All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
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Senior Jared Osteen didn’t wait very long to make his mark on the 2019 season. With just 90 seconds gone in Niwot’s season debut against Brighton, the forward found some open space in front of the Bulldogs’ net for the Cougars’ first score of the year. He would go on to add an assist in the second half, and ended the game with a total of eight shots, five of those on goal. Afterwards, fourth-year head coach Stephen Dimit said he expects Osteen to embrace his leading role on offense. “He had...
The ultimate disposition of the NRCD Block 5 alley inched closer to resolution last week with a public meeting hosted by Boulder County land use and transportation staff to discuss the results of a recent traffic study in the area and the proposed design guidelines for any future improvements. Though some 2nd Avenue property owners expressed frustration with the potential restrictions and the county’s ongoing process, consensus emerged on at least one major outstanding issue—the driving surface...
It will be no small task for the 2019 Niwot cross country program to top the success of last season, especially with the names Layla Roebke, Ares Reading, and Maggie Smith gracing college rosters this year. But that’s the expectation of fourth-year head coach Kelly Christensen, and the results from the Cougars’ season debut at the VistaNation 2Mile Invitational lend credence to his claims. With top finishers in four of the six races at the exclusive meet, Niwot seems to have more than eno...
Niwot's Left Hand Grange No. 9 (195 2nd Ave.) has been a community gathering spot for more than seven decades, and now it's just a little more welcoming, thanks to Brandon Hult and the Boy Scouts of Niwot Troop 161. Earlier this month, the Eagle Scout candidate oversaw the construction of an outdoor seating area in the rear yard, so patrons will be able to enjoy the hall's many charms from a sunnier (or starrier) vantage point. "Members of the grange just wanted this area cleaned up a little bit...
The NRCD development moratorium and its repercussions dominated the discussion between the Niwot LID Advisory Committee and the Boulder County Commissioners at their annual joint meeting Aug. 6, but there were tentative signs that relations between the two boards might be on the mend. In concluding remarks, Commissioner Deb Gardner expressed remorse for the “acrimonious” process and pledged to work for improvements going forward. “We have some definite questions to bring to the land use depar...
About 100 years ago, Esther Anderson formed the Tip Top Sewing Club of Niwot, and the town's long relationship with 4-H was born. Over the decades, the local group has gone through various iterations, including the Niwot Calf Rustlers (ca. 1939), the Niwot Left Hand Challengers (1948-51), and the Niwot Needlers and Nibblers (1965-72), to name a few. For the past four decades, the club had been known as the Niwot Nifties, and they just wrapped up a highly successful stint at the 2019 Boulder...
There weren’t many Niwot names on the top half of the leaderboard after Northern League event #1 at the Olde Course on Aug. 8, but Ed Weaver didn’t expect there to be. With three inexperienced golfers in the varsity lineup, the fifth-year coach is working on a new strategy that probably won’t produce many tournament titles in 2019. “We are a young team, with basically no seniors, so we have the opportunity to develop some new players,” he said. “I want to try to get as many kids tournament...
Full-day kindergarten programs have been available in the local school districts for more than a decade, but often came with a steep monthly tuition fee. Starting this school year, those programs will be free to families in all Colorado public schools, thanks to a bill signed into law last May by governor Jared Polis that funds kindergarten at the same per-pupil rate as the other grades. For principals at Heatherwood and Niwot Elementary Schools, the move to make full-day schooling available to...
Opting to avoid "a big fight with city council," the grassroots organization pushing for the creation of a regional library district has decided to withdraw its petition to add the measure to the 2019 Boulder County election ballot. Speaking at a gathering of supporters on July 28, Joni Teter of the Boulder Library Champions said that group's leadership started getting concerned after it became clear that the nine-member Boulder City Council still had reservations about the proposed district, wh...
What it lacks in air-conditioned palaces and fancy formal dinners, the year-long reign of the county fair queen more than makes up for in dusty arenas and long trips to distant horse shows. But Amber Nusser, the newly crowned 2020 Boulder County Fair Livestock Show Rodeo Queen, wouldn’t have it any other way. “It’s a lot of work, and a lot of hours, but I love it,” Nusser said after an appearance with her horse Miley during the 150th annual Boulder County Fair on Aug. 4. “It’s so unique to h...
