September 2020

Hi everyone – here’s my update for things going on in and around Superior for September 2020.  

COVID-19 Update

To date, there have been 2,271 COVID-19 cases in Boulder County and 79 deaths.  Superior represents 41 of those cases.  Fortunately, there have been no COVID-19 reported deaths among Superior residents.  If you are concerned that you may be infected with COVID-19, there is a testing center at Water World in Federal Heights that is offering testing with results in 24 hours or less.  

As we approach fall and flu season, public health agencies are encouraging people to get their seasonal flu vaccination at the end of September or early October so that it will last for the entire flu season.  Also, we need to follow social distancing guidelines as we approach the Labor Day holiday.  Under guidance from the State, group gatherings need to be limited to 10 people or fewer and masks should continue to be worn when you can’t maintain 6-feet of social distance.

Restaurant Grants

Earlier this year, the Town authorized emergency business grants of $5,000 or $10,000 to our local restaurants to help them weather hardships as a result of Stay-at-Home Orders and the uncertainties posed by COVID-19.  These grants from the town will be eligible for reimbursement from CARES Act funding from the federal government.  

While take out and limited indoor dining options are available, our restaurants are still hurting. Consequently, this fall, we’re exploring a second round of grants to our local restaurants… which are still struggling due to COVID-19.  The town is proposing another $250,000 to help our restaurants, which represents less than 1% of our total budget for the year, and this amount should also be reimbursable through the federal government under the CARES Act.  

Please support your local businesses.  They depend on all of us and our community is stronger when they are thriving.

Fighting Wildfires

We’ve finally had a break from the over 90-degree days that we’ve been plagued with in July and August.  As a result of these extreme temperatures and no rain, Colorado has been plagued with wildfires.  Some days, the smoke has been so bad that we’ve been advised to stay inside.

Nevertheless, over the past month, firefighting plane tankers have flown more than 100 missions from the US Forest Service Jeffco Air Tanker Base (located at RMMA) in support of fire suppression at the Williams Fork, Cameron Peak, Pine Gulch & Grizzly Creek fires.  While the airport remains a point of concern for many of our residents, it’s been a hopeful sight to see the brave pilots fly in and out of RMMA to help fight the forest fires that have been devastating our state.

Tour of 1500 Coalton

This past week, I had the opportunity to tour 1500 Coalton, the home of our future Superior Community Center.  Demo of the existing Land Rover dealership is proceeding along and it’s really striking to see just how much space we’ll be able to work with as the buildout progresses.  I’ve included a picture from the tour below. 

If you’re interested in more information about the project, I previously wrote about it in December 2019, January 2020, and March 2020.  

If you’re interested in seeing the designs for the community center, click here.

Prairie Dogs

As many of you have already noticed, we have Prairie Dogs popping up all around Superior.  This month, my family and I made an effort to ride around town to find all 11 of them.  One more prairie dog is set to be designed and installed at Community Park.  These prairie dogs will be re-sealed every year and we hope that they will last up to 2 years.  For a really great overview of this project (along with other art in Superior), check out Daryl McCool’s great website: https://artinsuperior.com/.  Our CAPS Committee website is also filled with a lot of great information, visit it at https://www.superiorcolorado.gov/community/cultural-arts.

Mural Vandalism

In November 2018, our Cultural Arts and Public Spaces (CAPS) Committee installed a mural at the underpass connection of the US 36 Bikeway and the Coal Creek Trail.  This was a wonderful project that involved many from the community.  I posted a photo of the mural basking in the glow of an epic Colorado sunset taken by Daryl McCool in February 2020.

Early this August, the mural was vandalized.  A photo of the vandalized mural is included below. 

Efforts to clean and repair the piece were not successful and this past week, our CAPS Committee voted to de-commission the mural due because attempts to remove the graffiti were unsuccessful.  I am extremely disheartened by this act of vandalism.  

