The next board meeting is April 21 at 4 p.m.! Please join us at 955 Moss Street.

If you’re new here, I’m Laura! I’m the Vice President of the Pleasant View Metro District board of directors. This newsletter reflects my own opinions and experiences and is not an official district communication. You can find out more about me and this newsletter here.

The Short Version

First, I want to acknowledge that I’m not providing the accountability and public engagement that’s really important to me and is why I ran. I have been dealing with several personal issues. Hopefully it’s understandable that I’ve prioritized my family, but I do know that’s come at a cost to doing these newsletters regularly and responding to your calls/texts/emails like I would like to. I’m doing the best I can and I hope you can give me a little bit of grace. Ok, now on to the actual board meeting.

• The board appointed two new members, Dariusz Piwko and Dave Bohrman, who will be taking their oaths of office at the April meeting.

• We’re really close to hiring a management company to temporarily take over district manager duties like field rentals/park management/general customer service and public questions.

• The fire department worked with Golden Fire and Golden Gate Fire to put out a bid for emergency medical services. Starting in August, there will be a new ambulance company/EMTs/Paramedics serving Pleasant View from Platte Valley Ambulance.

• Joe Anderson, now the Board President, is researching the project scope and budget and what’s been paid so far for the parks maintenance building project. He will have answers at the next board meeting in April. (Thank you Joe!!)

• We had so many people show up to the meeting which I really appreciated as always. I heard concerns about transparency and accountability throughout this transitional period and that we need to do a better job - and we will.

The Long Version

Board Member Updates

The board appointed two members to fill the vacancies left in February.

We had five people submit letters of intent, which was admittedly fewer than I was hoping for. I don’t think the district did a good enough job of publicizing it either because we did not have access to the district Facebook account (this is getting fixed this week). I personally didn’t do as much outreach as I wanted to because of aforementioned personal issues I’ve been dealing with.

The first person we appointed is Dariusz Piwko. Dariusz has been a volunteer firefighter with Pleasant View for a decade and also works for Arvada Fire. I voted to appoint him because he has a wealth of experience in the fire service, including at small departments that have merged into larger ones. He proactively asked for resources to learn about how special districts worked. He’s a long-time Pleasant View resident and is the kind of person who knows all his neighbors, which is also important to me. Transparently, Dariusz was also one of my instructors at fire academy. He has high standards, is passionate and empathetic, and leads by example. I’m really excited to have him join the board.

Dave Bohrman was my other vote and also appointed. Many people in the audience had reservations that he is the spouse of another current board member, Jay Shaw. Honestly, after having a married couple in the district manager/board president position previously, I was extremely wary of having another married couple on the board. I did not know Dave was Jay’s husband when initially reading the letters of intent as I wanted to stay neutral and fairly evaluate everyone. Dave’s letter was thoughtful and outlined his experience with leading large teams and budgets as well as expertise in marketing and communications. I think these are all areas that we need help in. I also appreciate his approach to what he wants to see Pleasant View do differently and better.

Now that the board meeting is over, the letters of intent are public record. You can read Dave’s here and Dariusz’ here.

Both Dariusz and Dave will have to run and be elected by a vote of the people at the May 2027 election. If you’re interested in running in May to be a board member, or if you just have general election questions, please let me know! I’m happy to help answer and get as many people involved in local government as possible.

District Management Company

The board has been exploring hiring a professional management company to fill in temporarily for district manager duties.

The law firm the district uses recommended Public Alliance. Another board member interviewed them and did a site visit to discuss Pleasant View’s needs, and I’ve been working with them to properly scope the potential duties for a management company.

The Pleasant View Water and Sanitation President spoke during public comment about his concerns with his district’s use of Public Alliance. He shared they did not deliver an onsite district manager as contracted, only a remote contractor. They also did not respond to a contract in a timely manner which cost the district more than $5,000 for not being able to cancel the contract in time.

I heard those concerns and really appreciated that context. I had heard of the sanitation district’s experience, so asked our lawyers as well as multiple references from Public Alliance about their concerns and experience. The metro district’s lawyers chalked the issues of how the scope was defined. The references I spoke with spoke very highly of Public Alliance, and one in particular referenced their experience with districts in transition like Pleasant View currently is.

The contract our lawyers have drafted make it pretty easy to terminate without much notice and I’ve been working closely with the fire chief and other board members to make sure we are defining the scope of their work very specifically. Based on our research, this company is (in my personal opinion) the best option to try. This isn’t going to be permanent, and we urgently need someone to step in to manage the district, provide customer service, ensure field/facility rental contracts are being honored, and more.

Emergency Medical Services (EMS)

Pleasant View, along with Golden and Golden Gate Canyon fire departments, contracts out its emergency medical services. That means Pleasant View doesn’t own any ambulances or directly employ EMTs or paramedics.

For the last several years, Stadium Medical has held the EMS contract. The fire chief at Pleasant View worked with Golden and Golden Gate to re-bid the contract this year and chose Platte Valley Ambulance Service. The contract should be finalized in August, so you won’t see any changes until then.

I’m excited about Platte Valley. They are owned by Intermountain Health, so have a broader medical scope - this means better care for people who call 911 in Pleasant View. My day job is being an EMT and district administrator at an ambulance station, and several of our volunteers have worked or currently work at Platte Valley. I think they’re great providers so I’m excited to welcome Platte Valley to Pleasant View.

Upcoming Pleasant View Events

Some of our neighbors are putting on an Easter Egg Hunt at Orchard Park on the morning of April 4. If you want to participate, let me know! I will connect you with the person organizing.

Support one of our local elementary schools by signing up for the Welchester Soar 5k on April 25! There is a kids fun run and a 5k run/walk. All proceeds benefit the Welchester PTA, which provides critical funding for teachers and students. Welchester is a Title I school, which means most of the families are low-income, so it’s extra important to support if you can! If you can’t sign up for the 5k, there’s an option to donate on the website too. Sign up today: https://runsignup.com/Race/CO/Golden/WelchesterSOAR5k

Thank you and see you in April!

Please let me know if I missed anything or if you have other questions. Email me at lauraforpleasantview@gmail.com or call or text me at 720-675-8093. I will be slow to respond but I will respond, I promise!

Board Member Qualifications

To qualify, you must:

• Live or own property in Pleasant View

• Be registered to vote in Colorado

We are especially interested in board members who have professional experience in finance, accounting, or economics. Experience with public outreach, local government, or public parks is preferred but not required. If you are excited to be involved in improving your community, please apply regardless of professional experience!

Length of Commitment

Board members serve four year terms. However, the people who fill these vacancies will be up for election in May 2027. This is because vacancies are filled without a vote of the people. The current board of directors will appoint new board members by majority vote at the March 31 board meeting.

How to Apply for the Board

Submit a brief (one page or less) Letter of Intent to Fire Chief Chris Malmgren at cmalmgren@pleasantviewfire.com.

The Letter of Intent should include:

• A brief introduction of who you are

• Why you want to be on the board

• What makes you a good candidate

Email your letter by March 24, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. local time to cmalmgren@pleasantviewfire.com.

Letters will be forwarded to the current board of directors review. Candidates will be chosen at the March 31 board meeting by a majority vote of the current board of directors.

District Manager Vacancy

Another pressing issue is the vacancy of district manager. The public doesn’t have anyone to reach out to, we don’t have anyone managing field and facility rentals, and the fire chief is paying bills and doing payroll on top of his full-time duties as chief.

I say all of this to reiterate that I realize how urgent of an issue it is to fill this position. At the March 3 special board meeting, we appointed a two-person committee to make faster progress on this.

Unfortunately, the district lawyer has advised us that board members cannot fulfill the duties of district manager even as volunteers. But I do hear your concerns and want to get temporary, part-time help to address these gaps ASAP.

Myself and one other board member are working with the fire chief to fill this position as quickly as possible. We both work full-time and have kids but we are doing our best, I promise! Please continue to let me know your questions and concerns. I’ll keep you updated!

The next board meeting is March 3 at 3 p.m.! Please join us at 955 Moss Street.

If you’re new here, I’m Laura! I’m the Vice President of the Pleasant View Metro District board of directors. This newsletter reflects my own opinions and experiences and is not an official district communication. You can find out more about me and this newsletter here.

The Short Version

• In January, the board discussed how to move forward with long-term planning and financial forecasting for the district.

• District staff agreed to have a form of a financial forecast by the February meeting. This would include a timeline for when expenses and revenue predictions would be done; whether current staffing could handle that work; and what additional costs would be necessary.

• The board agreed to research alternate revenue sources; how the new development in the district would change property tax revenue; and the level surrounding districts levy taxes for which services.

• The majority of the board felt that communicating at all between meetings was inappropriate, except for contacting the board president and district manager with requests for agenda topics.

• In February, I was on vacation and missed the meeting. The district manager, board president, board treasurer, and the contracted secretary all resigned effective immediately. This was not on the agenda for the meeting and seemed to take everyone by surprise who was there.

• The fire chief is currently making sure payroll and bills are all paid. The parks staff are maintaining the parks as normal. But expect delays in communication unfortunately.

• The board is holding a special meeting on March 3 to discuss options for filling the district manager vacancy, the board director vacancies, and the vacancy for the secretary who took meeting minutes. Please join us March 3 at 3 p.m.

The Long Version

General District Updates

January Meeting

Thank you to the multiple members of the public who came to the January board meeting. It was a long meeting on a weeknight and I really appreciate Keith, Laura, and Sam for coming out after work to participate in local government! I personally think it helped improve board conduct significantly, even if it wasn’t perfect.

February Meeting and New Open Positions

I wasn’t at the February meeting and have not made time to listen to the recording yet, so I can’t speak to why those employees and board members resigned.

However, I do want to be transparent about my priorities for filling all of these vacancies and hear your thoughts.

For all of the positions, it’s most important to me to have a transparent process that prioritizes high-quality candidates who are passionate about serving the public.

