04.17.25 City Council Meeting TranscriptNote: because council members are using the room audio, this transcript does not specify who is speaking. The city is aware of this issue and is exploring solutions.
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City Council Chambers: And to discuss this matter.
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City Council Chambers: The purchase, acquisition, lease, transfer, or
sale of any real personal or other property interest
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City Council Chambers: conferences with an attorney for the city to
receive legal advice on specific legal questions, determining positions
relative to matters that may be subject to negotiations, developing
strategies for negotiations, and instructing negotiations and
consideration of documents protected by the mandatory
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City Council Chambers: nondisclosure. Provisions of the Colorado Open
Records Act.
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City Council Chambers: Do I hear a motion for executive session so moved
second
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City Council Chambers: a motion of executive session must pass by a two-
thirds of the quorum of counsel present.
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City Council Chambers: May we have our vote?
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City Council Chambers: All right? Thank you. We'll take the roll call,
vote for the executive session
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City Council Chambers: and start with council. Member Benjamin.
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City Council Chambers: Yes, Mayor, pro tem Fokers. Yes, councilmember,
marquis. Yes, spear, yes.
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City Council Chambers: and Wallach. Yes, the motion to call an executive
session of the City council is hereby approved unanimously. The motion
has passed. The Council will now recess and reconvene immediately in an
executive session to discuss the matter previously stated for the purpose
previously stated.
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Taishya Adams: Hello! This is Taisha. Can somebody just make a note that
I've joined the meeting? And I'm going to go to executive session now.
Thank you.
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City Council Chambers: Regular meeting of the Boulder City Council.
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City Council Chambers: I want to start with a general reminder. It is
important for the order of this meeting and the function of government,
that I, as mayor pro tem. The presiding officer of this meeting, maintain
a meeting where all voices are heard, businesses handled. No one is
intimidated, and there is respect for all points of view.
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City Council Chambers: The city council has adopted rules of decorum, so
that business is conducted in an orderly manner.
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City Council Chambers: If attendees obstruct the business of the meeting,
the Council will take a recess
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City Council Chambers: and clear the chambers. I will be fair and
impartial in administering these rules, and I appreciate your
understanding and help in creating a welcoming atmosphere for all members
of the community.
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City Council Chambers: Oh, and thank you.
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City Council Chambers: Sorry I lost my.
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City Council Chambers: We are reconvening from our executive session.
Right? You're going to reconvene back to the regular meeting, back to
state the time. Thank you. We are reconvening back to our regular
meeting, and the time is now 6.0 2.
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City Council Chambers: The 1st item on our agenda is our Earth Day
Declaration, presented by Council. Member Marcus.
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City Council Chambers: Thank you.
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City Council Chambers: Excuse me, Mayor. Pro tem. There is. There is a
bit of a housekeeping from the executive session that we need to finish
up. Thank you.
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City Council Chambers: Yes, I see that now.
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City Council Chambers: So the time is now 6 0. 3 Pm. And the executive
session has been concluded.
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City Council Chambers: The participants in the executives, am I reading
the right part. The participants in the executive session were myself
Mayor pro Tem Lauren Folkertz Council members, Adam, who participated
virtually Benjamin Marquise
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City Council Chambers: Shoehard, who participated virtually speer.
Wallach, the city manager, Nurier, Vera Vandermeid, City Attorney, Teresa
Tate, along with staff members, Michelle Crane, Kurt, Fernhauber Chris,
Mezczyk, Mark Wolf Joanna Crean and Joel Wagner
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City Council Chambers: for the record. If any person who participated in
the executive session believes that any substantial discussion of any
matters not included in the motion to go into executive session occurred
during executive session, or that any improper action occurred during the
executive session in violation of the opens meeting laws. I ask you state
your concerns for the record.
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City Council Chambers: seeing none. I continue the April 17, th regular
meeting agenda.
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City Council Chambers: and we will start with a declaration presented by
Tina for Earth day.
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City Council Chambers: Thank you. So I'll read this Earth Day
Declaration, which will be on April 20 second of next week.
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City Council Chambers: For more than 5 decades. Earth Day has been a
reminder of both the beauty and fragility of our planet and of the power
of people to protect it. Since 1970 Earth Day has sparked transformative
action, inspiring landmark. Environmental protections, like the Clean air
Act, clean water act and endangered species act and fueling grassroots,
movements calling communities across the globe to step forward as
caretakers of the earth.
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City Council Chambers: Today, as we face the defining challenge of our
time, the accelerating climate crisis and the loss of biodiversity. Earth
day carries even deeper meaning. The harm done to our natural world is
not inevitable. It is the result of human choices, and it is through
human action, courage, and care that we can heal and restore the
ecosystems that sustain all life.
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City Council Chambers: Boulder has long been a place where this truth is
recognized and embraced from being among the 1st cities in the nation to
fund open space preservation in 1967 to pioneering, recycling, adopting
the nation's 1st municipal carbon tax, and consistently pursuing bold
climate action.
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City Council Chambers: Our community has shown what is possible when
vision meets commitment
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City Council Chambers: over the years, boulder has reduced emissions,
expanded, renewable energy, protected vital habitats, improved water
quality, and cultivated a deep-rooted culture of environmental
stewardship.
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City Council Chambers: But we know our work is far from finished. In this
moment we recommit to protecting the natural systems that nourish us to
confronting the climate crisis with urgency and resolve, and to restoring
the balance between people and planet.
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City Council Chambers: Earth. Day is not just a date on the calendar. It
is a call to reflect, to recommit and to inspire. It is a reminder that
this community together can lead by example, by investing in clean
energy, protecting biodiversity, restoring ecosystems and empowering
future generations. We can create a healthier, more equitable, and
resilient future for all.
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City Council Chambers: Now, therefore, be it declared that we, the city
council of the city of Boulder, reaffirm our unwavering commitment to
environmental leadership, and hereby hereby declare April 20. Second
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City Council Chambers: as Earth day
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City Council Chambers: we in the city of Boulder, we invite all community
members to join us, not just today, but every day, in reflecting on our
shared responsibility, recommitting to the hard and hopeful work ahead
and letting Earth Day serve, not just as a celebration, but as a guiding
principle for the work ahead to protect, restore, and nurture a
sustainable, equitable and biodiverse future for all.
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City Council Chambers: Thank you. And there are lots of events happening
next week. If you go to the city website. So I hope you all can enjoy
them.
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City Council Chambers: Thank you, Tina.
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City Council Chambers: Next on our agenda is open comment, Elisha, will
you go over our public participation guidelines
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City Council Chambers: so that we can begin.
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City Council Chambers: Yes, thank you, Mayor. Pro tem.
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City Council Chambers: Good evening, everyone, and thank you for joining
us.
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City Council Chambers: We now will review the updated public
participation. At city council meeting guidelines.
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City Council Chambers: the city has engaged with community members to co-
create a vision for productive, meaningful, and inclusive civic
conversations.
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City Council Chambers: This vision supports physical and emotional safety
for community members, staff and council, as well as democracy. For
people of all ages, identities lived experiences and political
perspectives.
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City Council Chambers: For more information about this vision and the
community engagement processes.
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City Council Chambers: Please visit our website at bouldercolorado.gov
slash services, slash productive dash atmospheres. And also we welcome
you to review these guidelines in the Boulder Revised Code Council
procedures. Section 16, B.
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City Council Chambers: The city will enforce the rules of decorum found
in the Boda Revised code. Section 16. B, including participants, are
required to sign up to speak, using the name they are commonly known by,
and individuals must display their whole name before being allowed to
speak online. Currently, only audio testimony is permitted online.
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City Council Chambers: No attendees shall disrupt, disturb, or otherwise
impede the orderly conduct of any council meeting in a manner that
obstructs the business of the meeting.
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City Council Chambers: This also includes failing to obey, and lawfully,
any lawfully order of the presiding officer officer to leave the meeting
room or refrain from addressing the Council.
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City Council Chambers: Only one person at a time at the podium, unless an
accommodation like an interpreter is required.
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City Council Chambers: our remarks and testimony shall be limited to
matters related to city business.
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City Council Chambers: no standing in or otherwise blocking the aisles in
violation of the fire code, or in any way that obstructs the vision or
audio of another audience. Member.
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City Council Chambers: No signs or flags shall be permitted in council
chambers, except for one sign held by a person measuring no more than 11
by 17 inches, which is held higher than the person's face.
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City Council Chambers: no higher than the person's face.
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City Council Chambers: No participant shall make threats or use other
forms of intimidation against any person. We ask that you not affix items
to the podium, or dais, or walls, or other surfaces of the chamber,
signs, flags, or other items used to communicate must be held by one
person when displayed.
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City Council Chambers: Obscenity, other epithets based on race, gender or
religion, and other speech and behavior that disrupts or otherwise
impedes, the meeting will not be tolerated.
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City Council Chambers: and, lastly, in-person participants are asked to
refrain from expressing support or disagreement verbally, or with sounds
such as applause or snapping. With the exception of declarations,
traditionally support is shown through American sign, language, applause,
or jazz hands. Thank you again for listening.
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City Council Chambers: Thank you, Elisha. I will call the 1st 3 names if
you hear your name. If you could join us down here at the front, and one
by one step up to the podium. That would be wonderful. You will have
2 min to speak, and I will cut you off after 2 min to ensure fairness to
everyone.
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City Council Chambers: If the audience interrupts while you are speaking,
I will step in to make sure that we can hear you and return lost time to
you. 1st up we have Leslie Gulustrom, then Mary Juliet Bird and Martha
Mcpherson.
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City Council Chambers: You're up first.st
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City Council Chambers: Council, thank you for this opportunity. Mayor.
Pro tem Fokertz, good job. And as always, I just want to thank you so
much for your service and for keeping democracy. I always want to cry,
keeping democracy strong and keeping it civil, because I don't need to
tell you how important it is that we, from the bottom up continue to do
that, and I honor each of you for
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City Council Chambers: doing that week in and week out. So thank you so
very much for that. My name is Leslie Glustrom, as you can probably
imagine. I'm here to talk about climate change and about excel. I think
you all know that we have an off ramp from our franchise, like our
contract with excel this year. It happens in 2026. But we have to make
the decision this year, and I'm really here. There's no Powerpoint slides
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City Council Chambers: or anything like that. But really here, to
encourage you to take very seriously, and I'll be back as often as I can.
