All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
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The Left Hand Valley Courier is spotlighting various local neighborhoods, their history, issues and general nature. This week, the Courier is spotlighting Cottonwood Park West. In the mid-20th century, Niwot began to grow from its origins as a small railroad town and farming community into a fully suburban community that provided housing, schools and amenities for families working in Boulder and Longmont. This was particularly true once IBM purchased land for its operations in the late 1950s,...
Niwot High School girls varsity soccer is staying on the winning side of the equation over their last four games with a 2-1-1 record. They have that same 2-1-1 record in Longs Peak conference play and are 4-3-2 overall. The team has scored 18 goals so far this season, while giving up 17. On April 2, NHS beat Mountain View High School 3-0. Tracy Yu, Heather Humphrey and Brynn Schlarb scored for the Cougars. NHS did one better at their next game on April 4 against Severance High School with a 4-0...
The Silver Creek boys swim team is getting ready for a push as the state Class 4A swimming and diving meet approaches. The squad, which is based out of Silver Creek High School, is a combination of Silver Creek and Niwot High School swimmers and divers, under the direction of long-time coach Debbie Stewart, with athletes from a few other schools also participating. “We just had our biggest week,” Stewart said of dual meets against Windsor High School and Monarch High School, a 5A school, last week. “We beat them by 20 points,” Stewart said of...
Minimum wage, master plan, housing costs, Highway 119 underpass, key priorities. Those are the topics Niwot's Local Improvement District Advisory Committee (LID) members hope to take up with the Boulder County Commissioners when the two boards meet at the Left Hand Grange on Thursday, April 18 at 3:30 p.m. The annual meeting between the three county commissioners, who govern Niwot as well as the rest of unincorporated Boulder County, and the members of Niwot's most active advisory board, all of...
Local musician Kevin Dooley was asked to perform at the dedication of a memorial bench outside of Niwot Market last December 16 in honor of Niwot Market owner Bert Steele. The guitarist singer-songwriter quickly accepted the invitation, and set to work writing a song in honor of his long-time friend, who passed away last August after a short illness. Six days later, Dooley performed the song, "Be More Like Bert," at the dedication, incorporating several of Steele's well-known words of wisdom,...
At her daughter-in-law's suggestion, Niwot's Amy Klein found a way to combine her love for kids with her love for baking. The result is the fastest growing chapter of Cake4Kids in the country. For her volunteer efforts, Klein is the April 2024 recipient of a Left Hand Laurel. "My daughter-in-law moved to California and told me about it four years ago," Klein recalled. The non-profit organization is based in California, but has chapters all over the country, but Klein discovered that Colorado...
The City of Boulder, through its Open Space and Mountain Parks Department, announced an effort to seek public input on a collaborative land stewardship plan to be developed for the site of the former Fort Chambers near Boulder Creek, just east of 63rd Street and south of Jay Road in the Gunbarrel area. The city purchased the property in 2018. The city has recently worked with Arapaho and Cheyenne Tribal Representatives on a plan to use the land, now owned by the City of Boulder, to acknowledge...
The Niwot High School girls varsity tennis team has won their last three matches in a row. Most recently, they beat Fort Morgan High School 7-0 on March 26 and then kept the momentum going against Thompson Valley High School winning 6-1 on March 28. Sahasra Kolli won her #1 singles match 6-0, 6-0 against the Fort Morgan Mustangs. Not wanting to be left out of the demolition, Tracy Yu beat her opponent 6-0, 6-0 at #2 singles and Cassie Chen sent her opponent packing 6-0, 6-1 at #3 singles. The...
The Niwot Business Association (NBA) took the show on the road to Niwot High School on March 12 for its monthly meeting. The meeting was hosted by the Niwot High School Education Foundation, and after a short business meeting, NBA members heard from the Superintendent of Schools for the St. Vrain Valley School District, Don Haddad, and Niwot High School Principal, Eric Rauschkolb. Haddad, former principal at Niwot High School, spoke of the success of the school district, "We have the highest...
Niwot High School wrestling coach Bobby Matthews decided it was time to do something different in the sport. In a social media post, Matthews said, "In November I made the decision that the 2023-24 season would be my last as a wrestling coach. Twenty-two years is a long time. I want to thank all the wrestlers who I have had the pleasure of coaching over the past 22 years. I will still be around the sport as I will move over to the officiating side. I will continue coaching softball and...