It’s important to me that residents have someone to contact so your questions get answered and needs met. I also want to make sure our partners who rent ball fields and other facilities still have a good experience with Pleasant View and want to continue investing in our community.

I want the board vacancy process to be as transparent and well-publicized as possible. One of my biggest concerns when running for the board was the lack of information available to the public about how to nominate themselves for the board. I want to change that this time around.

Transparency and public engagement feel especially important to me now since board vacancies are filled by a majority vote of the board and not a vote of the people. People can vote on those positions at the next election, which will be May 2027. But until then, I want to make sure you all know what’s going on and feel like you have input. I want my vote to represent what you all want as best as possible.

If you’re able to attend the March 3 meeting, you’ll learn alongside myself and the rest of the board what the different options are for filling the employee vacancies and the board vacancies. SO many people that I meet door knocking would be great board members, so please reach out to me if you’re interested and/or attend the March 3 board meeting!

Fire Department Updates

The new breathing apparatuses are here and have been put into training! I stopped by the fire station recently and the new straps/harnesses fit everyone so much better and all the firefighters were really excited about the new equipment. They will take some getting used to like anything new, but you should see them out on the streets soon!

Retired Reserve Program

Dariusz, a volunteer firefighter (and Pleasant View neighbor!) shared a proposal at the January meeting to create a retired reserve volunteer program. This would allow volunteers who work full-time for other fire departments to volunteer in a smaller, but still critically important role.

Active volunteers must serve at least 36 hours per month at the fire station. This may not sound like a lot, but I quickly learned as a volunteer myself that it is a huge commitment.

The retired reserve program would allow volunteers to serve in a more limited role without being eligible for a pension. They could cover officer shifts they are qualified for and continue to participate in training and continuing education to share their expertise with other volunteers and paid firefighters at Pleasant View.

Many of these long-time volunteers who are eligible for the program are what makes Pleasant View Fire such a special department. I think this is also great to give them a way to continue to share their knowledge and wonderful presence at the station. The only additional cost is continuing to cover the retired reserve volunteers on the district’s worker’s compensation insurance.

Questions From You

Thank you to everyone who calls/texts/emails your questions about Pleasant View! I often don’t have an immediate fix for them, but I hope you at least feel heard. As always, let me know how I can do better!

Cameras at Orchard Park

Several neighbors have reached out to me with photos and questions about cameras installed at Orchard Park. One is on the pavilion and one is in a large tree by the playground. I don’t know what these cameras are for or where they go to, but I will ask about it at the March 17 board meeting.

Without the district manager, it may be hard to find out the thinking behind the cameras, but I should hopefully be able to figure out where the video feeds are going; if we still need them; and how to responsibly inform the public about their presence.

Community Clean-ups

Our neighbor Assaf is interested in organizing more community clean-ups. He is doing a great job of engaging with the county to figure out who is responsible for road side clean-ups. In the meantime, he is also looking for people who are interested in doing regular clean-ups along the roads and sidewalks of Pleasant View.

I’ve noticed the same garbage and trash issues along the busier roads in our community and am excited to help out as I can. I need to help sort out the board and staff vacancies first, though, so please tell me if you’re interested and I’ll connect you with Assaf. I’ve committed to donating one month of my board stipend ($100) to supplies like pickers and safety vests.

Pleasant View Community Church

Pleasant View historian Rick Gardner reached out to me about the historic Pleasant View Community church, most recently the former Rack Attack business building. The building will likely be demolished as part of QuikTrip’s development of the site. Rick shared a lot of interesting Pleasant View history and wanted to make sure the community knew about this opportunity. The church itself could be moved to a different site if another developer was interested. I’ve shared Rick’s historical information here if you want to find out more and connect with him!

Thank you and see you in March!

The last few months have frankly been a whirlwind for me personally, at work, and with the district board. Thanks for your patience for this update!!

Please let me know if I missed anything or if you have other questions. Email me at lauraforpleasantview@gmail.com or call or text me at 720-675-8093.

The next board meeting is January 20 at 4 p.m.! Please join us at 955 Moss Street.

If you’re new here, I’m Laura! I’m the Vice President of the Pleasant View Metro District board of directors. This newsletter reflects my own opinions and experiences and is not an official district communication. You can find out more about me and this newsletter here.

The Short Version

• This meeting focused on wrapping up the 2025 budget and adopting the final 2026 budget. Mostly admin-type things that you don’t see in person — not parks projects or more fire department events, but still important work!

• My biggest challenge on the board currently is being treated with basic dignity and professionalism. I don’t expect us all to agree or even get along, but I do expect everyone to treat each other with kindness. I am continually interrupted and accused of being combative for simply trying to have a discussion or add items to the agenda.

• Related to that, I was not able to discuss my concerns with our accounting vendor. I made a motion to add a discussion to the agenda, but the board was split 2-2 and it was tabled until the January meeting.

• The board adopted a budget amendment for 2025 to pay for two projects with capital reserves: new self-contained breathing apparatus for the firefighters and a parks maintenance building in Camp George.

• Work is moving forward on that maintenance building, so you may notice that construction by the parking lot in Camp George starting soon.

The Long Version

Professionalism

When I joined the board, I knew we would disagree and not always get along. That comes with the territory and I think having many opinions is a valuable way to get to better outcomes. However, I have been really disappointed with the lack of professionalism and respect at meetings more recently. All I expect is to be allowed to finish a thought, to discuss differing opinions or concerns, and for us to all act like grown-ups.

I believe public servants are elected to serve the public, not to shut down any new ideas and attempt to maintain a status quo that the people of Pleasant View clearly weren’t happy with prior to the last election. As a community, we deserve a board that operates effectively and transparently to serve the people of our district. Public trust is earned not given, and you deserve a board that is genuinely trying to do things better to serve the people of Pleasant View.

As difficult as it is to try to push for us to do better in an environment of so little professionalism, I’ll continue to use my voice on the board to try to continue to improve things in a respectful but insistent way, because it’s the right thing to do.

Please keep sharing your concerns with me, and as you’re able, I would love to see more people from the community attend board meetings to share what you want to see from the board with the board and district staff.

2025 and 2026 Budget Follow-up

Last month, I referenced a few questions I had about this year and next year’s budget. Here’s the quick follow-up:

• $12,000 in miscellaneous income was an error. The $651 we have received so far is the only miscellaneous income the district will receive. This was budgeted correctly for 2026.

• The district has received approximately $136,000 in interest income instead of the budgeted $2,820. The budgeted amount was an error and the $136,000 is the normal expected amount. This was budgeted correctly for 2026.

• The 2026 final budget did not differ from the draft in November. The district staff did a great job of budgeting below the initial numbers provided by the county assessor. When the final valuation came in, it was slightly lower, but the budget was already reflective of that.

You can view the December financial reports here.

I’ll share a final version of the adopted 2026 budget once I have it, but it hasn’t changed from the November version here.

Pleasant View’s Financial Sustainability

As I’ve addressed in previous newsletters, Pleasant View’s expenses are outpacing its property tax income. I’d like to have a better idea of what this actually means, and I asked for the district’s accounting firm to provide a financial forecast. I haven’t received that forecast and didn’t have the votes to discuss that at the board meeting.

Our district and community are in uncertain times, and it’s more important than ever to have responsible and transparent leadership on the board. I attempted to put an item on the agenda to discuss why we don’t have a financial forecast of our revenues and expenses to help us figure out the best path forward for the district and to communicate that to the community. But that agenda item was not added because the vote to approve it was 2-2.

I genuinely cannot understand why we wouldn’t want to work with our accounting firm to better understand our financial future, and frankly I think it’s irresponsible and negligent of the board not to at least be working toward that.

The board has requested study sessions (basically a meeting without any voting, just discussing) with West Metro Fire and Golden Fire.

I also want to consider other services outside of just fire - Pleasant View has been proudly independent for decades, but I hear more and more from neighbors that they want more services. The biggest complaint I hear against being part of a city is that residents would not get more services with higher property taxes. I don’t think that’s true, but it would be useful to understand, for our available options, what the difference in property taxes would actually be.

Prospect Parks and Recreation District is our neighboring parks district in Applewood on the east side of South Table Mountain. The board has also asked the district staff to explore that option. Camp George, Westblade, and Orchard Park are all owned by the county, so that could complicate merging into another parks district. But we’re looking into it.

I know Pleasant View has gone through a tremendous amount of change just in the last five years, and this is another big, possibly scary-sounding, change. I want to hear from you what your concerns are, what your priorities are, and if there’s anything we’re missing. Reach out any time!

This discussion will be a focus of the January and February 2026 board meetings. I know 4 p.m. on a weekday is a tough time to come, but if you can, please do!

The next board meeting is December 9 at 4 p.m.! Please join us at 955 Moss Street.

If you’re new here, I’m Laura! I’m the Vice President of the Pleasant View Metro District board of directors. You can find out more about me and this newsletter here.

The Short Version

• Thank you for your patience on this update! Between a busy time at work and the holidays, I am very behind!

• The housing project on the GLO Park site has officially halted! The state legislature’s feedback to the Governor’s office was based on the community’s engagement, so THANK YOU for your engagement. The Governor’s office is still considering alternative uses for the site, but this is a big win!

• I asked about ways that the meeting minutes could be more timely and transparent, but ultimately I was the only person interested in that. I hope this newsletter serves as a helpful substitute!

• The brand new sod laid down in Orchard Park got ripped up and left on the tennis courts. Call the district if you ever see activity like this so it can be fixed - (303) 277-9547, extension 202.

• Santa on the Truck is Sunday December 7!! Find his route here.

• The board approved the 2026 draft budget. You can see the budget here.

• The county is asking for input on transportation (including driving, public transit, walking, and biking). Make sure. Pleasant View’s voice is heard by taking the survey here.