Be honest, encourage you to let the community have this vote.
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City Council Chambers: That's how democracy should work.
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City Council Chambers: Let's hear it from the community. Let's have the
discussion. Do we want to stay with a monopoly, a monopoly whose profits
went up 11% last year, taking 782 million out of our state in after-tax
net income
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City Council Chambers: boulder at a little over 3%. It means that every
year over 20 million is leaving our community to support basically Wall
Street instead of keeping that in our community supporting Main street.
So
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City Council Chambers: it's very important to think about the rates, and
I just want to briefly talk about reliability. We all wish there was a
way to avoid wildfires and all the other frankly, extreme weather. But
there isn't. So we have to start thinking about how to build a system
that will function in the face of the extreme weather. We're going to see
something. I work very hard on, something that we're highly likely to see
in any significant way with excel. So. Thank you so much. Thank you,
Leslie.
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City Council Chambers: Next up we have Mary, Juliet Bird
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City Council Chambers: and I.
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City Council Chambers: It doesn't seem like they are in the audience at
the moment. I know there was some confusion about
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City Council Chambers: the timing for the start of open comments, so if
they
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City Council Chambers: come before the end, we can come back to them
Martha Mcpherson, then Susan Hall and Bryce Billard.
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City Council Chambers: Yes, my name is Martha Mcpherson.
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City Council Chambers: and I'm here again to raise my voice
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City Council Chambers: to protect those who need our combined humanity to
step up to the madness.
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City Council Chambers: The madness being
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City Council Chambers: truth is anti-semitism. Protest is terrorism,
dissent is Russian propaganda. War is peace, freedom is slavery,
ignorance is strength, as George Orwell called it.
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City Council Chambers: The Gaza holocaust is happening right in front of
our eyes. No one can say they didn't know
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City Council Chambers: deliberately killing children in the name of
Jewish people, incites anti-semitism.
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City Council Chambers: calling for an end to the killing, for the equal
rights, does not opposing Jewish supremacy is not anti-semitic.
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City Council Chambers: We have all been witnessing an orgy of killing
sexual violence, false imprisonment and torture and mutilation of
doctors, healthcare and aid workers, journalists, and civilians.
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City Council Chambers: Yet, after 18 months of this savagery, you still
sit there and defend the policies of Jewish supremacists, Netanyahu, Ben-
gavir, and Smotrich, each of whom has publicly called for genocide and
ethnic cleansing.
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City Council Chambers: At what point will you finally see their
resemblance to the Nazis? You accuse those of us who call for an end of
the savagery anti-semite, but we are your mirror, and you refuse to look.
Where is your conscience?
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City Council Chambers: I bow to Taisha Adams, who has the integrity to
stand up to the apex stranglehold you. Others look hard into that mirror,
retrieve your inborn humanity for all of our sakes you have a platform.
Use it for our evolution.
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City Council Chambers: Thank you, Martha. Next up we have Susan Hall.
And, please.
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City Council Chambers: I have to ask you to remain quiet in chambers, and
no booing or clapping. I just want to say thank you to Martha. 1st off
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City Council Chambers: and second off. I wanted to say, Thank you for
Patty fuster Aguilera. Thank you. And of course I have some stuff here.
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City Council Chambers: I thought I might mention that 94 billion dollars
is what Biden signed.
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City Council Chambers: But you guys probably just watched the news. You
know, that has the weather on it. So even though, Martha said, you see
all this, maybe you don't see all this. My mom doesn't see all this.
She's in Texas she gets a total, different type of news. They don't show
anything that's coming from Israel. There you have to go find it. You
have to care about it. Well, right here it says, this is our President's
words.
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City Council Chambers: Oh, we already give Israel 4 billion dollars a
year. That's a lot, you know, that's a lot. That's what he says to Mr.
Netanyahu, or, as we call him, before he moved to Israel Melankowski. Is
that how you say it?
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City Council Chambers: I know he changed it. So it sounded much better
when he was getting all this money. 94 billion last year, 93, no 8.8
billion under trump. So for what the girl said before about having money
from for
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City Council Chambers: for our ecological system, it's not there. And
what do we get for our money we get senators that are bought out.
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City Council Chambers: Hickenlooper gets $273,000 a year. Oh, from Apac!
Well, no wonder he votes for all that money to go to. Israel gave Evans
the same and more of what we get for all that money is. Israel has more
amputee
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City Council Chambers: children than any place else in the world. How
about this one little girl caught in her car? Oh, she must be a
terrorist! Let's shoot her 355 times.
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City Council Chambers: Thank you, Susan. Oh, you're welcome.
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City Council Chambers: James. I need to ask you to not stand during the
while people are speaking in the aisles, according to the fire chief. The
aisles must be kept clear, so I would appreciate if you could keep your
seat. Thank you.
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City Council Chambers: Next up we have Bryce Billard making cowls, and
Alicia Curtin
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City Council Chambers: on the wall of Auschwitz concentration camp.
There's a quote by George Santayana. It reads that those who do not
remember history are condemned to repeat it.
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City Council Chambers: When I graduated high school and left the
conservative town in Colorado Springs, I went on to get my bachelor's in
journalism and German world, language and culture, both of my degrees had
a heavy emphasis in holocaust studies.
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City Council Chambers: I spent years learning about the genocide, because
that is my own family history. My grandfather's entire extended family
having been murdered in Auschwitz, I learned about the Ghettoization, the
internment, the torture, the medical experimentation, the endless murder.
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City Council Chambers: and I internalized all of that, because I truly
took the saying, never again to heart. It is because of this deep
internalization that when I finally educated myself on the horrors that
have been unfolding in Palestine for the better part of a century. I was
shocked because the similarities were blinding, and how obvious they
were.
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City Council Chambers: Again I read of ghettoization and internment and
torture and medical experimentation and endless murder.
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City Council Chambers: It is a dangerous thing to be painting people who
are standing up against genocide of the Palestinian people as anti-
semitic, and I say that as somebody whose entire family has experienced
the fallback of a genocide.
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City Council Chambers: stop this.
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City Council Chambers: You paint yourself as progressive city, and it's
why I moved to Northern Colorado specifically to Boulder, because I
wanted to leave behind the bigots in Colorado Springs. But what I have
found here. Is that the only difference between them and you is you
pretend not to be.
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City Council Chambers: I yield my time.
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City Council Chambers: Thank you, Bryce. Next up we have Macon, then,
Alicia. And then, Jan.
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City Council Chambers: I do, just because I am trying to counter any
disparagement that gets said. I would like to say that I have met many
very nice people in Colorado Springs, and I really think that it is not.
We don't want to disparage an entire group of people. Thank you.
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City Council Chambers: Megan. Thank you. My name is Macon Coles. I live
at 17th and Mapleton, and I'm here tonight to ask the city of Boulder to
collaborate with Boulder County to turn the county's Broadway campus into
a bold new example of social housing.
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City Council Chambers: The county's 17 and a half acre campus at
Broadway, and Iris is a 15 min Neighborhood location across from
foothills, elementary near parks, services, grocery stores, and transit.
It should not be sold into private hands, as the county now intends
instead, the city and county should partner to create several 100 homes,
not only for low income.
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City Council Chambers: but also for teachers, nurses, and frontline
workers who earn too much to qualify for subsidized housing but too
little to live in Boulder a mixed income community is the very definition
of social housing.
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City Council Chambers: Let's follow the lead of Montgomery County,
Maryland, which includes Gaithersburg, the other city, with a big
national institute of standards, campus on it.
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City Council Chambers: Their housing opportunities, Commission uses
public land and low-cost public financing to create mixed income housing
that serves people across a range of incomes.
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City Council Chambers: and because the public retains ownership, these
homes remain affordable, not just for 15 or 25 years, but permanently.
It's a model that has brought stability and inclusion to one of the most
expensive regions in the country. The mixed income character of social
housing prevents the stigma often heard in conversations about affordable
housing. Here
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City Council Chambers: we can do this. Some have raised concerns about
losing the baseball fields, but those fields can be relocated and
improved and expanded, along with tennis and pickleball courts on the
city parkland, in the planning reserve near Violet and us. 36. This is a
once in a generation opportunity. Don't let the county sell this land
into private hands. We can do this. Thank you. Menken.
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City Council Chambers: Alicia Curtin, Jan Burton, and then Jim Morris.
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City Council Chambers: Thank you. Everyone for having me.
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City Council Chambers: My name is Alicia Curtis. Yeah, you'll have to
lean like right and get, yeah, is this better? Is this better?
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City Council Chambers: I am Alicia Curtin. For nearly 4 years I have
lived on Grant Place with my 4 children and 2 dogs.
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City Council Chambers: We relocated from upstate New York to our dream
location, and we are very happy here. I bought and renovated a lovely
home with our savings only to have an investor purchase the lovely 4
bedroom home next door and turn it into a 9 bedroom rental.
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City Council Chambers: This added density on my One-way street has me
concerned regarding evacuation. When an emergency reaches our community.
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City Council Chambers: I sit on the University neighborhood or University
Hill Neighborhood Association Executive Board. I am a member of the
Flagstaff Fire Action Prevention Committee, and I, trained as this past
winter as a fire, adapted Colorado neighborhood Ambassador for University
Hill. I also invited you all to my presentation at the library, informing
the neighborhoods about home, or excuse me, my neighbors, about
strategies they could take to harden their homes
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City Council Chambers: as part of my faco training.
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City Council Chambers: I'm here tonight because of my concerns regarding
the management of the flagstaff corridor and the significant threat of
Wildfire to boulder to the boulder community as a whole.
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City Council Chambers: First, st I urge you to coordinate with the 3
other entities that manage the corridor in an effort to responsibly
manage this area and the Wui there have already been 7. Human ignition
fires on flagstaff this year. The illegal behavior that persists on
flagstaff and panorama Point continues to put not only the Willowbrook
and the University Hill neighborhoods at risk, but the greater boulder
community as a whole as well.
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City Council Chambers: Fire. Chief Lowry has stated that should a
wildfire come over Flagstaff, it will become an urban fire, and they will
focus on life saving measures.
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City Council Chambers: They do not intend to save the city
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City Council Chambers: with the density on the hill. I have grave
concerns about evacuation during an emergency situation. Thank you,
Alicia. Your time is up.