The Niwot Local Improvement District Advisory Committee (LID) met March 5 at the Niwot Inn to consider funding requests from the Left Hand Grange No. 9 for improvements to the Grange Hall, now owned by Niwot Community Hall, a newly formed non-profit organization. The meeting began with an introduction of Carla Hunter, the newest member of the committee, who was appointed to fill the resident vacancy held by Lisa Rivard, who did not apply for reappointment. LEFT HAND GRANGE Left Hand Grange No....
The Niwot United Methodist Church has thrown open its doors for 26 years to invite the community for bowls of soup, salad, bread and fellowship. "Soup, Soup & More," held on Saturday, March 9, was open to the public free of charge. Most people attending contributed to a free-will offering, and donations are funneled to different local charities each year. According to Janet Gates, the event coordinator, 75% of the proceeds from the event this year will go to The Reentry Initiative, whose...
The Boulder County Commissioners announced a new hourly minimum wage within the geographic boundaries of Boulder County’s jurisdiction, impacting unincorporated towns, communities, and outlying areas while excluding incorporated cities or towns. Ordinance 2023-4 became effective Jan. 1, 2024 with a $15.69 per hour minimum wage which is 15% above Colorado’s 2023 minimum wage and $1.27 higher than surrounding incorporated towns and cities. The minimum wage for unincorporated Boulder County will increase yearly, reaching $25 per hour by 2030, and...
Niwot's Sculpture Park at the southwest corner of Niwot Road and 79th Street was home to the iconic Native American tree carvings of the late Eddie Running Wolf for over a decade, but since the recent removal of the deteriorating tree carvings for restoration, another artist's bronze art has become the link to Niwot's Native American heritage. Artist Bobbie Carlyle of Loveland, whose work is collected internationally, created the bronze sculpture christened "Peacemaker" which greets visitors...
Under second-year head coach Ken Rosales, the Niwot High School baseball program took a major step forward last spring. The Cougars finished 14-9 - the team's most wins since 2014 - and never lost more than two straight games en route to reaching the postseason for the first time in seven years. While the 2023 campaign ultimately ended in disappointment with a loss to Riverdale Ridge High School in the Class 4A Region 7 championship game, Niwot has plenty of momentum entering its 2024 campaign....
The long-vacant property at the northeast corner of the intersection of Colorado Highway 119 and Colorado Highway 52 was sold Dec. 7, 2023, to QuikTrip Corporation, based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for $3.6M. The property has been owned by St. Julien Partners Gunbarrel, LLC, which moved truckloads of fill dirt onto the site after purchasing it from IBM in 1999. Aside from several complaints of musk thistle growing on the property from time to time, there has been little activity since then. The...
Late in the afternoon of Feb. 14, a high-speed chase ended with a two-car collision on Niwot Road near the Niwot High School football field. Multiple reports were made on social media of a vehicle speeding east on Niwot Road across the Diagonal Highway, followed by Boulder County Sheriff's officers and Colorado State Patrol vehicles on Valentine's Day, ending in a collision near Niwot High School. The crash resulted in the speeding vehicle rolling onto its top and crashing into the chain link...
The annual meeting of the Niwot Business Association on Feb. 13 saw the re-election of all current officers and directors. Eric Bergeson of the Niwot Wheel Works and The Wheel House will again serve as president, Deborah Fowler of Slifer Smith & Frampton real estate will continue as vice-president, Nancy Bureau of Left Hand Animal Hospital returns as secretary, and Mary Coonce of Porchfront Homes was re-elected as treasurer. All four officers ran unopposed for one-year terms, and their...
Following their big win over Skyline High School Feb. 12, the Niwot girls basketball team won its first back-to-back games of the year, beating Ft. Morgan High School 44-40 at home on Feb. 13. This win marked a season sweep of Ft. Morgan, which lost to the Cougars earlier in the season on Ft. Morgan's home court. Ella Zechman had a strong game leading all scorers with 15 points on 55% shooting from the field, and also led the team with five steals. Thalia Almaraz dropped 11 points on Ft. Morgan...
Everyone attending Niwot High School's final home basketball game of the season Tuesday, Feb. 13, was treated to a special halftime show by the NHS cheerleaders. Both the Cougar boys and girls basketball teams posted a victory over Fort Morgan on senior night, and the NHS cheerleaders were out in force to support the teams. During halftime at the boys game, the cheerleaders rolled out a foam mat and performed the routine they have been working on for months for a cheerleading competition in...