The Long Version

Pleasant View Parks Updates

Camp George West/GLO Park

The Governor’s Office needed the state legislature’s Capital Development Committee to approve the housing project in order to proceed. Fortunately, that did not happen! You can watch the entire meeting recording here. The legislators took the community’s concerns very seriously and ultimately didn’t approve the new housing project because of that.

This is directly because of your engagement! We could not have done this without you. You all cared deeply and got involved - and your voices were heard.

Lu Cordova and the Governor’s Office are still pursuing other ideas for the project, like a secure government facility. Stay tuned for updates on that!

Orchard Park

The district *just* spent thousands of dollars putting in new sod to fill dead patches and holes in Orchard Park. Almost immediately, someone ripped up a big section and dumped it on the tennis courts. This is really frustrating.

If you ever see activity like this, report it to the district office at (303) 277-9547, extension 202. If the district found out faster, the sod could have been salvaged. Now it’s dead and we have to spend more money to fix it next year.

Parks Survey

The district manager did an amazing job making a public survey about what you want to see at Pleasant View parks. We’re revisiting it in January when everyone has more capacity to work on it. Thanks for your patience!

Pleasant View Fire Department Updates

Santa on the Truck is December 7!

Santa and his elves will be riding around Pleasant View on the fire truck starting at 9 am on December 7! You can see his route here.

If you hear sirens, you know they’re getting close! If you’re new to Pleasant View, Santa on the Truck is a community tradition every holiday season. It was one of the most fun things I did as a volunteer firefighter, and I hope to see you all out and about Sunday!

Pleasant View Budget Updates

The 2026 draft budget is here on Google Drive. I had one minor revision to remove the election expenses that were mistakenly added. The next election for board members is May 2027, so we won’t have expenses in 2026. (Are you interested in running in 2027? Reach out!)

There were no other major changes in the draft budget, and there was no public comment on the budget either.

For the 2025 budget, I want to know where a line item for $12,000 of miscellaneous income came from. We have only received $651 in miscellaneous income in 2025. The district staff said they needed to look into what that budget line item was for. That question should be addressed at the December board meeting.

As of October, the district was slightly over budget on expenses as well as income. The board already has to file a 2025 budget amendment because of the firefighters’ new SCBAs, which put us way over the budget originally adopted. I’m interested to see how the regular budget is looking at the December board meeting.

Park rental income is about double what was budgeted after the district raised fees to an appropriate level last year. There has also been significantly more interest income generated than planned, but I couldn’t get an exact answer on why that was.

Insurance and professional services are the largest expenses over budget. Hopefully they have stabilized and won’t continue increasing through the end of the year, but we’ll see at the December board meeting.

Pleasant View Community News

Jeffco Transportation Survey

The county is looking for input on transportation - including driving, walking, biking, and public transit. I don’t feel safe walking or biking pretty much anywhere in Pleasant View since we have so few sidewalks and crosswalks. I’ve also heard from many of you that the county has made a lot of promises to update South Golden Road that it never delivered on.

The best way to make your voice heard - again - is to fill out the county’s survey at this link.

Welchester Elementary Open House

Welchester Elementary, one of our neighborhood schools, is hosting an open house for prospective families on December 9 from 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. Please consider investing in our community and enrolling your kiddos at one of our neighborhood schools! Welchester is an amazing community and I have been blown away by how wonderful the principal, teachers, and staff are.

Ok, that’s it!

Please let me know if I missed anything or if you have other questions. Email me at lauraforpleasantview@gmail.com or call or text me at 720-675-8093.

The next metro district board meeting is on Tuesday, November 18 at 4 p.m. at 955 Moss Street! This includes a public hearing, or time for public comment, for you to provide feedback on next year’s budget.

You can review the draft budget here on Google Drive. '

Please let me know if you have any questions. Tuesday is your last chance to have input on the budget and Pleasant View’s spending priorities for 2026. If you would like the opportunity to attend the meeting virtually, please let me know! I think that might help more people attend but I’m curious if that’s actually something people are interested in.

GLO Park Update

There’s always an update! Pleasant View Metro District Board President Adrian Waller presented to the state legislature, as did Lu Cordova from the Governor’s Office, at the end of October.

You can re-watch the entire meeting here on the Colorado General Assembly website. Lu and Adrian presented to the Capital Development Committee, which needs to approve any changes to the GLO Park plan.

I was excited to see that none of the state legislators were particularly enthusiastic about changing direction, especially with community opposition. I’ve asked if that’s a correct interpretation but haven’t heard back. I’m taking it as a good sign for now!

Welchester Elementary Chili Cook-off

Welchester Elementary, one of our neighborhood schools, is hosting its annual chili cook-off and silent auction Thursday November 20 at 5 p.m.!!

I’m really excited to have more Pleasant View businesses (old and new!) be represented in the silent auction. We’ve received donations from:

• Barrels and Bottles (Brewer for a Day opportunity!!)

• Bowwow Boutique

• Pilates Revival

• My neighbor Roxie crocheted absolutely gorgeous newborn blankets

• And other local Golden, Lakewood, and Colorado businesses!

It’s not to late to join in, so if you have anything you’d like to donate (time, items, or from your local business) please reach out. Otherwise, I’ll see you at Welchester! This school is a really special community and I’d love to see more Pleasant View people be a part of it.

Save the Date - Santa on the Truck!

Pleasant View’s annual Santa on the Truck day is coming up December 7. The fire department will post Santa’s route in the next few weeks.

The next board meeting is November 18 at 4 p.m. and is your opportunity to provide feedback on the 2026 budget! Please join us at 955 Moss Street.

If you’re new here, I’m Laura! I’m the Vice President of the Pleasant View Metro District board of directors. You can find out more about me and this newsletter here.

The Short Version

• The board voted to use up to $400,000 of reserve funds to purchase new self-contained breathing apparatuses (SCBAs) for the firefighters. These are a literal lifeline and some of the most important equipment they need. The current SCBAs are old, constantly breaking, and need to be replaced.

• The state says they now have four housing proposals and zero lab proposals (previously 3 housing, 1 lab) for the GLO Park but will not share those proposals and do not have a timeline for when they will share them. Keep scrolling for more info on how to get involved!

• We’re going to try a new system of approving minutes (basically notes from the board meetings) so they can be posted to the district website faster for better transparency.

• The district’s expenses are growing faster than our tax revenue is. We started the discussion about what the best options for Pleasant View’s financial sustainability are, but there is much more research to be done.

• Join me at Barrels and Bottles on Saturday to raise money for Pleasant View families! The fire department buys gifts for local families in need with the proceeds from the event.

The Long Version

Pleasant View Fire Department Updates

The fire department has responded to 1,433 calls for help this year, with 166 calls in September. Firefighters work a 48-hour shift, so that’s about 11 responses per shift while trying to sleep, eat, do chores, and train.

Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus Purchase

Every firefighter uses a self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) to stay safe on the job. Pleasant View’s are old, constantly breaking, and badly need to be replaced.

You might be more familiar with SCUBA gear - the U stands for underwater. It’s a pretty similar system - an oxygen tank, connected by a tube to a regulator that’s connected to a mask so the person wearing it can breath.

Firefighters use SCBAs to breath in smokey and dangerous conditions where the air isn’t safe to breath. Fires release a lot of carcinogens even after they’re out, so wearing an SCBA keeps firefighters safe in a fire but also helps decrease cancer risks (firefighters are at a much higher risk of cancer because of their job).

In the photo below, the red arrows point to the air bottle, mask, and regulator that are all part of the system. It’s all connected in a backpack-like system.

Originally, we thought Pleasant View could place an order with a larger department to get better bulk pricing. But our current SCBAs won’t last long enough to order with another department.

The board approved up to $400,000 to purchase new packs, masks, and regulators (the piece that connects the mask to the tank) for every paid and volunteer firefighter. The air compressor to fill them also needs to be replaced, but the bulk of the expense is for the SCBAs themselves.

This is coming out of the district’s reserve funds. This type of purchase is exactly what the reserves are for, and I was glad to support a really critical equipment replacement. It’s obviously a LOT of money, so I’m happy to answer any questions or concerns you have - just reach out!

Agreement with Golden Fire for Inspections

Golden has officially adopted the inter-governmental agreement (IGA) with Pleasant View to provide us with fire inspection services. The 2026 contract provides just over 83 hours of services and will prioritize inspecting the highest-hazard buildings, like hotels and other large buildings.

Firefighter Testing

The fire department hosted a promotional testing day on October 25th to consider candidates for firefighter and engineer positions.

The engineer is the person who drives the fire engine and is in charge of pumping water that goes out to the hoses.

Everyone at the fire department is certified as a firefighter, but that specific title is used the entry-level paid positions at the station. Pleasant View has one officer (a lieutenant), one engineer, and at least one firefighter on every shift. Volunteers typically fill the second firefighter position.

The department will likely have an engineer position open in December. Internal candidates went through testing for that position as well as backfilling the firefighter position when someone is promoted to engineer. We have so many great people at the department and I’m excited to learn the results of testing!

Pleasant View Parks Updates

Camp George West

Illegally Removed Trees

Jefferson County Open Space is in charge of working with the developer to replace the trees illegally cut down last month, so I need to reach out to them for an update instead of our district manager. Stay tuned!

GLO Park/Housing Development

Lu Cordova with the Governor’s Office’s latest communication was that there are four housing proposals submitted for the former GLO Park site. However, she did not share the proposals or a timeline for sharing them.

I asked Lu today to provide an update and will share any additional information I get. She is providing an update to the state legislature on Thursday, October 30, at 9 a.m. Our board president, Adrian Waller, is providing community feedback after Lu’s update. You can find more information about the meeting here. I’ll be watching online and will provide a recap.

