If you are looking for a small town with deep historical roots, an amazing location, a kinship for the outdoors and a willingness to re-examine itself after over 100 years, then Golden may be it. From the infamous archway to the kayak park on Clear Creek, Golden is working hard to keep the past alive while embracing what the future holds. One of the most powerful ways Golden is able to do this is through a process called Vision 2030.
In 2008 I was invited to sit in on a meeting the City was having with the Orton Family Foundation. Golden was being considered for grant money and a partnership with the foundation for what they call Heart and Soul Community Planning. This type of planning involves deep, meaningful conversation and thorough documentation of what makes Golden tick as told by the people that live here. This information is then used to create a vision and plan that will guide future City plans and decisions. The meeting was a handful of City officials and community representatives who discussed with the Orton Family Foundation representatives why Golden is such a perfect place for a grant and partnership of this kind: Golden has a history to be proud of and is making amazing strides to modernize the city's offerings, and it needs help understanding more directly what that means to the people who live here. The foundation agreed, and the City was awarded the grant. Work began in March of 2009 in the form of community meetings and surveys across the entire city, and continues today with a new kind of meeting: Community Summits.
Next Tuesday, March 23rd, from 6-9 pm at the Golden High School is the first of the Summits. Summiting to a Vision is an important meeting for all of us to attend. The process will be stronger and the outcome more meaningful if we are all there. When it comes to sustainable development and planning, a process like this is essential. You can't plan effectively for a town if you don't listen to what the citizens want. And you can't listen if there is no forum. So, here is the forum. The City is listening. What will you say?
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