The House Blend Band is back for a fourth summer of concerts on Second Avenue. The Niwot Local Improvement District Advisory Committee (LID) approved funding for the popular concerts, now known as 2nd Avenue Concert Series, based on an application from the Niwot Business Association, presented by Michael Tomich and Patty Machen of The Old Oak Coffeehouse. Tomich explained that there would be five concerts this summer beginning May 18, an increase of one over last year. The headliner for the...
Road maintenance and development has been, and continues to be, a concern for residents within the Niwot and Gunbarrel communities. The degeneration of roads within residential subdivisions and neighborhoods are very apparent and only continue to get worse as time goes on. So how do they get improved? Well, it's not that simple. Issues regarding road maintenance are not new and have been prevalent for decades. It wasn't until the mid-2000s that residents started really noticing the...
Paul Gibb grew up in a family with a father who worked on the Manhattan Project, and a mother who was an anti war activist. The Niwot resident described his first novel, "Haunted by Hiroshima," to a standing-room-only audience at Inkberry Books Feb. 10, saying, "I've rewritten the lives of my parents. It's been wonderful therapy for me. Growing up I could feel the tension." Gibb grew up in Beverly, Massachusetts, where the Manhattan Project, processing uranium and plutonium for use in atomic...
St. Vrain Valley Schools presented a concert at Longmont High School Feb. 7, which included a performance by the district's Middle School Honor Band, conducted by Mr. Phuong Nguyen. Nguyen, a graduate of Colorado State University, has 23 years of teaching experience and currently teaches at Boltz Middle School in Fort Collins. His experience includes performing in Colorado rock/jazz/ska/reggae bands. He has also performed with famous rock bands, Vietnamese pop stars, as well as starred in short...
Niwot High School wrestling coach Bobby Matthews was pleased with the performance of three of his wrestlers at the Regional tournament last weekend, where two Cougars qualified for the state tournament in Class 4A. NHS wrestler Ryder Evans placed second at 144 pounds, losing only in the Regional finals. The junior earned the Cougars' highest seed, and will wrestle against Erie sophomore Tyler Muir in the first round at state. Senior Gavin Burrage placed third at 175 pounds, and had to come all...
Vandals struck Niwot late Sunday evening, defacing the LOBO Trail underpass at Niwot Road with graffiti. Niwot resident Tim Hughes reported the incident to the Courier on Monday, and the matter was reported to Boulder County Parks and Open Space that evening. Hughes sent photos and wrote, "I noticed it Monday morning, so it likely occurred Sunday night. We can see it from our house. It is spray paint on the concrete as shown, on both sides of Niwot Road and on the path itself on the [south]...
In their last nine games, all losses, Niwot High School girls basketball has only scored at least 30 points two times, the most recent being a 47-37 loss to Skyline High School on Feb. 1, a game they Cougars led at halftime 25-16 On Monday, Feb. 12, that changed as Niwot sprinted past 30 to score 50 points and beat Skyline on the Falcons' court. It was a big win that Cougars' Coach Todd Trobaugh likely saw coming. In an interview before the Feb. 12 game,Trobaugh said that despite the score,...
As an unincorporated community, Niwot relies on Boulder County for day-to-day governance, and the two appointed advisory boards that directly affect Niwot are the Niwot Local Improvement District (LID) Advisory Committee (NLIDAC), and the Niwot Design Review Committee. The Niwot Design Review Committee is charged with reviewing development applications and proposed changes to properties in the Niwot Rural Community District I, which includes the Old Town business district. Some regulations apply to the entire district, while others apply only...
Niwot High School hosted the Class 3A Colorado Speech and Debate State Championships Tournament, which began on Feb. 2 in the afternoon and concluded on Feb. 3, in spite of rain that quickly turned to snow during the day. NHS staff members Danielle Maloit and Joe Brown were on hand to see that the event went smoothly, while the Niwot High School cheerleaders manned the concession booth for the Saturday session. The event carried on well past the anticipated 5:15 p.m. ending time, and the...
CPAs and Niwot residents Don Perry and Dayna Roane joined forces in Niwot in 2010 to form the accounting firm, Perry & Roane, P.C. In addition to their professional accounting and tax services, the partners were active in the community, providing pro bono services to a wide range of Niwot area non-profits, including Niwot Youth Sports, the Niwot Business Association, the Niwot Cultural Arts Association, and Left Hand Grange No. 9. While Perry retired from the firm several years ago, he...
