Marshall Fire Update

Hi everyone – my heart breaks for Superior.  For everyone who lost a house, a business, a job, property, or for those who simply lived through the panic and uncertainty of evacuating and not knowing whether or not your house would be there when you returned… I feel your pain.  I also feel for our neighbors in Louisville and Boulder County who faced similar devastation from the Marshall Fire.  The recovery and rebuilding process will take years, but we will get through this together.  In the meantime, I collected some helpful resources that I believe you should be aware of and which could be useful as we all collectively try to navigate life post-Marshall Fire.

Disaster Assistance Center

The Boulder County Disaster Assistance Center (DAC) is the best place to help people who lost homes or who were displaced by the fire with a range of services including:

The DAC is located at the Boulder County Southeast County Hub at 1755 South Public Road in Lafayette and will operate from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. seven days a week.  The DAC will be staffed with specialists from Boulder County Housing and Human Services, Public Health, and Community Services, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Mental Health Partners, many other area government and nonprofit organizations, and insurers.

Town Resources

The Town has set up a great website with clear and concise information.  Please check out the Marshall Fire Information webpage which has helpful information regarding the Boulder Office of Emergency Management; Disaster Assistance; Neighborhood Re-Entry; Utility Restoration (Gas, Internet, Water); Mental Health Resources; Replacing Lost Documents; Volunteer Opportunities; and more…

Also, please visit the Recovery Resources for Residents and Businesses in Need webpage which has helpful information regarding FEMA Assistance;  Disaster Unemployment Assistance; Town & Community Resources; as well as Business and Restaurant Resources.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can I drop off donations to the Superior Community Center?  No.  We’re using the SCC for disaster relief to distribute water, space heaters, and food.  Please do not deliver any donations to the SCC unless you have first received clearance from Town Staff.
2. Why didn’t the emergency sirens go off?  We don’t yet know.  From my understanding, the Boulder Office of Emergency Management sent reverse-911 calls/messages to all residents in affected areas using Everbridge, however, this Everbridge system is an opt-in service.  (To sign up for Everbridge, please visit this link.). In addition to reverse-911 calls, law enforcement and other first responders went door-to-door throughout the Town to ensure that everyone was evacuating.  However, the emergency sirens in Town were not activated and will need to understand why.  At this juncture, I know that the Town does not control those sirens
3. Can I use my water right now?  What water testing is going to be performed?  Why does my water smell?  Where can I pick up water?  (See “Water” section below).
4. What businesses were damaged?  When will others open back up?  Several businesses were damaged by the fires.  The Element Hotel was destroyed.  Target suffered fire damage to its roof as well as substantial water damage from sprinklers inside and is estimating that it will be closed for 6 months.  Tesla also suffered fire damage (no estimate on re-opening).  Chuck E. Cheese also suffered fire damage (no estimate on re-opening).  Other businesses in the Superior Marketplace suffered smoke damage and remediation efforts are already underway. Costco is estimating that it could re-open later this week.  Superior Liquors has re-opened for business as has the Sport Stable.  More businesses will re-open in the coming days/weeks.  In the Rock Creek Village, most businesses were spared fire/smoke damage but are closed until water is restored.  Safeway has trucked in their own water and is open.
5. How will this affect the Town’s financials?  It’s too early to tell, however, over 50% of the Town’s revenues comes from sales tax and over 70% of our sales tax revenues comes from just 5 businesses.  With Target expected to be closed for about 6 months, I anticipate that we’ll see a drop in sales tax receipts that are collected by the Town.  However, the Town is currently in a strong position financially and we have a sufficient reserve which was created specifically for emergencies such as this — which would cause a drop of in sales tax collections.  We’ll also likely see a drop off in property tax and utility collections, and increased expenses associated with clean-up.  Part of that will be offset by insurance claim payments and grants from FEMA and other governmental agencies.  Nevertheless, we will likely need to amend our Town Budget for 2022 and tighten our belts going forward.  I also expect we’ll adjust our spending priorities for 2022 (see my post from last month for a snapshot of what I was expecting for 2022, before the fires hit). I expect further information from our Town’s Finance Department in the coming months.
6. How can I start rebuilding?  When will debris be removed?  Please do not attempt to remove debris on your own, which contains hazardous waste/toxins.  The Town has signed an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) with Boulder County for debris removal.  Debris removal on private property is part of this IGA.  While private property owners may handle debris removal on their own properties, the estimate cost per lot is $75,000.  Town-wide, the estimated cost for debris removal in Superior is $18-$25 million.  The Town is working with FEMA to cover the majority of these costs (75% or more).  The timeline to complete cleanup over the entire area is 6-12 months.
7. What if my gas is still not turned on?  Gas and electric has been restored to over 90% of the Town.  If you are still without gas or electricity, and your house has been cleared for you to return to, please contact Xcel.  Any natural gas customers who have not yet had their pilot lights re-lit following the restoration of gas service should contact 1-800-895-2999.  Someone 18 years old or older must be present for the relight to be completed.  Electric customers who do not have service to their property but would like to receive it can call 1-800-895-1999.
8. Do I have to pay my utilities if my house is gone? Any customer who has lost their home in this terrible event will not need to make any further utility payments. We will only start billing when the home is rebuilt.  For questions specifically related to a utility bill please call 720-601-2571 or utilitybilling@superiorcolorado.gov. Please note, this is a temporary contact number and email is best.  For utilities provided by those other than the Town of Superior, property owners and renters will need to contact their providers for electric, gas, cable, etc.
9. What are we doing to prevent looters/people who don’t live in the neighborhood?  Now that the majority of Town has re-opened, Boulder County Sheriff Officers have increased patrols.  As residents return to the fire area, if there are signs that suspicious activity has occurred, please call the Tipline at 303-441-3674. If suspicious activity is occurring, please call 911 or the non-emergency line at 303-441-4444.
10. Do I need to remediate my house? All individuals impacted by the Marshall Fire should apply for FEMA’s Individual Assistance Program. Individuals should first call their insurance carrier and then apply for federal assistance. If you do not have rental or home insurance, please apply for FEMA assistance.  If you are unsure about whether or not to remediate your home, I’d recommend reaching out to your insurance agent and having an inspection performed.Residents and business owners who sustained losses can apply for assistance by registering online here or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY) for the hearing and speech impaired. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (local time) seven days a week until further notice. If you use a relay service, such as video relay service (VRS), captioned telephone service or others, give FEMA the number for that service.
11. Air quality.  There are three air quality monitors installed in Town.  Please visit this link to view real-time air quality readings around town.  I’ve included snapshots below which shows the air quality at Town Hall, the North Pool, and South Pool over the past week.
12. How can I volunteer?  To be added to our Town of Superior Disaster Relief Volunteer list to receive information and volunteer opportunities, please use this link/form. For additional volunteer and donation opportunities county-wide, please visit: Coloradoresponds.org.

