The Colorado City and County Management Association has named Wheat Ridge City Manager Patrick Goff Manager of the Year. Goff received the award last month at the CCCMA’s Winter Conference in Glenwood Springs. Goff joined the City of Wheat Ridge in 2002 as administrative services director then deputy city manager before being promoted to city manager in 2010.

The Manager of the Year award honors a CCCMA member that has made an outstanding contribution to local government in the past year. Goff was nominated by the city’s executive management team for his leadership in 2014.

“Last year was a landmark one for the city and Patrick was a driving force in many key initiatives,” said Wheat Ridge Mayor Joyce Jay. He not only helped promote economic growth and development, but fostered partnerships and leveraged funding to make Wheat Ridge a better community.”

In 2014, developers broke ground on three new residential communities, a new retail center housing the city’s first Sprouts Farmer’s Market began construction and Wheat Ridge was ranked as one of the best places in the nation to retire.

“Wheat Ridge is gaining more attention as both a great place to live and work and it’s clear Patrick deserves credit for increasing the City’s visibility,” said CCCMA Board Member Matthew Birnie, president and county manager for Gunnison County.

The CCCMA is a statewide association of local government managers and assistants. The organization offers career development, networking and tends to the professional needs of its members that come from the unique changes of the profession. The CCCMA is an affiliate of International City/County Management Association.

Eavesdropping on a wife to her husband who spilled coffee on the car mat: “Thank you for cleaning the mat, dear.

“I’d go to the mat for you, dear.”

More than 20 years after the last plane landed at Stapleton Airport, master developer Forest City and Denver-based Seasoned Development announced plans to restore the highly visible air traffic control tower complex. The iconic building will be home to Denver’s second Punch Bowl Social as well as the company’s corporate headquarters.

“This community has been looking for a way to activate the tower space for a long time,” said Denver City Council President Chris Herndon, who represents Stapleton. “Punch Bowl Social offers a family-friendly environment for dining and entertainment, and a great neighborhood option for date night for parents. It’s exciting to have a homegrown company invest in our community and add to the vibrancy and character of Northeast Denver.”

Robert Thompson, the founder of Punch Bowl Social, said, “The control tower is a landmark in this community and in the city of Denver. As a company, we are intentional about seeking out locations that have historic roots but need a new purpose. There’s a lot of interest in seeing the tower preserved and we intend to retain the character that’s so familiar and appealing to locals and visitors alike.”

The first Punch Bowl at 65 Broadway was built in the space that formerly housed a Big Lots store. The new location will include six bowling lanes and similar entertainment options as the Punch Bowl on Broadway (ping pong, arcade games, pinball, private karaoke rooms, darts, skee ball and shuffle board).

“We have been searching for an adaptive reuse opportunity for quite some time, and know Stapleton residents as well as the larger community will find this to be an exciting and invigorating use of the tower,” says John S. Lehigh, President and COO of Forest City Stapleton, Inc.

While the building is structurally sound, the interior has degraded substantially since 1995.  Plans for the new location of Punch Bowl Social will include the removal of much of the interior structure while preserving the familiar architecture of the exterior.  Punch Bowl Social will move their corporate headquarters to Stapleton when the project is complete and occupy the third floor above the new location.  The lower two-levels will be expanded by approximately 5,000 square feet in a manner consistent with the historic architecture.  Local architect Becky Stone of OZ Architecture will design the exterior and interior.

“It’s unclear how long construction and renovation will take but our early estimates project an opening in the first half of 2016,” Thompson said.

Located at the intersection of Central Park Boulevard and Martin Luther King Boulevard, the control tower is at the heart of the Stapleton community, which was built on the site of the city’s former airport, and includes 19,000 residents, spread over about 2,300 acres, including 700 acres of parks and open space.

For more information, visit www.punchbowlsocial.com.

Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock and tourism officials joined a gaggle of colorful mascots Monday to open the new Visit Denver Tourist Information Center at 1575 California St. This is only the third new tourist information center Denver has opened since 1951. The new high tech, state-of-the-art, 21st Century Tourist Information Center is unlike anything ever seen in Denver before.

Some of the new features include:

* Touchscreen technology where visitors can access information and then have it emailed, texted to their mobile devices or printed in the center.

* Denver and Colorado videos that will be showcased to convention delegates and tourists both inside the center and via street-facing screens on California Street.

* Visitor access to multiple computers in a relaxed setting, all of which will feature the www.visitdenver.com website with access to hundreds of articles and information about Denver to help them plan their activities.

* Opportunities to better communicate Denver’s brand as an outdoor city that offers urban adventures, leveraging the design and décor of the space, from creative photography and suspended B-cycles, to historic columns and century-old red brick walls.

* A new gift shop focused on offering products and unique souvenirs sourced from Denver and Colorado companies and artists, including the ever-popular blue bears, which are replicas of the “I See What You Mean” public art sculpture by Lawrence Argent.

* Personalized service and advice from a well-trained staff.

“Studies have shown that the more information visitors have about a destination, the longer the stay and the more money they spend,” said Richard Scharf, president & CEO of Visit Denver. “We wanted to showcase Denver in a way that highlights us as a modern, green and high tech city, but still celebrates our history, turn-of-the century architecture, love of the outdoors, creative arts culture, and beer and dining scene,” Scharf said.

Mayor Hancock said that tourism is Denver’s second largest industry and that the 16th Street Mall is the city’s number one attraction. “This is a great location because California Street is the primary access from the mall and downtown hotels to the Colorado Convention Center,” the Mayor said. “We want to show visitors that we appreciate their business and we’re here to help them enjoy their stay.”

