by Tim Carl, Development & Transportation Director
comments open from March 18 until April 6

At Jefferson County Planning & Zoning, we have been looking to find ways to further improve our front-counter service for building permit review and zoning permit issuance. To that end, we have installed new digital signature pads that, along with our permit and development application software, can now assist customers more efficiently.

The days of handwritten applications will soon be coming to a close at Jefferson County. Instead of filling out that handwritten application, a customer checks in with a receptionist at our front counter and explains what they want to obtain. We ask for essential information specific to the permit (i.e. property address, type of request, zoning, snow and wind load, etc.) and fill in specific fields on the electronic application. Once completed, the county employee can generate a finalized application and the applicant can sign the document – inserting his or her signature onto the electronic application. The document can then be stored electronically and printed out for the applicant, along with a permit number and receipt associated with any applicable fees.

The current way of doing business requires a citizen to fill out a one- to two-page form with multiple boxes and questions and then wait to be assisted by a planner or permit technician. As a result, these applications can have fields that have incorrect responses and result in potential delays during the permit review process.

How about an efficiency savings? Customer’s wait times have been cut in half and applicants can be assured that their application will be filled out correctly and processed accordingly. With the old process, customers would have to spend several minutes completing an application and then may have to wait an additional five to seven minutes before being helped.

Our new paperless application system makes us the first county in the Denver Metro area to offer such a service and we look forward to improving customers’ experiences at Jefferson County. For more information, please contact Planning & Zoning at 303-271-8700 or through our Web site.

by District Attorney Scott Storey
comments open from March 17 until April 5

Jefferson County District Attorney Scott Storey is warning parents that there is a new way for predators to meet kids online.

What is ChatRoulette? If your teen has web cam and they visit the Web site, all they need do is say that they are 16-years-old (whether they are or not). Their Web cam is connected to a Web cam of a random stranger. Either person can decide to chat and watch the other, or hit the “next” button. The wheel spins again to reveal another stranger. As a parent, imagine your child sitting in the perceived safety of his/her bedroom while an infinite number of strangers are lined up in the hall to go into the room and meet with your child face-to-face. That’s ChatRoulette in a nutshell.

This new “web cam-based” social networking site can be far more dangerous and addictive than more popular sites like Facebook and MySpace.

The District Attorney’s Child Sex Offender Internet Investigations (CSOII) Unit takes a proactive approach to online predators. “Kids are our best source of intelligence,” says Investigator Harris. "We learned about this site from students at a presentation we did at Jefferson Academy."

Investigator Harris says, “Our biggest concern is that you never know who is capturing your video at the other end. When any information – video, text or photo – is sent into cyberspace, it is gone forever.”

Read the full release for more information on this technology. To learn more about Internet safety, see the District Attorney Web site.

by Public Information
comments open from March 16 until April 4

Jefferson County, in partnership with the city of Arvada, is launching a new series of short online videos called “Jefferson County Insights” to help inform citizens about everything from how their tax bills are calculated to the importance of dog licensing. The videos are available at www.jeffco.us and will appear on Arvada’s KATV Channel 8.

Through the partnership, Jeffco staff generate ideas for videos and then work with KATV staff to produce, write, film and edit the videos, which will average about five minutes in length. Wendy Brockman, former KWGN-TV news anchor, hosts the program.

“Citizen participation is essential to effective government, and Jefferson County wants to encourage involvement,” said Commissioner Kathy Hartman, chairman of the Board of County Commissioners. “Through KATV’s excellent and professional production, Jefferson County Insights offers citizens a new way to stay informed.”

The first three videos are already available on the county’s Media-on-Demand Web site and are about the county in general, the Board of County Commissioners and an explanation of tax bills from Jeffco Treasurer Tim Kauffman. New videos will be available throughout the year.

Jefferson County Insights is part of a broader effort by Jefferson County to bring more information to citizens online. Since early 2009, the Board of County Commissioners has rebroadcast its hearings on the Jeffco Web site. Each meeting is posted with its agenda, minutes and other supporting documents. Recently, the Planning Commission also began to rebroadcast its meetings and make them available at the same location. In addition to commission meetings and episodes of Jefferson County Insights, visitors to the Jeffco Media-on-Demand page can find videos of groundbreakings, news conferences and other community events.

If you have ideas for topics to appear on Jefferson County Insights, please contact the Public Information Office at 303-271-8512 or transparentjeffco@jeffco.us. For more information, contact Citizen Involvement Coordinator Jennifer Kostka at jkostka@jeffco.us or 303-271-8521.

by Public Information
comments open from March 15 until April 4

The eastbound 6th Avenue on-ramp at Indiana Street will be closed during night time hours on Tuesday, March 16, Wednesday, March 17 and Thursday, March 18 to allow West Corridor crews to set forms on the south side of the Indiana Bridge. The closures will be in effect each night beginning at 9:00 p.m. and reopening the following morning at 5:30 a.m. This activity is scheduled during night time hours to minimize impacts on the traveling public. Motorists can access 6th Avenue via the south Frontage Road or Colfax Avenue during these closures.

