Residents urge action on speeding, potholes, flooding and public safety during Commerce City public comment; Adams 14 asks council to sponsor scholarship gala

Multiple speakers used the public‑comment portion of the Commerce City Council meeting to raise neighborhood safety, road and drainage concerns and to request city support for local nonprofit education programs.

David Medish, captain with the South Adams County Fire Department, invited the council to a by‑invitation training event where high‑school students and contractors will demonstrate building trades and fire‑related demonstrations; he described a training structure the students had built and noted a burn demonstration planned for April (event date given by speaker as “April from roughly 10:00 until 1”).

Residents' concerns: Keith Rogers, a resident, called for early public warnings about fireworks, more drone enforcement and more traffic cameras in the southwest area of the city. Rogers described potholes and drainage problems along Colorado Boulevard and the 60th–Eighth corridor and said water is entering residents’ garages because of a raised road crown and filled drainage ditches. Council members noted pothole and asphalt maintenance are scheduled for upcoming meetings and study sessions.

Jackie Valdez told council she had recorded a severe incident near 68th and Ash Park and asked for more lighting, more police presence and earlier response to calls. She said officers did not arrive for a reported morning crash until several hours later; she said the delay was explained to the caller as due to a shift change and urged that policing and emergency response be improved.

Education and community events: Laurie Young, executive director of the Adams 14 Education Foundation, asked council to approve a sponsorship for the foundation’s 25th‑anniversary gala on April 24 at the DoubleTree Hilton Denver; the foundation told council it will present $200,000 in scholarships this year and funds teacher grants and Leadership Commerce City programs. Council approved a table sponsorship at the requested level.

Support for EPAC/EPIC: Resident Scott VanHuyzen spoke in favor of Ordinance 2,676 to convert EPAC into a commission, citing examples of EPAC’s programs such as the Sand Creek Regional Greenway Partnership and multimodal transportation initiatives.

City response and next steps: Council members and the city manager referenced scheduled pavement‑maintenance discussions on April 21 and said staff is working on drone deployment and other enforcement tools. City Manager Rogers said a drone vendor kickoff meeting was planned and testing would likely begin within 45–60 days.

Speakers (attributed): - Capt. David Medish, South Adams County Fire Department (invitation to training burn and description of student construction program) - Keith Rogers, resident (speeding, drones, potholes, drainage) - Jackie Valdez, resident (lighting, policing response, park safety) - Laurie Young, Executive Director, Adams 14 Education Foundation (requested sponsorship for April 24 gala) - Scott VanHuyzen, resident (support for EPAC commission conversion)

Clarifying details: - Medish gave an event date range: “April from roughly 10:00 until 1.” - Adams 14 requested a $1,750 table sponsorship; council approved the request for one table in the stated amount. - City Manager Rogers said drone testing with a vendor should begin in roughly 45–60 days.

Provenance (transcript excerpts): “Captain David Medish with the South Adams County Fire Department … Adams Canyon had given us a grant that we were able to take those high school students …” (block_427.085 local 0–128). “The drones are very important, we need to get them in the air. … We need to get some potholes fixed. From 60 eighth to getting on to 85, there's some craters …” (block_571.16504 local 0–140). “You have an agenda item tonight, to vote for a sponsorship for our 25th anniversary … $200,000 worth of scholarships to give away this year …” (block_1108.9099 local 0–120).

Searchable tags: public comments, potholes, drainage, drones, Adams 14, scholarships, public safety

Meeting context: These public‑comment items preceded multiple council policy items and votes, and council directed staff to follow up where appropriate.