Wheat Ridge City Council is one of the first donors to an expansion of the 18-month-old Clear Creek Marketplace. They agreed to a $30,000 request from Localworks, a nonprofit organization focused on the city’s economic development. Executive Director Paige Piper, reading from a prepared statement at the council’s Sept. 8 meeting, called the $350,000 expansion
A measure of justice was achieved in August for the family and friends of a Wheat Ridge businessman shot and killed in a 2023 robbery. On Aug. 6, a Jefferson County District Court jury found Charles Robinson Shay, 42, guilty of several counts — including first-degree murder — for the killing of Peter Damian Arguello
Scuba diving and economic development seem a world apart, but Steve Art of Wheat Ridge enjoys one for the “peace and tranquility” it offers and the other for the opportunity to be part of a growing communityNext year, Art and his wife, Peggy, will take their next life step as he retires and the couple
Mentoring is something Karen O’Donnell has done for 15 years. But she never thought she’d win an award for helping others grow and find their way in life. The Wheat Ridge Parks and Recreation Department director for the last six years, O’Donnell will receive the Dirk Richwine Professional Mentoring Award at the 2025 National Recreation
Wheat Ridge High School can welcome many students who now attend Jefferson Junior/Senior High School — when and if the Edgewater school closes, according to WRHS Principal Lisa Mahannah. Jefferson County School District officials recently decided to delay a planned 2026-27 school year closure of Jefferson due to low enrollment for one or two school
Edgewater residents don’t want Jefferson Junior/Senior High School to close and have developed a plan to hopefully reverse its declining enrollment. The Jefferson County School District has proposed to close Jefferson for the 2026-27 school year and merge the Jefferson and Wheat Ridge articulation areas. Everitt Middle School and Wheat Ridge High School would become
Residents living near the former home of Lutheran Medical Center in downtown Wheat Ridge were concerned earlier this year after receiving a letter that gave the mistaken impression they could be paying a property tax to help the site redevelop. The center moved to Clear Creek Crossing on Aug. 3, 2024, and was renamed Lutheran
More than a dozen projects are on Wheat Ridge Public Works Director Maria D’Andrea’s to-do list this year, including the seemingly never-ending Wadsworth Boulevard improvement and expansion project. The list also includes potential roundabouts, a bus terminal and a 10- to 20-foot-tall city welcome sign. Here is most of D’Andrea’s list, edited for clarity and
Closing a public school starts what is usually a lengthy process to determine how those buildings and sites are put to other uses. For example, Kullerstrand, New Classical Academy at Vivian and Wilmore Davis served Wheat Ridge families and were among 16 Jefferson County School District elementaries closed by the school board at the end
From outdoor classes and graduation to concerts and festivals to a place to gather, a new Wheat Ridge park promises many fun times. Once completed next summer, the nearly two-acre Green at 38th Park will include a stage/outdoor classroom, civic greenspace, festival promenade for vendors, playground, two fire pits, a game grove, seating areas, significantly
A mainstay of Wheat Ridge’s bar and restaurant scene is back in business, after an 8-month hiatus to expand and change not only its appearance but its business approach. Co-owner Eugene Kahng has operated the Colorado Plus Brewpub, 6995 W. 38th Ave., in Wheat Ridge for 18 years. During that time, he also volunteered to
The end may be approaching for Wheat Ridge motorists who have had to slowly navigate through seemingly never-ending lane closures and slowdowns on Wadsworth Boulevard for the last three years. The city recently announced the multi-year improvement project had reached 75% completion in terms of money paid: $40.5 million of the $55.265 million contract. Barring
Following last year’s voter-approved tax increase and bond issue ballot question, the Wheat Ridge City Council recently approved a $75 million increase in the city’s debt to pay for several improvement projects. Memos to the council noted the debt will have a repayment cost of $125 million and a $7.7 million maximum annual repayment cost.
New buildings in the center of the former Lutheran Hospital campus would be at least two stories shorter than the hospital building, if Wheat Ridge voters approve a city charter amendment in the Nov. 5 general election. The city council initially approved the amendment’s ballot language on Aug. 12 . The measure’s approval is sought
Wheat Ridge’s city charter would be subject to more than a dozen potential amendments if voters approve a Nov. 5 general election ballot question. The city council gave consent to the amendments in a June 17 study session and to proposed ballot language in a July 15 study session. A draft ordinance with the ballot
For the last several years, Wheat Ridge businesses along the Wadsworth Boulevard corridor have had to deal with fewer customers — and less revenue — since a $60 million street improvement project began. Brewery Rickoli, 4335 Wadsworth Blvd., on the southwest corner of 44th Avenue and Wadsworth, is one affected business. Owner and brewmaster Rick
A proposed rezoning for the current Lutheran Medical Center site in Wheat Ridge is welcomed by its owners as they get ready to move into a state-of-the-art facility at Clear Creek Crossing. The city is preparing a zone district to apply to the downtown property while Intermountain Health has begun talking to interested buyers about
The new Wheat Ridge hospital that opens in August will be very different than Lutheran Medical Center. It will even have a different — but familiar — name. Lutheran President Andrea Burch said the new facility will be called “Intermountain Health Lutheran Hospital” instead of “medical center”. “We thought it made sense to standardize the
A zoning change to help the current Lutheran Medical Center site be redeveloped will be pursued this year, while a city charter amendment regarding building height on the property may be put before Wheat Ridge voters in the Nov. 5 general election. On May 13, the city council unanimously approved a rezoning process. They also
The countdown is on to one of the most anticipated weekends in Wheat Ridge: The Carnation Festival, now more than 50 years old, is one of the longest-running festivals in Colorado. Its name comes from the post-World War II period when Wheat Ridge was home to a thriving carnation industry. The last carnation grower in
A lengthy update process for a key guiding document in Wheat Ridge began with an April open house. At the end of the approximately 12 months, a new comprehensive plan will help city leaders and residents determine its direction through the next two decades. According to the city website, the Envision Wheat Ridge comprehensive plan
If you have a hobby, a creative or business idea and need a place to make it happen in Wheat Ridge, the Clear Creek Makerspace is now open. Localworks, a nonprofit organization focused on the city’s economic development, launched what might be its most visible project yet with a March 30 grand opening of the
While national numbers show violent crimes decreased in 2022, public perception is that crime is on the upswing, primarily due to social media and the news media, said Wheat Ridge Police Chief Chris Murtha. The city’s own crime numbers for 2023 are a mixed bag of declines and upswings in various categories typically found in
A pink desk and pink diary helped a then-Wheat Ridge child learn to write. Her exploration of Denver more than two decades ago resulted in Jill Carstens’ first book. “Getting Over Vivian: A Memoir” tells a story of “family, love and loss set against a backdrop of familiar Front Range settings,” wrote Kathryn White in
