Council Connects

Rocky Flats Stewardship Council
A couple things from today’s mtg:
1. Department of Energy declined to answer a letter with questions from the Council: DOE declined to answer a letter RFSC sent last April which included a variety of questions including some on Fracking under the Flats. Apparently DOE implied that our questions included advisory type comments and that we are a Stewardship Board, not an Advisory Board????
2. CDPHE will monitor all sampling done along the Jeffco Hwy Authority ROW and perform modelling related to potential exposers of the Hwy construction workforce.

New Washington Post article: Trump pulls back from flavored vaping ban. https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/trump-pulls-back-from-flavored-vaping-ban/2019/11/17/30853ece-07ae-11ea-924a-28d87132c7ec_story.html

After I sent my previous message, I saw that the link was likely not going to work properly, so let me try this again:

From Martín:

My article on wise collaborators just came out in the National Civic Review.

https://www.nationalcivicleague.org/ncr-article/the-wise-collaborator-a-new-ideal-for-civic-decision-making/

The access code is NCL19

Martín Carcasson sent a link to his latest article on The Wise Collaborator. I've created a PDF in which the links he references should be "live" and clickable. If not, let me know and I will send you the link directly.

I'm excited about the expansion of his work into development of the "wise collaborator."

/Users/SaoirseCG/Desktop/The Wise Collaborator: A New Ideal for Civic Decision-Making.pdf

Here is the info behind yesterday's letter to the RTD board. RTD Director Shelley Cook (Arvada, not Golden rep) gave me the heads up about a committee proposal for a 6-month promotion, allowing boarders at all stations along a selected line paying the same local fare. This is a possibility under the FTA, without going into the in-depth fare analysis required for changing a fare. Shelley warned me that the N-line, with all its delay problems, would be the first to receive it if any service did. Thanks to our previous outreach, she advised that then Golden could/should advocate for W-line candidacy. The board meeting is tonight, and if approved the promotional idea would go to the full board. https://www.denverpost.com/2019/11/12/rtd-fares-regional-n-line/
And, on an related subject without contact from the Golden RTD rep, a public meeting is scheduled for 6:00 Nov. 20 in the Golden Library for discussion of current, unscheduled cancellation of trains due to driver shortage.

Interesting long-form article on the history of Juul; how it intentionally developed products to hook teens; can deliver far more nicotine in a short period of time than cigarettes; and how juvenile brains can become addicted to nicotine delivered via vaping in less than two months vs. more than two years of smoking via regular cigarettes.

https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/juul-ecigarette/

Food for thought -- Don't Boulder by My Golden"? https://coloradosun.com/2019/11/03/boulder-growth-election-housing-politics-opinion/

Helpful article on the history of menthol flavor within the African-American community ...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/as-trump-tackles-vapes-african-americans-feel-stung-by-inaction-on-menthol-cigarettes/2019/10/31/d06e93d2-e6ec-11e9-a331-2df12d56a80b_story.html

https://milkeninstitute.org/reports/age-forward-cities-2030
I thought this report on Healthy Aging might be of interest. It was forwarded to me by DRCOG.
Jim

Judge Goodbee: Yesterday I observed our Golden juvenile court. It was an emotional and informative event. We are fortunate to have Judge Goodbee as our municipal judge. I believe many, including parents and children, would find juvenile court an important learning experience.

Some summary statements from research on adolescent brain science:

“Hot” and “cold” cognition
Perhaps because of the relative ease of quantifying hormonal levels in animal models, it is tempting to attribute all adolescent behavioral changes to “raging hormones.” More nuanced investigations of adolescent behavior seek to understand the specific mechanisms by which hormones affect neural circuitry and to discern these processes from nonhormonal developmental changes. An important aspect of this work is the distinction between “hot” and “cold” cognition. Hot cognition refers to conditions of high emotional arousal or conflict; this is often the case for the riskiest of adolescent behaviors. Most research to date has captured information in conditions of “cold cognition” (e.g., low arousal, no peers, and hypothetical situations). Like impulse control and sensation seeking, hot and cold cognition are subserved by different neuronal circuits and have different developmental courses.

What does science say about age limits?
Research on adolescent brain development does not point to an obvious age at which a sharp legal distinction between adolescents and adults should be drawn for all purposes, but it is informative. People reach various kinds of maturity between the ages of roughly 15 and 22. Adolescents’ judgement in situations that permit unhurried decision-making and consultation with others – what psychologists call “cold cognition” – is likely to be as mature as that of adults by 16. In contrast, adolescents’ judgement in situations characterized by heightened emotions, time pressure or the potential for social coercion – “hot cognition” – is unlikely to be as mature as that of adults until they are older, certainly no younger than 18 and perhaps not until they are 21. This distinction is partly related to our understanding of changes in the brain’s prefrontal cortex, which usually continue for the first 20 years of life.

Cold cognition is relevant to matters such as voting, granting informed consent for medical procedures or taking part in a scientific study, and competence to stand trial in court. In these, adolescents can gather evidence, consult advisers (such as parents, physicians or lawyers), and take time before making a decision. Time pressure and peer pressure aren’t usually factors.

Matters that involve hot cognition, such as driving, drinking and criminal responsibility, are the circumstances that tend to bring out the worst in adolescents’ judgement. They frequently pit the temptation of immediate rewards against the prudent consideration of long-term costs, occur against a backdrop of high emotion, and are influenced by other adolescents. These are the very conditions under which adolescent decision-making is more impulsive, more risky and more myopic than that of adults.

