Golden Partners With Foundation To Set Future Course

Orton Family Foundation Heart and  Soul Initiative Helps Guide Golden's Community Vision

Golden, CO - What will Golden be like in 20 years? Will it be the place it is today? The Orton Family Foundation awarded the City of Golden a $100,000 grant, extensive staff support and technical assistance to invite the citizens of Golden to answer that question - to envision a future and ensure that the future becomes the vision.

The Foundation is working with Golden to develop and adopt a "Heart & Soul" approach to land use planning. In Heart & Soul Community Planning, the qualities that make Golden a great place to live are identified, recognized, and used to make decisions and steer change. Golden City Council unanimously gave preliminary approval to the partnership with the Orton Family Foundation at its meeting last night.

"The Orton Family Foundation approach is unique in its recognition of and focus on a community's strengths in order to plan for its future," said Mayor Jacob Smith. "This method dovetails extremely well with the grassroots community visioning process the City has already begun with its neighborhood planning process and citizen task forces, and we are very excited to have the opportunity to work with the Foundation."

Golden's citizens have the answers to what matters most to them and the know-how to ensure sustainable economic, environmental and social well being for their own city. That is why Heart and Soul Planning engages a broad base of local people to help shape the future. The full participation of those who live and work in Golden helps them find common cause, direct the forces of growth and change, and protect the elements that citizens treasure and that connect them to one another and to their community - their heart and soul.

"Golden is an ideal community for Heart and Soul work," said Bill Roper, President and CEO of the Orton Family Foundation. "The City has a distinct identity despite its proximity to Denver and Boulder and it enjoys a high level of citizen participation. Golden's citizen-led task forces and work groups will be a springboard for involving as many people as possible to learn what matters most as residents face the pressures of growth and change."

Ultimately, Golden's Heart and Soul Planning work will generate community support and understanding of a shared, values-based vision to be presented in a Golden Vision 2030 Plan, supplemental code, policy and capital investment amendments that directly support the 2030 Vision.

This week, the Foundation also announced partnerships with three other towns - Victor, Idaho; Damariscotta, Maine; and Biddeford, Maine - each of which was also awarded $100,000 and other Foundation resources for 2- to 3-year projects.

The Orton Family Foundation, based in Middlebury, Vermont, and with an office in Denver, seeks to help small cities and towns discover and describe their Heart and Soul and build on those attributes in planning toward a vibrant, enduring future. The Foundation serves cities and towns with populations of less than 50,000 people in the Northeast and Rocky Mountain regions, and was created in 1995 by Lyman Orton, owner of the Vermont Country Store. For more information and news about the Orton Family Foundation go to www.orton.org

Founded during the Pike's Peak gold rush in 1859, Golden was originally a mining camp named for Thomas L. Golden. It served as the Territorial Capital of Colorado until 1867, when its mining camp rival, Denver, took the State seat. With a history spanning nearly 150 years, today Golden is a home-rule city with 18,000 residents and boasts enchanting boutiques, mouthwatering dining, independent theater, distinctive galleries, antique shops, cultural museums, the picturesque Colorado School of Mines campus and a gorgeous creekside trail with public art, all in walking distance from free parking downtown. Best of all, historic downtown Golden sits nestled in a valley between the Rocky Mountain Foothills and notable geographic landmarks, North and South Table Mountains. For more information on visiting Golden, visit www.2HourVacation.com, or for information on the City government, visit www.cityofgolden.net.