Posts tagged Fourmile Canyon Fire
City of Boulder Colorado, State of the city 2011 Mayor Susan Osborne & CM Jane Brautigam TV special
Feb 24th
Jan. 27, 2011 – State of the City of Boulder Colorado emphasizes sustainability, economy and opportunities in 2011
City Manager Jane S. Brautigam and Mayor Susan Osborne delivered the State of the City in the Library Theater this morning, outlining the highlights of a year that included two major wildfires, award-winning construction and improvement projects, a commitment by voters to continue funding valued city services and a decision to explore supply-side energy options.
Both Brautigam and Osborne spoke of challenges, difficult decisions and collaborative leadership in the face of recent wildfires and a still uncertain economic future.
Speaking of the devastating Fourmile Canyon Fire, Brautigam said, “Firefighters from around the nation set up operations at the new regional fire training center. More than 1,100 firefighters responded, including 70 city firefighters. A significant amount of city resources were used to protect Boulder County and city residents. During the Fourmile Canyon Fire, city staff supported around-the-clock emergency operations and services to the community. While 169 homes were destroyed, not a single life was lost in any of last year’s fires.”
The mayor emphasized partnerships that formed in 2010 with local government, the business and technology communities and residents. Collaborations, such as the bid to bring Google ultra high speed Internet to the city, and a spirit of shared innovation helped Boulder stand out, both at home and abroad.
“Our international reputation as an innovator continues to make Boulder a destination city and enhance our economic sustainability,” Osborne said.
Standing in front of a backdrop of video and photographs from the year past, the city manager told the audience that Boulder was able to maintain a flat budget for 2011 but must continue to “be prudent in how we manage resources.” The city will continue to look for ways to close a gap between expenditures and revenues to maintain long-term sustainability.
Both speakers looked ahead to 2011 with optimism, particularly about the community’s commitment to charting an energy future that draws more power from renewable sources, promotes local decision-making, stabilizes rates for consumers and puts customer service and reliability in the forefront.
“We heard the community’s desire to lead by example, and to more fully explore Boulder’s energy options before entering into another long-term franchise agreement,” Brautigam said.
The mayor thanked voters for their support.
“We asked voters to approve a replacement tax on Xcel for five years to provide the time needed to analyze, discuss and make decisions as a community about our energy future. This may ultimately mean a renewed partnership with Xcel to meet our community goals, municipalization to provide our community with more direct control over its energy decisions and investments, or possibly a different option that we have yet to develop. . . . It was a tremendous vote of confidence from this community, and we are grateful for the overwhelming support that was shown for the Utility Occupation Tax. Without your support, the city would have eliminated 50 positions this year and significantly reduced city services and programs,” she said.
Fourmile Canyon Fire meeting with state insurance representatives set for Feb. 2 at 6:30 p.m.
Jan 27th
Boulder County, Colo – In its continuing efforts to help homeowners who lost a home or structure in the Fourmile Canyon fire navigate through the insurance claim process, Boulder County has set up a meeting for fire survivors with Colorado Interim Insurance Commissioner John J. Postolowski on Wednesday, Feb. 2 at 6:30 p.m. in Boulder.
The meeting will include time for impacted residents to share their experiences working with their insurance providers and to allow the state insurance commissioner and staff to address those issues and outline assistance available from the state.
Who should attend: Fourmile Canyon Fire survivors
Who will present: State of Colorado Interim Insurance Commissioner John Postolowski and staff from the state Division of Insurance
When: 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 2
Where: Boulder County Courthouse, Commissioners’ Hearing Room, 3rd floor, 1325 Pearl St., Boulder
Tentative Agenda:
• Fire survivors will be invited to share their experiences with their insurance providers in order for the commissioner and staff to better understand the challenges people are facing
• Division of Insurance staff will explain how they can be of service and answer questions
• At the end, there will be time for people to speak with the Division of Insurance staff about their individual situations
State Representative Claire Levy of Boulder has been instrumental in getting this meeting scheduled and will also be attending along with other state and federal legislators or their staff representatives.
For more information about Boulder County’s recovery efforts working with residents of the Fourmile Canyon Fire area, visit www.bouldercounty.org/fourmilefire or contact Garry Sanfacon at 720-564-2642 or gsanfacon@bouldercounty.org.
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County creates Fourmile Canyon Fire recovery center Sanfaçon assigned to head up team for fire-related recovery needs and requests
Nov 15th
The recovery center will focus on serving residents with questions and issues around rebuilding, debris removal, erosion control, revegetation, transportation (roads and potential flooding), wildfire mitigation, and others as they arise. It will be staffed by a single point of contact to help coordinate rebuilding efforts, but can also refer clients to other services as needed.
“In all of our meetings and discussions with county residents in the Fourmile Canyon Fire area, we heard a strong request for one point of contact to help coordinate post-fire rebuilding efforts,” said Commissioner Ben Pearlman, speaking on behalf of the Board of County Commissioners. “Our goal in establishing this new service is to be able to personally and effectively continue serving the needs of everyone who lost a home or personal property in the fire.”
The county commissioners have designated Land Use Department staff member and Fourmile Canyon Fire community liaison Garry Sanfaçon to lead the effort. Sanfaçon is putting together an outreach and assessment team who will be responsible for the overall coordination of post-fire rebuilding efforts and serve as the county’s principal point of contact for property owners and renters, contractors, fire districts, members of the public, county staff and other agencies.
Sanfaçon and his team are already working on a plan to contact every household that suffered a property loss to discuss their individual needs for rebuilding. “I’m eager to continue working with residents to better understand what’s needed, what’s working and what’s not working in the areas impacted by the fire,” said Sanfaçon, in his new position as the Fourmile Fire Recovery Manager. “My role is to listen, to get out and meet with people on their own terms, and to ensure the county’s recovery response is coordinated and effective.”
Sanfaçon can be reached at 720-564-2642 or gsanfaçon@bouldercounty.org. The recovery center is located in the Land Use Department, Courthouse Annex, 2045 13th Street (corner of Spruce Street) in Boulder.
Requests for individual and family support services, such as financial, housing, health, and mental health counseling, can still be made directly to the Fourmile Fire Assistance Center at 3482 N. Broadway (at Iris) in Boulder, or by calling 303-441-3560. Hours of operation for the assistance center are 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
SOURCE: BOULDER COUNTY NEWS RELEASE