2012 Boulder County Pinnacle Awards

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• published: 19 Dec 2012
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Each year, Boulder County Commissioners recognize teams of county employees whose work exemplifies the county's vision and values statements. These award-winning projects and programs are real life examples of the County vision to be "the best in public service." 2012 Pinnacle Award winners: Collaboration & Teamwork Hessie Trailhead Parking and Shuttle Program Vehicle congestion along Fourth of July Road near the Hessie Trailhead had been a problem for nearly three decades, degrading the visitor experience, causing headaches for Eldora residents and compromising public safety by blocking emergency vehicles. The shuttle service was able to leverage an existing parking facility, reduce vehicle traffic and speeding through Eldora and for the first time Boulder County residents who do not own a car were provided access to the Indian Peaks Wilderness. There has been widespread support the project and on peak days the shuttle had the effect of reducing approximately 70 parked vehicles near the trailhead. Commissioners' Choice Boulder County Workplace Improvement Team The Community Justice Services Division identified a desire to implement an organizational change model to increase staff engagement and support a high quality workplace environment for staff. Representing each CJS unit, a work group formed and developed four organizational initiatives to target focused change. The results have been staggering. A survey sent to staff in 2009 showed that only 35% felt that their good actions at work were recognized frequently. In contrast, a recent survey now shows that 85% of those surveyed felt appreciated at work and 88% indicated they recognized the work of others in the division on a regular basis. Innovation Artist-in-Residence The POS department restored the DeLonde Barn located on Caribou Ranch Open Space in 2006. At that time there was no intention to use the building other than as a storage facility. However, an idea to reuse the historical structure for something "new" was suggested and POS began work to create an Artist-in-Residence Program. The program provides an opportunity for artists to pursue their work day and night for a week in the inspiring landscape and history of Caribou Ranch. By sharing their art with Boulder County, we hope to add to residents' enjoyment of their open space lands and create a legacy of art preserved for future generations. Public Involvement Forest Health Outreach: Focused on Wildfire Mitigation and Wildfire Awareness Month The overarching goal of the outreach program is to give landowners the tools necessary to implement effective mitigation on their land. Key to this was partnering with communities and fire protection districts to offer workshops and trainings. Formal outreach reached well over 575 individuals and the Forest Health Outreach eNewsletter has more than 500 subscribers. We are using a variety of approaches including volunteer forestry projects, naturalist hikes, slash burning workshops, insurance workshops, community chipping days, tours of forestry projects, and Firewise programs. Six Front Range counties joined our campaign this year. Public Service Josephine Commons Josephine Commons is a 153-unit innovative affordable housing development in Lafayette for low-income seniors, families, and individuals. The project creates community for seniors and families right in the heart of Lafayette, and it brings together services from around the county that will help residents thrive and sustain their independence. Nearly 300 community members attended the groundbreaking ceremony. The project was completed in August, and within five days it was fully leased. Josephine Commons is a shining example of a county-led affordable housing project that will truly boost the resiliency and self-sufficiency of a community. Stewardship & Sustainability EnergySmart Boulder County received a $25 million Better Buildings grant from the U.S. Department of Energy under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. With this funding, Boulder County employees and city partners created EnergySmart. According to third party report, EnergySmart has: provided energy efficiency services to more than 2,200 businesses and 6,500 households in Boulder County; reduced an estimated 11,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent annually; issued 2,369 EnergySmart rebates worth more than $2 million; and provided technical, business development and sales training to more than 150 contractors.