Home Care In Wheat Ridge, CO

The Jefferson County League of Women Voters recently held an election forum for Wheat Ridge voters. League president Christina Manthey moderated the Sept 28. event.

The candidate forum touched on some of the most pressing issues within the community including affordable housing, traffic congestion and the proposed sales tax increase.

The candidates running for city council seats in Wheat Ridge include:

Steve Kirkpatrick is running for city clerk and Chris Miller is running for city treasurer. Both the city treasurer and city clerk candidates are running uncontested and both are incumbents for the positions.

The ballot measure asks voters to extend a $.50 sales tax to 20 years to raise $75 million for infrastructure projects. The city council has worked on this issue over the course of several city council meetings. Visit WheatRidgeSpeaks.org to get those discussions.

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Both Hultin and Stites agreed that the solutions to Wheat Ridge’s complex problems are already in the works.

“We have great momentum,” Hultin said. “We’ve got work ahead of us and we’ve just committed to increasing our affordable housing by nine percent over the next three years.”

The incumbents also agreed that Wheat Ridge is ahead of neighboring cities in their housing affordability plans.

“They’re starting processes that we’re finishing,” Stites said.

Stites and Hultin cited current programs in the works as well.

“We’re actually putting into implementation programs like our affordable housing fund to where we can go to existing housing and instead of building new housing everywhere,” Stites said as an example. “We can actually go to existing landlords and help them refurbish their stock and reinvest in our community.”

District 1 candidates Snell and Fuller had differing views on housing in their district.

Snell echoed her incumbent peers in acknowledging that the city already had great plans in place.

“The city’s already done some really wonderful work in this in this area. But it’s certainly not done,” Snell said. She spoke about the long hard work ahead that’s needed to reach the goal of “affordable housing for all.”

Fuller agreed that the city is doing good work, but he also called for more coordination with the region and the state in order for the city to keep housing affordable.

“It is more than a Wheat Ridge problem and more than a regional problem,” Fuller said. Though I very much applaud the Wheat Ridge affordable housing plan and am happy to hear steps towards that are being implemented, it should be in lockstep with more regional, state and larger directed efforts towards addressing affordable housing.”

Fuller shared a personal story about moving to Wheat Ridge, which led to a call for protections. He wants to ensure that the residents can afford to rent and own housing in the city.

District 4 candidates Larson and Matthews both talked about protecting Wheat Ridge from the downfalls of urbanism. Larson believes that stability should be the focus of plans to fix Wheat Ridge’s housing woes.

Larson said that as the city continues to grow, the stability of the neighborhoods must be protected.

“It is the city’s role to strike a balance between the developer’s economic reality and concerns about density in our neighborhoods,” Larson said.

Meanwhile, Matthews called for balancing the current approach with more protections for the Wheat Ridge way of life.

“We have to maintain a balanced growth and not let our neighborhoods become a mishmash of cute quaint homes and then high-rise buildings in sandwiched in between another,” he said.

Matthews wants to protect the single-family homeowner market while also finding solutions for the growing “urban rental” market that he says is happening in Wheat Ridge.

Larson spoke on the Wadsworth project and the congestion problems for drivers, pedestrians, and businesses along the route. He spoke about keeping everyone updated on the timing of the project.

“I’ve asked that whenever the city sent out a Wadsworth update, that it includes a progress meter. One of those thermometer things you see on a fundraising page that way we can see how far the project has come and how much there is to go.”

Matthews explained that the traffic issues in Wheat Ridge are also related to housing. He suggested exploring a balanced approach.

“There has to be balance and common sense in our development,” he said. “That is the only way we can get a handle on keeping our streets so that we can actually get from point A to point B without being stop and go.”

Fuller turned focus to alternative modes of transportation and sidewalk access, another concern for Wheat Ridge residents.

“We could revisit the amount of resources that we direct towards various alternative modes of transportation,” Fuller said. “Make this city walkable and bikeable while still doing improvements like the Wadsworth improvement with you know out-of-the-box ideas like a continuous flow intersection.”

