All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
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Niwot will soon be home to the eighth Pinocchio’s Incredible Italian Restaurant establishment. Founder and owner Annie Vick confirmed the good news – a lease was signed on Feb. 28 for the new eatery to occupy what was formerly Treppeda’s Ristorante at 300 2nd Ave. The 2300-square-foot space in Niwot will be remodeled to match the décor of existing Pinocchio’s locations. The kitchen will be totally revamped, carpeting installed throughout, and there will be a new bar. Tables will be set with che... Full story
At age 46, Kim Needham Watkins had been dealt an extremely frightening hand. The Watkins’ family jumped into action last year when Kim was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer. This very aggressive form of cancer statistically has a 40 to 50 percent chance of recurrence in a different organ system within the next five years. But there’s wonderful news to report – after five months of chemotherapy treatments and surgery on Jan. 28 to remove 16 lymph nodes, results showed her response to t...
For fear that they would be taken away by the Nazi forces that had invaded the Netherlands, the Frank family went into hiding in 1942 in cramped rooms concealed behind bookcases.The Jewish family lived a life of isolation for two years before they were discovered and arrested. Over that time, teenage Anne Frank passed the time by documenting her thoughts and the happenings in the secret annex in a diary recovered after the war. This poignant and important story is the subject of Niwot High Schoo...
Getting a healthy amount of sleep is a challenge for up to 70 million people a year the American Sleep Association reports. Some of us suffer from the inability to fall asleep or can’t sustain a good night’s rest. Others have apnea leading to interrupted breathing and waking up throughout the night. There are a variety of reasons why getting the proper amount of quality slumber becomes an agonizing quest. Fortunately, expert help for the exhausted is easily accessible. Colorado Sleep Ins... Full story
Flagstaff Academy parent Melinda Coburn became a Dragon Volunteer when her oldest child entered preschool four years ago. Each week Coburn helps kindergarten students with their math and first-graders with reading. Those interactions lead to students learning and feeling cared for. But those are just a couple of examples of how Coburn’s energy, dedication, and kindness are bringing a ripple effect of positivity to the world. Coburn and her husband Sean met in junior high school while growing up... Full story
At a public hearing on Feb. 20, more than two dozen interested Niwot community members spoke out about proposed changes to the Land Use Code that will affect development in the 2nd Avenue commercial district. Here are some comments presented to the Planning Commission: Dr. David Meisner explained that the mixed use development he and Von’s Colorado Concepts want to build on the corner of 2nd Avenue and Niwot Road was curtailed because of the moratorium. Meisner said, “The benefit to the thousands of visitors and residents to Niwot should out... Full story
At a public hearing on Wednesday, Feb. 20, the Boulder County Planning Commission gave its blessing to land use staff’s proposed code updates for the Niwot Rural Community District (NRCD) with two alterations. The first was the removal of a sentence reading “Where alley access is available, curb cuts should not be permitted.” Curb cuts are what the county is defining as access to off-street parking spots from 2nd Avenue. The second change was the addition of wording encouraging the explo...
Larry Dorsey will present this year’s first Now and Then lecture hosted by the Niwot Historical Society (NHS) at the Left Hand Grange Hall, 195 2nd Ave.at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 27. Chronicling a dramatic event that was emblematic of difficulties plaguing the nation in 1911, Dorsey’s presentation is titled, “Shoot Out at the Superior Depot, An episode in Colorado Labor Wars.” Dorsey, a retired Boulder Valley School District high school history teacher, chairman of the Superior Histori...
You can complain about it, but you just can’t change the weather. So why not make the most of the chill in the air by joining fellow whiners at the fifth annual Let’s Wine About Winter event in Niwot, 1 to 5 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 23. Nearly 200 tickets have already been sold for the stroll from business-to-business occasion, but there’s always room for more merrymakers. Over 35 establishments, along 2nd Avenue and in Cottonwood Square Shopping Center, will be serving up samples of wines, beers...
Last school year, a pair of fourth-grade students at Flagstaff Academy in Longmont approached elementary science lab teacher Stacy Wolff to discuss the school’s recycling program. Brainstorming on the subject led to creating surveys to see if other students were interested in helping out (which they were) and with that, the students officially started a Green Team school club. “They were very, very passionate about getting something started,” Wolff said. Twenty-eight students are onboard and r...
