Steve Pomerance

This summer’s air quality here in the Denver metro region has been appallingly bad. According to AirNow.gov, almost every day we in Boulder have fairly high levels of pollution. As I write this, both PM 2.5 and PM 10 levels have the warning, “If you are unusually sensitive to ozone, consider reducing your activity level or shorten the amount of time you are active outdoors.” This has been the situation for most days for the last few months. How bad must it be in places like Commerce City? There was a recent Camera story about how Colorado’s Air Quality Control Commission has provided new escape clauses in its rulings, in spite of the 2021 state law (HB21-1266) which supposedly encourages stronger enforcement of existing laws. I looked up the main state law on air quality (CRS 25-7-102, passed in 2019), and, no surprise, it has huge holes in its language:  “To that end, it is the purpose of this article 7 to require the use of all available practical methods which are technologicall...

In response to the City staff memo (that I wrote about on Wednesday), Mayor Pro Tem Mark Wallach made some very strong arguments on the city’s Hotline for keeping the library buildings in City ownership. The Library District trustees then responded with their own memo. So as an addendum to my Wednesday piece in the Camera, here’s a response to the district’s points, which are in quotes. • “Library Districts have every incentive, and are required by law, to maintain library facilities in good condition.” I certainly agree that the district has the resources to maintain the facilities, but what if they don’t perform? What if they choose to spend their money, for example, providing expensive services to various groups, and neglect to adequately maintain and improve the facilities? Is some citizen going to spend their own money taking the library commissioners to court? I doubt it. Neither the law nor the ballot measure seems specific enough to take on public officials. • “Library District...

Boulder city staff’s memo for the City Council this Thursday discusses what should happen to the City’s publicly owned library buildings once the Library District is operational. So it’s clear, the voter approval of the District in the November 2022 election decided nothing with regard to the fate of these library buildings, which include the Main Library (on Canyon, east of 9th Street), the Carnegie Library (on Pine, west of Broadway — which is our library of Boulder history, not the District’s), the new North Boulder branch building (on North Broadway), and the George Reynolds branch (on Table Mesa Drive across from King Soopers). The other two are leased. Our situation is unique in Colorado; no other large library system has made such a District conversion. And library commissioners are appointed, not elected, so the voters have no direct recourse. In the March 15, 2022, study session prior to the November vote that created the Library District, all eight council members present opp...

No, I’m not running. I’m too old, and I’m term-limited besides. But, having listened to many of the council candidates, I think much more emphasis is needed about where Boulder is heading.  Here’s a start: Boulder needs to focus on improving our quality of life, not increasing the quantity of bodies, so that we minimize our impact on climate, natural and agricultural lands, our water supply (which needs a serious risk analysis done ASAP), housing affordability and air quality (and lean hard on the state to finally do its job). Let’s keep Boulder livable. Reducing emissions means net-zero energy use requirements for all new buildings, bringing existing buildings up to current standards, adding PV panels, two-way metering, and micro-grids. Reduce traffic by charging for commuter parking, paying people to car- and vanpool, increasing delivery services, adding protected bike lanes, encouraging e-bikes where they reduce traffic (but not adding to over-use of Open Space), and electrifyin...