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Morning Brief: Resilient St. Vrain Project Wins Sustainability Award

The Resilient St. Vrain Project was recently selected at the 2018 "Sustainability" award winner by the Colorado chapter of American Public Works Association (CO APWA).
Resilient-SV

This content was originally published by the Longmont Observer and is licensed under a Creative Commons license.

The Resilient St. Vrain Project was recently selected at the 2018 "Sustainability" award winner by the Colorado chapter of American Public Works Association (CO APWA).

"CO APWA described the sustainability award as recognizing “efficient delivery of infrastructure in an environmentally and socially responsible way that ensures the best choice in the long term.” Award criteria included innovation, achievement, transferability and cooperation," states a press release by the City of Longmont.

“Completing Sandstone Ranch Reach and City Reach 1 and reopening the St. Vrain Greenway in these areas has been a successful start to the Resilient St. Vrain project,” said Dale Rademacher, General Manager of Longmont’s Public Works & Natural Resources department. “This work illustrates the ability of the City of Longmont to turn the tragedy of the 2013 flood into success, while keeping the environment and wildlife as important project priorities as well.”

The City of Longmont will be presented the award on October 29 at the CO APWA's annual conference.

Boulder County Planning Commission Meeting

The next meeting of the Boulder County Planning Commission will be Monday, September 17, 2018, beginning at 3 p.m. at the Boulder County Courthouse Commissioners' Hearing Room, 3rd Floor, located at 1325 Pearl Street, Boulder.

Agenda items for Sept. 17 include:

  1. Approval of minutes/miscellaneous business.
  2. Staff update(s) on projects and/or development review items (if necessary). Informational item only, public testimony will not be taken.
  3. Docket DC-18-0002: Solar Energy Systems Text Amendments. The staff report for this item will be posted to the Docket DC-18-0002 webpage on September 10.

The meeting will be web-streamed via the Public Meetings, Hearings, Records & Video Archives page. Planning Commission agendas and minutes are available on the Planning Commission webpage.

“Stepping Up Stewardship Toolkit” Launched to Expand Outdoor Volunteerism

Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado (VOC) is looking for volunteers to assist with maintaining parks, trails and public lands. They have created a Stepping Up Stewardship Toolkit to serve as a resource guide to assist with other organization's stewardship efforts.

“With increasing visitation and limited resources, land management agencies rely on volunteers to build and repair trails, restore habitats, and rebuild after fires and floods,” explained Ann Baker Easley, VOC’s Executive Director, “VOC’s 5,000 annual volunteers can only touch a fraction of the maintenance needs in the state. By sharing our own proven practices in organizing, managing, and training volunteers, we hope to expand other organizations’ capacity to tackle the most pressing outdoor stewardship work.”

According to a VOC press release, "the Stepping Up Stewardship Toolkit offers free, in-depth step-by-step how-to guides on topics such as project selection, volunteer recruitment, and working with youth."

After decades of development and support at both the state and national levels, the Toolkit can be used by groups across the country

"Volunteers play a vital role in helping care for national forests and grasslands, and the USDA Forest Service simply cannot fulfill our mission without their service,” stated Susan Alden, Partnership Liaison for the U.S. Forest Service Rocky Mountain Region, “The Stepping Up Stewardship Toolkit is a terrific resource that will help us collaborate more effectively around volunteer service on public lands, as it guides program and volunteer workforce development from project inception to celebration."

                Luis Benitez, Director of Colorado’s Outdoor Recreation Industry Office, acknowledged the importance of hands-on stewardship to the state as a whole: "Outdoor recreation, a multibillion-dollar economy in Colorado, depends on access to safe and healthy natural areas. By expanding the ability to care for these places, the Stepping Up Stewardship Toolkit supports the state's economic future and identity as an outdoor recreation destination."

In Case You Missed It

The Next Storm/Next Snow Forecast Discussion from the Cherrywood Observatory – September 8th, 2018

Well Seasoned: Cucumbers

Upcoming Community Meeting with Superintendent Dr. Don Haddad

Things To Do In Longmont This Weekend

Longmont Police Report: September 6, 2018