Boulder County News

Voters Approve County Open Space Sales Tax Extension

Several Open Space Acquisitions Approved in November

The Commissioners approved several new open space acquisitions in November, including the 56-acre Miller property north of Vermillion road between State Highway 287 and North 115th Street; the 66-acre Baylins/Greenwald property north of Coal Creek Canyon, near the Reynolds Ranch Open Space; and the Clayton and Clark Lodes, two mining claims totaling 10.32 acres which straddle the Peak-to-Peak Highway, approximately one mile south of Ward. For more information, call Ron Stewart at 303.441.3500. 

Two Families Honored With Land Conservation Awards

The Goodnow and Benedict families received the County’s 1999 Land Conservation Awards during a ceremony and reception November 4th. In 1999, Anne and Henry Goodnow and their son David joined Audrey and Jim Benedict and their sons William and Robert in donating a total of more than 700 acres of conservation easements to the Nature Conservancy. Their properties are in the vicinity of James Canyon road and the Peak-to-Peak Highway and are in the transition zone from montane forest subalpine forest. 

Together, the two properties stretch more than a mile along the South St. Vrain River and includes wetlands as well as extensive springs and meadows. The area is important for elk migration and calving and is also home to more than 120 bird species, rare Boreal Toads, and rare flowers such as wood lily and prairie gentian. The Commissioners thanked the families for their generous contribution to the Nature Conservancy and also noted both families’ lifelong commitment to land conservation and stewardship. For more information, call Tina Nielsen in the Parks and Open Space Department at 303.441.3950.

Jim Burrus Is New Media Information Officer

The Commissioners appointed Jim Burrus the County’s new Media Information Officer and he assumed his responsibilities in October. Burrus replaced Jana Petersen, who is now Public Affairs Director for the City of Boulder. The name Burrus may be familiar to some of you because he brings nearly 12 years of journalism experience to the job, including his involvement in creating and editing the Boulder Planet and reporting positions with the Daily Camera, Broomfield Enterprise and Boulder County Business Report. Before accepting the County position, Burrus was the Executive Editor at the Aspen Daily News.

Burrus was born and raised in Independence, Missouri, and graduated from Columbia University in 1986 with a degree in English Literature. Early in his journalism career he wrote for the Pulitzer prize-winning The Mercury in Pottstown, Pennsylvania and also for the St. Louis Sun. In his years of newspaperexperience, Burrus has written extensively about land use issues, growth, transportation and affordable housing. As a result, he brings a broad range of knowledge and experience to his new position. Burrus may be reached in the Public Information Office at 303.441.1622 or via his e-mail address: jnbco@co.boulder.co.us.

Upcoming Items of Note

Budget Adoption The Commissioners will adopt the Year 2000 Boulder County Budget at a public hearing Thursday, December 9th, at 11:00 a.m. in their Hearing Room on the third floor of the Boulder County Courthouse, 13th and Pearl Streets, Boulder. For more information, call

Budget Manager Margaret Parish at 303.441.3499.

Lakewood Pipeline Public Hearing Tuesday, December 7th, at 2:00 p.m. for a HB 1041 (Activities of State Interest) review of this Lakewood Pipeline proposal for a 27-26" interior diameter pipeline to replace the existing pipeline located at the intersection of Sugarloaf Road and Kelly Road West. The applicant is the City of Boulder. The hearing will be in the Commissioners’ Hearing Room on the third floor of the Boulder County Courthouse. For more information, call Land Use Director Graham Billingsley at 303.441.3930 or Land Use Planner Chris Toebe, also at 303.441.3930.

Parks and Open Space Advisory Committee Meets Thursday, December 9th, at 7:00 p.m. in the Commissioners’ Hearing Room on the third floor of the Boulder County Courthouse. For more information, contact the Parks and Open Space Department at 303.441.3950.

Planning Commission Meets Wednesday, December 15th, at 1:30 p.m., takes a dinner break and then reconvenes at 7:00 p.m. The meeting is in the Commissioners’ Hearing Room on the third floor of the Boulder County Courthouse. For more information, contact the Land Use Department at 303.441.3930.

Consortium of Cities Met Wednesday, December 1st, at 7:00 p.m. For more information, call Intergovernmental Relations Director Dickey Lee Hullinghorst at 303.441.3500.

Boulder County Days None are scheduled for December. The schedule will resume in January with dates and locations to be announced.

Christmas Holiday Observed Friday, December 24. County offices will be closed

New Year’s Holiday Observed Monday, January 3rd, County offices will be closed. (Please note that County offices will be open Friday, December 31st, on New Year’s Eve.)

November Contract and Bid Awards

Information Technology Bid Awards:

• For Network Management between two vendors: to Logical ($18,326) and DIS Research ($39,987); and
• For Internet Firewall & Virtual Private Network to The Root Group ($35,966)

Head Start Bid Award:

• For 20-passenger School Bus to National Bus Sales ($31,399)

Parks & Open Space Contract Awards:

• With Valley Irrigation of Greeley, Inc. for the Ludlow Agricultural Open Space center-pivot sprinkler system ($199,450); and
• With Ayres Associates for the South St. Vrain environmental assessment ($15,000)

Architects Division Contract Award:

• With AMI Mechanical for the Courthouse East Wing HVAC remodel ($93,150);
• With Wyco Fire Protection, Inc. for the Courthouse East Wing Sprinkler Remodel ($11,644)