Tough time getting going this morning? ☕ Ease into the week with BRL Today.
Speaking of getting going: This morning’s top story comes from our new spring intern Harry Fuller, who’s going to be covering all things transportation over the coming months. He took his first bite off the apple today with a look at nine notable infrastructure projects highlighted in the city’s recent Safe Streets report — coming to an intersection, bike lane or crosswalk near you.
Got a story for Harry on the transportation beat? Let us know. 🚌
– Jezy, managing editor
Top Story
Boulder’s transportation master plan is designed to make the city safer for cyclists and pedestrians. Here are 9 projects to look for this year.
When it comes to Boulder’s transportation master plan, the goal is simple: making city streets safer for everyone, regardless of how they get around. The city hopes to achieve this while emphasizing equity, reliability, choice and support for Boulder’s climate commitment.
Here are some of the highlighted projects from the Transportation Advisory Board that you can expect to see around Boulder this year. Though not an exhaustive list, the following nine projects give you an idea of the kinds of transportation infrastructure improvements you can expect to see being built and/or completed throughout the city this year.
Quickly
⏱️ Sunny and cold today with highs near 30.
⏱️ National Weather Service has snowfall reports from the last 48 hours.
⏱️ The new Marshall Fire Resilient Rebuild Assistance Fund, designed to help affected homeowners rebuild with climate resilience in mind, is now accepting donations.
⏱️ More resiliency support is available to fire victims in the form of a virtual information session on March 15: “Building Resiliency: How to be Firewise.”
⏱️ Louisville residents displaced by the Marshall Fire are encouraged to add an alternative mailing address to their voter registration in order to receive their ballot for the April special election, which cannot be forwarded.
⏱️ Save the date: Growing Up Boulder presents a youth healing day of remembrance on April 2 “to honor losses, sacrifices, bravery, and recovery from the Table Mesa Tragedy (the King Soopers shooting) of 2021.”
⏱️ Reminder: Applications are open for Boulder Library’s annual library card art contest. Submit your designs by March 31!
Covid-19 in Boulder County: March 7, 2022
- 58 daily new cases (7-day avg.) ⬇Down 48% over preceding 7-day avg.
- 19 patients hospitalized with Covid (7-day avg.) ⬇Down from avg. of 41 since July 2020.
- 61% percent of ICU is occupied. ⬇Down from avg. of 71% since July 2020.
- Data: Here’s how and where we’re tracking all of the above.
Latest Covid news
- BVSD responds to data dump from the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment (CDPHE). In a tweet thread, the district commented on the department’s release of information showing Boulder Valley School District was disproportionately affected by the Omicron surge. “We are incredibly disappointed with this unusual release and the @cdphe application of the outbreak definition being 5 cases in a building within 14 days during the recent Omicron surge and how it unfairly highlights @bvsdcolorado schools.”
BRL Picks
🏫 School staff wanted. BVSD is hosting an in-person hiring event on Wednesday, March 9, from 4–6:30pm at 6500 Arapahoe Ave. They are looking for “diverse candidates who bring high quality skills and knowledge” to fill food service, childcare, custodial and transportation roles.
🩸 Give blood in Boulder. With the city and country experiencing a blood shortage, now is the perfect time to donate. Come out to the Boulder JCC for a blood drive on Wednesday, March 9, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. to do your part. Register here using the code 10219, or call 303-363-2300.
🍽️ Greenbriar Inn Restaurant Week. The fine dining classic at 8735 N. Foothills Hwy is hosting its own restaurant week, March 18–27. Diners get four courses for $50 per person. Make your reservations here, and keep an eye on the Greenbriar website for the full menu.
🎨 Art therapy for fire victims. Current and displaced Superior, Louisville and unincorporated Boulder County residents affected by the Marshall Fire are invited to attend free art therapy sessions at the Superior Chamber of Commerce Business Assistance Center. Slots are still available for Wednesday’s 6 p.m. session designed for residents who lost everything, ages 13-17. Sign up here.
What We’re Reading
- Greening the freight industry in Colorado. “Medium- and heavy-duty vehicles like buses, tractor-trailers and delivery trucks account for fewer than 10 percent of vehicles on Colorado’s roads but they are among the dirtiest to operate. Cleaning them up would go a long way toward improving air quality and lowering climate emissions. A draft of the Colorado Clean Truck Strategy released Thursday shows how the state government intends to push the freight industry — and its own sizable fleet — into a cleaner future.” [CPR News]
- Colorado universities strain to keep up with demand for mental health resources. “Around 25% of people 18 to 24 surveyed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2020 experienced thoughts of suicide. And Colorado has among the higher prevalences of mental health issues and lower rates of access to care in the nation, according to the 2021 State of Mental Health in America report.” [Denver Post]
ICYMI from BRL
🏗️ ‘We want you back’: Louisville City Council moves to exempt Marshall Fire victims from new energy efficiency codes. After an impassioned discussion about climate change and costs, councilmembers voted to draft an ordinance exempting fire victims from having to follow the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code when rebuilding their homes. The vote on the ordinance itself will be decided in a future meeting.
🎞 New Boulder documentary cracks open the conversation on race, place and belonging in “the happiest city in America.” This Is [Not] Who We Are premiered yesterday at the Boulder International Film Festival. We talked to filmmakers Katrina Miller and Beret Strong about their new film tracing the roots of racial inequity in Boulder.
👩⚖️ Boulder’s Community Court has dismissed hundreds of nonviolent charges related to homelessness. Since launching in October 2020, the city’s grant-funded program has sought to send fewer of the people experiencing homelessness to jail.
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