In January, City Manager Jason Slowinski announced his intent to resign his position in March to join Colorado School of Mines in Golden as an Associate Vice President. 

“While we’re sad to see Jason go, we know he won’t be going too far away, and we’re thrilled for Jason and his family. He has served the City of Golden well and we’re fortunate that he will continue to be part of the Golden community in his new role,” said Mayor of Golden Laura M. Weinberg.

As City Council conducts an extensive search to find a new Golden City Manager, the current Deputy City Manager, Carly Lorentz, was appointed as Acting City Manager beginning March 18.

We wish Jason well in his new role down the road at CSM, and stand behind Carly as she takes over the reins of leadership while Council conducts their search.

You can learn more about the search for Golden’s next City Manager and find out about public engagement opportunities in the process at www.guidinggolden.com/city-manager-recruitment. 

In February, after 32 years of service to the City of Golden, and 20 years as Chief of Police, Golden Police Chief Bill Kilpatrick announced his retirement effective today March 16.

“The City of Golden is a safer and stronger place because of Chief Bill Kilpatrick’s leadership and years of service to the Golden Police Department,” said Laura Weinberg, Mayor of Golden. “We thank Chief Kilpatrick for his leadership and wish him the best in his retirement.”

During a swearing in ceremony scheduled this afternoon, Deputy Police Chief Joe Harvey will be sworn to serve as the next Chief of Police in Golden.

“I’ve been honored to serve alongside Deputy Chief Harvey, and he’s earned the trust of our department, our City Council, and other city leaders," said Chief Kilpatrick. "Deputy Chief Harvey will carry forward the progress of the Golden Police Department with a steady hand and a clear vision."

The City of Golden’s Planning Commission continued the hearing about CoorsTek’s rezoning proposal on February 23 to April 6 in order to hold additional community meetings about the specifics of the proposal.

A virtual community meeting was hosted on March 10, and an in-person meeting will take place tonight, March 16 at 6 p.m. in Council Chambers (911 10th St.)

This meeting will include a staff overview of the project, the area, and a timeline of the process. The applicant will present the zoning request and provide details on each topical section of the zoning. Following the presentation and Q&A session, there will be stations set up around the room by major topic, with both an applicant representative and city staff available to answer questions and have a dialogue in a small group setting.

In-person “office hours” will be held in the Public Works & Planning Building at 1445 10th Street in the conference room. Anyone interested is invited to drop by on the following dates without appointment. City staff and the applicant will be available for more in-depth conversations regarding the application.

The continued Planning Commission hearing date will be held on Wednesday, April 6 at 6:30 p.m. in City Hall Council Chambers, 911 10th St. This hearing will provide the opportunity for additional public comment. Planning Commission will then provide a recommendation to City Council.

In January 2022, the Parks and Recreation Department received $87,500 from the Jefferson County Open Space Trails Partnership Program to restore and reroute the Lubahn Trail. This exciting trail maintenance project began this week and is expected to last until June. The trail will close during workdays only.

Trail enthusiasts and neighbors can expect to see fencing and signage on-site indicating closures during weekdays when contractors are on site. When contractors are not on site, the Lubahn Trail will remain open. Throughout the project, the Olivine Trail will remain open.

Alternate South Table Mountain parking and access can be found at 1219 Kilmer St.

This trail restoration project is expected to improve trail conditions, visitor safety and resource protection.

Learn more about the history of this project, including trail survey results and supporting information, at GuidingGolden.com/lubahn-trail.

The Golden Informer is produced and published monthly by the Golden City Manager's Office and mailed as a source of news and information to all residences and businesses located inside of city limits.

The Informer is one of the most important ways we connect with Golden residents, and we are committed to making it the best resource possible, but we need your help. Please take our quick survey at GuidingGolden.com/golden-informer.

Your feedback will help us update future editions to help keep this popular publication fresh and useful for the entire community.

City of Golden staff and project consultants presented an updated concept design map during virtual and in-person meetings held earlier this month. Even if you couldn't attend the meetings, there's still time to review the updated concept and give us your feedback.

Start by watching the recording of the Heart of Golden presentation and meeting at GCO.tv, then visit Guiding Golden to view an interactive map of the concept design where you can pin thoughts and feedback.

The Kiwanis Club of Golden entered a contest sponsored by Kiwanis International and Landscape Structures Inc. to win a $50K splash pad for a park in Golden. They are competing with clubs all over the country, however, so they need your help!

Visit the contest page where you can vote once every 24 hours for the winning entry. The contest voting window closes tomorrow, March 17 at 10 a.m. when the ten projects with the most votes will move to the final round of judging.

The Golden Town & Gown Book Club is back for the first event of 2022 on Wednesday, March 30, 12 to 2 p.m. at the Colorado School of Mines Arthur Lakes Library. Participants will read and discuss The Earth Beneath My Feet by Golden resident, author and photographer, Andrew Terrill.

The Earth Beneath My Feet is an adventure travel narrative describing a 7,000-mile solo hike, focusing on the wild side of Europe that many people miss. It has been described by Banff Mountain Book Festival award-winning author Jim Perrin as "a classic of outdoor literature in the making."

This event will include a Q&A with the author, a photo presentation and lunch. The event is free and open to everyone, but attendance is limited to 80 people so please register in advance. Learn more about the author at AndrewTerrill.com.

Take the guesswork out of planning your garden! Garden In A Box is an easy, professionally designed low-water perennial garden kit that includes a curated selection of 4-inch starter plants that do well in Colorado soil, and up to four professionally designed plant-by-number maps that make it easy to install your perennial or vegetable garden. The comprehensive "Plant and Care Guide" and "Garden Info Sheets" include planting, watering and seasonal maintenance suggestions to support you in caring for your new garden.

Garden In A Box kits are on sale now, with a limited number of $25 discounts available for Golden residents.

We're now more than half way through the available discounts and a few kits have already sold out, so don't delay ordering your kit from ResourceCentral.org/gardens soon!

Last night, March 8 at 6:30 p.m., City Council met in study session on in regular session.

During the meeting, Council considered the following agenda items:

You can see view the meeting on our Agendas and Meetings page on the City of Golden website and at GCO.tv.

The CoorsTek Rezoning Application In-Person Community Meeting will be held tonight, March 16, 6 p.m. in Council Chambers, 911 10th St.

See more information in the top portion of this newsletter.

The Parks, Recreation and Museums Advisory Board will meet in Council Chambers at 911 10th St., Thursday, March 17 at 7 p.m.

See the Meeting Agenda for more information. 

The meeting will be recorded (audio only) and available to listen to at your convenience on our Agendas and Meetings page on the City of Golden website.

Public Works is working with a bridge supplier to acquire a pedestrian bridge for Kinney Run. Lead time is about 6 months.