Commissioners Approve Joint-Venture Agreement for Airport Land
The BCC approved a joint-venture agreement that would lead to the development of 573 acres of land on the southwest side of Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport in Broomfield.
 
Under the agreement, Urban Frontier, a Denver-based company that has completed developments throughout the Denver-Boulder area, and Jefferson County will form a joint-venture entity called RMMA Land, LLC. Urban Frontier will be responsible for developing about 400 acres of the land, identifying financing sources, and negotiating with entities including the Colorado Department of Transportation, Broomfield and the Jefferson Parkway Public Highway Authority. The airport will continue to have complete ownership and control over the remaining 170 acres of future aviation-use land.
 
The airport will receive 50 cents per square foot for all joint-venture land that is sold or leased. Over time, the property could bring $38.7 million to the airport in land-sale revenue and $19.5 million in annual tax benefits to Jefferson County.
 
The land is in an area that has the potential to see tremendous growth with its proximity to the airport, the Interlocken campus, the future Jefferson Parkway, Boulder, Golden, Broomfield and Arvada.
 
"I am excited at the opportunities that await Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport," said Commissioner Kevin McCasky.
 
Urban Frontier was one of two companies that responded to a request for proposals from entities wishing to buy or lease the land. Airport Director Kenny Maenpa told commissioners that the selection team unanimously chose Urban Frontier for its experience and the details it offered in its proposal.
 
"They offered solutions," Maenpa said. "They had the 'can-do' attitude, which is what we like."
 
Among Jefferson County's obligations under the agreement is to work with Urban Frontier as an equal partner for future development of the land, work with the Federal Aviation Administration in the release of the property for commercial use, participate in planning, marketing and design activities, and collaborate with Urban Frontier in the formation and management of special improvement districts for financing purposes.
 
Now, county attorney and administration staff will complete their review of the agreement, and then the agreement will formally go before commissioners at a future meeting in August or September.

Crime Down 7 Percent from Second Quarter of 2009
Crime was down nearly 7 percent in the second quarter of 2010 when compared to the second quarter of 2009, and down nearly 16 percent from the second quarter of 2008, according to the Law Enforcement Authority's Second Quarter Report to commissioners.
 
The Sheriff's Office reported 2,044 crime incidents in the second quarter of 2010, compared to 2,197 in 2009 and 2,424 in 2008. Although some crime categories were up, including those related to drugs, property and weapons, several categories had dropped, including arson, burglaries, fraud and mischief.
 
Sheriff Ted Mink presented the second quarter report at the commissioners meeting. Other items of interest include:

• The Sheriff's Office recognized a trend for late night and early morning home burglaries in south and north areas of Jeffco. Suspects would enter the home through an open garage door or an unlocked pedestrian garage door and steal cash and valuables from inside. In each case, the victims were home and asleep or unaware of what was happening. The Sheriff's Office sent out an e-mail alert to subscribers in south and north Jeffco. Deputies also contacted homeowners if their garage doors were open.
• On May 4, a tree fell on power lines in the Conifer Meadows area and sparked a wildfire that grew to 10 acres. A reverse-911 call went out to about 340 homes and deputies went door to door to evacuate people and animals. Animal Control also assisted with evacuating animals. Firefighters from Platte Canyon Fire, Elk Creek Fire, the U.S. Forest Service and the Jeffco Sheriff's Office fire mitigation team responded. The fire was extinguished without any structural damage or injuries.
• Three murder or attempted murder cases moved forward in investigation activity during the second quarter. In April, sheriff's deputies arrested an 18-year-old man suspected of killing his 24-year-old sister in her home in the 30000 block of Hill Top Drive in Evergreen. In May, Andrew McClay was sentenced to 48 years for beating a female to death with a hammer in her apartment on West Bowles Place near Simms Street in South Jefferson County. Also in May in South Jeffco, a man was arrested as a suspect in the attempted murder and stabbing of his stepfather. 
• The Sheriff's Office now has automatic license plate readers on three patrol cars. The readers scan the area around the patrol cars and capture images of license plates. The reader then sends the license plate information to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation database and notifies the deputy inside the car if the plate is associated with criminal activity.