__The Littleton/Englewood Waste Water Treatment Plant ("LEWWTP") is the third largest publicly owned treatment works in the state of Colorado.  The plant receives sewage from the cities of Littleton and Englewood, as well as from 21 connector districts in the service areas of the cities.  The plant is a large, advanced treatment plant required to exceed secondary treatment requirements and remove ammonia from waste water.  The design capacity is 50 million gallons per day (mgd) and is presently treating up to 27 mgd.  The plant is jointly owned by the two cities and the operating staff are employees of the City of Englewood.  More information is available at the LEWWTP web site.

On 19 January 2012, the Plant staff hosted both city councils for a presentation by Steve Gunderson from the Colorado Water Quality Control Commission discussing the background and details of potential nutrient reduction regulations that could be imposed upon various waste water treatment plants around the state, including LEWWTP.  In brief, modifications to the plant to reduce nitrogen and phosphorous in the discharge stream for the benefit of downstream reservoirs could easily cost tens of millions of dollars.  There are many questions surrounding the potential regulations from a cost / benefit perspective given the substantial impact the required investment would have on City and sanitation district rate payers.  It's important to note that the regulations in question are preliminary in nature at this time and nothing definitive has been finalized.  However, City Council and Staff are acutely aware of the situation and paying close attention to the regulatory approval process in order to make sure Littleon citizens' interests are a priority.

LLWWTP's Responsive Prehearing Statement was filed with the Commission on 20 January as a procedural step to the draft regulations consideration process.  It sets forth the legal issues raised by the Division’s proposed nutrient standards and is included below.

As part of the annual budget, the Littleton City Council adopted a program that allows the City to assist property owners in the replacement of deteriorated sidewalks, curbs and gutters.  The City will split the costs 50/50 with the property owners who desire these improvements.  The City concrete crew works May through September.  You may contact the Streets Division at any time during the year to request your repairs.  For a free estimate or further explanation, call 303.795.3969 Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

This memo caught my eye not so much for the general topic as for a specific item in the appendix.  The memo deals with the Colorado Department of Transportation's administration of the Federal Hazard Elimination Program.  Basically CDOT is administering Federal funds for the elimination of traffic hazards and inviting municipalities to apply accordingly.  However, the appendix offers a very precise description of the benefit / cost ratio they'll apply to any request.  This is a good example of government being smart by allocating scarce resources where they'll get the biggest bang for the buck.

The City is presently in the early stages of arguing with the Colorado Water Quality Control Commission that potential nutrient regulations they may apply to the Littleton / Englewood Waste Water Treatment Plant would not provide the requisite benefit for the likely substantial cost required in plant upgrades.  Stay tuned on that topic as much more information will be forthcoming, I promise.  But could the Water Quality people learn something from CDOT?  Perhaps.

Here's a presentation from the National Association of Realtors showing a variety of data for the US housing market.  In general, much of the data through 2010 suggests that the broader housing market has stabilized and is not continuing to drop.  Subsequent information in 201 likely confirms that the broader market trends are positive although the trajectory is It's my understanding from the City's Business and Industry Affairs Dept. and the S. Metro Denver Realtor's Association that Littleton has consistently fared better re: housing than the nation as a whole.

_It’s my privilege to serve as the City Council liaison to the Littleton Public Schools Board of Education.  The City does not have direct oversight of the schools but there’s significant overlap in the constituencies served by each.  Hence, I think it makes good sense to maintain open lines of communication so we better understand our respective and related challenges.  It’s for that reason I requested to serve as the liaison during the 2009-11 Council term and will continue in that position for 2011-13.

On the whole in my opinion, LPS has done an outstanding job of maintaining high performance standards and fiscal prudency in the face of significant school funding reductions imposed by the State of Colorado over the past several years.  Certainly the incremental mill levy approved by voters in 2010 was a milestone and an important resource but it mainly allowed the District to tread water, not reinstate programs or services that had been marginalized by preceding budget cuts.

The attached Denver Post article is a good summary of the District’s focus in addressing their obligation to provide public education services broadly with an expectation of quality outcomes for the students who will be tomorrow’s leaders.  For example, although economic stress indicators have increased (e.g., the number of students receiving free lunches, etc.), standardized test scores for LPS have also increased.  To say the least, that’s not exactly an anticipated outcome and speaks volumes about the District’s efforts in to instill a culture of creativity and passion for the students.

_ Hullo, hullo!  It’s good to be back in the Blogosphere once again.  Although not technically dozing, I’ll confess to feeling a bit sheepish for falling asleep on the job of dutifully recording the comings and goings related to the City and City Council since last summer.  In my defense, there’s been a lot going on which, of course, makes the error of omission somewhat more egregious.  So let’s see if we can get caught up in short order and keep the coffee pot brewing.

