07.16.24 DMC MinutesCITY OF BOULDER
BOULDER, COLORADO
BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS MEETING MINUTES
Name of Board/Commission: Downtown Management Commission
Date of Meeting: July 16, 2024
Contact Information Preparing Summary: Lauren Kennedy (303) 413-7492
Board Members Present: Justin Kalvin, Susan Nuzum, Don Poe (V-Chair), Erica Dahl, Andy Nathan
Board Members Absent: Stephanie Trees (Chair)
Staff Present:
Cris Jones, Director of Community Vitality (CV)
Matt Chasansky, CV Senior Manager of Cultural Vibrancy & District Vitality
Kristine Edwards, CV Operations and Maintenance Senior Manager
Elliott LaBonte, CV Business Services Senior Manager
Reegan Brown, CV Senior Project Manager
Lane Landrith, CV District Vitality Specialist
Lisa Wuycheck, CV Executive Assistant
Lauren Kennedy, CV Board Specialist
Stephen Redfearn, Interim Police Chief
Guests Present:
Bettina Swigger, Downtown Boulder Partnership CEO
Joseph Hovancak, Vice President, Economic Vitality and Executive Director of the Economic Council
Type of Meeting: Hybrid
The DMC meeting was called to order at 4:04 p.m. A quorum was present for the conduct of business.
Agenda Item 1: Roll Call
Lauren Kennedy, CV Board Specialist took roll call; all commissioners except Stephanie Trees were
present.
Agenda Item 2: Procedural Items
A. Approval of the May 2024 Meeting Minutes
Kalvin motioned to approve the meeting minutes as presented in the packet. Second by Poe. The
motion passed unanimously.
B. Farewell to Susan Nuzum
The commissioners discussed the work Nuzum has done with the commission and said their farewells.
C. Welcome and Oath of Office – Andy Nathan and Erica Dahl
The commissioners introduced themselves and the new commissioners were sworn in and signed their
oaths.
Agenda Item 3: Public Participation
There were no members of the public present.
Agenda Item 4: Consent Agenda
Consent Agenda – Topics will not be discussed unless there are questions posed by the Commission.
Please reference the consent agenda memo.
There were no questions about the consent agenda.
Agenda Item 5: Fund Financials
Fund Financials – The fund will not be discussed unless there are questions posed by the Commission.
Please reference the packet attachment.
There were no questions about the fund financials.
Agenda Item 6: Downtown Boulder Partnership (DBP) Update
Bettina Swigger, Downtown Boulder Partnership CEO updated the commissioner on current DBP
topics.
• The pedestrian count for the downtown area is up significantly. The DBP is going to be
collaborating with Community Vitality and their use of the Placer.AI technology to verify the
counts.
• Employee Appreciation Week was a success.
• Bands on the Bricks has been very successful.
• Advocated to City Council for the Use Review process to be expedited.
• Collaborated with Boulder City Connectors and City staff to design and install wayfinding
signs connecting the Hill to Downtown Boulder.
• Hosted a Homeless Policy Framework Roundtable with Homeless Service providers, Boulder
Chamber, and Visit Boulder.
• Raised a Pride flag over Pearl Street to honor Pride Month with Rocky Mountain Equality
(previously Out Boulder County).
• Spoke at the inaugural Sundays on West Pearl organized by The New Local.
• Spring Green project has been successful, and many flowers were planted.
• Tebo Train is attended by people from all over.
• Ambassador program work being done is “invisible,” or only noticeable when it doesn’t
happen.
• So Boulder Marketing Campaign has gone live and has been received really well on social
media. It is getting good visibility in Denver and state-wide
• East End Business Meet up and Post Card Campaign is launching to incentivize visitors to go to
the east end of the mall.
• The social media statistics are looking good. Poe echoed this sentiment.
• There was an All-Boards Retreat on June 13.
• Arts Fest is looking good. Poe asked about the differences in Ambassador clean up statistics
from January to May, Swigger answered that there were some issues with technology, Smart
System, used to report the clean ups and that there is lower staffing in the winter and early
spring.
