I moved to Colorado in 1994 and started to work for the City of Boulder in the Public Works department. A year or so later an opening for a computer specialist became available in the Open Space department, I applied, got the job and my understanding and love for Open Space began. Besides supporting technology for a dedicated Open Space staff, learning about GIS, and publishing some of the first online maps on the Internet I volunteered wherever I could! My favorite volunteer position was hiking through Open Space up to the Railroad Tracks just south of the Flatirons for Raptor Watch duty. What an amazing experience to observe and record the behavior of nesting eagles while enjoying the quiet solitude of Open Space.
It wasn’t long after that I found others dedicated to Open Space within our Town and we started working towards developing a program in Superior. On April 23rd, 2001 Resolution No. R–25, Series 2001 was passed and the Open Space Advisory Committee (OSAC) was formed. A group of us worked diligently towards developing an Open Space program that included acquisition to start to protect some of the most valuable environmental areas in the County. In 2001 we brought a ballot initiative forward to increase Sales Tax by .03% for Open Space. It was a difficult challenge because our Mayor at the time was not in favor and didn’t believe we could purchase even a small piece of one parcel with the money that would be raised. It passed and remains in place today raising in excess of $600,000 each year! In 2003 we engaged with Smith Environmental to perform a Wildlife study. In 2005 we put forward our final Summary Report and Recommendations and through continued work we started partnerships with the City of Boulder and Boulder County to come together and start the acquisition of the parcels at the top of our list. In 2006 we pushed forward with another initiative to dedicate funds for the acquisition of Open Space. This was not a tax increase, but a commitment to acquisition that has now resulted in completing the majority of the high-value land we identified in 2005. For a good look at the early history take a look at the 2010 OSAC Management Plan.
When citizens work together for something they are passionate about, amazing things can happen. Today we are privileged to have a committed group of citizens, staff and board members continuing to build an Open Space program that started with a citizen movement just 22 years ago.
Special thanks to those that made that first plan come together :
Open Space Advisory Committee Members
(As of March 2005):
- Bob McCool, Chairman
- John Nibarger, Vice Chairman
- Joanna Jaszczak , Recorder
- Alan Clark
- Dana D’Souza
- Erik Mondrow
- Margaret Parish
- Tom Pratt
- Debra Williams
With Thanks to Previous OSAC Members:
- Jan Burhmann
- Brian Elliot
- Peter Doridick
- Mike Herbst
- Kathy McCarthy
- David Menough
- Joy Swearengen
Additional Staff Assistance provided by:
Juanita Dominguez, Director Parks, Recreation, Open Space
Jennifer Dunn, Staff Liaison, Parks, Recreation, Open Space Analyst
Devin Granbery , Management Analyst
Paul Nilles , Finance Director