Plans to build a permanent storage facility and beverage tent in Whistle Stop Park are moving ahead, but the project co-sponsors Niwot Business Association (NBA) and Niwot Cultural Arts Association (NCAA) still need to raise approximately $90,000 to fully fund the construction. According to Bruce Warren, NCAA president and Rock & Rails showrunner, the general contractor’s final cost estimate to construct the 990-square foot structure is just under $127,000. So far, the two organizations have r...
Boulder County is now accepting applications for the Niwot Design Review Committee, a panel of local residents that serves as a referral agency for new development applications in the town’s historic district. The county is seeking five new members for the board, which meets on an as-needed basis to review new building proposals for compliance with design and aesthetic standards that preserve the historic character of downtown Niwot (paint color, building materials, signage). The NDRC then makes...
In an effort to help area families save some money, Niwot High is teaming up with Gunbarrel Family Medicine to provide free sports physicals to students participating in athletics in the upcoming 2019-20 school year. “Sports are expensive, from buying equipment, to fees, and everything else that goes with it,” new Cougars athletic director Joe Brown said. “So any opportunity we have to reach out to our community and find scholarship ways to help lower barriers for kids to participate, we want...
In early 2017, Virginia Dutkin and 20 of her Niwot neighbors launched the Left Hand Giving Circle, a philanthropic organization that uses pooled resources to donate funds and volunteer hours to area non-profits. In the two years since, the group has granted $30,000 and donated nearly 1,000 community service hours to local programs and events. Now in its third year, LHGC has grown to 50 members and the list of community organizations it has impacted is rapidly expanding. For Dutkin and the group,...
It’s not a mid-life crisis, but Niwot Youth Sports is hoping to have a little work done after turning the big 5-0 earlier this year. In the coming weeks, the non-profit organization, formerly known as Gunbarrel Lefthand Valley Recreation Association (GLVRA), plans to launch a capital campaign to fund some much-needed improvements to its largest field complex, Hangge Fields at Monarch Park, according to Executive Director Patrick Longseth. “We’re going to raise funds this year to put a build...
The Girls Go CyberStart security challenge is as much a test of strategic thinking as programming skills, and for the second straight year, a team from Niwot High has proved highly adept at both. In the three-day finals held last month, the talented quartet of Davita Bird, Julia Curd, MacKenzie Demmel, and Caitlyn Fong beat out more than 100 other teams to finish first in Colorado and ninth nationwide, a feat that garnered them each a cash prize and a newfound respect for the power of...
It’s been a whirlwind year for former Niwot pitcher Caleb Martinez, so when he was offered the chance to return to the friendly confines of Scott Carpenter Park and the Boulder Collegians for summer baseball, the right-hander didn’t have to think very hard about it. “I played for the younger BoCo team when I was 16, and that was really fun and a good level of competition to be at,” Martinez said after a recent appearance on the mound for the Collegians, Boulder’s collegiate league team feat...
After floods ravaged Boulder County in 2013, the Left Hand Watershed Center (formerly the Lefthand Watershed Oversight Group) spearheaded efforts to rebuild its namesake waterway with a series of long-term restoration projects designed and implemented using a science-based approach. Now the 76-square mile system is on its way to a healthier and more resilient future, and the center is hoping to foster a “stewardship ethic” among neighboring communities and the public at large. “We’re at a prett...
The Niwot boys basketball team has had its share of disappointments over the past two seasons, but new head coach Clayton Wittrock is only looking ahead. "I met with the seniors on one of my first days in town, and the thing that we agreed upon is that there's a great group of seniors here, and we want them to go out on a positive note," the longtime Grand Junction varsity assistant said. "What they've shown me in just the short time we've had this summer is that with the right kind of...
At a public hearing on June 19, the Boulder County Planning Commission gave its go-ahead to proposed renovations at the Boulder Country Club that will add approximately 2,000 square feet to its main clubhouse. However, because the 55-year old structure is a “relatively intact and significant example” of local architect Hobart Wagner’s work, the country club must agree to seek formal landmark status before building permits will be issued, according to the conditions attached to the plann...
