SUBJECT:
Title
The STEAD School and Aimbridge Energy Presentation: Resilience Hubs
Department
DEPARTMENT: Environmental Services
Presenter
PRESENTER(S): Rachel Balkom, The STEAD School
Aimbridge Energy
end
Time
TIME ESTIMATE: 20 minutes
end
Fiscal
FISCAL SUMMARY: NA
Policy
POLICY ISSUES:
This presentation supports general Town efforts to increase resilience as started through Erie’s first Sustainability Plan, adopted in 2019, and its recently adopted Resilience Action Plan (March 2026). Resilience Hubs are a strong resilience strategy and resource to support increased Town resilience in the threat of increasing extreme weather events affecting all residents but especially those that are more vulnerable and impacted disproportionately during and after these events.
Recommendation
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommend board members engage with Rachel’s presentation materials, sharing any questions and concerns, and exploring more information and details about resilience hubs in Colorado and beyond.
Body
SUMMARY/KEY POINTS
• This discussion was requested by Councilmember Pesaramelli after an initial discussion with Rachel about the STEAD school resilience hub efforts to date.
• Resilience hubs are identified in Erie’s recently adopted Resilience Action Plan (RAP) as an important strategy to explore and develop to increase the Town’s overall resilience in the threat of amplifying extreme weather and climate change related events (flood, fires, heat events, etc.).
• The Town continues to explore resilience hub opportunities including from a facility perspective where possible while also working with graduate students on Phase 1 implementation of the RAP on various identified strategies such as upcoming resilience neighborhood pilot workshops and developing related evergreen resources.
BACKGROUND OF SUBJECT MATTER:
According to the Colorado State Department of Local Affairs “Resiliency hubs are physical spaces that serve as community centers for education, services, and community capacity. They can enhance community resilience, reduce burdens on local emergency response teams, improve access to public health resources and services, and distribute resources and funding to priority communities and those that need them the most. Their key feature is that they strengthen against hazards to ensure continuous operations and to provide physical shelter and other resources during hazard events, however, they can serve their community on a daily basis in other ways. Resiliency hubs are not a ‘one-size fits all.’ They are flexible and scalable and accommodate communities based on their unique needs and priorities.
Resilience hubs serve communities in three operating conditions: normal (more than 99% of the time), disruption, and recovery. Existing buildings and spaces where community members already visit as trusted sources of information and support, such as schools, parks, malls, or cultural centers, can serve as resilience hubs before, during, and after climate events or other disasters. These facilities strengthen communities by coordinating resources, programs, and services including childcare, health care, access to healthy food, economic development, workforce training centers, emergency response, safe and affordable housing, and social connections. Investing in these spaces and helping ensure they are affordable and accessible for all communities, especially low-income and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities, is a key resilience strategy. They can also serve as both cooling and clean air centers.”
Image illustrating 5 key components of resilience hubs from Colorado Department of Local Affairs website: https://dlg.colorado.gov/resilience-hubs.
priorities
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attachments
ATTACHMENT(S):
1. Resilience Hub Presentation 07-01-2026