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City Council Chambers: Next up we have Jam Burton, Jim Morris, and Evan
Rabbits.
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City Council Chambers: Good evening, Council. Good evening, Jan Burton. I
live on the hill, and Alicia is my
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City Council Chambers: fire advocate for my neighborhood, and she's the
one who began to get me interested in the subject that I'm going to talk
about local issue tonight.
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City Council Chambers: which is fire hardening and fire prevention.
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City Council Chambers: Haven't we seen enough fires now, both locally and
in other places, to know that boulder is really at a significant
significant risk
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City Council Chambers: for a fire?
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City Council Chambers: We need to have a sense of urgency as a community.
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City Council Chambers: I had the fire department inspection person, Steve
Orr, come out and do an inspection on my home. It was very, very
valuable, and I took his lessons to heart, and will be beginning to rip
out junipers, my beloved blue spruce.
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City Council Chambers: and I'm going to take his recommendations and do
them all.
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City Council Chambers: and I don't do that only to protect myself, but to
protect my neighbors, and I feel like that's the attitude that we should
have in this community to really protect ourselves.
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City Council Chambers: But he can, where the staff can only do 435 homes
a year. That's not going to get us to where we need to be when we have
49,000 housing units. So
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City Council Chambers: we need to have neighborhood efforts
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City Council Chambers: train the trainer programs and legislation.
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City Council Chambers: I've reviewed the We legislation, and I think it's
a great step, but it's only for new building.
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City Council Chambers: and I think we have to step up as a community and
say, we're willing to put standards also on existing properties, or we'll
never get there.
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City Council Chambers: Steve Orr has said that 80 to 90% of the fires are
started by embers, and that there are certain things that can be done to
really protect the community if we'll do things. So there are simple
things like, get rid of junipers. The gasoline plant, put screens on the
vents, get rid of mulch. Those are the kind of things that every property
owner could do.
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City Council Chambers: Thank you.
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City Council Chambers: Thank you, Jan. Next up we have Jim Morris, Evan
Ravitz and Frida Silva.
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City Council Chambers: Hi, I'm Jim Morris and Jim, could I get you to
lean into the microphone a little more?
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City Council Chambers: Is that better?
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City Council Chambers: Okay, I think we should not give weapons to
countries that are having civil war.
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City Council Chambers: I think that would be like Sudan, Chad the
Democratic Republic of
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City Council Chambers: the Congo. I think there's I might get confused
here, but there's supposedly 1 million refugees displaced people in
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City Council Chambers: one of those 2 countries and 15 million in the
other. I think the Congo was 1 million, and Chad was, and Sudan was
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City Council Chambers: 15 million.
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City Council Chambers: I also think we need climate action, not war. I
mean, war is really bad for the climate. You
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City Council Chambers: burn a lot of you produce a lot of greenhouse
gases with a jet or a tank, or
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City Council Chambers: you also do that. Starting fires that phosphorus
bombs are being used in Palestine, and they're made by a company. That's
1 of our largest employers in Boulder.
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City Council Chambers: So I was sort of amazed to find out that
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City Council Chambers: the 7th largest Weapons company in the world
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City Council Chambers: has a major boulder presence. It's bae they make
phosphorus bombs, drones subs missile launching kits, ammunition
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City Council Chambers: jets. It goes on and on.
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City Council Chambers: and those are being used, not all of those, but
they have 2 ammunition plants in the Us.
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City Council Chambers: And they they make the howitzer bombs and the
phosphorus bombs.
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City Council Chambers: And we're trying to create a city that maybe wants
to
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City Council Chambers: not have the whole planet burn up.
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City Council Chambers: But by promoting war our tax money is $12,000 per
household in 2024
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City Council Chambers: for the military budget.
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City Council Chambers: It's $40,000 per household from 2,002 through
2023,
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City Council Chambers: and it's a scam sort of the war profiteers.
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City Council Chambers: I made this shirt a long time ago, and it showed.
Oh, I'm up
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City Council Chambers: quiet, please, in the audience. Thank you, Jim.
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City Council Chambers: Evan Ravitz. You're up next Frida Silva, and then
Michelle Rodriguez.
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City Council Chambers: Evan Ravitz does not appear to be here at the
moment. Frida Silva
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City Council Chambers: and I also oh, okay, there we go.
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City Council Chambers: This might.
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City Council Chambers: It's gonna be important.
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City Council Chambers: Alrighty. My name is Frida. I'm a sister. I'm a
daughter. I'm a community member. I'm a friend.
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City Council Chambers: and I'm talking. I guess Taisha's not here.
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City Council Chambers: I don't know Matt Erin, Lauren, Tina Ryan, Nicole,
Mark Tara talking to each of you.
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City Council Chambers: You're going to hear the obliteration and the
total destruction of a people I'm going to share with you sounds of Gaza,
and you will hear heavy airstrikes in the northern and eastern region
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City Council Chambers: of Gaza right now.
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City Council Chambers: and you will hear now the aftermath of what
usually happens after airstrikes hit.
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City Council Chambers: Excuse me.
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City Council Chambers: Ginger, is there no way.
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City Council Chambers: Oh, my! Oh, wow!
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City Council Chambers: That's destruction and the obliteration of a
people funded by the taxpayers of this city and this country.
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City Council Chambers: Please quiet in the audience. Thank you. Frida
Michelle, Rodriguez, Rod Smoke, and then Elliott flatten, are next on our
list.
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City Council Chambers: Good evening, Council members. I'm here today to
bring a deeply troubling update and ask some urgent questions on behalf
of our community and the family of Soraya Hardy. Just last week an
honorable local judge ruled in the preliminary hearing for the tragic
homicide and human trafficking case involving the murder of Soraya Hardy,
the court found sufficient evidence to support that the crime included
the completed act
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City Council Chambers: of trafficking for sexual servitude. As a result,
the accused murderer is now being held on a 10 million dollars bond,
however, 2 alleged accomplices remain free, one of them, Zariah's
boyfriend, confessed to selling her for drugs, the other has not only
made a confession, but has now been connected by DNA evidence to the
case, yet neither of these individuals has been charged with trafficking.
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City Council Chambers: In fact, one of them was seen this morning
attending our very own community court and outreach right outside this
building, receiving services and shelter that are meant to protect our
most vulnerable. Meanwhile Soraya's family sat in disbelief at the
preliminary hearing last week they're left to wonder, just as many of us
are, how we move forward when justice remains incomplete. So I asked the
body directly.
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City Council Chambers: whose responsibility is it to charge these 2
individuals?
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City Council Chambers: Why has it not yet been done?
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City Council Chambers: Why are these individuals loose amongst our
community after voluntary confessions.
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City Council Chambers: especially when a judge has determined their
involvement. Zariah Hardy deserves justice, and her family deserves
answers.
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City Council Chambers: Our community deserves accountability.
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City Council Chambers: Please. I need you guys to address this. I need
answers to those questions for the family. They need to know how to
proceed. They're not being given any answers. There was no media at the
court date.
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City Council Chambers: There were only stand-in officers. They deserve
more.
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City Council Chambers: Thank you.
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City Council Chambers: Thank you, Michelle.
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City Council Chambers: Next up we have Rob Smoke, then Elliott flatten.
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City Council Chambers: Good evening. My name is Rob Smoke. I live in
Boulder. I've been living in Boulder most of the time since 86,
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City Council Chambers: and last Council meeting. A woman got up to speak,
and went on quite a bit about
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City Council Chambers: her. Well, her feelings about people using the
term Zionazi.
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City Council Chambers: So I'm not advocating that people use that term.
However.
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City Council Chambers: the people who have been speaking out on behalf of
murdered Palestinian children.
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City Council Chambers: Get upset about that, and I think there's a pretty
sharp contrast between somebody who's saying
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City Council Chambers: they feel discomforted by terms that are used
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City Council Chambers: which are really just being used to kind of gain
attention. Try to raise consciousness a little bit.
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City Council Chambers: I mean, it is true that
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City Council Chambers: the indiscriminate killing is more akin to
something that we'd see
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City Council Chambers: in World War 2 by Nazis, and
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City Council Chambers: for people who are denying that
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City Council Chambers: Palestinian children are being killed
indiscriminately.
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City Council Chambers: Who are you denying you're calling me an anti-
semite? Are you calling human rights? Watch the UN. Amnesty international
doctors without borders? Are they all anti-semitic? Are they all people
who are just lying to you or fabricating something? It's hard to have
your consciousness raised. It's painful. I grew up with a Zionist lineage
in my family, a true Zionist lineage, and I think it was probably at the
age of 12 or 13 that I kind of
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City Council Chambers: came out of it because I was listening to other
people.
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City Council Chambers: and 2 of my best friends in high school were
Israelis, who were being protected by their mom from entering the
military by being brought to the Us.
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City Council Chambers: Anyway. Thank you for listening to me today.
Thanks.
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City Council Chambers: thank you, Rob. Next up we have Elliot flatten,
and then I'll return to the in-person speakers who weren't here the 1st
time
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City Council Chambers: continually repeating a lie does not make it true.
At these meetings I'd like to have my time back
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City Council Chambers: at these meetings. No one bothers to explain what
the repeated and cliched use of genocide actually means. Definitionally,
genocide isn't just mass killing under Federal statute, and the Genocide
Convention includes the killing of civilians, but not just any killing,
not caring about civilian deaths, or even deliberately causing them for
another reason isn't enough. If the killing is not done with dulus
specialis special intent to destroy a population, it does not qualify as
genocide.
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City Council Chambers: This is intentionally the hardest part of any
genocide case to prove, for if otherwise, then nearly every war would be
genocide. That's why, under Icj precedent the evidence must be fully
conclusive and genocidal intent must be the only plausible inference. See
paragraph 373 of the 2,007, Bosnia and Herzegovina versus Serbia case and
paragraphs 1, 62, and 1 78 of the 2,015 Croatia versus Serbia case.
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City Council Chambers: So when someone points to rhetoric that might seem
dehumanizing, and that alone doesn't meet the legal bar, especially if
the other side is taking documented steps to reduce civilian harm. In
that case genocidal intent is not the only plausible inference, and the
charge fails under icj precedent. Similarly, food shortages, even tragic
ones that may be intentionally caused
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City Council Chambers: don't prove genocide either. If there's a
reasonable military explanation, like targeting enemy fighters or
weapons, infrastructure. In that case the required intent to destroy
civilians is not legally present.
