BY FREDA MIKLIN
SENIOR REPORTER
As many are aware, Andie Goldberg was killed crossing the intersection of Belleview Avenue & Franklin Street, returning to her home in Greenwood Village, in May 2024. Last month, her widower, Gerry Goldberg, lost his life driving his car at that same intersection.
The Goldbergs were well known and well liked by their neighbors. That was clear from the large number of them who came out to support Gerry Goldberg in his effort to get a traffic signal installed at that corner after he lost Andie, before the horrible accident that claimed his life on March 2.
Photo by Freda Miklin
The Goldbergs did not have children of their own. Their close relatives in Denver were Gerry’s nephew, Aaron Svoboda, and Andie’s niece, Kylie Pressley (no relation to Jerry Presley) and her husband, Jeff Wilkins.
On April 7, the three of them came to share their thoughts with the Cherry Hills Village City Council at its regular city council meeting.
Aaron Svoboda talked about his family recently celebrating Passover and leaving an empty chair at the table “to convey the absence we all felt,” where his uncle Gerry was supposed to be, laughing and participating with the family.
Aaron explained, “Now Gerry and Andie are both gone. An entire household, wiped off the face of the earth. Not by illness. Not by time. At an intersection in the neighborhood they called home for more than three decades.”
He went on, “On the days we’re rested, focused, and unhurried, we’re careful. We see what’s coming. But we don’t always get to drive on our best days or drive among others on theirs. We drive on days we’re late to pick up our kids, days we’re running behind for a meeting, days our minds are somewhere else. It happened to me recently. I was behind the wheel, and I couldn’t stop thinking about my uncle who had just died. I know I was not as focused on the road as I should have been…Those are the days when we need our engineering and infrastructure to serve us. Not on our best days—on our human days.”
He continued, “I work in oncology. I’m a medical physicist. I understand what it means to gather data and investigate. I’ve built my career on it. When someone comes to a doctor feeling unwell, we start with the least invasive test, then proceed methodically, conscious of limiting the cost and inconvenience to the patient. Sometimes the early results are inconclusive, so we have to order the MRI. When it results in a diagnosis, we do not order more tests. We immediately transition from gathering data to deciding what to do about the problem. Two people are dead at this intersection in less than two years. We have our MRI. The image is clear.”
Svoboda concluded, “I understand this council is hearing from a divided community. I am not here to demand a predetermined answer. I’m asking for a process to start in earnest—a serious, collaborative engineering-driven process in which we honestly examine every option for making this intersection safer. That is how we honor Gerry and Andie. Not with a political win. With a process worthy of what was lost. Please—let’s determine how to make this intersection safer, not keep asking if it needs to be made safer. So other families won’t have to gather around their table and stare at empty chairs.”
Next to speak was Jeff Wilkins, who was there with his wife Kylie Pressley. He said, “I’m here as a family member of those who lived—and whose lives were lost—at the corner of Belleview and Franklin. When we spoke here last November, we had our Uncle Gerry with us. We are heartbroken, and yes, we are angry, but we want to be constructive.”
He expressed understanding for longtime residents of CHV who are opposed to a light, but, he pointed out, “Greenwood Village has doubled in population since 1990. Cherry Hills Village has grown by 20%. Arapahoe County has 270,000 more residents. This area isn’t a quiet place at the edge of town anymore. Traffic volume, vehicle sizes, and speed have all increased. It’s time the intersection change, too.”
He continued, “Two members of this community are gone. That should be enough. Belleview isn’t a dividing line. This isn’t city versus city. It isn’t about politics or optics. Working together with Greenwood Village to make this intersection safer is the only way forward.”
Wilkins shared, “After Gerry’s death, my wife and I stood at that intersection, placing flowers. I timed drivers waiting one, two, even three minutes, until frustration set in, and they took dangerous risks. When nine out of ten drivers feel pressured into making unsafe moves, the issue isn’t the drivers—it’s the intersection. It is a flawed design, and a traffic light is the simplest, most effective fix.”
He noted that cut-through traffic already exists and “adding a light won’t create new routes,” but measures like “No through traffic” signs or speed bumps could address those concerns.
Wilkins concluded, “Please, do the right thing. Work together with Greenwood Village. Install the light. Protect lives before another tragedy forces your hand.”
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