Posts tagged data
Property value appeals must be filed by June 1
May 26th
Boulder County, Colo. – The Boulder County Assessor’s Office would like to remind property owners that the deadline to appeal property values in Boulder County is this Wednesday, June 1.
Property owners can file an appeal if they believe their property has not been valued appropriately. In order to make the most accurate property value comparisons possible when filing an appeal, property owners are encouraged to review and include information about sales data specific to their market area for the two-year evaluation period of 2008-10. These sales data are available online at www.bouldercounty.org/live/property/pages/comp2011sales.aspx.
Notices of Value were mailed to all property owners in Boulder County on May 1. State statute requires all properties in Colorado be re-valued by county assessors in odd-numbered years. Actual property values for 2011 were based on market activity during the timeframe prior to June 30, 2010. These sales are time trended to that date. Per statutory requirements, these values do not represent market activity after June 30, 2010.
Appeals may be made by mail, online, by fax or in person. All appeals, regardless of valuation method, must be filed or postmarked by 11:59 p.m. on June 1. In-person appeals must be filed at the Assessor’s Office by 5 p.m. on June 1. An appeal form can be downloaded online or requested by phone. Additionally, property owners can file an e-appeal online without having to mail or fax a form to the Assessor’s Office.
Property owners with questions about their valuation, or the Notice of Value itself, can contact the Boulder County Assessor’s Office by:
• Phone, 303-441-3530 (appeals cannot be accepted over the phone)
• Email (via the website), www.BoulderCountyAssessor.org
• Mail, P.O. Box 471, Boulder, CO 80306
• Fax, 303-441-4996
• In person at the Boulder County Courthouse, second floor, 1325 Pearl St., Boulder, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday-Friday (office will be closed for Memorial Day on Monday, May 30)
Additional information about property values, remote appeals dates and locations, and the county’s appraisal process is available at www.BoulderCountyAssessor.org.
-B
Friday is Earth Day on highway 36 to Denver
Apr 20th
36 Commuting Solutions E-Newsletter
April 2011
Friday is Earth Day! Try a Clean Commute:
carpolling, vanpooling, riding transit, bicycling, walking and teleworking!
The first ten people to reply to this message will receive a free round trip on RTD!
Did you know:
In this issue, we are focusing on sustainable transportation:
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RTD Transit Investments Move Forward
RTD is currently working on four projects for the U.S. 36 corridor: designing U.S. 36 queue jumps at three U.S. 36 interchanges, studying Transit Signal Priority at four interchanges, constructing a pedestrian bridge at Table Mesa, and removing the pedestrian canopy on the Sheridan Bridge structure over U.S. 36.
Queue jumps at three signalized interchanges along U.S. 36 are moving into the design phase: the Church Ranch Boulevard, East Flatiron Circle and McCaslin Boulevard interchanges are currently being re-packaged in response to the U.S. 36 TIGER/TIFIA project. Queue jumps will ultimately increase transit travel time savings by allowing buses to move through intersections quickly with designated lanes. RTD is coordinating with CDOT to include the queue jumps at Church Ranch Boulevard and East Flatiron Circle when construction commences in 2012. RTD will be responsible for queue jumps on McCaslin Boulevard.
RTD has received six proposals to study Transit Signal Priority on U.S. 36. The intent of the study is to see if a Transit Signal Priority system at certain, or all, intersections would result in decreased transit travel time, improved schedule adherence and reduced operating costs. RTD anticipates focusing the study on interchanges at Sheridan Boulevard, Church Ranch Boulevard, 96th Street and McCaslin Boulevard. The study will allow RTD to determine which interchanges will ultimately receive Transit Signal Priority as part of the U.S. 36 TIGER/TIFIA project.
Currently, the Table Mesa pedestrian bridge project is in RTD’s procurement office, which coordinates bids and proposals for RTD projects. The Table Mesa pedestrian bridge will improve mobility, pedestrian connectivity and reduce travel time delay for regional bus routes along the U.S. 36 Corridor. The new pedestrian bridge will reduce travel time for Denver-bound trips by 3-4 minutes. The pedestrian bridge will result in approximately $100,000 savings each year in transit operations.
The U.S. 36 & Sheridan Boulevard Bridge Pedestrian Canopy Removal is also in RTD’s procurement office, and will be advertised for bids in the next month. The Sheridan pedestrian canopy was installed in 1987 for RTD patrons to cross over U.S. 36 to the Westminster Center Park-n-Ride located on the south side of U.S. 36. In the mid-1990’s, RTD constructed a pedestrian bridge over U.S. 36 to the east side of Sheridan Boulevard, providing a safer and better access for RTD patrons.
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RTD Launches Smart Card Pilot Program in Boulder
In May, RTD will pilot a Smart Card program on several routes in the Boulder area. This pilot program will last two weeks, and will give RTD a preliminary assessment of the technology.
Smart Card technology, which is used by transit agencies in many U.S. cities already (Atlanta, Los Angeles, New York City, Seattle, Washington DC), will make fare collection more convenient and streamlined for RTD passengers, and will make the distribution of fare products like monthly passes easier for commuters.
Currently, RTD is looking for 850 volunteer participants for the Smart Card pilot program. For the first pilot, participants should be Eco Pass holders, and must be willing to collect and report data on Smart Card/sticker use, to share email and phone contact information for follow-up by RTD, and to record and report observations. All information collected during the test phase will be completely confidential and contact information will be destroyed at the completion of the test phase.
RTD will pilot the following routes in the Boulder area:
If your organization is interested in participating in the pilot program, please contact Chris Cruz, RTD Smart Media Customer Service Call Center Supervisor, at RTD-SmartMedia@celinainc.com or call 303-299-CARD (2273).
