February 2020
Hi everyone – here’s my Mid-Month Update for February 2020 for things going on in and around Superior. I’m out-of-pocket for the next couple weeks, so I wanted to post this early.
**Special thanks to Daryl McCool who gave me permission to post this amazing photo of our Superior, Colorado mural at the underpass of Coal Creek Trail and US36 glowing in Saturday night’s sunset. Thank you Daryl!**
Oil and Gas Regulations
Last year, Governor Polis signed Senate Bill 181 into law, which gave local governments like Superior more control over oil and gas development occurring within their respective jurisdictions. In response to the new law, Superior passed a moratorium on oil and gas development to allow sufficient time to craft new regulations that would govern oil and gas development in Superior.
This month, the Town Board will consider a first draft of our new oil and gas regulations. These regulations will address various aspects of oil and gas development: hours of operation, noise standards, emissions standards, setbacks from residences and schools, and other concerns. If you are interested in weighing in on these proposed regulations, or would like to make suggestions on how these regulations could be improved, please consider emailing the Town Board at townboard@superiorcolorado.gov or attend the public meetings on February 10 and 24 where we will be discussing these issues at length.
Renewable Energy Commitment
At the Town Board’s January 27, 2020 retreat, I raised a proposal where the Town would commit to becoming 100% powered by renewable energy no later than 2021. This would mean that all Town facilities would either be powered directly by renewable energy, or would be powered by energy subject to carbon credit offsets. I believe that the Town should be doing its part to fight against the dangers of climate change, and transitioning to renewables is a first step towards that process. The next step in this process is to get cost estimates to the Town Board so we further explore this initiative.
Town Board Priorities for 2020
During the Board’s January retreat, the Town Board discussed its top priorities and goals for the year. At the top of that list was the design/construction of 1500 Coalton (former Land Rover dealership) into a community amenity, open space acquisitions, and economic development. I’m excited for 2020 and previously wrote about my own personal Town Board goals in December.
88th Street Improvements
88th Street has been overdue for reconstruction. It currently carries 8,000 to 9,000 cars each day and is one of the primary connectors between Superior and Louisville. It’s also the most direct way to get to Monarch K-8 and High School and Avista Adventist Hospital. Consequently, it’s imperative that we get 88th rebuilt well, but also quickly, and that we do not disrupt school traffic.
On October 28, 2019, the Town Board considered 3 options for 88th Street’s reconstruction (a link to the meeting packet materials is available here. At that meeting, the Board gave direction to Staff to move forward with plans for a 2 lane reconstruction of 88th, with bike lanes and sidewalks, and space within the Right of Way to extend to 4 lanes in the future if necessary.
At the January 27, 2020 Town Board meeting, we approved a pre-construction agreement with Goodland Construction for services related to the design and construction of 88th Street. The Board plans to have this project completed during the summer and wrapped up before school starts in mid-August. An article about this project is available here.
Verizon
The Town Board approved an application by Verizon on January 27, 2020 to install a macro antenna in Community Park that should significantly improve the quality, reliability, and coverage for Verizon Wireless customers in Superior. In addition to the macro antenna, Verizon plans to install multiple micro/small cells throughout Superior where coverage will not be helped with the antenna. We expect this work to be completed late Spring/early Summer.
Poor cell phone reception in Superior has been a common complaint that I have heard from residents since I was elected in 2016. I want to thank Verizon for working with our Town Staff to come up with a solution to deliver better and more reliable service to Superior residents, without any costs to the Town.
