Thread by @shayshinecastle

Weaver: "Our community members' sacrifice in staying home" has had positive results, slowing the spread as intending and keeping hospitals from being overwhelmed.

Yvette Bowden, head of community vitality, is going to address the plans for letting restaurants open back up.

She's talking now about parking and curbside management. I don't quite understand what she's saying, so I'mma keep listening and not tweet until I do.

OK, this I think I get: City implementing $8/day cap for parking garages, hoping to move ppl into garages and out of street parking.

And extending the $3 3p.m. - 3 a.m. parking pilot launched in November, again for garages: boulderbeat.news/2019/11/29/to-…

As you may have read in the Camera, city also considering repurposing right-of-way for businesses (mostly restaurants) so they can serve customers outside, which is safer.

More info will be provided next week, after city/partners has time to explore. Downtown Boulder Partnership also surveying customers to see what they want/when they might start shopping again and under what conditions.

Brockett asking about ROW repurposing: "You mentioned angled parking spaces and event streets... would you also perhaps look at temp road closures that are not technically event streets? For example, W. Pearl? The whole street could potentially be repurposed for outdoor seating."

Bowden: "Nothing is off the table at this point."

Bowden: "We know we have to take an equity lens" to this. "There are other parts of town" it might not be as easy to do, but we want to help all businesses.

Brockett: Will these things be ready to go by time restaurants are allowed to reopen? Which we still don't know.

Bowden: "We want to make sure we're being thoughtful and flexible." We'll be back once we have more info on governor's preferences.

Weaver: My recollection was that governor said restaurant guidance would be issued around May 28.

Yates: "I think we should be fully ready with our plan by then."

We should have as much al fresco dining available as possible by the time the governor's plan is announced, Yates says.

Wallach: "Speed is going to be essential here .... even if research is less than optimal." Restaurant industry is hurting.

He also asks about lowering parking garage rates during the day.
Bowden: "We don't know what the new normal will look like." We can look at that if you want.

We're talking about signs and outreach and it's kinda boring so I'm not tweeting much.

And now cleaning.

Bowden: There are specific checklists by type of business. Chamber and county are ready. Any business can contact the city "and we'll help you navigate to the information" and let us know what challenges you are facing.

She is personally concerned about PPE for workers.

Yates: What do we need to do to lobby the governor so that we can have alcohol service with outside dining?

#Priorities

Moving onto enforcement of social distancing and face covering. Jane Brautigam: We met with CU, public health and sheriff's dept today. It was "really, really" good, she says.

New police chief Maris Herold is here to address that. "The data is pretty straightforward."

255 calls to Boulder PD in the last 7 weeks about public health violations

22 citations issued
15 warnings

Some calls were cancelled bc they weren't actually violations of the orders, Herold says.

On the 22 violations, Herold says: "those were egregious and usually involved a criminal violation as well."

Most calls are Pearl Street Mall, Uni Hill and Eben G. Fine Park. 78.8% of calls

But 80% of calls, police never had to go back for a second call, Herold says. "Education and warnings ... appear to be working."

She has a slide on inequitable enforcement around the country. Many racial disparities.

Departments who "choose enforcement as a primary strategy," rather than education, "they've run into really bad incidents," including virus spread in jails, harm to community/police relations, violence and worsening of racial inequities, Herold says.

Top repeat violation spots:
Eben G Fine
Valmont bike park
Foothills park
Boulder Meadows mobile home park
Centennial and Casey middle schools

These would be good places to hand out masks, Herold says.

She's showing a copy of a letter CU is sending to the homes of students who have been attending/hosting parties

And to property managers.

"This provides a really good foundation, in my opinion, to start" landlord education program, Harold says. "Our education and warning system does appear to be working."

Friend: Boulder PD had 255 calls. Is there a separate log for ones that go to the county, or do they get funneled to you?
Herold: This was specifically for Boulder boundaries. We received 3 calls that were handled by the county.

Herold: 21 citations were issues along with "serious" crimes that occurred simultaneously.

Friend: I'm just trying to figure out what are we getting calls for? Face coverings?
Herold: Some of the calls we get are for construction sites or landscaping, that are violation. But majority are for social distancing and not wearing a mask.

May be an "uptick" in violations this weekend, Herold says, bc of graduation.

That was RE: a Young q/discussion about using volunteers/ambassadors to increasing education in "hot spots."

Fort Collins has that kind of program, Yates says.

Weaver advocating for warnings being issued on Uni Hill, if education doesn't work. CU's Frances Draper said the university sends letters to students who have received police warnings, according to Weaver.

Young: "Folks are out there taking matters into their own hands" with people violating orders. "Is there any advice we can provide to folks that do choose to take that route? A way to approach ppl that doesn't cause a negative encounter and is more productive?"

Herold: "You really have to be very confident in your ability to communicate with community members. The level of frustration on both sides tends to run high."

Boulderites are definitely not lacking in self confidence.

Herold: You have to be careful. "Some of the behavior I've seen across the country is concerning. It turns ugly pretty quick. Ppl that are having success are clearly marked as safety investors. They have literature to hand out and some tool to help."

Apparently a police officer got pushed into a lake somewhere around here..... ?

Young: So it's probably better not to?
Herold: Frustration is high around this. It's hard.

Weaver notes businesses are getting pushback from people "who think their freedom includes ignoring health orders."

Moving on to OSMP update with Director Dan Burke.
Social distancing compliance on open space is ~70%
Face covering is ~30%

Lower on weekends. Lowest at Chautauqua. Lower among the youths.

YOUTHS!!!

"Ranger and staffs sense a growing frustration" with face covering order, including vandalism of signs and "negative interactions," the staff presentation says. (Slide 41)

As a reminder, the county's order requires face coverings outside anywhere/time that 6 ft of distance can't be maintained.

That's true on many trails, Burke says.

Compliance on social distancing varies widely by area.
97% on Boulder Valley Ranch
vs. 51% at Chautauqua, according to Burke

50% face coverings at Boulder Valley Ranch
vs. 20% at Chautauqua

400 signs have been deployed at ~60 OSMP locations to help with education

Weaver: "Having masks available" would be great, bc then you "take away the excuse" of ppl who show up at Chautauqua without them.

But "it's very hard, especially for Americans who have the idea of personal freedom built into us."

Weaver asking if changing the message would work: "The mask is to protect other ppl. And who you're protecting is the most vulnerable."

That's all for this thread. idk what's next, but I'll do a new thread for it. @threadreaderapp please unroll. Thank you!