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Member Spotlight: Boulder Area Realtor® Association
The Boulder Area Realtor ® Association has been a member of 36 Commuting Solutions since the organization’s founding in 1998. The Boulder Area Realtor® Association represents 1050 Realtors®in the Boulder County area, and has played an active role in educating members about changes in local, state, and national policies and trends since the association was founded in 1948.
The Boulder Area Realtor® Association is a member of the National Association of Realtors ®, which recently released data demonstrating a marked preference for “Smart Growth Communities” in home buyers. A survey of over 2,000 adult Americans considering a home purchase found that 77 percent of respondents would look for neighborhoods with pedestrian connectivity, and 50 percent would rather see transit improvements than new roads and developments.
“In representing area Realtors®, the Boulder Area Realtor® Association understands the integral role transportation plays in the market,” says Ken Hotard, Senior Vice President of Public Affairs. “The U.S. 36 TIGER/TIFIA project is an essential start to building a multi-modal highway. We are proud to support the U.S. 36 Coalition as it works to improve this crucial corridor.”
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Your Guide to Commuting by Bike, Part 1: Westminster Trail System
The City of Westminster has been expanding its off-street trail network since 1985, when Westminster voters approved a sales tax to fund park land acquisition and build regional trails. Twenty-six years later, Westminster boasts a wonderful system of trails: there are over 74 miles of off-street trails, connecting to Denver metro trails and other U.S. 36 communities. This trail system provides off-street connectivity throughout Westminster, and includes three major trail systems. Below is a guide to these three major Westminster Trails.
In May, the City of Westminster will demonstrate the importance of bicycling by approving the city’s firstbicycle master plan. This plan will pave the way to expand Westminster’s extensive off-street bicycle network to include new and safer on-road facilities. The Draft Bicycle Master Plan includes recommendations on connections to the existing trail system, way-finding signage, on-street facilities like pavement markings and signage, and bicycle parking.
RTD FlexPass Program
RTD’s FlexPass program provides a flexible way for employers to promote transit to their employees. The FlexPass program provides employers with the ability to purchase as many RTD monthly passes as they need, and includes up to 20% off the purchase price. Additionally, the number of passes purchased each month can vary, making the program even more flexible.
There are three different discounts available through the RTD FlexPass program:
Employers participate in the RTD FlexPass program by signing a 12-month agreement. This agreement does not state the number of passes that an employer must purchase or the minimum amount that an employer must spend, and only establishes the discounts that the employer will receive for the duration of the agreement.
If you are interested in the RTD FlexPass program, please contact Catherine atcatherine@36commutingsolutions.org.
What’s New with 36 Commuting Solutions
The May Steering Committee Meeting will be May 10 from 7:30 – 9:00 AM at the 1st BANK Center in the Mountain View Room. Please see the 2011 Meeting Schedule and Directions.
The Bike to Work Day website is open for registration to employer coordinators. You can register your organization using last year’s login or by registering for the first time. Employer coordinators establish their organization as a network for Bike to Work Day, allowing employees to affiliate and compete against other regional organizations for participation.
The U.S. 36 Coalition has achieved a great deal, but it is our members who make us strong. We need your support to advocate for U.S. 36 and RTD FasTracks completion.
Stay up-to-date on U.S. 36 advocacy, programs and sustainable travel options by liking the 36 Commuting Solutions Facebook page: www.facebook.com/36commutingsolutions. |
City of Boulder kicks off Energy Future outreach efforts
Apr 8th
Boulder’s Energy Future goal, shaped during public forums last fall, is to ensure that residential, business and other institutional customers have access to safe, reliable energy that is competitively priced, increasingly clean, and as locally produced as possible — giving customers more choice and control in their power.
The city’s energy team is focused on gathering the facts and data needed to inform decisions about the best option for the community. While no decision has been made about how to accomplish this goal, analyses that take into account Boulder’s specific objectives are underway. Currently, three options are being explored:
forming a new agreement with our current provider, Xcel Energy; the creation of a local power utility; or,
a hybrid approach that includes elements of both of the previous options.
The city expects to begin receiving reports from consultants and committees who are studying the options in late April. Over the following few months, council will evaluate the information and determine whether to put any measures on the ballot for voter consideration in November.
In the meantime, the city is working to inform the community about the project and encourage public input about the important choices that lie ahead.
This week, the city posted a short animated video to its YouTube channel and on the energy future website to provide information about the community’s vision. That video can be viewed at . Members of the community are encouraged to share this through social media and other venues.
The city has also launched a two-minute online survey that gives community members the opportunity to share their energy knowledge and help prioritize the objectives the city is considering. That survey can be accessed and shared via the energy future website or at http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/503292/City-of-Boulder-Energy-Future.
Boulder’s Energy Future has already become a frequent topic on Boulder Channel 8 programming. This month, the program A Boulder View included an interview with Councilman Matt Appelbaum, who fielded many of the tough questions the community has asked about the initiative. That video can be viewed at http://bit.ly/energyfutureview.
In addition to these digital-based efforts, city staff and team members will be answering questions and talking to residents about Boulder’s Energy Future at a variety of community events over the next couple of months. You can find city staff each week at the Farmer’s Market, and on Tuesday, April 12, project team members will be at King Soopers, 3600 Table Mesa Drive, in south Boulder. Similar events will take place at other locations in following weeks. Please stop by.
Anyone seeking more information about the Energy Future project or community outreach is encouraged to visit www.BoulderEnergyFuture.com or call Andrew Barth at 303-441-1937 or Sarah Huntley at 303-441-3155.