More than 50 women and girls are taken from Nepal to India every day to begin a horrific existence as a sex slave. Learning about this statistic and an unfathomable number of young girls around the world being forced into lives of misery had such an impact on Sunset Middle School (SMS) students Maya Lary and Anna Eastland that they felt compelled to take action. Every SMS student is in the Middle Years Programme (MYP), part of the International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum. MYP is centered on...
Students, coaches, judges, volunteers, families, and technology fans overflowed Niwot Elementary School’s (NES) gymnasium on Saturday, Jan. 26 as NES hosted its first VEX IQ Robotic Challenge event. Enthusiasm, focus, and team spirit amongst all attendees, as well as mutual respect and a sense of accomplishment permeated the event. Twenty four teams from NES, Fall River Elementary School (Longmont), Eagle Crest Elementary (Longmont), Estes Park Elementary, and Hygiene Elementary schools w... Full story
There are people in the world who see an opportunity to help others and just do it from the bottom of their big hearts. That describes Laurel Fox, this month’s Left Hand Laurel. Fox is the Courier’s first Left Hand Laurel named Laurel and, although she’s not technically left handed, she said a couple of years ago she mangled the fingers on her dominant right hand in a lawn mower and has subsequently developed excellent dexterity in her left hand. Thankfully, being a southpaw isn’t a require...
Boulder County hosts discussion of proposed NRDC regulations Residents of Niwot’s 3rd Avenue were unusually quiet during the community meeting with Boulder County Land Use Department staff at Niwot High School on Jan. 24. The first pass at the Niwot Rural Community District I (NRCD) proposed changes to the Land Use Code had been emailed to interested parties on Jan. 18, which meant that specific proposed code updates had been digested to some degree prior to the meeting. NRCD code provisions are...
Cottonwood Square Shopping Center under new ownership, same management Bridge Commercial Partners Fund III LLC has sold Cottonwood Square Shopping Center to MAC Management Cottonwood, LLC. MAC is owned by mother and son partners Maria Biernat and Alex Chlebek. Bridge Commercial Partners, owner of the shopping center since 2005, is comprised of a group of investors represented by Managing Partner Harris Faberman. Faberman was very active in the Niwot community, most recently as a member of the...
Gunbarrel is home to three non-traditional health learning institutes – Boulder Massage Therapy Institute, Southwest Acupuncture College and the Dr. Ida Rolf Institute. If the start of the new year has you considering ways to change your life, knowledge and career opportunities are abundant and close by, and there are low-cost clinics at each school to help improve your health as well.. Boulder Massage Therapy Institute (BMTI) Health Benefits: Professional massage therapy offers pain relief, r...
Even while the land is just a field of dirt, Boulder County farmers who sell their crops to restaurants and markets, and who offer Community Supported Agriculture programs (CSAs) are plenty busy this time of year. It’s a big task getting prepared for the upcoming growing season. Last year’s devastating hail storms led Michael Moss, owner of Kilt Farm, most visitable off of Oxford Road near the Diagonal HIghway, to re-examine his business plan, and especially what he was up against when it cam...
Niwot Tavern, owned by Tony Santelli, Gary Zarlengo, and Bob Russell, is celebrating its 14-year anniversary. “When I look back,” Santelli said, “little did I know that buying a tavern would be for me a life-changing event. Although we lived in Niwot eight years before I purchased the tavern, we really were not in any way connected to Niwot. Once I purchased the tavern that opened an entree of things. “To eventually get into the Niwot Business Association as the president and the Local Improve...
More than 800,000 federal employees are either laid off or have been working without pay for weeks. The direct consequences to those workers and their families, and the subsequent trickle-down impact to the businesses they buy goods and services from, such as their banks, credit unions, and landlords, are being felt across the nation. In the Niwot, Gunbarrel and South Longmont area, several nonprofit organizations and businesses have stepped forward to announce they would like to be a safety... Full story
For the fourth year, Chuck Rodgers’ holiday light extravaganza has collected contributions for the non-profit organization Longmont Meals on Wheels (LMOW). Last year he encouraged visitors to place $4,100 and 31 pounds of food in donation boxes located within the light display. This year the festive spectacle brought in nearly $5,800 and collected 208 pounds of food. Xcel Energy, where Rodgers works, partially matches employee giving and will be adding to this year’s pot. Rodgers’ tens of thous... Full story
The turning of a page to a new year often signifies a time to improve our bodies, minds, and spirits. For those who have vowed to eat healthier to achieve their goals in 2019, there’s no need to swear off the pleasures of eating out. Niwot, Gunbarrel and South Longmont offer a medley of restaurants with healthy fare. Here’s a smattering of local establishments offering delicious ways to eat mindfully. Each eatery was asked for its philosophy on healthy food, what accommodations the kitchen is...