Wildflower Park’s Wildflowers

I previously wrote about the lack of wildflowers in Wildflower Park in July 2019.  Since then, the Town has consulted with the Colorado State University (CSU) Extension Service to evaluate and provide recommendations for the management of natural wildflowers in Wildflower Park. 

The results of the evaluation included information on the different microclimates, soil types and conditions, and existing flora and fauna at the site. Recommendations were focused on retaining a natural mixture of grass and wildflowers on the slopes of Wildflower Park, mitigating weeds, and retaining soil stabilization of the slopes.  We also learned that there are three distinct microclimates at Wildflower Park that require slightly different treatment and management approaches. Microclimates are areas that have different growing conditions than their surroundings due to adjacent topography, exposure, soil types, etc. The north, east and south sides are all different enough that we have seen varying results with wildflower growth over the years since they were initially seeded.  The north side has heavy weed pressure; the east side is dominated by smooth brome, a non-native pasture grass; and the south side, being much warmer and dryer than the other two have a good mixture of native and non-grasses and wildflowers.  

The Town will be piloting a few different wildflower seed mixes, and roll or tamp the seeds into the soil as recommended by CSU Extension. Seed mixes that will be used in the fall include a Rocky Mountain Wildflower Mix and a Western Wildflower Mix. Weed mitigation at Wildflower Park will be intensified and include keeping natural area plants healthy; mechanical controls such as mowing, hand pulling, and undercutting, and limited organic herbicide application.  In the spring the Town will again engage CSU Extension to evaluate the site. The Town will continue to plant wildflower seed each season, and follow the irrigation, weed mitigation and mowing recommendations provided. The management of wildflowers at this site will be a continuous seasonal process and may evolve over time based on the performance of the different seed mix, grass control methods and weed mitigation.

14-Day Parking Limits

At the upcoming Town Board meeting on September 14, the Board of Trustees will consider adopting an ordinance that would limit vehicles from parking on Town streets for 14 consecutive days without moving the vehicle.  This ordinance is being proposed in response to residents’ concerns about “abandoned” vehicles parked on our streets for extended periods of time.  Under existing law, so long as a vehicle has a current license plate, it is considered operable, not “abandoned,” and not subject to being towed.  

This ordinance would change that, and would require vehicles to move periodically.  If you’d like to weigh in on this proposed ordinance, send us an email at townboard@superiorcolorado.gov.

Superior Shores

There are construction vehicles moving dirt on the property located on Coalton Road (South of Bell Flatirons and across from Chick-fil-A).  This project was originally approved by the Town Board in September 2018 (as amended on July 13, 2020) and will allow for the construction of 94 residential townhome units.  For additional information on this townhome community project, Colorado Hometown Weekly covered the project in February and July.

Election

November 3 is Election Day.  Colorado voters should receive their ballots in the mail in mid-October.  There is a ballot box located in the parking lot at Town Hall where you can safely drop off your ballot (without the need for postage) up to 7pm on election day.  You can sign up for Ballot Track through the Boulder County Clerk & Recorder so you can be sure that your vote is counted!  Sign up for Ballot Track here.

This year, 3 Trustee positions will be up for election.  Trustees Kevin Ryan and myself are running for re-election.  The other candidates for Trustee are: Tim Howard, Paige Henchen, Chris Ochs, and Gladys Forshee.  

If you are interested in learning more about the candidates, consider watching the Superior Chamber of Commerce “Face the Chamber” candidate debate on September 30th at 4pm.  For more information and to register for the event, please visit the Chamber’s website.  In addition, the League of Women Voters will host their candidate forum.  Please visit the LWV of Boulder County’s website here.

Low Down with Trustee Lacis

Would you like to meet with me one-on-one to discuss anything related to the Town of Superior?  If so, consider signing up for a “Virtual” Lowdown with Trustee Lacis. We’ll set up a Zoom Meeting.  Please shoot me an email at markl@superiorcolorado.gov and we’ll find time to meet.