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City Council Chambers: So, in spite of the people laughing in the
background and trying to interrupt me in the future. Let's not rely on
cliched and racially charged and anti-semitic slogans. Let's have
analysis based on actual legal standards, not incitement. Dressed up as
justice, and certainly not racist and anti-semitic blood libels. Thank
you.
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City Council Chambers: Thank you, Elliot, please. Quiet in the audience.
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City Council Chambers: Given that I am committed to countering all
disparagement, I would like to say that I recognize and honor those in
our community that raise their voices in thoughtful protest. Your
commitment to advocacy, justice, and the democratic process reflect
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City Council Chambers: the heart of what makes Boulder a thoughtful and
engaged community, and no matter which side of this. I don't think.
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City Council Chambers: Please be quiet in the audience. If you don't, I
need. I'm going to need to recess the meeting. This is a disruption
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City Council Chambers: unless we can become quiet.
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City Council Chambers: I appreciate that. Thank you.
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City Council Chambers: Mari, Mary Juliet Bird, or Evan rabbits are either
of you present.
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City Council Chambers: If not, we will be moving on to our virtual
speakers.
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City Council Chambers: Our virtual speakers are Josh Schlossberg, and
followed by Rm. Bingham, Gia. And then Jeff Cahoon.
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Josh Schlossberg: Yeah. Can you hear me?
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City Council Chambers: Yes, we can hear you.
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Josh Schlossberg: Okay, I guess. Start the engines. Now, please. City of
Boulder, along with Boulder and Jefferson counties. The counties of
Jefferson and Boulder paid for a 2022 study which concluded that forest
quote
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Josh Schlossberg: thinned prior to the 2020 cowwood fire burned just as
intensely or more so as uncut forests, and ultimately released more
carbon into the atmosphere. The study by climate scientist Brian Buma,
Phd. From University of Colorado, and other scientists found in forest
plots previously cut in the name of quote, wildfire, mitigation, a quote,
lack of clear effectiveness of the treatments at increasing surviving
live biomass when exposed to a wildfire, unquote
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Josh Schlossberg: study. Authors theorize that partially the high ground
fuel loads and decreased tree density led to increased fire intensity as
a result of easier wind movement, an unintended consequence seen in the
2014 mile fire as well. Unquote
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Josh Schlossberg: city of Boulder didn't just ignore the findings of the
study. It didn't even mention the existence of the study it funded. And
it's roughly 150 references in its 2024 community wildfire protection
plan up on the city website. This joins several 100 peer reviewed studies
by hundreds of scientists that can test the fuel reduction narrative in
our forests
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Josh Schlossberg: studies boulder also disregards. Why did the city
ignore and bury its own study. Was this an error or intentional? On top
of previous cutting Boulder City, open space, mountain parks is planning
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Josh Schlossberg: hundreds of acres of tree removal and forest clearing
in 2025, in the name of wildfire mitigation money that could instead be
spent on actually effective home hardening and defensible space up to 100
feet around homes that other folks have mentioned.
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Josh Schlossberg: This is why we're asking for a moratorium on any
further tree cutting in the name of wildfire and open space and mountain
parks, until the full body, science and public opinion is incorporated
into the decision making, especially when it comes to the city's own
studies that it funds for this very purpose.
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Josh Schlossberg: Thank you very much.
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City Council Chambers: Thank you, Josh. Next up we have. Rm. Bingham.
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aram bingham (he/él): Hello!
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City Council Chambers: Hello! We can hear you.
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aram bingham (he/él): Okay, thank you. I will begin speaking. I hope you
remember me standing before you over a year ago to remind you that
Boulder city council waited for over 3 years and 600,000 dead Iraqis,
before acting to pass a ceasefire resolution a year and a half into the
war on Gaza
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aram bingham (he/él): and by public health experts, best estimations, at
least 300,000 excess deaths of Palestinians with starvation, continuing
blockade, collective punishment, genocide, ethnic cleansing whatever you
want to call it.
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aram bingham (he/él): This is your halftime warning.
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aram bingham (he/él): You have, through avoidance, condescension,
disingenuousness, and outright repression of citizens, rights to express
themselves in this public Forum avoided doing a single thing to promote
peace and human rights. You have told us you cannot make motions on
foreign affairs when you know this is not true. City Council's rules and
procedures. Item 15 F.
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aram bingham (he/él): States Council shall not act on a foreign policy or
national policy issue on which no prior official policy has been
established by the Council or the people, unless sufficient time and
resources can be allocated to assure a full presentation of the issue.
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aram bingham (he/él): you are fully empowered to allocate this time and
resources, and despite the many hours of cumulative public testimony over
these 18 horrible months, and an abundance of resources in the form of
blood money, of city investments in war, profiteering corporations. You
have told us the lie that you cannot comment.
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aram bingham (he/él): You have also told us patronizingly that we are
wasting our breath here, and that we should be speaking to our elected
officials at a higher State and Federal level, as though this is
something we are not already doing, or as if this is something you should
not yourselves be doing already. If you believe that human rights
violations committed with our weapons and tax dollars are not preferable
to peace. Then you should fucking say so.
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aram bingham (he/él): Don't make us wait another 18 months. Thousands of
more dead children, hundreds of dead journalists and assassinated
paramedics for a council which either suffers less from cowardice or
benefits more from bloody hindsight. To get our resolution. In my last
few moments. I want to say we should never have hired police. Chief
Steven Redfern, how do you expect this to become more.
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City Council Chambers: Your time is up. Thank you for your comments, Jeff
Calhoun.
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City Council Chambers: and then we'll have Joseph Amador and Laura
Gonzalez.
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Geof Cahoon: Good evening, Council members. I appreciate your service,
and I appreciate your time. I
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Geof Cahoon: have the unusual situation of appearing before you. Many of
you and I, I think, know each other without a title under me. I'm
appearing strictly on my own opinion, but I am noticing something, and I
think it's important. It's a civic issue, and it has nothing to do with
the travesties that occur around the world, especially in the Middle East
and Ukraine
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Geof Cahoon: but
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Geof Cahoon: that being said, we have a fair amount of issues going on
with elections. At this point I want to suggest
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Geof Cahoon: that we take a more comprehensive look, not just, I know and
support. The League of Women Voters. Call for a review of of Represent of
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Geof Cahoon: a a parliamentary representative type of agreement.
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Geof Cahoon: I think that's great. I think it's wonderful. But
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Geof Cahoon: I also note that there are calls for Longmont to do
something boulders talking about it. I think. You know, we took big
steps, big steps
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Geof Cahoon: in going with a new election system for council and direct
election of Mayor.
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Geof Cahoon: Why don't we take a little pause here, and very
intentionally, with the, with the involvement of the Boulder County
clerk.
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Geof Cahoon: That's critical to take a look at our total election systems
and organize a citizens, assembly, or some other form of group analysis,
involving not just boulder, but the other customer of elections, Longmont
and the other cities, and take a look at really take developing a better
solution.
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Geof Cahoon: And with that I thank you for your service, and I thank you
for your patience as council members.
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City Council Chambers: Thank you, Jeff.
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City Council Chambers: In the front row, Bryce and Frida. I'm gonna have
to ask you to lower your signs down so that they're not above the top of
your head, please.
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City Council Chambers: Thank you.
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City Council Chambers: Next up we have
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City Council Chambers: Joseph Amador, and I apologize if I'm not saying
your name properly. And then Laura Gonzalez and Patty Fuster Aguilera.
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Joe Aamidor: Hello! Can everyone hear me?
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City Council Chambers: Yes.
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Joe Aamidor: Okay, awesome and good pronunciation. Good enough. First, st
thank you for your Dedication service to boulder to the City Council
members. Thank you for the opportunity to speak for a few minutes. It's
my 2 min of fame. My family tells me I'm very robust, so I hope I don't
bore you too much nice to be at a city council meeting. I hope you're
able to get to city business.
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Joe Aamidor: and, you know, focus on our city. Anyway, I wanted to just
provide a point of view on my neighborhood, which is the University Hill,
Lower Chautauqua area. Alicia, who spoke earlier, touched on some similar
points. Not exactly what I wanted to share, but it's nice to just have
that voice in your head that you're not crazy. So I'm not actually
advocating for a specific policy. I'm not asking for a specific thing.
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Joe Aamidor: I think I'm just trying to share and ask for a measured and
thoughtful approach to how city policies impact this area of our fine
city. I actually grew up in a small college town very similar to Boulder
in a lot of ways same size, high quality of life. A dominant university,
very pro college town. College towns are a huge asset. I think the
university is a huge asset. We have little kids. It's a great place to
grow up. But I wanted to share that. I think
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Joe Aamidor: our policies at a city level have a differentiated impact on
this neighborhood, and I want to make that point without saying, Do X, do
y again, not advocating for a specific policy. But I just think we need
to recognize that a policy for boulder may function or end up being
different because of the outsized impact of the university in our
specific neighborhood. I also want to acknowledge that I think this is a
topic of discussion. I've seen
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Joe Aamidor: emails from some of the city council members who have noted.
Maybe we need to think about this slightly differently, this neighborhood
slightly differently than the rest of Boulder, and I just want to
advocate that. I agree with that. I think that that should be kept in
mind in general. And I also just want to acknowledge, finally, that there
are pros and there are cons. I'm not saying there's a lot of negatives,
or there's a lot of positives. I just think it's different in our
neighborhood because of some of the dynamics, and I appreciate it all.
Thank you for your time. Have a great evening.
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City Council Chambers: Thank you, Joseph. Next we have Laura Gonzalez and
Patty Fuster Aguilera.
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Laura Gonzalez: Can you hear me?
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City Council Chambers: Yes.
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Laura Gonzalez: And focus. Thank you for dehumanizing me. You know them
well that my name is Laura, and you did not honor that.
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Laura Gonzalez: I want to start by saying that you guys are a joke. You
have a proclamation of Earth Day when literally there's an echo site
happening, not just in Gaza. By the way, there's also an echo site in the
Congo and Sudan, and all of it's connected back to our tax dollars and
the decisions that we make such as you that you're just not silent. But
you're literally making rules to suppress pro-palestinian voices. Let's
not even say pro-palestinian voices.
