May 2023
Hi everyone – Here’s my update for May 2023. How is the Marshall Fire Recovery going? What road projects should we expect this summer? What major changes to fence guidelines are happening? Are you an AT&T user and want better service? Click below to find out more.
Marshall Fire Recovery
Of the 391 properties in Superior that were destroyed in the fire, just about 60% have received or have applied for a permit to rebuild. More specifically, the town has approved 198 building permits (with another 39 permit applications pending or ready for pickup) and has issued 10 residential Certificates of Occupancies. Many more families will be moving back home in the coming months and I’m excited to celebrate every single one. Our town was recently featured in Boulder Beat for moving twice as fast as the national average for disaster recoveries.
Here is a collage of our “Certificate of Occupancy Celebrations” we’ve been having with our families moving back home. Superior is celebrating each and every family as they receive their COs and come back home.
If you’d like to follow along with the recovery, please see the Town’s Recovery Dashboard at https://www.superiorcolorado.gov/community/superior-recovers. We will soon be posting all the pictures of our “Certificate of Occupancy Celebrations” in the Superior Community Center!
A couple weeks ago, I spoke at a Superior volunteer celebration hosted by the Chamber of Commerce and Superior Rising. I was the last speaker and my intent was to touch upon how incredible it’s been to watch our community come together, not only in the immediate aftermath of the fire, but on an ongoing basis going forward as we continue to support each other. It was supposed to be a quick and easy speech…but in the middle of it, I broke down and cried. It was emotional, it was real, and it was embarrassing. But, I realize that the stress and trauma from the Marshall Fire is still very present in our lives and sometimes you just can’t control when it hits you. I would have preferred that it not hit me in front of hundreds of people, but… that’s life. Lori Jones gave me this beautiful handkerchief (the cover photo of this blog post) to clear my eyes and help me attempt to finish my speech. (Lori, if you’d like it returned, please let me know!) Please continue to be kind to each other and give yourself some grace. This recovery is not a sprint, it’s a marathon… but we will get there.
Marshall Fire Memorial Project
The Town is in the process of reviewing proposals from consultants to conduct a public engagement process for a Marshall Fire Memorial Project. The top consultants were interviewed and the process will start soon. Stay tuned.
State Use Tax Exemptions
One of the most impactful decisions the Town Board took in the immediate aftermath of the Marshall Fire was waiving use taxes on construction materials for fire survivors as they rebuild. This decision saves fire survivors tens of thousands of dollars in their rebuilding costs. Following Superior’s decision to do so in February 2022, Louisville and Boulder County followed suit. However, the State declined to take up the measure during the 2022 legislative session.
Well if you first don’t succeed, try, try again. And we did…And it passed! Fortunately, the State Legislature reconsidered and in the 2023 legislative session, it passed HB23-1240, which was sponsored by Rep. Kyle Brown (House District 12), Rep. Judy Amabile (House District 49), and Sen. Steve Fenberg (Senate District 18). HB23-1240 allows for a sales and use tax exemption for construction and building materials used for repairing and rebuilding residential structures damaged or destroyed by a declared wildfire disaster in 2020, 2021, or 2022.
Today, May 12, I was invited to attend the bill signings for a number of disaster recovery bills, including HB23-1240. Governor Polis signed the following bills into law: HB23-1174 (Homeowner’s Insurance Underinsurance), HB23-1288 (Fair Access To Insurance Requirements Plan), HB23-1240 (Sales Use Tax Exemption Wildfire Disaster Construction), and HB23-1254 (Habitability of Residential Premises).
I’m very thankful that the State has taken action to help fire survivors rebuild as economically as possible. Congratulations to everyone for making this happen!
Street Improvement Projects
During our April 10 Board Meeting, the Town Board discussed several potential street improvement projects. In prior years, we would only do 1 or maybe 2 projects per year (and more recently, we would only do a major street project every other year). However, this year we are aggressively tackling several projects:
- Rock Creek Parkway underpass near Wiggins
- McCaslin between Coalton and Rock Creek Parkway
- Coalton between McCaslin and Indiana
- Indiana between Coalton and N. Torreys Peak
We are in the process of bidding these projects out and any contract awards will be subject to approval at future public Town Board meetings. Approval of any of these projects will be dependent upon receiving bids that are in line with budget projections. Watch for more info over the coming months. Also, if you’re wondering, Rock Creek Parkway is slated for 2024, but we’ll be reaching out to the community to get your thoughts on some options for RCP.
Girl Scout Projects
If you’ve been by the Superior Community Center lately, you may have noticed a new flag pole has been installed in the parking lot near the main entrance. This flag pole will showcase flags of different colors (green, yellow, red) to correspond to air quality index ratings for our area. This project was spearheaded by our local Girl Scouts troops (Cadette Troop 75930 and Junior Troup 76906). Both of these troops are working towards the Silver and Bronze Awards, the highest awards a girl scout troop at their level can achieve. The goal of these awards is to make a difference in the community, while learning important leadership skills, discovering new passions, and watching how seemingly small actions make a big difference. This year the troops are focused on reducing air pollution and energy consumption, as well as water conservation and water pollution prevention.