Scharf noted that a large number of people using the center are international tourists.  “In Europe and other parts of the world, people are more used to using information centers, so when they come to America, they seek them out. We print Denver guides in nine languages to help them find more things to see and do,” Scharf said. He noted that with the increased number of direct flights and a growing number of international visitors attending conventions, Denver has seen a large upswing in international visitors.

Denver opened its first information center in 1951 at 225 W. Colfax. In that pre-interstate era, Colfax was also U.S. Highway 40 and the only major road going west, so all cars heading west drove by the information center. The center offered, for the era, a “high tech” drive-through window where tourists could get a map without leaving their car.

In 2004, the center was moved to the corner of 16th and California, where it was able to help nearly 100,000 visitors a year. With changes in the lease and opportunity to create a more visitor-friendly and high-tech space, the center has now been moved across the street diagonally to 1575 California.

Visit Denver also operates an information center in the terminal at Denver International Airport and in the Colorado Convention Center during major meetings and shows.

Over the years, Scharf noted that the center has received some unusual questions. He said: “We’ve been asked everything from: ‘What season is it right now in Denver?’ to ‘When do deer turn into elk?’ to ‘Which fourteeners can we climb from downtown Denver?’ But as funny as these questions are, they show that there is a need to educate our visitors about the city and what there is to see and do, and that’s why we operate them.”

Wine and whimsy? Get in touch with your creative side with the help of wine and nibbles during Vino E Colore at 5:30 March 19 at The Palm inside The Westin Tabor Center at 1672 Lawrence St.

The $65 price includes tax, tip, canvas, paint, instruction, wine flights and snacks. For reservations, call Wendy Klein at 303-825-1810 or email wklein@thepalm.com. A credit card is required to hold the reservation.

Rockmount Ranch Wear is celebrating founder “Papa Jack’s” birthday this month with a two-day party from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday in the store at 1626 Wazee St.

“Papa Jack” Weil lived an extraordinary life from 1901 to 2008. He would have been 114 years old this month. Papa Jack had an intense passion for his life’s work.  Since 2001 the mayor changed the Wazee street sign to “Jack Weil Way” in honor of his birthday. When the street sign was first changed, Papa Jack quipped, “I hope we get our mail”.

Come toast this special man with live music, a Lucchese Boots trunk show, beer and wine. Lucchese factory expert Bill Giles will be on hand to assist with boot fitting.

Papa Jack Weil (Rockmount Ranch Wear photo)

To celebrate its official grand opening, Jet’s Pizza of Littleton will give away free slices of its signature Detroit-style, deep dish square pizza (one per person) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 28. The first 200 people will also receive a free gift.

The store, located at 7935 S. Broadway, is the first Colorado location for the Michigan-based company.

“Our family vacationed in Colorado for the past seven years and I fell in love with this area,” said Chad Jetts, owner of the Littleton store. “I’ve made Colorado my home and brought a slice of Michigan along with me.”

Jet’s Pizza has built its reputation on its signature Detroit-style, deep dish square pizza with the crunchy crust. Single slices of deep dish square are available to grab and go. Hand-tossed round and New York-style thin crust pizzas are also available.

Customers may choose from eight crust flavors: butter, poppy seed, parmesan, garlic, Cajun, Romano, sesame seed or Jet’s Turbo Crust. Jet’s pizza dough and sauce are prepared fresh daily and topped with premium mozzarella cheese and fresh-chopped toppings.

“Local response to our Detroit-style deep dish has been excellent,” Jetts said. “There’s really nothing else like it in the area. It’s premium pizza at carryout prices. We’re seeing a lot of repeat customers.”

The store, near West Mineral Avenue in the Market at SouthPark plaza, also offers salads, subs, wings, Jet’s Bread and Jet Boats.

Phone the Littleton store at 303-707-1100 or visit www.jetspizza.com to order online.

Eavesdropping on a mom on Facebook: “My son scored some good court-side seats for the Harlem Globetrotters. He’s psyched. ‘They are based on the ‘Globetrotters’ from ‘Futurama’, Mom!’ I should correct him (and, I will…when I stop laughing).”

Many have said that master music promoter Chuck Morris is larger than life. Now that notion has become the real deal on a billboard bearing Morris’ bespectacled and befuddled face high above Sixth Avenue and Santa Fe Drive with the tag line: “Happy Birthday, Chuck! It takes 70 years to look this cool.”

The occasion? The music man’s 70th birthday. Brittany Morris Saunders, vice president of public affairs at the Downtown Denver Partnership, told me:

“My dad turned 70 on March 5.  Dan Scherer, president of (billboard company) Outfront Media, and one of my dad’s best friends surprised my dad with the billboard right outside of my dad’s office on Seventh and Santa Fe.  My stepmom, Becky Morris, surprised my dad last Wednesday with a room of 40 of his closest friends and family for dinner and drinks at Tables in Park Hill.

“The governor joined us and proclaimed March 5, 2015, as ‘Chuck Morris Day,’ and presented Chuck with the Colorado flag that was flown over the capital that morning in his name.  Local comedian and famous veterinarian, Kevin Fitzgerald, who began his career bouncing for Chuck and (the late great) Barry Fey, gave a heartfelt speech about how Chuck changed his life by encouraging him to attend vet school and helping to pay his way.

“Other guests included: Brent Fedrizzi and Don Strasburg, Chuck’s longtime business partners with AEG Live; Brian Griese, former Denver Bronco and founder of Judi’s House, and his wife, Brook; Chuck’s best friends: Steve Farber, David McReynolds and Scherer; Christian Anschutz; Libby Anschutz and Lannie Garrett and Dan Brogan.”

Wishing you many more, Mr. Morris.