Golden delays decision over moving summertime events after public criticism
Golden's City Council Tuesday night put off the idea of pushing changes to popular summertime events after doing a doubletake on city staff recommendations.
"People come from all over for this event, please, please don't destroy it, which is what I see happening," said Bob Bush, President of Buffalo Bill Days, as he addressed the council.
The council was mulling over a memorandum produced by the city that called for changes to well-known summer events.
"Staff would plan to work with organizers on identifying alternative locations, seasons and/or days," indicated the memo about Buffalo Bill Days. The festival has been a presence in Golden for decades. In addition, the memo called on city staff to move the Golden Farmer's Market, "To find an alternative location or day," said the memo. The Farmer's Market operates on summer weekends, bringing people in from all over. Two other summer festivals, involving the arts might also be affected.
The city has been concerned about staffing up events in the Clear Creek Corridor that run through the middle of town. Summertime events have grown far more popular since 2012, including a great increase in the number of tubers using the creek on weekends when there are also events in the area. In 2022, there were multiple issues of city staffers having to remediate contaminated dumpsters, trash, security gaps and parking support.
"We've been talking for some time now in this city about the changes we've experienced and the increasing summer tourist season," said mayor Laura Weinberg. "We've been hearing from residents that all of the visitors in increasing numbers are increasing their quality of life."
The memorandum says, "Continuing the status quo of hosting events on Saturdays and Sundays along the Clear Creek corridor during the crowded months of July and August is not projected to be sustainable from a parking, trash, park protection, city business or quality of life perspective."
At the council meeting, dozens of people spoke against pushing the events to change locations or dates.
"I am here to defend tradition. And Golden is a town of history and I feel like we are not acknowledging that at all," said resident Eric Vera. Elizabeth Battilla, owner of Adventure West Tubing said she hoped for a solution that could allow all activities to remain. "I believe that events and tubing bring diversity, especially socio-economic and racial diversity to Golden."
Tubing, she pointed out, also brought money into the local businesses as the events have done and tubing companies have increased safety. She also suggested, "It is time to put limits on public tubers."
The city itself is limited in its ability to close access to the creek for reasons beyond high water, contaminants or emergency operations, but regulating that access still remains within the realm of possibility. Business owners and residents who attended the meeting expressed frustration over the way the city conveyed the potential of change.
"I feel like there's a major disconnect or lack of continuity between the city administration, city council and citizens," said Vera.
"Festival organizers noted that it was too close to the summer event season to think about change, noting that they had been planning this year's events for months and any changes would bring hardship. I would say that communication about this particular meeting tonight could have been more broadly communicated," said Rick Souders, a member of the board of directors at the Foothills Arts Center. Council member Don Cameron said in reference to the memo, "It really did say let's move the events and let's accommodate tubers and I definitely heard the message that that is not what the community wants."
After listening to the public comment, the council favored the gathering of more information and public input in 2023 over any changes and said it would look at it instead in reference to 2024.
