Good evening, Superior! I know it’s cliche to say at this point, but we are living in some challenging and interesting times. I’ve been self-isolating at home for three weeks now, and I truly miss seeing all of you in person! But I’ve been keeping busy fostering a little boxer puppy from a shelter. Her name is Sesame, and she’s deaf, so we’ve been trying to learn doggie sign language together (yup, it’s a thing). Keep an eye out for us on our walks / runs in the neighborhood, though of course at this time, we won’t be able to say hello up close.

This morning, I hosted April’s First Friday in a new virtual format along with Mayor Pro Tem Mark Lacis and Trustee Kevin Ryan. It was definitely very different from our usual in person meetings – more of a Q&A than a group discussion, as we all tried not to step on each other’s toes. But overall, we received very positive feedback, and I’d declare this virtual version a success!

As usual, I will not try to fully recap the discussion, but will give a short rundown of the topics covered, which can help provide a pulse of the town.

Topics discussed at April’s First Friday include:

• Parq at Rock Creek – There were several questions around the potential development of 180 multi-family residential units on the former Zaharias property. However, the other Board members and I had to defer answers to these questions, because with a development application pending, this is a quasi-judicial matter and may not be discussed outside of a noticed public hearing. For this and other potential development projects, please visit the development projects page on the town website, which includes an overview of the application process as well as a status report for each application currently under consideration. However, to address some of the misinformation that was mentioned in the meeting, I want to make clear that this application has not yet come before the Town Board, and may or may not be approved in the future.
• 88th Street Improvements: There were also many questions around the improvements to 88th Street, originally planned for this summer. Our Board approved the first phase of these improvements at our March 9th meeting. However, we are now considering adjusting the timeline for the second phase of the work, to get more work done while people are sheltering in place and there will be less inconvenience. I expect us to discuss the timeline and plans at our virtual Board meeting on April 13th.
• Rock Creek Fence Color: A member of the Rock Creek HOA Board reminded us that the HOA is considering changing the color of the fences in Rock Creek, and asked about the town-owned fences. At our February 24th meeting, an application for painting, staining, and maintenance of the town-owned fences came before the Board. At that meeting, we discussed the possibility of deferring this work until a new fence color could be chosen, but in a split vote, decided to move forward with painting and staining the fence the original color.
• COVID19: Of course, we had a lot of talk about COVID19 (did you see the news about the Town of Superior’s small business grants program for businesses with a brick-and-mortar presence in Superior?), and discussed some of the choices we are each personally making under the state-issued shelter-in-place. The shelter-in-place says that citizens may still go out and recreate responsibly, and we debated whether it was indeed safe / responsible to do so. Personally, I am not leaving my home except for infrequent grocery store visits and to walk Sesame on the sidewalks / trails nearest my house (typically the trails, as they have fewer people). However, every resident has their own unique circumstances, and I’m painfully aware of the toll that isolation has on mental health. If you see someone behaving in an irresponsible manner (such as using / touching picnic tables and benches in Superior, even if they aren’t cordoned off), I’d encourage you to remind them not to do so, but also try not to judge others for the choices they are making. Many people are very scared right now (and rightfully so); one of the best things we can do under these circumstances is treat others with compassion… and of course, STAY HOME. On a more positive note, last night, I read this blog post by the usually irreverent Mr. Money Mustache (aka Longmont resident Pete Adeney), and I found it refreshingly uplifting in its perspective on how we are admirably protecting our most vulnerable population and that we will come out of this stronger than before. I hope this is indeed the case!

With that, I hope to see you at next month’s First Friday! If you have thoughts on these or other topics, I would encourage you to attend our next virtual meeting on Monday April 13th at Town Hall and speak up in public comment (yes, you can do that virtually), or email the full Board at townboard@superiorcolorado.gov. Stay safe, stay well, and stay home. Best wishes to all of you!