Briefs | City council forum on tap

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City council forum on tap

Urban Land Institute (ULI) Boulder will host a city council candidate forum from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 12, at the West Senior Center, at 909 Arapahoe Ave.

The candidate forum will explore land-use issues related to smart growth, urban design, downtown development, economic vitality, transit-oriented and infill development, affordable housing, and community sustainability.

ULI Boulder is co-sponsoring the event with other local nonprofit organizations concerned with sustainable communities, including the Boulder Chamber, Downtown Boulder, Inc., Boulder B-Cycle, the Boulder Green Building Guild, CNU Colorado and AIA Colorado.

The event is free and open to the public. A moderator will pose questions to the candidates. Candidate responses will be followed by light refreshments and the opportunity for informal discussion.

For more information, contact Dan Cohen at 303-807-3308 or dan@urbaninvestmentgroup.com.

Free HIV testing

Boulder County Public Health is offering free, rapid HIV testing on Wednesdays through Oct. 20 at its Boulder office, located at 3482 Broadway.

To make an appointment, call 303- 413-7500.

For more information, see www.BoulderCountyHIV.org.

Halloween in Lyons

The town of Lyons will host its annual Halloween festivities from 6 to 10 p.m. Oct. 29.

Events include an old-time square dance, a costume contest and a snack pot-luck.

A parade begins at 6 p.m., followed by trick-or-treating to local merchants. The community dance, in the Old Fellows Hall at 4th and High streets, begins at 7 p.m. Entertainment will be provided by Chris Kermiet and Lizard Spring.

Donations collected will be used to fund the old-time square dances being held in 2012.

For more information, email oldtimedances@musicinlyons.com or call 303-823-0816.

County marks 150 years

Boulder County will celebrate its sesquicentennial on Nov. 1, and there are several ways commemorate the 150th anniversary prior to that date.

Boulder County is recruiting students to submit essays to commemorate the sesquicentennial, and prizes will be awarded. The essay contest is open to students in grades 9-12. Submissions are due by Oct. 7, and a .pdf file with more information can be found at bit.ly/BCessay.

County residents can also pick up a “passport” to Boulder County’s nearly 25 history, art, cultural and educational museums and facilities this month. The passport, available at http://bit.ly/BCpassport or at participating museums, contains a map and information about each facility. Participants can receive stamps at each location and, after visiting the required number, can turn in passports by Oct. 31 to be entered into a drawing for prizes.

In addition, self-guided tours of the county’s historic sites are available. The tours can be done geographically or by theme (mining, agricultural, commerce, tourism, civic and cultural). Brochures are being distributed around the county and can also be picked up at the county courthouse, located at 1325 Pearl St. in Boulder. See bit.ly/BCtours for more information about the tours.

For more information about the sesquicentennial festivities, see www.bouldercounty150.org or contact Carrie Haverfield at chaverfield@bouldercounty.org. Great Pumpkin Race returns Lafayette’s “Great Pumpkin Race” will be held at the Bob L. Burger Recreation Center Sunday, Oct. 30.

Participants will launch their pumpkins into the Lazy River to see whose holiday gourd crosses the finish line first. Visitors are invited to wear costumes and participate in contests, carnival games and other fun in the gym before the race. The carnival games begin at 4 p.m., followed by the pumpkin launch at 5:30 p.m.

Pumpkins may be pre-purchased for $2 online or in person at the Recreation Center. Pumpkins purchased on race day cost $3.

The rec center is located at 111 W. Baseline Rd. For more information, visit www.cityoflafayette.com/recreation.

A new hazmat option

The Boulder County Hazardous Materials Management Facility, located at 1901C 63rd St. in Boulder, now offers a new hazardous waste service for eligible businesses in Boulder and Broomfield counties and the Town of Erie.

Eligible businesses are those classified by the state as “conditionally exempt small quantity generators” — specifically, organizations that generate less than 220 pounds of hazardous waste per month (or about 27 gallons of typical liquid waste), create less than 2.2 pounds of acutely hazardous waste per month, and accumulate no more than 2,200 pounds of hazardous wastes at any one time.

The types of hazardous businesses wastes accepted include acids and bases, flammable liquids and solids, pesticides and poisons, photo-chemicals, oil-based paints, etc.

To use the service, businesses can download an application form and waste inventory form from the county’s Resource Conservation Division website at www.bouldercountyrecycles.org.

Businesses can check their generator status online using the State of Colorado’s Guide to Generator Requirements of the Colorado Hazardous Waste Regulations at www.cdphe.state.co.us/hm/handbk.pdf. Operating hours for residential drop-off are Wednesday through Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Proof of residency (for example, a driver’s license or other ID) is required. There is no charge to drop off household hazardous wastes because the participating communities reimburse the county for their resident’s use of the facility.

For more information, visit www.bouldercountyrecycles.org or contact Hilary Collins at 720-564-2224.

County sells firewood

The Boulder County Parks and Open Space Department is selling firewood permits for Hall Ranch Open Space for three dates: Oct. 8, 15 and 29.

Permits are $10 for a half-cord of wood for personal use only. Individuals may purchase up to five cords and will need to load and haul firewood from Hall Ranch in one trip. Four-wheel drive vehicles are required.

A standard 8-foot pickup bed will hold approximately one half-cord stacked level to the top of the bed.

The firewood will be precut into lengths no longer than 8 feet. Permit holders are allowed to use chainsaws. Depending on assigned sites, the wood will be ponderosa pine, lodgepole pine or Douglas fir. Firewood may be green or dry.

There are a limited number of permits available. Visit www.BoulderCountyOpenSpace.org/firewood for more information and to purchase permits.

County awards more than $1M

Beginning this month, Boulder County is investing more than $1 million over two years in community-based mental health and substance abuse services, community resource centers, dental care and access to quality child care.

The agencies receiving funding are Mental Health Partners ($400,000 for mental health and substance abuse services), Sister Carmen Community Center ($200,000 for Community Resource Center services), City of Boulder Family Resource Schools ($170,000 for Family Resource School Services), Clinica Family Health services ($35,000 for dental health services), Dental Aid ($35,000 for dental health services) and the Early Childhood Council of Boulder County ($60,000 for quality child care).

It is the second round of funding provided by the Boulder County Temporary Safety Net tax initiative, or Ballot Initiative 1A, that was passed in last November’s election. The five-year property tax backfills deficiencies in state funding for county human services programs and supports contracts with nonprofit agencies.

The first round of funding — $503,000 deployed in February — increased the availability of supported child care, provided support to local nonprofit organizations that provide family and individual crisis services, supported child welfare, child protection and early intervention practices, and has ensured timely access to food assistance, medical care and essential benefits.

Library has eBooks for Kindle

Boulder Public Library recently announced that its downloadable eBook collection is now compatible with the Amazon Kindle. Patrons can now download popular and classic eBooks to a Kindle device or any mobile device running the free Kindle app, such as iPhone, iPad, Android, all with their free library card.

To get started, patrons should visit www.boulderlibrary.org and click on the “Audiobooks, eBooks & more” link on the top right of the page.

The library also offers eBooks and audiobooks for use on a PC or Mac computer, on mobile devices such as a Smartphone or MP3 player, and on eBook readers like the Barnes & Noble Nook and Sony Reader.

The library’s eBooks collection is in high demand, so patrons are encouraged to place holds if the book they are interested is not immediately available. Reference librarians are available at 303-441-3194 for assistance.

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