Briefs | Boulder-led bills signed

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Boulder-led bills signed

Gov. Bill Ritter signed legislation on June 5 that allows renters and others who are unable to install solar panels on their own to roofs join with others to create community “solar gardens.” House Bill 1342, sponsored by Rep. Claire Levy, D-Boulder, and Sen. Suzanne Williams, D-Aurora, allows renters, homeowners and businesses without solar access to own a portion of an off-site solar farm. Subscribers in a solar garden will own a fraction of the system and reap the same financial benefits through utility bill savings as if the system was physically installed on their home or business. Joined by lawmakers, advocates of the new energy economy and utility officials, Ritter signed HB 1342 on top of a downtown Boulder parking garage, saying that all rooftops have the potential to power America toward a clean-energy future.

Ritter also signed Senate Bill 156, sponsored by Sen. Rollie Heath, D-Boulder, and Rep. Dickey Lee Hullinghorst, D-Gunbarrel, which expands the rights of mobile home owners in Colorado.

“This is a terrific consumer protection bill,” Hullinghorst said in a news release. “It expands the current protections for owners of mobile homes, and it adds new rights to fix the old imbalance of power between landlords and owners. Finally, mobile home owners in private parks can count on basic utilities: a decent power supply and reliable water and sewage service.”

BCAP offers free testing

The Boulder County AIDS Project and Boulder County Public Health will take part in National HIV Testing Day on June 26 and will offer free and anonymous HIV antibody testing and counseling by Englishand Spanish-speaking testers.

Tests will be done at the BCAP House, at 2118 14th St. in Boulder, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. For more information, call 303-444-6121.

County hosts vaccine clinic

Boulder County Public Health will hold an adolescent vaccination clinic on Saturday, June 12, at 529 Coffman St. in Longmont.

The cost is $14.50 per vaccination, but no child will be turned away for inability to pay. Parents or guardians must bring all immunization records to the appointment.

Parents are encouraged to use the opportunity to get their child’s recommended vaccinations before the school rush later this summer. Appointments are available from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and can be made by calling 303-678-6166.

Colorado law permits parents to exempt their children from vaccines for health, religious or personal reasons.

County seeks volunteers

Boulder County Parks and Open Space is looking for people who can volunteer on June 19 to prepare for a prescribed burn at Hall Ranch Open Space later this year.

Hall Ranch supports a variety of plant life, including grassy meadows, dense shrubs and Ponderosa pine forests. To maintain the health of those ecosystems, the county is cooperating with fire protection agencies to conduct a 40-acre fire at Hall Ranch later this year. Volunteers will use hand tools to rake thick piles of pine needles away from large trees, among other tasks, such as removing old fences and non-native weeds. Volunteers will help protect trees that are important to the habitat while creating safer working conditions for wildland firefighters.

The project runs from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and the minimum age is 12, with adult supervision. To register, e-mail WildWorkVolunteers@ BoulderCounty.org, or call 303-678- 6193 by June 16.

Benefit slated for WOW!

Boulder Creek Events has chosen WOW! Children’s Museum to be one of the featured nonprofit organizations at the kick-off of the Twenty Ninth Street LIVE! Summer Concert Series on June 12. The concert, which begins at 6 p.m. at the Twenty Ninth Street Mall, features the band Face, and 10 percent of all beverage sales during the event will be donated to the children’s museum in Lafayette. Boulder Creek Events will match that amount with a donation of its own.

Lafayette to hold art festival

On June 18, Lafayette’s Public Art Committee will unveil 12 new sculptures selected for the Art on the Street (AOTS) program at the Meet the Artists Reception, a fundraiser for public art in Lafayette. The artists will be introduced, and there will be music, wine and a “Taste of Lafayette,” featuring eight local restaurants.

Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the event, which will be held at Festival Plaza, at Public Road and S. Chester Street. Following the reception, Lafayette will hold its free monthly Art Night Out festivities, with the band Jonny Woodrose & the Broken-Hearted Woodpeckers performing at the plaza.

Viewers can choose their favorite sculpture by voting for the Jean Melblom People’s Choice Award online at www.cityoflafayette.com/culturalarts.

Medical marijuana forum on tap

PLAN Boulder County is hosting a forum titled “Medical marijuana — economic contributor or social detriment?” on Friday, June 11. The forum will be held from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the Creekside Room at the main branch of the Boulder Public Library.

Attendees are welcome to bring their lunch with them. For more information, visit planboulder.org.

Get your catfish on

Boulder County Parks and Open Space is hosting Summer Catfish Night — an opportunity for fishing fans to try their luck at night when the parks are usually closed and the catfish are biting.

The event will take place on June 16 from 7:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. at the Fairgrounds Lake at Hover Road and Boston Avenue in Longmont.

Anglers who are 16 and older must have a current Colorado fishing license. Only shore fishing will be allowed, and no live bait is allowed other than worms and stink bait. Check-in is required at the parking lot off of Boston Avenue. For more information or directions, call 303-678- 6204, or visit www.Boulder CountyOpenSpace.org.

Boulder park upgrades under way

The City of Boulder’s Parks and Recreation Department has launched a couple of construction projects designed to improve the community’s recreation opportunities.

The first phase of the Valmont City Park bike park construction started in May and is expected to last until Spring 2011, depending on weather and contractor progress. The new development will include an off-road terrain park, bike trails and a bike pump track; a “tot-lot” play area and plaza; a gravel parking lot (off Airport Road); a restroom facility; and landscaping and irrigation.

The area north of Valmont and Airport roads will be closed during

construction, but the dog park will remain open. This project is funded by city tax revenue and contributions from area businesses, foundations and individuals in partnership with the Boulder Mountainbike Alliance. The Parks and Recreation Department also received a grant of $200,000 from Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) in 2009 for the park, which will be used to supplement the existing capital funding allocated for this park development.

Work updates and information are located at www.ValmontCityPark.org.

The second project, updating and renovating the Harlow Platts Park irrigation system, is scheduled to last for approximately a year. The park’s exercise parcourse equipment will also be replaced this summer. That project is expected to take approximately two months. Construction updates can be found at www.BoulderParkNews.org.

Adult mentors needed

The City of Boulder Youth Opportunities Program is seeking adult mentors to offer their professional and community expertise to the Youth Opportunities Advisory Board (YOAB).

YOAB is a group of 16 high school students that advises the City of Boulder government on youth issues and plans occasional events for youth.

Mentors must be available the first Friday of each month during the school year from noon to 2 p.m., and for occasional additional afternoon/ evening meetings. Positions will be open until filled. For more information and an application, call 303-441-4349.

Boulder needs mediation volunteers

The City of Boulder is seeking community volunteers to serve on the Mediation Service Advisory Committee, which provides information on local mediation and facilitation needs to the Community Mediation Service.

The committee meets quarterly, and members may be called upon to assist with outreach, research and funding efforts. Priority will be given to applicants working in the fields of education, mental health and mediation/facilitation. The committee also seeks applicants of high school age, those with bilingual Spanish skills and community members experienced in working with vulnerable residents. Committee terms are three years.

Applications are due by June 21.

For more information, call 303- 441- 4364, or e-mail mediation@bouldercolorado.gov.