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Lakewood City Council votes to help Denver with influx of migrants

January 24, 2024/

Cross post from CBS news, reporting by Karen Morfitt “Council members want to hear from the public and say this is just a first step. The vote simply symbolizes a willingness to “be a good neighbor,” to the city of Denver, one councilman said.” https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/video/lakewood-city-council-votes-to-help-denver-with-influx-of-migrants/ A video report featuring Karen Morgan from the LakewoodInformer. Please contact us if you are interested in becoming a contributor. Click here to take a survey on the issue.

No Policy Discussion to Become the Homeless Center of Jeffco

January 24, 2024/

City Council passed up another opportunity for an open discussion on a homeless policy for Lakewood. Instead, on January 22 Council approved a “supplemental appropriation” to the budget which will implement the strategy they decided on internally. Accepting this grant for a Navigation Center represents a multi-year fiscal obligation about how to serve the unhoused and Lakewood has not so much as set a committee or a study session to talk about best practices. Final vote to accept the grant will happen on second reading. City staff have let you know they received a grant. Council has taken no other public vote but brief mentions throughout the year indicated something was being researched by staff, not Council. It seems reasonable that if the city is researching something for a year, that maybe the public be brought into that conversation at some point before the final vote. The public may want to contribute or may be interested to see how Council will represent them on questions such as: Definition: Navigation Center is “This is a centralized location that provides residents easy access to a variety of supportive services to help with basic needs, medical and behavioral services and housing resources for residents without stable housing. The facility serves as a “one stop shop” for anyone in need of resources and provides a day shelter to our unhoused residents.” – Lakewood.org There are many options to solve this problem and Lakewood seems to assume it has the answer with the most...

SURVEY: Homeless and Migrant Policy

January 23, 2024/

Updated to show questions, 25 Jan 2024 The homeless and migrant situation is an ongoing concern for everyone. People want to help but disagree on what that help looks like. From tough love to complete care, what do you think? Let’s start the discussion at the beginning by answering a few basic questions. What would you like to see and how would you vote with your wallet? Please take the survey below and we will share the results next week. https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/7687498/What-is-Your-homeless-policy Thank you for your time. Any suggestions for future surveys are welcome by email!

$60M apartment project in Lakewood ‘all but abandoned,’ lender says

January 20, 2024/

Cross-post from BusinessDen.com, Justin Wingerter January 19, 2024 Construction on a $60 million apartment complex along Wadsworth Boulevard “has come to a standstill due to infighting” and been “all but abandoned,” its lender alleges. Aspen Heights Partners, a Texas developer, broke ground in 2020 on a 352-unit apartment project at 1225 Wadsworth in Lakewood, with plans to finish it by the end of 2022. Amenities were to include a heated pool, dog park, bike repair shop and golf simulator. Get a subscription to continue reading this story….

Lakewood Paying for RTD Lights

January 19, 2024/

Fixing the bridge lights for RTD on the 6th Avenue overpass is an $800,000 budget item for Lakewood… to fix RTD property. The large line item caught the attention of Council Member Olver at the time. How did this get to be in the budget with no prior public discussion? Why isn’t RTD paying for their own repairs? A series of open-records requests reveal not a single communication in 2023 between RTD and any city official discussing the details of how the project came to be. Not who would pay or for what, not what they think the problem is, or why RTD cannot pay for it…. Nothing. As seen in the highlighted screenshot below, open-records requests revealed an email between the RTD point of contact and Council Member Shahrezaei. Shahrezaei responded that she would speak over the phone. Phone conversations increase communication but cannot be provided through open records requests. As the Council representative to DRCOG, Councilor Shahrezaei is in frequent contact with regional boards like RTD. The city shared that this project was submitted to the budget by the Public Works Department during the 2024 budget process. No communications came up between staff and RTD on this topic but the city says they have been in discussion about the project for years. No Council Discussion but Presumed Permission According to the city, this budget item aligns with City Council Goal 3, “Beautiful and Sustainable City.” Normally, setting goals is admirable but this statement reveals the public policy disparity...

Bandimere Update

January 19, 2024/

Cross-post from KYGO.com, By Shawn Patrick on January 18, 2024 Here’s What’s Planned for the Former Site of Colorado’s Bandimere Speedway Bandimere Speedway in Morrison has seen it’s last drag race, and will eventually have a new home, but the site will still likely have strong ties to the automotive world. Officials from California-based Copart, a car auction firm, said they are in the process of buying Bandimere Speedway and hope to turn the majority of the property into storage for cars awaiting auction. Read more at KYGO.com

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