[BoulderCouncilHotline] Re: FW: Citizen concern re Master Plan citizen input

[Burke, Dan]

Good afternoon Cindy and Mary Ann.

OSMP received your request, Cindy. As it relates to the OSBT-Council Joint Study Session tomorrow night regarding the development of Focus Areas for OSMP’s Master Plan, staff will come prepared with information relating to Agriculture (as outlined in question #1 below) as well as current and future OSMP Campus/Office needs (as outlined in question #3 below). Thank you.

Best,

Dan

Dan Burke
Interim Director
Open Space and Mountain Parks

[OSMP_lockup_COBLogo]
O: 720-564-2000
C: 303-817-3143
burked at bouldercolorado.gov<mailto:burked at bouldercolorado.gov>

66 S. Cherryvale Road | Boulder, CO 80303
Bouldercolorado.gov<http://www.bouldercolorado.gov/>




From: Carlisle, Cynthia <CarlisleC at bouldercolorado.gov>
Sent: Monday, June 11, 2018 11:37 AM
To: Weideman, Mary Ann <WeidemanM at bouldercolorado.gov>; HOTLINE <HOTLINE at bouldercolorado.gov>
Subject: [BoulderCouncilHotline] FW: Citizen concern re Master Plan citizen input

Dear Mary Ann,
Here is the letter I referred to earlier. Please ask OSMP staff to have information regarding #1 and #3 below for tomorrow night’s study session.  We’ve had some discussion about the second item and I’d expect to have more information about it in future.
Sincerely,
Cindy

From: Rebecca Trafton [mailto:rebeccatrafton at gmail.com]
Sent: Friday, June 8, 2018 8:09 AM
To: Council <council at bouldercolorado.gov<mailto:council at bouldercolorado.gov>>
Cc: Rebecca Trafton <rebecca.trafton at gmail.com<mailto:rebecca.trafton at gmail.com>>; Jan Liverance <janliverance at gmail.com<mailto:janliverance at gmail.com>>
Subject: Citizen concern re Master Plan citizen input


To the members of City Council:

I write to express my deep  concern about the direction that OSMP is planning for the future.
Staff has completed the first stage of  the Master Plan and, as a result of the Citizen Input Process, has determined  Five Focus Areas.   This has been widely invited and publicized (see below this letter.)
We are being told our voices will be heard.

However, in significant ways, OSMP seems headed in a very different direction.

1)     There is a projected focus on agriculture that is huge and costly.     According to the Daily Camera, the city will acquire a property and lease for $1 per year to BOSC, the new Boulder Open Space Conservancy, to create an Agricultural Center.        Where will these city funds come from?       Is agriculture an identified focus of public concern?

2)     The city has recently acquired the Poor Farm, a major expense that will require significant expenditure in restoration and ongoing maintenance.  To date, no information has been made public about the projected use of this facility.     Will this be another lengthy and costly process like that at Alpine-Balsam, a process to determine the best use of a facility?   Does it not make sense that a facility be procured after a need has been identified?

3)      Former director Winfree convinced the city to allocate $8 over 5 years for an aggregated campus.       Should this be a top priority when the city is in a budget shortfall?
I have heard from more than 4 staff that the multi-stage and temporary move and renovation  have been wasteful of time and money.
               (  My source:  I volunteer in 4 different capacities for OSMP. I know a number of staff members well.)

On a positive note:
The five focus areas share a common theme.     Good planning will make it possible to work efficiently and coordinate need and focus.
That theme is EDUCATION.         It is not acquisition.        It is not agriculture.
Education is key to stewardship, the vital next step of caring for the land that has been acquired over 50 years, directed by the vision of the 1960’s.

How can we all, as citizens,  focus the direction of OSMP?
A Master Plan is a good first step.
Now we must focus on what citizens have expressed and what is best for the future of our department and our city.

Please, please do not let OSMP staff lead us in the wrong direction.

With sincere thanks for your consideration,

    Rebecca Trafton
    OSMP volunteer naturalist, native plants gardener, restoration volunteer, and herbarium team member

2424 Fourth Street   Boulder, CO  80304
434-249-3376


FROM OSMP ANNOUNCEMENTS:

From an e-announcement on May 7, 2018:
"Based on your input, OSMP is proposing to focus staff work over the next five to 10 years on the following major themes…”


From an OSMP email on February 14, 2018
The Open Space Board of Trustees invites all citizens to tell us why open space is important to you and to share your vision for the future. Traditionally, public process is driven by those who have the time and stamina to attend multi-hour public meetings and city council hearings. This time will be different. Taking the recommendations of the city’s Public Process Working Group to heart, OSMP is actively seeking the input of all users and admirers of open space—the overworked families, the college students, the kids, the retirees, those new and old to Boulder. We are all part of the fabric of this community, and as owners of the land we all have a say in the future of the open space that literally defines our city. You can play an important part in framing both the challenges and the possible solutions.


Public e-mail, May 9, 2018”
After reviewing about 1,500 comments about the future of City of Boulder open space, Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP) staff drafted five focus areas – or management themes – to guide the development of the future OSMP Master Plan. Based on your input, OSMP is proposing to focus staff work over the next five to 10 years on the following major themes


From an OSMP announcement, May 10, 2018:
These lands are your lands. We need your valuable input to guide the way we manage your precious lands and support the way you enjoy them over the next decade.

From the February 14th OSMP email:
Please join the conversation, and sustain this treasure that is a gift to ourselves!





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