When winds are high or lights are bright or sometimes for no clear reason, Ivan Schlutz’s head “gets pretty raw,” he said of the pain and sensations that make it hard for him to plan each day. Winters are spent in his art studio where he creates award-winning bronze sculptures, an art form he was drawn to while recovering from a near-death accident in his late 20s. The studio once housed calves on his parent’s property, but was renovated into an impressive workspace with a spectacular floor-to-c...
Any one of a thousand things could have gone wrong, causing New Horizons’ flyby to Ultima Thule, four billion miles from Earth, to fail. But the team of scientists led by Niwot’s Dr. Alan Stern made the most distant space mission ever a smashing success on the first day of 2019. “It not only worked, it worked flawlessly,” Stern said. “Every single scientific instrument worked, the spacecraft had no issues, the navigation was perfect, the ground operations were perfect. It’s amazing. Can you tel...
After 22 years of business, Howard Treppeda’s namesake restaurant sits empty. Preparing and serving food is what Treppeda’s career has been all about. It’s what he trained for when he took classes at the Cordon Bleu in Paris and at the Culinary Institute of America. It was what he did when he worked at a café in Amsterdam, eateries in Massachusetts and New York, and as the head chef of a restaurant in Connecticut. Naturally, it was what he did after he transplanted from the East Coast to Colora... Full story
Serving food is what Regina Sidoti has been doing for as long as she can remember. Sidoti, 45, works at two restaurants in Niwot and a third restaurant in Longmont. You also can find her working concessions at Bronco games and other sporting events. Her can-do attitude and easy, outgoing smile are emblematic of her optimistic outlook. Sidoti is a very candid, genuine person who believes we all are more alike than not. She said, “There’s a little piece of you in every person.” That’s why it’s a... Full story
Grocery and convenience stores are on their marks for New Year’s Day when an 85-year-old remnant of Colorado’s prohibition laws is put to rest, sanctioning them to carry full-strength beer. As a result, mom and pop liquor stores, whose beer sales are estimated at more than 30 percent of their present sales, will be feeling the punch. While there will still be “lite” versions of beer to appease those watching their waistlines, anything with the moniker of a 3.2 beer now on shelves is headed...
Old age ain’t for sissies and until you’ve experienced it to one degree or another, it’s hard to comprehend the shifts growing old can bring. Our elderly furry family members are far more stoic than we are and, while in our hearts they feel like they’re our children, sadly they speed by us when it comes to the advancement of age-related changes. How old is old? Cats are generally considered senior citizens around age ten. While the typical lifespan of felines is upwards of 12 years, Dr. Nancy B... Full story
First, multi-colored flags began popping up around Niwot, next the appearance of cryptic symbols sprayed on sidewalks. Then came the influx of orange-vested workers and similarly colored hazard cones, huge tarps spread across pedestrian walkways, and the arrival of lots of trucks. It was clear that a big project was underway. At least two dozen large sections of cracked and heaving sidewalk have been removed and replaced, along with curbs refurbished to meet the federal Americans with...
Making a living off the land in Boulder County requires rolling with the craziness that Mother Nature doles out and to a great degree, being constrained by what county codes will allow. Boulder County agricultural land use codes haven’t undergone significant updates since 2012, and for some time now Boulder County farmers have been requesting a loosening of regulations that limit their potential to be more profitable. Started in late 2017, the Agricultural Outreach Project was comprised of staff... Full story
Employees of Treppeda’s Ristorante in Niwot were messaged at 1:58 a.m. Monday Dec. 17 that the restaurant was shutting down operations immediately. Owned by Howard Treppeda for 22 years, the business located at 300 2nd Avenue has its blinds drawn and a sign on the front door that reads, “Closed for tenant improvement.” The message sent to employee read, “Hello Team, It is with great sadness that Treppeda’s closes their doors today. We are not able to renew our lease due to the unwilling...
