Briefs | County’s new hazmat facility opens

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County’s new hazmat facility opens

Boulder County’s new Hazardous Materials Management Facility is set to open its doors on Wednesday, April 20.

The facility is located at 1901 63rd St. in Boulder, immediately west of the recycling center.

It will serve residents of Boulder and Broomfield counties, as well as all residents of Erie. Proof of residency is required, but there is no charge to drop off materials.

Operating hours of the facility will be 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.

More information is available online at http://bit.ly/haz-mat.

Meet library director finalists

Members of the public will have an opportunity to meet with the finalists for Boulder Public Library director from 1 to 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 17.

Twenty-six people applied after the search was extended in early February when two top candidates withdrew from consideration. The city will conduct a final round of interviews after Sunday’s public presentations by each candidate.

The presentations will be held in the Council Chambers at the Municipal Building, 1777 Broadway. A public reception to meet the candidates will follow from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. in the lobby.

The finalists are Ann Kling, assistant deputy director for public services at the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library in Buffalo, N.Y.; Valerie Maginnis, director of library and cultural services for the City of Mission Viejo, Calif.; Jennifer Miles, acting director of the Boulder Public Library; and Donna Walker, manager of neighborhood libraries, outreach services, and child and family library services at the Arapahoe Library District in Centennial.

Information about the candidates, as well as comment cards, will be available at the public presentations and reception.

The city anticipates announcing the selected candidate in May.

Forum on education funding set

Sen. Rollie Heath, D-Boulder, will hold a town hall meeting about public education funding at 10:15 a.m. on Saturday, April 16, in the Boulder Public Library’s Creek Room.

This past week, the state Senate approved a budget package containing a $250 million cut to K-12 education. The budget must still pass the House and earn Gov. John Hickenlooper’s signature before it goes into effect.

Heath and other state senators will be holding the meetings, titled “Local School Budget Breakdown,” to help constituents understand issues surrounding school finance and what it means for public education in Colorado.

Don Haddad, superintendent of the St. Vrain Valley School District, will appear as a guest speaker.

Lafayette rec center: Turn off TV

The Bob L. Burger Recreation Center in Lafayette is hosting TV Turnoff Week April 18-24, and kids in grades K-12 who register for the program by April 17 will receive a free weeklong pass to the rec center.

Upon registration, participants will be given an activity log to keep track of the daily activities they engage in as an alternative to watching television, playing video games and using the computer for recreational purposes. All participants who return their completed activity log to the Recreation Center by May 2 will be awarded a participation certificate and an ageappropriate book, compliments of the Lafayette Public Library. In addition, parents of children who return their activity log will be entered in a drawing to win a TV/video game monitoring device called “BOB” from Hopscotch Technology of Louisville.

“Some kids just need to be given the opportunity to realize there are lots of other great activities besides TV and video games,” says Curt Cheesman, director of the Lafayette Recreation Department. “We’re very proud of our involvement in the TV Turn Off Week program and the message it sends to our youth about the importance of healthy, active lifestyles.”

For more information, see www.cityoflafayette.com/pageasp?navid=1724

Compost bin sale Sunday

The Boulder County Resource Conservation Division is hosting its annual spring backyard compost bin sale Sunday, April 17, beginning at 9 a.m. at the Boulder County Recycling Center, at 1901 63rd St. in Boulder.

SoilSaver bins will be available for $50 each, including tax. Only checks and cash will be accepted. Bins will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis.

For more information visit www.BoulderCountyRecycles.org.

Bookworm gives out health books

Free health books are being given away at the Bookworm Bookstore in Boulder, courtesy of the Stoll Foundation for Holistic Health.

The purpose of the giveaway is to empower people to take charge of their own health and live a healthier lifestyle. It is especially aimed at people who are uninsured, cannot afford to pay for health care, cannot afford books, or know that education and self-care is the key to good health.

Participants must fill out a short questionnaire at the Bookworm before choosing a book or books valued up to $10 (used book price). The giveaway will continue until $250 worth of books have been given away.

The Bookworm is located at 3175 28th St, #2, and its hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m to 6 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday noon to 5 p.m.

For more information about the Stoll Foundation, see www.stollfoundation.org.

Heil volunteers celebrate Earth Day

Boulder County officials are looking for volunteers to join them April 23 for some improvements at the Heil Valley Ranch Open Space.

For the past three years, volunteers have thinned forests and built brush piles at Heil Valley Ranch. The brush piles were burned, and now volunteers are needed to restore the leftover scars with native seed.

The project runs from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The minimum age is 12, with adult supervision.

Register online at www.BoulderCountyOpenSpace.org/wildwork or, for more information, call Shane Milne at 303-678-6295, ext. 2.

Review Boulder Valley plan

An open house on an update to the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan (BVCP) will be held on Wednesday, April 20, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the Municipal Building Lobby, 1777 Broadway.

The city of Boulder has been collecting community feedback for the BVCP 2010 Major Update for more than a year. The update process happens every five years to reflect changes in circumstances and community desires. The BVCP sets the preferred long-term use of land in the Boulder Valley and provides guidance for zoning and development decisions. It is adopted by four bodies: The City of Boulder Planning Board, the City Council, the County Planning Commission and the Board of County Commissioners.

Staff will be available at the open house to answer questions and take feedback on the update, which is available for review at www.bouldervalleycompplan.net. Paper copies can be obtained by calling 303-441-4293.

To learn about various feedback opportunities, visit the plan website at http://1.usa.gov/hTKIDo. Comments received by Friday, April 29, will be reflected in future public hearing materials.

Acappellooza benefits Japan

Extreme Measures, a University of Colorado co-ed a cappella singing group, is hosting “Acappellooza” at 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 16, at the outdoor Mary Rippon Theater on the CU campus.

The annual concert benefits a charity of the host’s choice, and this year, proceeds from ticket sales will go toward the American Red Cross and its recent earthquake/tsunami relief efforts for Japan. The concert features all of CU’s a cappella student groups: Extreme Measures, The Buffoons, In the Buff, Mile 21 and On the Rocks.

In addition, The New Wizard Oil Combination, an a cappella group that includes many CU alumni and performs in the greater Denver area, will make a special opening-act appearance.

Seats are general admission, and people are advised to arrive 30 minutes before the start of the show. (Old Main is the back-up location in case of inclement weather.)

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