Science would say we ought to set the minimum driving age and the minimum age of adult criminal responsibility at 18, and continue to restrict minors’ access to alcohol, tobacco and, where it is legal, marijuana.

Interesting news story this morning on NPR discussing how nicotine, vaping, and flavored nicotine effect the teenage brain. Bottom line: teenagers are particularly susceptible to nicotine due to receptors in their developing brains, even more susceptible when flavors are added, and nicotine use can lead to long-term changes in the brain, like ADHD.

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/10/10/768588170/how-vaping-nicotine-can-affect-a-teenage-brain

ICYMI - article in the Post today about youth vaping and a likely bill in 2020 to raise the age for nicotine products - https://www.denverpost.com/2019/10/10/colorado-vaping-legislation-hickenlooper-polis

This looks interesting, Maybe we will want to livestream to a Golden conference room:


2019 State Demography Summit Registration
This one day conference offers attendees the opportunity to learn about the most current population and economic conditions and forecasts for the state and its regions. These plenary sessions will not only cover the data and information but also implications for planning, policy, business, and public services. Experts will share recent research and programs surrounding housing demand and supply and future plans for the region. Sessions will also cover the latest status of Census 2020 and new tools for accessing Census and State Demography Office data.
Agenda Topics

Updates on State Demography Office population estimates and forecasts,
Federal, State, and Local updates and perspectives on the 2020 Census,
Demonstration of the new Census data portal, data.census.gov,
Data tools available from the State Demography Office, and
Housing Supply and Demand: Why the disequilibrium? Impacts on households and potential solutions
Location: Arapahoe Community College, 5900 S Santa Fe Dr, Littleton, CO 80120. The Summit Room
Date and Time: Friday, November 1, 2019. 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Doors open at 8:00 a.m.

6 hours of Continuing Education Credits are available for ACIP Planners, Real Estate Appraisers, and Real Estate Brokers.

Cost:
In-Person Attendance: $60.00 per person
Livestream Attendance: $30.00 per connection

Summit Announcement Page: http://bit.ly/2mt8PXY
Registration Page: http://bit.ly/2m62sdd

SMALL COMMUNITIES HOT TOPICS IV – 26 SEP 2019, Jiles McCoy & I attended
SMART CITIES: Playing the Smart Region Game
Take Aways
1. Connectivity & Citizen Engagement - Guiding Golden got a highlight
2. Resiliency
a. Xcel addressed the future of power backup & microgrids
b. Town of Bennet addressed their use of GIS for inventory & tracking of assets and conditions (stuff we do for signs, pavement, pipes etc.)
3. Smart City Denver RFP Process & Results
a. RFP got well over 100 responses
b. They contracted with 60 + for various tasks and included the provision that govt entities across CO could ride the contract with any vendor ( something we might consider)
4. Safety
a. Very interesting presentation
b. Emphasized the importance of efforts like we are practicing
c. Emphasized the importance of:
i. Backup
ii. Training
iii. Systems for Risk Assessment & Penetration exercises
iv. We should consider getting periodic updates/reports on our safety program
v. Big $$$$$s are being stolen & ransomed
vi. Resources availablethrough DRCOG
5. Mobility & Mobility Blue Print
a. DRCOG perspective on Smart People Movement Systems
b. Lots of resources available through DRCOG
6. AGRIBURBIA – Quint Redmond (formerly of the Golden area, now in Keensburg)
a. Talked about local food and food grown in communities
b. Addressed Community Food Fraction – fraction produced locally
c. Integrated food production in communities and business settings
d. Has recommendations for Comp Plans and Codes that we might want to consider

Affordable Housing/Living: note the article in the Denver Post today about food/housing insecurity in college students in Denver (same applies here at Mines)

State of the Nation's Housing - A summary is in this month's CML newsletter. Notable takeaways: there is a nationwide shortage of housing; nearly 1/3 of households in US are cost-burdened; in 63 metros, including Denver, the median renter could afford less than 1/4 of recently sold homes; and real median income rose 17% while real median home prices rose 42% in same time period. Here is the link to the entire report. https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/state-nations-housing-2019

A Colorado Sun article about a Ft. Collins death investigation seems tangentially relevant to our household definition discussion.The background: a student was shot and killed with a roommate's gun in an off-campus apartment. Before calling 911, the roommate took various measures to change the scene AND, with another roommate, "concocted a story ...before police arrived to hide the true number of roommates living at the house. Fort Collins ordinance limits the number of unrelated occupants to three, but at least five lived at the house." I was compelled to share this astonishing reaction to the situation and ordinance.

FYI, The poster we created and took to the DRCOG off-site at Keystone addressing some Golden efforts and Guiding Golden is now posted in Supporting Documents in here on the Council Connects page - thanks to Karlyn!

DRCOG INFO
VISION ZERO
- An approach/plan to reduce mobility relate fatalities to the aspirational goal of zero
- There is a toolbox associated with this effort
- I believe our MTAB should look at this
RTD DISCOUNTED FARES
- Needy folks (185% of the Federal Poverty Level) can get 40% discounted tickets through the Colorado PEAK website
- Seniors, youth and disabled can get even greater discounts through RTD
PROP CC COMING TO OUR BALLOT
- For a good description, including pros and cons from various advocates, go to the DRCOG website and the calendar for the Board of Directors for 18 Sep
- Click on the BOD entry, click on materials pdf, then go Attachment C