We appreciate your cooperation during this activity and apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Scheduled dates are subject to change and are weather dependent. While it’s not anticipated to have crews in the area continuously from now until completion of construction, the phasing of future activities will require crews to be moving in and out from now until West Corridor light rail construction is completed in late 2012.

For complete up-to-date information on upcoming construction activities, access the Construction Information Page for the West Corridor on the FasTracks Web site. For questions or additional construction information please contact Kathy Berumen, Denver Transit Construction group at 303-626-6762.

And don't forget about the parking closures at the Jefferson County Administration and Courts Facility due to the construction starting on-campus. Read the full press release for all of the details.

by Public Information
comments open from March 12 until March 31

Starting Monday, light rail construction will impact parking at the Administration and Courts Facility.

RTD FasTracks West Corridor construction will begin in earnest this Saturday, March 13, at the Jefferson County Government Center. By Monday morning March 15, the new parking lot between the Sheriff’s and District Attorney’s Offices will open and the “overflow” parking lots on the southwest side of the campus will close.

Temporary signs will be posted directing the public. Overflow public parking will be directed to the new lot. Drivers of county vehicles have been asked to park in the new lot. Employees of the Administration and Courts Facility are encouraged to park their personal vehicles in the new lot as well.

The pedestrian walkways in this area also will be closed. Pedestrians should keep to the northeast side of the road, away from construction.

To ensure the safety of employees and visitors, West Corridor crews will install fencing to delineate between the construction zone and the Jefferson County Government Center campus. Construction will last for about 18 months.

Because bad weather and the availability of materials can affect construction schedules, the dates noted in this announcement could change.

by Lynn Johnson, Human Services Director
comments open from March 11 until March 30

Dust off those running shoes, grab your kids and register for the annual Edgerunner 5K hosted by Jefferson County Human Services and The City of Edgewater to be held May 8, 2010, from 8:00 a.m. until noon at Jefferson High School, located at 2305 Pierce St. Edgewater, CO 80214. Due to popular demand, the Edgerunner 5K will be hosted in conjunction with the Community Resource Fair offering participants the chance to support Foster Care and gain tremendous knowledge about valuable community resources.

The Edgerunner 5K raises awareness about the need for foster care homes in local communities and supports efforts to keep foster care children connected to their schools, culture and families. After the race there will be a rich variety of foster care and adoptive resources available to the community. This is an excellent opportunity to learn how you can support children in Jefferson County. The Edgerunner 5K will begin with the kid run at 8:15 a.m. and the adult run at 8:30 a.m. The Edgewater Fire Department pancake breakfast follows at 8:30 a.m.

The Community Resource Fair will begin at 9:00 a.m. and is coordinated by the staff of Jefferson County Department of Human Services as well as other community agencies. The Community Resource Fair provides a one-stop opportunity for residents and businesses to learn about, and take advantage of, the quality community resources available within Jefferson County. Community agencies and businesses from in and around Jefferson County will provide information and answer questions regarding their services. Services are diverse and include: senior services, mental health services, disability services, cultural services, family centered services and basic needs.

The fair is free to everyone and is an excellent opportunity to learn more about the businesses within the local community. In addition, there will be cultural performances, free food, refreshments and door prizes. This is a family-friendly fair that includes a Kids Corner featuring face painting and other interactive activities for parents to do with their children.

We aim to root our community with resources and awareness. Please mark your calendars for a day of connecting, learning and having fun. Visit www.edgerunner5K.com to register as a volunteer, to sponsor a youth, to run in the race or to register as a business vendor for the fair.

by Mark Danner, Jefferson County Fairgrounds Director
comments open from March 3 until March 22

Wow - I can do that at the Fairgrounds! The Fairgrounds is open 7 days a week? These types of questions and reactions are things that the Fairgrounds' staff hear regularly. The fact is that the Fairgrounds hosts over 5,500 event days annually, 7 days a week from 7:00 am – 10:00 pm. Clydesdales to conferences, bulls to banquets, rodeos to receptions, RV’s to rallies, picnics to parties . . . we do it all!

A few of the upcoming events for March:

March 3: Republican Central Committee Meeting
March 6: Team Penning/Sorting
March 6: Children’s Clothing Consignment Sale
March 10: Dog Agility and Obedience Training
March 11: Bridge Tournament
March 13: Wilderness First Aid Training
March 19: Doll and Antique Show
March 21: Colorado Walleyes Show
March 27: Jefferson Action Center, Beautiful Junk Sale
March 27: Your Horse in the Backcountry Seminar
March 31: FEMA Training
March 31: Team Roping

Check out our Web site for over 100 other offerings in the month of March (click on “Events Calendar" in the red bar on the left).