2026 Budget and Beyond

The district has budgeted for $3.3 million in revenue in 2026, with just over $3 million coming in from your property taxes. This number will likely change once the county assessor provides its final number in December. (This system admittedly does not make sense to me, but it’s just how the county does it)

I’m working on a survey with the board and district manager to better engage the community about what 2026 park maintenance and projects are important to you. I’ll have a draft survey at the November board meeting.

Bigger picture, the district staff expressed concerns about expenses growing faster than property tax revenue. The board and staff talked a lot about what our options are, ultimately deciding that we need to do more research to really understand our financial sustainability as a district.

In my personal opinion, this first means doing our due diligence to understand our current financial position and what the options are before presenting all of that information to the community to help guide our decisions. Nothing gets decided right away, or even in the next few months. Any major changes to the district will take a long time to figure out so we need to start that work now to make an informed decision.

If you have specific questions and concerns please reach out to me - I want to keep you informed without making anyone panic over uncertainty. If you don’t think I’m doing a good job of that, I want to hear that too!

I’d like to have an extra “study session” (basically a meeting of the board without voting on anything) to discuss this, or discuss it at the next board meeting. I’ll let you know what the board decides once I hear back from the other board members.

There were also some minor corrections and clarifying details we had for the draft budget proposal that will be changed for the November 21 board meeting. I asked the district manager how the public can view the draft budget now that the board has seen it. I’ll post it once I know! But please mark your calendar for the November 21 board meeting to share your feedback.

Community Events

The Orchard Park Picnic was awesome!!

Thank you SO SO much to Rachel and Steve, two neighbors who wanted to bring our community together. I was blown away by how many people showed up on Saturday! It was a really wonderful confirmation that neighbors want to get to know each other, be there for each other, and build community.

People willingly spent their Saturday afternoon hanging out with strangers - people came on their own, with a partner or a friend, brought food from the store or made it from scratch. I brought the random snacks in my cabinet and added them to the community food table, set up a blanket, and watched my son run around with tons of other kids while meeting a bunch of new people!

Thank you again Rachel and Steve!!

Santa on the Truck Fundraiser Saturday November 1 at Barrels and Bottles

Every year, Barrels and Bottles makes a special beer to celebrate the Pleasant View Fire Department and raise money for Santa on the Truck! Pleasant View uses the funds raised to buy Christmas gifts for local families who need help affording presents for their kids. One of my first days at the fire station, I got to help wrap all the toys the department bought and it’s a really special event!

A percentage of sales from Saturday will go directly to Santa on the Truck, so please join us on Saturday at Barrels and Bottles! (They just got a new brunch menu that I’m very excited to finally try!)

If you’re on Facebook, you can RSVP here.

Ok, that’s it!

September was a long board meeting, and this was a long recap. Thanks for making it this far! Reach out any time with questions/comments/concerns and I hope to see you on November 18 at 4 p.m.!

Email me at lauraforpleasantview@gmail.com or call or text me at 720-675-8093.

Next, the state has received two applications for housing and one for labs at the GLO Park site. I asked Lu Cordova if she would share the applications and she said no. The Denver Post also featured our story!

And finally, one of our neighbors came up with a great idea to get together at Orchard Park this Saturday afternoon! Keep scrolling for more information on all three topics.

Next Year’s Budget

The Pleasant View Metro District board’s next meeting is *tomorrow* Tuesday, October 21 at 4 p.m.! This is the first of three meetings where we discuss the 2026 budget. (Apologies for the last minute notice!!)

You are always invited and welcome to attend the meeting, but I think these next few are the most important to help set the direction of the district for the next year. These are your tax dollars we’re deciding how to spend, so join us to learn more about where they’re going.

My Budget Questions for Discussion

I’m looking forward to discussing the below questions with the board and district staff. Do you have other questions you’d like me to ask? You can also join in person to make a comment or ask questions at the end of the meeting.

Both Departments

• 1-3 year goals for both the parks and fire department, and how the 2026 budget helps achieve/move toward those goals

• Where the 2025 budget stands (surplus, deficit, and context for why that is)

• It’s been brought up in a lot of meetings I have that a significant portion of our tax revenue comes from the Stevinson dealership’s properties. They currently pay taxes to both West Metro Fire and Pleasant View for fire protection. In the future, they could decide to go through the legal process to exclude themselves from Pleasant View. I’d like to discuss how (or if) we keep them in the district, or if they leave, what our financial plan is for the future without that tax revenue.

Fire

• Now that we’ve contracted with Golden for fire inspector services, how will fire inspector hours be budgeted/prioritized?

Parks

• What is the plan for community engagement for 2026 planned projects?

How to get involved in the budget discussion

First, why should you care? Because these are your tax dollars! The district receives some revenue from facilities rentals and grants, but almost the entire budget is from our property taxes. I think you should understand how that gets spent.

Tuesday, 10/21, is when the board discusses the draft budget proposal. It’s been prepared by the fire chief and the district manager. The public can view the draft budget after the board has viewed it and the district should let us know how you can do that after the meeting.

The November 18 district board meeting is the public hearing, when the public can make comments after having the last month to review the budget. This is the “speak now or forever hold your peace” moment!

The final step is on December 9 when the board formally adopts the final 2026 budget. At this point, things are set in stone and we have to submit a budget to the state by December 15, so it’s too late at this point to provide feedback.

GLO Park update

Lu Cordova from the Governor’s Office told the board president (Adrian) and I that the state has submissions for both housing and for labs at Camp George West.

The state’s RFQ said the information about submissions would be released October 6. I asked Lu why the information hadn’t been released yet and she said that “all dates were only guidelines” in the RFQ. She also said they have a “short list” of submissions and are putting together an announcement. That was 10 days ago.

The Denver Post recently interviewed Adrian and I about the GLO Park. I thought the article turned out well! Thank you to our neighbor Bryann for sending our story in and thanks to John Aguilar for covering it.

This project is also on the board meeting agenda for Tuesday October 21 so other board members may have more information to share on Tuesday. I’ll let you know!

Orchard Park get-together

I don’t know which neighbor started this, but someone had the wonderful idea of a neighborhood get-together at Orchard Park on Saturday! Bring your own snacks, games, and seating Saturday October 25 at 2:00 p.m. See you there!!

More Pleasant View Events

The Pleasant View Fire Department will also be part of two Trunk or Treats on Saturday!

Come see Engine 41 and the firefighters at Jeffcom 911 (our 911 dispatcher), located at 433 S Allison Pkwy, Lakewood, CO 80226, between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.

Pleasant View Fire will also be at our local VFW’s trunk or treat at 15625 W 10th Ave, Golden, CO 80401 from 3 - 5 p.m.

And! Save the date for Engine 41 day at Barrels and Bottles on November 1. Barrels and Bottles brews a special beer each winter named after Engine 41. Proceeds from the beer sales go toward the fire department’s Toys for Tots program!

The Short Version

• Pleasant View has officially established fire inspection services with the City of Golden

• A developer illegally cut down trees at Camp George West and will be required to replace them at their own cost

• The GLO Park meeting on September 9 had about 75 people attend and about 25 provide public comment. So far, we haven’t received any updates from the state about the project.

The Long Version

Pleasant View Fire Department Updates

The fire chief confirmed that Pleasant View would pay a flat hourly rate for the City of Golden to provide fire inspection services for all new buildings and for annual inspections on existing buildings. Any missed appointment or other penalty fees are paid for by the developer, not us.

This is a great step forward for keeping our community safe! Pleasant View doesn’t have the budget to employ a full-time fire inspector, but inspectors make sure buildings are safely and properly constructed. This decreases the risk of a fire happening in the first place, but also make sure firefighters are safe if responding to a fire. If a building isn’t built or maintained properly, firefighters can get trapped or miss victims.

We did not discuss the wildfire program this month as originally planned. I hope to get more information about the status of this program soon!

Pleasant View Parks Updates

Camp George West

Trees

The developer building townhouses on the west side of the park illegally cut down several mature cottonwood trees to improve the views from those houses. This is really upsetting for a number of reasons, but I was glad to see that the district manager and Jeffco Open Space (who owns the park) is already on it.

The developer will be replacing the trees at their own cost. I asked to make sure the trees aren’t getting replaced with little saplings, but there is a plan to replant as mature trees as possible. I don’t have a timeline for that yet.

GLO Park/State Housing Proposal

I recapped the community meeting about Camp George West here. Thank you so much to everyone who came and to everyone who made public comment!

Since that September 9 meeting, the state has not received any responses to its housing proposal. The deadline for responses is October 1, so I think that’s the next time I’ll have any information. Thank you for always being ready to speak up for Pleasant View!

Next Regular Board Meeting

The September board meeting was pretty quick, so that’s all I have to report back on! *BUT* the October board meeting is a really good one to attend. The district staff will present their draft 2026 budget.

The October Pleasant View Metro District board meeting is on October 21 at 4 p.m. at 955 Moss Street.

The district is mostly funded by our property tax, so this is a great time to get involved and make sure we know what the community’s priorities are! Stay tuned for more ways to make your voice heard.

Questions? Comments? Feedback?

I’d love to hear from you!

I’m a recently elected board member who started these updates as a private citizen to help the community stay informed. This newsletter only reflects my own opinion, not the other board members or the district.

Reach out to me any time at lauraforpleasantview@gmail.com or 720-675-8093.

Presentation from the Governor’s Office

The meeting started with Lu Cordova from Governor Polis’ office providing background information and an update about the project. The state released it’s Request for Qualifications (RFQ), which you can read here, at the beginning of September.

The northwest corner of Camp George West was originally going to be developed into renewable energy labs, otherwise known as the GLO Park. There was a land swap several years ago that ultimately resulted in the state getting the Camp George parcel; Jefferson County Open Space getting more land on South Table Mountain for trails and a parking lot; and the federal government getting the site of the former minimum-security prison on South Golden Road.