Water

All Superior residents are advised to boil their tap water before drinking it, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes, or preparing food until further notice.  Boiling water kills bacteria and other organisms in the water and is necessary because of the heavy fire-fighting use of our water system caused a loss in pressure that may have introduced disease-causing organisms into the water system. These organisms include bacteria, viruses, and parasites, which can cause short-term effects, such as nausea, cramps, diarrhea, and associated headaches.  In the interim, bottled-water is available for free at the Superior Community Center, located at 1500 Coalton Road.

The Town receives the majority of its raw, untreated water from snow melt in the Upper Colorado River Basin as part of Northern Water’s Big Thompson Project. The water travels through a series of pipelines, intermediate reservoirs and canals before finally making its way to our storage reservoir at the water treatment plant south of Original Town. Our raw water supply is stored before being treated for consumption at Terminal reservoir, next to the water treatment plant. Terminal reservoir can hold approximately 130 million gallons (about 400 acre feet) of water; on average, the Town treats about 2 million gallons per day.  For an overview of where Superior’s water comes from, please visit this link.  Below is a map showing the journey our water takes to get to your faucet.

I’ve seen some questions about the safety of our drinking water system due to ash, debris, and other toxins that could have entered our water supply during the fire.  We’re working with the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment (CDPHE) to test our water to make sure that it is safe to drink.  When these results are received back to the Town, I’ve asked town staff to share those results with the public.  If there are any further concerns about our water supply, please let us know and we’ll make sure that our water is thoroughly tested to ensure that it is safe.

Scammers

While a disaster like the Marshall Fire brings out the best in us, it also brings out the worst.  Scammers/looters are already descending on Superior and Louisville to take advantage of our communities.  “Insurance companies” reaching out to you to provide you with too good to be true options; “contractors” calling to give you a “deal” on fire clean-up or rebuilds; “charities” reaching out to you to request money donations; and “Go Fund Me” pages that are not endorsed by the people or organizations they are supposed to help.  Please visit the 20th Judicial District’s Marshall Fire Scams webpage for more information.

Upcoming Meetings

1. Thursday, January 6 (6pm-8pm) – Virtual Community Meeting for all Marshall Fire-impacted Residents – Register here to attend.
2. Sunday, January 9 (4pm) – Virtual Town Hall with State Legislators – Register here to attend.  Submit questions in advance here.  Find the Facebook event here.
3. Monday, January 10 (6pm-11pm) – Superior Town Board Meeting (Virtual) – check the Town’s website for Zoom link details.

The Town Board is in the process of scheduling a community listening session/Q&A as well as a work-session.  Stay tuned for more details related to these meetings.

Final Thoughts

Be good to each other.  We live in a wonderful small town in a true community.  Check-in with one another.  Call a friend or a neighbor to see how they’re doing.  Buy someone a coffee.  Make a friend a meal.  Life is short and we should appreciate the limited time that we have together on this planet and should put it to good use.  Help each other out and let’s rebuild our great Town.