BREAKING NEWS

October 10

URGENT CALL: SAFEGUARD BOULDER’S LEGACY

With the 308-acre CU-South property recently fenced off for a planned five-year closure under public safety claims, the community is looking for a path forward. We must act decisively now.

This coming Thursday, October 15, the City Council decides on the 2027 City Budget. Hidden in this proposal is $76.5 million for the South Boulder Creek dam. Passing this budget without changes essentially authorizes the dam’s construction and financing, bypassing a direct vote from the residents who will pay the price and face the environmental impact. Despite official narratives, voters only sanctioned site annexation, not this high-hazard infrastructure. Save South Boulder’s mission has always been to secure a modern, safe, and fiscally responsible flood solution. Your participation is vital.

Register to speak at the City Council Public Hearing on Thursday evening, October 15. Sign up at https://bouldercolorado.formstack.com/forms/sign_up_for_public_hearing for Public Hearing 6A. Choose between in-person or remote attendance, and be sure to hit “Submit” after the third page. You should receive a confirmation email from the City Clerk shortly.

The registration window closes at 2:00 PM on Wednesday, October 14. Speakers are allotted two minutes to state their opposition and call for a public referendum. We suggest writing down, practicing and most importantly timing your speech to maximize your impact. You can also send formal letters of protest to the Council, City Manager, and Utilities Director Joe Taddeucci. Just copy and paste the list of email addresses at the end of the list into the address line (To:) of your email.

City Manager Nuria Rivera-Vandermyde

Head of Utilities Joe Taddeucci

Council Members

Aaron Brockett, Mayor

Tara Winer, Mayor pro-tem

Nicole Speer

Taishya Adams

Tina Marquez

Ryan Schuchard

Rob Kaplan

Matthew Benjamin

rivera-vandermyden@bouldercolorado.gov
taddeuccij@bouldercolorado.gov
brocketta@bouldercolorado.gov
winert@bouldercolorado.gov
speern@bouldercolorado.gov
adamst@bouldercolorado.gov
marquezt@bouldercolorado.gov
shuchardr@bouldercolorado.gov
kaplanr@bouldercolorado.gov
benjaminm@bouldercolorado.gov

Our position remains steadfast: Boulder residents have fought this high-hazard dam for three decades. We refuse to be ignored by local leadership. We demand transparency and a flood project that prioritizes ecological integrity and economic wisdom. Destroying our final open floodplain is a profound mistake. We urge the Council to pause all work at CU-South until legal challenges regarding the project's financing are resolved.
We need a massive turnout. If this budget is approved next Thursday, the project proceeds unchecked. This is our last chance to intervene.

September 28
New insights and a historical review of the CU-South project failures have been provided by community advocates Steve Lynton and Ben Binder.
Steve Lynton exposes a “private agreement” between the City and CU. It appears officials signed deals allowing CU to develop the land regardless of future dam adjustments, done without public consultation before budget approval. While the city cites legal delays, administrative lapses in securing permits are a major factor. Environmentalists warn this move endangers critical wildlife habitats.
Ben Binder details the project's alarming financial growth. From an original $20.4 million estimate, construction costs have ballooned 375% to $76.5 million, with engineering fees rising 750% to over $14 million.

Despite these costs, the current plan offers insufficient protection, focusing only on specific creek events while ignoring the drainage basins that caused the 2013 devastation. The city continues to block independent peer reviews and lacks a current cost-benefit analysis.
September 24: Critical Updates
As of October 3, CU-South is fully barricaded. Initial site preparation for the dam is underway despite active litigation. Save South Boulder is appealing to the Colorado Supreme Court to ensure that a $100 million public expenditure requires a citizen vote.
Urgent Legal Fund: To move our appeal forward, we need to raise $20,000 by October 1. We are defending the democratic right to vote on massive spending labeled as “fees.” Success could force the city to repay these costs, but we need your contributions today. Donate via credit card at https://www.savesouthboulder.com/blank-page or mail a check to Margaret LeCompte, Chair, Save South Boulder, 290 Pawnee Drive, Boulder, CO 80303.
May 27: Legal Proceedings
Our counsel, Randall Weiner, delivered oral arguments to the Colorado Appellate Court on May 27, 2026. The bench showed deep understanding of TABOR law. We are hopeful that our challenge against the city’s use of “utility fees” to avoid voter approval will move forward.
A win here protects all Colorado residents by ensuring public works projects remain accountable. We are fighting for our environment and our constitutional rights. We still need $8,500 to cover existing legal costs and maintain this fight. Thanksal costs and maintain this fight. Thank you for standing with us to protect our neighborhoods and local democracy.

BUS DIRECTIONS TO DENVER COURT OF APPEALS BUILDING

From the Table Mesa Station, catch the FF1 bus to Union Station at the RTD bus gate on the CU-South side of US 36 (next to the on-ramp going toward Denver.

Take escalator or stairs up to street level and walk through the old the Union Station building to the Wynkoop Street side.

Walk to the right along Wynkoop and cross to the other side of 16th Street where you'll catch the free 16th Street Mall Ride bus, stopping at every corner going down 16th Street every 3-5 minutes.

Take 16th Street Mall Ride bus to the end of the line at Civic Center Station (Broadway and Colfax).

Then walk south on Broadway past the Capitol to the Court of Appeals building on the corner of 14th St & Broadway, 2 E. 14th Avenue.

For the RETURN TRIP, you just do the reverse back to Union Station and the underground bus terminals where you catch an FF1 or FF2 bus back to Boulder. You catch the FF1 bus at Gate 17 and FF2 (the express bus) at Gate 18. Between the two there is a bus at least every 15 minutes. The four FF2 busses are at: 4:43, 4:51, 5:16, 5:31.

If you park in the RTD parking structure on the north side of US 36, use Level 3 pedestrian bridge to cross US 36. The FF1 runs every 15 minutes on weekdays & takes ~ 35 minutes to get to Union Station.