Beginning in January 2019, Twin Peaks Charter Academy (TPCA) in Longmont will be the first school in St. Vrain Valley School District (SVVSD) to offer full-day kindergarten free of charge. Prior to this opportunity, TPCA offered either free morning or afternoon kindergarten classes. Families wanting their children in a full-day program were charged nearly $2,700 per school year, because Colorado does not provide funding beyond a half-day of instruction. According to TPCA’s director, Joseph M... Full story
Just over 20 years from now, already congested traffic conditions are expected to increase by 25 percent along Highway 119 (the Diagonal.) According to RTD’s website statistics, 45,000 cars, buses, trucks, and bikes use sections of Highway 119 on a daily basis. By the year 2040, some 56,000 vehicles will be a realistic number. Acknowledging the current aggravation of traveling along the corridor and wanting to prevent worsening conditions, the Boulder County Transportation Department and the R... Full story
Steve Gaibler, owner of the bustling Niwot breakfast and lunch spot, Garden Gate Cafe, converted his Italian restaurant in Longmont into a second Garden Gate Cafe location. Talk about a quick change over -- Gaibler closed Ragazzi Italian Grill the day before Thanksgiving, Nov. 21, and on Nov. 27, he presented patrons with a duplicate of his tried and true concept. Surreptitiously, while the establishment was still serving pasta and red wine, Gaibler began to make a few aesthetic changes. He put up reclaimed wood on the lower three feet of the...
Few things in life start out as an exotic indulgence, but end up being a craving that you’re able to satisfy daily. That’s what happened when a kind of secret Japanese restaurant opened in the far corner of the Niwot Market. Who would think this tiny western town would become a haven for raw fish lovin’ folks? It’s all owing to Tsukasa Hibino, owner of Sachi Sushi, who provides us with a free steaming mug of green tea, deeply warming miso soup, and melt-in-your-mouth sushi. Oh, and ramen S...
The switch for one of the county’s most spectacular holiday light displays is now in the “on” position. From 5 p.m. to 9:45 p.m., Dec. 1 through Jan. 7, Chuck Rodgers’ fanciful, musical, and brilliantly executed drive-through holiday light extravaganza is on display for free to the public at 5980 79th Street in Niwot. Rodgers has put up thousands of lights at his house on the crest of the hill since the late 1980s. His gift to the community is an annual tradition that brings great joy to chil...
Thanks to the social networking app Nextdoor, when there’s an escapee cat or a dog running the streets, within a nanosecond the neighborhood is alerted and folks spring into action. The internet has loads of heartwarming tales about forlorn pets who’ve made it back to the arms of their loving families owing to a shout-out on Nextdoor. In the blended country-residential areas of Niwot, Gunbarrel and Longmont, it’s not surprising that animals of the farmyard persuasion also often warrant our c... Full story
This past spring, an elk decided she felt perfectly at home on the Schultz Family Farm at the corner of Oxford Road and Highway 287. When she bounded the fence and joined Chester and Calvin, the oxen who call that field home, they graciously permitted her to share the field with them. There was some concern from passersby who thought maybe she was being held against her will. Others worried when they didn’t see her in the field and they thought she had been forced to move on or had been h... Full story
Fifteen-year-old Fiona Nugent was a patient at Children’s Hospital of Colorado when a volunteer visited her room and told her about an art contest the hospital holds each year. Nugent was instantly interested and knew precisely what she would like to do. She wanted to create a painting of a landscape scene she’d photographed – it was of a snow-covered barn that had caught her attention on Airport Road. Nugent, a sophomore at Niwot High School, said, “I’ve always enjoyed art as a way to just c... Full story
On Oct. 17, the former home of Chris Finger Pianos and Powder Keg Brewing Company at 101 2nd Avenue in Niwot was sold to 3601 Park Ave Association, LLC, a New Jersey company. The LLC, registered to do business in Colorado, bought the building for $1,735,300 from the Christian and Barbara Finger Charitable Remainder Trust. Public records state the building was previously purchased in 1978 for $75,000. Architects Fletemeyer and Lee Associates will continue to occupy part of the building. The... Full story
When Colorado coldness creeps in, the missing simple pleasures of digging in the dirt, admiring green textures in the yard, and watching buds turning to blooms can lead to an unfulfilled longing. Bringing home houseplants and cut flowers doesn’t always offer the same satisfaction that gardening can. Here are some easy indoor ideas to satiate those green thumb blues. Wheatgrass – This is like transporting a wee bit of your lawn inside, but you won’t have to mow it. You can just enjoy the fresh... Full story
