Boulder County’s Public Works Department, which includes the Building Services, Business Operations, Engineering, Resource Conservation, and Road Maintenance Divisions, was created in 2020 as a result of the county-wide reorganization. Since then, Public Works has been working to establish and define departmental practices and procedures that align with the county’s overall mission to provide the best in public service in all of its various endeavors, from recycling to road construction.

Mission Statement

Boulder County Public Works is committed to providing excellent service and safe work and roadway environments, in addition to delivering services aimed at meeting the county’s goal of “Zero Waste or Darn Near by 2025”.

Building Services Division

• Construction – The Construction team is responsible for overseeing the work on the jobsites, and also monitors the actual performance of a number of skilled trades. The staff consists of a Construction Manager, several project superintendents, and a staff of skilled journey carpenters, drywallers, and painters. The superintendents coordinate the activities of staff and subcontractors on site, process material deliveries, and ensure the work meets inspection and permit requirements. The in-house trades include: moderate excavation and concrete foundations & slabs; all light steel or wood framing; drywall installation and finishing; millwork fabrication and installation; door, frame and hardware installation; painting. They also are skilled in the installation and modifications of the county’s modular furniture system.
• Design – The Design staff is responsible for programming project needs; design of the improvements; coordination of civil, landscape, structural, mechanical and electrical consultants’ work; bidding subcontracted trades; and overall project management.
• Electrical – This group is responsible for the installation of new electrical power and lighting, along with phone, data and building control systems in county facilities. They design and implement modifications and improvements to existing systems as departments’ needs change and grow. The county Master Electrician manages the Electrical Section. Projects are directed by Lead Electricians and supported by a staff of skilled electricians. The Electrical Section also manages the Systems Group, which plays a key role in maintaining existing electronic facility systems, including the environmental control systems, fire alarm systems, card access systems and audio/visual systems in most of the county buildings.
• Facilities Services – This includes security, maintenance, and custodial services. Security is responsible for building access control, patrol and crime prevention, consulting, coaching and training, and incident response and management for county security issues. Maintenance is responsible for ongoing operations and maintenance of our sites and facilities, including landscaping and snow removal. The custodial team is responsible for all custodial operations, which includes cleaning and sanitizing both public and private building spaces.
• Infrastructure Services – This group manages and implements our facility infrastructure upgrades and replacements. These are typically funded through the Capital Expenditure Fund (CEF) infrastructure budget and include projects such as roof and HVAC replacements, Solar PV installations, BAS upgrades, and more.
• Real Estate – This group is responsible for the management of our real estate portfolio including leases, sales, purchases, and condo agreements.
• Signage & Graphics – This group, which includes a graphics designer, is responsible for design, fabrication, installation and maintenance of building and site signage at county facilities. They also coordinate subcontractor production and installation of large site signs. A large variety of visual products, including publications such as annual reports, brochures, displays, plaques and other special graphic needs, are designed and produced by this team.

Business Operations Division

• General Accounting - This area manages financial processes for Public Works divisions, administers budgets and budget processes, creates projects and manages project financials, and liaises between Public Works and the Office of Financial Management and auditors.
• Accounts Payable and Receivable - This area generates purchase orders and processes Public Works payable invoices and credit memos as well as generating receivable invoices and collecting funds.
• Capital Projects Coordination - This area manages complex Public Works projects and programs, including participating in in-house discussions to establish needs-based capital project assessments, developing scopes of work, establishing and tracking budgets, approving contractor payments, initiating requests for reimbursement from various funding sources, and monitoring work progress to completion. It is also responsible for developing, managing, and updating capital improvement program multi-year phasing plans.
• Contracts Processing - This area generates contracts for various divisions within Public Works as well as manages all contract-related processes, including amendments, renewals, notices to proceed.
• Business Analyses and IT Support - This area assists Public Works divisions with assorted business analyses processes and provides IT support.
• Payroll - This area manages payroll processes for Public Works divisions including coordinating with employees on timekeeping and payroll-related items.
• Administrative Support - This area manages administrative processes and assists with various Public Works administrative needs.

Resource Conservation Division (RCD)

The Resource Conservation Division strives to lead and promote actions that will help Boulder County reach its goal of “Zero Waste or Darn Near by 2025”. Their mission is to provide convenient, cost-effective facilities and programs to help Boulder County reduce waste disposal, protect the environment, and conserve natural resources. The RCD manages the Hazardous Materials Management Facility located in Boulder, schedules compost workshops for residents, and provides a Community Outreach Program to educate county residents and support other resource diversion initiatives.

