Hello, Boulder 🌞.
Just a quick note, before you dig into the news: BRL is taking a one-week breather from publishing next week. We’ve been going non-stop in startup mode since our launch nine months ago. There are now some 7,500 of you getting this newsletter. (That’s up from close to zero last November when we launched.) Nearly 550 of you have donated in support of our nonprofit mission — and of course, we would love your support as well. We’re thrilled that the work we’re doing is having an impact on our community conversations.
We’re now poised for the next phase of growth.
We’ll soon be hiring a new editor to help propel us even more. We want to thank Jezy Gray, our managing editor. He has been the delightful voice of this newsletter, helping to steer it from day one, and is moving on to a new role outside of BRL. The good news: You’ll be reading more from Tim Drugan, our wildfire, water and climate reporter. He’ll be a new author of BRL Today, which we aim to expand this fall to more days. We’re also revamping this newsletter to make it even better. So if there are things you don’t like about it — or things you do — please let us know! Just hit reply.
For now: We’ll be back in your inboxes on Monday, Aug. 22, with more great Boulder journalism.
Thank you for reading,
– Stacy, publisher
Quickly
🌤️ Partly sunny and hot: Expect highs in the mid-90s today under a mix of clouds and sunshine. Similar conditions should be in store for the weekend, before a cool-down with increasing rain chances early next week.
🦠 Monkeypox update: Boulder County health officials on Wednesday hosted an information session on monkeypox, a virus causing flu-like symptoms and a painful rash that is spread primarily through skin-to-skin contact. There are four monkeypox cases in Boulder County, and officials expect that number to rise. It is not considered a traditional sexually transmitted disease. Officials said there is not enough evidence to suggest condoms are an effective prevention strategy. Boulder County AIDS Project, which provides HIV testing and other services, said to consider avoiding having sex with strangers.
🏢 Testing providers: Testing is available for people who have a rash or believe they have been in contact with someone with the virus. During the call, Out Boulder County said it plans to provide financial assistance to help cover the cost of tests. The state health department has published a list of testing and vaccine providers and other guidance for people who have monkeypox. There are no walk-in testing sites in Boulder County, officials said.
💉 Vaccine guidance: Officials said a monekypox vaccine is available, but supplies are generally limited to people who have been in contact with someone who has monkeypox in the last 14 days or gay men who have multiple sexual partners. Health officials are not recommending the vaccine for the general public.
🛻 New towing regulations: A new law took effect in Colorado this week requiring towing companies to provide a 24-hour notice before removing vehicles from condominiums, apartments, mobile home parks and other residential communities. The law, backed by Rep. Edie Hooton of Boulder, is intended to prevent low-income residents from having to pay hundreds of dollars to get their cars back from towing companies.
💻 Hybrid council meetings: The Boulder City Council decided on Thursday to begin holding hybrid council meetings starting on Sept. 1. It remains to be decided when members of the public will be allowed back into City Hall.
📈 Covid dashboard updates: The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) has updated its variant monitoring dashboard. The update adds Omicron subvariant BA.4.6 to the variant data dashboard, and removes the Delta variant as a current “variant of concern.” Access the dashboard here.
🏊 Pool closure: Per Boulder Parks and Recreation: “The North Boulder Recreation Center pool will not reopen until August 22nd due to the continued delayed delivery of a necessary chemical. Please see see our online schedule for updated hours at our other pools.”
🍽️ Student lunch assistance: Need help enrolling a student in the Boulder Valley School District’s free and reduced-price lunch program? The district is offering assistance related to setting up parent portal accounts, completing annual data updates, enrolling a new student and submitting applications. Drop by the BVSD Education Center at 6500 E. Arapahoe Rd., through Aug. 16. Learn more here.
📣 Call for exhibitions: Boulder Public Library and the Parks and Recreation Department are seeking art exhibition proposals for next year. Apply here by Wednesday, Aug. 31, for the 2023 Open Call for Exhibitions, which includes a residency opportunity for artists whose work engages with climate activism.
Top Stories
Should Boulder switch to even-year elections? City Council is expected to put the decision to voters.
By John Herrick
City of Boulder voters will likely decide this November whether to shift councilmember and mayoral elections to even-numbered years to coincide with state and federal contests. The effort is aimed at boosting voter turnout in local elections.
The Boulder City Council debated on Thursday, Aug. 11, whether to place a measure on the Nov. 8 ballot to begin holding even-year municipal elections in 2026. A final vote is expected on Sept. 1. It appears likely to pass.
To enable the transition from odd to even years, the four city councilmembers elected in 2023 would serve three-year terms instead of four years.
The city’s first direct election of mayor by ranked-choice voting is planned for 2023. If the new measure passes, the newly elected mayor would serve a three-year term – rather than a two-year term.
A previous proposal for the ballot measure would have extended the terms of existing councilmembers, but received pushback.
Proponents of the ballot measure seek to address the drop-off in voter turnout for odd-year elections, when voters cast ballots for city councilmembers, municipal ballot measures and school board members. The drop in turnout is particularly large among lower-income and younger residents, such as CU Boulder students, according to recent analyses. This trend exists across the county.