Snell continued Fuller’s sidewalk conversation with a look at safety. This discussion, according to Snell needs to consider families pushing strollers, disabled Wheat Ridge residents in wheelchairs and walking with aides, in addition to the increased traffic from e-bikes due to the rebates.

“I think that when we talk about this uh this discussion this topic we have to consider all modes of transportation and so that’s that’s something I would like to to continue and get solutions for,” Snell said.

Incumbents Hultin and Stites both agreed that the tax issue on the ballot was the solution to the city’s infrastructure problems.

“Four years ago when I ran, when Rachel (Hultin) ran, we weren’t looking for solutions,” Stites said. “We already had a solution. It was the Neighborhood Revitalization Strategy that was implementing. Now, we already have a solution here. It’s (the ballot issue) 2J.”

All six candidates for the city council support the ballot measure.

Fuller was the only candidate to site environmental issues as looming problems for Wheat Ridge. He mentioned the water supply troubles that are looming on the Front Range and the damage the emerald ash bore could cause to Wheat Ridge green spaces if left unattended.

You can see watch the Jefferson County League of Women Voters interview incumbent treasurer Chrie Miller, on the Wheat Ridge Channel 8 on YouTube.

For more information on the upcoming election, visit Vote411.org.

Catch the entire candidate forum at Wheat Ridge Channel 8 on YouTube.

Google Fiber will add another Colorado city to its growing footprint after being unanimously approved by the Wheat Ridge City Council this week. The agreement will allow GFiber to deliver high-speed internet to businesses and some 20,000 households within the Denver suburb’s city limit.

The buildout, which is 100% funded by Google Fiber, will begin in late 2024 and bring service to its first customer sometime in 2025, Google Fiber General Manager Sasha Petrovic told Fierce Telecom. Through "close work" with the Wheat Ridge City Council, Google will build its network within the city’s right of way.

Google Fiber offers 1-gig, 2-gig, 5-gig and 8-gig symmetric speed tiers. The 8-gig service costs $150 per month, which is half the price of Lumen’s comparable service tier. That rate includes a Wi-Fi 6 router and up to two mesh extenders. Pricing for its other tiers remains the same, with 1-gig offered for $70 per month, 2-gig for $100 and 5-gig for $125.

Wheat Ridge is Google’s third fiber-to-the-home city in the Rocky Mountain state, joining Lakewood and Westminster. According to Petrovic, construction in Lakewood will most likely start later this year.

Google Fiber heads to Denver suburb Lakewood in Colorado

“We haven't technically started building in Colorado, but we have built in a dozen other markets within the U.S. along with mountain towns like Salt Lake City, and we have quite a bit of experience in terms of execution,” Petrovic noted. "So I think we're going to be pretty comfortable by the time we get to Wheat Ridge.”

While Google Fiber’s toolkit can facilitate aerial and underground deployments, the company anticipates the majority of the Wheat Ridge network will be built underground. As the company goes through design engineering, they'll determine how to “most effectively build as much of Wheat Ridge as possible.”

The buildout has the potential to bring jobs to the area, although Petrovic said the exact number is difficult to quantify. Google will build an internal operation and sales GFiber team that “will come from the greater Colorado area,” but the company will also have its vendor base working on inspection, quality and permitting processes, all of which will help develop jobs.

“It's difficult to put a number around it, but it definitely will be a plus for the greater Denver area,” said Petrovic. The company has been active in the Denver area since 2017, providing gigabit speeds with the Google Fiber Webpass point-to-point wireless product.

Wheat Ridge is already host to some fiber providers, including Lumen’s CenturyLink available to about 50% of the city and Quantum Fiber available to 12.2%. Both fiber providers currently offer speeds up to 940 Mbps.

“As always, there's a healthy level of competition wherever we go. There are some incumbents, but it's no one that we haven't worked with in the past in terms of competing for customers, which we think is always healthy. The customers, at the end of the day, always win with additional competition,” said Petrovic.