Agenda Item 7: Boulder Chamber – Economic Vitality Update
Joseph Hovancak, Vice President, Economic Vitality and Executive Director of the Economic Council
updated the commission about the largest economically growing industries in Boulder.
He brought up the aerospace, bioscience, clean tech, IT, natural-product, outdoor recreation, and
research sectors, and how aerospace is the top growing sector right now.
Hovancak discussed the new consortium, Elevate Quantum, that has awarded a large grant to the City
of Boulder, and how this group is contending against the aerospace sector for largest economic growth
recently. He explained that the group supports the growth of Quantum technologies in Colorado and
gives the City the opportunity to be awarded up to $10 billion more in grants over the next 10 years. He
added that this grant has already intrigued several companies, two of which have confirmed they want
to move to Boulder.
Hovancak brought up that unemployment is up in Boulder compared to this time last year, but
explained that the increase is lower than Denver’s, Colorado’s, and the nation’s unemployment rate.
Jobs increased at a higher rate than the national growth rate.
The Chamber has identified the office vacancies in the downtown area as one of their top priorities and
is working with Bettina to bring more companies into the office spaces.
Hovancak discussed the fact that the entrepreneurial environment looks different from previous years,
but is growing with more venture capitalists, diversity in start-ups, marketing in aerospace and life
sciences, AI technology, and Quantum technologies.
He presented the feedback that the Chamber has received from local entrepreneurs, including that they
feel there are not enough structured events to bring entrepreneurs together.
Hovancak shared that the Boulder Chamber has an economic council that represents 16 industries with
57 major executives on the council. Each month, the council goes to a location for one of the industries
represented and representatives share what they are doing in their industry. The most recent company
presentation was at Celestial Seasonings, and before that, a local aerospace company that has
contributed to welding in space and was included on Space X’s rocket launch in May.
Hovancak presented the sector partnerships, which the Chamber uses to bring companies from
different sectors, including manufacturing, F&B, professional services, technology, and health care
together quarterly to discuss manufacturing.
He discussed the workforce development arm of the Chamber, and how its focus is on changing lives
through adult internships. He gave the statistics and demographics of the program.
He presented the upcoming Annual Impact Summit on October 8. The events of the summit include
networking, opening remarks from the new CU Chancellor, discussions about impacts on economic
vitality, Boulder’s contributions to Colorado’s ecosystem, among other events.
He shared the CU Leeds Business Competence Index and explained that it is a quarterly index that
looks at feedback from hundreds of local business leaders about how Boulder is doing in supporting
businesses. For quarter two of 2024, the feedback has been positive.
Nathan asked what the timetable for the Sundance Film Festival is, and Hovancak answered that they
are anticipating a decision in January or February of 2026, and if it is awarded to Boulder, then it will
occur in 2027.
Poe asked if Boulder allows Air BNBs, and Jones answered that the City does allow them, but is
restrictive. Poe shared that he is concerned that the attendees of the Sundance Film Festival will prefer
renting homes to staying in hotels, and Hovancak added that there will be so many attendees that they
will likely spill into the surrounding cities, like Broomfield or Denver.
Landrith stated that Santa Fe, New Mexico is also competing for the Sundance Film Festival, and Poe
made a joke that they are not competition.
Agenda Item 8: Matters from Staff
A. Safety Update
Stephen Redfearn, Interim Police Chief updated the commission about crime in the city. He explained
that the types of crimes that are difficult to predict, such as violent crimes, are rising and the
department is working to mitigate these crimes. He feels that what the department can control they are
doing well controlling, but they are struggling to be everywhere and support those who are in crisis.
Redfearn added that he is working with the DA to keep the community safe.
He believes that the downtown area is doing well, and he has received positive feedback about the area.
Poe stated that he has seen the area looking better, but it does feel more dangerous because of the
randomness of the attack. Redfearn stated that the majority of the violent crimes have happened
between people who know each other, and random violent crime among strangers is not on the rise.
Poe asked about staffing, and Redfearn stated that they recently hired 12 new recruits and are over 180
officers right now, with plans to ask City Council for more funding in the future and a new recruiting
plan to continue to recruit diverse staff and get to full staffing.