Niwot High principal Eric Rauschkolb wasn’t expecting to need a second replacement for Chase McBride, but putative hire Kevin Clark got an offer he couldn’t refuse. Earlier this month, the former Loveland High administrator announced that he will be assuming the role of full-time district athletic director for the Thompson Valley Schools, a move that allows him to stay in the town he and his family have called home for more than a decade. That left Rauschkolb with an empty spot on the 201...
The Niwot Local Improvement District advisory committee held its monthly meeting on June 4. Treasurer Bruce Rabeler presented the LID’s latest revenue report from Boulder County, which showed that the district earned $16,406 in March, the highest total this year and the highest total for March in at least the past five years. Noting a similar total from February 2018 that is still in dispute, Rabeler speculated that this might be another case of a mistaken or misdirected deposit by the State o...
Last week, horticulturists from around the world gathered in Denver for the 12th annual Garden Bloggers Fling, a yearly meet-up of gardening bloggers, who spend three days exploring the host city’s horticultural hot-spots. On Saturday, the tour headed northwest to Boulder County, where nearly 100 gardening enthusiasts got a chance to tour some of the local area’s backyard paradises. Among the stops was the Niwot home of Scott and Paula Deemer, located near the Mountain View fire station. “It...
There were supposed to be 13 athletes on the Niwot High stage for signing day last month, but state cross-country champion Layla Roebke was having a hard time making up her mind. With competing offers from a diverse selection of NCAA Division I and Division II programs, the senior wasn’t quite ready to sit alongside her classmates and sign away the next four years of her life. “I really, really wanted to make sure that I went to a college that I would do well at and enjoy,” she said. Last week,...
It isn’t exactly Hogwarts, but there’s something magical about Colorado Therapeutic Riding Center, located just east of Niwot at 11968 Mineral Road. For nearly four decades, the CTRC has been providing equine-assisted activities (EAAT) and therapies to people with disabilities, and sometimes the results are nothing short of extraordinary, according to executive director Michele Bruhn. “Horses are very empowering. People can spend time with a horse, and they don’t feel judged. If someone has a di...
The Niwot track & field team put on a show at this year’s Class 4A state championships, and now the Niwot runners have been showing off across the country. From the Music City Distance Carnival in Nashville to the Great Southwest Classic in Albuquerque, the Cougars have been going up against the nation’s best and often coming out on top. Music City Distance Carnival, Nashville Two weeks after she won a second straight state title in the 800-meter run, Niwot sophomore Taylor James posted a per...
Government officials in Colorado will have to be more transparent about closed-door executive sessions and other internal communications after the Colorado Court of Appeals ruled that Boulder County violated the state's sunshine laws during the debate over development of the Twin Lakes Open Space. In a published opinion released in April, the appellate court reversed key portions of two rulings made by Boulder District Court Judge Thomas Mulvahill against Gunbarrel resident Kristin Bjornsen,...
Editor’s note: Part I of this story can be found here. A memorable year for Niwot athletics turned into a memorable Letter of Intent signing day on May 22, as 12 athletes crowded onto the auditorium stage to make an official commitment to competing at the next level. Caleb Churchill, West Point Gymnast Caleb Churchill didn’t have a conventional high school athletic career, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t impressive. In his senior year alone, Churchill took second All-Around in the Colorad...
The skies over the Innovation Center were buzzing on Saturday, June 1 as dozens of remote controlled planes and drones took to the air during the first annual AeroFest, an open flight and competitive racing event hosted by students in the St. Vrain Valley School District’s aeronautics program. “As far as I know, this is the largest youth program that we’ve ever put together,” said Richard McCaskill of the Academy of Model Aeronautics, a co-sponsor of the event. “It was all put together...
Niwot’s Caleb Bishop started flying tiny remote controlled drones when he was tiny himself, and as he’s grown, so has his passion for aircraft and avionics. Now a top student in St. Vrain’s aeronautics program at the Innovation Center, Bishop has proved adept not only at piloting complex unmanned machines, but in building and fabricating them as well. The rising senior will get a chance to hone his skills even further, after he was awarded a scholarship to attend the Academy of Model Aeron...
