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Honoring excellence in Boulder County public service |
2006 Finalists and Winners
The Boulder County Commissioners received 41 outstanding entries for the
first annual Pinnacle Awards in 2006. Of those entries, they selected 18
finalists (three in each category). Click on each project to read a full
description of what the program entailed. Public Service
Stewardship and Sustainability
Public Involvement
Innovation
Collaboration and Teamwork
"Grab Bag"
Medicare Ombudsman Team
The Medicare Part D prescription drug plan has
presented seniors with a difficult and often confusing
choice from among more than 40 different prescription
drug plans. There are approximately 34,000
Medicare-eligible seniors in Boulder County who had only
six months to enroll from November 2005 to May 2006.
Boulder County had only four half-time Medicare
Ombudsmen, but this team was able to assist more than
3,100 seniors through free seminars, public
presentations, one-on-one counseling and phone calls.
To assist in the process, the ombudsmen created a
volunteer program and trained 10 volunteers to help
beneficiaries with paperwork, data entry and enrollment.
This program has proved essential, as the next
enrollment period beginning Nov. 15, 2006, is only
six weeks long.
The Medicare Ombudsman team demonstrates the very
best in public service, diligence and stewardship. Their
tireless efforts to provide training, objective
information and support to our senior population have
helped thousands of residents make informed decisions
about enrollment. The ombudsmen are passionate about
serving the citizens of Boulder County, as evidenced by
their willingness to work long hours and their desire to
improve the quality of life for residents in our
community.
Ramsey Support Team
 A new development in the Jonbenet Ramsey case
generated immense media and public interest in the
summer of 2006. A support team of County employees
mobilized to provide 24/7 logistical operations and
information dissemination to the media, public and
various governmental agencies, all the while ensuring
that County business operations and public service
continued in an effective manner.
This was a tremendous effort by employees in several
departments/divisions working together and with outside
agencies.
Architects division -
- Coordinated with the City of Boulder to stage
and set up electrical and logistical requirements
for the media "tent city" in the Justice Center
parking lot
- Provided electrical feeds to network news crews
- Provided staging, seating and audio for District
Attorney's press conferences
- Created signage for parking lots and jury
assembly rooms
Commissioners' Office -
- Coordinated media logistics at the Justice
Center parking lot
- Supported the D.A.'s office with internal
and external communications, including news
releases, news conferences and cross-agency
strategic planning
- Coordinated the tally of expenses for the
D.A., Sheriff and Commissioners' offices
Facilities -
- Ensured continuity of business and
facility operations at the Justice Center
and ensured minimal disruption of public
access
- Provided support to the D.A. and
Sheriff's offices during transport of the
suspect to the County Jail
- Provided logistical support and basic
needs for media representatives in the
Justice Center parking lot.
Housing Authority
Special Homelessness Prevention Project
In September 2006, a formerly homeless
individual living on just over $600/month in
disability income managed to purchase a
mobile home for $500 and attain a Section 8
voucher to help pay the lot rent. However,
the home failed inspection due to lack of
heat, hot water, stove and refrigerator.
The City of Boulder Mediation Center
referred the client to the Boulder County
Housing Authority's Longs Peak Energy
Conservation program. LPEC's rehabilitation
program was able to negotiate with the City
of Boulder Housing and Human Services
Department to obtain approval to spend
approximately $2,500 to finance the needed
improvements. Weatherization crews made
repairs to the heating system, installed a
hot water heater, made electrical repairs
and installed a refrigerator at a reduced
rate. They also obtained a donated microwave
oven and toaster over to provide cooking
facilities.
Through this collaboration with the City
of Boulder Housing and Human Services
Division, the Center for People with
Disabilities, the City of Boulder Mobile
Home Rehab Program, the Weatherization
program, and the LPEC and Housing Authority
Rehab program, we were able to prevent a
return to homelessness for this client just
before winter.
An investment of $2,500 saved at least
twice that in the costs of services that
multiple agencies would have incurred in
providing services had this client returned
to homelessness.
Boulder County Fair
Zero Waste Event
As part of the County's commitment to
sustainability, the Resource Conservation
Division enlisted a huge number of County
staff, senior tax workers and volunteers to
reduce waste and increase public awareness
at the 2006 Boulder County Fair.
Through their efforts, the County was
able to reduce, reuse and compost more than
four tons of material. Most importantly,
their presence and educational information
exposed the event's 69,000-plus visitors to
the concept of zero waste and other ways to
dispose of "trash."
The effort required 880 hours of
volunteer and senior tax worker time. At
least three food vendors switched from
traditional plastic dining ware to
compostable cutlery. The program succeeded
in composting 700 yards of animal bedding
and waste and saving 11,200 gallons of
water, 10,579 kilowatt hours of energy and
27 trees.
