City News
This is news from the city of Boulder, about the city or any of its departments
Valmont Dog Park reopens Friday, Aug. 24
Aug 23rd
Valmont Dog Park, located at 5325 Valmont Road, will reopen to the public this Friday, Aug. 24, after being closed since early May for major renovations and improvements.
Valmont Dog Park improvements included widening the parking lot access, putting in a new entry plaza, fencing, surfacing, landscaping and water hydrants. A portion of the new park will also include an enclosed, irrigated turf area, low berms, a new 16-foot square shade shelter (to be installed later this fall), and two smaller shelters. The shelters are funded by the Capital Improvement Bond passed by voters in November 2011. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is anticipated for later this fall.
Additionally, the Parks and Recreation Department is now offering dog waste composting at the newly remodeled Valmont Dog Park as part of the department’s efforts to create a more environmentally sustainable community. The city will be providing compostable dog waste bags for use by dog guardians to pick up their dog’s waste and place it into a specially marked container at the main entrance of the dog park.
The dog waste compost container will be emptied periodically and its contents will be made into compost using a special high temperature composting technique. Placing dog waste in your yard compost bin is not recommended. Dog guardians are encouraged not to bring plastic bags to Valmont Dog Park anymore, but instead use the compostable bags provided by the city. Please continue to donate unwanted plastic bags at any public park, trails and the other three dog parks in town: East Boulder (5660 Sioux Drive), Foothills (west of Broadway between Locust Avenue and Lee Hill Road), and Howard Heuston (on 34th Street, south of Iris Avenue and east of 30th Street).
Information: Boulder Parks & Recreation Department, 303-413-7200.
City of Boulder going all-out virtual (TMI?)
Aug 20th
Today, the City of Boulder is proud to announce the launch of Inspire Boulder – an idea-collaboration engine that allows for real-time engagement 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Inspire Boulder is an online, civic engagement platform that combines the ease of social sites (like Facebook) with the purpose and substance of city projects, issues and programs. A sort-of digital town hall, residents can submit ideas, help prioritize options and even do real-time budgeting. Community collaboration happens in real time so results, ideas and priorities can occur organically, as if it were a public meeting.
“Boulder has a thriving tech and start-up community and our residents are some of the most connected folks on the Front Range,” said City Manager Jane Brautigam. “Having a virtual town hall, to inspire and inform all the important work we do, just makes sense in Boulder.”
Typical workshops, meeting and open houses will still be held citywide. Inspire Boulder is meant to augment these more traditional venues for receiving community input.
The platform also combines idea submission with game theory. Registered users get ‘points’ for submitting ideas and can accrue points for getting ‘up votes’ on their submitted ideas. It’s pretty simple: the better ideas are, the more points they earn. Naturally, the best ideas move to the top.
“Boulder is also known for its well-educated residents,” Brautigam said. “We want to enrich our conversations by tapping into the many creative minds that exist in our community.”
Inspire Boulder will host topics, issues, projects and programs from around the city organization. At launch, the site includes:
- Boulder Civic Area project;
- Boulder’s Energy Future;
- Transportation (Transportation Master Plan); and
- Waste Reduction and Recycling.
Stay tuned! Additional topics from Parks and Recreation, the Boulder Public Library and more will be featured in the coming months.
City wants the public’s input on energy plans
Aug 2nd
Public input requested; help evaluate the work plan
The City of Boulder is asking for the public’s help in reviewing the draft work plan created to help guide the exploration of potentially forming a municipal electric utility. The city is strongly committed to ensuring a high level of community awareness and engagement throughout this important process, and is looking for effective ways to include community feedback.
The goal of the work plan is to guide the major tasks and activities that must be accomplished in order to deliver a recommended municipalization strategy to City Council.
The draft work plan is available on the Energy Future project website – www.BoulderEnergyFuture.com. Comments are due by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 7. To provide input on the plan, use the project’s online comment form or send an e-mail to energyfuture@bouldercolorado.gov.
The draft work plan with community feedback incorporated will be presented to City Council at a Study Session on Tuesday, Aug. 28.
The city values our community’s perspectives and welcomes all feedback on the plan and project.
New edition of Energy Future newsletter available
The latest edition of Boulder’s Energy Future Today newsletter is now available online at www.BoulderEnergyFuture.com. Printed versions are available at various city buildings around town, including all libraries, recreation and senior centers, and the Municipal Building Lobby – 1777 Broadway. Articles in this edition include:
- A proposed strategy for enhanced Climate Action Plan (CAP) programs beginning in 2013
- Municipalization exploration update
- Your CAP tax dollars at work, specifically a finding by consultants about how the money has been spent to date
- An update on the Commercial Energy Efficiency Strategy
- Energy saving tips
Monthly newsletters will be created and distributed throughout the duration of the project. Sign up for the project e-mail list atwww.BoulderEnergyFuture.com to receive an electronic version of the newsletter and frequent project updates.
Second reading of the CAP tax renewal ballot language Aug. 7
City Council will hear the second reading of the proposed Climate Action Plan (CAP) tax renewal ballot language at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 7, in City Council Chambers, 1777 Broadway. Public feedback will be heard at this meeting.
The current CAP tax, set to expire in March 2013, has been used to fund energy efficiency and conservation programs and services for residential, commercial and industrial electrical customers in Boulder for the past five years. These programs include EnergySmart and 10 for Change.
The city, with the help of consultants and the community, recently recommended a set of packages and programs that could be funded if the tax were renewed. Information on the recommended package and a historical analysis of CAP tax funds is available in the May 22 and July 24 information packets presented to City Council. Both packets and all consultant reports are available at www.BoulderEnergyFuture.com.
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