There’s nothing better than a cold beverage on those hot summer nights at Rock & Rails, and this year, organizers are raising money to make getting one a little easier on concert-goers. Last month, the Niwot Business Association (NBA) and the Niwot Cultural Arts Association (NCAA) announced that most of the proceeds from the 2019 series will be used to fund the construction of a permanent building in Whistle Stop Park that will be used for beverage sales, as well as storage of large items u...
Niwot graduate (‘17) Yannick Lee-Yow didn’t enroll in the University of Colorado at Boulder hoping to become one of the most accomplished undergraduate researchers in the biochemistry department. In fact, the talented jazz pianist wasn’t looking to study science at all. But after dropping in on a “cool and interesting” biology lab meeting during a spontaneous summer tour, Lee-Yow knew he had found his life’s work. “A lot of it was going over my head at the time, but a lot of the science they...
A memorable year for Niwot athletics turned into a memorable Letter of Intent signing day on May 22, as 12 athletes crowded onto the auditorium stage to make an official commitment to competing at the next level. Half of the future collegians were from the school’s track and field program, which has been among the most successful in the state over that past two seasons. Ares Reading, Furman University Senior year was a memorable one for Niwot distance runner Ares Reading. In October, he f...
Take one sunny Saturday morning in late spring, add a dash of pomp and circumstance, plus a handful of well-aged platitudes, then sprinkle liberally over 250 or so green cap and gown-clad teenagers, and you have all the makings of a perfect Niwot High commencement ceremony. Such was the scene on Saturday, May 25 as the Class of 2019 gathered together for a final time and marked the official end of their high school journeys. “I want to congratulate you seniors on a triumphant conclusion to y...
The 2019 season was full of remarkable moments for the Niwot girls golf team, so when the Cougars claimed the runner-up title at this year’s Class 4A championships at Pelican Lakes, Head Coach Ed Weaver wasn’t terribly surprised. “I felt good about the team all year,” a jubilant Weaver said after his team finished 21 strokes behind the defending champion Windsor Wizards at the snow-shortened state tournament on May 20. “I hate to say I didn’t think we could beat Windsor, but I didn’t thin...
Sunshine and smiles were the order of the day at the Niwot High Class of 2019 graduation ceremony on Saturday, May 25. A good-natured throng crowded the hill above the football field to watch more than 250 seniors cross the stage and start the next chapter in their lives....
The boys may have waited until the final event of the meet to claim their team title, but for the Niwot girls, the Class 4A track and field championship was theirs to lose from the start. Shortly before 9 a.m. on the opening morning of the three-day state meet at Jeffco Stadium in Lakewood, Niwot junior Samrawit Dishon crossed the finish line of the girls 3200 meter race with a season-best time of 10 minutes, 53.76 seconds to claim second place overall and score the Cougars’ first eight p...
There wasn’t a triumphant photo finish in the Paralympic 100-meter dash at this year’s Colorado track and field championships, but that didn’t bother Niwot’s Michael ‘Misha’ Barrett. “I felt great,” the sophomore said afterwards. He finished in first with a time of 14.11 seconds, more than half a second faster than his time in the Boulder County Championships on April 20. “My coach taught me a lot this season. Before the race, the coach told me to go out there and win, and I went out there and w...
Erika Timbang probably has a new favorite Niwot track memory after her team’s win at the Class 4A state meet on May 18, but heading into the three-day event, the team-centered senior was hard-pressed to single one out. “Is it cheating if I say that I loved every moment of it? All the hard workouts and even when I threw up after practice. Even with the ups and downs, it’s been something I’ve been committed to staying passionate about. It’s one of my reasons to get up.” That passion and commitm...
All eyes in Jeffco Stadium were on Niwot junior Jack Kenkel as he and Durango's Aidan Fitzgerald raced neck-and-neck down the stretch in the final leg of the 4×400 meter relay, the last event of the Class 4A state track and field championships. Down by four points in the team standings, the Cougar relay team of Kenkel, Jensen Douillard, Milo Ostwald and Nolan Johan needed a fifth place or better finish to surpass Pueblo East and claim their first ever team title. The crowd held its collective br...