This plan started during the Biden administration, but as the Trump administration rolled back support for renewable energy, NREL could no longer move into the GLO Park buildings. At the same time, private industry was also no longer interested in moving into the buildings, particularly without NREL’s presence.

The GLO Park labs were now in limbo for an unknown amount of time. So the state began to rethink labs and housing to figure out what could be accomplished.

Lu acknowledged that given the lack of infrastructure and land’s location in a floodplain, this was a “low feasability” project. One person attended a site visit at the beginning of September. She characterized the RFQ as a way to see what’s possible before coming to the community, and that the project was very much up in the air.

In my personal opinion, that’s not the impression that the RFQ leaves. It has a very ambitious construction timeline and is extremely detailed, so it felt a bit disingenuous to say that. That’s just my two cents.

Lu did also reference possible federal government funding for community improvements, but that seemed contingent on housing actually getting built.

Lu did want to make sure everyone had her contact information. Her email is lu.cordova@state.co.us.

Community Feedback

To make sure everyone had a turn to speak, you had to sign up for public comment before the meeting began and were limited to three minutes. (Thank you to everyone who let me cut you off at three minutes without getting upset)

29 people made a comment, which echoed many concerns that have been brought up by the community in surveys, as the board has door knocked, and at the state’s last presentation to the county commission.

The themes I heard over and over were:

• The renewable energy labs were a good compromise.

  • They were only going to be occupied during the weekdays. Apartment buildings have many more people 24/7.

  • Renewable energy is a compelling research cause to many community members.

• Why give up on the renewable energy labs so quickly? It makes Governor Polis feel like a fair weather supporter of renewable energy. Political tides will change and we will lose the unique opportunity of co-locating the labs right next to NREL.

• Camp George West is one of the very few open spaces that is easily accessible to Pleasant View residents. It is already a valuable asset in its current state. And, the renewable energy labs would have incorporated the open space and allowed the use of parking on the weekends.

• People were disappointed this was not going to be affordable housing. Neighbors are well aware of the housing crisis and could have been more amenable to apartments that are specifically for low-income folks. It seems like all the current housing being built is luxury and extremely expensive.

• There won’t be any benefit to Pleasant View since we won’t receive property taxes. The district will receive no additional revenue but will still have to provide services to hundreds of new residents.

• Pleasant View desperately needs better infrastructure. The traffic on South Golden Road is at a crisis point. There are very few safe sidewalks and much of the community has no sidewalks at all. Biking and walking are dangerous and the bus is infrequent, so people are forced to drive and it’s feeling impossible to do that now too.

• Utilities were also a major concern brought up by multiple residents. Lena Gulch already floods the neighborhood downstream. The property in question is in a floodplain. There are no sewer or water connections to the property. The fire department is already stretched thin.

• It’s presumptuous of the state to describe the land in the RFQ as “under-utilized” and to describe the project as providing the community with a great asset when the community wasn’t consulted on the switch and has made it clear they don’t want it changed to housing.

• The switch of the proposal from labs to housing without consulting the community first feels like a bait and switch from the state government.

I did also really appreciate Bruce’s perspective. Bruce is a community member who works at NREL. He wants to live in Pleasant View, but was not able to find an affordable place to live.

I think this is a really important perspective to consider, because many many people want to be part of our community but simply can’t afford it. I have only lived here for five years and already could not afford to buy my house today if I had to. There are so many people that just weren’t lucky enough to move in earlier.

It is incredibly difficult to stand up in front of a room of people who don’t agree with you and speak vulnerably. People like Bruce and are housing crisis are why I’m glad there is more housing being built in Pleasant View. If we build more housing, housing will become more affordable. Demand is way surpassing supply currently, which is making housing costs high.

This project is complicated for me, because I feel strongly that we need more housing because everyone deserves a place to live. The community deserves to be involved in any changes in plans. And as development is inevitable, it’s also really important to me that we keep Camp George West as undeveloped as possible.

I don’t think the land swap should have happened in the first place, and now that the project has morphed into something very different, I want to protect the limited green space Pleasant View has. I want to make sure you all know where I stand as well, and I’m always happy to talk through complicated issues more.

How to get your questions answered

If you signed into the meeting and left your email address, you should have gotten an email from me already with Lu Cordova’s contact information.

If you haven’t received that email, I made a typo or misread your handwriting. You can reach Lu at lu.cordova@state.co.us.

Please reach out to me as well at lauraforpleasantview@gmail.com if you need anything at all!

What did I miss?

I’m sitting down to write this almost a week later, so if I’ve missed anything or misinterpreted anything, please reach out to let me know! This recap is based on my personal notes and recollection of the meeting and doesn’t necessarily reflect the metro district, fire department, or the board’s opinions.

Additional Context/Background Information

Please refer to these earlier posts for more background information about the project proposal and community involvement to date.

Despite the overwhelming community opposition, the state has decided to issue a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to developers for housing where the GLO Park research labs were supposed to go.

You can read the RFQ here under the “Attachments” tab: https://prd.co.cgiadvantage.com/PRDVSS1X1/Advantage4. If you click on the pdf title it will start downloading to your computer, just give it a second. If you can’t get the link to work, email me at lauraforpleasantview@gmail.com and I will email you a copy of the pdf.

So what can we do? Please show up to the September 9th community meeting at 7 p.m. at Camp George West to make your voice heard!

The state is moving forward, but also wanted to talk to the metro district board. Since any meeting of the board is public, the Pleasant View board called a special meeting to make sure the public would be part of this process. This meeting is in on September 9th at 7 p.m. in Building 48, the stone building at the Camp George West parking lot. There will be a public comment section after the state’s presentation. Please be ready to again provide public comment on the night of September 9th to make your voice heard!

I unfortunately don’t have any additional information from the state because they declined to provide it when I asked for updated plans, materials, or graphics. The most information we have is the RFQ from the state’s website. Here’s that link one more time: https://prd.co.cgiadvantage.com/PRDVSS1X1/Advantage4

My fellow board members will be out door knocking and distributing flyers this week to make sure everyone knows about this important community meeting. If you’d like to volunteer to help us, please reach out! We’d love help to reach as many neighbors as possible. Email me at lauraforpleasantview@gmail.com with your availability for evenings and weekends until September 9.

We’ve already shown the county that Pleasant View is small but mighty. Please keep up the pressure and make sure our community’s voice is heard.

If you need additional information about this project, please read my earlier posts:

I’m a recently elected board member who started these updates as a private citizen to help the community stay informed. Reach out to me any time at lauraforpleasantview@gmail.com or 720-675-8093.

The Short Version

• The fire department is still working on an agreement with the City of Golden for fire inspections on new buildings and annual inspections on existing buildings.

• The district manager and I tried to solve the blind spot on the eastern edge of Wolf Park’s sidewalk.

• New sprinkler lines have been added to Orchard Park to adequately cover the grassy areas.

• Staffing challenges prevented the district from further pursuing buying our own deck mower. The same challenges have prevented opening up the bathrooms at Orchard Park.

• As of the meeting, the state is moving forward with its housing project proposal where the GLO Park was supposed to be built for Camp George West. Save the date for a community meeting on September 9 at Camp George West at 7 p.m.!

• The fire department is working on a plan to improve wildfire response in Pleasant View.

The Long Version

General Metro District Updates

If you are confused about what the metro district is (hint: we’re not a city), go to my About page for a quick reminder!

Financial Reports

The district asked the board for feedback on how to make the monthly financial reports more helpful. The board asked for more accurate, contextualized reports to show how the district is tracking against its annual budget.

GLO Park/Camp George West Update

Despite the outpouring of public response at the county commissioner’s meeting, the state is still moving forward with its proposal.

The governor’s advisor working on the proposal asked for a board meeting to address the community, so please show up to on September 9 at 7 p.m. at Camp George West. You can hear the latest from the state and make public comment just like at the commissioner’s meeting.

Please make sure to keep making your voice heard! I’ll send out an email by Friday August 29 with all the meeting details, but for now, save the date and be ready to make a public comment again.

Pleasant View Parks Updates

Wolf Park

The district manager and I got together to look at the blind spot on the east side of Wolf Park. This was part of an effort to encourage people to use the sidewalk. Unfortunately, the blind spot is so far down the hill as you walk east that we couldn’t find a suitable mirror solution to fix it.

There are new signs for cyclists to slow down (please, cyclists, slow down!). I also passed along the idea from one neighbor to install boulders along the sidewalk to make it appear narrow and naturally slow folks down. We don’t currently have the budget for that, so if you have a construction site with some big rocks you’re trying to get rid of, please let me know!

Orchard Park

New sprinkler lines have been installed at Orchard Park to adequately cover the grassy areas. The steps leading down to the tennis courts have also been replaced, as well as the chain link fence lining the service road.

Last winter, before I became a board member, there had been discussion of opening the bathrooms at Orchard Park to people who rent the pavilions. Our previous parks maintenance person really spearheaded this effort and unfortunately as he moved onto a new job, we don’t have the same momentum or staffing capacity to make that happen.

Similarly, the same previous employee had the idea to purchase a deck mower and dedicate district staff time to doing some park mowing ourselves to ultimately save money. However, once the district looked at it, we also didn’t have the staffing capacity to handle that. Food for thought for the 2026 budget!

Pleasant View Fire Department Updates

Wildfires

Pleasant View responded to 27 grass/brush fires in 2024, up from only five in 2023. Our district is a prime example of the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) - residential areas and wildland vegetation - which makes us especially vulnerable to wildfires.

Pleasant View firefighters all got their “red card” certification this year to be fully trained on wildfire responses. Training Captain Oran Tool is also developing a program to deploy Pleasant View firefighters on other fires to gain valuable experience and generate supplemental income for the district.

The program is very much in the early planning stages, but it was exciting to see Pleasant View taking a proactive approach to improve our firefighters’ ability to protect our community. Captain Tool will have another update at the September board meeting.