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WHEAT RIDGE, Colo. — Getting outside and getting active can be a challenge for senior citizens, but the city of Wheat Ridge wants to change that narrative with its Outdoor Recreation Program, taking them on trips all across Colorado.

"It serves ages 50 plus," said Christine Leahy, Wheat Ridge's Trips & Outdoor Recreation Coordinator, "and the trips go to all sorts of social and recreational educational activities."

From Lakewood to Pueblo, and all the way up to Wyoming — these trips are made possible by volunteers like Amy Trujillo, who was looking for volunteer work in retirement.

"I saw that they needed somebody to drive a van, and I used to drive a van back in the '80s," remembered Amy Trujillo, "and I thought, well geez, I could do that again!"

Trujillo enjoys driving these seniors around — and has made some friends along the way.

"There's a lot of them that say they want to ride on my van with me when he have two vans," said Trujillo, "because I like to sing and joke with them."

For giving her time — and driving talents — to seniors in Wheat Ridge, we're honoring Amy Trujillo as this week's Everyday Hero!

"I'm honored. I mean, these are a great group of people," said Trujillo, "I love all the staff here — and I'm really glad that they thought I deserved this!"

Wheat Ridge woman making personal connections while driving senior citizens across Colorado

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Denver7 features a different Everyday Hero each week. To nominate a hero in your life, click here.

Copyright 2024 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

The move will enable Primitive Beer to focus on its core mission of creating the best beer

After six-plus years in Longmont, Primitive Beer, known for its commitment to spontaneous fermentation and sour beer excellence, has bid farewell to its Longmont Barrel House and Tasting Room, which closed on Dec. 24.

The closure marked the end of an era but paved the way for an exciting new chapter as Primitive Beer relocates its operations to an annex at New Image Brewing in Wheat Ridge.

Co-owners Lisa and Brandon Boldt, the driving force behind Primitive Beer, expressed bittersweet sentiments about leaving Longmont, where they’ve cultivated a dedicated following over the years. However, they see the move as an opportunity to refocus entirely on what they are most passionate about — brewing, blending and packaging their fermentations.

The decision to move to New Image Brewing is not just strategic, it’s rooted in a longstanding friendship between the Boldts and Brandon Capps, founder of New Image Brewing who opened the brewery in Arvada in 2014.

Primitive Beer had been situated in its current location for an extended period, and the landscape evolved significantly due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the post-COVID era, they found themselves navigating a new terrain, seeking to understand how people prefer to spend time together.

“It was honestly too big of a space for either production or retail. But splitting it for both was a mismatch. You know, we’re paying retail prices, retail square footage prices for our production space. And it also just wasn’t quite generating the foot traffic we’d hoped for,” Lisa Boldt said.

The move will enable Primitive Beer to focus on its core mission of creating the best beer without the challenges of juggling a retail space and will allow it to collaborate with New Image Brewing and other partners housed within the same warehouse roof.

“It was getting to the point where we had no zero work-life balance, and we really weren’t putting out as much beer as we wanted to,” Lisa Boldt reflected on the decision.

In addition to her role as co-owner of Primitive Beer, Lisa Boldt is a skilled juggler, managing multiple responsibilities and serving as a program manager at the Colorado Grain Chain. Balancing professional commitments is just one facet of her multitasking skills. Lisa Boldt also embraces the joys and challenges of family life, with another addition to the Boldt family on the way.

Primitive Beer plans to continue engaging its fanbase through monthly pop-ups at the new location, ensuring a steady flow of innovative and unique offerings. Lisa Boldt reassured supporters that while the move may impact the production method and flavor profiles due to the location change, Primitive Beer remains committed to transparency and communication.

“As a function of moving to a totally new space with different microbes and different air, it will be different. But as long as people want to find our beer, they can find it. We're a very open book. If people reach out, we get back to them and explain where you can find our beer,” Lisa Boldt stated.

