Boulder “Tree City USA” for 27th consecutive year
Apr 8th
Boulder “Tree City USA” for 27th consecutive year; offers Arbor Day activities
Frosted trees in Boulder
Boulder has been named “Tree City USA” for the 27th consecutive year by the National Arbor Day Foundation, in honor of the city’s commitment to community forestry.
The city’s Parks and Recreation Department Urban Forestry unit celebrates the Arbor Day season with a children’s art exhibit and tree plantings, planned for April 11 through April 30.
In cooperation with the city’s Urban Forestry unit and Water Conservation office, the Center for Resource Conservation is offering a “Trees Across Boulder” online tree sale. Residents can learn more and order a tree at www.conservationcenter.org.
Activity schedule/photo opportunities:
Monday, April 11 through Friday, April 22
Children’s artwork celebrating Arbor Day will be on display in the Children’s Library at the Main Boulder Public Library, 1001 Arapahoe Ave. The artwork was created by fourth and fifth grade students from Jessica Bernstein’s class at High Peaks Elementary School. Library hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
Monday, April 11 through Friday, May 20
Parks and Recreation will plant 520 trees into city parks, including 135 trees at East Boulder Community Park and 269 trees at Valmont City Park.
Monday, April 11 through Friday, May 20
· Parks and Recreation will plant more than 215 trees in street rights-of-way in both residential and commercial sites throughout the city.
Monday, April 11 through Friday, April 15
Parks and Recreation and Public Works Department-Transportation Division will plant more than 30 new trees along Broadway, between Pine Street and Iris Avenue. This is part of an in-fill street tree planting program and is follow-up work to the Broadway (Pine-Iris) Reconstruction Project.
Wednesday, April 13
9 to 10:30 a.m. – Students from the Boulder Community School of Integrated Studies and High Peaks Elementary School will be planting 12 trees in Aurora 7 Park (Aurora Avenue and 38th Street).
Monday, April 18 through Friday, April 22
· Parks and Recreation and Public Works Department-Transportation will be planting 83 trees in the Foothills Parkway center median between Baseline Road and Table Mesa. The City of Boulder received a $5,000 grant from The Mile Hi Million Program with the City of Denver to purchase the trees.
Thursday, April 21
9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. – Students from Alexander Dawson School will be planting 20 trees at Salberg Park (3045 19th Street) and Valmont Park (Valmont Avenue and Airport Road).
Saturday, April 30
10 a.m. to 1 p.m. – Volunteers from the Boulder Yamagata Sakura Project will be planting 30 Somai Yoshino cherry trees at Martin Park (36th Street and Eastman Ave.). The trees were donated by the Boulder Yamagata Sakura Project and will be planted along the Boulder Creek Path. The public is welcome.
For more information about these Arbor Day events, contact Shelly Ruspakka, Parks and Recreation, at 303-413-7214.
Ralphie’s Independence Day Blast announces next great band competition Get your applications in early
Apr 8th
Ralphie’s Independence Day Blast wants to give local bands a huge break at the biggest event of the summer. The annual 4th of July fireworks committee announced today that it will launch a YouTube band competition to choose this year’s opening act.
Bands can compete to entertain thousands of fans at the region’s best fireworks show. The contest is open to any band that performs an original song with a Boulder connection. The contest is open to all genres: rock, country, pop, hip-hop, rap or something new – just make sure it’s family friendly.
“Ralphie’s Independence Day is an iconic event in Boulder, and people love coming here to celebrate the 4th of July,” said Lew Kingdom of Wright Kingdom Real Estate, premier sponsor of the event. “This year we want to combine the biggest event of the summer with the ‘I Love Boulder’ campaign by inviting bands to join us in celebrating the cultural, traditional and happily unconventional characteristics of Boulder life. It’s an ideal theme for something we all love to attend.”
Boulders The Showmen 1966
The winning band, or bands, will open the fireworks celebration to an estimated crowd of up to 40,000 people when the gates open. Runners up will see their music videos displayed on the Jumbo Tron at Folsom Field.
To enter, contestants must submit a YouTube video of the band performing its song. Tribute bands playing another artist’s song will not be considered. Bands will be evaluated for musical ability and style; bonus points may be given for creativity.
Video submissions will be judged based on quality, a “Boulder connection”, and the number of YouTube views by June 6, 2011. Obviously, self promotion to generate YouTube views is allowed. Multiple music video entries by the same artist are permitted. The Ralphie’s Independence Day committee will make the final selection of band(s).
Submissions are due no later than noon on June 1, 2011. Bands must grant written permission to play the video at Folsom Field, on Boulder municipal television stations, and event/sponsor websites as a requirement for submission.
Ralphie’s Independence Day Great Band Competition guidelines:
To be considered for the YouTube music video contest and a chance to play at Folsom Field on July 4, submissions must be received by noon on June 1 and must include:
1) Band’s name, address and phone number
2) Band’s permission (copyright release) to air the music video at Folsom Field, on event/sponsor websites and City of Boulder communication platforms, including municipal channels 8 and 22
3) Songs must include the word “Boulder”.
4) YouTube tags must include: “Boulder Colorado”, “I Love Boulder”, “Ralphie’s Independence Day Blast”
5) Videos may not contain nudity, profanity, or depict illegal activity
6) Email a YouTube link for your music video along with band contact information to Cindy Schlager at Wright Kingdom Real Estate bands@wkre.com.
Finalists will be notified by June 10 and may be asked to perform a live audition.
Ralphie’s Independence Day Blast, at Folsom Field, will be held July 4. Gates open at 8 p.m.
Ralphie’s Independence Day Blast is hosted by the associates of Wright Kingdom Real Estate, the University of Colorado at Boulder (CU) and the City of Boulder. Media Sponsors include the Daily Camera, and Boulder Channel 8.
For more information on this year’s event, go to www.boulder4thofjuly.com.
City of Boulder kicks off Energy Future outreach efforts
Apr 8th
The City of Boulder is announcing a variety of new ways for community members to learn about and give feedback on the ongoing Energy Future effort. The city has released an animated video sharing the goals of the initiative and an online survey. In addition, staff members will be conducting outreach at a variety of locations around town.
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.
