Headlines — July 12, 2022

July 12, 2022

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Boulder Receives $25,000 Grant To Hire Lifeguards 

Boulder’s Parks and Recreation Department was awarded $25,000 to help train and retain lifeguards last week. The grant will help facilities at North Boulder Recreation Center and the outdoor Scott Carpenter Pool. 

Due to staffing shortages, these pools have had to run on a limited schedule. The Spruce pool has not opened this summer at all. 

Some of the incentives that are being introduced include a $1 an hour bonus for those lifeguards that work through the Labor Day weekend and referral bonuses. 

Lyons Gets Another Month To Weigh-In On Cemex Deal

The town of Lyons will get another month to discuss whether Boulder County should strike a deal with Cemex; a Mexico-based cement production company. 

For years, Cemex has been one of the worst polluters in the state—dumping 350 thousand tons of carbon into the air each year. This summer, in negotiations for a mining permit, they offered to make a deal with Boulder County.

Cemex said if they can get the permit to mine, they will close their Lyons coal-fired plant in 15 years and give the land back to Boulder County Mountain Parks and Open Space.

The agency initially endorsed the deal, but after protests from community members and Lyons officials, have opened the decision back up for public discussion. Community members have another month to weigh in on the proposal.

National Parks See Surge In Visitors

Last year visitors lined up across the country to enter the National Park System more than 297 million times. That’s up 25% from 2020.

Those visitors spent around $20.5 billion within 60 miles of those parks. That spending is up 41%. This comes from a new report by the Park Service.

According to the authors, much of that increase in visitation and spending has to do with recovering from a pandemic year.

In 2020 fewer park facilities were open. The study says that nationally, the lodging sector saw the highest direct effects of visitor spending, next was restaurants. And this all might be an underestimate. The agency used a new method to survey visitors at Zion. The results show visitors spend more time and money during their trips than previously thought.

Adventurous Workers Are Preparing To Float Down Boulder Creek

The 14 annual Tube to Work day is this Friday, July 15. It will be a return for what – until 2020 – had been an annual tradition. The pandemic put a two-year pause on the event which historically draws hundreds of participants in life jackets, helmets, and business suits or costumes to the waterway of Boulder Creek.

Billed as “the world’s greatest traffic jam,” the aquatic commute starts at Eben G. Fine park where participants will enter Boulder Creek and then tube onto their place of employment. 

Registration for the 800 available spots is now open.

Denver E-bike Rebate Program Is Overwhelmed With Applicants

Denver opened a new window for e-bike rebate applications yesterday. It has received so much public interest that it had to limit the applicants to income-qualified participants. 

The previous round of applications launched on Earth Day and so many people applied that funds depleted within three weeks.

The program allows rebates of $400 on an e-bike and $900 for a cargo bike. Income-qualified residents are eligible for a $1200 rebate for an e-bike and $1700 for cargo bikes.

According to a City of Denver press release, users who were trying to become email verified overwhelmed the system, knocking the application platform offline for between a half hour and two hours. When the applicants did not receive verification. Some attempted to reapply, thereby invalidating their old verification and starting the half-hour to two-hour wait over again.

Since the inception of the program, 848 E-bike rebates have been fulfilled. The program will limit the number of rebates offered each month for the remaining six months of the year to ensure that the program can last through 2022. 

Humane Society of Boulder Valley Offers Free Adoptions This Week

The Humane Society of Boulder Valley is hosting free adoptions for dogs one year and older now through Sunday. Adoptions for dogs usually cost $150.

More than 30 dogs at the shelter are looking for homes and are current on their shots and health checks. In addition to the free adoption, Sonny Side is also offering 25 percent off their products and free crates. 

More information is available at boulderhumane.org. 

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