Welcome back to Westminster Window reflections, your weekly briefing on the events and decisions that shape this city.

Mark Twain supposedly said that in the Great American West: “Whiskey is for drinkin’ and water is for feudin’.”

I don’t think we are quite at the stage where we will take up arms against our neighbors for a good acre-foot of water. Still, many cities, including Westminster, have all but conceded that a history-making drought is coming our way. Westminster is taking a more “wait and see” approach to water conservation measures. The city is still steadily preparing residents for water cutbacks that are likely on the horizon. Most people have come to grips with what is already a bleak water season.

After all, have you seen all those brown lawns dotting your neighborhood?

One thing that surprised me while reporting this week: As we go about our daily lives, we sometimes forget how many cultures and religions thrive in Westminster.

This week, the city council honored two groups that do not get much attention but do good works anyway. A Jewish congregation in Westminster also greeted a new rabbi for its flock, a move that assures future stability for its worshippers.

🌊 Why it matters: Westminster taps into Standley Lake for its water needs. Standley Lake siphons its water from the Clear Creek Basin, which is getting lower thanks to the lack of snow and dry, warm weather. As water levels dip, Westminster looks to other measures to keep an adequate water supply this spring and summer.

What’s happening: A drought watch only calls for the city to promote conservation practices among city services and residents. More punitive measures may be implemented later this spring, although the city doubts it will start mandatory rationing of water.

While neighboring Thornton has adopted restrictions on turf watering before May 1, Westminster’s current program is more advisory.

🪞 Why it matters: To show that Westminster honors all cultural traditions, the city council made two proclamations.

One marked Nowruz “New Day” which is the Persian New Year. The council also noted that March 20 is Eid Al-Fitr, the official end of Ramadan. Members of the city’s Inclusivity Board accepted proclamations honoring both celebrations.

✡ New Rabbi at B’nai Torah: The congregation B’nai Torah installed its new Rabbi Greg Marcus last week. Marcus said he wants to have wide-ranging conversations about the Jewish religion with both members and non-members of the congregation.

What to know: Westminster is introducing a new program with rebates for local HOAs and businesses to transform landscapes into waterwise planting strips.

Next step: Residents can get professionally designed landscape templates to help nab that rebate.

I’ll run results from this poll in a future newsletter.

For our Feb. 6 poll asking readers if they thought Westminster is too costly, a big 44% agreed that the city is much too expensive. Only six who took the poll said that the city is a bargain!

Adams 12 Superintendent Chris Gdowski just received a contract extension through 2027 — without a raise, even though every other administrator in the district has gotten one over the past two years. He never asked for one, telling the board he'd rather leave that money for other staff: Read the story here

The issue: In 2025, FISH of Westminster provided 92,420 meals through the food pantry, homeless outreach program and Thanksgiving dinner.

Context: The delay in SNAP benefits in the fall of 2025 impacted the food pantry. Clients increased in October and November from slightly less than 700 a month to over 900 for both months.

Saturday:

Saturday:

Monday:

City Council study session — Cancelled

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