County Jail Food
Waste Composting Project
The Boulder County Jail has an inmate
garden that allows inmates to cultivate
plants - and a hobby - and learn gardening
skills. When a previous source of compost
for the garden was terminated, jail staff
and the Resource Conservation Division
decided to implement an innovative approach
modeled on a program at the Keystone resort.
Resource Conservation purchased two Earth
Tubs for the jail. Boulder County
Transportation installed concrete slabs for
the composting system and the Building
Division installed electrical connections.
The composting tubs became operational in
May 2006, allowing the jail to manage food
waste while generating compost to enhance
the soils in the garden.
From May through November 2006 alone, the
project generated approximately 21 cubic
yards of compost for the jail garden.
This project reduced waste being sent to
the landfill, created a sustainable
production of compost for the garden and
will generate greater yields for the garden.
This system also saves labor and capital
expenses: inmate crews and staff already
associated with waste management or
management of the garden provide the labor,
and it is as simple as redirecting waste
from one container to another only feet
away.
Conservation
Easement Stewardship Program
Most of Boulder County's 780 Conservation
Easement properties had never been
monitored, and the job is expanding as the
County continually acquires new conservation
easements. These properties constitute about
27,400 acres - nearly one third of
County-held open space interests.
In June 2005, Janis Whisman became the
Land Stewardship Officer for the Parks and
Open Space Department. She quickly created a
conservation easement database and organized
a team to monitor all of the County's 780
conservation easements. In 2006, she and her
team visited and monitored 310 properties.
This is even more amazing because Janis
and her team had to start from "scratch" and
devote significant time to creating folders
for each property that detail the
significant data such as maps, Assessor's
records and land use approvals. After
visits, they prepared reports and updated
the conservation easement database.
This project creates a strong stewardship
program to protect the County's interests in
perpetuity.
Business Services
Solutions Project
This Workforce Boulder County program is
a true community partnership, in which
Boulder County works with local employers to
offer customized training programs to expand
the knowledge or improve the basic skills of
employees. Businesses gain well-trained,
specialized employees; employees gain
valuable job skills; and Boulder County
supports a skilled and flexible workforce.
Corporate employers pay 50 percent of the
cost of training, and Boulder County
provides 50 percent match funding. The
County provides a 75-percent match for
non-profit clients, who pay 25 percent of
training costs.
The program had trained 76 employees from
Boulder County businesses by the end of
2006. It even brought together two health
care institutions that, through the project,
have worked together to create a training
program for employees of both institutions.
Continuous training for workers improves
efficiency by closing skill gaps, increasing
employee retention and improving the overall
productivity and competitive position of the
business. As businesses develop and promote
existing talent, they also save money by
developing worker loyalty and reducing
turnover.
Head Start Waste
Reduction Program
Boulder County Head Start's staff has
implemented several changes over the last
few years to help reduce, reuse and recycle
materials that are used in classrooms.
Federal and state health and safety
requirements can make this a challenge in
preschool programs, but Head Start has
managed to meet and/or exceed those
requirements while implementing
waste-reduction practices. Innovations
include washable, re-useable cups for tooth
brushing, cloth rags instead of paper towels
for cleaning up spills and tables, and
recycling in all classrooms.
Classrooms include bins for paper
recycling, placed where children can do the
recycling themselves. Likewise the classroom
kitchen areas include co-mingled container
and paper recycling.
Head Start also selects the most
environmentally friendly products when
purchasing, such as foam soap in recyclable
containers. A goal for 2007 is to implement
composting at all Head Start sites, both to
benefit the environment and to educate
children.
With 164 children in preschool, these
sustainability touches really add up, from
milk jugs to hand-washing.
Speech Server
Application Development
The Treasurer's Office staff has spent
many hours in the past answering incoming
phone calls from taxpayers inquiring about
property tax information. Last year, when
Microsoft introduced speech server
technology, Boulder County's Information
Technology staff developed a new application
for the Treasurer's Office that allows
taxpayers to make inquiries about their
taxes and obtain detailed property
descriptions - all through an automated
phone number.
The automated system works via two new
technologies. The first, text to speech,
allows staff to post information as text on
the Web, which the speech server then reads
and converts the text to speech. This saves
staff time by not requiring staff to record
a new message.
The second, speech recognition, allows
callers to speak their preferences and
commands as they would when speaking
directly to an employee (rather than pushing
keys on the telephone pad). The Treasurer's
program includes speech recognition for
addresses, which is difficult to do.
Biomass Central
Heating System
This innovative project reduces air
pollution while accomplishing two important,
necessary tasks for the County: disposing of
wood chips produced by forest improvement
and fire mitigation projects, and heating
the County's new Parks and Open Space
headquarters in Longmont.