Hours before the city council discussion, a ballot measure campaign committee, People For Voter Turnout, announced the launch of a campaign to pass the even-year election measure. The committee’s chair is Jill Adler Grano, a former city councilmember who has also worked as the community affairs director for Congressman Joe Neguse. (The group’s official elections filing does not list any other people affiliated with the campaign.)
After a pandemic-induced pause, the City of Boulder will again require restaurants to report compliance with its Universal Zero Waste Ordinance. What does it mean for local food businesses?
By Jessica Mordacq
Even if you’re familiar with the individual trash, landfill and compost bins required at Boulder food businesses over the last five years, it can still get confusing when you go to throw away your napkins and meal scraps. At fast-casual restaurants where diners bus their own tables, customers might be unsure of which piece of trash to discard where.
Boulder businesses are mandated to display these clearly labeled receptacles by the Universal Zero Waste Ordinance (UZWO), which the city first enforced in 2017 as an effort toward creating a no-waste system in Boulder.
Under the ordinance, residential and commercial property owners must sign up for compost, recycling and trash collection services. Business owners also have to train their employees on proper waste sorting.
If businesses fail to have three labeled collection bins for both employees and customers – with signs containing English and Spanish descriptions, provided free by the city – they receive two warnings from the Climate Initiatives Department and Code Enforcement Division of the Police Department. They’re then fined $500 with increasing charges for continued offense.
After halting enforcement during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, the city will later this month begin requiring local dining establishments – and all other Boulder businesses – to report their compliance with the ordinance.
This comes at a time when the city is trying to balance its environmental priorities with the still-fragile nature of local businesses, which took a big hit from early lockdowns and the resulting economic downturn.
“The last thing we wanted to do was add more stress and pressure to the restaurant community,” Sandy Briggs, the city’s sustainability program manager, says of the nearly two-year enforcement pause. “But that doesn’t mean we still didn’t expect businesses to adhere to the ordinance requirements. They just didn’t have to prove it.”
To submit that proof, Boulder food businesses must annually report compliance by submitting an online form including a photo of their correctly labeled bins. This year’s deadline is August 31.
The law is part of Boulder’s work to catalyze a “circular economy” by 2025. By then, the city hopes for 85 percent of all waste to be recycled, composted or reused instead of going to landfills, becoming a model for more eco-friendly cities around the U.S.
While nearly all businesses easily comply with UZWO – the city doesn’t dig through bins to penalize improperly sorted waste – not all owners believe the ordinance meaningfully helps meet local waste-reduction goals.
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BRL Picks
⛰️ Mountains on canvas: Want to celebrate the opening of Art Inspired by the Land, a new exhibition at the Boulder Main Library presented in partnership with Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks? Head to the Main Library’s Canyon Theater at 1001 Arapahoe Ave. on Thursday, Aug. 18, for an evening of music, poetry and film that will leave you inspired to hit the trails.
🎨 Painting a picture: Speaking of landscape-inspired art — don’t miss Arts in the Garden at Chautauqua Park this Saturday, Aug. 13. Kicking off at 10 a.m., the plein air painting event offers a step-by-step landscape painting experience inspired by the beautiful surroundings — and you’ll get to take your artwork home when you’re done. Tickets here.
😂 Big laughs: Head to the backyard at Trident Cafe and Booksellers on Saturday, Aug. 13, for a side-splitting night of comedy. Cosmic Joke, a curated comedy showcase featuring local and touring stand-up acts — brings laughter to the Pearl Street institution from 7–9 p.m. Trident will be serving refreshments like beer and wine, tea and coffee, kombucha, soda and more. $15 at the door.
Covid-19 Updates: Aug. 12, 2022
- 89 daily new cases (7-day avg.) ⬇Down 37% over preceding 7-day avg.
- 15 patients hospitalized with Covid (7-day avg.) ⬆️Up from high of 13 last week.
- 37% percent of ICU is occupied. ⬇Down from avg. of 67% since July 2020.
- Per CDC guidelines: Boulder County remains in the yellow (medium-risk for transmission) Covid level. The designation is based on the region’s cumulative case rate, which is below 200 per 100,000 people.
What We’re Reading
📖 Crested Butte bans natural gas in new buildings: In a first for a Colorado jurisdiction, the small mountain town will no longer allow natural gas in new buildings. Major remodels will also be required to be electric-ready, writes Allen Best: “Neither Denver nor Boulder, though they have started squeezing emissions from buildings in significant ways, have gone quite as far.” [Big Pivots]
ICYMI from BRL
🍽️ After a high-profile closure during the Covid pandemic, Brasserie Ten Ten returns with a refresh. Here’s how the Walnut Street bistro is reviving French tradition ahead of this month’s reopening. “For us, it’s not just flipping the switch back on,” co-owner Peg Romano says of the return of the Boulder culinary institution.
💧 The City of Lafayette is imposing new year-round restrictions on water usage. Why isn’t Boulder doing the same? ‘Every community has a unique water rights portfolio,’ said City of Boulder Water Resource Manager Kim Hutton. ‘It’s really a matter of how that community has developed over time, what supplies they’ve been able to procure, and what their water use is like.’
♻️ Colorado’s largest compost manufacturer says there’s too much contamination in its organics stream. What does that mean for the future of Boulder’s curbside program? A new policy from local hauler Western Disposal, which has raised questions about the future viability of its composting services, is cracking down on non-compostable items in residential bins.
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