August 5, 2021
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JEFFERSON COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
GoldenTranscript.net
VOLUME 155 | ISSUE 33
Masks for under-12 Jeffco students District releases new guidelines for beginning of school year STAFF REPORT
much higher heat levels than could be achieved in a normal backyard compost pile. That’s important, Bortles said, because it allows bones and other items that compost slowly and only at high temperatures to be put into the bins. In total, Woody’s is now composting about 10,000 pounds in waste each month, according to its website. “We like to brag that we are composting the weight of a 737 airplane every year,” said Bortles. But while composting has become second nature at Woody’s, it’s still a curiosity for many residents. However, the city is hoping that will soon change in a big way now
On July 30, the Jeffco School district released updated COVID protocols for the start of the 2021 school year requiring students ages 3 to 11 to wear masks in all schools while indoors. The new guidelines take effect Aug. 17, the first day of the fall semester. The district’s policy aligns with updated advice from Jefferson County Public Health (JCPH), recommending all people return to wearing masks indoors regardless of vaccination status due to substantial transmission rates of COVID-19 and the highly infectious nature of the Delta variant. Once a student becomes fully vaccinated (currently eligible at age 12 or older) masks are recommended, but not required. Despite nearly 74% of people 12 and older in Jefferson County having received at least one COVID vaccine, the district’s message to families is that safety and keeping students in school are their primary concerns. The district’s communication to families said JCPH has indicated that they will strictly enforce quarantine guidelines for COVID
SEE COMPOST, P5
SEE SCHOOLS, P10
John Hicks lifts a shovel full of composting material at the Golden Community Garden on July 30.
PHOTO BY PAUL ALBANI-BURGIO
Meet the pile people As Golden adds composting service, these residents have long been committed to the practice BY PAUL ALBANI-BURGIO PALBANIBURGIO@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
“People will be surprised how little trash they generate.” That’s one of the first things Woody’s Wood Fired Pizza owner Jon Bortles says people can expect to learn if they start composting. And Bortles would know. About six years ago, his pizza spot started composting everything it could. That waste, which includes every-
COMPOST COMMENCEMENT Republic Services is set to take over as the city’s waste collector in September. All users will have access to compost pick-up starting then. thing from kitchen scraps to leftover pizza and salad to the restaurant’s compostable takeout boxes and straws, is all now deposited by staff into a huge bin behind the restaurant. “The way we train our staff is if it was once alive then you can compost it,” he said. “So, whether it’s a plant or an animal it can be commercially composted.” Twice a week, a truck comes and picks up the waste and transports into a facility that composts it at
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 12 | LIFE: PAGE 14 | CALENDAR: PAGE 17
NEW PLACES TO PLAY New breed of entertainment centers offer food, brews, fun P14