March, 2024
Hello everyone,
I'm happy to report that our new group has a name and tagline! It is: Pro-RURAL Alliance, Citizens for the Preservation of Rural Boulder County
You might be wondering why RURAL is in all caps. We realized that the word "rural" actually can be used to describe the kinds of places we seek to preserve:
Rural
Unincorporated
Recreational &
Agricultural
Lands
We won't put that whole mouthful of stuff in our name itself, but we will be able to use this concept for some visual/communication elements in our materials and on our (eventual) website.
Many thanks to the ~18 community members who came to our meeting on February 24th, 2024 and discussed the naming. It was good energy!
Our name and tagline should give people an instant idea of what we're about. That's the goal, anyway!
We also have secured a domain for our website, proruralalliance.org, and a dedicated email address, info@proruralalliance.org. We have a little more setup and security work to do before you'll start receiving emails from the new address. Stay tuned!
Up Next
Our next order of business is to set up working groups in the following areas:
Logo development (done)
Website development (in progress)
Communications/Social Media
Research
Nonprofit development
We need your help! If you have expertise or interests in any of the areas listed above, please let us know.
So that sums up where we are at the moment with the new Pro-RURAL Alliance.
Here are some highlights of what else is on the Rural Radar around Boulder County:
Tennis Complex Application (79th and Lookout Road, SU-23-0016)
Big news here! Hundreds of public comments were submitted to the County by the Feb 23rd deadline, and things were headed toward the next step of a Planning Commission hearing, possibly on March 20. But then on March 4th, the applicants "tabled" their application. Please see attached letter, which indicates that the County planning staff had raised concerns about the application. The applicants may be considering revising their proposal, but we don't know too much more at this point. Please check the opposition website for updates. Since the application has been tabled but not withdrawn, the website, petition, and letting writing links will remain active.
Kanemoto Subdivision (Airport Road/Diagonal Hwy)
Also big news here! Brief history: The opposition group (KARES) filed a lawsuit in September 2023, contesting the County's decision to conditionally terminate the Kanemoto Conservation Easement. The County filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit in October 2023.
New news:
On February 26 2024, the judge ruled to extend the matter. This Order allows the KARES case to proceed to a determination by the judge based on the merits of the case. More information can be found in the "Updates" section of the KARES website .
Dawson School Enrollment Increase (Hwy 287)
The County Commissioners voted 2-1 to deny Dawson's request to expand enrollment from 540 students to 700. They cited that the expansion would create a use that is more urban than rural, and not in character with the surrounding area. The school is located in unincorporated Boulder County, off of Hwy 287 between Longmont and Lafayette.
Community Farmers Alliance (COFA)
A new group has just formed, focused on the issues most pressing to County farmers. Right now the issues are: the County's recent decision regarding minimum wage increases; and affordable housing for seasonal farm workers. Both issues have significant implications for the future of farming in Boulder County. The group represents about 90% of the farmers in the County.
Thanks for reading,
Chris Ennis and Karen Mandery
Pro-RURAL Alliance Team Leaders