Call us to inquire about your event needs. Class reunion? Family birthday party? RV site? Corporate picnic? Job fair? Car show? You get the picture . . . bring your event idea to life at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds! See you soon!

You can find us at 15200 West 6th Avenue (6th and Indiana) in Golden; call us at 303-271-6600; or on the Web.

by Public Information
comments open from March 1 until March 20

With the weather cooperating, West Corridor construction is moving forward rapidly. Bridge construction is on track and crews are in the first stages of welding rail for trackway.

Current and Ongoing Activities in Area 1 (Jeffco Government Center to Denver Federal Center): Construction in Area 1 is maintaining a steady pace.
>> The drainage culvert at Ulysses will be completed this month and crews plan to move into street and wall construction.
>> Construction of retaining walls along 6th Avenue, west of Union, continues.
>> Deck work on the Colfax Bridge is ongoing, requiring intermittent lane closures on Colfax.
>> Crews will be moving back onto I-70 this week to remove the traffic control devices, replace them with guardrail and restore the area to its prior condition.
>> Work on the northwest side of the Indiana Bridge will pause while construction continues on the southeast side.
>> A new traffic signal is in place at the intersection of Arbutus and the 6th Avenue Frontage Road, near Red Rocks Community College.
>> While not visible to the public, work on the foundations for the Overhead Catenary System (the poles that will hold the wires to power the light rail) have begun in Area 1.

Upcoming Activities
In early March, West Corridor crews plan to begin work on the tunnel under Union. This work will be done during nighttime hours to minimize traffic impacts.
>> Crews expect to begin relocation of the CDOT sign over eastbound 6th Avenue in March. This activity will close the left-hand lanes of 6th Avenue in both directions.
>> Work on the retaining walls at the Jefferson County Government Center could begin in March. The existing bike path, south of the Government Center, will close for this activity and pedestrians and bikers will be redirected down Johnson Road to Fossil Trace Golf Course.

To get the latest information on construction and road closures, connect to the West Corridor Web site.

by Todd Leopold, Administrative Services Director
comments open from February 26 to March 17

If you have visited or driven by the Jefferson County Government Campus recently you may have noticed a great deal of construction along 6th Avenue. This is part of the Regional Transportation District’s (RTD) West Corridor light rail project, which is anticipated to begin operation in 2013.

The light rail line will begin service downtown, have stops along 13th Avenue, the Federal Center, and 6th Avenue, and ultimately, have an end-of-line station on the campus of the Jefferson County Administration and Courts Facility.

However, a great deal of construction remains and some of the biggest efforts are soon coming to the county campus. Initial work, which begins March 2010, includes major dirt work to make room for the three-story parking garage and end of line station. This will result in the county having to relocate some existing surface-area parking spaces to another parking lot on campus while construction continues over the next 18-24 months.

The county will be making every effort to provide adequate parking and signage around the campus for citizens who may be conducting business at the Administration and Courts Facility during this time. Watch for additional updates on the progress of the light rail station as it continues.

by Public Information
comments open from February 24 until March 15

The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office is updating information on their Web site as it is available.

Also, school and counseling information is available on the Web site for Jeffco Public Schools.

by Pam Anderson, Clerk & Recorder
comments open from February 23 until March 14

In a public hearing today, the Board of County Commissioners adopted a resolution presented by the Jefferson County Clerk and Recorder to conduct the August 10, 2010, Primary Election as a mail ballot election. Although Jefferson County has conducted all mail ballot elections in every odd-numbered year since 1993, this marks the first time the county will conduct an even-year election by mail ballot.

Legislation passed by the Colorado General Assembly in 2009 allowed for this move, which will save Jefferson County between 40-50 percent of the cost of conducting a polling place election in August. The change also closely reflects voter preference in Jefferson County over the past several years.

“Ninety-four percent of the people who voted in the 2008 Primary Election chose to cast their ballot by mail, even when polling places were available,” said Clerk and Recorder Pam Anderson. “Based on that information, the potential cost savings to the county’s taxpayers and the public comments we’ve received over the last few weeks, we are very pleased to be able to use this model for our Primary Election.”

Between January 29 and February 12, the County Clerk & Recorder received public comment on whether to conduct the Primary Election by mail ballot. Ninety-six percent of public feedback submitted to the Clerk and Recorder’s Office was in support of this election model.

“It was important to hear from Jeffco citizens before making this decision,” said Anderson. “We also met with the county chairs of both major parties as well as representatives from the League of Women Voters, and all responded positively,” she added.

Mail Ballot Elections provide a convenient means for voters to participate in elections and has increased voter participation in elections. Seventy percent of active registered voters in Jefferson County have already declared a preference to permanently vote by mail ballot.

