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2005-20

A RESOLUTION

SUPPORTING THE CREATION OF THE ROCKY FLATS COLD WAR MUSEUM AT THE FORMER PLANT SITE

WHEREAS, the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission selected the Rocky Flats site in northern Jefferson County for Project APPLE on March 27, 1951; and

WHEREAS, the Rocky Flats plant produced components for nearly every nuclear weapon in the U.S. nuclear weapons complex until the plant closed in 1989; and

WHEREAS, the plant was an important part of the local, national and international history of the Cold War, the central conflict of the second half of the 20th century in which the United States and the former Soviet Union developed nuclear weapons; and

WHEREAS, a group of former workers, interested citizens, university professors, peace activists and representatives of local, state and federal governments formed a board of directors to create the Rocky Flats Cold War Museum; and

WHEREAS, federal legislation that passed in 2001 designates most of the former plant site as a National Wildlife Refuge and included a provision to study the feasibility of a museum to commemorate the site's legacy; and

WHEREAS, the feasibility study showed that a museum could attract more than 100,000 visitors a year; and

WHEREAS, the mission of the museum is to document the historical, social, environmental and scientific aspects of Rocky Flats, to educate the public about the weapons plant and the Cold War, to preserve key artifacts and oral histories and to develop interpretative and educational programs; and

WHEREAS, a museum is an appropriate venue to present all aspects of the history and impacts of Rocky Flats; and

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Lakewood, Colorado, that:

SECTION 1. We support the concept of the Rocky Flats Cold War Museum to remember the workers and the plant's scientific, historical and environmental legacies and its impact on nearby communities, the state, the country and the world.

SECTION 2. We support the collection of Rocky Flats artifacts and oral histories to preserve the history of the plant.

SECTION 3. We support locating such a museum on the Rocky Flats site, and we acknowledge the museum's potential as a tourist attraction and as a research and educational resource to historians, students and the public.

INTRODUCED, READ AND ADOPTED by a vote of 11 for and 0 against at a regular meeting of the City Council on March 28, 2005, at 7 o'clock p.m. at Lakewood Civic Center, 480 South Allison Parkway, Lakewood, Colorado.

Stephen A. Burkholder, Mayor

ATTEST:
Margy Greer, City Clerk