City of Boulder Briefs
Jul 1st
City of Boulder parks affected by Boulder County fire ban
Due to a Boulder County issued fire ban on areas west of the North and South Foothills highways and areas east of the Peak to Peak Highway, users of the following City of Boulder parks are prohibited from using park grills until further notice:
● Chautauqua Park – 9th Street and Baseline Road
● Eben G. Fine Park – 3rd Street and Arapahoe Avenue
● North Boulder Park – 9th Street and Dellwood Avenue
● Harlow Platts Park – 1360 Gillaspie Drive
● Foothills Community Park – 800 Cherry Ave.
Gas grills are allowed at these parks with a permit.
For more information, visit www.BoulderParks-Rec.org, or call Shelly Ruspakka, Parks and Recreation, at 303-413-7214.
Municipal Court to be closed from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, July 8
The Boulder Municipal Court will be closed from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Friday, July 8, for a staff meeting.
County soliciting Walden Ponds sculpture proposals
Jul 1st
Boulder County, Colo. – Boulder County Parks and Open Space is soliciting design submittals for original sculptures to be placed at the entry to Walden Ponds Wildlife Habitat.
The artwork shall include sculptures and a sign indicating “Walden Ponds Wildlife Habitat” to be installed on stone pedestals. See the sketch and photo for details on the entry monument concept. Artists are to submit up to three drawings of their proposed artwork including material specifications. Only original work will be considered.
Inspiration for the artwork should be drawn from the plants and animals on the site. Some species particular to the site include: Willow, Cattails, Cottonwood, Belted Kingfisher, Redwing Blackbird, Western Meadowlark and Blue Heron.
The project budget is limited to $3,500, including design, fabrication, transportation and delivery. Boulder County will handle installation with direction from the artist if necessary. Proposals are due by Friday, July 15 and shall be submitted to Emily Greenwood at egreenwood@bouldercounty.org. Contact Greenwood at 303-678-6369 or via email for more information.
The Walden Ponds site functioned as a gravel mine from 1958 until 1974, when Boulder County began converting the pits into a series of ponds. The shores were planted with native plants and the ponds were allowed to fill with groundwater and stocked with fish. The site has since become an excellent wildlife habitat and one of the best riparian bird watching areas in Boulder County.
COLORADO BUSINESS LEADERS’ CONFIDENCE WANES SLIGHTLY, SAYS CU LEEDS SCHOOL INDEX
Jul 1st
Colorado business leaders remained confident, although generally less optimistic about the economy looking ahead to the third quarter, according to the most recent quarterly Leeds Business Confidence Index, or LBCI, released today by the University of Colorado Boulder’s Leeds School of Business.
For the third quarter of 2011, the LBCI posted a reading of 51.6, down from 56.8 in the second quarter. Confidence waned across all indices, although most remained above the neutral mark of 50.
Expectations for the national economy were once again especially bleak, falling back below neutral after two consecutive quarters of optimism, according to Leeds School economist and Business Research Division Executive Director Richard Wobbekind, who conducts the quarterly survey.
“The overall economy has been damaged by uncertainty — the uncertainty of consumers about the strength of the recovery and the strength of the job market and the uncertainty of businesses about demand for their products — and I think that uncertainty has worked its way into our index and other national indexes,” Wobbekind said.
An index reading of 50 is neutral. A reading greater than 50 indicates positive expectations, while an index lower than 50 indicates negative expectations, according to Leeds School researcher Brian Lewandowski, who compiles the survey results for the index.
“I think our business leaders want to see some of their concerns such as the international debt issues, higher oil prices and other uncertainties get worked out, and fortunately right now some of these things are getting worked out,” Wobbekind said. “They’re backpedaling a little bit and they’re not quite as confident, but overall they have a decent level of confidence.”
Confidence turned negative for the national economy, decreasing nearly 10 points from 53.6 to 44.0, while the state index fell from 55.5 to 51.2.
Capital expenditures had an index reading of 53.4, down from 56.1 last quarter. The sales and profit expectations of business leaders are positive, but subdued, according to Lewandowski. The sales index was 55.8, and the profit index was 53.1.
To access the complete report visit http://leeds.colorado.edu/publication/237. To view a short video of Wobbekind discussing the index visit http://www.colorado.edu/news and click on the Leeds Business Confidence Index story.
