Arvada Chamber: Community Impact Forum: County Connection

Press release from the Arvada Chamber of Commerce:

Ryan Hecht

April 16, 2021

Below, find a video recording of the event, bios of our speakers, and important resources from the event.

Don Davis, Jefferson County Manager

Ray Gonzales, Adams County Manager

Jeffco moves to blue today, alongside several other metro area counties, inc. Adams CO, which are working together to provide consistency across metro counties. Here’s what it means for Jeffco:   More info here: https://bit.ly/3dlx4iX Jefferson County Public Health has published its new order in coordination with the metro area to begin today.  Information can be found here.  https://www.jeffco.us/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=1541 One thing for the whole front range is responsible development. Everyone wants to move to the front range; its the Silicon Valley of the Rockies. Everyone loves the Denver area. We’ve only got so much land and water. Our commissioners are working on wildfire issues, sustainability issues, airports, and antigrowth initiatives. If it just happens we don’t have the chance to shape it. Finding balance. County has to balance opening the economy while protecting the health of the community. While we want to open, we have an ethical obligation to serve and protect everyone in the community. We’ve done a great job in colorado managing COVID-19. Behind the scenes, there’s a lot of conversations about what’s best for the region. It’s a regional approach. We can’t be on an island by ourselves on these decisions. Every employee in Adams County is responsible for innovation. The county recently established an innovation fund for employees to submit innovative projects. $50,000/year is allocated to this fund for a dozen projects. Example of one such project: a public works manager came up with a gravel road mix to reduce maintenance costs every year. This solution is so successful, the county has hosted foreign countries interested in this gravel road program. The public works manager’s idea failed six times and succeeded with the seventh proposal. Right now, any events out in public will have less restrictions. We are moving forward with the 4th of July festival. Unless the governor announces restrictions, right now we’re moving forward.

This press release was produced by the Arvada Chamber of Commerce. The views expressed here are the author’s own.