The project uses trees being harvested
from Parks and Open Space property through
forest stand improvement and fire mitigation
projects. Prior to the Biomass Heating
System, the trees were redistributed on the
forest floor as chips or burned in slash
piles, contributing to air pollution in the
county.
In addition to reducing air pollution and
improving forest ecosystems, this system
reduces the County's overall cost of heating
the Parks and Open Space building by not
using natural gas, a costly and
non-renewable resource.
This project is the only operating
biomass heating facility in Colorado and is
a model program locally, nationally and
internationally. It has been visited by more
than 20 tours from other countries,
municipalities, federal and state agencies.
Parks and Open Space
Building Exterior Walls
During the design phase of the new Parks
and Open Space administration building, the
County Architects office chose to pursue the
use of insulated concrete forms for
construction of the building's exterior
walls, an innovation that saves energy and
reduces noise.
This technology, typically used for
residential construction, is expected to
generate a long-term cost savings due to
reduced energy usage.
 Insulated Concrete Form (ICF) system is a
modular block system consisting of two
pieces of rigid foam held together by
plastic webs. After being assembled, they
become the forms into which the concrete is
poured. The resulting system becomes the
wall's structure, insulation and vapor
barrier all in one. The exterior
siding/veneer and the interior drywall are
then attached directly to this system.
Benefits of the system include:
- The forms are made from both
recycled and recyclable materials
- Achieves an insulation rating of
R-50, meaning it is very successful in
eliminating heat flow
- Improves noise reduction as a buffer
to an adjacent airport runway
- Eliminates the need for typical wood
forms.
VMware Software
Server Consolidation
Boulder County's Information
Technology department was facing a
challenge: the computer room's physical,
electrical and cooling capacities were
reaching their maximum, yet the County
needed the ability to continue to add
more systems to support growing
computing needs.
IT staff researched, found, designed
and began implementing a product called
VMware. This product has enabled IT to
convert physical servers into virtual
servers, allowing an average of eight
virtual servers to now run on just one
physical box. In 2006, approximately 50
virtual servers were created on eight
physical servers, hosting applications
for the Housing Authority, Clerk and
Recorder, HR/Payroll and County Intranet
and Internet Web sites.
Reducing the number of servers has:
- Reduced the annual maintenance
cost per server by 70 percent, from
$938 to $269
- Reduced annual server
replacement cost per server by 83
percent, from $1,230 to $205
- Reduced electrical usage by 13
percent
- Reduced the temperature (and
therefore load on A/C units) in the
computer room by 7 percent, from 82
degrees F to 76 degrees
- Provided a failover strategy for
many systems that didn't already
have one - we can instantaneously
and without interruption move a
virtual server to another physical
server in case of hardware problems
- Reduced our new server build
time by 80 percent, from
approximately 10 hours to less than
two hours.
Jail
Booking Team
This team was the first of its
kind for the Boulder County
Sheriff's Office Jail Division. For
many years - since the creation of
the 12-hour shift - the Jail had
experienced problems of
communication and consistency
between the four different shifts.
As the jail grew to capacity, these
challenges began to take a toll on
performance, consistency and
interagency communication.
In response, Sgt. Sandra Nelson
formed a booking team composed of
line staff representing all four
shifts. Members were selected based
on their experience and initiative
at their booking posts and were
charged with goals of identifying,
prioritizing and initiating new
policies and procedures to ensure
consistency and improve efficiency.
They also were tasked to seek
improvements to booking practices
and physical layout to better manage
the growing number of inmates
processed into and out of jail.
North
Broadway Initiative
Historically, the business park
at 4919, 4939 and 4949 N. Broadway
has presented various problems in
terms of zoning, fire hazards and
law enforcement. Illegal occupancy
and interior modification of the
units without permits were the
primary cause behind these problems
- resulting in life safety concerns.
A collaboration of seven agencies
representing a breadth of
disciplines tackled this problem
area by performing inspections of
all 130 units. The initiative has
succeeded in drastically reducing
issues and violations.
The effort began in 2005, when
Boulder County Sheriff's Deputies
Sue Cullen and Drake Clark began
planning for the project, dubbed
"The North Broadway Initiative." The
effort required many months of
inter-agency strategic planning and
problem solving. The Boulder County
Attorney's Office prepared
administrative search warrants.
Participating agencies
collaborated to inspect all 130
units for fire, safety and building
code violations in order to assure
the health and safety of tenants and
business owners who own or lease
space, as well as for the good of
the general public.
