$1.00
July 8, 2021
JEFFERSON COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
JeffcoTranscript.com
VOLUME 37 | ISSUE 50
ENDING FOR AN ICON
Remembering Officer Gordon Beesley Friends recall a caring husband, father, dedicated colleague — and drummer BY RYAN DUNN RDUNN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Officer Gordon Beesley was going through motorcycle training with the Arvada Police Department when he was asked to maneuver through an obstacle course, round a cone and return at speed as part of a test. Beesley completed the course, approached the cone Beesley and laid the motorcycle down to round the cone before the bike “high sided” and sent him airborne. SEE BEESLEY, P8
Demolition at the White Fence Farm site in Lakewood. Crews began demolition and clearing of the seven-acre site to make way for development of apartments. The restaurant and attached petting zoo closed its doors for good in 2018. See story and more PHOTO BY BOB WOOLEY photos, page 6.
Lakewood Visual Preference Survey tackles West Colfax City seeks input on making important corridor safer for pedestrians BY BOB WOOLEY BWOOLEY@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
The Lakewood West Colfax Safety Project, a municipal effort “to create
a safer and more comfortable experience for pedestrians, transit users and motorists on iconic West Colfax Avenue in Lakewood between Sheridan and Wadsworth boulevards”, is looking for resident input in choosing design elements for the corridor. Lakewood residents can log on to Lakewoodtogether.org to take a Visual Preference survey. The survey asks you to describe the existing character of the cor-
ridor in the area from Teller Street to Harlan Street, and from Harlan to Sheridan Boulevard. It also asks for your top two choices on design of elements like lighting, medians, bus stop amenities, pedestrian buffers and where you can safely cross the street. Those who take the survey are provided several options for each category and are given visual references (photos) of streetscapes from
other cities to help inform their choices. Aside from pure aesthetics, the survey lists the practical reasons for the different categories of changes proposed. For example, it says lighting, a top priority from a previous survey about what improvements residents would like to see, creates numerous benefits to various users. SEE SURVEY, P2
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 12 | LIFE: PAGE 14 | CALENDAR: PAGE 17 | SPORTS: PAGE 20
SPOKES FOR FOLKS
Rounding up some great Front Range trails for cyclists P14