[bouldercouncilhotline] Hotline: Re: Problems on University Hill - what the City and University can do

[kohls at bouldercolorado.gov]

Sender: Osborne, Susan

Thank you, Ken.  I'm out of town with grand daughters and have had only sporadic computer service. I'd add my voice to others on council saddened by last Thursday's violence and the loss of a young life. I also share the view that we must put a stop to the lawlessness and riot-like bahavior... I saw it on my first police ride-along, and regret that we apparently haven't made progress.

I'd add to Ken's good list, the project that Molly W has begun to use an improvement district approach for district garbage removal, snow shovelling and the like.  This approach may give landlords the opportunity to show their acknowledgement of the problem and good will to neighbors.  If owners don't agree to a district wide, shared approach to on-going clean up and maintenance, a strict and uniform enforcement of the housing code and related codes should be begun.

I'd also like to understand what we know about "problem" houses - both in terms of police and noise calls and code enforcement violations.

Susan Osborne, Mayor
Boulder, Colorado
303-513-3533

On Mar 21, 2011, at 5:15 PM, "Wilson, Ken" <WilsonK at bouldercolorado.gov<mailto:WilsonK at bouldercolorado.gov>> wrote:

I have lived on University Hill for almost 16 years.  In 1999, after the fourth or fifth riot, many of us felt the safety of the neighborhood had degraded to point where we needed to do something.  We formed the University Hill Neighborhood Association (UHNA).  Many of us worked very hard, with City Council and City Staff to make the neighborhood safer.  We organized monthly clean ups, worked to get new laws passed to give the Police Department better tools, and pushed Environmental Enforcement to address problems in a more focused way.  The Hill got better and the riots stopped after a few years.

For the past few years, we have noticed problems on the increase again.  Late night noise, wandering bands of very intoxicated people, fireworks and other problems have noticeably increased.  And violence has been on the increase, from small things like broken car windows and mirrors, sexual assault, aggravated assault, and now a very tragic death.  While violence can happen anywhere in a city, there is good evidence from studies in other cities that violence is more likely in neighborhoods where properties are run down and streets and yards are littered and unkempt.  This is the "Broken Windows" theory that has received national attention at various times over the past decade.  Those of us on the Hill see this problem happening around us.

I think we need to renew our focus on the Hill and on activities that were initiated after the death of Gordey Bailey - and never completed - surrounding alcohol abuse.  I am making this request primarily of City Staff, with support from City Council and CU:

1.  Review the Police Department budget cuts to see how they have impacted officer performance and the PD's ability to adequately patrol the city.

2.  Discuss the status of the Nuisance Abatement ordinance to see how it is being used and whether Staff is proactively using this ordinance to address problem properties.

3.  Speed up changes that have been underway for over a year in the Environmental and Zoning Enforcement Organization (EZEO), also reviewing the number of complaints taken and tickets issued over the past 12 years.

4.  Speed up land use and code changes that have been under review for years for properties where liquor licenses are requested or could be requested, along with changes the Beverage License Authority (BLA) has requested.

5.  Have a discussion on potential impact fees for restaurants and taverns that stay open after 11:00 pm.  We know that businesses staying open late and serving alcohol cause a disproportionate amount of police activity, such that at "bar close" on weekend nights most of our police officers are necessarily focused on stopping fights and other problems as people are moved out of bars and onto the street, between 1:30 and 2:30 am.  The idea here would be for the late night bars to help fund additional police officers that are needed because of the impacts their late night service creates.

6.  Have the Police Department do more DUI stings on the Hill, late at night.  Those of us who live on the Hill know that many of the cars driving around late at night are being driven by intoxicated people.  We know because we see the empty bottles of alcohol that they leave in our front yards as they pitch them out of their cars before driving off.

7.  Look at our Nuisance Party ordinance to see if it needs to be updated.

8.  City Staff and CU should work together to bring back Hill cleanups.  For two years, during the early 2000's, a small group of UHNA members led a volunteer effort to do monthly Hill cleanups.  We went out picking up bottles and trash from yards, sidewalks and streets.  Restorative Justice participants helped, as did neighbors and sometimes students.  The City and CU should bring this back, providing organization and recruiting volunteers from the neighborhood, CU students, the Greek Community, and restorative justice.  This should be done every week, or at least every other week.

I'm sure we can think of other things we should do and I am hoping that CU has some ideas as well.  CU has become a better partner with the City in recent years and we need to work with them to figure out how to better leverage our new, more cooperative partnership.  We have areas in our City that are not safe late at night.  We need to be aware of this and work on the problems that are causing it.

Respectfully,

Ken Wilson
Council Member and Deputy Mayor