Ballots for the Primary Election will be mailed to voters beginning the week of July 19 in advance of the August 10 Primary.

Please visit www.votejeffco.com for more information.

by Tim Carl, Development & Transportation Director
comments open from February 22 until March 13

The Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport will be celebrating its 50th Anniversary this year. Established in 1960, the Airport provides a unique geographic location that serves urban, rural and mountain communities. Metro Airport averages over 180,000 operations a year. An amazing milestone for one of Colorado’s busiest general aviation airports. In fact, the Airport ranks as the fourth busiest airport in Colorado, behind Centennial and Colorado Springs.

Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport™ has the unique distinction of being owned and operated by Jefferson County, Colorado. More importantly, the airport essentially exists as a self-funded enterprise that relies on revenue from leases and fuel sales among other things. The Airport does not receive any general tax revenue, nor is airport revenue used for county purposes. The airport has been a part of the Development & Transportation Department for over three years.

To improve overall efficiency of air traffic, the Airport began construction on a new Air Traffic Control Tower in March 2009. Completion of the new, 132-foot-tall tower is expected in October 2010. In addition, the Airport continues to provide many benefits to local business and industry, and supports economic development throughout the County and region.

This year, we will be holding a wonderful Air and Aviation Show along with special events that coordinate with the Airports 50th Anniversary. We continue to look forward to serving our many customers and hope that you will celebrate with us this coming year. Look for more blog postings and articles over the coming months.

by Public Information
comments open from February 19 until March 10

Adams, Arapahoe and Jefferson Counties are honored and proud to serve the needs of military families through Family Tree, a not-for-profit agency. Family Tree Military Family Assistance Programs provide military families with community services, resources and limited financial assistance.

This support includes employment services, housing, food, clothing, counseling and education to aid in the stabilization of these families.

Program participants must reside in Adams, Arapahoe or Jefferson County and meet one of the following criteria:
>> Veterans and active duty personnel with children
>> Spouses and ex-spouses with children of active duty personnel or veterans
>> Widows/widowers with children of veterans
>> Active duty personnel and veterans who are non-custodial parents

For more information, see the full press release.

by Public Information
comments open from February 18 until March 9

Interested in how Jefferson County forms policies and procedures at Open Space parks? Want to have input into where the county’s scientific and cultural grants go? Have ideas about what 4-H, horticulture and environmental educational programs should be offered at Jeffco’s CSU Extension Office?

Apply to join one of the county’s boards and commissions that help to make these and other important decisions.

The Board of County Commissioners appoints more than 300 citizens to serve on 15 boards and commissions. Members study issues in depth, oversee and make recommendations regarding specific county functions, and assist in governing Jefferson County.

The county is accepting applications through March 1, and new appointments are planned for March 31. The current openings are:

Board of Adjustment - 4 openings
Board of Health - 1 opening
Board of Review - 2 openings
Citizen Review Panel - 3 openings
Community Service Advisory Board – 1 opening
CSU Extension Advisory Board - 6 openings
Developmental Disabilities Resource Center - 1 opening
Fair Advisory Board - 2 openings
Historical Commission – 1 opening
Library Board - 3 openings
Open Space Advisory Committee - 4 openings
Planning Commission - 3 openings
Scientific & Cultural Facilities District - 1 opening
Tri-County Workforce Investment Board - 5 openings

Help shape your county’s future. Join a Jeffco board or commission!

For more information or to apply, e-mail the commissioners.

by Public Information
comments open from February 17 until March 8

Need a little caffeine to get you going? Maybe just a little snack? Jefferson County has a brand new coffee bar to help you out there with a great story and an even better purpose.

"Training Grounds" is a collaboration between Jefferson County Human Services, Warren Tech Culinary Arts, Jefferson County Workforce Center and Jeffco Public Schools Transition Services.

Jeffco transition students, with special needs partner with TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) employees, develop customer service skills, learn to operate a cash register, serve lattes, breakfast burritos, brownies and snacks – all with a smile.

Training Grounds is not in it for the profits. Their prices are lower than Starbucks and the training for Jeffco students is invaluable.

"This is a great example of how true partnerships work and a wonderful opportunity to help our citizens improve their work skills,” said Lynn Johnson, executive director, Jefferson County Human Services. “This initiative helps people from all walks of life better their situation."

This is a win-win-win for everyone involved and you are invited to be part of this wonderful partnership. Training Grounds is open for business in the Laramie Building, 3500 Illinois Street on the Jefferson County Government Campus in Golden. The coffee bar is located on the first floor, behind the elevators. Hours of operation are 8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Please note that they are continuing to add items and expand their offerings over time, and not all food items on their menu are available yet.

Come and support this wonderful operation and witness the team "Brewing Bright Futures."