Here’s some need-to-know information for the week:
Holiday Closures
In observance of the winter holidays, the City of Boulder is adjusting its operations schedules.
Update on Fort Chambers/Poor Farm Tribal Collaboration and Concept Plan
City of Boulder staff are grateful to Arapaho and Cheyenne Tribal Representatives for their guidance in developing a land stewardship plan (Concept Plan) for open space land with significant historical, agricultural and environmental resources, as well as a direct community connection to the Sand Creek Massacre. Learn more about this unique site by viewing the storymap.
The Fort Chambers / Poor Farm planning process has been a collaborative city/Tribal Nation effort since 2022. A summary of the overall planning process is shown below, with a star indicating our current step.
City staff closely collaborated with Tribal Representatives designated by the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, the Northern Arapaho Tribe and the Northern Cheyenne Tribe to understand the Tribal Nations’ desired long-term relationship with the land. Their guidance led to a shared future vision for the land: “Heal the Land; Heal the People.” The draft concept plan recommendations include ecological restoration, farmstead/agricultural improvements, and a healing trail with educational features to acknowledge and communicate the role of Fort Chambers and the Boulder community in the Sand Creek Massacre.
Next week, City Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP) staff and Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribal Representatives will begin asking for public feedback on the collaborative concept plan through an online questionnaire. During the engagement window, OSMP staff also will hold “office hours” to answer questions and assist community members in completing the questionnaire.
Last week, Tribal Representatives joined Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP) staff to present the draft Concept Plan to the Open Space Board of Trustees (OSBT). Read the OSBT memo or view to the staff presentation and Tribal Representatives’ thoughts and perspectives on the Concept Plan and collaboration with OSMP staff.
The city will review public input and consider plan revisions with additional guidance from Tribal Representatives. Staff expects to provide council with an update on the community engagement and concept plan development this summer/fall. After the concept plan is finalized, specific plan elements will be further developed with guidance from Tribal Representatives.
For more information, please contact Katie Knapp, project manager, at knappk@bouldercolorado.gov or 303-441-4107.
Update on Engagement for Exploring an Increase to Minimum Wage
This update on the regional minimum wage project focuses on community engagement to date and provides informational resources to support council in addressing community questions. The latest comprehensive work update is documented in an Information Item in the March 21 council meeting packet. This information was also shared with the Human Relations Commission at their March 19 meeting.
Councilmembers and other local leaders can best support this ongoing work by encouraging community participation in planned focus group sessions and by completing the online questionnaire. The window for engagement closes on April 15.
As of March 21, 2024, there have been nine focus group sessions hosted, three by the City of Boulder (three more sessions planned) and six by the City of Longmont (one more session planned).
- Focus groups – 94 attendees
- Questionnaire – 484 responses (21 in Spanish)
Staff have been actively assessing needs and opportunities to address engagement gaps. For example, while several downtown businesses were represented at the first focus group session with the Boulder Chamber, staff noticed early on that there was a gap in representation from other small businesses including nail salons, dry cleaners, diverse grocery markets, cafes, etc. To help address these gaps, a team is conducting in-person canvassing to local businesses across Boulder.
So far, staff have made contact with over 200 local/small businesses, notifying them of the effort, inviting them to sessions and to complete the questionnaire. Staff have more plans to canvass businesses and attend local food bank hours to directly invite more community participation. Staff are also making regular updates to local partner groups about how engagement is going, and asking them to include information about feedback opportunities in newsletters, social posts, and other blasts.
Findings from the economic analysis and engagement activities will be shared with council at a study session in the summer of 2024.
For more information about this project, please contact Taylor Reimann, who is managing this effort, at reimannt@bouldercolorado.gov.
Regards,
Nuria