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According to 2010 Citizen Survey, 95 Percent of Jeffco Residents View County as an 'Excellent' or 'Good' Place to Live
About 95 percent of the 1,319 unincorporated Jefferson County residents who responded to the county's 2010 Citizen Survey rated Jeffco as an "excellent" or "good" place to live, up 5 percent from the 2004 survey, according to the final results report from National Research Center (NRC), of Boulder. Commissioners received the report at the staff briefing.
 About 45 percent of the 3,000 households in unincorporated Jefferson County that received the survey responded to it. NRC, which conducted the survey, usually sees a 25 percent to 40 percent response rate. The margin of error is plus or minus 3 percent.
The survey was mailed in January and closed in February. The county conducted its last citizen survey in 2004.
The survey questionnaire was limited to five pages and asked a variety of standardized questions, as well as open-ended and close-ended questions. Questions measured perceptions of the quality of life, and county services and customer service in Jefferson County. The county plans to use the report for short-term and long-term strategic planning and communications.
"This survey is tremendously helpful to the commissioners in making decisions about our county," said Commissioner Kathy Hartman, chairman of the Board of County Commissioners. "We will work hard to maintain the quality of life our citizens have affirmed they enjoy, while working to improve in areas such as citizen involvement. With more citizen involvement, we can build an even better county."
To view the notable results, full report or to take the online survey, visit the Jefferson County Web site. |
BCC to Sign Letter of Intent to Build Government Hub at 44th and Wadsworth
Jefferson County plans to build a government hub with services that may include a motor vehicle office, health department office and library as part of a master redevelopment at 44th Avenue and Wadsworth Boulevard in Wheat Ridge.
 At the staff briefing, Commissioners met with representatives of Renewal Wheat Ridge, formerly Wheat Ridge Urban Renewal Authority, and Weston Solutions, Inc., a company based in West Chester, Pa., with a mountain division in Lakewood, to discuss plans for 7.3 acres on the southeast corner of the intersection.
The first building in the six-block area was built in the 1950s and currently houses the Stage Stop Antique Mall. In the late 1960s, a fire destroyed one end of the building, and the remainder of its foundation is still there. In 2001, the city of Wheat Ridge started planning ways to revitalize the area. Renewal Wheat Ridge acquired the properties that make up the redevelopment site in 2008 and 2009.
Renewal Wheat Ridge has entered into a partnership with Weston Solutions to create a mixed-use, pedestrian-friendly district with offices, retail stores, multifamily homes and a plaza. The county's government hub would serve as the development's anchor property.
The county's newly constructed building, along with other retail, would make up Phase I of the project. Weston and the county would work together to design a building that would be tailored to the county's needs and enable future expansion.
In 2007, the Citizen Budget Review Panel, a committee of citizens appointed by the BCC, recommended that the county investigate ways to consolidate services into hubs as a way to save money on leasing costs and create centers where citizens can access a variety of their county business needs in one location. The new facility may allow the Clerk & Recorder to consolidate the Arvada and Lakewood motor vehicle offices and eliminate the need for paying rent for those office spaces. Dr. Mark Johnson, executive director of the Jeffco Department of Public Health, said the location may be ideal for a new health office that would cater to underserved populations in Edgewater and Wheat Ridge, and the Jeffco Public Library Board of Trustees is scheduled to discuss the possibility of a library there at a future meeting.
Commissioners directed staff to draft a letter of intent that says the county is willing to proceed with construction, allowing Renewal Wheat Ridge and Weston Solutions to begin research and design work. Staff estimates the costs of land and construction would total $9 million to $11 million, depending on the actual square footage of the building and parking needs. The county issued Certificates of Participation in 2009 to cover a portion of construction.
Design work on the project could be complete as soon as this summer. All proposed plans and zoning changes would need to go through Wheat Ridge's city review process with public hearings and final approval determined by the city council. If approved, construction could begin as soon as fall 2011. |
BCC Approves Annual Appointments to Boards and Commissions
The Board of County Commissioners made their 2010 appointments to 18 boards and commissions.
The BCC appoints more than 300 members to serve on boards and commissions. Members study issues in-depth, oversee and make recommendations regarding specific county functions, and assist in governing Jefferson County. The county accepts applications through February of each year and appoints members in March or early April.
