Old Town business owners and residents press Arvada council for action on safety as homelessness issues persist

Dozens of Old Town Arvada business owners and residents used the Feb. 3 Arvada City Council public-comment period to press the council for immediate action after months of rising incidents they described as threats to public safety and local commerce.

Speakers gave first-hand accounts of open drug use, people sleeping in alleys and on patios, repeated vandalism, human waste and aggressive behavior that they say is driving customers and staff away from Old Town businesses. "I've had numerous occurrences with not only myself feeling unsafe, but my friends and customers at the winery feeling unsafe. We're afraid to come to Old Town at night," said Kristen Sherr, owner of Silver Vines Winery. Joe Hengstler, executive director of the Old Town Arvada Business Improvement District, told the council, "It should not be an unreasonable expectation that a family can walk through the square to the library without having to go by open drug use and dealing" and that business owners are cleaning needles, feces and drug paraphernalia daily.

Why it matters: Speakers…