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Laura Gonzalez: humane voices that are fighting against the genocide
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Laura Gonzalez: to the 1st speaker that spoke about the excel contract.
Yeah, I'm glad that you're fighting for that and against monopoly, but I
also encourage you to fight. Why did Mark Wallach leave, by the way? But
I also want you to fight for
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Laura Gonzalez: You know the
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Laura Gonzalez: against genocide, because it's all connected. What's the
point of breaking a contract with excel when we're literally not going to
have 10 or 20 more years because of all the emissions that Israel's
pouring out in the atmosphere right now. Also, I think it's such a joke
focus that you're talking about fire access code when there is absolutely
no
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Laura Gonzalez: risk for a fire. You know where there's a risk for a fire
in Palestine, in Gaza, with their fucking money and our fucking bombs,
and you know what happened last night, Focus, and I want to know if you
can sleep at night. 10 children were burned alive. They were charred.
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Laura Gonzalez: How dare you
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Laura Gonzalez: talk to people and silence them more. I thought you were
a humane person, but it doesn't seem like you. Are. You rather care about
order than justice
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Laura Gonzalez: also. Let's talk about like the resources on time, like
another of my fellow comrades did earlier. Right? You do have the
resources. Do you know how much your city manager makes. Your city
manager makes $310,000. You know what the police makes that police?
What's his name? Sterling Aqua. He makes
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Laura Gonzalez: 200.
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City Council Chambers: Thank you, Laura. I apologize for mispronouncing
your name.
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City Council Chambers: Next up we have Patty Fuster Aguilera.
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Padi Fuster: Hello! Can you hear me?
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City Council Chambers: Yes.
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Padi Fuster: Yeah, big disappointment all over the place. Here you all
are so shameful to to just, you know. Just so. Shame for the the world.
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Padi Fuster: I will look. I just came back from like, you know,
receiving, like the President's excellence, award in inclusivity from the
whole University of Colorado, and at the same time I have to deal with a
fucking trial for appealing on my 30 day suspension because my sign was
too high.
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Padi Fuster: What a shameful like
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Padi Fuster: council in this city that you want to be like progressive.
And you are like so shameful and like, yeah, like to, you know, kudos to
Laura, to say that you own you put order over justice. You know. How.
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Padi Fuster: How do you sleep at night? You all? It's like so shameful.
You know I work at Cu. There's 12 students already that their visas have
been revoked. We have a problem with like studying freedom of speech to
people and you in the local government are doing exactly the same thing.
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Padi Fuster: The city manager that. Yeah, it makes more than 300 KA year.
How can you think that, like somebody like this is gonna care about
people. The Nwa Cp chapter are dissolving also because she wanted to hire
the chief of police that murder Elijah. My claim like what a shameful
place that we live on, you know, and in the meantime I have to deal with
like all these students that are being
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Padi Fuster: like repress. We are getting suspended, silencing our
voices. We can even come to the city chambers, and if you all know it is
because of the city manager amended this policy that they are able to
suspend people at the city chambers. Okay, so like, this is so shameful.
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City Council Chambers: Thank you, Patty.
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City Council Chambers: We have. Do we have Marijut Bird or Evan Rabbits
in the audience?
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City Council Chambers: If not, that concludes our open comment. Nuria or
Teresa, do you have anything you would like to add?
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City Council Chambers: Sure, thank you. As always, we
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City Council Chambers: appreciate when community comes and shares your
opinions. There are a couple things about that require staff. Follow up,
Michelle. Thank you for sharing your insights. I'll be following up with
Bpd. About what you have brought forward, so know that I'll be doing
that. I also understand there's some folks that talk today about what
we're doing with
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City Council Chambers: Wildland safety, and I know we're going to be
discussing that
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City Council Chambers: on May 15th more robustly at second reading. I
know there was a caller who spoke today about forestry. I want to say,
1st of all, that our Osmp
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City Council Chambers: staff, our director, has been speaking with Mr.
Schlossberg directly. I also want to say that I know our staff has been
looking into our forest ecosystem management plan and our community
wildfire protection plan, and I trust in the work they are doing. But
they have been reaching out directly there.
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City Council Chambers: and that is all I have for you.
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City Council Chambers: Thank you so much, Naria, for your always
dedication and hard work, Teresa. Nothing from me. Thank you.
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City Council Chambers: Thank you as well with, Please quiet in the
audience. This is open, comment is concluded, and we need to move on with
city business.
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City Council Chambers: We've been ignored. I'm going to have to call a
recess.
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City Council Chambers: We demand an answer.
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City Council Chambers: This is a disruption of our city council meeting,
and we cannot proceed with business. I am calling a recess to our meeting
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City Council Chambers: showers. You gotta go.
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Taishya Adams: Findings and thank you.
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City Council Chambers: Thanks, Councilmember Adam, we're going to tag
team your question. I'm going to take the 1st part, and just note that
while the racial equity instrument will be used throughout this process.
It was not used as a decision making and consultant selection. I know we
are working closely with Patrick in the office of equity on developing
that equity and purchasing policy, and that will help with future
projects. And it was not used in that way. For this, although equity was
part of the interview process, and one of the reasons we selected this
project team.
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City Council Chambers: Of course they select their subconsultants. But
one of the reasons we selected this project team because of the way they
demonstrated in alignment with our focus on equity and making sure that
this park is a place where everyone feels welcome.
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Taishya Adams: Right? Well, I certainly appreciate that. And again, you
know, although I appreciate robust community engagement, I'm also eager
to ensure that our city's investments are being spread throughout all of
those who are who are
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Taishya Adams: experienced and able to do this work with fidelity, and
who have unfortunately been historically excluded from these
opportunities in the city of Boulder for the majority of its existence.
So I'm excited. And I look forward to the use and how we can ensure. And
also, I'm curious in the interim how we can address the gap
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Taishya Adams: in the power dynamic by having a lack of that
representation by those critical decisions. So thank you for that. Look
forward to the responses. To my second question regarding the use of AI
generative AI in particular.
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Taishya Adams: any kind of clauses that we have in contracts, and also
how we are doing enforcement to ensure the documented evidence of bias
and discrimination which unfortunately disproportionately impacts
marginalized and underinvested communities.
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City Council Chambers: Thank you, Councilmember Adams, I can speak to
that for our 1st and second window of community engagement. We did not
readily use AI. We did a lot of analog in terms of going through public
comment and data.
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City Council Chambers: And so every step of the way, there was always
several staff members evaluating feedback. Not not only that we had our
community connectors as well, evaluating data with us and ensuring that
historically excluded communities, the feedback that we were given was
fairly represented by the designs, and throughout the process.
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Taishya Adams: Okay, so just point of clarification. No AI programs or
software was used in the by our consultant groups. What you're saying is,
no AI software was used by your consulting groups in any stage of this
project.
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City Council Chambers: I would have to defer to Abby. Abby is part of our
Rios team.
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City Council Chambers: and we'll get back to you on if any AI was
actually used throughout the process. If there was, I can say that again.
Staff members had always been reviewing data.
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Taishya Adams: Awesome. And it's really important that we have those
multi-layer checks. So I'm really grateful to hear that we are doing that
level of mitigation. I did want to come back, though, I heard you say we,
although we don't have that representation where more important decisions
are made, we have where decisions are being made. We have that
representation by people who are providing feedback. And this happened at
something similar happened at the incredible
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Taishya Adams: gathering at the Boulder Valley Comp plan at the East
Boulder Rec Center last weekend, where we had this incredible team and so
many robust conversations. But I noticed there were no black identifying
facilitators. And so I asked about that. And again I applaud our city for
recognizing the gap in staff and having somebody from our community serve
as a facilitator, however, that facilitator does not have the same
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Taishya Adams: power and influence in decision making on the policy as
staff does so, although I appreciate the stopgap mechanisms that our city
has identified because of the lack of meaningful and proportionate
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Taishya Adams: power sharing by disproportionately impacted communities.
And I will continue to ask these kinds of questions until we can get to a
place where there's fairness in our city. Thank you very much.
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City Council Chambers: Thank you for that feedback.
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City Council Chambers: Next up I have Ryan, and then, Matt.
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City Council Chambers: Great work.
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City Council Chambers: I just have one question. When we looked at this
with you. About a year ago, I think I expressed an interest in looking at
design ideas that would facilitate good connectivity for transit, active
transportation. Other car light access. I'm just curious if that's
something that has made its way into
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City Council Chambers: either the thinking or the planning so far, or if
not, if you think it will in the next stage, or if you've ruled that out,
not applicable just any thinking around that appreciate. Yeah, of course,
our design team well, with our city team. That is
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City Council Chambers: a core team of almost every department, including
transportation, has taken a look at at least in this beginning stage.
We're just edging into design now, but knowing that universal access and
multimodal mobility and connectivity is very important. Connectivity in
general is very important, have done a lot of analysis on the existing
conditions, pain points of the site.
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City Council Chambers: and have really elevated a few key spaces where we
can improve on in terms of a universal access. And so that goes within
the design within circulation of civic area as well as getting to civic
area. And then I would say, the 3rd point, too, is accessing the hill and
see you.
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City Council Chambers: That's very hard in that grade. Difference to get
Ada access, for instance, from the hill down to Civic and up to Pearl
Street. And so we're sort of balancing and thinking about all of these
issues.
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City Council Chambers: Abby is on the line from our design team. Rios, do
you have anything to add to that in terms of transportation, and what we
studied.
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Abby Stone | RIOS: Well, that's a great summary. I think I would just
add. We are also considering things like mobility hubs on site to let us
show me said help connect certain kinds of transit with micro mobility
and a more robust pet and bike network. So in addition to sort of
underlying better connective networks. We're also looking at amenities
such as micro mobility hubs.
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City Council Chambers: Lovely. Thank you.
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City Council Chambers: Next up I have, Matt.
