Heads Up August 5, 2022

Minor revision made to JTTF MOU

In response to feedback from some council members, the Boulder Police Department and the FBI have made a slight wording change to the memorandum of understanding (MOU) related to the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF). The edit was made to make absolutely clear that the officer assigned to the JTTF must follow all Boulder Police Department policies and procedures, and in the rare event that these conflict with federal directives, the officer must step down from the case in question.

The new language states:

“The Parties agree the cross-designated officer, while acting as an FBI Task Force Officer, is required to follow BPD policies and procedures relating to administrative matters to include officer misconduct and discipline; body worn cameras; BPD’s Values and Rules; as well at the Department of Justice U.S. Attorney General, and FBI policies as outlined in the MOU. While acting as an FBI Task Force Officer, the designation officer shall follow Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney General, and FBI policies when working on FBI matters. If these policies and procedures conflict, the cross-designation officer shall [emphasis added to show change] remove himself from the FBI matter ….”

Click here if you wish to see the latest version of the MOU in its entirety.

I believe this edit best reflects the guidance of council. I am appreciative of Cbief Maris Herold and our FBI partners for working through this issue with me and for ensuring that we are able to both leverage and contribute to this valuable partnership in a way that is consistent with our community’s values.

For more information about this topic or if you have questions, please reach out to me directly or to Police Chief Maris Herold at heroldm@bouldercolorado.gov.

Alpine-Balsam project enters final phase of deconstruction

Deconstruction of the former Boulder Community Hospital at Alpine-Balsam and Broadway is entering its final phase, and the community can expect to see an increase in activity at the site starting in mid-August.

In this phase of work, the exterior of the former Boulder Community Hospital building will be taken down and the concrete and brick will be crushed on site to be made into structural fill. The Pavilion building will be left standing to be renovated for future city office use. The two exposed sides of the Pavilion building will be closed with temporary siding to keep the vacant building secure and weather tight as it awaits renovation.

One of the primary goals of the deconstruction project has been to reuse as much material from the building as possible. While sustainable deconstruction is a complex endeavor, it also provides an opportunity to make a significant contribution to the city’s zero waste and circular economy initiatives.

During interior deconstruction, a large percentage of material was reused, and several auctions were held to direct pumps, motors, doors, fixtures and more to new uses rather than going to the landfill.
The focus in this next phase will be on reusing the hospital’s structural steel. Several city projects are incorporating this steel in their designs. The first to make use of reclaimed steel is the city’s Fire Station 3 project, expected to break ground later this year. In addition to city projects, three other projects being developed in the community are exploring incorporating the hospital steel into their designs.

The city will publish a comprehensive report on the sustainable deconstruction once the deconstruction efforts have been completed. This report will include a summary of total embodied carbon preserved on the site through reuse of existing concrete buildings (Brenton Building, Parking Structure and Pavilion Building), reuse of steel on other new building projects, and deconstructed portions of the hospital reused as structural fill on site (which avoids new fill and associated transportation carbon being used on the project).

Hospital deconstruction, both interior and exterior, has experienced delays due to impacts from the pandemic. Worker shortages and increases in diesel prices have resulted in cost increases in the overall project budget. The cost for disassembly of the steel structure, so it may be reused on other new building projects, is also higher than initially budgeted. As a result, the $3M in the project budget allocated for flood mitigation has been used this year to cover the deconstruction gap.

This funding will be re-programmed for flood mitigation in the proposed 2023 budget. This reallocation was chosen as the flood mitigation has been delayed due to the long regulatory approval process. In addition, the project team plans to leverage anticipated savings associated with the steel reuse.

Lastly, implementation work on Alpine-Balsam future development is in full swing. The city has contracted with ZGF Architects to realize the vision and goals for a new Western City Campus at Alpine-Balsam. This work is being done in partnership with Boulder Housing Partners, who will be developing the housing on the site. Flood mitigation, district energy, access and mobility are all being further developed through this work. More information and progress will be shared as the projects continue to develop.

For more information, visit the project webpage and contact Michele Crane, City Facilities Chief Architect, at cranem@bouldercolorado.gov or 303-441-3200.

Boulder Fire-Rescue invites you and community members to the new fire engine “push-in” ceremony on Aug. 12

On Friday, Aug. 12, Boulder Fire-Rescue will put into service its newest fire engine, 2502, at Station 2 at Broadway and Baseline. 2502 is a Piece Manufacturing fire engine built in Appleton, Wisconsin, and built specifically to meet the needs of or fire department and the community of Boulder.
With Station 2 being the designated primary location for this apparatus, 2502 will be equipped to respond to local emergency needs for the CU Boulder and University Hill area. Battery-powered extrication equipment will be easily accessible in the front bumper, and additional turning signals were added for this station’s location near busy roadways. A hose-bed cover was also added to this engine due to the high winds that Boulder experiences. This engine was funded through the fleet vehicle replacement fund in order to meet the ongoing needs of the fire department and replace apparatus that are no longer viable for long-term service as a primary response engine in our district.

The “push-in” ceremony is a long-standing tradition in the fire service, dating back to the 1800s when fire department apparatus were horse-drawn steamer engines. Since horses struggle to walk backwards when pulling a load, the horses were detached, and firefighters would push the engine back into the bay. This ritual became a tradition to mark putting new engines back into service, where community members are asked to participate in the washing off and pushing in of the engines that will serve their communities in the years to come.

The ceremony will occur on Aug.12 from 2 to 4 p.m., at Boulder Fire-Rescue’s Station 2 located at 2225 Baseline Road. A media advisory will be sent out next week. Council members are welcome to attend.
For more information, please contact Chief Michael Calderazzo at CalderazzoM@bouldercolorado.gov or 303-441-3357.

Regards,
Nuria