Improving Transportation in the West

Improvement is needed for the transportation corridor west of the Denver metropolitan area for both current and future traffic. For several years individual roads and highways have been discussed but there has not been a comprehensive and coordinated plan for the entire western corridor. Jefferson County is working on creating such a plan.

 

At staff briefings on Jan. 29, the commissioners and the Development and Transportation Department discussed the need to create a comprehensive plan and has dubbed it the "Western" Beltway until a formal name is chosen.

 

To begin the process, a request for qualifications was advertised to find an organization that could advance the "Western" Beltway concept. Parson Brinkerhoff (PB), Inc., responded and staff determined that it could perform the work needed. The contract, for $194,900, was approved at the BCC's Feb. 5 public hearing.

 

PB will provide a comprehensive review from the Northwest Parkway in Broomfield to C-470 at the east county line. The initial task will include development of an illustrative plan that depicts how the individual segments make up the "Western" Beltway plan; development of a public input process; and completion of a public opinion survey to measure the support for a major transportation improvement such as the "Western" Beltway.

C-470 Coalition Update

At the Jan. 29 staff briefings, the BCC was briefed on the latest information from the C-470 Coalition. Since the last briefing in November, a public survey was completed specific to C-470 Segment 1, Kipling Parkway to Interstate 25.

 

The survey revealed that public support was highest for a sales tax funding alternative and support for an express toll was much higher than an all-toll alternative. Jeffco residents showed the lowest level support for the express toll compared to those surveyed from Douglas and Arapahoe counties. Jeffco residents supported other funding sources such as a sales or property tax.

 

The Jeffco Transportation and Engineering Division also has concerns with the express toll alternative and believes it would not be the best solution nor equitable for Jeffco residents. It recommended, and the BCC agreed, to take a neutral position regarding the express toll lanes for Segment 1.

 

The coalition was initiated by the Douglas County Commissioners in February 2011 to look for ways to improve C-470. Several counties and cities are members, including Jeffco. Currently, Commissioner Donald Rosier serves on the coalition's Steering Committee and Director of Transportation and Engineering, Kevin French, serves on the Technical Working Group.

 

For more information, please visit www.c470coalition.com.

  

BCC Passes 2nd Amendment Rights Resolution

After a lengthy meeting with testimony from more than 50 citizens, the BCC at its Feb. 5 hearing passed a resolution in defense of the 2nd Amendment. The vote was 2-1 with Commissioners Donald Rosier and Faye Griffin supporting the resolution.

 

For more information, please see the adopted resolution.

  

Other Business on Feb. 5

The BCC at its Feb. 5 public hearing approved several contacts and expenditures.

 

The first item was a contract renewal with AFL Maintenance Group Inc. It was in the amount of $806,211 and for janitorial services in various county buildings and consumable supplies, such as paper towels in public restrooms. The original contract was approved in September 2009.

 

The second item approved was an expenditure for $161,037 to Open Text, Inc. for the annual maintenance and upgrades for Content Server software. This is the software that the county uses to automate the electronic storage, tracking, updating and retrieval of county documents and records. The Information Technologies Division requires an annual maintenance agreement to provide product updates, enhancements, patches and customer support for the Content Server software.

 

The third item was a $149,057 expenditure to ISC Inc. for the purchase of Cisco hardware to increase virtual server capacity.  Virtual Server Technology gives the county the ability to run dozens of servers on one physical device providing significant savings in power and cooling and overall management efficiency.  The county was using 85 percent of memory capacity on its existing production virtual services and this purchase is projected to support demand for additional virtual servers well into 2014. The use of virtual server technology has helped:

• reduce per server costs
• reduce implementation time from a few months to a few days
• allow sharing of server resources that reduces total resources required
• improve service reliability 

The final item was the approval of a contract with Outdoor Promotions, LCC, to install and maintain bus stop shelters throughout Jeffco. In 2012, the county switched to having one firm do this instead of multiple firms, as in the past. The change will contribute to an improved and consistent appearance of the bus stops. The county is not financially responsible for installation of bus benches or shelters, but anticipates $20,000 of advertising revenue each year from the contractor.

  

Local Park and Recreation & Nonprofit Grants a Go

The BCC approved the distribution of Jefferson County Open Space (JCOS) Local Park and Recreation & Nonprofit Grants for 2013 as recommended by the Open Space Advisory Committee (OSAC).

 

On Dec. 6, 2012, OSAC listened to presentations from the agencies that had requested grant money. It then reviewed the project proposals at its Jan. 8 meeting and created the list that was recommended for approval. The total being allocated is $607,550 from the Jefferson County Open Space Sales Tax and $605,040 from the Jefferson County Conservation Trust Funds.

 

Conservation Trust Funds are proceeds from the Colorado Lottery distributed to municipalities, counties and other eligible entities for parks, recreation, and open space purposes.

 

The grant awards include:

  

 

Local Park & Recreation Grants 

 

Entity	Project	Grant Award
Arvada	Majestic View Nat. Center Environmental Education/Comm. Agriculture Project	$103,250
Golden	Regional Trail Bridge Improvements	$46,000
Edgewater/Lakewood	Walker Branch Park Improvements	$180,000
Wheat Ridge	Neighborhood Park Development - West 44th Avenue & Kendall Street	$211,000
Columbine Knolls Grove Recreation District	Pool Shelter Development	$46,300
Ken-Caryl Ranch Metro District	Community Splash Pad at Ken-Caryl Ranch Community Center	$21,000
Apex Park & Rec. District	Simms St. Center - Phase 1 Park Development	$158,720
Evergreen Park & Rec. District	Wulf Park - Plaza and Park Enhancements	$78,500
Foothills Park & Rec. District	Liley Gulch & Lakehurst Park - Playground & Outdoor Education Projects	$114,300
Prospect Rec. & Park District	Maplegrove Park - Tennis Court Development	$80,000

 

 

Nonprofit Grant Awards 

 

Entity	Project	Grant Award
Beaver Ranch Community, Inc	Entrance Sign and Security Lighting	$10,500
Evergreen Audubon Society	Evergreen Lake Interpretive Project	$5,250
Friends of Dinosaur Ridge	Stabilize Dinosaur Tracks	$8,250

 

 

Other Park Projects 

 

Entity	Project	Grant Award
Apex Park & Rec. District	Applemeadows Park Playground	$120,000
Foothills Park &Rec. District	Clement Park Master Plan	$24,000
Park & Rec. District Grants		$5,520