🏫 BVSD names the 4 elementary schools it wants to close

Good Wednesday morning, Boulder. Today’s BRL Today is sponsored by Colorado Connector, a planned passenger train that would ultimately link 12 Front Range communities. Review the plan.

Leading today: Boulder Valley School District has named four elementary schools it wants to close as part of its most significant restructuring in years. The plan would close Birch, Douglass, Mesa and Flatirons elementary schools, relocate High Peaks and Community Montessori, and reconfigure Eldorado and Monarch PK-8 schools. In all, 16 schools would be affected. The school board is scheduled to vote Sept. 22.

The proposal reflects the scale of BVSD’s enrollment problem. Boulder alone is projected to have more than 2,500 empty elementary seats by 2030, roughly 10 schools’ worth of unused capacity. As enrollment falls, smaller schools receive fewer counselors, art, music and physical education teachers, and academic support staff.

The changes would raise districtwide building utilization from 68% to 75% and free up an estimated $3.5 million to $4 million annually for reinvestment in schools. But they could cost as much as $10 million upfront and would still leave thousands of seats empty. Board members said additional restructuring may be necessary in the coming years. Jenna Sampson explains which schools would change, how families and staff would be supported, and what comes next.

And don’t miss yesterday’s edition of Nibbles, in which BRL food editor John Lehndorff introduces Dolly Mama’s, Boulder County’s new artisan creamery, and its goats named for country music legends, including Dolly Parton. John wrote the piece before Parton died Tuesday, but in a bittersweet coincidence, it is worth reading today as a small tribute to her. Sign up for Nibbles to receive Boulder County’s best food news free every Tuesday.

Plus more, Below the Fold:

BoulderCAST: Storms and hail are possible this afternoon.
Fatal bicycle crash: An 85-year-old cyclist was killed on the Diagonal Highway.
Airport advocacy: Boulder’s Planning Board chair was cleared of code-of-conduct complaints.
Ironclad Fire: Fully contained southeast of Allenspark.
Age Well Center: A water leak has closed the East Boulder facility until Friday.

Thanks, as always, for reading,

– The BRL team

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Boulder to Denver without the drive. Colorado Connector, or CoCo, is the planned passenger train linking 12 Front Range communities from Fort Collins to Pueblo on existing tracks, with trains rolling by 2029. More people on trains means fewer cars on everyone’s roads. Review the delivery plan at ColoradoConnector.com.

BVSD proposes closing four elementary schools in sweeping consolidation plan

The plan would affect 16 schools in all, including two that would relocate and two PK-8 schools that would be reconfigured, as the district confronts declining enrollment and thousands of empty seats. Continue reading…

Storm chances hold — hail risk joins the mix today

Boulder County squeezed out a little rain over the last few days, but not much — pretty much on brand for how this summer’s “monsoon” has gone so far here. Moisture is still hanging around the Front Range, though, so we’re not done with storm chances just yet.

Today brings another round of scattered afternoon thunderstorms, and a few could turn strong to severe. The setup is a bit murkier than usual thanks to possible morning low clouds and slightly cooler temps around Boulder, both of which could limit how rowdy storms get. Still, it’s a day to stay weather‑aware.

Plan on keeping an eye to the sky between 2 and 7 p.m. Any storm that forms could produce golf‑ball hail, damaging winds, and brief heavy rain. The highest risk sits east of I‑25, but Boulder isn’t completely out of the mix.

Highs land in the mid‑80s this afternoon before we cool into the upper 50s tonight.

From there, we warm right back up: upper 80s on Thursday, mid‑90s by Friday, and storm chances are set to fade for a few days.

— BoulderCAST

Cyclist, 85, killed in collision with driver of SUV on Diagonal Highway

A driver hit and killed a cyclist on the morning of Aug. 24 on Highway 119 southeast of Longmont, according to the Colorado State Patrol. The 85-year-old male cyclist was pronounced dead shortly after the crash. The driver, a 33-year-old Longmont woman, stayed at the scene and was cooperating with investigators, Colorado State Patrol said in a news release.

Initial findings suggest the cyclist was traveling south on the right shoulder of Highway 119 before turning left onto 83rd Street, Colorado State Patrol said. The driver of a 2010 Chevrolet Equinox, traveling south in the left lane, struck the cyclist as he crossed the highway.

The Boulder County Coroner’s Office identified the cyclist as Ralph Derose. The State Patrol’s Vehicular Crimes Unit is leading the investigation and is still determining the cause and seeking witnesses.

The crash occurred on the Diagonal Highway, which has one of the highest rates of severe crashes and bike crashes of any corridor in unincorporated Boulder County, according to county data. Earlier this year, a dump truck driver struck and killed a cyclist near Niwot. Boulder County and CDOT have begun constructing a separated 12-foot-wide bikeway running the length of the corridor from Boulder to Longmont.

Boulder Planning Board chair cleared in complaints over airport advocacy

A special counsel has concluded that Boulder’s Planning Board Chair Laura Kaplan did not violate the city’s code of conduct by advocating for the closure of the municipal airport.

Jerome DeHerrera, a Denver attorney appointed by the city to investigate code of conduct complaints, wrote in an Aug. 19 report that neither of the two complaints filed against Kaplan in June established a violation. Former City Councilmember Jan Burton and resident Richard Hall each filed complaints arguing that Kaplan’s advocacy created an appearance of partiality. They also called for her to recuse herself from airport matters while serving on the Planning Board.

Kaplan was an organizer with the Airport Neighborhood Campaign, a 2024 ballot measure committee that advocated for closing the city’s airport and repurposing the land for affordable housing.

Neither complaint alleged that Kaplan stood to gain financially from her airport advocacy. DeHerrera also found that “policy-outcome benefits” related to Kaplan’s decisions on airport matters did not create conflicts of interest prohibited by the city code of conduct.

The Boulder City Council in July reaffirmed its commitment to operate Boulder Municipal Airport indefinitely. The 8-1 vote cleared the way for the city to pursue Federal Aviation Administration grants that city officials have said could make it harder to ever close the airport. Read on BRL.

Ironclad Fire reaches 100% containment southeast of Allenspark

Crews fully contained the Ironclad Fire Tuesday afternoon after stopping its forward progress Monday. The small wildfire began Monday afternoon southeast of Allenspark.

The fire was reported around 1:23 p.m. Monday after smoke was spotted near Bunce School Road, according to Watch Duty. It was estimated at 0.4 acres and was burning in pine duff and brush.

Crews remained at the scene overnight and continued mop-up and patrol operations Tuesday. The fire was reported 100% contained Tuesday afternoon.

Water leak closes East Age Well Center until Friday

The East Age Well Center at the East Boulder Community Center is temporarily closed due to a water leak. The facility is expected to reopen Friday, Aug. 28.

The Child Watch program is expected to resume normal operations this weekend. The West Age Well Center, at 909 Arapahoe Ave., will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. during the closure. The rest of the East Boulder Community Center remains open. Staff are working with instructors and participants to cancel, reschedule or relocate affected classes.

Meanwhile, the East Boulder Community Center renovation has moved into the design phase, according to an August memo to the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. The first construction phase, expected to begin in February 2027, will renovate the East Age Well Center and upgrade its HVAC system. Programs and services at the center will be affected during construction, and staff are planning for a temporary relocation. The project is funded by a 0.3% city sales tax dedicated to infrastructure.

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