Briefs | Ned carousel marks 100,000th rider

0

 

Ned carousel marks 100,000th rider

The Carousel of Happiness in Nederland, which opened May 28, 2010, awarded its 100,000th rider a special card Wednesday, giving her free rides for life. The winner was Rachel West, a 5-year-old who is living with Dr. and Mrs. Paul Strom of Boulder while her father, Sgt. Patrick West, is deployed in Iraq.

The 101-year-old restored carousel sports 60 hand-carved animals by Nederland artist Scott Harrison.

According to a news release, senior groups, school tours and “organizations of differently-abled people” — who are a special focus of the carousel’s nonprofit mission — have been regular visitors to the carousel, where junior docents educate them about the attraction’s history.

The carousel is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week through the summer.

Tour of affordable homes set

Prospective homebuyers will be able to tour 16 affordable properties in the City of Boulder Homeownership Program during open houses being held Sunday, June 26, from noon to 3 p.m.

Homes available for viewing include condos, townhomes and single-family homes starting at around $100,000 for a one-bedroom, one-bath condo and $200,000 for a single-family home. To view pictures of the homes and see a list of properties featured in the event, visit www.boulderaffordablehomes.com and click on the Homeownership Program link.

The Homeownership Program offers opportunities for homeownership to those with low and moderate incomes through assistance in purchasing homes sold at affordable prices, or through down payment assistance on market-rate homes.

The Affordable Homeownership Program is part of the city’s Department of Housing and Human Services and can be contacted at 303-441-3157, ext. 2, or at homeownership@bouldercolorado.gov.

Pines to be thinned at Heil

A local contractor will be mechanically treating about 150 acres of ponderosa pine forest in Heil Valley Ranch through September.

The Boulder County Parks and Open Space Department hired the contractor to “create a mosaic of openings and uneven-aged groupings of trees,” says Parks and Open Space Outreach Coordinator Pascale Fried. “The goal is to have a healthier forest that is less susceptible to insects, disease and catastrophic wildfires.”

Ponderosa Loop Trail visitors might hear the thinning taking place and are advised not to stray from the trail to ensure their personal safety as well as that of the equipment operators.

The process involves using a “harvester that fells, delimbs and bucks trees into standard log lengths, and a forwarder to haul wood material away from the site,” according to a news release. The remaining logs will be contributed to biomass plants that heat the Boulder Parks and Open Space and Sheriff ’s Office buildings. Branches and small trees will initially be utilized as a road base to prevent erosion, and any remaining material will then be burned over the course of the next few years as conditions permit.

For more information, contact Forest Specialist Nick Stremel at 303-678-6290 or nstremel@bouldercounty.org

Vote for Boulder

Sunday, June 26, is the deadline to vote for Boulder as Outside magazine’s “Best Town in America.”

Boulder was selected by the magazine as a finalist for the best Outside town in America about three weeks ago, and voting is available at facebook.com/ outsidemagazine.

Voters have a chance to win a fiveday trip to one of the towns named as a finalist. In addition to Boulder, the finalists are Charleston, S.C.; Chattanooga, Tenn.; Madison, Wisc.; Portland, Ore.; Portland, Maine; Santa Fe, N.M.; Ashland, Ore.; Burlington, Vt.; and Tucson, Ariz.

The magazine based its initial selections on the cities’ balance of great culture, perfect scenery, stress-free and reasonable cost of living and easy access to the outdoors.

As part of the contest, the public can vote, submit photos, video and comments backing up their selection — the content may appear in Outside magazine and on Outside Television.

The winning town will be featured on the cover of the magazine and will be determined through a combination of total votes, overall support as a result of content submitted and creativity.

Respond: letters@boulderweekly.com