Fire Inspections

Pleasant View is still working on an agreement with the City of Golden to provide a fire inspector for new construction and annual inspections on commercial buildings in our community.

The board had some concerns to the hourly fee rates provided by the city, particularly that the district would have to pay penalty rates if a business owner missed their appointment or needed to reschedule. The Pleasant View fire chief will revisit those terms with Golden and have another update at the September board meeting.

Community Clean-up Day

Thank you to everyone who joined my family and me at Westblade Park to clean up trash! My family and I were walking home from La Huacha a few weeks ago when my son commented that he wanted to have a community clean-up day. I thought I’d try to make it happen, and was so happy to see other neighbors join us!

Westblade Park has a lot of trash cans and free dog poop bags at park entrances, so we didn’t have a huge amount to clean up fortunately (but I did clean up several bags worth of dog poop!). A few of us reconvened for brunch at La Huacha afterward. It was a great to get to know more neighbors and see a few familiar faces too! Stay tuned for the next one!

GLO Park/Camp George West Meeting

Save the Date for September 9!

The state is still moving forward with its proposal to build housing instead of research labs (the GLO Park). The governor’s advisor working on the proposal has asked for a community meeting on September 9 to share more information and invite public feedback. Please join us at 7 p.m. on September 9th at Camp George West. We’ll be in the stone building at the main parking lot. More details to come!

Next Regular Board Meeting

The next regular board meeting is September 16th at 955 Moss Street. I’d love to see you there, but if you have to pick one, come to the September 9th meeting!

Questions? Comments? Feedback?

I love hearing from you! Reach out at lauraforpleasantview@gmail.com or 720-675-8093 (call or text). I am admittedly quite far behind on getting back to people from the GLO Park survey I sent out, but I will always answer you even if it takes a while!! Thanks for your patience, the Pleasant View board is a volunteer position in addition to my job elsewhere, so I appreciate you understanding!

Meet in the Westblade Park parking lot between 10:30 am - 11 am to pick up trash in and around the park until noon. Meet your neighbors and be part of making Pleasant View even better!

I’ll bring: black trash bags

You bring: gloves and water

This isn't an official event of the Pleasant View Metro District. Participating is up to you and at your own risk!

Please send me a message if you’re coming. You can text or call me at 720-675-8093.

If this is your first time reading this newsletter, I am the Vice President of the Pleasant View Metro District Board of Directors. You can find out more about me on the “About” page of this Substack.

Public comment is normally only 15 minutes, but so many people showed up to talk about the GLO Park/Camp George West issue that the commissioners heard more than an hour of testimony!

All the commissioners genuinely listened and took notes. At the end, Commissioner Dahlkemper summarized the community concerns which definitely showed they were listening. This was the public hearing, which is the only section of the commissioners day that public comment is possible.

A HUGE thank you to all who showed up!! Several folks from the county came up to me afterward and were impressed with the community turn out, so thank you to everyone who took off work, faced your fears of public speaking, and took the time to be engaged! You can read my public comment here.

Two people gave a presentation about Camp George West to the commissioners during the next section of the day, the work session. One person is the Governor’s Advisor and the other is the Jeffco Planning Director. The work session section does not have public comment and the commissioners don’t vote on anything.

The state and county planning gave a different presentation then what was submitted ahead of time. This one used the below graphic:

The first step on the bottom of the page is “JeffCo approval of concept and L&E,” which refers to the Location and Extent process. This is the process we’ve been referring to as “fast-tracking” because it allows for faster processing of applications for state government buildings.

The commissioners were not interested in giving approval of the concept because the county attorney advised them it was not an appropriate use of commissioner’s power. The decision actually is under the planning commission, and can only be ruled on when a planning application is submitted. According to the above graphic, that application would be submitted in 2026.

First, the state would issue a Request for Quotation. This would be issued on the state’s bidding website in September 2025. The state also mentioned getting capital development committee (CDC) approval, which I need to look into more because the state legislature doesn’t reconvene until 2026. They are only in a special session now concerning the budget.

During their presentation, the state said the GLO Park was stalled because of the current presidential administration, so they were “exploring what’s out there” for a project that wouldn’t be held up by the federal government. For what it’s worth, my understanding of the GLO Park’s lack of progress was due to a lack of private funding for building the labs.

During the state’s presentation about the new GLO Park proposal, all three commissioners had really thoughtful questions and directly referenced the public comment from earlier in the day. I think our comments gave the commissioners important context that they really heard and reflected on.

The state asked the commissioners whether the new housing project proposal should continue moving forward. Like I said before, the commissioners were legally advised not to do that because at this point in the process the project needs to be evaluated by the county planning commission if and when a development application is received. The county commissioners would only vote on approval after the planning commission makes a formal recommendation. I took this as a good sign that the commissioners weren’t interested in preempting the work of the planning commission to fast-track the process.

So what’s next?

1. Let the Jefferson County Planning Director know how you feel about this potential project. You can email Chris O’Keefe at cokeefe@jeffco.us. I will email him the community survey results as well.

2. Edit August 31, 2025: Despite overwhelming community opposition, the state has decided to issue its RFQ to developers for the housing project. You can read it here. The state will decide whether to issue an RFQ - request for quotation. Developers will have to do all the planning and site research and submit ideas for development to the state to review. Pleasant View will be monitoring the state’s website to see if this happens.

3. Stay tuned! Pleasant View will keep monitoring the state's bidding website, the state capital development committee meeting agendas, and the county planning commission meeting agendas. We’ll let you know if GLO Park comes back to another meeting! The next community meeting is September 9 at 7 p.m. at Camp George West.

Quick note - if you asked someone from Pleasant View to get in touch with you when you filled out the community survey, please be patient! I honestly did not expect so many people to respond, and I have 45 people to reach out to. How cool!! I will start tackling that list this week! Thanks again for being patient.

Questions? Concerns? Feedback?

I’ll be a little slower to respond as a I catch up, but you can always reach me at lauraforpleasantview@gmail.com or 720-675-8093 (call or text). Thanks for being engaged!! Having more people reach out than I can keep up with is the *best* problem to have.

The metro district board just learned about the project this week, and it’s being presented to county commissioners on Tuesday. I need your help to make Pleasant View’s voice heard!

What’s being planned?

A large apartment building with retail in the bottom would take the place of the GLO Park. The building would be as high as eight stories. For reference, the GW building on South Golden Road is five stories.

The blue parking areas outlined in the above graphic would not be shared parking with Camp George West ball fields, which was one of the purported benefits of the GLO Park for Pleasant View. The parking would only be for residents of the apartment building.

The building would be for market-value apartments and/or people who making 100% of the average median income (AMI) for Colorado. That’s about $50,000 a year for individuals and $90,000 a year for households.

The yellow line represents the second road access needed for emergency services. This road would cut the park in half and connect to Kilmer Street right next to Building 48 (the stone building in Camp George you can rent for events). That means traffic for hundreds of apartment buildings would be diverted across the park and onto the one-lane bridge in and out of the park.

Was Pleasant View consulted about this change?

The Pleasant View Metro District wasn’t consulted before the state changed its plans, and now we only have until the commissioner’s meeting on Tuesday to make Pleasant View’s voice heard. The state is presenting Camp George West as an under-utilized piece of land and is not anticipating any community push back.

What are the issues with this new proposal?

I absolutely think that we need more housing in Pleasant View to keep it affordable for everyone. And fast-tracking this project in this location doesn’t make sense for several reasons:

1. Camp George West is not an under-utilized piece of land like the state believes. It's a beloved community park and one of the only walkable, local parks in Pleasant View. It's natural, open environment is where hundreds of neighbors walk their dogs, ride bikes, and enjoy time in nature out their front door every day.

2. The site needs two points of access for emergency responses. The proposed road would cut the park in half and route hundreds of cars onto the single-lane bridge that turns into Kilmer Street to get to South Golden Road. This area already sees dangerous speeding and overcrowding, which would only be made worse by hundreds of new people trying to get home each day. The road would also irreversibly alter the park's character and flow of trails.

3. The site is not cost-effective or practical to build on. There are no utilities, and the Pleasant View sewer system it could connect to cannot handle that level of use. The entire area is a floodplain. The rest of the park would have to be dug up to put in utilities, only further impacting Pleasant View residents negatively. Underutilized areas that are not beloved natural spaces, such as the former state prison, are much more practical and useful sites for high-density housing.

4. There is no benefit for Pleasant View residents. The proposed housing is not income-limited or designated as affordable housing. There is no additional tax revenue for Pleasant View. And the shared parking that was part of the GLO Park design is not part of this new proposal.

5. The state is fast-tracking the project solely so that it can be done before Governor Polis leaves office. A project of this magnitude should not be rushed, and the state is wrong in believing it's an under utilized parcel that the community will not care about. The project would also derail the county’s efforts to cohesively plan how to handle increased traffic on all of South Golden Road, which the county is starting this year. If anything should be fast-tracked, it’s that comprehensive process to make a difference for Pleasant View’s housing, sidewalks, and traffic.

What can I do to make my voice heard?

Pleasant View is small, but together our voices make a difference. Please let our county commissioner, the other commissioners, and the planning commission know how you feel about this project. You can do that in a few ways:

1. Call and leave a voicemail. Remember to mention you’re a Pleasant View resident when you share your opinion on the project. 303-271-8525 is the main line for the county. You can pick to leave a message for the commissioners from the main menu.

2. Write our commissioner, and the other commissioners, an email. Andy Kerr is our commissioner. You can email him at akerr@jeffco.us. The other two commissioners can be reached at ldahlkem@jeffco.us and rzenzing@jeffco.us

3. Attend the commissioner meeting with myself and Metro Board President Adrian Waller on Tuesday, August 5th at 9 am and sign up for public comment. You can attend in-person (Hearing Room 1 at the county building at 100 Jefferson County Parkway) or virtually. Zoom information is here.