• Zero Waste – This program provides recycling and composting bins and services to county offices to ensure Boulder County reaches its Zero Waste goal. It includes signage resources to assist with proper sorting. In addition, all county events and meetings must adhere to zero-waste guidelines.
• Education & Outreach – Resource Conservation provides resources and activities to help with zero-waste efforts, such as classes, trainings, and recycling center tours.
• Hazardous Waste – RCD’s Hazardous Materials Management Facility (HMMF) and its staff provides a safe location for county departments, offices, and the general public to properly dispose of small quantities of hazardous waste such as acids and bases, flammable liquids and solids, pesticides and poisons, and oil-based paints. Universal waste, recyclable, and non-hazardous wastes are also accepted: aerosol cans, fluorescent tubes and lamps (CFLs), applicable pesticides, auto batteries and other batteries, antifreeze, latex paints, and non-hazardous liquids.
• Shredding – RCD coordinates confidential paper shredding services for Boulder County offices.
• Trash & Hauling – The division also provides a public program for trash, hauling and hauler licensing, which includes managing Allenspark and Nederland Transfer Station and Recycling Centers.
• Surplus – This program serves as a way for county offices to reuse materials and keep them out of the landfill. Offices and departments must attempt to find a home for their functional and/or usable items with a value of less than $5,000 by following the county's surplus procedure. Items that cannot be reused internally are then donated to local charities.

Engineering Division and the County Engineer

The Engineering Division manages the analysis, design, and construction of roadway infrastructure improvements within county public rights-of-way. The division coordinates the county’s construction schedule and ensures projects are completed in a timely and efficient manner.

The County Engineer is responsible for overseeing all design, construction and access activity within the county rights-of-way. The County Engineer’s team also manages all aspects of the department’s Geographical Information Systems and oversees Construction Inspection activities. The County Engineer is responsible for ensuring that the county’s multimodal design standards are adhered to in all public and private construction projects that take place on or along county roadways within county public rights-of-way. The County's Engineer's team also manages the department's Stormwater Quality program.

Fleet Services Division

The Fleet Services division manages the county’s fleet of more than 800 vehicles and pieces of equipment, performs maintenance and repairs, purchases vehicles and equipment and works to improve fleet sustainability. This group is currently focused on conversion of the Boulder County vehicle fleet to electric vehicles, where possible.

Road Maintenance Division

The Road Maintenance division keeps our roadway infrastructure functional, safe, and clean. Responsibilities include culvert installation and cleaning, dust control, paving, asphalt and gravel road maintenance, road sign install and replacement, snow plowing and removal, tree and brush removal, and many other tasks.

Boulder County maintains more than 700 miles of roadway, of which nearly 50 percent are gravel and 50 percent are asphalt surfaced: these stretch from the plains at 5,280 feet to the Continental Divide at almost 14,000 feet. The Road Maintenance division is adept at managing all aspects of county roadway operations in all weather conditions.

Program Highlights

County Road and Bridge Infrastructure

The Engineering and Road Maintenance Divisions recently completed several large road and bridge infrastructure replacement projects including repaving over five miles of county roads; replacing three failing metal drainage structures with concrete box culverts; reconstruction of the Sugarloaf retaining wall; major sidewalk repairs in two county subdivisions and twenty-one miles of preventative chip seal on county arterials.

• Sugarloaf Wall Reconstruction including uphill paved shoulders along a half mile of Sugarloaf road as it exits Boulder Canyon and replacement of a thirty foot high retaining wall first constructed in 1934. The project utilized $2.2 million in federal pre-disaster funds to protect against future high water events and improve safety for cyclists, city water operators, and residents.
• Olde Stage Road Reconstruction now gives road users a four-foot shoulder on the northbound lane uphill of Lee Hill Drive and new pavement along the entire 2 1/4 miles of mountain road.
• New concrete box culverts on Vermillion Road and the Sombrero Ranch subdivision to prevent catastrophic collapse.
• Substantial maintenance work on the Magnolia Road Bridge over Boulder Creek.
• New ADA compliant sidewalks for improved pedestrian access to Niwot Elementary School in Morton Heights subdivisions along with drainage improvements and new pavement on the residential collectors roads.

A large amount of work in 2022 was in preparation for several large sales-tax funded construction projects either planned or underway on North 71st Street, 120th Street, East County Line Road, and 95th Street.

