It’s Friday, Jan. 12, 2024.
Good morning, Boulder. I hope you’re well.
This evening, the City of Boulder and Boulder County are opening an emergency 24-hour warming center to provide homeless people a place to stay during the dangerous weather.
For today, I also have an update on lawsuits against Xcel Energy for its alleged hand in starting the Marshall Fire. Since the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office and the District Attorney’s Office released their findings on the fire’s origin in June, hundreds of lawsuits have been brought against the utility that is worth billions. An Xcel powerline, unmoored by the howling wind, is suspected of raining sparks onto welcoming vegetation below. One of the main arguments of all the lawsuits is that negligence enabled this line to flap in the breeze.
Boulder County filed just under the statute of limitations ran out on the fire’s two-year anniversary. On the same suit are the Town of Superior, the City of Louisville, the Boulder Valley School District and others. Xcel maintains its infrastructure is not to blame.
Finally, Boulder’s police chief is moving on. Resigning to take a job with the U.S. Department of Justice, Maris Herold served in Boulder for just under three years.
Have a great weekend.
— Tim, reporter
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Wildfire lawsuits surge against Xcel Energy: Boulder County joins 200-plus other cases before Marshall Fire deadline
Prompted by a letter from FEMA, Boulder County, along with the Boulder Valley School District and several nearby towns, is seeking compensation from Xcel for losses associated with the costliest fire in Colorado’s history. No legal action has been taken against the other party implicated in the fire. Continue reading…
City of Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold resigns; interim chief named
The city’s first female police chief, who took the helm in the lead up to nationwide calls for police reform, is taking a job with the U.S. Department of Justice. Continue reading…
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In other news
Colder and colder and colder
Compared to tomorrow, today is positively balmy. Temps in the 30s will drop into the single digits over the weekend accompanied by snow.
City of Boulder and Boulder County open emergency shelter ahead of cold front
The Age Well wing of the East Boulder Community Center will be opened as a temporary 24-hour emergency warming center for people experiencing homelessness in response to the cold front moving through the region this weekend that is expected to send temperatures well below zero degrees Fahrenheit.
The temporary “overflow” shelter, located at 5660 Sioux Drive, will be open Friday evening through Tuesday morning, the city said in a news release.
The city is asking adults seeking shelter to first visit the Boulder Shelter for the Homeless (303-442-4646) at 4869 Broadway in North Boulder. If the shelter fills up, people will be transported free of charge to the shelter at the East Boulder Community Center, city officials said. The shelter has increased its capacity from 160 beds to 180 beds until to Monday, Jan. 15. It will remain open during the day to anyone who spent the prior night there Saturday, Jan. 13, through Monday, Jan. 15, the city said. The shelter said two additional buses will help transport people from the normal bus stop on Walnut Street to the shelter until Monday evening.
Other nonprofits provide sheltering options for young people (303-447-1207) ages 12 to 24 and women and transgender people (303-447-9602).
“We have been monitoring the weather throughout the week and given the forecast shift to temperatures below zero for several days with wind chills as low as –15 degrees, our unsheltered neighbors are at a significant risk,” Kurt Firnhaber, the city’s director of Housing and Human Services said in a news release Thursday night. “To protect as many lives as possible, we are opening an emergency warming shelter.”
Apart from the Age Well wing, which will be used as a temporary shelter, the East Boulder Community Center will remain open for recreational activities with normal operating hours. Read on BRL.
Governor’s State of the State speech states ‘housing’ 35 times
Gov. Jared Polis delivered his annual State of the State address to Colorado lawmakers on Thursday, indicating that housing and transit will be some of his top priorities this session. He framed his vision as something of a “moonshot” moment.
He called for making the Senior Homestead Exemption portable, effectively allowing older adults to downsize their homes without losing tax benefits. He continued his advocacy for easing restrictions on Accessory Dwelling Units, or ADUs. He said he would support bills that help reduce the cost of housing — “new financing strategies, easing parking restrictions, tackling liability costs for multi-family condos, reducing the cost of fire insurance.”
He also advocated for “ending discriminatory occupancy limits that especially hurt renters.” He said he would support efforts to build more housing near transit corridors, and said his budget “expands the State Affordable Housing Tax Credit, providing crucial financial incentives for transit areas that will help with affordability.”
The governor also spent much of his speech advocating for transit, including the long-promised passenger rail line from Union Station to Boulder Junction. “The story of our state’s founding and early economic success is intertwined with the historic railroad expansion of the 1800s, just as our dreams for the future will be intertwined with the expansion of passenger rail and transit-oriented communities,” he said in his speech.
The governor’s housing agenda has potential implications for Boulder, which has historically been resistant to loosening certain density restrictions that seek to build more types of housing in neighborhoods and quicker, potentially overriding local rules. See the proposed bill below.
New state bill targets occupancy limits
A new Colorado state bill, one of the first of the new legislative session, would prevent cities like Boulder from “enacting or enforcing residential occupancy limits unless those limits are tied to a minimum square footage per person requirement that is necessary to regulate safety, health, and welfare.” This past year, Boulder increased the occupancy limit in some areas of town from three to five, but did not ban occupancy limits altogether.
Contribute to a scholarship in memory of Howie
Boulder High School teachers are organizing a fundraiser on Feb. 3 to establish a scholarship in memory of beloved Boulder High history teacher Jeff “Howie” Howenstein, who passed away in November due to leukemia. The event, named “Howiefest,” will be at the Wildflower Pavilion in Lyons from 1 to 6 p.m.
A cash bar, silent auction, cornhole and music will benefit a scholarship organizers hope will reach $1,000 to benefit a student in the Advancement Via Individual Determination program, which Howenstein passionately taught along with history. The program is aimed at students set to be the first in their families to go to college.
The community is invited to contribute and attend, with registration available until Jan. 25.
SWAT activated in Lafayette
Boulder County SWAT responded to a Lafayette domestic incident after a woman reported being held hostage by her boyfriend. Lafayette officers, dispatched at 4:57 a.m. to 550 N. 111th St., couldn’t locate anyone initially.
The victim, found in distress, had a protection order against her boyfriend who had active domestic violence warrants. SWAT intervened, and the suspect was peacefully apprehended at 9:30 a.m. Pioneer Elementary was briefly locked down during police activity.
MLK Day closures
City of Boulder administrative facilities will be closed on Monday, Jan. 15, in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. However, recreation centers, Boulder Reservoir, Flatirons Golf Course, and Open Space and Mountain Parks trails will remain open. Free parking is available on city streets and in city-owned lots and downtown garages on the holiday. For more information, visit the city’s parking guide.
MLK Day events – reminder
Join the NAACP Boulder County Branch, in collaboration with Second Baptist Church and the Museum of Boulder, for the annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulder County community celebrations on Jan. 14 and 15, 2024. Themed “Fanning The Flames Of The Dream,” the events feature a youth workshop, a keynote address by Dr. Reiland Rabaka, founder and director of the Center for African and African American Studies at CU, and music by jazz pianist Purnell Steen. A tribute to Brenda Lyle, a Boulder County Living Legend, will conclude the program. The first event is at the Boulder Jewish Community Center, and the second is at Silver Creek High School. Both events are free and open to the public, but registration is required. Find other city-supported events here.
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