Since Michael Tomich and Patty Machen opened the door of Old Oak Coffeehouse a little over a year ago, it has lived up the symbolism of its namesake – it’s become a thriving and solid part of the community. So, when a smash and grab burglar made the cafe one of the victims of a string of small businesses robbed in the last two weeks, Tomich said the tree was a bit shaken. “To see someone in my shop, with a mask and gloves destroying and stealing,” Tomich said of the video footage he reviewe... Full story
Niwot resident Dr. Alan Stern has been appointed by President Donald Trump to become a member of the National Science Board (NSB). One of five new members to join the board, Stern will serve a six-year term through May 2024. Other appointees are scientists Maureen L. Condic of Utah, Suresh V. Garimella of Indiana, Steven Leath of Alabama, and Stephen Willard of Maryland. Stern is the associate vice president and special assistant to the president of Southwest Research Institute headquartered in Boulder. The distinguished planetary scientist... Full story
A collaboration of the Boulder Ballet with the Longmont Symphony Orchestra (LSO) usually signals the heartwarming end-of-the-year classic, The Nutcracker Ballet. Along with what we’ve come to expect, there will now be the addition of an extra-special show at 1 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 1 when performers will host the Gentle Nutcracker, a sensory-friendly production that will be welcoming to all audience members. Tchaikovsky’s musical score is synonymous with the story of “The Nutcracker and the K... Full story
What can hit 200 mph, has played a part in such beloved films as “Viva Las Vegas,” and has scads of international groupies? It’s the legendary Shelby Cobra and the Shelby Mustang. Gunbarrel is home to a museum that goes above and beyond in honoring the engineering, elegance and triumphant history of the line of autos that racers completely obsess over. The world renowned Shelby American Collection is ironically located on a quiet and unassuming cul-de-sac, in a completely nondescript build... Full story
Bob Keesy's kidneys were failing so he asked for someone to give him one of their kidneys. One way he asked was a huge banner on the fence behind his house in Niwot which read, "Bob needs a kidney." He just needed one kidney, but lucky Bob was offered two. UC Health sorted it out and transplanted the one that matched him best. It was a gift from Frankie Dubar-Nelson. Almost four months after surgery, both donor and recipient are back to their normal lives. Dubar-Nelson is doing "super-good" she... Full story
Shortly before her family went to Boston early this year for Mila Makovec’s experimental treatment of Batten Disease, Mila’s symptoms worsened to the point that her mother, Julia Vitarello, thought she might be losing her daughter to the fatal genetic disease. The quantity and severity of seizures Mila was having skyrocketed to 30 times a day for two minutes at a time. Seven-year old Mila slumped forward most of the time, was losing her ability to hold herself up when standing and walking, and... Full story
More than two dozen people stepped up to the microphone in the Boulder County Commissioners’ hearing room on Oct. 30 regarding a temporary halt of development in downtown Niwot. The commissioners could vote to maintain, modify or rescind the moratorium they initially approved on Sept. 20. Dale Case, Boulder County Land Use Director said his department’s recommendation was to uphold the six-month moratorium on development in the Niwot Rural Community District (NRCD), but with the exclusion of... Full story
A close friend of Joyce and Victor Johnson’s brought them to the attention of the Courier, knowing the couple would be interesting to profile in our Familiar Faces column. They’ve made the most of the area by building strong friendships, strolling around town, and enjoying local restaurants and businesses. Their love for each other and the community are inspirational and heartwarming. Here’s a glimpse into their lives. Can you give us a little background on yourselves and how you met? Vic Johns... Full story
This past August, Jennifer Shannon, owner of Cornerstone Farm, relocated her riding lesson and horse training business to the corner of Airport Road and Highway 119, in the Maple del Nero facilities. Shannon has been teaching and training since 1996. The previous business location on Nelson Road was where Shannon taught for over 12 years. “I have always been horse crazy and was probably seven years old when I started riding lessons with a friend,” Shannon said. Riding now for over 35 years, Sha... Full story
This is a “Big Year” for Niwot High School’s fall theater production. Only once every few years does an NHS production have a live student orchestra accompanying a big name musical. Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Cinderella” will take to the stage Nov. 8 through 11 starring a cast of nearly 50 actors. NHS drama teacher and show director Erin Anderson described the production as elaborate and glitzy. The Broadway version, updated in 2013, has songs that will be completely familiar, but the charact... Full story
