, in addition to schools, are being considered for government purchase. These include the Aspen Heights building at 13th & Wadsworth, which is stalled due to financing issues, and the Colorado DMV campus at Pierce & Colfax, where former State Representative Chris deGruy Kennedy is negotiating a deal to convert the property into subsidized housing. Editor’s Note: Financing issues on the Aspen Heights property are on the developer side, not any potential deal with a government. The video is available on my YouTube Colorado...
Lakewood closed on the purchase of the Navigation Center property on Wednesday, September 18, 2024. Travis Parker, Chief of the Sustainability and Community Development Department, made the announcement on Monday, Sept 16, during the budget presentation. The property has been leased until now. He added that Lakewood is working on an Intergovernmental Agreement to fund operations, which may include Arvada’s new navigation center as well. Such an agreement would allow other cities to contribute some funds while Lakewood takes on the long-term burden of caring for the unhoused. Lakewood will begin property renovations as soon as possible. The property has never been granted a shelter permit, which is the only opportunity for public input. Instead it has operated for years on an emergency basis and will continue to do so. The increased crime surrounding the area has been ignored by the city, as has the increase in homeless in Lakewood. City officials seem intent on providing more free to low-income housing despite these problems. Lakewood is also looking for properties to host transitional housing, like pallet homes, particularly along Colfax. Lakewood donated $500,000 to affordable housing projects this year.
The Colorado Department of Local Affairs published a press release regarding the development going in near Whippoorwill Dr, to showcase the positive impact of this housing funding locally. As a follow up, Lakewood Informer asked if DOLA was aware of the resident concerns or the dangerous interestion involved. There has been no response at this time. Williams Pointe: Housing Authority of the City of Lakewood, Colorado dba Metro West Housing Solutions (MWHS), was awarded a DOH loan of $4.4 million and a grant for $2.2 million to assist with new construction of Williams Pointe, a 44-unit apartment building in Lakewood. Read the full press release here: Colorado State Housing Board Announces Over $43M in Rental, Homeownership, and Supportive Housing Awards
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