Good Wednesday morning, Boulder. Today’s BRL Today is sponsored by Bridge House — join their Black & White Gala on Oct. 15 to celebrate restoring dignity for adults on the path to stability.
Leading today’s edition: Boulder’s budget squeeze. The city’s 2026 budget proposal shows how it plans to close a $7.5 million shortfall: by trimming programs and positions — including paramedics and street outreach — and leaning on new fees for parking, utilities, recreation (covered in BRL Today last week) and home demolitions, John Herrick reports. Some councilmembers raised concerns, but staff noted that because the plan is balanced on paper, even small changes could throw it off. A public hearing is set for Oct. 9.
Also today: Boulder’s Michelin moment. As John Lehndorff writes in Nibbles, the 2025 Michelin Guide is brimming with Boulder talent: Cozobi Fonda Fina earned a Bib Gourmand, Frasca kept its star, and local chefs picked up Green Stars for sustainability. Denver’s Wolf’s Tailor grabbed two stars, but its Boulder ties underscore the city’s central role in Colorado’s dining scene. Closer to home, High Country has closed on Pearl Street, Bitty & Beau’s Coffee will shut Sept. 21, and new arrivals include Call Your Mother bagels and Khao Soi Thai in Lafayette. Plus, meet Boulder’s “Bread Guru.”
Below the Fold:
- BoulderCAST: Midweek gray, brighter by Thursday.
- Graywater: Boulder considers ban on reuse systems.
- Redford: Sundance founder dies at 89.
- Mary Rippon: Silvia Pettem talk set for Sept. 18.
- Las Barracas: Migrant housing site named endangered landmark.
- Electrification credits: Free webinar Sept. 18 on tax breaks for home upgrades.
- Housing vouchers: Boulder County residents can apply Sept. 18-19.
Thanks, as always, for reading,
– The BRL team
An evening of impact and inspiration, Bridge House’s Black & White Gala on October 15 unites warriors against homelessness and food lovers to celebrate dignity restored for adults on the path to stability. Boulder-based Bridge House’s sidewalk-to-housing continuum — including Colorado’s first work-first program, Ready to Work — is where lasting change takes root. Savor chef-curated bites, crafted cocktails and heartfelt connections as Community Table Kitchen Catering and top local kitchens come together to nourish community and fuel real change.
Boulder’s proposed 2026 budget reflects tighter times with cuts and new fees on residents
Several proposed fees, which are critical to balancing the city manager’s budget, have yet to be debated by the Boulder City Council. Continue reading…
Nibbles: Boulder earns top spots in 2025 Michelin Guide, confirming city’s culinary stature
Meanwhile, Boulder’s dining scene keeps evolving, with High Country and Bitty & Beau’s closing and new arrivals including Call Your Mother bagels and Khao Soi Thai — and Kinship Bread winning praise for its sourdough. Continue reading…
Cool & unsettled through Thursday
Colorado remains under the influence of a slow-moving storm system again today, though it’s slightly too far north to bring substantial rain. We’ll kick off Wednesday on the dry side, but clouds will build through the afternoon, and there’s a decent shot at scattered showers or even a quick thunderstorm by evening. Some models hint that the bulk of the moisture could slide south of town, but it’s uncertain. If you’ve got evening plans, throw a rain jacket in your bag just to be safe. Highs will stay cool in the upper 60s.
By Thursday, the system starts to pull away, giving us a much drier day with only a small risk of a late-day shower and plenty of sun. Temperatures will nudge up a bit, with highs in the low 70s.
As for the nights ahead, expect crisp evenings with lows dipping into the upper 40s. While this might feel a little chilly, those overnight temps are right on target for mid-September in Boulder.
Boulder may ban ‘graywater’ reuse despite state conservation push
City of Boulder staff are proposing an ordinance that would prohibit any municipal water customer from installing graywater reuse systems. Graywater is lightly used water — such as from showers and laundry — that can be treated and reused for household purposes like flushing toilets and underground irrigation with specialized plumbing.
