Hi neighbors – here’s my mid-month update for March 2019. It’s been a busy couple weeks.
As Mayor Pro-Tem, I had the opportunity at the end of February to travel to Washington, D.C. on behalf of the Town of Superior as part of the Metro Mayor’s Caucus. I joined the mayors of Broomfield, Louisville, Boulder, Lafayette, and Longmont, the Chair of Boulder County Commissioners — and met with Senators Michael Bennet and Cory Gardner, as well as Congressmen Joe Neguse, Ed Perlmutter, and Jason Crow. In addition, we met with the offices of Reps. Diana Degette and Ken Buck, the Dept. of Transportation, Federal Railroad Administration, and Federal Highway Administration.
The purpose of the trip was to encourage our congressional delegation to support transportation funding for the greater Boulder County region. The primary project that the group was seeking funding for was the Highway 119 (Boulder to Longmont Diagonal) Bus-Rapid-Transit (BRT) and Managed Lanes project — a similar project to what US36 underwent over the past few years.
It was an interesting experience, and I thank Mayor Folsom for giving me the opportunity to represent the Town on his behalf.
Last week, I testified in front of the Senate Transportation and Energy Committee in support of SB-181, which is a proposed piece of legislation which would give the Town of Superior greater control over oil and gas drilling within our Town. Mayor Folsom also testified and Trustee Neal Shah followed suit and testified on behalf of the Town in the Senate Finance Committee on Thursday. On Monday, March 11, the Town Board unanimously adopted a resolution in support of SB-181.
SB-181 passed the State Senate on March 13, 2019 and is headed to the State House of Representative. Assuming it passes the House and is signed by the Governor, a major legislative reform of the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) would be enacted and the Town Board would be equipped with great local controls over oil and gas development.
This past Saturday, March 9, Governor Jared Polis, State Senator Tammy Story, and State Representative Matt Gray held a Town Hall event at Superior Elementary to answer questions about the current legislative session and address other questions/concerns from our community. About 200 residents filled the gymnasium for an informative event. Thanks for everyone who attended! Superior certainly showed up and appreciated the opportunity to speak with our elected officials.
Several residents have inquired about the flags at the intersection of Rock Creek Parkway and Coal Creek Drive. These are utility locates associated with engineering designs for a new traffic signal at this intersection. Many residents have long complained that this intersection is particularly unsafe and is in need of either a roundabout or a traffic signal (even before Weldona was closed.)
At this point, the Board felt that a roundabout would be too costly and too close to the roundabout at 88th and therefore, instructed staff to investigate a traffic signal option. However, no plans have been approved and before anything is installed, we will consider the plans in a public meeting along with the traffic data.
At the Town Board meeting on Monday, March 11, 2019, the Town Board — sitting as Directors on Superior Metro District I (SMDI) authorized the purchase of the Ridge II property. This property is adjacent to the Ridge Condominiums and Townhomes off of McCaslin — and next to our Town’s Water Treatment Plant. This acquisition (for $700,000) will not result in any increase in fees or taxes to our residents, preserves an undeveloped parcel from being developed into residential or commercial developments, and gives us the flexibility to expand our Water Treatment Plant in the future as our needs grow. For now, it will remain an undeveloped parcel — effectively, preserving open space.
Some of the new businesses that you’ll see around Town in the next few months will include Stickley Furniture (in the former Sports Authority building in the Superior Marketplace) and the Elements Hotel (next to Superior Liquor and Old Chicago Pizza). We’re excited that these businesses have decided to invest in Superior and wish them success!