Another week in the books, Boulder! 📚 But before you head off into your weekend, take a moment to catch up with the community in your latest edition of BRL Today.
First up, John Herrick reports on the return to 24/7 service at Mental Health Partners’ walk-in crisis center, Boulder County’s only dedicated facility for people experiencing a mental health emergency. Then our 2022 summer reporting fellow Henry Larson breaks down the supply chain snarls and increased demand straining local food banks — and how you can help.
Plus the latest updates on Boulder County commissioner election results, tomorrow’s march for reproductive rights, next week’s BVSD hiring event and more.
Lastly, some BRL news: Beginning this month, we’ll be publishing obituaries of Boulder County residents as part of our service to the community. Want to honor a local who has passed on? Learn more here.
Until Monday,
– Jezy, managing editor
Quickly
🌤️ Mostly sunny and quite warm: Expect temperatures around 90 today under plenty of sunshine, with a chance of showers after noon. The weekend will be hotter still, with highs hovering in the mid-90s through Sunday. Don’t forget your sunscreen!
👩⚖️ Town of Superior sued over gun reforms: Rocky Mountain Gun Owners, a conservative gun-rights group, said on Thursday it is suing the Town of Superior over its ban on the sale and possession of semi-automatic weapons and large-capacity magazine purchased after July 1. The group argues such a ban violates the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. In June, the town joined other communities on Boulder County, including the City of Boulder, to pass a package of gun-violence prevention measures.
🗳️ Stolzmann poised to win county commissioner race: With the latest (and last) batch of Democratic primary votes showing Louisville Mayor Ashley Stolzmann ahead by a razor-thin 68-vote margin, her opponent, Elaina Shively, has conceded, John Herrick reports. “I’m really eager to get to work,” Stolzmann told BRL. Read the full story here.
🔍 Election audit: Want to observe the Boulder County Election Division’s 2022 Primary Election risk-limiting audit (RLA)? The public is invited beginning on Tuesday, July 12, to observe the “gold standard” test of election results along with other “post-election certification activities” at the Ballot Processing Center located at 1750 33rd St. in Boulder. RSVP by the evening of Monday, July 11.
📢 March for reproductive rights: In response to the Supreme Court decision overturning the landmark 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision that protected the right to abortion, YWCA Boulder County, Women’s March, League of Women Voters and other community organizations are hosting a “march for women’s freedom” tomorrow, July 9. Participants will begin gathering in front of the Boulder County Courthouse at 9 a.m.
💼 BVSD is hiring: Want to make a difference in the lives of students by joining the team at Boulder Valley School District? Drop by the district’s in-person hiring event on Wednesday, July 13, to learn about open part- and full-time positions for bus drivers, custodians, food service workers and more. The event takes place at at the BVSD Education Center (6500 Arapahoe Rd.) in Boulder. Register here.
🚨 Busy 4th for BPD: The Boulder Police Department says its officers responded to 152 “calls for service” during Monday’s 4th of July holiday, with 64 of those related to fireworks. In one instance on University Hill, the department activated its SWAT team in response to an alleged unruly crowd of hundreds that was reportedly aiming fireworks at passing cars and lighting bushes on fire.
🙌 Vote for Fairview student’s doodle: Jessica Wang from Fairview High School is representing Colorado as one of 54 semifinalists in the annual Doodle for Google contest. She now competes for the national title, and voting is open. Cast your vote here. (Click Grades 8-9, then the Colorado entry.)
Top Stories
Mental Health Partners restores hours at its 24/7 walk-in crisis center
By John Herrick
Mental Health Partners, Boulder County’s largest nonprofit mental health care provider, has restored full hours of operation at its walk-in crisis center for people experiencing a mental health emergency to 24 hours per day, seven days per week.
The change took effect on June 27, according to Mental Health Partners, after the organization on Feb. 6 closed the center on weekends and slashed its weekday hours. The nonprofit has cited a shortage of crisis clinicians as the reason for the service cuts.
The facility, located at 3180 Airport Rd., is the county’s only 24/7 dedicated in-person center for people in need of emergency mental health services outside of local hospitals, which typically require longer waiting times and charge much more for health care services.
Dixie Casford, one of two CEOs at Mental Health Partners, said she is confident the organization will be able to keep the center open at its full hours of operation.
But Casford said the underlying staffing shortage that prompted the reductions in hours remains.
“We’re not fully staffed with crisis clinicians who are going to be working there long term. But we’re getting there. It’s still a workforce challenge,” Casford told Boulder Reporting Lab.
The center’s reduction in hours came at a time when local mental health workers were seeing high demand in the number of patients seeking services likely due to a mix of factors, including coping with the Covid-19 pandemic, the lingering trauma of the King Soopers mass shooting, and the destructive Marshall Fire.
To help attract more workers, Casford said the organization raised pay. According to a recent job listing, clinicians earn $29 to $35 per hour. In February, the pay range for a similar job was $23 to $31 per hour, depending on the applicant’s credentials.
