John Herrick, Boulder Reporting Lab

City of Boulder officials said they offered to provide housing vouchers before the closure. It wasn’t enough, according to the CEO of Golden West.

The recovery home will be an incremental step toward addressing methamphetamine addiction in Boulder County. In 2020, the county estimated 535 people who passed through the Boulder County Jail were addicted to methamphetamine, according to its grant proposal. (There are currently 412 people incarcerated or detained in the jail, according to state data.)

The city is planning to fully reopen the downtown Boulder Public Library on Monday, Jan. 9, with some notable changes to bathroom access and likely security, city officials said. The library was closed on Dec. 20 following tests showing contamination for methamphetamine, a highly addictive stimulant that is often smoked. The Meadows, George Reynolds and North Boulder library branches remain fully open. City officials said the library was able to reopen after extensive cleaning of carpets, walls and HVAC systems throughout the building, and after new testing confirmed contamination outside the restrooms meets state regulations on methamphetamine cleanup. The bathrooms will remain closed for continued cleaning for several weeks.