This year's appointments are:
- Board of Adjustment: Reappointment of regular member Richard Ingram and appointment of regular member Edward Ford to terms through March 2013. Appointments of alternates Kerrigan G. Clough and Curtis Westphal II to terms through March 2011.
- Board of Health: Reappointment of regular member Beverley Dahan to a term through March 2015.
- Board of Review: Reappointments of regular member Robert Loveridge to a term through March 2013, and alternate Karen Roman through March 2011.
- Citizen Review Panel: Reappointments of regular members Marleen Fish and Sam Wright, and appointment of regular member Jennifer Hope to terms through March 2012.
- Jefferson County CSU Extension Advisory Board: Reappointments of Gina Bickler and Patricia Lott, and appointments of regular members Michelle Friends and Jennifer Lufman to terms through March 2014.
- Developmental Disabilities Resource Center Board: Reappointment of regular member David Pemberton to a term through March 2011.
- Jefferson County Fair Advisory Board: Reappointments of regular members Mark Skelton and John Young to terms through March 2013.
- Jefferson County Hazardous Substance Response Authority Board: Reappointments of Don Angell to represent fire departments/districts and Mark Gutke to represent Jefferson County, and appointments of Jim McCarthy to represent cities/towns to terms through March 2012.
- Jefferson County Historical Commission: Appointment of regular member Cynthia Shaw McLaughlin to represent District 1 to a term that lasts until reappointed or replaced by the BCC.
- Open Space Advisory Committee: Reappointment of regular member Frank Barone to represent cities, appointment of regular member Felicity Hannay to represent Jefferson County, and reappointment of regular member acting-at-large Rebecca Watson to terms through March 2013; appointment of alternate Tookie Scherder to a term through March 2012.
- Jefferson County Planning Commission: Reappointment of regular member Shirley Johnson and appointment of regular member Richard Olson to terms through March 2013, and appointments of alternates Amy Attwood and Nancy Ferguson to terms through March 2011.
- Scientific and Cultural Facility Board: Reappointment of Kathleen Stapleton to represent Jefferson County to a term through March 2013.
- Tri-County Workforce Board: Reappointments of regular members Jane Barnes, Joyce Johnson, Michele Haney and Stacy Meiser to terms through March 2012.
- Jefferson County Housing Authority Board: Appointment of Heather Logan to a term through October 2015.
- Jefferson County Juvenile Review Board: Appointment of regular member Anne Zubrinic and alternate Jacque Russell to represent the 1st Judicial District, District Attorney's Office, to terms that will continue until reappointed or replaced by the BCC.
For more information about how to apply to serve on a board or commission, visit the Boards and Commissions page on the Jeffco Web site. |
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Other BCC Actions
BCC Approves Agreement for Marston Lake North Drainageway Master Plan
Commissioners approved an agreement with the Urban Drainage and Flood Control District, the city and county of Denver, the Denver Board of Water Commissioners and the city of Lakewood to develop a drainageway master plan for Marston Lake North. The lake is located south of Highway 285 between South Wadsworth and South Federal Boulevards. The master plan will include hydrologic information, preliminary design, and the sizing of storm sewers, channels, detention/retention basins and other facilities. Jefferson County's contribution to the master plan would be no more than $12,500. The Urban Drainage and Flood Control District would contribute $80,000; Denver would contribute $35,700; and Denver Water would contribute $23,800.
Jeffco to Apply for Grant to Help Justice System Handle Inmates with Severe Mental Illness
 The Jefferson County Sheriff and Probation Offices and Jefferson Center for Mental Health are applying for a $245,750 grant to address the challenges associated with the increasing number of adults with mental health or substance abuse disorders in the justice system. The Office of Justice Programs and Bureau of Justice Assistance would provide the grant. One of every five inmates jailed within the seven-county Denver Metro Area has serious mental illness, and the cost of housing those inmates totals $34.4 million annually. The grant would help the county and Jefferson Center for Mental Health receive training to refer adults to existing services and provide about 100 adults with case management so they can better access available services. The county would be responsible for a cash match of about $74,500 to pay for county-approved funds within the Sheriff and Probation Offices' budgets, such as salaries, travel and jail booking fees. The BCC approved the grant application at the hearing. |
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