It was an historic day for coach Maurice Henriques and the Niwot track & field teams, as both the boys and girls captured team titles at the Class 4A state championships, held May 16-18 at Jeffco Stadium. The Niwot girls took the team lead early on day one and were never in much danger of losing it. Over the next three days, the Cougars nabbed three individual and two relay titles, and took second place in three more. In all, nine individuals and all five relay teams made it onto the podium for...
It was a busy month for the Niwot LID advisory committee, with a host of summer events on the funding docket, and some new business regarding liability. Things got rolling with Bruce Rabeler and the monthly treasurer’s report. On the revenue side, the county reported that LID businesses collected $25,585 in revenue during the first two months of 2019, down from 2017 ($27,290), but up from 2018, though the latter total is still not finalized due to what appears to be an erroneous credit that t...
When Richelle Burnett first put her daughter Cielle in ski school at age three, she had an inkling that the athletic youngster would take to the winter sport. That proved prescient when, just five years later, Cielle started out-skiing both her and her husband. Now the rising Niwot freshman is coming off an exciting win in the Buddy Warner league championship (BLW) race, and looking forward to strapping on a pair of boards for the area high school team in Nederland next winter. “I like e...
The Silver Creek boys swim and dive team dominated at the Northern Conference championships, held May 11th at the Mountain View Aquatic Center in Loveland. Led by seniors Hayden Dickinson and Matthew Teta, the Raptors scored 892 points to claim their fifth straight team title and picked up three additional state qualifiers along the way....
Niwot track and field team is sending a robust contingent of athletes to this year’s Class 4A state championships, which open at Jeffco Stadium in Lakewood on Thursday, May 16. On the boys side, Niwot will have competitors in all but a handful of events, including junior Cruz Culpepper, the top seed in the 800m run. The Cougars also have the top seeded boys 4x800 relay, and Nolan Johan nabbed a pair of top-five seeds in hurdles. In field events, junior Milo Ostwald made the cut in both long a...
Lu defends her Class 4A singles titles Niwot head coach Aimee Keronen was delighted with her team’s performance at the Class 4A tennis championships in Pueblo last weekend. Unfortunately, she wasn’t quite as delighted with the final team standings. “The girls played amazing,” Keronen said. “It was a great tournament, and I honestly don’t know how we didn’t win. We exceeded expectations in several lines and got three state championships. I had to redo the math quite a bit, because I just couldn...
With just a handful of seniors on their 40-man roster, the Silver Creek boys swim and dive team skews decidedly young in 2019, but that hasn’t stopped it from claiming the top spot in Class 4A’s regular season rankings. Nor did it stop the Raptors from dominating at last weekend’s Northern Conference championships, where they claimed a fifth straight team title after outscoring their nearest opponent by more than 200 points. Now longtime head coach Debbie Stewart is hoping that this youth...
Calling it “an emotional decision,” co-owner Leslie Kaczeus confirmed that she and husband Steve will be closing Bootstrap Brewing Company’s Niwot taproom as soon as they are able to find a suitable buyer for the property. “It’s time for us to pass the torch to a new owner to reinvent this space,” she said. “We’re hoping to get a brew pub in there that can have a full liquor license and still serve our beer, make their own, serve other products—that would be the ideal situation.” Kacze...
Each year, the University at Colorado-Boulder honors secondary educators across the state who go “above and beyond to support students as they pursue their higher education dreams.” This year, one of those honorees is Niwot High computer science teacher Teresa Ewing, who was described by Principal Eric Rauschkolb as a “kid magnet.” “Niwot High is a stronger school as a whole because of Teresa Ewing. She has a passion for computer science education; she really loves kids, and she combines...
The Niwot girls track team continued its march towards the 2019 Class 4A title with a dominating performance at this year’s Northern Conference Championships, held May 3-4 at Everly Montgomery Field. The Cougars finished in first or second in all but a handful of events to end the day with 247 points, nearly triple that of second-place finisher Thompson Valley (95.5). Sophomore Taylor James was once again Niwot’s top point scorer, with wins in the 400 (56.40 seconds) and 800-meter (2:13.78) rac...
