Study Groups

After identifying the five areas of focus, the Sustainability and Resilience Steering Committee assigned five study groups responsibility for researching and recommending solutions to the threats identified in the Chautauqua 2020 Vulnerabilities Assessment. The study groups were organized around the following five main areas of focus:

Infrastructure Energy Fire and Heat Vegetation Governance

Each of the five Study Groups established a scope of work and a set of goals based on the overall S&R strategy project goals and the identified vulnerabilities for their area of study.

The Steering Committee directed the groups to consider the following criteria for developing recommendations:

Necessity – Recommendations should be necessary to address a specific issue and be effective in mitigating risk and improving the sustainability and resilience of the Chautauqua NHL District.

Implementable – Recommendations should be acceptable to the oversight groups responsible for implementing the recommendations, including CCA, COB departments, related Boards and Commissions, and affected constituents.

Historic Preservation – Recommendations should be consistent with Boulder’s Historic Preservation Ordinance, Boulder’s Historic Design Guidelines, and the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. All exterior physical changes to structures in the Chautauqua NHL District are subject to review and approval by the City of Boulder’s Landmarks Board. Where historic preservation covenants exist, recommendations are also subject to review and approval by the State Historic Preservation Office.

Budget and Complexity – Recommendations should consider the cost of implementation and recognize the realities and complexities of scheduling recommended projects given the demands on CCA and COB staff.

With these criteria in mind, and after meeting and discussing possible solutions for over a year, the study groups put forward prioritized recommendations.