LAKEWOOD INFORMER

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....

(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...

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...

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