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NEIGHBORHOOD
WHEAT RIDGE | APPLEWOOD | MOUNTAIN VIEW | LAKESIDE | BERKELEY February 11 – March 15, 2020 • ngazette.com • FREE
‘Benign’ Rare Earth Extraction Pilot Program To Open In Wheat Ridge n By
Mike McKibbin
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“pretty benign process” will be used in a Wheat Ridge pilot plant to extract and purify rare earth minerals crucial to things like cell phones, wind power generation and magnets. If the process is proven, it could help break China’s domination in rare earth minerals, a relatively abundant group of 17 elements. The plant will be operated by Resource Development Inc. (RDi), part of a USA Rare Earth and Texas Mineral Resources Corp. project in that state. Dan Gorski, director of operations for USA Rare Earth, said in an interview the company has worked with RDi on other projects since 2011. Locating the pilot plant at RDi’s 11475 W. I-70 Frontage Road North site in Wheat Ridge was also attractive due to the nearby Colorado School of Mines and its engineering expertise. The plant will be the first such processing facility outside China and is expected to be operational in the first quarter of Continued on page 12
RED SKY AT MORNING, DRIVERS TAKE WARNING – a gorgeous sunrise photo taken by a Wheat Ridge police officer the weekend of Feb. 8-9 preceded a storm putting the city on accident alert the following Monday evening. COURTESY WHEAT RIDGE POLICE DEPARTMENT
Point-In-Time Survey Identifies, Helps The Homeless n By
Nancy Hahn
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heat Ridge is a vibrant, growing, successful community. Its parks have been renovated, the Recreation Center adds new classes and activities often, the unemployment rate is below the U.S. average, and the income is above average. But there are numbers of homeless people in Wheat Ridge. We see them with their signs by underpasses or at stop lights by shopping centers. Churches open their doors to them on especially cold nights. To help estimate the number of people experiencing homelessness in the Wheat Ridge area in order to plan and provide needed services, an annual Point-in-Time survey was conducted from sundown on Jan. 27 until sundown the next day. The survey was conducted by the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative, Wheat Ridge volunteers, the Wheat Ridge Police Department, and Family Tree. The Wheat Ridge community donated items for the homeless that were passed out at the Point in Time survey, including sleeping bags and warm clothing. Volunteers created packages with snacks, warm hats and gloves, and Vaseline to prevent frostbite. Gift cards for King Soopers, McDonalds, and for thrift stores were included, too. While the Point-in-Time survey provided information on the number of homeless in the Wheat Ridge community, it also provided ideas about other services that people experiencing homeless could benefit from. While warm clothing and healthy snacks are nice, the goal is to find ways for the homeless to no longer have to live on the streets or in shelters. One step Wheat Ridge is taking is to create a new position within the police
department called the Homeless Navigator. The Homeless Navigator will visit the homeless in their camps or cars and share information about services and resources available to them. The Navigator can make referrals for those in need of specific services. As with all members of the Wheat Ridge community, the Homeless Navigator is expected to follow the Wheat Ridge values of ACTION - Accountability, Change,
Teamwork, Integrity, Opportunity, Now! Coordinating the interaction between local and state government employees, community-based professionals, community residents, families and support systems to provide services and resources to adults and juveniles experiencing homelessness is also a job of the navigator. There are programs of many kinds out there that can provide support for the homeless, but homeless individuals often
don’t know about them. The Homeless Navigator can not only provide information on existing programs, but develop supportive programs, as needed. The individual in this position will also represent Wheat Ridge's commitment to a collaborative, regional approach to addressing homelessness in Jefferson County. More information on the position of Homeless Navigator is available online on the City of Wheat Ridge website.
PEOPLE YOU SHOULD KNOW
Bud Starker’s Youthful Travels Informed His Leadership Style n By
Laurie Dunklee
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ud Starker, mayor of Wheat Ridge, has lived in the same house in Wheat Ridge since 1975. But he spent his growing-up years living all over the U.S. and overseas, including in Germany and Iran. The son of an Air Force officer, he graduated from high school in Tehran. “I was a 6-foot-tall, blonde, blue-eyed guy who stuck out in Iran – I was the only person around who looked like that. Kids would follow me around and stare at me,” Starker said. His father was born in Denver and grew up in Rifle. “Dad was a navigator and instructor in World War II, then he came home to run a flower shop and that’s when I was born,” Starker said. “In 1950, he was recalled into the Korean War and decided to make the Air Force his career.” While Bud was growing up, the family lived in Alabama, Germany, Maine, Virginia and Iran. His travels allowed him to experience different parts of the country and the world, often during interesting times. Continued on page 2
‘LIVING OVERSEAS MADE ME WILLING TO LISTEN to others’ opinions and views. People have different ways to solve problems,’ says Mayor Bud Starker. PHOTO COURTESY BUD STARKER