December 18, 2014 VOLU M E 1 49 | I S S UE 2 | 5 0 ¢
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County passes new senior housing option Some foothills residents not happy with zoning change By Amy Woodward
awoodward@colorado communitymedia.com It took a few refinements and many meetings but the board of county commissioners gave a green light for a revised zoning resolution that lessens restrictions for the development and use of Accessory Dwelling Units in unincorporated Jeffco. ADU’s are a second unit accessory to a main house that may be attached or separate from the primary property, and contains a kitchen. A lengthy review of the ADU zoning regulation headed by county staff was heavily influenced by Aging Well Project in Jeffco, a strategic planning group that focuses on preparing the
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county for the expected increase in its senior population. “The Aging Well in Jefferson County’s Housing Workgroup is very pleased with the Board of County Commissioners’ approval to make changes to the ordinances regarding ADUs,” said Susan Franklin, project manager for Aging Well in Jeffco. “The Housing Workgroup has worked on this for years, doing research and providing information to the Planning and Zoning Department,” she said. “This is another option for seniors to age in place or near a caregiver. We applaud the Board for their thoughtful consideration of seniors and others in the community.” Updated criteria for ADU’s in unincorporated Jeffco includes; allowing ADUs on lots between 7,500 sq. ft. up to one acre, a maximum height of 25 feet or height of existing structure, whichever is less; no more than three people living in an ADU, the owner of the property must reside in either the ADU or the primary unit. Some foothills residents and HOA representatives were left with concerns regarding enforcement of the number of required persons living in an ADU and site designs for properties over one acre. “We ask you to be lease be sure that your actions today provide the mountain areas with the same level of protection to our natural resources and thus our property values and lifestyle as afforded by the community plans now in effect,” said Jim Pennington of Conifer to the Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday, Dec. 10. “We believe the staff
Housing continues on Page 7
GOLDEN TRANSCRIPT (ISSN 0746-6382)
OFFICE: 722 Washington Ave, Unit 210 Golden, CO 80401 PHONE: 303-566-4100 A legal newspaper of general circulation in Jefferson County, Colorado, the Golden Transcript is published weekly on Thursday by Mile High Newspapers, 722 Washington Ave, Unit 210, Golden, CO 80401. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT GOLDEN, COLORADO and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address change to: 722 Washington Ave, Unit 210 Golden, CO 80401 DEADLINES: Display: Fri. 11 a.m. Legal: Fri. 11 a.m. | Classified: Mon. 5 p.m. GE T SOCIAL WITH US
P L EA SE R ECYC L E T H I S C OPY
Breakfast with the big guy
Briella Kiefer, 5, meets Santa Claus at the annual Breakfast with Santa event at the Table Mountain Inn on Saturday, Dec. 13. The breakfast was sold out with 152 tickets purchased. The Golden Chamber of Commerce is working toward additional dates for the event next year. Local merchants sponsored the breakfast including the city of Golden, Adio Chiropractic, Centennial Bank, Golden Marketing, the Hampton Inn, Mahnke Autobody, New Age Real Estate, Safeway, McDonalds and VisitGolden.com. Photo by Amy Woodward
Jeffco GOP begins Teachers receive search for Griffin’s compensation update replacement By Crystal Anderson
canderson@colorado communitymedia.com
Staff Report The vacancy committee for the Jeffco Republican party has begun the process to replace County Commissioner Faye Griffin who won the Nov. 4 election for Jeffco Clerk and Recorder. Griffin is scheduled to leave her commissioner position halfway through her second term, and start her new position on Jan. 13, giving the Jeffco GOP a month to find her replacement. “The Jefferson County Republican Party is prepared to meet Colorado statutory requirements to replace the commissioner and we will work to make the transition as smooth as possible,” said E.V. Leyendecker, Jeffco GOP chairman. “We will complete
the process and fill the position within 10 days of her vacancy as county commissioner.” Applications to be considered as commissioner for District 1 will be accepted until Monday, Dec. 29. This is not the first time the vacancy committee has had to step in to find Griffin’s replacement. When elected as county treasurer, she later left the position after two years to pursue her campaign for county commissioner. Republican Tim Kauffman was selected to fill her remaining term as treasurer. Interested parties living in District 1 (everything roughly north of State Highway 58) who may want to apply are urged to visit jeffcorepublicans.com for further
In November, 5,353 Jeffco teachers received a boost in their compensation — something they haven’t seen in nearly four years. “My hope would be that new teachers come in … and we look at our current teachers in Jeffco … and say what is our average pay level for that role,” said Board President Ken Witt. “Bring them in recognizing that experience and that education, and now, going forward, their performance will dictate how they move through our system — like any professional.” The compensation comes following the September decision to step away from the district’s salary schedule pay plan, and follows a new, evaluation based model. A far cry from the origi-
nal model, the new plan still has some missing details, such as how to pay for additional work days, advanced degrees and paying for different teacher positions, outside their contracted job. “I think the model that’s been put forward in this district is moving towards quicker acceleration (along the pay scale) if you’re a highly effective teacher,” said Superintendent Dan McMinimee. In 2010, Jeffco teachers worked with the board of education to place a 3 percent freeze on their salaries, to help keep money flowing into their classrooms. This school year, the board allocated $18 million dollars for teacher compensation, tying those funds their evaluations, something that hadn’t
Teachers continues on Page 7