4. Provide your feedback for Adrian and I to share at the commissioner meeting by taking this survey here: https://forms.gle/7naJ1bYs5f6WQSW16

What if I disagree with you?

I want to know that too! The metro district board, the fire chief, and the district manager are all in agreement in our position. Based on what I heard door knocking, this new proposal does not seem like something neighbors want.

But, if you live in Pleasant View and totally disagree, I want to know that too! Please fill out the survey or reach out to me directly to let me know your thoughts.

I have more questions. Who should I reach out to?

If you have questions or concerns reach out to:

Adrian Waller, Pleasant View Metro District Board President: AdrianCWaller@outlook.com, (303) 895-1837‬

Me at lauraforpleasantview@gmail.com. Call or text (720) 675-8093.

Reach out to me any time at lauraforpleasantview@gmail.com or 720-675-8093.

The Short Version

• The district’s annual financial audit has been completed. I missed this part of the meeting due to a board meeting at work, but based on the auditor’s report, no notable financial issues were found.

• The chain link fence on the east side of Wolf Park keeps getting cut open. While the district can’t take down the fence for safety reasons, we are looking into a blind spot mirror to make the concrete trail better for pedestrians to use.

• The fire department responded to 127 calls for help in June.

• The fire department will pay the City of Golden to perform fire inspection duties on Pleasant View buildings.

• This is separate from the board meeting, but the county is looking for feedback on its next strategic plan. I went to the open house and didn’t see anyone else from Pleasant View, so make sure your voice is heard by leaving comments online.

• There is an extra board meeting on Tuesday July 29 to discuss GLO Park updates. Join us at 4 p.m. on Tuesday at the metro district building on 955 Moss Street.

The Long Version

General Metro District Updates

If you are confused about what the metro district is (we’re not a city), go to my About page for a quick reminder!

Annual Audit

Every year, the district hires a financial audit company to review the districts financial practices and position.

The auditor presented their draft report at the meeting. The report itself isn’t finalized yet and therefore isn’t public, but I will share it once it is available! I missed this part of the meeting but read the report.

The only finding that the district had was that there is only one person involved in approving some expenditures. Since the district has so few employees, it’s difficult to have multiple people do this.

The board provides this function retroactively for bills, so the report reminded the board of our duty to thoroughly review all the financial materials we’re provided each month.

Pleasant View Parks Updates

Wolf Park

Someone has been illegally cutting the fence at Wolf Park’s eastern boundary (top arrow in below photo). The fence was originally put up when the concrete bike path was built by Jefferson County. Recently, the chain link fence around the boundary of the park is getting cut.

The top arrow shows where the fence is being cut to illegally enter the park. The bottom arrow shows the legal entrance where a split rail fence ends.

I talked to neighbors while I was door knocking for my campaign, and several of them took the time to show me how cyclists and a blind turn make the paved path feel unsafe. While we were talking, we were almost hit by a cyclist so the concerns were very valid. You can see the blind spot below:

Approaching cyclists are coming downhill and can’t see pedestrians walking uphill. Myself and a few other board members asked if the chain link fence could just be removed again so that the district wouldn’t have to keep repairing it and residents could have their previous entry available.

The district’s insurance company came out for a safety assessment and unfortunately found that the fence could not be removed due to liability reasons. I asked if we could look into putting a blind spot mirror in on the path to encourage pedestrians to use it, and the district manager is looking into it.

Thank you to the neighbors who reached out and took the time to share their concerns with me. Even if we can’t take the fence out and make things how they used to be, I hope we can come up with a way to make the path safe for more people to feel comfortable using.

And legally the district has to repair the fence if it’s cut, so if you’re reading this and you’re the fence cutter….please cut it out (pun intended). If nothing else, it’s a huge pain for the parks staff who are already overwhelmed with tasks to make our parks nice to use.

Pleasant View Fire Department Updates

The fire department is working with the City of Golden on an agreement for fire inspector services. This is more cost-effective than the district hiring its own fire inspector.

Pleasant View Fire is also finalizing agreements with the Arvada Fire Protection District to make sure we have the same mutual aid services as we did before Fairmount Fire Protection merged with Arvada.

Mutual aid is when other departments respond to large calls so there are more firefighters, engines, and other help. For example, if there is a fire in Pleasant View, additional Arvada firefighters and engines will respond to make sure there is as many resources as possible to put out the fire quickly and make sure everyone is safe.

Public Comment

Thank you to Sam for coming to the meeting! She had great questions that helped me learn more about the public engagement process.

First, Sam asked what happened to the newsletter that used to get sent out with neighbor’s sewer bills. The board president answered that the newsletter became to expensive to maintain, costing the district $3,000 annually. They tried to move it online but didn’t get very many responses from residents when the district manager asked for email addresses.

The next question was how to get in touch with the board or bring up a topic for the board or district since it wasn’t totally clear on the website.

Your first step to get a topic onto the board meeting agenda is to meet with Tammy, the district manager. You can fill out this contact form here: https://www.pleasantviewmetro.org/contact-us.html.

You can also email me any time at lauraforpleasantview@gmail.com or text/call 720-675-8093.

Sam’s final question was why the board meeting was at 4 p.m., which makes it hard for people with school-age kids and/or 9-5 job hours to attend. The board president said the meeting was moved to 4 p.m. at the request of the public and that it used to be later.

If you have questions, now you know how to reach out! You can always attend a board meeting as well. The board can’t always respond to your questions immediately (like if we need to research something) but the district manager will get back to you once we have all the information we need to accurately answer your question.

Together Jeffco Strategic Plan

Together Jeffco is the county’s strategic planning process that’s currently underway. This new strategic plan will guide how the county spends money and invests in communities like Pleasant View for the next 20 years.

I went to last week’s open house and I was the only one from Pleasant View, so please make sure your voice is heard! I know the county can feel like an inaccessible huge bureaucracy, but you can’t complain if you don’t at least try to provide feedback (in my humble opinion).

South Golden Road is part of the governor’s Transit Oriented Communities and the county is updating its land use recommendations and zoning codes, something many of you talked to me about when I was out door knocking! Provide comments on the draft plans by the end of July here: https://togetherjeffco.com/

Quick note - I asked what the difference was between land use recommendations and zoning codes. Zoning codes are required uses for a piece of property. Land use recommendations are used to reference when a zoning change is applied for. For example, if an area is recommended to be used for “community resources” like a library, school, etc. and someone asks for rezoning for a bar, it would get turned down.

Next Pleasant View Metro District Board Meeting

An extra meeting has been called for July 29 at 4 p.m. to discuss new information about the GLO Park. I know this is an important topic to many of you, so I encourage you to attend so you can learn more. I don’t have any other information yet, but I’ll be at the meeting!

If you can’t attend, please reach out to me and let me know any specific questions or concerns you have. I’ll do a recap of the meeting as quickly as I can! (Full disclosure, my husband’s birthday is next week so there may be a delay while we celebrate him!)

The next regular meeting of the board is August 19 at 4 p.m. All meetings are held at 955 Moss Street. Hope to see you there!

Questions? Comments? Feedback?

I love hearing from you! Reach out at lauraforpleasantview@gmail.com or 720-675-8093 (call or text). It’s been great getting to know all of you who have reached out to grab coffee, meet at the playground with kids, or just talk on the phone. I don’t always have the answers but hopefully I can point you in the right direction and learn more about what’s important to you.

Hopefully this recap is a helpful way for our community to stay informed! Reach out to me any time at lauraforpleasantview@gmail.com or 720-675-8093.

The Short Version

• The board voted for new officers. Adrian Waller will continue as Board President, I am the new Board Vice President, and Jennie Heismann will continue as our Treasurer.

• The fire department is planning for a back-up generator, new Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA), and upgrades to the brush truck (the truck for fighting wildfires)

• We need to do better taking care of our parks. Rocks in the sewer lines at Camp George, goldfish in Westblade Park’s ponds, and speeding have all been issues over the last month. Let’s work together to make sure everyone can enjoy being at the parks (including wildlife!)

• How would you like to get information about parks? A recent Jefferson County survey said people prefer to get information “inside the parks.” What does that mean to you? Bulletin boards? Something else? Tell me what you think!

The Long Version

Pleasant View Park Updates

Arturo, our parks maintenance person, is leaving the district to start police academy. Make sure to tell him congratulations if you see him before his last day! He is already training his replacement, Gio, so make sure to introduce yourself if you see them at a PV park!

Sprinkler work is starting this month at Wolf Park and Orchard Park to fix the gaps in the sprinkler system. Wolf Park also has new pavilions.

The Jefferson County Park Directors shared survey results that people prefer to find out information about parks from inside the parks instead of newsletters or websites. What does that mean to you? Bulletin boards in parks? More signs? Let me know what would be most helpful to you in Pleasant View’s parks.

Camp George West

The toilets at Building 48 (that stone building you can rent for events) completely overflowed and stopped working recently. Plumbers found the sewer clean-outs full of rocks, concrete chunks, wire, and other debris.

If your kiddos or dogs are hanging out on the sidelines of the soccer field, please make sure they know to keep things *out* of the sewer clean-outs. The clean-outs are inviting tubes to put things down (see photo below if you’re not familiar):

I can totally see my kid putting rocks down there if he was bored. Let’s work together to keep the clean-outs clean and make sure everyone can have fun at Camp George.

There have also been a lot of reports of folks speeding in and out of Camp George, particularly around pick up and drop off for games. I have been that mom running super late to practice, so this was a good reminder to me as well to take a breath and slow down so no one gets hurt in the parking lot.

Westblade Park

Invasive goldfish have wound up in what’s left of the pond at Westblade Park. They’ve been nearly impossible to remove, and Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s only solution is to shock the entire pond. But shocking the water will kill everything, including good wildlife like turtles, so that’s obviously not a good option.

