🏫 What families still want to know about BVSD's school closure plan

Good Monday morning, Boulder. Today’s BRL Today is sponsored by SoBo Homes, a residential remodeling firm that recently won two awards from the National Kitchen & Bath Association’s Rocky Mountain Chapter.

Leading today: Tomorrow, BVSD families will have their first opportunity to address the school board publicly since the district unveiled its full proposal Aug. 25 to close four elementary schools and make changes at 12 others. The board is scheduled to vote Sept. 22.

Superintendent Rob Anderson has said, “There’s not a plan B,” a point Board President Nicole Rajpal reiterated. Some parents now wonder whether public comment can still influence the outcome, as Jenna Sampson reports.

The plan would reshape where hundreds of children attend school, relocate specialized programs and affect neighborhoods for years. Families want more information about capacity, special education moves, costs and long-term enrollment — and some are asking the board to delay the vote.

Also, ICYMI: Six candidates are running for Boulder mayor, and 13 are seeking five city council seats. We’re updating their profiles in our candidate guide and will soon publish their responses to questions submitted by readers.

Plus, below the fold:

Labor Day weather: A 20% chance of afternoon storms, with a high near 89.
War memorial: Sept. 15 dedication honors local World War I veterans.
Xcel upgrade: Boulder’s oldest transmission line is being replaced.
Student art: Water-themed entries are due Nov. 8.

Thanks, as always, for reading,

– The BRL team

Help build Boulder’s Forever Newsroom. Goal: 1,000 monthly supporters. Every supporter counts.

SoBo Homes, a residential remodeling firm, recently received two design awards at the National Kitchen & Bath Association’s Rocky Mountain Chapter awards ceremony. A custom ADU won the “People’s Choice Award: Bathroom” and a second-place honor in the “Small Kitchen” category. SoBo Homes won “Best Large Kitchen” at NKBA in 2025.

BVSD says closing schools will help students. Families want more answers.

Ahead of a Sept. 22 vote, families are pressing for details about capacity, special education and long-term enrollment. District officials say some answers will not be available before the board acts. Continue reading…

Meet the 19 candidates running for Boulder mayor and City Council in 2026

Six seats are at stake in the city’s first even-year municipal election, with council pay set to more than triple in December. Continue reading…

A slight chance of Labor Day storms in Boulder

Labor Day will be mostly cloudy, with a 20% chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon and a high near 89. Monday night will be partly cloudy, with a low around 62.

Skies will clear Tuesday, which will be mostly sunny with a high near 87. Wednesday will be sunny with a high near 85.

Any rain would offer modest relief after a historically hot and dry summer. Boulder has already broken annual records for the number of days reaching at least 95 and 100 degrees, according to BoulderCAST. August was Boulder’s second-hottest on record, with an average high of 91.6 degrees — nearly 6 degrees above normal.

Rain has also been scarce. Despite occasional monsoon storms, Boulder recorded just 1.43 inches between July 1 and late August, less than half the normal amount. Much of Colorado received less than 50% of its normal summer rainfall.

Road of Remembrance dedication will honor Boulder County’s World War I veterans

Boulder County’s Road of Remembrance will be formally dedicated Tuesday, Sept. 15, at 10 a.m. at the YMCA, 2800 Dagny Way in Lafayette, nearly a century after the memorial route was created.

As Boulder Reporting Lab reported in August, local civic groups built two stone pillars at Arapahoe Road and U.S. 287 in 1928 as a gateway to a section of road honoring roughly 1,500 Boulder County residents who served in World War I. The Lions Club planned to plant one tree along the route for each veteran, but the Road of Remembrance received little recognition for nearly 100 years.

That changed in March, when the Colorado General Assembly passed House Joint Resolution 26-1022, formally designating the nine-mile stretch of Arapahoe Road between U.S. 287 and 28th Street, or U.S. 36, as the Road of Remembrance. Local groups have also begun searching for descendants of the veterans it honors.

The Sept. 15 ceremony will recognize about 20 direct descendants, including 100-year-old John Farrington, whose father served in the war. State Rep. Kyle Brown, a sponsor of the resolution, is expected to speak. The event will also feature World War I artifacts and approximately 20 displays about local veterans, the road and its gateway pillars.

The public is invited. To RSVP, email roadofremembrance@gmail.com.

Xcel begins replacing Boulder’s century-old transmission line

Xcel Energy has begun replacing the oldest transmission line serving Boulder, a century-old system that city officials say is nearing the end of its useful life. The utility has set a tentative goal of completing the full replacement by March 2028.

The line runs from the Boulder Canyon Hydroelectric Plant to Sunshine Canyon, then descends into Boulder and eventually connects to Eldorado Springs. It is particularly visible along Grape Street and Floral Drive before going underground near 28th Street.

The first phase is underway, Xcel representatives told the Boulder City Council during an Aug. 27 study session. The utility is replacing 1.5 miles of line between the hydro plant and the top of Sunshine Canyon, mostly across city open space.

Existing structures will be replaced with steel H-frames, and new conductor wire will be installed to meet current industry standards. The work will require temporary helicopter staging areas for wire installation. Xcel expects to complete this phase by the end of 2026.

A second phase would replace the line through Sunshine Canyon to Xcel’s Boulder substation near 28th Street. Construction is expected to affect areas including Folsom Street and Edgewood Drive.

Boulder Senior Sustainability Manager Carolyn Elam expects the project to use larger steel structures and increase the clearance between wires to reduce the risk of contact during high winds.

“This has been in discussion with city staff for a while now for a project to be redone for reliability purposes,” said Nick Cole, Xcel’s community relations manager for the Foothills.

Xcel plans to release additional details about the project and hold public open houses as the design advances.

Boulder County students invited to make a splash with water-themed art

Boulder County K-12 students can submit artwork celebrating their favorite water place for the fifth annual Boulder St. Vrain Watershed Art Contest. Prizes will be awarded to the winners.

Artwork must be two-dimensional, fit on 8.5-by-11-inch paper and include one sentence explaining why the artist is grateful for water. Photography and digital art are not eligible. Students must live or attend school in Boulder County, and submissions are due Nov. 8.

Last year’s contest drew 240 entries from students at 45 schools. The artwork was displayed at locations including the Superior Civic Center, Lafayette Public Library and the Longmont Water Fair. The Keep It Clean Partnership organizes the contest.

☀️ Explore events in Boulder and use the self-submission form on our events page to reach thousands in our community — for free! To have your event featured in our Thursday Culture Club newsletter, make sure to submit it to our events calendar.

🏫 What families still want to know about BVSD’s school closure plan