HomeMy WebLinkAbout3 - Public Comment Handout
Jan 09 09 11:52a G. Ray Joyce 303-530-2805 p.2
2009 01-09
Members of the Water Resource Advisory Board
Hello, I'm Ray Joyce, former City Councilman and presently living in the BurkePazk
area. I am using the written method of communicating to you as I believe it will be most
effective for both of us given my hearing disability. I have appeared and spoke several
times on the subject of Thunderbird Lake (in Burke Park) at called public meetings, to the
City Parks and Recreation Board, and to the Boulder City Council.
We find otuselves in this situation today because of poor management iuo the past five
yeazs by the Parks and Recreation Manager and the Parks and Recreation Board. This
has resulted in Thunderbird Lake, once a proud and prominent central feature of Burke
Pazk, becoming a shameful, overgrown, shiny stinking mess.
The draught of 2001 caused a problem of low ground water. It was soon recognized that
the low water in Thunderbird Lake vvas not going to correct itself.. Instead of endlessly
analyzing the problem and various solutions to no avail, the matter should have been put
into the regulaz budget and maintenance schedule to fix it at that time; however, it was
ignored - I guess with the hope the problem would go away.
In reviewing the Thunderbird Lake Management Options of December 8, 2008, I suggest
that Option D - potable water with multi fills per year -would be the most cost effective
and acceptable option. One of the strong points of this option is that it could be ready by
Spring 2009.
In September 2007 it appeared that the Parks Department was doing very little. The
involved public had hoped to have a restored Lake by the summer of 2008. This did not
happen and yet it's to everyone's benefit to have a Lake and Park that the City can be
proud of.
Two items in the Potable Water Option that I have serious objection to are the cost for
wetland mitigation and the ongoing wetlands permit. After all, this is the city dealing
with itself. We should be doing everything we can to be helpful and to keep costs down.
As to the mitigation cost, l submit that since we have been creating NIrVJ wetland for the
past several years, that the City should have a positive balance in our wetland mitigation
account to be used to possibly mitigate other Parks projects.
Thanks for our time to read this and your time on the advisory boazd.
Sincerely,
Ray Joyce
Ce: Boulder City Council
Cc: Parks and Recreation Board