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County officials want mountain driving restraint
Sep 25th
Clarification:
Mountain residents are asked to minimize trips into and out of damaged areas, and visitors and plains residents are requested to curtail recreation in the mountain area between U.S. 36 and SH 72 this fall (travel is allowed along P2P Highway north to south)
Visitors can access the Town of Estes Park in Larimer County along Peak to Peak Highway (SH 72) – we’re just asking that visitors not try to venture east or west of P2P in Boulder County along roads that are closed to public access
Boulder County, Colo. – Boulder County officials have made it an immediate priority to repair and reconstruct county roads and bridges damaged in the flood. The county sustained an enormous amount of damage to its roadway infrastructure, and in some places, experienced complete destruction of critical routes in the foothills and mountains. Initial estimates for repairs top $100 million.
Boulder County road maintenance crews have been working on clearing, evaluating structural integrity and public safety, and repairing county roads since the beginning of the historic flooding event. Utility companies have also been active since the start working to restore electric, gas, phone, water and other basic services. Given the current status of the roads, county public safety and transportation officials are urging residents to minimize – and visitors to curtail completely – their use of mountain roads within Boulder County.
(Video: Boulder County “Be a Good Neighbor” Public Safety & Road Infrastructure message)
“We kindly ask that people stay out of the foothills and mountain areas from Foothills Highway to Peak to Peak this fall for recreational purposes while our county, state and federal partners work to restore access to all of our valued mountain communities,” said Boulder County Commissioner Cindy Domenico. “Right now we need our residents and visitors to access our central mountain communities only for essential purposes and to give room to our road crews and law enforcement officials to do their jobs.”
“We want residents and visitors to recognize that Boulder County is hard at work to reestablish our infrastructure and reconnect residents to their communities and their homes,” said Boulder County Transportation Director George Gerstle. “The county has teamed with cities and towns, the state, other nearby counties and private contractors to help with this massive undertaking. Crews are working as quickly as we can to put in place at least temporary fixes by winter, knowing that cold weather and snow will only compound problems with damaged roads.”
The Sheriff’s Office is requesting that all recreation and unnecessary trips into the foothills and mountains of Boulder County be curtailed until critical roads, including Boulder Canyon and U.S. 36 west of Lyons, can be opened to the general public. (View video)
“The road issues are more than a mere inconvenience,” said Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle. “Everyone working at the county understands that the lack of access and the lengthy process to restore it will change lives, and we are focused on returning a sense of normalcy to lives that have been changed forever in some cases.”
County officials have asked that vehicles, bikes and pedestrians stay out of the damaged areas while road and emergency crews, utilities and local residents work to restore basic infrastructure and access to their homes.
“People who want to recreate in the mountains or go see the destruction will actually hamper access for emergency responders, utility workers, and mountain residents who absolutely need the access,” Pelle said. “For that reason we’re asking people who don’t have to go to the mountains to stay away and to understand that this is a very long term problem.”
“It is incredibly difficult to rebuild roads with people on them, so please avoid the mountain roads unless absolutely necessary, and minimize even residential trips to keep roads clear for heavy equipment and emergency vehicles,” Gerstle added. “It is difficult and takes much longer for the crews to fix a road with traffic on it. The fewer people using the road, the faster we can get the work done.”
Another important recovery aspect for many residents is the status of county open space parks and trails.
“Our staff has been assessing damage and working to repair trails as quickly as possible, but there are many parks and trails that may be closed for a significant duration as these areas have experienced extreme damage and the trails are unsafe,” said Boulder County Parks & Open Space Director Ron Stewart.
In addition, the U.S. Forest Service in Boulder County has closed its lands for all recreational purposes (i.e., camping, hiking, hunting, etc.) by executive order until further notice.
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Boulder flood A Lyons family make the switch in schools
Sep 17th
Sally Johnson, Cafe’ Manager at Barnes & Noble in Boulder, said her daughter, a
kindergardner student at Lyons Elementary, is one of several little children
moving to the old Longmont High School on Main Street due to the Lyons school’s
flood damage. Johnson said she found out about the school’s damage at 4am
on Thursday when she received an email from the school district.
Johnson’s first concern was for her daughter having to move to a
new school and not knowing other students since she has just been in school
one month. That anxiety was lessened when Johnson learned all the students
from her daughter’s class will be together.
Her daughter told her friends “My school is closed because a big huge tree
fell across the road.” “That’s all she knows,” Johnson said.
She has not told her daughter about the change of schools because she will “be asking me every five minutes
when school starts.” “I tell her she’s on break.”