Separately, on Monday, May 8, the Town Board recognized Charlotte Alegranti, Rosemary Elliott, Jasmine Kemp, Meg Kumar, and Ella Malm (from Troop 71825), who each have earned the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest honor a Girl Scout can earn. The award acknowledges each recipient’s power and dedication to not only bettering herself, but to making the world a better place for others. Girl Scouts must plan and implement a service project, going beyond the Girl Scouts to provide a sustainable, lasting benefit to their larger community to complete their Gold Award. Fewer than 3% of eligible Scouts complete a Gold Award each year in the State of Colorado and the Town of Superior has never had an award recipient.
We have some incredibly talented and hard-working youth here in Superior, who are actively working to make our Town an even better place to live. Thank you to our Girl Scouts!
AT&T Tower
The Town Board approved AT&T’s application to install a cell tower in Community Park back in October 2022. Recently, AT&T had a pre-construction meeting with Town Staff for their new site in Community Park. Construction is expected to start later this year. We look forward to continued infrastructure investments in our community and appreciate AT&T’s investment in improving cell reception in Superior.
Parks
We’re making progress on several park projects currently underway in Superior:
- Big & Little Sagamore & Children’s Park – The Town has chosen the consultant Lose Design who is working on initial concepts to provide back to the community at the PARC meeting. Thank you PARC for spearheading this effort!
- Miners Park – The small slides and sand are installed in the play pit, the bottom coat for pour-in-place (PIP) is being installed at the park, the stepping stumps have been secured, anchors for the climbing net are in progress, boulders around the play tunnels are being reworked and secured for safety. Projected completion is anticipated for June.
- Central Park – The Town is working with the master developer for Downtown Superior to accelerate construction of this park and dog park in 2023. Please stay tuned as we work out the details. I very much appreciated hearing from the residents who are advocating for this project and who came out to discuss it with me at the last Thirsty Thursdays.
- Superior Commons – The park formerly known as “Parks 1 & 2” were officially opened on Arbor Day! The Superior Commons are located along Marshall Road, along Coal Creek, in Downtown Superior.
Fence Changes
On May 8, the Town Board approved the following change to the Sagamore PD/FDP: All fencing within the Sagamore Subdivision must be constructed of non-combustible materials. Also, Sagamore residents are now permitted to not build any fence at all, and if they choose to, they have more flexibility on the design of the fence (provided that it is non-combustible). Residents are no longer obligated to construct a split-rail or privacy fence in specific locations specified by the original Sagamore PD/FDP. Thank you to the Sagamore community for providing input to the Town Board and for participating in the meeting.
Separately, the Rock Creek HOA voted last month to allow metal fire-proof fencing as an alternative to wood fencing, within the Rock Creek subdivision. Thank you to the Rock Creek HOA Fence Committee for researching and advocating for fire-wise fencing options within the existing neighborhood.
Short-Term Rentals
At the May 8 Town Board meeting, we considered a draft ordinance that would regulate short-term rentals (defined as rentals for less than 30 days) in Superior. Ultimately, the Board directed Town Staff to return with a temporary moratorium on short-term rentals to be considered at a future Board meeting, which will allow the Board to craft an ordinance that fits the needs of our community. If you have any thoughts on how short-term rentals should fit in Superior, or if they should be allowed at all, let us know at townboard@superiorcolorado.gov.
Public Works
In October 2022, the Colorado Chapter of the American Public Works Association (APWA) awarded the Town of Superior the 2022 Colorado Project of the Year for installing the Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) system for our drinking water treatment system. And, we also just learned that we were awarded the APWA National Project of the Year in Disaster and Emergency Construction Repair.
The Town has been pursuing FEMA reimbursement for this project and was recently notified that FEMA will reimburse the Town for over $3M for the GAC improvements!! Congratulations to Town Manager Matt Magley and our former Public Works Director Alex Ariniello (now retired) for an outstanding job well done.
Art
Superior Elementary School donated a mural to the Town painted by students and art teacher Tim Posey. The mural was unveiled at the “A Time to Honor Those Who Make Superior Strong” event and is installed at the Community Center.
Mark Your Calendars:
Our little town has a ton of activities every week, but here are some of the big ones you don’t want to miss…
- Pools open – May 26
- Downtown Superior Summer Concert Series – June 3, June 17, July 8, July 22, Aug. 12, Aug. 26
- National Trails Day, Coalton Trailhead – June 3
- Rock Creek HOA Movies in the Park, Community Park – June 9, July 14, Aug 11
- Fourth of July Parade & Pancake Breakfast, Community Park – July 4
- Chili Fest, Community Park – September 9
- En Plein Air Festival, Purple Park – September 23
Let’s Connect
Please follow my Facebook page and sign up for blog updates from my website: www.marklacis.com. You can also send me an email at markl@superiorcolorado.gov. Lastly, please join me at the next “Thirsty Thursdays” or “First Fridays.”
A Note of Personal Gratitude
I was involved in a terrible skiing accident in March. You may have seen me, first in a wheelchair, then crutches, and I’m now limping around with my massive brace on my leg. I want to express my deep gratitude to this community (for the meal train, for helping get my kids to their activities, for the phone calls/messages of support, for the loaner medical equipment, etc.) I’ve always known that Superior was a special place, but I have an even better appreciation for my village these past two months. We truly live in a great community — never take that for granted. And special thanks to my kids, my parents, my in-laws, and especially MY WIFE!