Mental Health Partners also changed the work schedule to more closely match hospital work hours. Each week, clinicians work three, 12-hour days and have four-day weekends. The nonprofit is also offering to help new employees pay off student loans.
Facing supply chain snarls and increased demand, Boulder food banks are having trouble keeping shelves stocked. Here’s how to help.
By Henry Larson
Boulder County food assistance programs are facing mounting shortages, as supply chain issues and increased demand make it difficult to offer a full variety of nutritious meals to residents in need.
While these organizations say they will still be able to provide their services to families, and aren’t at risk of shutting down, many are turning to the community for help keeping shelves stocked.
“It’s tight in the food banks right now and our community has always stepped up for people in need,” said Julie Van Domelen, executive director of the Emergency Family Assistance Association (EFAA) in Boulder. “We just want to let people know this would be a great time to drop off food donations.”
EFAA, and many other Boulder food banks, recieve their food from a range of sources, including donations from individuals, grocery stores and purchased food items that are harder to come by.
Van Domelen said resources began to dwindle in early June, but the factors driving the shortages have happened incrementally. She said the combination of inconsistent deliveries and rising costs of food have made it hard to fill shelves, while the number of people visiting EFAA’s food bank has dramatically increased.
“A lot of folks who were able to make ends meet [in the past] are struggling, so finding their way to food assistance is important at this time,” Van Domelen said.
Right now, more than 400 families visit the EFAA food bank each week, far more than the 350 that shopped there in the entire month of January.
EFAA isn’t the only organization affected by these issues. Van Domelen said the shortages are systemic, impacting food assistance programs all over Boulder County.
Suzanne Crawford, chief executive officer of the Sister Carmen Community Center in Lafayette, said as many as 80 households have been visiting the food bank per day in recent weeks, compared to an approximate average of 30 earlier in the year.
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BRL Picks
🪕 Pickin’ and grinnin’: KGNU’s 34th Annual Charles Sawtelle Memorial Mountain Jam bluegrass festival takes place Sunday, July 24, at Boulder’s historic Gold Hill Inn. This year’s outdoor mini-fest will feature three Colorado bluegrass bands: Jake Leg, Greg Schochet & Little America, and Megan Burtt Band. Tickets are $35 for KGNU, $40 for non-members and free for kids under 12. Get yours here.
🎒 Pack it in, pack it out: Need a hand on your next state park adventure? Boulder Public Library is partnering with Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the Colorado State Library to provide free backpack kit rentals, complete with a Colorado State Parks pass, binoculars, wildlife and tree guides and a whole lot more. Swing by the Main Library or George Meadows branch to check one out.
🏖️ Sober pool party: Out Boulder County presents the return of its alcohol-free bash for LGBTQ and allied communities on Saturday, July 16. Head to Sunset Pool in Longmont (11900 Longs Peak Ave.) between 6–9:45 p.m. to celebrate the summer with an affirming poolside potluck. If you’re bringing food to share, you can email the org to coordinate your dish.
Covid-19 Updates: July 8, 2022
- 134 daily new cases (7-day avg.) ⬇Down 43% over preceding 7-day avg.
- 21 patients hospitalized with Covid (7-day avg.) ⬆️Up from a high of 8 last week.
- 48% percent of ICU is occupied. ⬇Down from avg. of 67% since July 2020.
- Note: All community Covid testing sites, apart from Stazio Ball Fields, closed on July 1. Stazio Ball Fields was temporarily closed from June 27 to July 5, and reopened July 6.
What We’re Reading
📖 Gov. Polis signs executive order to protect people seeking abortions from out-of-state investigations: “The order says the state won’t assist in criminal or civil actions in other states aimed at preventing [people] from getting access to abortion. It also instructs the Department of Regulatory Affairs to protect anyone with a Colorado professional license from discipline for providing or seeking reproductive health care in any state.” [Colorado Sun]
ICYMI from BRL
🎆 A year later, riot on Boulder’s University Hill spurs recommendations for stricter anti-noise ordinance and other measures. The University Hill Revitalization Working Group was tasked by the previous Boulder City Council with improving ‘quality of life’ on the Hill after a party-turned-riot damaged vehicles, led to arrests and reignited long-running tensions between local homeowners and students.
💧 Boulder’s plan to upgrade its aging water infrastructure system enters next phase this summer, with 63rd Street project. The city’s two 1960s-era water treatment plants have provided a fail-safe for decades but needed overhauls. Such water project investments involve a financial dance between ratepayers and the city, on top of weighing urgent climate change concerns.
⛑️ ‘This job changes you’: Front Range firefighters say they’re struggling with mental health, but support is still lacking. “First responders are on the cusp of having a huge mental health crisis,” says Tyler Avischious, a local firefighter and paramedic. The nonprofit he helps run, Revital, is part of a nascent movement to normalize first responder mental health and create safe space for people to heal.
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