July 18, 2013
A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourarvadanews.com
Jefferson County, Colorado • Volume 9, Issue 8
Done deal Golden and CDOT sign highway agreement By Glenn Wallace
gwallace@ourcoloradonews.com
Jackie Kemp of Arvada competes in a “Minute to Win It”-style game as she and about 100 others camped out at the new Chick-fil-A, 7809 Wadsworth Blvd., July 10 to win a year of free meals from the restaurant during its “First 100” event for the grand opening July 12. Kemp and a friend made their own Chick-fil-A-inspired T-shirts for “Cow Appreciation Day” July 12 as well. Photos by Sara Van Cleve
Chick-fil-A flies into Arvada First Chick-fil-A opens, gives away free year of meals to 100 customers By Sara Van Cleve
svancleve@ourcoloradonews.com Arvadans can now “Eat mor chikin” as Chick-fil-A opens its first restaurant in the city. Chick-fil-A, 7809 Wadsworth Blvd., opened to the public at 6 a.m. July 11. “This is the first Chick-fil-A in Arvada, and I’m excited to be a part of it,” said Sheri O’Leary, the franchise owner and operator of the new location. “At Chick-fil-A, our customers are like our extended family. I’m meeting people out here, and it already feels like they’re an extension of our family.” O’Leary isn’t the only one excited to see Chick-fil-A come to Arvada. As with all Chick-fil-A grand openings, the new Arvada location hosted a “First Chick-fil-A continues on Page 23
More than 100 people waited outside of the new Chick-fil-A, 7809 Wadsworth Blvd., at 6 a.m. July 11 as the restaurant chain opened its first restaurant in Arvada. About 100 people camped outside beginning at 6 a.m. July 10, not leaving the property for 24 hours, to win a year’s-worth of meals for free.
With a few pen strokes, years of failed negotiations and legal sparing were put to an end July 11, as officials with the city of Golden and the Colorado Department of Transportation signed an agreement regarding the future design of the U.S. Highway 6 and State Highway 93 corridor. CDOT Executive Director Don Hunt and Golden Mayor Marjorie Sloan participated in the formal signing ceremony, which was attended by several elected officials, including two Jefferson County commissioners, and Arvada Mayor Marc Williams. Golden city leaders had long opposed regional transportation plans to complete the 470 beltway system, saying that invasive freeway modifications to U.S. 6 and Highway 93 would damage the Golden community, which would be cut in half by the changes. The most recent round of negotiations between CDOT and Golden proved successful, however, and in May, the seven-member City Council approved that agreement, 6-1. Councilor Bob Vermeulen voted against the agreement in May, saying approval of the agreement gave the appearance of approving the entire beltway plan. The July signing represented CDOT’s official acceptance of the Golden plan. Commissioner Marcie Miller said she had been an active opponent of beltway plans for years, but was happy to see the agreement become a reality. “We figured out what would work for our community. That’s what good government is, you find the way through,” Miller said. The agreement sets parameters for “a shared vision” for long-term improvements to the roadways, including setting speed limits, road alignments, landscaping guidelines and sound mitigation for the highway sections through Golden’s city limits. CDOT continues on Page 23
Governor tips hand in support of tax-hike ballot proposal Question would fund school finance overhaul By Vic Vela
vvela@ourcoloradonews.com Gov. John Hickenlooper acknowledged on July 10 that the tax hike being proposed to fund a new school finance formula is not his “exact preference,” but it is one that he thinks is “winnable” and will support. The governor’s comments, which followed an unrelated Capitol press conference, mark the first time Hickenlooper has told reporters he supports the specific tax initiative tied to a school funding overhaul that advocates have recently decided to pursue. The two-tiered tax hike — which will have a greater impact on higher wage earn-
ers — would fund Senate Bill 213, the “Future School Finance Act,” so long as voters approve a ballot initiative that will create about $950 million in new taxes. “I’m not sure it was my exact preference,” said Hickenlooper, referring to the tax proposal that was chosen by education groups last month. “But the bottom line is, you gotta have something on (the ballot) that’s winnable.” The Democratic governor added that “it’s just not worth all the trouble and work if you’re going to go to the ballot and lose.” “So, within … that array of ballot language that conceivably can win, I think this is the best.” Hickenlooper has been pressed to confirm his support for the tax hike since he signed Senate Bill 213 into law in May. He told reporters after the signing that he had his preferences on what the tax would look
like, but he would not share them. The governor did say at the time that he “certainly” would campaign for the ballot effort, whatever it ended up looking like. Hickenlooper said on July 10 that he’s spent the last month having conversations with business leaders about the tax initiative “It’s a complex issue, and in the majority of the cases, once we get the facts out there, they’re pretty supportive,” the governor said. If funded, the new school finance act would create full-day kindergarten, provide preschool for at-risk children, and would put more money into needs-based programs for special education students and children who are learning English. The act also aims to increase per-pupil funding for school districts across the state in a more equitable fashion than the cur-
rent system allows. Initiative 22 will ask Colorado voters in November to approve an increase in the state income tax, which is now 4.63 percent for all Coloradans. Under Initiative 22, residents who make up to $75,000 a year would see their rate rise to 5 percent. Income above that level would be taxed at 5.9 percent. Ballot organizers have until Aug. 5 to collect 86,105 valid signatures for the initiative to be placed on the ballot.
Printed on recycled newsprint. Please recycle this copy.