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City Council Chambers: I appreciate it by and large I mean great work,
because this is a lot of lot to put together. So I'm loving the elements
that are coming together. Ryan was sort of touching most on one of my
questions, so I'm glad, he asked that mine centered around a little bit
about maybe the band shell, because it's such an anchor to that area. And
has there been consideration of
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City Council Chambers: outright moving it to a different location that's
perhaps more useful for its intended use. It struggles with road noise,
being there to hearing folks, and plus also the audience is staring at a
building in a bandshell rather than our icon, the flatirons. And so
there's things that I think are. I'm just curious, because that hasn't
come up, and I'm wondering why, if that doesn't need to be answered. But
those are some things I'm just sort of curious about of like. Where do we
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City Council Chambers: about flipping some of our bigger elements to
really liberate that? Because if this is a new visioning opportunity,
then maybe those anchors are holding us back rather than liberating us to
think a little differently. And so that's something I'm just sort of
curious about. The other question to do is, and I think you maybe
answered a little bit. This is our partnerships with Cu. And then Bbsd, I
see that there's certainly a teen hub, and so I know that. That's an
awesome little piece. But I'm sort of curious about how those other 2
stakeholders really have some say and help us shape this.
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City Council Chambers: Yeah, that's great. Thank you for those questions.
So on the band shell, we in terms of this project team have looked at the
band shell, and because it's a historic landmarked building not only
sited within the landscape, so the landscape is actually historically
landmarked as well. We have not looked at moving the bandshell. Now, I
know previous studies had looked at that before, but because of the
landmark we are looking at how to keep it in its place now.
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City Council Chambers: and what kind of modifications are needed to
actually bring it up to modern day performance operations. And you know,
there's so many moving parts about that, but also balance the original
historic character of it.
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City Council Chambers: What I can say is, we're looking at the full space
for other event opportunities and venues in terms of where can we have
larger, bigger gatherings. Maybe the band shell is a different size, more
local gatherings and festivities. So there's opportunity for different
types of scale, for events around civic area that we can actually
leverage
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City Council Chambers: now for the second question in terms of oh, sorry.
Can you remind me? The second? Yes, Cu and school district.
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City Council Chambers: So Bvsd and Cu. They've been a key stakeholder in
terms of all of our engagement and throughout the process and design. And
so in each window of engagement. We've definitely been including both
partners and in terms of
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City Council Chambers: programming and activation. That will definitely
be something where they're at the table to help us look at programming
and activation, especially when we talk about the arboretum and that path
connecting the high school and college kids down the way, but also
looking at what sort of design function is best on that south side and
coming up as you enter civic area.
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City Council Chambers: can I? Just I just want to add something that the
team is doing really well. That I want to brag on is that that
involvement with both the University and the school district is not just
with the decision makers. It's with the students. And so we're working
closely with growing up. Boulder. Principal Morales has been so open,
inviting as have been the staff at Boulder High, at opening their doors
to the partnership and to the engagement, and the team is doing an
excellent job. Similarly with the University.
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City Council Chambers: I just wanted to follow up on the question about
noise the bandshell, because, having attended a number of events there, I
think it is a really significant issue to having community events there.
And so I was hoping maybe you could share some of what you're thinking
about in terms of how we might address that noise issue if we're leaving
it in place.
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City Council Chambers: Yeah. So we have worked with a consultant on our
team that looks at sort of auditory needs technology needs. And, Abby, I
might throw this to you in terms of some of the technical, the technical
upgrades that we'd have to look at for the band shell.
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Abby Stone | RIOS: Yeah, as you mentioned, the biggest strategy is just
improved. AV infrastructure. So new, bigger, better speakers,
essentially, is the short answer. You can also look into increased
landscape buffer to try to mitigate some of the traffic noise. But
research shows that actually isn't quite as successful. So the biggest
one would just be more amplified. Sound.
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City Council Chambers: By amplified sound. So far there is no in
permanent install of audio equipment. It's all brought in. So are we
looking at having a permanent, installed like like pavilion theaters and
other places tend to have that you're sort of plug in and use. Are we
still looking at transporting equipment in, but just offering beefier
equipment.
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Abby Stone | RIOS: Those those are all on the table. We're still very
early in the design process. So, as Shahomi mentioned, we have a design
consultant who is an expert in outdoor performance venues. And so they've
laid out a range of different options that range from the more temporary
to permanent, robust, improved AV infrastructure. So those options are
still on the table that hasn't been determined yet.
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City Council Chambers: Okay, I appreciate that. Let's lean for installed
because that lowers the barrier of entry for people to use in the
community. So we'll get there. But thank you.
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City Council Chambers: Nicole.
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City Council Chambers: I don't really have any feedback other than to say
that I really appreciate the pro forma analysis that's going on that
feels like really useful information to have for the East bookends. So
just appreciate that you're including that in this analysis. And I look
forward to learning more about what that finds wonderful. Thank you.
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City Council Chambers: Moving from questions into comments on the
project. Anyone wants to be 1st up on comments.
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City Council Chambers: Nicole kind of transitioned us already. But who
wants to go? Second terrorism?
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City Council Chambers: Go, Tara.
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Tara Winer: Did we discuss, or are we going to be discussing soon the
arboretum path?
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Tara Winer: Or is that is that in the second part of this presentation.
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City Council Chambers: We will get to the emerging design, which also
highlights not only the civic area, but the arboretum connection.
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Tara Winer: Okay. Awesome.
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Tara Winer: Oh, wait.
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City Council Chambers: Okay, it sounds like, perhaps we could move on to
the next section.
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City Council Chambers: I got a question.
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Taishya Adams: I'm sorry.
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City Council Chambers: I'm sorry that this is not a time for questions
from the audience. Can we move on to the next items.
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Taishya Adams: Clarification mayor pro tem. I was curious for the section
feedback.
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01:18:03.809 --> 01:18:07.579
Taishya Adams: We're giving comments section by section. I'm sorry I'm
386
01:18:07.790 --> 01:18:11.530
Taishya Adams: I just wanna make sure I'm not missing anything because.
387
01:18:12.453 --> 01:18:14.970
City Council Chambers: Yeah, I, goodbye.
388
01:18:14.970 --> 01:18:16.480
Taishya Adams: So then my comments would be.
389
01:18:16.480 --> 01:18:17.709
City Council Chambers: But we can also.
390
01:18:17.710 --> 01:18:22.058
Taishya Adams: It's fine. I just need a clarification because I'm not
there. So I don't have all the stuff.
391
01:18:22.940 --> 01:18:28.950
Taishya Adams: And so this is just comments about the about the site.
Analysis.
392
01:18:29.640 --> 01:18:33.239
City Council Chambers: Yes. Okay. The site analysis and the East Book End
redevelopment.
393
01:18:33.620 --> 01:18:36.829
Taishya Adams: Okay, so well, then, I'll just
394
01:18:37.150 --> 01:18:42.021
Taishya Adams: take this moment to oh, sorry, so can I. I'll raise my
hand then.
395
01:18:43.170 --> 01:18:44.580
City Council Chambers: Yes, Taisha.
396
01:18:44.580 --> 01:18:51.230
City Council Chambers: thank you. Thank you, Mayor. Pro tem. I'd like to
come back and reinforce my questions into comments.
397
01:18:51.500 --> 01:19:09.639
Taishya Adams: I'm hopeful that we can continue to ensure that AI is not
used, and when used, that there is rigorous oversight by people who have
expertise in oversight in providing enforcement oversight in AI. Although
I appreciate staff analysis that is not the same as
398
01:19:09.750 --> 01:19:21.690
Taishya Adams: the professionals and experts who do AI who are who do
responsible? AI analysis as far as the the actual teams.
399
01:19:22.000 --> 01:19:28.955
Taishya Adams: you know. More community engagement is not. This is not
the response that I'm looking for
400
01:19:29.500 --> 01:19:39.209
Taishya Adams: for the gap in racially and ethically diverse people in a
meaningful decision-making role in this process. And so I don't know what
the
401
01:19:39.610 --> 01:19:45.756
Taishya Adams: what the comment I mean. The comment is really how you
know at this point what can be done?
402
01:19:46.350 --> 01:19:48.090
Taishya Adams: because right now.
403
01:19:48.450 --> 01:20:16.159
Taishya Adams: all of the group, you know the majority of the groups that
are leading this work are not reflective of our community, and I'm just
tired. I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired as famine, Lou Hamer
often said, and I don't know how much more. I don't know, you know
there's no higher decision making level than being on City Council for
these things. And so I just I'm hopeful that my fellow council members
also hear and understand what I'm asking, as well as our our
404
01:20:16.390 --> 01:20:21.569
Taishya Adams: city manager's office, so that I don't have to ask these
kinds of questions moving forward. Thank you.
405
01:20:25.110 --> 01:20:28.629
City Council Chambers: Okay. With that, I think we are ready to move on
to the next section.
406
01:20:31.860 --> 01:20:38.140
City Council Chambers: Thank you. So, moving forward on community
engagement and the emerging design
407
01:20:38.330 --> 01:21:03.269
City Council Chambers: for civic area and the community engagement. We
did write an IP to council on window one. So what we'll be presenting
today is Window 2. We just recently completed that last December. But
window one really asks the community dream big and think about what you
see for the next phase of design for civic area and window 2. What we're
presenting on tonight really, is what we heard. And so confirming what we
heard in those design ideas
408
01:21:03.270 --> 01:21:08.680
City Council Chambers: from community members and working with Rios, our
design team hand in hand throughout the process.
409
01:21:09.190 --> 01:21:38.449
City Council Chambers: So I won't go over this slide in detail. But this
is just to point out that we've worked really hard to get sort of broad
voices at the table citywide, to come and engage with this project and
dream and think big. So from groups, from historically excluded and also
key community organizations that will help us program the space but also
be key partners. We tried to do as much outreach and engagement on this
project because it is a Key City location.
410
01:21:38.450 --> 01:21:39.200
City Council Chambers: That's me.
411
01:21:39.790 --> 01:22:05.559
City Council Chambers: So in the engagement window, too, this just sort
of outlines the questionnaire responses to in-person events that we held
5 different pop-ups around the city as well as community connectors
supporting the process at every step of the way. And so that included
community connectors supporting in events and that data analysis and
making sure all voices were elevated to have a voice in design.
412
01:22:05.680 --> 01:22:12.520
City Council Chambers: And so here's where I'm going to pass it off to
Abby from Rios and take it away on what we heard from the community.
413
01:22:13.330 --> 01:22:19.920
Abby Stone | RIOS: Thanks, Jeremy. As mentioned, I'm a urban designer
with Rios, and our firm is thrilled to be.
