August 5 -11 Jeffco Fair Week 

The BCC proclaimed Aug. 5-11 as Jeffco Fair Week. There to accept the proclamation were staff members from CSU Extension including Director Jacki Paone and Extension Agent Lisa Sholten, 4-H members and this year's fair poster contest first place winner, Hailey Roush, and second place winner, Erin Volz.  

  

The Jefferson County 4-H Fair will be held at the Jeffco Fairgrounds and is Aug. 9-11.

  

 

Both traditional and non-traditional events such as fair royalty contests, rodeos, carnival rides, Scottish and Flamenco dancers and youth farmers' market are just a few of the happenings at this year's fair. 

 

Visit www.jeffcofairinc.org/index.html to find more information on events and schedules.

 

 

Improvements will soon be made to the intersection of County Road 93 (CR 93), Alameda Avenue and Red Rocks Gate 1, thanks to an Intergovernmental Funding Agreement approved by the BCC. The agreement is with the city and county of Denver, which owns the park.

 

The intersection improvements include a designated eastbound to northbound left-turn acceleration lane on CR-93 from the park's driveway, four-foot paved shoulders and pedestrian safety enhancements. The north island median will be reconstructed to allow a marked pedestrian crossing with gravel shoulders that will connect the new Dinosaur Ridge activity center to the hogback dinosaur exhibits. The improvements will improve traffic safety for all modes of transportation and reduce delays for motorists exiting the park. 

The county, through an agreement with the Urban Drainage and Flood Control District, is constructing drainage and flood control improvements for Lena Gulch at South Golden Road. Recently, the BCC approved a needed amendment to the agreement that will allow for additional structure length and features not anticipated in the original design. Conflicts with underground utilities also required the design to be revised.

 

At South Golden Road, the existing box culvert is undersized, which has caused flooding during major rainfalls. The improvements are designed to create a safe way to deal with peak runoff flows across South Golden Road during major rainstorms.

 

The project will begin in August and should be completed by the end of the year. It is being funded with $675,000 from the Urban Drainage and Flood Control District and $1,050,000 from the county's 2013 budget. 

 

The changes are to the county's policy part three, chapter eight, sections three (international fire code) and five (unsafe buildings or structures). The changes are being proposed to keep the county building codes current and coordinated with surrounding jurisdictions. 

At staff briefings, the commissioners reviewed a draft ordinance that would create a contractor license program for the county. Currently the county does not license contractors as part of the building permit process.

 

The proposal would improve records by requiring registrations and associated fees; improve contractor accountability by requiring annual reviews; and would improve contractor code knowledge by requiring evidence of a state license, a license from an authorized jurisdiction or an International Code Council (ICC) contractor exam.

 

Contractor Licensing is proposed for implementation January 1, 2014.

The Colorado School of Mines has offered to purchase one of the county's buildings. The BCC approved the sale of the Climax building, located at 1801 19th Street, for $900,000 to the school. Currently Public Health occupies the Climax building, but will be relocated in December to the county's Parfet building, which is adjacent to the county-owned Remington Building on 6th Avenue. The Parfet building is undergoing renovations to become the new home for Public Health services. The sale and relocation will help consolidate services.