Dahl asked if the recent violent crime offenders were known to the department, and Redfearn answered
that the offenders were very well-known to the department. Dahl followed up by asking if there are
reports on the offenders that can be accessed, and Redfearn answered that there is no profile on each
person, but the offences are public record and can be looked up. He stated that 80% of crimes are
committed by 20% of the population.
Poe asked if the Day Center has had an impact, and Redfearn answered that it is too soon to tell.
Kristine Edwards, CV Operations and Maintenance Senior Manager stated that the Community Vitality
building had suffered from vandalism and the investigator that handled the case did a great job.
Nathan added that there had been crime in his neighborhood recently.
B. DRAFT 2025 Budget Recommendations
Elliott LaBonte, CV Business Services Senior Manager updated the commissioners about the 2025
proposed budget, including:
• A history on the creation of the CAGID district in 1970, and its work to provide parking and
related improvements in the district.
• The key accomplishments of stormwater repairs, gateless conversions at garages, re-opening of
the west end of the mall, expanding Boulder Social Streets, the Eastend River Walk crosswalk
artwork, and launching Commutifi.
• The work in progress of expanding EcoPasses to part-time employees, installing art in Spruce
garage, striping on-street parking, recommending special events programming, updates to the
Cultural Plan, formalizing the Out-Door Dining Program, and complying with the state
mandated digital accessibility legislation.
• The budget process and where the city is in that process. He explained that the City is currently
transitioning from the Citywide Budget Development step to the Council Review & Adoption
step. City Council will review the proposed budgets in September during a study session.
• The Community Vitality Funds, including district, city, and other funds. He explained the
acronyms and each fund’s revenue sources and expenses.
• The 2025 budget highlights of focusing on realigning the under-utilized budget to the programs
that are in need, the new Arts, Culture, and Heritage sales tax, the heavy expansion of Capital
programs, enhancements that are focused on business and employee support, and upcoming
headwinds including Initiative #50 on the 2024 ballot.
• The summary of the budget changes, which includes realignments regarding EcoPass savings
going to support maintenance costs and the General Fund taking over credit card processing
fees from CAGID, enhancements to the Ambassador Program, the Outdoor Dining Program,
and the Arts + Culture Program, expanding EcoPass eligibility to part-time employees, and
Capital highlights such as streetscape renovations, garage projects, security enhancements in
the garages, and 1% for Public Art being allocated to Capital Projects.
• The proposed budget, showing the percent change in different categories. Dahl asked why the
chance to Capital had an asterisk next to the 2025 proposed number, and LaBonte answered
that it included funds from a savings account. Dahl asked for clarification on how it could be a
72% increase, and LaBonte clarified the math, and confirmed that the percent change was 72%
and it is a big increase. LaBonte added that the percent change in personnel is due to two new
positions that Community Vitality will be adding to the team.
• The 2025-2030 Capital Improvement Program, including the proposed budgets for each year
through 2030 and the different categories that need to be funded. The commission and Jones
discussed the upcoming projects, including revitalizations for the 50th anniversary and the
undergrounding of powerlines. Dahl added that visitors are having trouble finding trash cans,
and Jones answered that the new trash cans were installed in an effort to keep bears out of the
area. Jones and LaBonte added details about future operating requests and an upcoming project
to create a program to bring together businesses. Poe asked if the process for changing gas
appliances to electric appliances in restaurants is a City Capital project, and LaBonte answered
that it an Xcel Energy project.
• The Proposed CAGID budget including the large increase in the investment earnings, the
transfers in from the General Fund, the parking revenue, and that they are anticipating an
increase in all revenues. The expenses also increased due to reallocations by Central Finance.
• Nathan asked what the percent difference of the 2023 budget was to the 2024 budget, and
LaBonte answered that it was a lower increase due to the less aggressive Capital Projects in
2024.
• Poe asked why the actuals for 2023 were $1 million less than the proposed budget, and LaBonte
answered that it was due to the EcoPass program costing less than expected. Lane Landrith, CV
District Vitality Specialist updated the commission that RTD had made a mistake in rider count
and overcharged the City for the EcoPass program in 2023 and will be refunding the City for
the amount overcharged.