The Lyons school children will be out of classes for a week.
Johnson said the school’s teacher sent an email offering to help in any way.
Johnson credits the Superintendent of the St Vrain Schools. “He did a good job being on top
of it.” She will tell her daughter the day before school starts.
Johnson said there is a meeting of all parents on Wednesday, September 18 when
other details will be made available.
Baylor a cake-walk for CU volleyball: three and out
Sep 15th
WACO, Texas —The University of Colorado volleyball team (8-1) dominated the Baylor Bears (4-7), sweeping them 25-21, 25-23, 25-11 to win the Baylor Invitational on Saturday night at the Ferrell Center.
Nicole Edelman was named the tournament’s MVP, while Kerra Schroeder was named the defensive MVP. Alexis Austin and Cierra Simpson were also honored as members of the all-tournament team. The Buffs went 3-0 at the BU Invite with wins against Northwestern State and Appalachian State on Friday.
Saturday’s win is the eighth consecutive for the Buffs and ties the fifth longest streak in CU volleyball history. It is the longest streak since 1997 when the Buffs had a 10-match win streak, which tied the longest streak.
The win was also head coach Liz Kritza’s first win against Baylor. The victory snapped an eight-match losing streak for CU against the Bears which started in 2007 while CU was still a member of the Big-12 Conference.
“Tonight’s performance caps off a very tough weekend for this team, and I am pleased not only with the three wins and the improvement we made as a program, but most importantly the character and resiliency this group showed,” Kritza said. “With all the possible distractions while our home state is experiencing a catastrophic event, this group of players, coaches, and staff pulled together and put forth a strong performance and really showed great character.”
Austin proved to be a key player in the match as she provided key points at the end of the first and second sets. In total, Austin hammered a team high 12 kills and hit .400 with only two errors on 25 attacks. She also added three digs and three blocks.
“Alexis did a fantastic job tonight in finishing at the end of sets tonight,” Kritza said. “The offense was firing properly and she was able to make a significant impact on the overall outcome of the match.”
Taylor Simpson also had a nice night for the Buffs with 11 kills. She picked up her third double-double of the season with 13 digs. Schroeder hit a match-best .750 with seven kills on eight errorless attacks and added six digs and two block assists.
“Schroeder was a steady presence and came up with key plays when we needed her to,” said Kritza. “Her experience on the court is crucial as this young group keeps progressing towards Pac-12 play.”
Edelman led the team with 14 digs and handed out 32 assists. She also directed the team to a .236 hitting efficiency with 42 kills. The Buffs held BU to just 25 kills, while hitting .035. The Bears had 21 attack errors on 113 attacks.
“Edelman did a very good job this weekend of keeping our offense balanced and tonight’s performance showed her experience and ability to run an offense at a high level,” Kritza said.
Kritza was also very impressed with Elysse Richardson’s performance. She picked up five digs and added two assists and an ace in the sweep.
“A key performance that doesn’t always appear on the stat sheet is the performance of Elysse Richardson,” Kritza said. “She has the ability to go into a match and change the energy of the team and she did that again for us at the pivotal point. That role is essential to a team’s success and it takes a very special person to be able to go in under the most pressured situations and perform, and she answered that call.”
The first set of the match was very close with eight ties and three lead changes. CU led 20-18 when the Bears tied it up one last time at 20-20. After a CU timeout, the Buffs came out with three straight points to go ahead 23-20. BU answered back with a kill to get within two points, but Austin finished the set for the Buffs with two straight kills (25-21).
BU had a 15-10 lead in the second set when CU used its first timeout. Out of the break, the Buffs recorded three straight points before BU sided-out with a kill (16-14). After the kill, CU put together a 5-0 run to take an 18-16 advantage. The two teams continued to battle and the match was tied yet again at 20-20. The Bears took three straight points to force CU to use a timeout, which worked well since the Buffs finished the set with five straight points out of the break, including two kills and a block from Austin (25-20).
The Buffs dominated the third set and used a 9-0 run to go up 12-5. BU was able to take three of the next four points to bring the score to 13-8, but once again the Buffs put together a run, this time it was six straight points to go up 19-8. The Bears were out of timeouts and had no way of slowing the Buffs down as CU finished easily 25-11.
The Buffs will be off until September 24 when they will travel to Salt Lake City to open the Pac-12 Conference schedule against Utah. That match is scheduled 7 p.m. and will be televised live on the Pac-12 Network.
COLORADO BUFFALOES
Linda Sprouse
Assistant Sports Information Director
Volleyball/Cross Country/Track & Field
University of Colorado
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