With the move to the Denver area, Primitive Beer anticipates collaborating with new malt providers, exploring custom malt projects, and co-hosting events with New Image Brewing. Despite the changes, Primitive Beer looks forward to the next exciting chapter, embracing opportunities for growth and collaboration in the vibrant craft beer community.

“There’ll be a lot of fun, exciting changes in the future,” Lisa Boldt said. “And we'll release new beers. We'll do maybe food pairing events, things like that. But it won't be three or four days a week open. It'll just be, you know, once a month, or maybe twice a month.”

After operating out of Longmont for the past six plus years, Primitive Beer is moving operations to an annex at New Image Brewing Wheat Ridge. While leaving Longmont is bittersweet, operating out of New Image will allow Lisa and Brandon Boldt, co-owners of Primitive, to focus entirely on brewing, blending and packaging their spontaneous fermentations. “Given that our entire family-run operation is just two people strong, we’ve reached the conclusion that our current professional juggling act which includes running a retail space, outside sales, marketing, brewing, blending and packaging isn’t sustainable,” says Lisa.

The relocation to New Image is no coincidence. Lisa and Brandon have known Brandon Capps, founder and owner of New Image, since he opened the brewery in Arvada in 2014. Their friendship flourished over the past decade. “Our friendship is built on trust and a mutual drive to pursue passion over profit,” explains Brandon Boldt. “While New Image and Primitive are quite different beasts in terms of scale and style, our relationship is built on shared values, spending countless hours together outside our respective breweries forming deep connections unrelated to brewing, albeit often over beers.” These passions and shared values housed under the same large warehouse roof will undoubtedly yield some tasty creations in the future.

Primitive will host bottle releases and open-koelschip nights at The Barrel Room within New Image beginning in January. A separate fermentation project moving into New Image is the realization of a vision Brandon Capps had for the Wheat Ridge space since moving production operations there in 2020.

Brandon wants The Barrel Room to be “a space that is known for hosting unique food and beverage projects that maybe aren’t totally viable as stand alone retail businesses. (This is) a place where you can really showcase a niche concept for a niche audience and be successful.” In addition to Primitive, The Barrel Room will also showcase Post-Future Meadworks, a meadery set to debut in November, and other projects to be announced in the coming months.

Foremost on the minds of those who love Primitive’s spontaneous fermentation sour beers is what this means for the availability of those beers. Don’t fret; Primitive’s bottle membership club will remain unchanged, and they will have more time and opportunities to focus on making their coveted beer.

Explains Lisa, “By not maintaining a retail space, we’ll have at least an additional three days a week to pursue the projects that speak to us, expand our spontaneous repertoire, and find new ways of connecting with minimalist-fermentation lovers.” Producing Meerts, a low-strength beer produced following traditional Lambic creation techniques, is one specific expansion Primitive will be pursuing. The adoring public will hopefully also be able to more easily sample Primitive’s offerings.

When asked whether or not their beer will be offered for sale at New Image, Brandon Capps said “the short answer is definitely… Finding the right way to showcase it so that their brand autonomy is clear and that we convey the right experience for the customers who come in to drink their beer is a big piece of the how that we will want to dive into, but I’m confident we can figure that out.” So, look forward to eventually being able to drink Primitive Beer seven days a week from the New Image taproom.

Before closing their Longmont Barrel House and Tasting Room at the end of the year, Primitive is making sure to have a proper going away. They will begin “The Long Goodbye” with normal Friday-Sunday Barrel House openings through Sunday, December 24th, hosting the Third Annual Hot Bierfest and Holiday Marketplace on Saturday, December 16 and a Barrel House Finale Celebration on Saturday, December 23. Look for further details around those events announced at a later date.

Change can be scary, but it is certainly not always a bad thing. For Primitive, this big change in production location and operation will allow the Boldts to focus their energy entirely on making and packaging the best spontaneous fermentation sour beer they can. The opportunities to work and collaborate with New Image are endless, and The Barrel Room concept will encourage all types of cross-fermentation.

Featured image courtesy of Stacey McMahan.