✈️ Boulder takes latest step toward keeping its airport open indefinitely

Good Friday morning, Boulder. Today’s BRL Today is sponsored by Pedestrian Shops, a locally owned and operated Boulder business ready to help you find your next pair from the world’s most comfortable shoe brands.

Leading today: Boulder City Council has taken the latest step toward keeping Boulder Municipal Airport open indefinitely, approving an application for about $140,000 in FAA funding for pavement maintenance. City officials say accepting new federal money could further bind Boulder to operate the airport in perpetuity, a major turn after years of debate over closing the facility and repurposing its 179 acres for housing. The decision also positions the city to pursue about $1.9 million in additional airport grants in 2027 and 2028. John Herrick reports.

Also today: We’ve been reporting on cuts to Boulder’s pools and the city’s warnings that it has no money to operate Spruce Pool beyond 2027, raising serious questions about its future. Now historian Silvia Pettem looks back at the pool’s surprising beginnings as an offshoot of a local ice plant in 1923 and traces its evolution into the outdoor pool Boulder knows today.

Plus more, Below the Fold:

BoulderCAST: More rain and storms are expected this weekend.
Marijuana: Boulder drops its energy-offset requirement for cultivators.
Measles alert: Pearl Street visitors may have been exposed.
Wildfire mitigation: $7 million in grants has helped treat nearly 1,350 acres.
Heritage Month: Festivals, art, books and tamales fill the calendar.

Thanks, as always, for reading,

– The BRL team

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Boulder City Council approves FAA grant application, deepening its commitment to city airport

The city is applying for about $140,000 in federal money for a pavement maintenance project. City officials have said the grant could require Boulder to operate the airport in perpetuity. Continue reading…

The history of Boulder’s Spruce Pool, born from an ice plant’s hot water

Built with hot water from an ice plant’s cooling process, the pool opened in 1923 and was hailed as “one of the greatest needs of the city.” More than a century later, its future is uncertain. Continue reading…

More rain on the way this weekend as monsoon pattern holds

Today keeps the active monsoon weather pattern going in Boulder, with near-record levels of atmospheric moisture for this time of year still blanketing Colorado.

We may get a few breaks in the clouds, but overall, expect another mostly overcast day with scattered showers and thunderstorms developing through the afternoon and evening. Any storms that pop up could produce locally heavy downpours. Rain should taper off and move out before midnight, with highs near 80°.

Tonight’s low drops into the mid-50s.

All that moisture will stick around into the weekend, and Saturday looks particularly active. We should see a little more sunshine, which will help fuel numerous late-day showers and thunderstorms. Temperatures will only reach the mid-70s, and with all that moisture available, some storms could again dump heavy rain and potentially produce damaging hail.

Sunday will be cooler, with highs in the lower 70s and a lower chance for afternoon showers.

Things finally start to dry out Monday as temperatures remain in the 70s.

Overall, plan on a cool and occasionally wet weekend before the weather starts trending drier early next week.

—BoulderCAST

Boulder ends energy-offset requirement as marijuana cultivation shrinks

The Boulder City Council has approved an ordinance repealing energy-offset requirements for medical and recreational marijuana cultivators.

The city adopted the requirement in 2013 amid rapid growth in marijuana cultivation. At the industry’s peak in 2017, the electricity needed to maintain lighting, temperature and humidity accounted for roughly 3% of Boulder’s energy use, according to a city staff memo.

In 2017, the city introduced an Energy Impact Offset Fee as an alternative way for businesses to comply. The program initially generated between $400,000 and $500,000 annually, funding community energy projects including solar gardens at Ponderosa and Boulder Housing Partners properties. Because most businesses could not install or purchase solar power directly, paying the fee became the primary method of compliance. In 2019, the requirement was narrowed to cultivators.

The industry has since contracted substantially. Nine cultivators remain, down from a peak of 44, and annual fee revenue is expected to fall to about $50,000. The city has also struggled to collect outstanding fees when businesses have closed.

City staff said eliminating the requirement will allow Boulder to focus its resources on community projects with broader climate benefits. The city must roughly double its rate of emissions reductions to meet its 2030 climate goals.

The ordinance was supported by the Cannabis Licensing Advisory Board and the Environmental Advisory Board.

ICYMI: Measles exposure reported in Boulder County

If you visited the Pearl Street Mall or certain locations in Westminster or Lafayette between Sept. 8 and 11, health officials say you may have been exposed to measles by an international traveler. Residents who were at the affected locations should monitor for symptoms for 21 days following the possible exposure.

Potential exposure locations included Avanti from 7 to 11:30 p.m. on Sept. 8, Gelato Boy West End from 9:30 to 11:45 p.m. that night, and the Pearl Street Mall area from 9:45 p.m. on Sept. 8 to 12:30 a.m. on Sept. 9.

Other locations included the Denver Gem and Mineral Show at the Westin Westminster from noon to 6 p.m. on Sept. 9 and from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sept. 10, as well as the Good Samaritan Hospital emergency department in Lafayette from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Sept. 11.

Symptoms include a high fever, cough, runny nose, red or watery eyes, and a spreading rash that begins on the face. Anyone who suspects they have measles should call a healthcare provider before visiting a clinic or emergency room to help prevent further exposure.

Boulder County opens new round of grants to reduce wildfire risk

Boulder County is offering another round of funding for projects that clear hazardous vegetation and reduce wildfire risk across neighborhoods and larger landscapes. Nonprofits, fire protection districts, homeowners associations and local governments can apply through Oct. 29. Since the program launched in 2023, the county has awarded more than $6.8 million and helped complete fuels reduction work across nearly 1,350 acres. Learn more and apply.

Hispanic and Latinx Heritage Month celebrations planned across Boulder County

Hispanic and Latinx Heritage Month runs through Oct. 15, with events planned across Boulder County to celebrate local communities.

Highlights include Colorado Chautauqua’s Festival del Sol on Sept. 20 in Boulder and a Día de los Muertos exhibit opening Sept. 24 at the Collective Community Arts Center in Lafayette.

Additional celebrations are planned for Oct. 24 in Longmont with a Day of the Dead festival downtown and the Latino Chamber of Commerce’s Feria del Tamal at the Boulder County Fairgrounds.

The Louisville Public Library has also compiled Hispanic and Latinx book recommendations for adults, teens and children.

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