July 24, 2014 VOLU M E 9 0 | I S S UE 49
LakewoodSentinel.com A publication of
J E F F E R S O N C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O
Gaging stormwater improvements North Dry Gulch ID’d as needing work By Clarke Reader
creader@colorado communitymedia.com During the Monday, July 21, city council workshop Jay Hutchison, director of public works, updated council on stormwater issues in the city, with a focus on the North Dry Gulch area. Hutchison said that stormwater fees started for Lakewood residents in 1998 and the funds go to routine maintenance,
stormwater quality requirements, matching Urban Drainage and Flood Control District funds and progress on improvements. The utility fee applies to all property types, with a rate that was set in 1998. Hutchison added that the fees usually bring in around $2.5 million per year. “There are both drainageway improvements and local drainage issues that need to be addressed,” he said. “The effects of these ranges from property damage and injury to inconvenience and concern.” North Dry Gulch, which starts around the Whitlock Recreation Center and follows Colfax Ave. to the JCRS shopping center, ending at Harlan and 13th, holds the
top three positions on the priority projects list, according to Hutchison. “We have an opportunity to make things better for people in the 100-year floodplain area and reduce the properties affected by it,” he said. “We have the funds to do this over a long period of time, so the question is how quickly do we want it done?” Hutchison said that Lakewood residents pay one of the lowest stormwater utility fees in the state, and added there are many different ways the city can look at addressing the North Dry Gulch problems. While there was no official action taken, council directed the issue to move to at least two study sessions, to get more infor-
mation and decide what — if any action — should be taken in regards to the project. “Our job is to protect the future for our residents and I think this is something we need to look at,” said Ward 2 councilwoman Cindy Baroway. Ward 1 councilwoman Ramey Johnson echoed Baroway’s statements, adding that it is council’s job as leaders to think long term for the city. “It affects a lot of our residents and we need to consider all options,” she said. The next council meeting is a study regular meeting at 7 p.m. on July 28 at Civic Center South, 480 S. Allison Parkway.
Uncertain status
Courts and clerks debate as gay marriage ban poised to fall Staff Report
Visitors stop by booths at the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design’s Water Tower art market on July 19. Booths were run by students, staff and local artists. Photos by Clarke Reader
Crafting a new market RMCAD hosts Watertower market By Clarke Reader
creader@colorado communitymedia.com Burgeoning artists get their starts in classrooms at Rocky Mountain College of Arts and Design, and those same students had the chance to sell their wares at the Watertower Art + Craft Market. The market, which was held on the campus on July 19, featured not only students but staff and other local artists. “This is a great opportunity for our local artists,” said Dave Hoblick, director of admissions at RMCAD. “We have 30 vendors and bands, 40 West Arts is putting on a kid’s corner and we’re showing people around the campus.” Booths were set up all over the campus, with a variety of styles and wares for sale with the artists on hand to chat with shoppers. “This is nice to have because it’s a challenge to find good places to display,” said Steve Smith, the owner of ArtToyz in Golden and a professor at RMCAD. “Finding gallery space is very difficult and the whole art fair thing can
Visitors stop by booths at the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design’s Water Tower art market on July 19. Booths were run by students, staff and local artists. be very complicated.” Smith said he would like to see more art fairs around the community, and envisions something like the South by Southwest music festival. “A lot of the festivals we see around do cater to new technology and innovations,” he said. “This is a great opportu-
nity for us.” Hoblick said that more and more businesses are getting involved in the market and the feedback from artists has been very positive. “It’s not just about RMCAD — we’re excited about our entire community and the future of the event,” he said.
The state Supreme Court ordered clerks in Adams and Denver counties July 18 to stop issuing gay marriage licenses — the latest development in an ongoing samesex marriage court battle being fought on several fronts. But the ruling does not impact the counties of Boulder and Pueblo, where clerks have been issuing gay marriage licenses on the heels of recent court decisions that were victories for those who support marriage equality. Attorney General John Suthers, a Republican who opposes same-sex marriage, asked the court to intervene in order to avoid “legal chaos” amid the court decisions. One case involved a Boulder County District Court judge’s July 10 denial of Suthers’ request to prevent the Boulder County clerk from issuing “invalid” marriage licenses. Clerk Hillary Hall had been issuing licenses to gay couples in Boulder since a U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals judge ruled late last month that Utah could not prevent gay couples from getting married there. The court for the 10th circuit, which includes Colorado, stayed its ruling until the U.S. Supreme Court weighs in. Immediately after the court’s ruling, the Denver County Clerk’s Office began issuing same-sex marriage licenses. However, that has been put to an end now that the state Supreme Court has sided with Suthers’ position that the issuing of marriage licenses must halt until there is closure on the issue of the state’s gay marriage ban. The ruling only impacts Adams and Denver counties because they are involved in litigation having to do directly with the question of the constitutionality of the state’s ban on gay marriage. An Adams County judge in that case ruled on July 9 that the state’s ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional. However, the judge stayed his order, knowing the issue would be dealt with by a higher court. Although the state Supreme Court’s decision only impacts clerks in Denver and Adams counties, the Attorney General’s Office said it hopes that clerks in other parts of the state follow suit. “We assume that all the state’s clerks will heed the Supreme Court’s direction without requiring more wasteful litigation,” the AG’s office said in an emailed statement.