414
01:22:19.920 --> 01:22:48.159
City Council Chambers: Could you pause for just a second? I'm sorry I'm
going to have to ask you to be quiet in the audience so that we can
listen to the presentation. This is not a back and forth conversation.
During this part of the presentation we hear from. We will discuss at the
end of the meeting, but or we have the opportunity to respond to comment
at the end of the meeting. But if you continue to disrupt the meeting, we
are going to have to call a recess.
415
01:22:48.510 --> 01:22:56.780
City Council Chambers: Please please refrain from disrupting the meeting.
416
01:23:01.310 --> 01:23:02.989
City Council Chambers: Don't even expect to be alive.
417
01:23:03.530 --> 01:23:13.060
City Council Chambers: I call a recess to the Boulder City Council
meeting all the clocks. Really.
418
01:26:41.220 --> 01:26:47.150
City Council Chambers: Okay, okay, I am reconvening our meeting,
although.
419
01:26:47.330 --> 01:26:50.089
City Council Chambers: Looks like we're missing some people up on the
screen.
420
01:26:52.250 --> 01:26:58.669
City Council Chambers: And then, Abby, I believe you were responding to a
question. If
421
01:26:58.920 --> 01:27:04.490
City Council Chambers: if you need that question again, let us know. But
if you can just jump into it also, that's great.
422
01:27:06.830 --> 01:27:08.709
City Council Chambers: Would you like a reminder on the question.
423
01:27:08.710 --> 01:27:10.170
Abby Stone | RIOS: Problem and.
424
01:27:10.500 --> 01:27:11.160
City Council Chambers: Sorry, no.
425
01:27:11.160 --> 01:27:13.760
Abby Stone | RIOS: Think I was gonna speak to a couple of slides.
426
01:27:14.770 --> 01:27:15.809
City Council Chambers: Yes, that's right.
427
01:27:19.570 --> 01:27:27.209
City Council Chambers: So, Abby, if you can see hopefully, you can see
the presentation. If you can walk us through the design ideas that we
worked on with the community members. That would be great.
428
01:27:27.950 --> 01:27:33.570
Abby Stone | RIOS: Awesome. I am not seeing the screen yet. But that's
okay.
429
01:27:33.970 --> 01:27:55.220
Abby Stone | RIOS: So we built directly from the really amazing design
ideas that we heard from community members in community engagement window
one about different ideas for the future civic area. And we developed 2
programming diagram options that really center around 2 broad themes for
the future of the civic area.
430
01:27:55.340 --> 01:27:58.059
Abby Stone | RIOS: The 1st was called Creekside Social
431
01:27:58.668 --> 01:28:11.329
Abby Stone | RIOS: this presents a vision for the park that really
prioritizes flexible, welcoming social spaces that foster community
connection with lots of passive opportunities to engage with nature.
432
01:28:11.700 --> 01:28:34.520
Abby Stone | RIOS: So the 6 sort of top most voted for features from this
theme included what we're calling Boulder Beach and a creek walk. So
flexible park space that provide enhanced Creek access, upgraded
infrastructure for the farmers market and also for the band show and new
food and beverage opportunities such as a food truck, plaza, and a beer
garden.
433
01:28:39.040 --> 01:29:00.940
Abby Stone | RIOS: and the second diagram that we created really centers
around this theme of adventure and a connective loop throughout the civic
area. So this theme focuses on community requests. We heard for active
recreation, nature immersion and unique experiences, creating a more
intensely developed and programmed park approach than the first.st
434
01:29:01.270 --> 01:29:25.970
Abby Stone | RIOS: So again circled. Here the 6 most voted for features
from community engagement were again infrastructure for the farmers,
market and the band shell. So those were popular in both. Again, food
opportunities here, such as a new library, cafe and a beer garden and
then active recreation opportunities, things like a potential standing
wave, and the creek and a potential zip line along the arboretum.
435
01:29:30.860 --> 01:29:57.819
City Council Chambers: So for emerging design concepts, you can start to
see how some of these ideas are coming together, working closely with the
community, our design team. And then, like I mentioned the core team
interdepartmental effort across the city really is tracking towards some
really exciting ideas. And I just want to highlight, too, in terms of the
emerging design. What we're doing along with supporting design is
thinking about a park management model.
436
01:29:58.300 --> 01:30:28.299
City Council Chambers: And so it's not only about the placemaking of the
space and ribbon, cutting after design and implementation. But what are
we doing after ribbon cutting and taking care of what we have in terms of
operations and programming the space for more festivities and really
enlivening. Again, one of the key areas in downtown boulder thinking
about policy 2 and promoting social behaviors is something that each
bucket of this park management model is looking at, studying alongside
design and placemaking.
437
01:30:29.140 --> 01:30:55.960
City Council Chambers: So hearing back from the community members these
are some key comments and top ideas. But you can see in those 4 different
prongs that I mentioned, or buckets from the park model, a lot of the
comments actually shake out in these different buckets. Not everybody's
talking about design. They're very interested in what new programming can
be included in the space. And so that's what we're taking a look at, too,
as we take a look at design
438
01:30:56.280 --> 01:31:22.779
City Council Chambers: in terms of open-ended comments and reviewing the
analysis that we're getting back from the community at large. The entire
boulder community was evaluated, and then, of course, our historically
excluded group comments were also evaluated and voices raised so that we
can really identify and make sure that we're covering a lot of either
wants, desires or issues and challenges that we're hearing for civic
area.
439
01:31:22.780 --> 01:31:36.469
City Council Chambers: And so the top themes, you can see, is a sense of
feeling safe, but also having a child and family friendly activities and
amenities, and programming more access down to the Boulder Creek is sort
of top highlighted in these themes.
440
01:31:36.470 --> 01:31:57.459
City Council Chambers: And actually, they're very similar categories for
the historically excluded groups as well. The colors just again denote,
what kind of comments are we getting? Are people talking about design in
terms of the family friendly and children spaces? Or is it more on the
programming. So those are sort of categorized, as you can see with the
theming.
441
01:31:59.540 --> 01:32:26.180
City Council Chambers: And then, Abby, I was going to throw this to you.
So that's sort of a holistic look on. Just excuse me, a holistic look,
including design, but policy operations and the programming. And then,
Abby, if you could walk us through specifically the priorities coming up
for design, as it relates to our 18 million in funding. And what we're
trying to prioritize going forward because we know we can't build this
whole space at once.
442
01:32:27.770 --> 01:32:51.990
Abby Stone | RIOS: Absolutely thanks. So based on everything we heard
from community engagement, and then also by going through a robust
feasibility study which is still ongoing certain key design ideas have
started to emerge for the future of the civic area. So the 1st is an
expanded year round. Farmers market so bridging beyond 13th Street and
making sure it can have year round, presence on site.
443
01:32:52.550 --> 01:33:05.709
Abby Stone | RIOS: Secondly, community gathering areas, ideas such as a
beer garden or a teen hub, nature center and small event spaces to make
sure community can gather for lots of different types of events and
programs here.
444
01:33:06.190 --> 01:33:16.340
Abby Stone | RIOS: 3, rd what we're calling Boulder Beach. So a flexible
space connected to the creek that creates a really vibrant gathering hub
that is safe fun connected to nature.
445
01:33:16.810 --> 01:33:23.559
Abby Stone | RIOS: Next, food, truck, plaza, or other opportunities for
more informal pop-up, food and beverage that
446
01:33:23.680 --> 01:33:27.810
Abby Stone | RIOS: presents a diverse range of food, options for all
sorts of visitors.
447
01:33:28.260 --> 01:33:35.009
Abby Stone | RIOS: a creek walk that creates recreation access and really
makes it a lot easier to get access down to the creek.
448
01:33:35.230 --> 01:33:43.030
Abby Stone | RIOS: and then, lastly, an elevated connection at the
arboretum path. So making that connection easier, safer, and more
exciting and walkable.
449
01:33:46.400 --> 01:34:13.520
Abby Stone | RIOS: So with that, we have started to translate some of
these ideas into a very abstract conceptual site diagram that you see
here. So these are not exactly to scale or final. But we've been
translating everything we've heard about what is most desired for the
civic area, and what would be the best fit for the future of this
important downtown public space and started to lay them out on site, so
that we have a basis to go into concept design with.
450
01:34:13.520 --> 01:34:22.090
Abby Stone | RIOS: So you can see here a lot of the different program
ideas that we just described showing up throughout the civic area.
451
01:34:22.536 --> 01:34:33.960
Abby Stone | RIOS: Throughout the process. I'd say cultural history that
tells the stories of this place will be woven into the design. So that's
an exciting next step. Future stages, we'll share more about
452
01:34:34.529 --> 01:34:50.430
Abby Stone | RIOS: we also are working closely with lots of different
city departments and our full consultant team to assess the feasibility
of these elements, and all the sort of underlying infrastructure that
makes this work so transportation, mobility, floodplain considerations,
historic landmarks, and more
453
01:34:50.630 --> 01:35:11.329
Abby Stone | RIOS: so. This will be the basis of going into concept
design, which will cover the entire site area. And then, as Shahomi
mentioned, after the next round of community engagement, we'll 0 in on a
somewhat smaller section of the site that will go into schematic design
which corresponds with that 18 million dollars of funding that's been set
aside for phase 2,
454
01:35:11.820 --> 01:35:18.099
Abby Stone | RIOS: so we'll be very excited to share a more advanced
design sketch with you all this summer.
455
01:35:20.040 --> 01:35:21.409
City Council Chambers: Great. Thank you, Abby.
456
01:35:21.520 --> 01:35:39.839
City Council Chambers: Along with design. We do have a lot of exciting
studies and other support that we're undertaking for civic area. And so
part of that, we've talked a lot about the space activation, but really
partnering with key collaborators and relationships that will help us
activate the space.
457
01:35:39.840 --> 01:35:56.260
City Council Chambers: So that collaboration has already launched this
year looking at a governance strategic group and planning for how we
operate. Civic area. Usually big, downtown civic centers have a support
of an operations group and a programming group. And so we're looking into
that
458
01:35:56.260 --> 01:36:13.899
City Council Chambers: just having coming off of a meeting internally
with our operations and safety team. So really trying to get our heads
around how we support the community and support the safety and feeling
inclusive and welcome for civic areas at the top of our mind.
