SUMMER

However, as Assistant City Manager Carly Lorentz described, creating a wristband system might not be feasible. e city doesn’t have any solid plan for distribution or enforcement yet, but sta will be exploring that plan’s feasibility over the next two months, Lorentz con rmed Feb. 3.

But, city o cials feel something needs to be done to ensure creek users’ safety, speci cally to emphasize wearing life jackets and helmets. Collecting data on usage is another motive.

In the coming weeks, Lorentz said her team will meet with stakeholder groups to gather more summertime management ideas for Clear Creek, including a community meeting March 30. Time and location haven’t been nalized yet, but Lorentz invited all Goldenites to attend.

From there, sta members will meet with City Council during an April 11 work session to discuss summertime creek management ideas and general community feedback.

Whatever new measures, if any, the city implements this year, Weinberg said Golden must give people enough notice before the summer kicks o .

Changes in 2022

Since 2012, creek visitation has increased year-over-year.

Last summer, Golden’s sales tax revenues were up from 2020 and 2021, and the creek and surrounding trails saw record use. One of the busiest days was July 4, as there were 1,524 trail users by Lions Park Ballelds and 799 in the creek between noon and 1 p.m.

Going into summer 2022, the city implemented paid parking along 10th Street and striping along the trail, both of which seemed to be e ective. Other changes helped to varying degrees, according to city sta . e city turned the lot between the ball elds and whitewater park into a drop-o lot and ADA-accessible parking for summer 2022 to mini- mize “tailgating behavior,” as Lorentz described. e city received mixed feedback about the change, and she believed the roll-out wasn’t well-executed.

Parking management on the west side of 10th Street, in general, has been an ongoing conversation. People are driving around, looking for places to park, creating a very slowmoving tra c jam, she described.

Potential plans for 2023

One change proposed for summer 2023 is increasing the cost of parking tickets. Lorentz said that, because it was only a $30 ticket, sometimes people preferred to just pay the ne rather than nd alternate parking. So, increasing the fee would disincentivize that behavior.

Along with paid park rangers and seasonal code enforcement sta , Lorentz said the city’s looking for more volunteers to serve as creek ambassadors. Rather than enforcement, they will focus on educating visitors. Overall, she said, the city wants to develop volunteer opportunities along the creek, such as community clean-up days or something similar. e councilors generally liked the idea of weekly or monthly clean-up days, saying some Goldenites are already doing it informally. e city turn them into o cial events, councilors suggested.

Why doesn’t the city just close the creek?

During the Jan. 24 meeting, when discussing downtown’s summertime events, Goldenites suggested the city close the creek during events or other busy days. at way, those attending the events wouldn’t have to compete with the tubers to visit downtown, and vice versa.

However, city o cials explained that, because Clear Creek is stateowned water, the city’s ability to close the creek is very restrictive.

Lorentz explained on Feb. 3 how the exact language seemed to be written with dangerous water conditions in mind. It centers on “health and safety concerns,” Lorentz said, adding how the city’s working with the state to determine whether the number of visitors constitutes such a concern.

Golden closed the creek during part of the COVID-19 pandemic, but Lorentz explained how that required “a lot of back-and-forth and convincing” before state o cials were willing to support it.

“It’s di cult to prove a health or safety risk in the eyes of the state

(outside of high water conditions),” she continued.

Some City Councilors acknowledged it can feel like tubers are taking over the corridor, impacting users’ experiences. However, they emphasized how much the Golden community prioritizes the area’s natural resources and access to outdoor recreation.

Mayor Laura Weinberg said it’s the city’s responsibility to “continue to make Golden a welcoming place for everyone.” at includes making the Clear Creek corridor “safe, comfortable and available,” she stated.