December 2022

Hey everyone.  Last night, I was sworn in as the new Mayor of the Town of Superior! We also appointed two new board members and swore in the new Town Board.  Here’s my update for December 2022. Read on for my review of 2022 and what my top goals are for 2023. What would you like to see the Town Board focus on in 2023?

A New Town Board

On Monday, December 12, I was officially sworn in as Mayor of the Town of Superior. I am excited for this new chapter and for the opportunity to continue serving our community. I would like to thank Clint Folsom for his 14 years of service to our town, 6 as a Planning Commissioner and 8 as Mayor.

We also swore-in the new Town Board (Mayor Pro-Tem Neal Shah, Trustee Jenn Kaaoush, Trustee Stephanie Miller, and Trustee Bob McCool) and filled two vacancies by appointment: Trustee Jason Serbu and Trustee Sandie Hammerly. We now have a full Board and will be meeting on Monday, December 19 for our first Work Session, where we will do strategic planning and goal setting for the coming year.

2022 Year-In-Review

As we near the end of the year, it’s always a good time to take a step back and think about what we have accomplished over the past 12 months. We obviously went through an incredibly challenging year with the Marshall Fire. But as we move into 2023, it’s still remarkable to look back at everything we accomplished in 2022:

Marshall Fire Response
In the immediate aftermath of the fire, the Town got to work to help our community. We set up the Superior Community Center to serve as temporary office space and used it as a hub distributing thousands of space heaters, over 300 pallets of bottled drinking water, and hot meals to those in need.

As we transitioned from immediate response to a coordinated recovery process, we worked with our partners at the Federal, State, and County levels on the Private Property Debris Removal program. All debris was removed from PPDR properties within 99 days after the start of work and in total, of 382 debris removal permits issued, 376 lots have been cleared. The remaining properties are in the soil-testing stage and should be cleared for rebuilding shortly.

After debris removal was planned, we pivoted to a plan for rebuilding. The Town Board passed a number of ordinances to make rebuilding quicker and more economical for fire victims. We rebated use taxes, building permits, & plan review fees; amended the zoning designations in Sagamore & Original Town to ease setback/height requirements and permitted ADUs to be built where they were previously prohibited. We also passed opt-outs from the 2021 Energy Codes and dropped single-family home sprinkler requirements for fire rebuilds. At the same time, the Town coordinated several recovery/rebuilding expos to help facilitate introductions between residents and builders to coordinate the rebuilding process.

The Town hired additional staff to help process increased workload associated with fire rebuilds and increased its communication by publishing a dashboard tracking demo/building permits issued. Planning/Building Departments hosted open house hours to speed up the process of reviewing/approving building permits after the fire. To date, 92 building permits have been issued and another 67 building permits are currently under review.

We also focused on the drinking water reservoir. The fire had deposited tons of ash in the Terminal Reservoir and residents were complaining about a smokey/metallic taste in our drinking water. In addition to removing tons of ash from the banks of the reservoir, we also installed a Granular Activated Carbon filtration system at the Water Treatment Plant to filter out any remaining issues from our drinking water.

Furthermore, the Town increased its communication efforts on the fire response, launching Superior Recovers, the Superior Recovery Dashboard, and Marshall Fire Community Planning and Rebuilding Effort. We continue to work with non-profits like Superior Rising and have increased mental health resources available to residents, like the Art Therapy Programs sponsored by our CAPS Committee.

Transportation & Public Works
We completed Promenade Drive, the US-36 Bikeway Extension, and the Downtown Superior Marshall Bridge is now open. We now have two additional entrance points which should make it easier going to and from Downtown Superior. We removed ash from the reservoir, completed the GAC system at the Water Treatment Plant, and completed a multi-year project at our Waste Water Treatment Plant. Outside of Superior, the Town continues to participate in the construction of the Chimney Hollow Reservoir as part of the Windy Gap Firming Project, which will ensure our Town’s access to drinking water into the future.

Sustainability
The Town Board adopted a Sustainability Action Plan, piloted a Rock Creek Parkway xeriscaping project, launched a Solar Forward Superior program to increase residential solar use amongst our residents, and installed additional EV charging stations at SCC/Superior Plaza. We also hosted a gas-powered mower/leaf blower recycling event — where 200 pieces of equipment were recycled. Our ACES Committee and the Town’s Sustainability Analyst continue to work on making Superior a more environmentally sustainable place in the years to come. The Town continues to purchase all of its energy from renewable sources.

