ACTION ALERT: Call On Jefferson County to Stop Funding for the Jefferson Parkway in their 2020 Budge
This map shows the proposed route of the Jefferson Parkway along Indiana St. compared with plutonium contamination outlined on the Krey Hardy Map. Click here for additional information from a paper written by Randy Stafford, member of the Jefferson Parkway Advisory Committee.
Jefferson County Commissioners
Public Hearing regarding the 2020 Budget
When: Tuesday, November 12th, 8am
Where: Jefferson County Administration and Courts Building, 100 Jefferson County Parkway, Golden, CO 80419
Jefferson County is facing a $16.1M budget shortfall in 2020, and plans to cut services like law enforcement, ballot processing, facilities management, and others. These cuts will have an impact on public safety, according to county officials, and will stretch into 2021 as well. For more information see https://patch.com/colorado/lakewood-co/jeffco-commissioners-hearing-consider-16m-budget-cuts.
ACTION ALERT: Contact the Jefferson County Commissioners and ask them to stop funding the Jefferson Parkway. Jefferson County's 2020 budget includes a $1M placeholder for the Jefferson Parkway, according to an October 24th email from Deputy County Manager Kate Newman. Now that the budget is facing a $16.1 million shortfall, the Jefferson Parkway should be the first expense removed in the interest of public health and safety.
URGENT: Please contact the Jefferson County Commissioners before their meeting at 8:00am 11/12/19:
lszabo@jeffco.us (Libby Szabo)
ctighe@jeffco.us (Casey Tighe)
ldahlkem@jeffco.us (Lesley Dahlkemper)
The proposed route of the Jefferson Parkway traverses land adjacent to Rocky Flats, a former nuclear weapons plant that manufactured 70,000 plutonium bomb triggers, 1952-1989.
Recap of 2019:
Presentations were heard from CDPHE, Engineering Analytics, and representatives from citizen groups.
Here is a list of the citizen group speakers and their credentials:
Jon Lipsky, former FBI agent who led the 1989 raid on the Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons Plant, presenting on environmental contamination by the Plant.
(Randy Stafford covered this presentation because Dr. Moore was unable to attend) Dr. LeRoy Moore, first-hand participant in setting plutonium soil standards for the Rocky Flats cleanup project, presenting on that soil standard setting process.
Dr. Harvey Nichols, CU professor emeritus of biology who studied Rocky Flats airborne contamination, presenting evidence that the entire Refuge was dusted with tiny plutonium particles; health implications.
Randy Stafford, presenting on his survey of all past offsite soil and public health impact studies listed in his JPAC position paper (linked from https://www.jppha.org/citizen-engagement ).
Tiffany Hanson, founder of http://rockyflatsdownwinders.com , presenting on reports her organization has received about sick and deceased downwinders, including the MSU health survey.
Dr. Gale Biggs, micro-meteorologist (retired) who chaired the Air Committee of Governor Romer’s Rocky Flats Scientific Monitoring Panel, presenting on air monitoring for plutonium.
Dr. Michael Ketterer, Northern Arizona University professor emeritus of chemistry and specialist in radionuclide soil studies, presenting on soil contamination in the Parkway right of way.
Ms. Pat Mellen, Esq., subject matter expert on Rocky Flats cleanup history, presenting on the importance of the Special Grand Jury 89-2 records and why they should be reviewed.
Great community solidarity during public comment
Important Points:
Studies over recent decades have shown plutonium at more than 100x background radiation along Indiana St. A recent sample from August 2019 measured 264 pCi/G. More info from Westword.
The half-life of plutonium is 24,110 years.
There is pending litigation on 3 lawsuits regarding contamination at Rocky Flats (more information available on rockyflatsambushedgrandjury.com)
Local legislators, local school boards, and community groups from around the nation oppose public recreation at Rocky Flats.
7 local school districts made a commitment to not allow field trips to Rocky Flats. This includes BVSD, SVVSD, Adams 12, Adams 14, Jeffco Public Schools, and Denver Public Schools.
In 2016 property owners in the Cook V. Rockwell case received a settlement of $375 million due to contamination from the Rocky Flats Plant. The jury found that “plutonium will continue to be present on the class properties indefinitely”.
The Jefferson Parkway would not complete the beltway around Denver. There would still be a number of stoplights and road transfers.