A state bill has been drafted, but not yet introduced, that would create a “beltway completion authority,” with sweeping condemnation powers and little need to consult with local towns and cities that lie in the path of any future tollway in the metro area.
Details about the bill, which hasn’t been introduced in either chamber, began surfacing through e-mails written by Golden officials Thursday night.
Golden Mayor Marjorie Sloan condemned the beltway completion authority as a “whole new level of government with unprecedented powers” and an obvious mechanism to get the Jefferson Parkway — a high-speed toll road that would run from Colorado 128 in Broomfield to Colorado 93 north of Golden — built.
Both Golden and Superior have taken strong positions against the construction of the parkway, which would essentially complete the beltway around Denver.
It’s not clear who is sponsoring the bill and when, or if, it will be introduced this session.
A draft of the bill, a copy of which was obtained by Boulder’s Daily Camera, indicates that its authors believe an incomplete beltway around Denver “creates congestion, which is a barrier to economic development.” The draft says that “no single municipal or county entity” could alone complete the beltway and that building the road is fundamentally a state interest.
The authority’s board of directors — proposed to be made up of representatives of 18 municipalities, counties and state agencies in the beltway corridor — would have voting power. Golden would be on the board, but Superior wouldn’t.
Golden Councilwoman Marcie Miller called the timing of the bill’s appearance — near the end of the legislative session — an “end run” that leaves little time for opponents to campaign against it.
Golden City Manager Mike Bestor said the authority’s power of condemnation — characterized in the bill as “super eminent domain” — is among the more concerning elements of the potential legislation.
“This creates a super dominant form of government with unchallengable eminent domain powers over private and public property,” he said. “They can not only condemn your home but also schools and parks. It’s an unconscionable grab of power.”
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Meeker: Bank-robbery suspect jailed after swimming off
Authorities say a man wearing a cowboy hat, boots and spurs robbed a bank in Meeker, and a suspect was arrested about an hour later.
The Craig Daily Press reported the Mountain Valley Bank was robbed at 9:30 a.m. Thursday. It wasn’t immediately clear whether the robber showed a weapon.
A man matching the robber’s description was spotted at 10:30 a.m. at a truck yard in town. When deputies arrived, the man tried to flee by swimming across the White River but was apprehended on the other side.
Authorities identified the suspect as Jock Thacker. He was arrested on suspicion of robbery and was being held in lieu of on $10,000 bond ail. Officials haven’t said how much money was taken but said it was recovered.
Park County: Two deputies draw down on beer keg at teen party
Two Park County deputies have been suspended after they were accused of shooting at a beer keg while breaking up a teen party.
Under sheriff Monte Gore said the deputies were suspended after parents complained the shooting endangered people attending the party in the Pike National Forest.
One parent told 7News that a deputy fired the shots in an effort to break a chain used to secure the keg to a tree or a fence.
“I’m deeply disappointed,” Gore told KRDO-TV in Colorado Springs. “If I had a child at a party and a deputy fired his gun, I’d be furious.”
Woodland Park has scheduled a town meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the the Ute Pass Cultural Center.
Galeton: Community steps in to rebuild girl’s goat heard
Taylor Starks will always remember Valentine’s Day 2012 as one of a broken heart.
But, the Greeley Tribune reported, the heartache the 12-year-old suffered that afternoon – when her parents picked her up from school and told her a barn fire had claimed the lives of all six of her goats – is being mended by a community that’s wasted no time showing her how much it cares.
Taylor’s goat herd, wiped out during a Feb. 14 blaze that destroyed a 100-year-old barn next to her family’s home, is now double what it was before the fire, thanks to donations from her church, neighbors, local breeders and strangers.
Denver Post staff and wire reports