The proposal comes as a response to House Bill 24-1362, which would automatically allow new construction to include graywater systems by the start of 2026 as Colorado faces long-term drought and supply pressures, unless cities opt out.
Boulder currently does not permit any graywater reuse systems. To comply with HB 24-1362, the city would have to establish a local graywater control program to regulate all related activities. That would include creating a new code, overseeing design and inspections, and handling enforcement to meet state and federal standards. Read more on BRL.
Sundance founder Robert Redford dies at 89 as his legacy shifts to Boulder
Robert Redford, celebrated actor, Oscar-winning director and champion of independent film through the Sundance Institute, died early Tuesday at 89. Over six decades, he starred in classics such as “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” and “All the President’s Men,” won a directing Oscar for “Ordinary People” and helped build Sundance into a launchpad for generations of filmmakers.
Redford first pitched a film festival to CU Boulder in 1974. He had attended CU for a year in the 1950s. Despite Redford offering seed money, CU never followed up. He went on to establish the Sundance Institute in 1980, which gained control of the struggling U.S. Film Festival in 1985 and was officially renamed “Sundance” in 1991.
Over 50 years after Redford’s first pitch, Boulder will finally see a film festival in his vision beginning in 2027 as part of a 10-year contract. At an event at the Boulder Theater last month, Sundance staff introduced Boulderites to Redford’s mission.
Sundance senior programmer John Nein said that Redford “felt the urgent need to support other artists. And so Sundance actually started with our lab programs, nurturing independent voices, marginalized voices, new stories by new storytellers.”
Festival director Eugene Hernandez described the festival’s new home as “this complete shift to a new place here in Boulder, Colorado, but yet rooted in this mission that comes from our founder.”
History writer Silvia Pettem to present on Mary Rippon at Museum of Boulder tomorrow
Silvia Pettem, BRL’s history writer who joined us after years of chronicling Boulder’s past at the Daily Camera and elsewhere, will give a talk this Thursday, Sept. 18, at the Museum of Boulder. The presentation is based on her latest book, “Separate Lives: Uncovering the Hidden Family of Victorian Professor Mary Rippon.”
Rippon, the first female professor at CU, kept her husband and child secret to preserve her career in 19th-century academia. Pettem’s talk explores the conflicts between Rippon’s public life as a pioneering educator and her private life as a wife and mother.
The program runs from 6-8 p.m. Museum members and SNAP cardholders get free admission. Tickets available here.
Las Barracas named to endangered landmarks list
Speaking of history: Las Barracas, on Boulder County’s Golden Farm open space near Longmont, has been named to the first national list of Endangered Latinx Landmarks. Built as a World War II barrack and later used to house Mexican migrant farmworkers, it’s one of the county’s last surviving examples of agricultural labor housing.
“Las Barracas is more than a building — it is a living testament to the generations of Latinx laborers who played a central role in Boulder County’s agricultural history,” said Elisabeth Ríos-Brooks of Boulder County Parks & Open Space.
Fewer than 1% of properties on the National Register of Historic Places reflect Latinx history, a gap advocates say sites like Las Barracas can help close.
Learn how to maximize home electrification tax credits — free webinar tomorrow
In Monday’s BRL Today, we flagged the looming end of federal EV tax credits. More incentives are also on the clock for homeowners looking to electrify.
To help residents make the most of them, Boulder-based Go Electric Colorado and Rewiring America are hosting a free one-hour online Q&A at noon Thursday, Sept. 18. The session will cover federal tax credits worth up to $3,200 for heat pumps, heat pump water heaters, insulation and window upgrades — all set to expire at the end of 2025. Register here for the webinar.
Housing voucher lottery opens; Boulder County residents eligible to apply
The Denver Housing Authority will open its 2026 Housing Choice Voucher lottery from 12 a.m. Sept. 18 to 11:59 p.m. Sept. 19. The voucher can be used anywhere an applicant lives, including Boulder County.
The lottery is free to enter. Eligible applicants must be households earning 50% or below the area median income and be over 18, among other requirements. Applications must be submitted through the Denver Housing Authority website during the lottery period.
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