Economic Development
The Marshall Fire has had, and will continue to have, a significant impact on the Town’s finances for years to come. However, we still saw several new businesses open (or soon to be open) in Superior: Pharaoh’s Billiards, Papa John’s, Santiago’s, Facial Aesthetics, Blue Credit Union, Pat’s Tap, Bambei Brewing. All but 3 of the businesses that were closed as a result of the fire have reopened (Tesla & Wayne’s will re-open in Q1 2023 and Element Hotel is still settling with their insurance carrier — status is TBD). Also, Target completed its interior repairs & scheduled remodel this summer. It’s always great to see businesses continue to invest in our community for the long haul.

Downtown Superior
Significant work on Downtown Superior is occurring with the construction of Main Street really starting to take shape. Parks 1 & 2 along Coal Creek are substantially complete and Miner’s Park (Tract H playground) and Central Park are currently under construction. The Marshall Bridge opened which provides an additional access point to Downtown from the northeast. Promenade Drive is open to 88th Street, which now provides a southeastern access point.

Parks & Rec
In addition to all the work related to the Superior Community Center, lots of progress has been made with our parks. Purple Park playground improvements have been completed; Miner’s Park (Tract H playground) is currently under construction; Parks 1 & 2 are substantially complete and Central Park in Downtown Superior is under construction. Fire restoration work at Founders Park continues.

Finance
In the wake of the fire, we made $2.3 million in immediate 2022 budget cuts. This past November, voters also approved a ballot measure which repurposed an expiring SMID .16% sales tax for Marshall Fire recovery efforts (which will generate $800,000 per year). Outstanding debt will drop below $30M in 2023 (down from the high of $71 million in 2006) and outstanding debt principal balance will be reduced by $2.9M in 2023.

Miscellaneous
Our CAPS committee continued to host the En Plein Air Fest in Purple Park. Our public art collection grew with the purchases of “Hidden Treasures,” “Dancing Sticks,” and “Let Your Heart Soar” added to our collection. And the Town held several events, like the 4th of July Parade & Pancake Breakfast and Chili & Beer Fest.

The Superior Community Center has been a huge success, first serving as a fire recovery command center and now, offering various programming, live music, library services, hosting dozens of community organizations and events. The Town continues to offer exciting events as detailed in our winter/spring rec guide: approximately 40 programs offered including art, music, improv, and even a new community choir.

We’re also working on improving cell coverage in Superior by approving an AT&T cell tower in Community Park.

2023 Goals & Priorities

There’s a lot to look forward to for Superior in 2023. Here’s an overview of some of my goals and priorities for the new year:

1. Fire Recovery – I look forward to attending a lot of house-warming parties in 2023 for residents who are moving back into Superior after losing their homes in the Marshall Fire. Our Town’s recovery from the fire needs to remain our #1 priority, and anything that we can do to support the recovery process must be front and center in all our decisions.
2. Economic Development:
   • Downtown Superior – Complete construction and welcome new businesses along main street. The Board will also need to decide on our vision for how to use the community space that is currently being built in Downtown Superior. We’re also expecting a new proposal to replace the now-repealed Life Sciences project approval. I’m looking forward to shopping, dining, and in general, supporting local businesses that open in 2023 along Main Street in Downtown Superior!
   • Superior Marketplace – Working in conjunction with Brixmor (the owner of the Superior Marketplace), the Board needs to decide on a plan that will re-develop the Superior Marketplace and position it for success in a changing economy. Part of this will involve infilling unnecessary parking lots and adding mixed-use projects that will add residential uses as well. If we want the Marketplace to survive in the future, we need to put all options on the table. Of course, timing on this issue is critical as the surrounding neighbors are currently displaced and we want them to be a part of the discussion.
3. Infrastructure:
   • Transportation – I’m asking the Town Board to accelerate repaving/reconstruction of Rock Creek Parkway. Now that the voters approved the .16% sales tax for Marshall Fire Recovery, other funds should be available to allow us to fast-track important infrastructure projects without any tax increases
   • Pools – Our pools are also in need of improvement. I’d like the Board to decide on a plan to fix our pools within the next 2-3 years.
4. Environment:
   • Airport – The Town will continue to serve as a member of the RMMA Community Noise Roundtable (CNR). Through the RMMA CNR, I hope the CNR will make specific recommendations on issues we’ve been looking into and ask RMMA to implement changes that will reduce noise pollution in Superior.
   • Trees – I’d like the Town to re-double its efforts to plant trees that are currently dead/dying as a result of the fire and the emerald ash borer.
5. Communication – I’m pushing for a dedicated Community Center Facebook page/website to better communicate all of the programming happening at the Community Center to our residents. I’d also like to see the Town Implement monthly/quarterly mailers to better communicate events as well. I plan to continue posting on my Facebook page and blog and may even add a video component/mayor message to the Superior Monthly Sentinel.

I realize this is going to be a difficult holiday season for all of us and many are still hurting. Please give each other grace and lean on our wonderful community for support. Be kind to your neighbors and we will get through this.