Heads Up Jan. 21, 2022

Parks and Recreation to host virtual workshops as Master Plan work continues

The Parks and Recreation Department is engaging our community to help shape the future of parks and recreation in the city. We’ve heard what community members and stakeholders want from programs and long-term plans for parks and recreation facilities. Now we’re asking them to tell us where we should focus our time and resources over the next five to seven years as we get ready to put the Master Plan Update into action.

Community members can participate in two ways:

• Participate in an on-demand, virtual public workshop anytime between January 19-February 7 on BPRMasterPlan.org.
• A version of the on-demand, virtual public workshop with the same information and activities will be hosted by staff on Thursday, February 3, 2022, 5:30-7 p.m. The staff-hosted, virtual meeting link will be posted at BPRMasterPlan.org.

This Master Plan Update will guide the department’s investments and operations for the next five to seven years. The three overarching ideas of “restore,” “connect,” and “sustain” in this strategic plan are applicable for our community now and into the future.

Through research and engagement with staff, stakeholders and the community, draft goals and initiatives have been developed that detail the work to be done and how it will be accomplished.

Key themes of the Master Plan Update form the foundation of those goals and initiatives and can be found at BPRMasterPlan.org, along with many other documents related to the project.

For more information, please contact Parks and Recreation Director Ali Rhodes.

City receives significant DOJ grants to study issues of homelessness and behavioral health

As announced in a press release earlier this week, the city has received significant funding in the form of two separate grants from the Department of Justice to conduct a study of the relationship between policing and homelessness and to enhance our Crisis Intervention Response Team’s work. We will also be partnering with Boulder County and others on a regional grant to scope an addiction treatment program and possible center to serve homeless individuals who are also experiencing substance abuse issues.

I know there is a lot of interest by council in ensuring that our city continue to display compassionate leadership and innovation on these challenging issues, and these DOJ awards will allow us to bring new resources to this critically important work.

For more information, please contact Housing and Human Services Director Kurt Firnhaber or Police Chief Maris Herold.

Regards,
Nuria