This Week in Longmont: Air quality videos, museum activities, trivia with librarians and more

Longmont air quality videos available online
In an effort to keep the public updated on air quality news, the city of Longmont has produced two new air quality videos that can be seen online. The city has updated its air quality web page with new a 5-minute video that provides an inside look at the two air monitoring stations currently in use and can be seen here. A second 2-minute video provides on overall view of Longmont’s air monitoring strategies. The video features an introduction from Mayor Brian Bagley and can be viewed here.

Play online trivia with librarians
“Are You Smarter than a Librarian?” — an interactive, online trivia night program moderated by your Longmont librarians — is back on from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Monday. The program series is aimed at adults and older kids and features up to 25 people, teams or households competing for bragging rights by winning the best of five rounds of play.  Advance registration is required at bit.ly/LibPrograms.

Be snow savvy and protect our water
How do we protect both people and waterways after winter storms? Shovel snow from sidewalks onto vegetated areas so it can soak into the ground instead of flowing onto the street. If using a deicer, apply according to instructions as soon as snowy or icy conditions appear. Learn more about winter storm resources at bit.ly/be-snow-savvy. 

Upcoming activities, events at the museum
Free Virtual Art & Sip Classes: Gather your materials listed at LongmontMuseum.org and join us online for free painting classes. You’ll learn a few techniques and have fun making art!

• Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.: Use watercolors to produce a sunset-on-the-water scene
• Feb. 17 at 7:30 p.m.: Create a field of poppies using acrylic paint

Thursday Night @ Virtual Museum Programs: Join us for thought-provoking conversations presented live from the Stewart Auditorium.

• Thursday at 7:30 p.m.: A History of Race and Social Justice in Longmont
• Feb. 18 at 7:30 p.m.: Su Teatro: Celebrating 50 Years

Attend classes and watch programs at LongmontPublicMedia.org, Facebook.com/LongmontMuseum, or Comcast channel 8/880. Find more information at LongmontMuseum.org or call 303-651-8374.

Free landfill drop-Off day
The city of Longmont is offering residents an opportunity to take one level pickup load free of charge to the Front Range Landfill at 1830 Weld County Road 5 in Erie from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 13. Loads must be covered and secured for transport; oversize loads and second loads will be billed accordingly. Please take a photo ID and a copy of your current utility bill to show that you are a city of Longmont customer. Learn more about free landfill drop-off days at bit.ly/landfill-drop-off.

Subscribe to air quality updates
As directed by City Council, and in accordance with the objectives of the Sustainability Plan, an air quality-monitoring program has been developed to monitor oil and gas emissions and the overall air quality in the city of Longmont. Residents interested in the data can view it in real-time at bouldair.com/longmont.htm. Air quality information also is available by subscribing to the city’s e-Notification system and choosing the “air quality” category.

See how to save through building benchmarking
Get the inside scoop on a new way to manage energy costs for your business. On Feb. 25, some of the first participants in Longmont’s building energy benchmarking program will share their experiences in a panel discussion hosted by the Longmont Area Chamber of Commerce. Learn more about how to get an energy score for your commercial or industrial building of 20,000 square feet or larger, compare it to similar buildings nationwide, and then use that information to find energy savings. The online panel begins at 11 a.m.; pre-register here. For more information about benchmarking, check out the Longmont Power & Communications webpage at https://tinyurl.com/LPCbenchmarking. 

Pick-A-Topic Takeaway Bags at the library
Longmont librarians are offering “Pick-a-Topic Takeaway Bags” that are curated especially for patrons based on their interests. Patrons can collect their bag through the library’s Curbside Delivery service. Complete details, including how to request a Pick-a-Topic Takeaway Bag, are available at Bit.ly/BagsandKits or by calling 303-651-8477 for kids/teens or 303-651-8472 for Adult Services.