Boulder County News
Published by the Boulder County Commissioners
Past Issues
September 2000
Commissioners Send Ballot Proposals to
County Voters
In a public hearing August 8th, the Board of Commissioners approved several ballot
measures for the November election, including:
"Worthy Cause" Tax This proposal is an extension for three years of the
existing 0.05 percent Emergency Services countywide sales and use tax, which expires
December 31st. The proposal calls for the proceeds from this extension to be used for
capital improvements for non-profit human service organizations in the County. If
approved, the tax would raise approximately $6 million over its three-year duration. The
resolution describing the ballot measure notes the critical need for capital facilities
and equipment for non-profit human services, including low-cost health services and
transitional housing. Some examples of local agencies that would benefit from such a tax
include Clinica Campesina in Lafayette, Salud Clinic in Longmont, Peoples Clinic in
Boulder, and Columbine Clinic in Nederland, among others. The "Worthy Cause"
Sales Tax Task Force also recommended that new dental facilities receive funding if the
voters approve the measure.
Open Space Capital Improvement Trust Fund Bonds This proposal is an extension of an
existing 0.10 percent countywide sales and use tax for an additional eight years, from
December 31, 2001 to December 31, 2009. The proposal calls for issuing open space
capital improvement trust fund bonds through a multiple-fiscal year commitment of revenues
from the proposed tax. According to the resolution describing the ballot measure, the
current bond proceeds from the revenues approved by the voters in November 1999 will be
expended or committed by the end of this calendar year. If approved, the tax extension
would raise approximately $4.8 million annually. Without additional funding sources, no
additional uncommitted open space acquisitions could take place until approximately 2007.
If approved, some uses for the sales and use tax extension include buffers to preserve
community identity, natural areas, wildlife habitat and wetlands, as well as allow
continuation of existing visual corridors and offer passive recreational use through
developing a countywide trail system.
For additional information about these ballot measures, call County Attorney Larry Hoyt
at 303-441-3435.
County Opens New Clerk and Recorder Building
The County’s new Clerk and Recorder Building opened for business in July with all
divisions moved in by early August. The building at 1750 33rd Street in Boulder features
200 free parking spaces, making it much more convenient for the public who use the
services of the busy Motor Vehicle Division, Election Division and Recording Division of
the Clerk and Recorder’s Office.
The new 30,857-square foot building sits on a 2.3-acre parcel located across the street
from the City of Boulder’s Public Safety Building. Fifty-six full-time employees of
the Clerk and Recorder’s Office serve the public from the new facility. The building
also has enough space to accommodate up to 20 additional temporary employees who are hired
periodically for events such as elections. The main office for the Clerk and Recorder was
previously in the County Courthouse in Boulder, where parking was always difficult for
both the public and County employees. In addition to the Clerk’s offices, more than
8,000 square feet of the new building houses the County’s Records Management
Division.
The County’s Architect Division designed the building and acted as general
contractor. The building design incorporates large expanses of glass, and uses stone,
concrete masonry, pre-cast concrete accents and columns to reduce the scale and provide a
rich variety of materials. Maximizing natural light gives the building a bright, airy look
and reduces lighting and energy costs. The design also employs numerous energy
conservation techniques and materials while also using materials with recycled content,
such as steel, concrete, and asphalt. Landscaping includes 75 new trees along with bushes
and several flower areas to complement the existing 25 trees. A total of $5,008,000 was
budgeted for the project, which came in at budget and on schedule. For more information,
call Project Architect Alan Watkins at 303-441-3286.
