Good Wednesday morning, Boulder. Today’s BRL Today is sponsored by MahlerFest. Get your tickets for MahlerFest 39 (May 13-17), exploring how artists from Bach to Pete Townshend turned personal crises into pivotal musical moments.
Leading today: Residents of San Lazaro mobile home park are racing to buy the $42.5 million property after learning it was put up for sale in March, triggering a 120-day window under Colorado law for residents to make an offer themselves. If successful, San Lazaro would become the fourth resident-owned mobile home park in Boulder County, but by far the most expensive purchase effort yet attempted locally. Residents say owning the park could help protect more than 800 people from displacement, rising rents and worsening conditions tied to investor-owned mobile home parks, while also giving the community more control over its long-troubled water system. Brooke Stephenson reports.
Also, if you missed Nibbles in your inbox yesterday, John Lehndorff has proposed the Great Boulder Bakery Race. If you’re interested in organizing or partnering on the idea, email John at nibbles@boulderreportinglab.org.
More, Below the Fold:
- BoulderCAST: Near-90 heat today could set record high.
- Resource Central: Discounted lawn removal for a more waterwise Colorado yard (sponsored).
- Water report: Boulder says no PFAS or lead lines detected.
- U.S. 36: State patrol seeks hit-and-run witnesses; bikeway funding advances.
- Trail pilot: Boulder County weighs alternating access for hikers, bikers and riders.
- Flag contest: Museum of Boulder unveils winner tonight.
Thanks, as always, for reading,
– The BRL team
MahlerFest is more than the great music of Gustav Mahler. MahlerFest 39 explores how artists from Bach and Beethoven to Elgar and Pete Townshend transformed personal crises into turning points in music history. The season opens with The Who’s Tommy, includes a film and a play about Mahler’s time in New York, a performance of Mahler’s version of Beethoven’s famous Ninth Symphony, and closes with Elgar’s Cello Concerto and Mahler’s Ninth Symphony. More than Mahler, more than you expect.
‘San Lazaro is not temporary housing’: Residents organize to buy their Boulder County mobile home park
Residents are scrambling to assemble financing for the $42.5 million property, hoping resident ownership can protect hundreds of families from displacement and rising rents while giving the community more control over long-standing water quality problems. Continue reading…
Mostly dry and warm through the weekend
Boulder steps into the peak of this mid‑May warm stretch today, and we’re aiming right for 90 degrees. If we hit it, this would set a new daily record high for the city and become Boulder’s earliest 90-degree day of the year, edging out May 15, 1978.
Early day sunshine will trend toward ominous afternoon skies that will help take the edge off the heat. A stray late‑day thundershower is possible, but odds sit only near 15%, so most of us stay dry. Any showers today will produce gusty winds and only light rain.
Continuing the summer-like feel, tonight’s low will remain in the 60s.
A weak disturbance is set to pass north of Colorado on Thursday, pushing a subtle cold front through late in the day. We’ll still be plenty warm ahead of it, with highs in the mid to upper 80s. Friday stays pleasant and warm, with highs in the 80s and abundant sun.
Our next meaningful chance for precipitation, and likely the end of this ongoing warm spell, won’t arrive until Sunday night or Monday, when a stronger system looks to finally break down this ridge.
Remove your lawn, save thousands of gallons (sponsored)
Remove your lawn and save water with Resource Central’s Lawn Removal Service. Participants can access discounted removal services to help replace traditional grass with a more waterwise Colorado landscape. Replacing thirsty turf can help reduce outdoor water use and support a more resilient yard. City of Boulder residents and nearby communities may qualify.
Boulder says drinking water met all safety standards in 2025, found no lead service lines
Boulder says its drinking water met all federal and state safety standards in 2025, with no violations detected and no lead service lines found during the city’s ongoing pipe inventory efforts.
The city’s newly released 2026 drinking water quality report says Boulder’s water continues to come from high-elevation mountain sources including Barker Reservoir, North Boulder Creek, Carter Lake and Boulder Reservoir. The report also says the city tested for several PFAS “forever chemicals” now targeted under new federal regulations and found none in Boulder’s drinking water.
The report comes as Boulder remains under a drought watch declared in April. The city is asking residents to voluntarily reduce water use and reminded them that lawn watering is banned from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. between May 1 and Sept. 30. City staff also recommend watering lawns no more than twice a week: Sunday and Thursday for even-numbered addresses, Wednesday and Saturday for odd-numbered addresses.
State patrol seeks hit-and-run witnesses; county advances U.S. 36 bikeway project
Colorado State Patrol is searching for witnesses to a hit-and-run crash on U.S. 36 north of Boulder that seriously injured a bicyclist Monday morning.
According to CSP, a southbound Ford Bronco veered onto the shoulder and struck a 75-year-old bicyclist around 11 a.m. May 11 near mile marker 27, just north of Nelson Road. The cyclist was transported to a hospital with serious injuries.
The vehicle is believed to be a newer four-door Ford Bronco, light blue with a white top, and likely has damage to the front passenger side. Anyone with information or who witnessed the crash is urged to call Colorado State Patrol dispatch at 303-239-4501 and reference case No. VC260140.
The stretch of U.S. 36 between Boulder and Lyons has been identified as one of the county’s most dangerous corridors for crashes involving motorists and cyclists. Boulder County is currently designing the 11-mile North Foothills Bikeway, a separated bike path planned along the corridor, and is seeking feedback on the project.
On May 12, Boulder County commissioners approved staff to pursue an $8.9 million federal Department of Transportation grant to help engineer and construct the bikeway’s southern segment between Broadway and Longhorn Road. The county plans to contribute an additional $1.8 million in Transportation Sales Tax funds. Additional support from the Colorado Department of Transportation, the City of Boulder and Coalition 4 Cyclists is expected to cover the segment’s estimated $11.1 million cost.
The bikeway effort has been championed for years by Coalition 4 Cyclists, which helped fund early feasibility work and has pledged additional financial support toward construction.
Reminder: Boulder County still seeking feedback on alternating trail use pilot
Last month, Boulder Reporting Lab first reported that Boulder County was considering an alternating trail use pilot that would limit when certain users can access select trails. The county is still seeking public feedback, with an online surveyopen through May 19 and an open house scheduled today from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on the third floor of the Boulder County Courthouse. Registration is not required.
The pilot would test assigning different days for hikers, bikers and horseback riders to use certain trails, rather than allowing all users at the same time. County officials say the goal is to improve safety and reduce crowding and user conflicts.
The proposal is experimental and temporary, with no plans to build new trails or permanently convert existing ones. No decisions have been made about which trails would be included, though community feedback will help shape the pilot.
County staff plan to finalize details in July and test the program through the end of the year.
📖 Boulder County proposal to limit multi-use trail access draws backlash from mountain bikers
Museum of Boulder to announce flag contest winner tonight
The Museum of Boulder will hold an event at 5 p.m. today to unveil the winner of its unofficial Boulder flag design contest. The winning design was originally expected to be announced May 11, but the museum delayed the reveal for additional judge deliberation and final design tweaks.
The museum began accepting submissions last year and received about 190 entries before the contest closed in April. Ten finalists were announced last week.
Last week, Boulder Reporting Lab launched its own informal reader poll asking the community to pick their favorite designs from the 10 finalists. As of this morning, the poll had drawn 1,952 responses, with Guillermo Tirado’s mountain-and-sun-inspired design emerging as the clear favorite among BRL readers.
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