Support the Boulder Multisport Training and Sports Science Center
Published in the Boulder Daily Camera, 11/13/11
Election Day has passed, and we can rest assured that our Boulder Brand is all Bright and Shiny. Great. Now maybe our local government will move on to issues that might change the way we live and work in Boulder.
I suggest that on top of the pile is the proposed Boulder Multisport Training and Sports Science Center. Over the past two years, Boulder has been considering a proposal to build a world-class multisport facility in Boulder. Anyone who has stepped outside on a sunny day knows that Boulder is a Mecca for people who love to bike, run, swim, climb, and engage in sports that promote fitness in healthy, green, and social ways. It’s not just the 50,000 people that show up for the Bolder Boulder on Memorial Day, it’s a whole year of active lifestyles, not to mention a whole bunch of World Champions who call Boulder home.
The proposed Boulder Multisport Training and Sports Science Center (BMT) will fill some significant gaps in our community’s facilities, but it’s far more than another glorified health club – BMT will feature a full range of sports medicine and science facilities. The whole concept for the BMT is not just truly remarkable, it is remarkable in a truly Boulder way.
The guy behind BMT, Dr. Alan Villavicencio, is a local Harvard-trained neurosurgeon who has an impressive list of publications in the neurosciences. But, in true Boulder style, he is also a 15-time Ironman who rides his bicycle 15,000 miles each year. Alan is a great Boulder story trying to write an even greater Boulder story by creating the BMT right here in our lovely town.
And, BMT would bring jobs to Boulder including world-renowned doctors, physical therapists, exercise physiologists, nutritionists, coaches, and personal trainers.
Sounds great, doesn’t it? What could get in the way of Boulder being the home of BMT? Our local government, that’s what.
The property where BMT would be built is East of US 36 and north of Jay Road. Today, this land is scrub with not much but mobile homes and junkyards. The City has long recognized that this area will eventually be annexed and, by Colorado law, they could annex this land whenever they choose. But, in 1993 the City ceded control of this land by agreeing to require additional approvals from the County Commissioners and the County Planning Commission.
When the BMT was proposed, it immediately became clear that this arrangement was untenable and that, without changes to the approval process, this land would never be annexed and the dream of BMT in Boulder would die. The City proposed changes so that good ideas for this land, such as this, would again be decided by the City alone. However, to change the arrangement with the County, everyone had to agree. The City was enthusiastic and the County Commissioners supportive, but when it came before the Boulder County Planning Commission, they said, “no way.” Immediate buzz kill.
So, unless something changes, and soon, this amazing opportunity is going to slip through Boulder’s fingers because of the extraordinary power the City granted to the County Planning Commission – a group of unelected individuals, many of whom do not live in Boulder.
I like thoughtful planning as much as anyone, but this isn’t thoughtful planning. This is killing a great idea because the bureaucracy in place has the power to stop progress on a whim. This land will someday be developed, and what could be better than BMT? Walmart, anyone?
But, it can be fixed. The County Commissioners can use the influence they have with their Planning Commission to change some minds. The Commissioners need to make their interests known clearly and publicly and do their part in fixing the process.
If the County doesn’t step up, the City should take a hard look at the agreements they have with the County. County government just became a millstone around Boulder’s neck. In the words of Boulder’s mayor,
“The current process is Kafka-esque and designed to scuttle any proposal, regardless of merit. I also fail to understand why Boulder should be held to a process that isn't applied to any of the other Super IGA cities.”
Those are strong words from a person still in a position to do something about the problem she, herself, clearly states.
This is not a story of Bright and Shiny local government – it’s a story of a broken government. If Boulder elected officials don’t fix this now, we will lose a once-in-a-generation opportunity to add, “Best Multisport Training and Research City in the World” to our brand, and that would be an unnecessary loss and a terrible shame.
Election Day has passed, and we can rest assured that our Boulder Brand is all Bright and Shiny. Great. Now maybe our local government will move on to issues that might change the way we live and work in Boulder.
I suggest that on top of the pile is the proposed Boulder Multisport Training and Sports Science Center. Over the past two years, Boulder has been considering a proposal to build a world-class multisport facility in Boulder. Anyone who has stepped outside on a sunny day knows that Boulder is a Mecca for people who love to bike, run, swim, climb, and engage in sports that promote fitness in healthy, green, and social ways. It’s not just the 50,000 people that show up for the Bolder Boulder on Memorial Day, it’s a whole year of active lifestyles, not to mention a whole bunch of World Champions who call Boulder home.
The proposed Boulder Multisport Training and Sports Science Center (BMT) will fill some significant gaps in our community’s facilities, but it’s far more than another glorified health club – BMT will feature a full range of sports medicine and science facilities. The whole concept for the BMT is not just truly remarkable, it is remarkable in a truly Boulder way.
The guy behind BMT, Dr. Alan Villavicencio, is a local Harvard-trained neurosurgeon who has an impressive list of publications in the neurosciences. But, in true Boulder style, he is also a 15-time Ironman who rides his bicycle 15,000 miles each year. Alan is a great Boulder story trying to write an even greater Boulder story by creating the BMT right here in our lovely town.
And, BMT would bring jobs to Boulder including world-renowned doctors, physical therapists, exercise physiologists, nutritionists, coaches, and personal trainers.
Sounds great, doesn’t it? What could get in the way of Boulder being the home of BMT? Our local government, that’s what.
The property where BMT would be built is East of US 36 and north of Jay Road. Today, this land is scrub with not much but mobile homes and junkyards. The City has long recognized that this area will eventually be annexed and, by Colorado law, they could annex this land whenever they choose. But, in 1993 the City ceded control of this land by agreeing to require additional approvals from the County Commissioners and the County Planning Commission.
When the BMT was proposed, it immediately became clear that this arrangement was untenable and that, without changes to the approval process, this land would never be annexed and the dream of BMT in Boulder would die. The City proposed changes so that good ideas for this land, such as this, would again be decided by the City alone. However, to change the arrangement with the County, everyone had to agree. The City was enthusiastic and the County Commissioners supportive, but when it came before the Boulder County Planning Commission, they said, “no way.” Immediate buzz kill.
So, unless something changes, and soon, this amazing opportunity is going to slip through Boulder’s fingers because of the extraordinary power the City granted to the County Planning Commission – a group of unelected individuals, many of whom do not live in Boulder.
I like thoughtful planning as much as anyone, but this isn’t thoughtful planning. This is killing a great idea because the bureaucracy in place has the power to stop progress on a whim. This land will someday be developed, and what could be better than BMT? Walmart, anyone?
But, it can be fixed. The County Commissioners can use the influence they have with their Planning Commission to change some minds. The Commissioners need to make their interests known clearly and publicly and do their part in fixing the process.
If the County doesn’t step up, the City should take a hard look at the agreements they have with the County. County government just became a millstone around Boulder’s neck. In the words of Boulder’s mayor,
“The current process is Kafka-esque and designed to scuttle any proposal, regardless of merit. I also fail to understand why Boulder should be held to a process that isn't applied to any of the other Super IGA cities.”
Those are strong words from a person still in a position to do something about the problem she, herself, clearly states.
This is not a story of Bright and Shiny local government – it’s a story of a broken government. If Boulder elected officials don’t fix this now, we will lose a once-in-a-generation opportunity to add, “Best Multisport Training and Research City in the World” to our brand, and that would be an unnecessary loss and a terrible shame.