Poe made a motion to approve the proposed budget, Nathan seconded, there was no additional
discussion and the motion passed unanimously.
C. District Outlook Project Update
Matt Chasansky, CV Senior Manager of Cultural Vibrancy & District Vitality reminded the
commission about the project and its goals. He discussed the upcoming City Council meeting on
September 19 and the goal of having the project complete by then. Poe asked for a brief reminder about
the project, and Cris Jones clarified that there will be in depth discussion at the next DMC meeting.
D. Capital Improvement Projects in Downtown Garages
Kristine Edwards, CV Operations and Maintenance Senior Manager updated the commissioners on the
CAGID Assets, including the different parking lots in the district. She discussed the maintenance and
updates to civic, library, diagonal, and 11th & Spruce lots and the 1100 Spruce Garage.
Poe asked if the Spruce Garage would have artwork, and Chasansky answered that it is on track for
October. Edwards discussed tree planting and maintenance at the garage.
Edwards presented the work completed and the work in progress at the 1500 Pearl Garage after the
freeze event. Poe asked if the tenants received a rent reduction, and Chasansky confirmed that two
tenants had received rent reductions. Jones added that the insurance for the building covered the rent
reduction for the tenants.
Jones explained the caveat that some of the garages seem empty, but they were built on projected
parking need, not current need.
Edwards presented information about the RTD Garage and the completed and in progress work
occurring there, including ramp improvements, concrete repairs, and traffic coating. Poe asked who
owns the garage, and Jones clarified that RTD owns the first floor and the City of Boulder owns every
floor above the first. She discussed issues around landscaping and discovering the City is responsible
for maintaining the landscaping, not RTD.
Edwards discussed the Randolph Garage and the work that has happened there.
Edwards presented the concrete repairs at the St. Julien Garage. Dahl asked if the St. Julien pays for
repairs, and Edwards explained that they pay for the area under the valet and the City pays for the areas
not under the valet.
Edwards presented the next steps of continuing with Capital Improvements Projects, preparing for the
CMGC strategy, and evaluating facility utilization to see how the City can better utilize the spaces.
Kalvin brought up the fact that the electric sign at the Spruce Garage is out, and Edwards explained
that her team is working with the contractor to get it fixed. Kalvin also brought up the broken glass in
the elevator, and Edwards confirmed that it will fall under the maintenance budget. Jones added that
there is a lot of work to do in the area and it may not be repaired yet due to the priority of the to-do list.
Poe thanked Edwards for her and her team’s work.
LaBonte added that one of the maintenance positions was converted from an entry level position to a
lead position, and that added to the increase in the personnel budget.
E. Bike Rack Paint-the-pavement Project
Reegan Brown, CV Senior Project Manager updated the commission about upcoming mural
installations occurring under bike racks in the district. She shared the designs that have been submitted.
Landrith added that the murals will be made out of vinyl, and the small sections will be easily
replaceable. Dahl asked about the timeline, and Landrith answered that it should be complete in 2
months.
Agenda Item 9: Matters from Commissioners
Poe asked about the cross-district consulting project, and Chasansky answered that there will be more
information at the September meeting.
Agenda Item 10: Next Commission Meeting
Next Commission Meeting: 4 p.m., Tuesday, September 10, 2024.
Agenda Item 11: Adjourn DMC Meeting
There being no further business to come before the commission at this time, Kalvin moved to adjourn
the meeting. Second by Nathan. The meeting was adjourned at 6:23 p.m.
Approved on: September 10, 2024
Attested: Approved by:
___________________ _____________________
Lauren Kennedy Stephanie Trees
Board Specialist DMC Chair
Date: ______________ Date: _________________ April 16, 2025
Stephanie Trees (Apr 23, 2025 10:17 PDT)
4/23/25
07.16.24 DMC Meeting Minutes - APPROVED
Final Audit Report 2025-04-23
Created:2025-04-16
By:Ellie Kennedy (kennedyl@bouldercolorado.gov)
Status:Signed
Transaction ID:CBJCHBCAABAAau8a0GJfMgaAv26TqxM65P8sKKzgaxdj
"07.16.24 DMC Meeting Minutes - APPROVED" History
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