Wheat Ridge City Council discusses homeless court participation and more

BY JO DAVIS JDAVIS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Wheat Ridge City Council heard a report on the homeless court, court marshals and more from newly appointed Municipal Court Judge Christopher Randall at a recent meeting.

In the homeless court update at the July 24 Wheat Ridge City Council meeting, Randall described how a two-year-old special court — the homeless court — was having trouble with attendance. The homeless court was created to help and adjudicate the homeless community, with their special circumstances in mind.

Randall said that attendance has been an issue because “people are scared to come to court because of the jail.”

The municipal court’s solution, which will be implemented soon, is a community court in which the judge will dispatch a staff member to a location within the community.

Randall will remain at the court while the staff member connects the unhoused person to the court via a laptop and Wi-Fi. Judge Randall said the goal is to bring the court to the people.

In another update, the judge mentioned a council approved a Special Populations Fund.

The court has $10,000 in the fund that can be distributed as needed to what the judge called “indigent people.”

When people come to homeless court and they need additional services, the fund covers

38 38 it. This includes drug and alcohol evaluations and classes, among other things, according to Randall.

Randall added that the court has plenty of Special Population funds left.

The judge also discussed another role the court created to help retrieve restitution for victims owed that money through court proceedings.

Called “court marshals,” the officers of the court have the power to serve people who are delinquent on their restitution. If the person does not show up to court, then a warrant is issued and they are arrested.

The person is then forced to answer to the court for becoming delinquent.

The current court marshals are three retired Wheat Ridge officers. Their duties also include building security, court security and handling what Randall described as “First Amendment

Other happenings during the council meeting

• A proclamation for Catherine Marinelli’s Mayor Bud Starker recognized the executive director of Metro Mayor’s Council for her 28 years of service. Catherine Marinelli day is now July 24, 2023, in the city of Wheat Ridge.

• A new development in the Wadsworth Project. The last update was about the conveyance of an easement needed for the Wadsworth Project. Leftover from that land transaction was a parcel of land. The Foothills Housing Authority requested it for use in one of their developments known as The Ives and the city approved it.

For more information on the Wheat Ridge City Council, check out Wheat Ridge Speaks or catch a replay of the entire meeting at Wheat Ridge Channel 8 on YouTube.

Evergreen Jazz Festival celebrates 20 years

BY TEDDY JACOBSEN TJACOBSEN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

After the rst Evergreen Jazz Festival in 2001, organizers and musicians alike were not sure whether there would be a second. Now, 22 years and 19 festivals later, the event is stronger than ever.

e 20th anniversary Evergreen Jazz Festival July 28-30 hosted around 2,000 people, according to Jim Reiners, the festival’s marketing director. e music was endless from Friday to Sunday across ve venues in town with a mix of local and national bands.

Reiners is the last of the original seven event organizers. He said attendance and nances were the most signi cant issues for the rst event.

“ e rst one was a marvelous musical event and a nancial disaster,” Reiners said.

e seven organizers decided to take 2002 o to develop a fundraising and business plan. Since then, the festival has marched on yearly, only missing one more due to the pandemic.

Festival organizers also tout the high caliber of performers who participate in the festival each year. Reiners said that expectations started from the beginning with the founder of the event, Sterling Nelson, who died in 2020. Nelson selected which bands played each year.

Many of the musicians that performed this year had a long history with the event. Jon-Erik Kellso, trumpeter and leader of James Dapogny’s Chicago Jazz Band, said they performed at the rst festival in 2001.

After Refacing