459
01:36:14.630 --> 01:36:38.339
City Council Chambers: And then this year, this summer, connecting to
nature will be our engagement 3 series, and so that will take us into our
next steps. So we hope that we incorporate. We get the feedback that we
have for council here tonight, and we'll move to our next question here
pretty soon. But incorporating Council's feedback and input tonight into
the emerging design is how we'd like to go forward in next steps.
460
01:36:38.340 --> 01:36:53.649
City Council Chambers: Concept design has already launched like we
mentioned, and that would include the East Bookend Rfi. As well as the
civic area and arboretum concepts. And you saw those priorities coming up
with that 18 million and anything else that we can leverage in funding
461
01:36:53.710 --> 01:37:10.760
City Council Chambers: and with engagement window number 3 going out to
the community. Members on concept design will really take place in June
and September. So when we go out to the community in midsummer, we'll
come back to council, and we'll review concept design and what we heard
from community members at the end of 2025.
462
01:37:11.220 --> 01:37:22.540
City Council Chambers: So those are our next steps in the planning
process and the design process, and I'll throw it back to council for any
questions and feedback on the emerging design priorities for civic area.
463
01:37:23.750 --> 01:37:26.770
City Council Chambers: Thank you so much for that wonderful presentation.
464
01:37:27.020 --> 01:37:38.120
City Council Chambers: Who wants to start us off. Is it okay? If we lump
questions and feedback together, or should? Yeah together sounds great. I
see Tara
465
01:37:38.510 --> 01:37:41.950
City Council Chambers: ready to go, and Tina.
466
01:37:46.640 --> 01:37:48.530
Tara Winer: We can't muted
467
01:37:48.660 --> 01:38:08.600
Tara Winer: 1st of all, Ali. Now I know why you have been so excited
about this. This is really exciting. Do you want me to. Do you want us to
give our opinion on the different elements, or just say how excited we
are. Are you looking for me to tell you how much I can't wait for an all
year. Farmers, market, or what are you looking for?
468
01:38:10.501 --> 01:38:22.099
City Council Chambers: Yeah, I think you just dive in for whatever
questions or comments, section by section. If you want me to go back to
any specific slide with the diagrams or the priorities. I'm happy to.
469
01:38:22.100 --> 01:38:25.470
Tara Winer: Already know. Why, chop what Ellie.
470
01:38:25.950 --> 01:38:38.529
City Council Chambers: Tara. I was just gonna say, careful on the weed
level, like we'd love. What is helpful tonight is tops of the trees
feedback on design, not not types of trees. So just to.
471
01:38:38.530 --> 01:38:41.599
Tara Winer: Really love trees. Are you saying you don't want us to talk
about trees.
472
01:38:41.600 --> 01:38:45.680
City Council Chambers: You know. I'll talk about trees all night long. I
just would like you to stay at the top of them.
473
01:38:46.000 --> 01:38:48.489
Tara Winer: Okay, don't go into the weeds is what you're saying.
474
01:38:48.660 --> 01:38:53.550
Tara Winer: Okay? Well, then, my my only comment is is, I'm thinking
about
475
01:38:54.255 --> 01:38:59.630
Tara Winer: how our hotel is going to be done, our conference center
rather, and that I think.
476
01:39:00.929 --> 01:39:02.489
Tara Winer: The connection
477
01:39:03.140 --> 01:39:17.589
Tara Winer: which I visualize as a high line. Sorry to get into the
weeds, because you know how popular that is in New York, something really
incredible to take the people from the top of the hill there, from the
Conference center down to this new and a very exciting place
478
01:39:17.860 --> 01:39:19.729
Tara Winer: is top of my mind.
479
01:39:20.480 --> 01:39:29.940
Tara Winer: And I absolutely love the many different options you're
talking about. In fact, there's not one that I don't like. So
480
01:39:30.140 --> 01:39:31.170
Tara Winer: bravo!
481
01:39:32.020 --> 01:39:33.540
City Council Chambers: That's great feedback. Thank you.
482
01:39:33.830 --> 01:39:45.599
Tara Winer: Are you planning ally and team? Sorry? Not just Ali team on
working on the arboretum path relatively soon. Is that going to be at the
end, or you're not really sure.
483
01:39:46.540 --> 01:40:15.590
City Council Chambers: The timing of the arboretum will coincide with at
least I should say the design will coincide with the rest of civic area,
so as we move into concept, we will also be looking at the Arboretum just
as closely. Now we know that we have the 18 million in funding, and so
we'll have to see what comes up in prioritization. But also, you know,
talking about partnerships earlier talking with other partnerships that
can go in
484
01:40:15.590 --> 01:40:24.620
City Council Chambers: and support Arboretum is always up for opportunity
as well, so we'll see where our priorities land us. But the arboretum is
key for us.
485
01:40:28.670 --> 01:40:35.540
City Council Chambers: Thank you, Tara Tina, sure, and I'm just a little
confused. Is there an elevated connection?
486
01:40:35.580 --> 01:41:00.429
City Council Chambers: So we are looking at both on grade and an elevated
connection for the arboretum. This 1st diagram. It's a little bit harder
to see. These are beautiful program diagrams done by Rios, and they're so
lovely when they're bigger in person. But this one shows an elevated
condition. It's actually very similar to what Cu has in terms of their
catwalks from the residential halls down and over the
487
01:41:00.430 --> 01:41:19.839
City Council Chambers: creek. This one, so just to hit on what Tara
mentioned. But this one looks at really being more of a high line. So
placemaking. It's not only moving foot traffic through. But it's talking
about a bigger park space that's elevated with overlooks, art
opportunities, signage, and wayfinding.
488
01:41:19.840 --> 01:41:32.100
City Council Chambers: I just had the pleasure of learning about the
walkway that's being developed for the sesquicentennial, which is quite
similar. Okay, great. Maybe we can get a Bogo. So that would be great.
489
01:41:33.874 --> 01:41:46.819
City Council Chambers: So on. The the other thing is just on the small
event space, and I know it wasn't supposed to be specific. But I'm just
wondering, will there be any kind of enclosed event. Space weather is an
issue in boulder between rain, heat.
490
01:41:47.280 --> 01:41:53.909
City Council Chambers: snow, is that an option for this area, or will it
be all open air?
491
01:41:53.990 --> 01:42:20.249
City Council Chambers: So what we're looking at for civic area
specifically, were open air and more conical shells similar to the band
shell upgraded in modern, I would say, for amenities and technology. This
one does show that amphitheater on the south side of Boulder Creek and
looking at sort of synergies with the library, we do have an enclosed
theater space now in the Canyon Boulevard. Or, excuse me, the Canyon
Theater.
492
01:42:20.550 --> 01:42:50.020
City Council Chambers: Okay, thanks. And then the final thing that I'm
interested in understanding over time is just how we get the numbers of
people. And I really appreciated how you segmented the different types of
users, and that one slide in the prior section, just to to see how we're
going to get that activation and how we're going to get people to be
there. It's such a critical part is that people go, and we know our
summer can be slow from Monday to Friday, and but I think this is
incredibly exciting. So thank you.
493
01:42:51.550 --> 01:42:55.750
City Council Chambers: Thank you, Tina, who would like to go next? I see
Matt.
494
01:42:58.040 --> 01:43:11.600
City Council Chambers: So yeah, this is, I think, where it gets fun
because you get to see the elements. I think there's a little bit of
hybridization actually, between the 2 of these in some form, so I hope
none of these are an exclusion of another. Certainly, when I think of
495
01:43:11.600 --> 01:43:31.209
City Council Chambers: the adventure loop. But I see an art market, I
think that should be indoor farmers market right? So there's weird like
it's like the Mr. Potato head of these things. You grab a little piece
and you throw it in and plug it in over there. So I think there's
flexibility there. The one piece that I've seen that seems missing here
that's been discussed by a number of our community organizations is a
cultural center.
496
01:43:31.230 --> 01:43:40.630
City Council Chambers: And so I'm wondering. Where has that come up in
discussion, and where do we find that? Perhaps fitting in? Because that's
been a conversation my entire time on council.
497
01:43:40.630 --> 01:44:04.760
City Council Chambers: whether it's, you know, conversations with our
Kathmandu sister City, to which I'm a liaison for some conversations with
Naacp, I mean, there's been others. There's been a lot of them. So those
are things I'm just curious about. How's that occurred? Quiet, please, in
the audience. I'm going to have to call recess. You've been warned so
many times.
498
01:44:05.640 --> 01:44:14.849
City Council Chambers: clearing the chamber's recess clearing chambers.
Thank you.
499
01:44:14.850 --> 01:44:15.699
Taishya Adams: Over them.
500
01:44:16.700 --> 01:44:28.379
Taishya Adams: I also wanted to lift up another issue, which is that I'm
seeing, which is a misalignment of our Council time on the topics that we
have prioritized in our city
501
01:44:28.770 --> 01:44:50.899
Taishya Adams: in our council priorities and citywide plan. Although I
appreciated having this robust update about the civic area, this is the
at least the second time that I have had a thorough update and
information about this. We have had 0 conversations about our
agricultural footprint, 0 conversations around human relations, human
relations.
502
01:44:51.020 --> 01:45:16.919
Taishya Adams: human relations, ordinances which are also urgent and
important. I urge our Cac. To revisit our agenda and look towards
prioritizing those things that are urgent and important as we are
continuing to face unprecedented climate issues as well as cultural
issues that are dividing our community further and
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01:45:16.920 --> 01:45:28.809
Taishya Adams: not allowing us to be resilient. Although I appreciate and
love parks and open space. As a former Commissioner for Colorado parks
and wildlife, I continue to be concerned about the gap in
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01:45:28.910 --> 01:45:56.719
Taishya Adams: council members, conversations and staff members,
conversations with the public on a climate resilient component, that is,
not being addressed sufficiently in as evidenced by more money being
invested on renovating one garage than our entire agricultural portfolio.
Thank you very much. I look forward to more values aligned investments
not just in the time, but also how our dollars are spent. Thank you.
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01:45:58.250 --> 01:45:59.850
City Council Chambers: Thank you, Taisha.
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01:46:00.800 --> 01:46:07.840
City Council Chambers: With that I would like to call to adjourn this
meeting on April 17.th