Posts tagged development
CU: more computers for more kids
Nov 7th
Computers To Youth program
The University of Colorado Boulder Environmental Center is expanding its Computers To Youth program to include more students and more interactive activities.
Computers To Youth provides high school students from underrepresented communities with upgraded used computers and hands-on training from CU-Boulder student mentors. Its purpose is to benefit underserved youth in Colorado and protect the environment. The computer systems received by the high school students through the program are designed to enable academic achievement that will encourage students to attend college.
“Not only do the high school students but also the college student mentors see this as an inspiring learning experience,” said CU-Boulder engineering student and Computers To Youth mentor Rebecca Miller. “The fact that CU-Boulder put together this program that saves resources, prevents waste and enables future scientists and engineers is completely brilliant.”
The next Computers To Youth event will be held Saturday, Nov. 9. Fourteen high school students from the Family Learning Center in Boulder, guided by CU-Boulder student mentors, will go through surplus computer components, bundle parts, load the latest software and take their newly built computer systems with them. The day also will include a new competition in which teams will race to disassemble and reassemble a demonstration computer.
“As technology increasingly becomes a part of daily life, those without computer access risk falling behind,” said Jack DeBell, the CU Environmental Center’s recycling program development director. “This consequence, known as the digital divide, tends to affect economically disadvantaged populations, especially youth. With such a great amount of computer equipment being discarded by a technologically advanced campus, it only makes sense that some of this equipment be “upcycled” to bridge the digital divide.”
The CU-Boulder student mentors are part of the statewide MESA (Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement) program. CU-Boulder’s MESA Center is headquartered in the Department of Pre-College Outreach Services in the Office of Diversity, Equity and Community Engagement (ODECE).
MESA Colorado also refers high school students to the Computers To Youth program.
With two additional Computers To Youth events slated for the spring semester, about 55 youth will be served by the program this academic year. The Denver Area Telecommunications Educational Telecommunication Consortium (DAETC) has enabled the increase in the number of participants, up from 48 last year, according to DeBell.
The CU Environmental Center has held numerous computer-build events since it began restoring and redistributing computers in 2001. In 2005, it received the Dell Higher Education Leadership Award to fund the collection of unused personal computers from the campus community and divert the equipment from landfills.
Also part of the Computers To Youth program is CU’s Property Services department. Other contributors have included the Community Computer Connection and Microsoft Corp.
“Hopefully this project will create additional collaboration with community groups and corporate sponsors in Colorado,” said St. Vrain School District teacher Karen Hunter, whose high school participated in Computers To Youth last year. “The students’ new-found confidence as a result of the amazing folks at CU-Boulder tells it all.”
For more information about Computers To Youth visit http://www.colorado.edu/ecenter/other-programs/computers-youth.
-CU-
Boulder’s energy future is brighter
Nov 6th
City outlines implications for possible creation of electric utility
While some votes remain to be counted tonight, ballot measure 2E appears headed for a significant victory with a competing ballot measure 310 poised for defeat.
The approval of measure 2E, pending final results, will give the city flexibility in moving forward with the initial 2011 voter-approved path toward exploring the creation of a local electric utility while also recognizing concerns about unforeseen costs and customer representation. Specifically, measure 2E puts a limit on the amount the city can pay to acquire the system and clarifies some out-of-city service issues. The ballot measure includes the following:
- Setting a limit of $214 million for acquisition of Xcel’s assets and stranded costs, if stranded costs are paid in one lump sum.
- Allowing out-of-city customers, if any are included, to serve on the advisory board of a potential local electric utility.
- Facilitating utility choice on a neighborhood-by-neighborhood basis to potential out-of-city customers.
- Requiring rates of out-of-city customers to be the same as those in the same class of in-city customers.
- Limiting brokerage fees associated with acquiring debt to industry standards.
These requirements are in addition to criteria passed by voters as part of the Charter in 2011. These are:
- Rates must be equal or less than those offered by Xcel Energy at the time of acquisition.
- The utility must have sufficient revenue to cover operating costs and debt, plus carry a reserve of 25 percent of the debt amount, referred to as “Debt Service Coverage Ratio.”
- Reliability must remain comparable to that being offered by Xcel Energy.
- There must be a plan to increase renewable energy in the supply.
- There must be a plan to decrease greenhouse gas emissions that result from a fossil-fuel based electricity supply.
The original 2011 voter-approved Charter language on municipalization can be found at –http://www.colocode.com/boulder2/charter_articleXIII.htm. The provisions in 2E will be added to the existing Charter requirements.
“We are pleased with the results of today’s election concerning the municipalization ballot items,” said Heather Bailey, executive director of energy strategy and electric utility development. “The additional requirements set by 2E will address concerns about the unknown amounts of acquisition and stranded costs associated with forming a local utility and help define the path the community would like us to take towards creating the electric utility of the future right here in Boulder.”
The next steps in the municipalization exploration study will focus on the negotiation and acquisition process associated with obtaining the infrastructure the city would need to operate a safe and reliable local electric utility.
All information related to Boulder’s Energy Future and the municipalization study is available atwww.BoulderEnergyFuture.com.
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Flood rebuilding Hazard Mitigation Review applications to begin November 4
Nov 2nd
Boulder County, Colo. – Updates to the Boulder County Land Use Code were recently approved by the Planning Commission and Board of County Commissioners to allow for the rebuilding of structures in the unincorporated areas of the county that were destroyed or severely damaged in the September 2013 flood event. The interim changes aim to ensure that public safety and properties are protected through hazard mitigation.
The Land Use Department will begin accepting appointments for onsite pre-application meetings for the Hazard Mitigation Review beginning Monday, November 4. Affected property owners should call the Flood Rebuilding and Permit Information Center at 303-441-1705 to sign up for an appointment.
Flood-impacted residents of unincorporated Boulder County who have questions about the rebuilding process are encouraged to call, email or stop by the Flood Rebuilding & Permit Information Center to speak with a staff member. The center is staffed by functional experts in onsite wastewater (septic) systems, floodplain regulations, transportation (including bridges and driveways), planning and building codes.
Flood Rebuilding & Permit Information Center:
Hours: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. M–F
Location: Boulder County Land Use Department, 2045 13th St., Boulder (map)
Contact: floodrecovery@bouldercounty.org or 303-441-1705
The purpose of interim regulations is to allow for the rebuilding of destroyed or severely damaged structures without formal Site Plan Review, when it can be done in a safe manner through Hazard Mitigation Review. The regulations allow for flexibility for damaged structures to be rebuilt in different locations if significantly better from a risk hazard standpoint, and would retain applicability of the County’s floodplain development regulations.
After receiving public input the Board decided to not have a specific end date for these provisions; however staff has committed to additional regulation revisions in the coming months to aid property owners who were affected by this disaster.
As of October 31, preliminary damage assessments by the Land Use Department showed that, in unincorporated Boulder County approximately 72 properties have structures that were destroyed or significantly damaged, and 145 properties have structures with major structural damage. The numbers of destroyed or significantly damaged properties are still preliminary and incomplete – and will change – as more damage assessment is done and data is refined. Hundreds more properties were flood-affected but did not experience structural damage.
Visit www.bouldercountyflood.org for rebuilding resources and more information on flood recovery.