First and foremost, a heartfelt welcome to Bruce Beckman (At Large) and Jerry Valdes (Dist. II) as newly elected Council members last month.  Council member Beckman is a long-time Littleton Police commander as well as past president of the Littleton Rotary Club.  Council member Valdes has extensive experience on the Planning Commission and Littleton Housing Authority and is a neighbor and friend of mine in Aberdeen Village.  There’s no doubt both will need but a brief ascension up the learning curve in order to contribute significantly to Council and the citizens.

Next, congratulations to Deb Brinkman who was elected Mayor by Council on 15 November.  Mayor Brinkman brings a passion for honoring the citizens and serving the community first and foremost as she assumes the responsibility of leading Council and I believe we’re excited to get to work with renewed energy and enthusiasm.

Next, another welcome aboard to Michael Penny who assumed his duties as City Manager upon Jim Woods’ retirement at the end of September.  Woods’ leadership was a mainstay and responsible for much of the smooth functioning of the City we all enjoy today.  He also left his mark with projects such as bringing light rail to Littleton, co-founding the award-winning concept of economic gardening, expanding the Littleton Police Department headquarters, initiating a new contract with Denver Water, renovating the dilapidated Arapahoe County Courthouse and helping establish the Littleton Immigrant Integration Initiative and the Greater Littleton Youth Initiative post-Columbine as chronicled in the Littleton Independent.

Michael Penny had been the city manager of Frisco, Colorado since 2004.  Previously, he was the city manager of Ouray, Colorado for two years.  Penny also held positions with the City of Boulder.  Penny earned his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from California State University, Long Beach.  He received a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Colorado at Boulder.  He is a graduate of the Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government, Senior Executives in State and Local Government program.  Penny was elected by a statewide constituency of local government officials to the Colorado Municipal League Executive Board from 2003 to present and served as president in 2009/2010.  He was elected by his peers to the Colorado City/County Management Association Board of Directors from 2004 to present, serving as president in 2010.

Penny was tabbed from a group of five strong finalists after an extensive interview process by both City Council and senior City staff.  The finalists were culled from approximately 70 resumes submitted during a national search conducted by the Merger Group, an executive search firm.

In August, graduate students from the Daniels School of Business at the University of Denver presented the results of their marketing and branding audit study to Council and staff, and September saw Council review the 2012 annual budget.  I’ll provide more details on both topics in separate posts.  Also in September I participated with Chief Mullin and the City Attorney to negotiate the fire partner contract renewal with the Highlands Ranch Metro District and the Littleton Fire Protection District at the direction of Council.  Most of the substantive issues have been agreed upon and we expect a final version of the agreement to come before Council in December.  I’ll report back on the conclusion of the negotiations as soon as they are finalized.

Lastly, it is with humility and great appreciation that I mention Council in November saw fit to elect me to serve as Mayor Pro Tem for the next two years.  I look forward to working with and supporting Mayor Brinkman as we hit the ground running.

I hope everyone had a very pleasant Thanksgiving and best wishes for a joyous holiday season.

“I haven't seen my analyst in 200 years. He was a strict Freudian. If I'd been going all this time, I'd probably almost be cured by now.”

                                               - Miles Monroe (Woody Allen), Sleeper, 1973

Several months ago, City Council was presented with a recommendation by Littleton/Englewood Waste Water Treatment Plant ("LEWWTP") staff and their consultants Brown & Caldwell to replace the ammonia chlorine disinfection system with an ultra-violet ("UV") system in order to comply with future permit limits.  The estimated cost of UV was $7-10 million.  Council engaged CH2M Hill to re-evaluate the feasibility of the chlorine disinfection options and conduct an assessment of the existing system with respect to existing permit limits.  While acknowledging that UV is the superior alternative all things being equal, the decision for Council is whether the risks to continuing with the existing chlorine disinfection system are sufficient to warrant spending Littleton's 50% share of the UV capital investment.

CH2M's study suggests that there is a low likelihood of permit violations using the existing system but that a final decision will of necessity be based upon a balance of risks, costs and community values.  My economic analysis also suggests that there is a significant economic advantage to deferring the decision to install UV to 2016 or longer vs. the planned start-up in 2014.  The presentation material that was shared with the Englewood City Council on 28 June follows below.  A final determination of the course of action has not yet been agreed upon by both Councils and more information will be forthcoming when that occurs.

Following are slides from a Denver Regional Council of Governments ("DRCOG") presentation on community energy efficiency initiatives I attended in April.  I've been working with Deputy City Manager Phil Cortese for some time on opportunities to implement solar energy solutions (the magnitude and economics are the present sticking point), and I had a good conversation re: solar with Xcel Energy representatives at the Colorado Municipal League conference in Vail on 22-24 June.