During a special awards ceremony Wednesday, Dec. 13, the Boulder County Commissioners will honor 18 collaborative County programs that exemplify excellence in public service. The winning projects cover a wide range of services, including programs such as teams that help seniors understand Medicare, a homelessness prevention project, an innovative new biomass heating system and a farmhouse restoration project.

Boulder County's first annual Pinnacle Awards will be presented during a ceremony at 3 p.m. in the Commissioners' Hearing Room, 3rd Floor of the County Courthouse, 1325 Pearl St., in Boulder.

Pinnacle Awards recognize teams of employees who demonstrated outstanding teamwork, public service and innovation in six categories: Public Service, Stewardship and Sustainability, Public Involvement, Innovation, Collaboration and Teamwork, and "Grab Bag" (projects that are fun, creative, or otherwise unusual).

The winning projects involved a total of more than 300 employees and were selected from among 41 entries. "All the entries were outstanding. The Commissioners found it challenging to narrow down the list to the top three in each category," said Jana Petersen, Deputy to the County Commissioners.

Grand-prize winners from each category will be announced during the ceremony. The finalists are as follows: (For more detailed information about the individual projects, visit www.co.boulder.co.us/bocc/pinnacle.)

Public Service
Medicare Ombudsman Team, submitted by Jody Sandel and Terri Scott
Ramsey Support Team, submitted by Karen Foote
Special Homelessness Prevention Project, submitted by Jim Wilson

Stewardship and Sustainability
Boulder County Fair Zero Waste Event, submitted by Stacy Lambright and Pete Reynolds
Boulder County Jail Food Waste Composting Project, submitted by Jeff Callahan
Conservation Easement Stewardship Program, submitted by Jan Burns

Public Involvement
Business Services Solutions Project, submitted by Debbie Beaton
Head Start Recycling Programs, submitted by Maria Harper
Speech Server Application Development, submitted by Kay Cho

Innovation
Biomass Central Heating System, submitted by Therese Glowacki
Parks and Open Space Building Exterior Walls, submitted by Brian Tewey
VMware Server Consolidation, submitted by Heidi Sager

Collaboration and Teamwork
Boulder County Jail "Booking Team," submitted by Tim Oliveira
North Broadway Initiative, submitted by Dennis Hopper
Soils Work for New Communications and Detox Centers, submitted by Wayne Kuhn and Dave Hershman

Grab Bag
Goodhue Farmhouse Restoration Project, submitted by Allison Taylor
Grasslands Restoration, submitted by Therese Glowacki
HIV/STI Outreach Program, submitted by Kate Storm

For more detailed information about the individual projects, visit www.co.boulder.co.us/bocc/pinnacle.