New Open Space Areas Approved for Acquisition
The Commissioners approved a number of new open space acquisitions in July and August,
including the following:
Caribou Ranch The largest acquisition was the 1029-acre conservation easement to be
purchased jointly with the City of Boulder for the portion of Caribou Ranch that was not
acquired in 1996. The County’s portion of the purchase price will be $3.5 million and
the City’s portion will be $4 million. The new conservation easement includes 909
acres of ranch land and wildlife habitat that straddles the Peak-to-Peak Highway,
including hay meadows, forested areas and riparian habitat. It also includes the Caribou
City Subdivision. The purchase will reduce the number of dwelling units on the property
from 140 to 24. The portion of Caribou Ranch purchased in 1996 totaled 2640 acres.
385-Acre Cushman Property This agricultural property, classified as ag land of
national importance, is north of Hygiene and State Highway 66 with about ¾ mile frontage
along the east side of north 75th Street. The purchase price for the property
is $5.5 million, which includes water rights, land and conservation easements.
320-Acre Barron Property This property includes a half-mile stretch of the South
St. Vrain stream corridor and is one mile northwest of the Town of Ward. It has
significant wetlands and abundant wildlife. The conservation easement will be purchased
for $335,000.
279-Acre Canino Property This land includes the White Rocks/Gunbarrel Hill
Environmental Conservation Area and is designated as agricultural lands of statewide
important. Part of the property lies between State Highway 52 and Lookout Road, with the
adjacent 160 acres on the south side of Lookout Road. The purchase price is $3,090,000.
240-Acre Sister’s Property This irrigated agricultural land is on the south
side of Quail Road between U. S. Highway 287 and North 119th Street. It will be
one of the final major pieces in a corridor of very high quality preserved agricultural
land that runs north from Highway 52 and is bordered by 287 on the west and County Line
Road on the east. The purchase price is $2.6 million.
148-Acre Cito Company Property This non-irrigated farmland is on Gunbarrel Hill,
just south of Mineral Road and east of North 79th Street. The property is
highly visible from the Diagonal Highway and includes some lands of statewide and local
agricultural importance. The proposed purchase price is $1.7 million. A developer will
purchase the eight Transferable Development Rights from the property, which will reduce
the purchase price by $600,000.
83-Acre Wise Property This agricultural property is in the northwest corner of
Jasper Road and North 119th Street, adjacent to the southeast portion of the
Alexander Dawson Open space. There are wetlands on the property along with a heavily
wooded area. The purchase price is approximately $1.9 million, with the County paying ¾
of the purchase price and the Town of Erie paying the remaining ¼. This will be the first
joint open space purchase for the County and Erie.
80-Acre Hansen Property This property is west of the Hall Ranch open space property
above Lyons. It is party of a large inholding of private land inside national forest
boundaries and is adjacent to the North St. Vrain environmental conservation area. It
serves as habitat to plentiful wildlife, including elk and sheep. The proposed purchase
price is $200,000.
19-acre Custode Property This mountain property is about four miles west of Lyons
on Highway 7. The South St. Vrain runs through the property and its is bordered by Forest
Service land on the west. The property is dominated by a huge rock outcropping that towers
above the St. Vrain and Highway 7. The stream corridor and rock outcropping are a
significant wildlife habitat for Great Horned Owls and bears. The purchase price is
$55,000 and the County will be asking for the GOCO grant program to fund half of the
purchase.
Mining Claims Several mining claims approved for purchase include the 19.61-acre
Mans family claim northwest of the Town of Jamestown for a purchase price of $50,000; the
54.83-acre Kaufman family claim west of Ward for a purchase price of $101,435; and the
22.46-acres of Harker claims southwest of Ward for $20,000.
Commissioners Initiate Land Swap With BLM
During a public hearing August 30th, the Commissioners signed an
"Agreement to Initiate" a land exchange with the Bureau of Land Management and
the U.S. Forest Service. This non-binding agreement begins the process to exchange
approximately 950 acres of federal land administered by the BLM in the Ward and Gold Hill areas of
Boulder County for approximately 1,300 acres of lands in Boulder, Teller and Freemont
counties. The Town of Ward is also a partner in this cooperative effort. A series of
public hearings on the subject is being scheduled.
