LAKEWOOD INFORMER

As residents and business owners cry for help in controlling the effects of drug use and crime surrounding our homeless populations, Jefferson County is supporting safe drug use in our most affected communities. Serving all of Jefferson County, Points West operates out of Lakewood to provide harm reduction materials and service referrals to those who want them. Lakewood business owners are now coming to City Council, pointing out that the need for a safe society for business operations conflict with providing materials for continued drug use. Points West has an outreach program that was started in 2020. Their website reads, “Initially intended as COVID-19 mitigation… within a few months the program evolved into a Points West project centered on harm reduction.” Points West now conducts street outreach efforts throughout Jeffco on Tuesdays and Fridays by actively driving around to search for people who appear to be living outside. They specifically serve the Lakewood area every other week. Their schedule is posted at https://www.instagram.com/pointswestssp/ Harm reduction drug use materials have helped many individuals avoid diseases that can be communicated through shared needle use.  These supplies are intended to help the entire drug use population and are not linked to any recovery effort or incentive program. Some residents and business owners experience the negative effects of growing drug use among a swelling homeless population. According to one Council Member, residents are finding drug paraphernalia near their houses and sidewalks where it is was not found before. At one City Council meeting in...

via Fox 31 KDVR by: DAVID A. LIEB and KAVISH HARJAI, Associated Press Joplin officials say they have big plans for $13.8 million of pandemic relief funds the tornado-ravaged southwestern Missouri city received under a two-year-old federal law. Yet the latest federal records show none of the money has been spent — or even budgeted. In fact, about 6,300 cities and counties — nearly 1 in 4 nationwide — reported no expenditures as of this spring, according to an Associated Press analysis of data released by the U.S. Treasury Department. About 5,100 of those listed no projects — either planned or underway. Read more…

via KDVR by Rogelio Mares LAKEWOOD, Colo. (KDVR) — A Lakewood City Council member has been on a monthslong mission to get information about a police shooting back in March that left a 17-year-old dead. Council Member Anita Springsteen wants answers after multiple police officers shot and killed the teen, who was accused of robbing a mail carrier.Video released of woman’s killing by Westminster police officer But after Springsteen read an autopsy report for the teen, she had questions about what happened that day. Read more… Reader Recommended Business: H&H Solution’s

Guest post by Joan from Lakewood History So  I have been following the LAC sustainability committee since late June when there was a request of the City Council to allow them to research the mandating  of electrification of homes during remodeling. I did an interview with Lakewood Informer about this subject and shared my knowledge of the federal laws passed in the seventies – Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (Purpa) with the LAC executive board and my love of gas stoves.  I believe that this caused the Sustainability Committee pause as at a previous meeting they talked about modifying the proposal.  However there is 180 million federal dollars available and this committee is determined to “get a piece of the pie”. And I believe the City Council’s Emergency meeting on August 7 helped to energize this committee to continue to try to mandate this electrification. Home Rule and leaders with an agenda can over come all laws.  8/16 meeting So as my husband and watched this meeting we could not understand how this proposal would be made policy by the city council.  The chair of the committee admitted that there was no way they could collect the necessary energy usage data (due to privacy issues)to use as benchmarks but then stated that  there were approximately 5000 structures in Lakewood of which 4800 were under 5000ft. These 4800 structures (presumable household structures) are responsible for  41% of the  greenhouse gas emissions in Lakewood. I asked my husband wouldn’t it be a better...

via ColoradoPolitics by Wendi Strom In Lakewood, growth and development are important topics, and our City Council is working together to address them head-on. Communities are multi-faceted and encompass many essential elements, such as ensuring safety, affordability for all residents and spaces that embody the Colorado lifestyle. Lakewood is incredibly fortunate to possess all the necessary components for a vibrant, thriving community. We boast parks, businesses, excellent schools and convenient proximity to the majestic Colorado mountains and the bustling City of Denver. As residents of Lakewood, we greatly appreciate these valuable assets. Read more…

via the Guardian Raksha Vasudevan, Thu 3 Aug 2023 14.00 EDT In 2017, Stephanie Deveaux noticed her city and neighborhood were changing. Lying on Denver’s western outskirts, Lakewood was known for its spacious single-family homes, good public schools, pristine parks and Rocky Mountain views. But many of the things that made Lakewood so livable seemed under threat. “All these multiunit dwellings [were] starting to be developed,” she said, referring to the boxy, ultramodern and monotone buildings now scattered across Lakewood. “And then lands that I thought had been earmarked for open space, those started to get filled up.” Cathy Kentner, a teacher and Lakewood planning commission member, also noticed those same tall buildings “adjacent to small single-family homes and cutting off all their sunlight”; deteriorating streets; busier hospitals; and green space being replaced by “a sea of concrete”. She mentioned the murals dotting several buildings along West Colfax Avenue as an example. “I really appreciate the art that they put on the outside, how it’s all green and plants,” she said. “[But] how nice would it be to actually have some real greenery.” Read more… Reader Recommended Business: Cafe Ole