Economic Development Commission Business Meeting - April 9, 2026
Economic Development Commission Business Meeting - April 9, 2026
The Golden Economic Development Commission (EDC) held its regular business meeting on April 9, 2026, at 6:30 PM in the Council Chambers. The Commission approved two funding requests: a $4,996 Small Business Support Grant for Slee Off-Road for battery backup power, and up to $2,000 for a Business Power Resilience Event scheduled for June 3, 2026. Staff provided updates on the 2026 budget, business retention activities, and communications from partner agencies including GURA/DDA, the Chamber, and the Community Marketing Committee.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of Agenda: Motion by Nick Noppinger, seconded by Tracy Atkins; all in favor.
- Approval of March 12, 2026, Meeting Notes: Motion by Lauren Hartman, seconded by Marissa Trout; all in favor.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No public comments were received from the audience. However, Christo Slee, owner of Slee Off-Road, presented his grant application and answered commissioner questions.
Discussion Items
- Grant Application – Slee Off-Road: Christo Slee described how the December 2025 Xcel PSPS outage cost his business an estimated $75,000 in lost revenue and wages over three days, affecting 14 employees at his Pine Ridge Road location. He explained that a full generator system would cost over $50,000, so he proposed purchasing EcoFlow battery power stations totaling $9,992. The requested grant of $4,996 (50% of cost, excluding labor) would cover battery units for the server room, workshop, and individual workstations. Slee noted the system could be charged via solar or a small generator and would allow his business to operate for 1–2 days during outages. Commissioners expressed support, noting the application aligns with the expanded eligibility for electrical backup power under the Small Business Support Grant program. The Commission voted unanimously to approve the grant.
- Funding Request – Business Power Resilience Event: Staff proposed hosting a free event on June 3, 2026, from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM at Gnarly’s Theater to provide Golden businesses with practical backup power and resiliency information, with a focus on sustainable, off-grid solutions. The agenda would include vendor tables, a panel discussion with local businesses and solar/battery vendors, a Chamber policy update, Xcel commercial rebate info, and city PSPS mitigation efforts. Staff requested up to $2,000 for venue rental, light refreshments, and professional recording/broadcasting. Commissioners discussed the event’s scope, noting it should remain focused on off-grid solutions to avoid requiring Xcel’s presence. Some questioned whether the event should be funded solely by EDC versus shared with other entities, but staff noted the budget had headroom and that the event directly addresses economic impacts. The Commission voted unanimously to approve up to $2,000 in sponsorship.
- Staff Report:
- 2026 Budget: Staff reported minimal spending so far; major upcoming items include a mentorship program with Bud Rock Hill/Traction, a makerspace feasibility study, and renewal of digital resources (B2B, Blue Dot).
- Business Retention & Prospects: Staff highlighted that Terra CO2 (an economic incentive agreement recipient) is moving through permitting; a new brewery is coming to Golden (larger than Mountain Toad but smaller than Coors, focused on retail). The junction (52-acre industrial/commercial site) is in early planning stages.
- Sales, Use, and Lodging Tax Reports: Not yet available; expected to be released by April 13.
- Communications:
- GURA/DDA: The DDA approved an RFP for 30% plans for public spaces near City Hall and 100% plans for Archer Street. The DDA’s PSPS business relief program has processed about 80 applications, spending $200,000, and a separate resident relief effort provided $125 grants to 72 applicants. GURA is finalizing tax increment negotiations for the Church of the Nazarene affordable housing development (47 units at 80–100% AMI) and is expanding its board to comply with HB 1348. GURA also approved funding to explore electrical hardening/microgrids for business parks.
- Golden Chamber of Commerce: The Chamber is preparing for its annual meeting and announced a new Wednesday afternoon farmers market at Golden High School (3–6 PM, through July).
- Community Marketing Committee: The committee is undertaking a strategic planning study to realign its mission, and is exploring opportunities to attract visitors from the Sundance Film Festival (moving to Boulder on a 10-year contract), which is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of attendees, with 65% from in-state.
- Commissioner Comments: Tracy Atkins reported on the Golden Maker Social Club’s kickoff event at Astorhouse, attended by about 75 people. The event featured dot-voting on desired makerspace features and tool donations; two pop-up events are planned for summer.
Key Outcomes
- Approved a $4,996 Small Business Support Grant to Slee Off-Road for battery backup power (motion by Tracy Atkins, seconded by Cindy Weisrock; unanimous).
- Approved up to $2,000 in sponsorship for the Business Power Resilience Event on June 3, 2026 (motion by Nick Noppinger, seconded by Marissa Trout; unanimous).
- Staff will continue to develop the event agenda, promote the grant program, and coordinate with GURA/DDA and the Chamber on resilience efforts.
- The next EDC meeting is scheduled for May 14, 2026.
Meeting Transcript
Well, let's call the meeting to order. Baxter, would you mind doing all calling? Yes. Atkins? Here, toy, Weiler. Weissrock. Yeah. Knoppinger. You have a quorum. Okay. Um can we get a motion for approval of the agenda? I'll move that. We approve the agenda for April 10. I'll second that. Any discussion? Questions? All in favor? Aye. Aye. Aye. Any opposed? Aye. All right. Thanks, Nick. Can we get a motion on approval of the March 12th meeting notes? March 12th meeting notes. I'll say it. Any discussion or corrections? All right. All in favor, aye. Aye. Okay. Um public comment. We just have somebody to present it, right? Okay. Um discussion and action topics. Yes, Christopher, if you would like to join us, up Jordan. Um so as we've discussed for a few months now about expanding our small business support grant program, increasing the eligibility to include some backup power. Um we trimmed it a little bit last month to remove gas natural gas generators and propane generators, um, and focus more on the sustainability side of things. This is sustainability department has a similar program for residential, but there's a gap in the commercial need in town. And with all of this is in response to the late December PSPS that happened in 2025. Um so we expanded our grant program to include electrical backup power, and we kind of left it at that with a $5,000 cap. And we shared it with businesses, and they went out into the community, and I have only received one application and not much other interest. So here tonight is Christo. Would you like to speak about your business, why you applied for the grant, why you think it'll make a difference, and the course of actions that you've done between the December PSPS and now? Yeah. I want to first I appreciate the city reaching out. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been here, but the city reached out right after the event and asked it, you know. Not really what we can do because there's not a lot to do, but how was it and what did it experience? And I appreciate that.
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