The BLM oversees about 3,000 acres of federal lands in Boulder County,
most of which are small, fragmented parcels that are difficult and uneconomical to manage.
In 1986, the BLM designated the public lands in Boulder County for disposal to private or
public entities. Following the transfer of the property near Ward from the BLM to Boulder
County, the Commissioners will proceed with other transactions aimed at preserving the
remaining BLM acreage in the county. The next step in doing that will be to survey and map
the BLM lands around Gold Hill and the patented and unpatented, non-contiguous parcels in
the mountains.
The initial cost to the county for survey and administrative costs for
the Ward exchange is $63,000. The estimated cost of surveying the other parcels in the
Gold Hill area is $109,000. For more information, call Commissioner Ron Stewart at
303-441-3500; BLM; U.S. Forest Service Boulder District Ranger Christine Walsh at
303-541-2505.
Upcoming Items of Note
2001 Budget Hearings Begin Tuesday, September 12th, with the
non-profit agency budget hearings, which are every Tuesday and Thursday for the remainder
of September. County Department and Office budget hearings are on Tuesdays and Thursdays
from October 3rd through the 19th. For more information, call Budget
Manager Margaret Parish at 303-441-3499.
Boulder County Day In Magnolia Tuesday, September 12th at 7:00 p.m.
For more information, call the Commissioners’ Office at 303-441-3500.
Planning Commission Meets Wednesday, September 20th, at 1:30 p.m., takes a
dinner break and then reconvenes at 7:00 p.m. The meeting is in the Commissioners’
Hearing Room on the third floor of the Boulder County Courthouse. Fore more information,
contact the Land Use Department at 303-441-3930.
Labor Day Observed Monday, September 4th. County offices will be
closed.
Consortium of Cities No September meeting. Meets next on Wednesday, October 4th,
at 7:00 p.m. with the location to be announced. For more information, call
Intergovernmental Relations Director Dickey Lee Hullinghorst at 303-441-3500.
July and August Contract and Bid Awards
Information Technology Bid Award:
- For Computerized Maintenance Management System to Bender Engineering/Main Star
($118,245)
Commissioners’ Office Bid Award:
- For hybrid vehicle to Boulder Toyota ($20,450)
Facilities Management Division Bid Award:
- For N.Boulder Parking Lot Repairs to Superior Asphalt ($35,883)
Architects Division Bid Awards:
For Longmont Courts Building work:
For Sundquist Building:
- HVAC System to AMI Mechanical ($180,180); and
- Automatic Fire Sprinkler System to Cleary Fire Protection ($52,656).
Architects Division Contract Awards:
- With The Moving Connection for continuing services contract ($50,000);
- With D&D Roofing for the Sundquist building roof replacement project
($105,663);
- With Mountain View Welding for Longmont Courts Building steel work
($236,000);
- With Ankmar Door, Inc. for overhead doors at the Longmont Courts Building
($6,225); and
- With Arco Concrete, Inc. for precast concrete at the Longmont Courts
Building ($24,058).
Transportation Department Contract Awards:
- With LaFarge Corporation for Rabbit Mountain Road/CR47 Paving Improvement
Project ($585,000);
- With Scott Contracting for concrete replacement & improvements at
various locations ($481,735);
- With HNTB for design of road & bridge improvements on Valmont Road
($107,439); and
- With RMCS Surveying for Dime Road Surveying ($10,500)
Boulder County News is published monthly by the Board of County
Commissioners. The purpose of the newsletter is to provide information concerning Boulder
County Government to Boulder County municipalities and others interested in County
information. Whenever possible, contact names and phone numbers are included. Please
direct comments and suggestions to the editor, Margaret McKinney, Public Information
Officer, at 303-441-3399, or E-mail: mmmco@co.boulder.co.us.
Board of County Commissioners
P.O. Box 471
Boulder, CO 80306
Phone: 303-441-3500, Fax: 303-441-4525
|