Do you have expertise in water quality, aquatic plants, or a similar field? Help me brainstorm what could be done. Here’s what we’re up against:

• Goldfish and koi fish are being dumped in the pond repeatedly. Even after one round was cleared out, more appeared.

• They can rapidly reproduce and hide from predators because of the cattails.

• Due to water rights diversion upstream from Westblade Park, there isn’t ever going to be more water, so water levels will stay low and warm. So natural predators like larger fish likely won’t survive (I’m not a fish expert so correct me if I’m wrong).

• The low water is also contributing to really severe mud that has trapped larger animals, so it’s not safe to wade in the pond currently for mitigation or removal.

Pleasant View Fire Department Updates

The fire department is on track to respond to 1,800 calls for help this year. That’s about 10 calls per 48-hour shift that the firefighters work.

Department Needs

In March, the board asked the fire department to do a needs assessment to figure out the most critical projects to plan and budget for. The results were:

1. New Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA): This is the breathing system that keeps firefighters safe and able to actually enter a building on fire. They are a literal lifeline, and Pleasant View’s are reaching the end of their useful life. Pleasant View’s goal is to replace SCBAs by joining Arvada Fire’s order in late 2026 so we can get better pricing as part of a larger order.

2. Back-up generator: The station currently does not have a back-up generator. If the power were to go out, the garage doors would have to be manually opened before the engine or ambulance could get out. This can take as long as 10 minutes after getting a call for help.

3. Brush truck updates: A brush truck is the truck used to respond to wildfires, which are top of mind for Pleasant View. The truck is 24 years old but could be upgraded to modern standards and make a big difference in the department’s ability to put out grass and wildfires.

Replacing the fire truck (a truck is the one with a giant ladder on top) has been tabled since Golden Fire has two trucks that can respond to any large building fires in Pleasant View.

New Firefighters

13 new volunteer firefighters graduated from fire academy in June! I went to graduation and it was wonderful to see all the family and friends supporting our new firefighters. These people are volunteering to serve our community and do a very difficult job for free, which I think is pretty incredible.

Next Pleasant View Board Meeting

The next Pleasant View Board meeting is on July 15 at 4 p.m. at 955 Moss Street. Join me at the meeting if you’d like to learn more about our community!

Community Concerns

I’ve had several neighbors reach out with concerns about illegally parked vehicles on both private and public property. I’ve also heard a lot of feedback that contacting the Sheriff’s office about these concerns is not very fruitful. But since Pleasant View does not have its own law enforcement, the Jeffco Sheriff is your best option for reporting parking violations. I would recommend going in person instead of using the online form.

I’m trying to meet with someone at the Sheriff’s office to learn more about how the office supports unincorporated parts of Jeffco and what demands they are dealing with as well. Let me know if you have additional questions or concerns you’d like addressed!

Questions? Comments? Feedback?

I love hearing from you! Reach out at lauraforpleasantview@gmail.com or 720-675-8093 (call or text).

Quick definition: A study session is a meeting of a board without any votes on official business. Boards can discuss official business, but can’t take votes. They can give feedback. The public can attend but there is no public comment section.

Jeffco Commissioner Meeting

Pride Month Proclamation

The meeting began with a proclamation recognizing Pride Month in support of our LGBT+ community. I know that is a lot of letters and acronyms if you’re not familiar. Another quick definition: LGBT+ stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Plus other gender identities. You may also see LGBTIA+. The proclamation began with an explainer for the acronym and other helpful information. Here’s another one: https://www.sfgmc.org/blog/lgbtqia-meaning

Pride Month is important because even today, members of the LGBT+ community face discrimination or even physical violence simply for being who they are. Recognizing pride and creating an accepting environment is even more important for our kids. LGBT+ kids have double the suicide risk of straight teenagers. The Trevor Project has lots of resources if you’d like to learn more.

Rock Rest Rezoning Approved

I did a recap on the zoning meeting for the Rock Rest development a few months ago. You can read it below:

As a reminder, the Rock Rest itself is staying, but the surrounding area will be redeveloped into housing and retail for businesses. The most helpful insights are in my recap post. Let me know if you have other questions!

RTD/Public Transit from Denver to Red Rocks

Our County Commissioner, Andy Kerr, reported that he is working with Denver, Jeffco, and the City of Golden to pilot better public transit options to Red Rocks. If that’s also something important to you, please let me know! I’d like to do a better job advocating for Pleasant View with the county, so I want to I know what matters to you.

Commissioner’s Study Session

After the public hearing, the commission hears from various county departments. These departments can ask for feedback and permission to move forward, but the commissioners don’t vote on any final approvals.

The study sessions are public, but do not include public comment. It’s generally a less formal gathering of the board to discuss official business without voting.

Safe Land and Safe Homes (SLASH) Program

The county is investing more in the SLASH program. It’s run by Jeffco and helps mitigate wildfire risk at homes.

You can safely dispose of natural debris through SLASH. The closest location is the Tin Cup Slash Yard on Rooney Road. Find out more here: https://www.jeffco.us/2493/Slash-Collection

Medicaid

The department of Public Health is investing $40,000 to improve customer service for Medicaid patients, acknowledging the department needs to improve responses and processing times.

South Table Mountain Trails

Open Space is working on a trail project to formally connect the Montrachet condos to Tertiary and Welch Ditch trails. This is outside of Pleasant View, but as someone who runs that direction often, I thought I’d include it in case this was of interest. The project will also make sure the trails are more sustainable, meaning they are redesigned so the hillside won’t erode and the trail itself is also not going to erode.

If you’ve ever tried to hike to the statue on that side of South Table, there will also be formal access to that as well. I’ve gotten lost trying to get to it a few times, so this will be a nice improvement.

This project is totally separate from the development of trails that was part of the land swap in Camp George for the GLO Park. I’m not sure where those trails stand now, but it’s on my list to address with Open Space.

What I’ve done in the last month as a board member

I took my oath of office in mid-May, and the June board meeting is on Tuesday. The last month I’ve focused on learning more about how the district works, how the board can best support the district employees, and what the district’s relationship is like with county departments. I met with all the other board members and the district manager so far, but I have a long list of other people I need to meet with to get up to speed!

At the beginning of June, I attended Pleasant View’s fire academy graduation. I was in their shoes just a year ago and it was so wonderful to help all the new firefighters celebrate their achievement. Fire academy is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, and the real work only begins when you graduate! I love that firefighting is a lifelong learning opportunity and am excited for all our new volunteer members to learn from our department.

In the last month, I’ve also met with neighbors to learn more about their concerns at their local parks. And I’ve heard from neighbors frustrated with law enforcement and trying to find out more information about how that works in Pleasant View.

What questions or issues do you have that I should learn more about?

Tuesday June 17 is the next Metro District Board Meeting

I’d love to see you there at 4 p.m. at 955 Moss Street!

If you can’t make it, please email/text/call me to let me know if you have questions or things you’d like to learn about.

lauraforpleasantview@gmail.com

720-675-8093

I did take my oath of office, which was exciting! My husband got this admittedly not great quality photo from the meeting (thanks Billy!):

The next board meeting is June 20 at 4 p.m. at 955 Moss Street.

I would love to see you there! If you can’t attend in person, please reach out with questions or concerns. I have a lot to learn but I’m working hard to get up to speed.

Call or text 720-675-8093 or email me at lauraforpleasantview@gmail.com.

See you in June!

May is Wildfire Awareness Month

The commission officially declared May as Wildfire Awareness Month in Jefferson County. The county’s Instagram account shared that Jefferson County has a greater risk of wildfire than 98% of counties in the U.S., and the second highest wildfire risk of all counties in Colorado.

In 2024, the Jefferson County Wildfire Commission finished the Community Wildfire Preparedness Plan, which you look through here if you want a deep dive! It’s more than 200 pages long, but you can jump to the recommendations for local governments and residents.

The best thing you can do to be aware of wildfire risk is to sign up for Lookout Alert. This app sends you text alerts for any natural disasters and associated evacuation or shelter-in-place notices. It’s the first way that the county will communicate with residents about a fire.

Residents can also be ready for wildfires by assembling a “go bag,” making defensible space around their home, and having an evacuation plan. The sheriff mentioned the Be Your Own Hero campaign, which is a video explaining those concepts.

Library union public comment

A representative for the library union provided an update on collective bargaining. They have been in negotiations with library management since July 2024.

The union representative requested a vulnerability study to prohibit the open carry of weapons in libraries since they are county buildings and polling places. The commissioners did not immediately respond. I’m still learning how the process works to get those requests answered!

Volunteer to help hungry kids

Commissioner Kerr (our commissioner here in Pleasant View) shared that he recently volunteered with Jeffco Eats, a local nonprofit that assembles meals for hungry kids in Jefferson County.

Commissioner Kerr reminded everyone that school meals are a critical source of food for many families. With school getting out for the summer, those families can struggle to put food on the table.

Jeffco Eats helps make sure kids don’t go hungry, and it’s easy to volunteer. You can find more information about Jeffco Eats here: https://jeffcoeats.org/get-involved/

County Town Hall

The commissioners are hosting a virtual town hall on May 19 at 6 p.m. You can register to attend here (full url: https://events.zoom.us/ev/AnD7LbLptxMgYcy1UjdCWDc75pMTaZyZbSOLKRc773om-PByV9g3~And0inhn5PgAbjke-CkMXYdbrUTjlmP5nEeSKm7C2M8sHxn5slkEoAxJmw)

If you want to ask a question, you have to register. It’s free! I’ll be attending and will have a recap.

Questions? Comments? Let me know!

I’m not on the commission, but will do my best to answer any questions you have (or look into an answer)! Reach out any time at lauraforpleasantview@gmail.com.

The next meeting for the Pleasant View Metro District is on Tuesday May 20! I’ll be there taking my oath of office and participating as a private citizen. My first meeting as an acting board member is the June meeting.

If you have questions or concerns you’d like to share at the meeting, but you can’t make it, let me know!