Agencies that assisted with the
North Broadway Initiative were:
- Boulder County Land Use
- Boulder Rural Fire
Department
- Boulder County Attorney's
Office
- Boulder County Public Health
- State of Colorado Public
Health/State Water Quality
- Environmental Protection
Agency
- Boulder County Sheriff's
Office
Some of the units in the
complex have been re-inspected.
Building and fire officials will
continue to conduct
re-inspections to monitor
progress, compliance and to note
any future violations. The
program has already had
noticeable results:
- Calls for service to the
area are down
- New, legitimate
businesses are moving in
- Numerous other business
owners have approached the
team during inspections to
thank them for their efforts
- Electrical and plumbing
work is being brought up to
code
- The Fire Marshal will
ensure that units have
working fire extinguishers
and alarms
- Forbidden propane and
acetylene tanks have been
removed or will be brought
up to code
- Junk vehicles and
garbage have been removed
Soil
Work for New Communications
and Detox Centers
Boulder County has saved
thousands of dollars by
utilizing its existing
Transportation Department
equipment and employees on a
project that would have
otherwise required expensive
contractor work.
Construction of a new
Communications Center and
Detox Center near the
Boulder County Jail has
required a massive effort to
re-grade the site for
drainage, install foundation
drainage, install and
compact backfill materials,
cut roads to grade, and
excavate and process large
volumes of soil to remove
unwanted materials such as
decaying wood, tires,
culverts, etc.
The Boulder County
Transportation Department
provided operators and
equipment, when available
outside of their regularly
scheduled projects and
duties, to accomplish these
tasks at little cost to the
project.
In addition, the Boulder
County Parks Department has
been able to use a large
volume of the excess soil
generated by these projects
- soil that otherwise would
have been hauled off to the
landfills and incurred
landfill fees.
The soils will be used
fro reclamation at several
mining sites and for
restoring ravine washouts at
several Open Space sites.
Goodhue Farmhouse
Rehabilitation
In June 1998, Boulder
County designated the Rock
Creek Farm Cultural
Landscape District as a
local historic landmark. The
farm building complex had
been previously determined
eligible for the National
Register of Historic Places.
The Goodhue Farmhouse -
built around 1912 and
stationed at the heart of
the old farming operation -
stood in disrepair after
surviving 90 years of
farm-family use and flood
events.
Using a $53,470 grant
from the Colorado State
Historic Fund, Boulder
County began rehabilitation
of the farmhouse in 2004. In
addition to preserving the
historic property, Boulder
County aimed to create a
unique meeting space for
southeastern Boulder County.
 The Goodhue Farm Meeting
House officially opened on
Nov. 17, 2005. The facility
accommodates up to 70
people, and is available
free to all Boulder County
departments. Other
governmental agencies and
non-profits may reserve the
space for a minimal fee. The
site provides a charming
setting for public programs
and county meetings, as well
as an opportunity to learn
about the history of the
settlers of the region.
Grasslands Restoration
The Grasslands Restoration project is aimed at turning less productive
agricultural lands back into native plant communities that will provide habitat
for many grassland wildlife species in Boulder County.
A joint project between Boulder County Parks and Open Space's Agricultural
and Resource Management divisions, the restoration includes research projects as
well as seeding of native species. The Weed Work Group and the Plant Ecology
Work Group coordinated to plan and implement restoration efforts.
Two research projects launched in 2006 are testing innovative techniques for
grassland restoration for the purpose of achieving greater diversity on our
grasslands.
HIV/STI
Outreach Program
Boulder County Public Health's HIV/STI Outreach Program began a formal
collaboration with the Boulder County AIDS Project (BCAP) in January 2006 with
the intent to increase the capacity for HIV testing and prevention services in
Boulder County despite limited resources.
From this effort, HIV testing has nearly doubled across the county, with
testing clinics being offered not only in traditional, office-based settings,
but also in outreach settings as well. By combining resources, Public Health and
BCAP are able to meet clients "where they're at" and reduce barriers to getting
tested such as cost, transportation and stigma. Outreach testing is occurring in
settings such as a teen clinic, methadone and other substance abuse treatment
settings, the homeless shelter, adult bookstores and El Comite.
 In addition, the two agencies have collaborated to provide large-scale,
community-wide events to promote awareness of HIV issues in Boulder County,
including National HIV testing day on June 24, 2006, on the Pearl Street Mall.
The effort succeeded in drawing 92 people to be tested and spread education and
awareness to more than 1,000 people through materials distribution, visible
presence on the mall and outreach.
The organizations also participated in National Latino AIDS Awareness Day on
Oct. 15, 2006, at the Twin Peaks Mall, and tested 48 people. An additional 250
people were reached through materials distribution and outreach. Finally, Public
Health and BCAP collaborated for Boulder Pride's Block Party event in September,
testing 20 people and reaching more than 500 at a booth set up on the mall.
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