Building Services Projects

Building Services has several significant projects in the works that will positively impact the county as well as its residents. These are as follows:

• Southeast Hub Construction – This is a new county building housing an array of services offered by multiple departments in order to reduce the distance residents of southeast portions of the county need to travel. The 40,000 square-foot building will be home to over 200 county employees. More details on this project can be found here.
• Facilities Master Plan - Public Works is initiating a county-wide Facilities Master Plan in 2023 to evaluate current and future space needs for county work groups and determine space requirements for current/future staffing and operational needs taking into account hybrid work models. It will establish priorities and timelines for facilities construction and renovation projects over a 20-year time horizon.
• Elections Storage and Security – Current facility space will be reconfigured to serve as secure storage for election ballots that are required by statute to be retained by the County Clerk’s Office for a defined period as well as providing for a high security enclosure in a conditioned space with access to a loading dock and new walls and a card access door to create a secure perimeter for staff.

Resource Conservation Division continues to provide an ever-expanding array of services for the public

The Resource Conservation Division has shown how much focus, hard work, and leadership can mean in moving a county forward to reach its goal of Zero Waste by 2025. RCD’s mission is to provide convenient, cost-effective facilities and programs to help Boulder County reduce waste disposal, protect the environment, and conserve natural resources.

The division works on community participation, public education and well-designed, comprehensive programs as its focus to achieve our Zero Waste goals, and to put this message forward in every element they can. The team has a history of always looking for the next opportunity, and the next needed facility to reach Zero Waste goals.

A new effort that was a tremendous success was a vape take-back event undertaken in partnership with the Public Health Department. The event resulted in the proper disposal of more than 50 pounds of vape-related materials, including cartridges, pens, and batteries. This material will now be recycled or sent to appropriate landfills approved for these items.

Boulder County Fleet Electrification

As part of its commitment to sustainability, Boulder County is investigating the potential to electrify its own vehicle fleet and increase Plug-in Electric Vehicle (PEV) adoption by employees and the general public. Vehicle electrification offers one of the best opportunities to significantly reduce the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the county’s fleet and its employees, which is a necessary step to achieve the county’s goal of carbon-neutral operations. One of the goals of this program is to evaluate a vehicle’s use case to determine if a PEV or Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) will be adequate, and if the total cost of ownership is comparable to a gasoline or diesel vehicle.

Since 2018 we have added 15 All Electric Vehicles and 12 Plug-in Hybrid Electric vehicles to the fleet. We have been able to acquire and install the required charging stations and complete necessary infrastructure upgrades working in collaboration with the Office of Sustainability, Climate Action & Resilience, Building Services, and Xcel Energy.

Now that we are post-pandemic, we are in the process of conducting a third-party Fleet Utilization Study with the goals of right sizing the fleet, adequately funding fleet replacement vehicles, and better utilizing existing vehicles. Once completed this will certainty add to our efforts integrating additional EVs into the fleet.

The Public Works Department's goals and priorities are in alignment with the Strategic Priorities adopted by the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC), as outlined below:

Climate Action

BOCC Climate Action Goal 2 - Boulder County is a GoEV county and pledges to develop a transportation electrification plan and implementation strategies.

Resource Conservation Efforts - Our Resource Conservation team continues to coordinate with the Office of Sustainability, Climate Action & Resilience (OSCAR) and Parks & Open Space teams in working to implement composting solutions for Boulder County. We are committed to fully exploring all options to ensure diversion of compostable material from landfills.

Fleet Services Efforts - Our Fleet Services team is actively working to ensure light-duty vehicles purchased by the county will be electric vehicles when the technology accommodates the needs of the vehicle use. The following goals guide our vehicle purchasing decisions: currently, all new sedans will be electric, all new SUVs will be electric by 2025, and all new pickup trucks will be electric by 2030.

The Building Services team is working to install EV charging stations throughout county facilities to accommodate the transition of county fleet to EVs. Our team has coordinated with the OSCAR team in seeking grant funding for most of these additional charging station installations.

Equity and Justice

BOCC Equity and Justice Goal 1 - Increase equity, diversity, and inclusion at Boulder County by implementing Boulder County’s Cultural Responsiveness and Inclusion Roadmap.

Public Works Efforts - With the formation of the new department in 2020, Public Works is represented on the county’s Cultural Responsiveness and Inclusion Advisory Committee (CRIAC). In addition, we have established an internal Cultural Responsiveness and Inclusion (CRI) team within the department with representatives from each division. Our CRIAC and CRI team members present at each of our all-staff meetings, participate on our interview panels for key team appointments, and are working to develop ongoing department programs to encourage participation and increase awareness.