City News
This is news from the city of Boulder, about the city or any of its departments
19th annual water festival teaches students how to protect and conserve water
May 4th
More than 1,000 4th and 5th grade students from 44 classrooms in 17 Boulder area schools will take part in the 19th annual “Operation: Water Festival” from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesday, May 11, at the University Memorial Center (UMC) on the campus of the University of Colorado at Boulder, 1669 Euclid Ave.
The water festival engages students in hands-on activities that teach them where drinking water comes from and how to protect and conserve this valuable natural resource. Students attend a series of classes where they also learn about the history, geography and science of water, explore the Boulder Creek watershed and its geology, and investigate the animals and plants that rely on water for survival.
This year marks the sixth year of the Operation Water Festival pre-festival program where teachers and students complete pre-festival activities on fundamental water awareness, conservation, pollution prevention and flooding. The packet includes a complete teacher’s packet featuring teacher’s guides, student worksheets and trivia questions for each water topic. “Water Agents” receive a certificate upon completion of the activities.
A key benefit of the Operation Water Festival materials is the take-home water agent book. This book features homework assignments that encourage students to work with family members to complete the assignments. As a result, parents and siblings alike also learn about water protection and conservation.
Festival sponsors include the Keep it Clean Partnership, the City of Boulder, Northern Water, the UMC, the CU-Boulder Community Relations Office and the Federal Bureau of Reclamation.
For more information, contact Curry Rosato, City of Boulder watershed outreach coordinator, at 303-829-9316.
City appoints community group, launches plan to restore facilities
May 2nd
Like many cities, a decade of stagnating revenues and material cost escalation has resulted in a backlog of maintenance projects for Boulder.
The city is following a multi-year plan to finance and complete needed repairs to city facilities, and the city manager today appointed a 16-member community stakeholder group to advise the City Council and staff on priority projects.
“Tough economic times forced the city to defer maintenance in order to provide important community services,” said City Manager Jane Brautigam. “As a result, many of our buildings, parks, roads and other facilities require significant attention to avoid much higher costs later.”
Brautigam explained that the city plans to initiate needed maintenance and repairs over the next several years. The first phase includes using existing city revenue to finance accelerated work to fix significant deficiencies that could pose health and safety risks if left undone. Currently, the city has over $60 million in unfunded significant deficiencies and approximately $150 million in unfunded high-priority projects.
Boulder said it has the funds to finance some of those projects next year without raising taxes. Bonds supported by existing revenues could be issued to pay for up to approximately $60 million in repairs in capital improvement projects.
To help determine which projects should receive immediate attention, Brautigam appointed a 16-member Capital Investment Strategy stakeholder group to advise staff and City Council about how to prioritize maintenance and repair projects.
“This is a community issue that requires input from a cross-section of our city,” said Brautigam. “We’re looking at this project through the perspective of businesspeople, students, parents, renters, homeowners, board and commission members, as well as nonprofit organizations to ensure our priority list reflects community needs.”
The 16-member Capital Investment Strategy stakeholder group will review the projects and advise council on which maintenance and repair efforts should be included in this first phase using existing dollars. It also will make recommendations about how to effectively invest in Boulder’s capital improvement program for the next several years to ensure the city can catch up and sustain a maintenance and improvement program.
The following individuals were appointed to the Capital Investment Strategy Stakeholder group from a pool of nearly 50 applicants:
Leslie Brown
Natalie (Tally) Costa
Steve Fenberg
Nino Gallo
Cynthia Huseck
Dan King
Michael Kruteck
Kristin Macdonald
Victoria Marschner
Miriam McGilvary
Michael Minard
Bill Shrum
Max Taffet
Leonard Thomas
Bob Yates
Jessica Yates
Dan King, owner of the Boulder Outlook Hotel & Suites, has agreed to serve as chair of the stakeholder group. For more information about Boulder’s capital improvement program, visit www.bouldercolorado.gov/cip.
Hearing on Parks and Recreation fees on May 5
Apr 22nd
The City of Boulder’s Parks and Recreation Department will hold an administrative hearing on the proposed 2012 fee schedule for the Parks and Recreation Department facility and park use fees. The meeting will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 5, in the Panorama Room of the East Boulder Community Center, 5660 Sioux Drive.
The public is invited to comment on proposed fee increases for the 2012 fee schedule of the Parks and Recreation Department. Proposed fee changes and increases for 2012 fees include:
● Recreation center admission and passes;
● Recreation center rooms, pool and gymnasium rentals;
● Tennis and platform tennis court rental;
● Tennis lights;
● Outdoor pool Splash Pass;
● Boulder Reservoir VIP boat permit fee;
● Park shelter and land rentals;
● Special event park rentals;
● Commercial/business use of parks;
● Flatirons Golf Course rounds.
Members of the community are encouraged to learn about the process and provide their input to Parks and Recreation staff on proposed fee increases. Following the meeting, public comments and proposed increases will be presented to the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board prior to finalizing the department’s 2012 fee request proposal.
For a complete listing and more information on the proposed fee changes for 2012, please, visit www.BoulderParks-Rec.org.