The vast majority of banners inside Niwot High School's main gym celebrate team championships. A select few, however, are hung in honor of individual achievements. Coming off a stellar sophomore season on the NHS cross country team, Addison Ritzenhein will soon have her name immortalized twice. After receiving the Gatorade Colorado Girls Cross Country Player of the Year award on Monday, the state championship-winning runner earned the prestigious Gatorade National Girls Cross Country Player of...
The Niwot High School girls basketball squad picked up a much-needed 67-35 victory over Fort Morgan High School on the road Jan. 18, dominating the game from start to finish. The victory gave the Cougars a 3-8 record on the season, and Niwot's first league victory over the winless Mustangs. Senior Chloe Mitchell led the scoring, putting up 15 points on 6-11 shooting from the field. One of her field goals came from 3-point range, and she was 2-2 at the free throw line. Also scoring in double figu...
Four Niwot-area appointed positions on Boulder County advisory boards are open for applications, which close on Friday, Jan. 19. Niwot Design Review Committee The Niwot Design Review Committee's primary role is to act as a referral agency for proposals within the Niwot Rural Community District I (NRCD I), which consists of the first block of 2nd Avenue between Murray Street and Franklin Street, plus the historic Bader House property. According to the county website, "The committee does not have...
The Niwot Local Improvement District (LID) Advisory Committee approved funding for three upcoming events to be held in January, February and June, 2024, at its Jan. 9 meeting. Mary Coonce, who serves as treasurer of both the LID and the Niwot Business Association (NBA), spoke in support of the events, saying, “The goal is to have an event every month.” In her treasurer’s report, Coonce reported a $10,716 decrease in sales tax revenues collected by the LID through October 2023, compared with...
The Niwot High School wrestling program showed significant improvement at the 49th Annual Alameda International Invite last weekend, according to trackwrestling.com. A total of 22 teams competed from several classes. Jonathan Lopez led the way with a fourth-place finish in the 285-pound division, scoring 16 points. Lopez began the meet with a win over Bobbie Hester of Clear Creek in a tense 1-0 decision. He followed with a quarterfinal win by fall at the 1:23 mark over Romeo Ramirez of Bear Creek. In the semi-finals, Lopez lost by fall to...
The Niwot High School boys basketball squad started slowly as they fell to Thompson Valley High School 72-36 Jan. 9, coming out of the break. Niwot fared better against Frederick High School on Jan. 11 as they lost by 11 in a 60-49 heartbreak after leading early in the contest. The Cougars were outscored by Thompson Valley 36-16 in the first half, keeping Niwot out of reach most of the game as Thompson Valley scored another 36 points in the second half to wrap up a dominating win. Taylor...
The Niwot High School girls basketball squad came out of winter break with a record of 2-6, hoping to get back in the win column, but the first two games of January came against tough opponents, Thompson Valley High School and Frederick High School. The Cougars took on Thompson Valley Jan. 9, on the road, and stayed with the Eagles through the first half. Although they found themselves down 12-7 at the end of the first period, the Cougars outscored the Eagles 11-9 in the second period, with...
When Steven Craig joined the Rotary Club of Niwot shortly after building a home on Portico Lane in the Ranch at Clover Basin subdivision two years ago, he didn’t waste any time in making a difference. Sadly, Craig, who was recently chosen as President-Elect for the club, will not have a chance to serve in that position. Craig was attacked in his home on Dec. 19 in the middle of the night, and died of his injuries Dec. 24. Michael Lucky, 32, turned himself in to the Boulder County Sheriff’s off...
Abo's Pizza in Niwot's Cottonwood Square has been closed ever since a fire broke out in the oven at the business on August 10, 2022. Since then, the popular restaurant's reopening has been delayed multiple times by insurance issues, building permit delays, asbestos mitigation requirements and electrical issues related to the oven. Jeff Riegel, who purchased the business from Tom Smathers in 2020, operated the pizza business for two years before an early morning fire shut it down. Smathers, who...
The newspaper you are reading is now published by a newly formed nonprofit corporation, known as Left Hand Valley Courier. For over 26 years, the Left Hand Valley Courier newspaper was published by a Colorado limited liability company, known as Lefthand Valley Publishing, LLC. Effective with the Jan. 3, 2024, online edition, the weekly newspaper, both online and in print every four weeks, is now owned and published by Left Hand Valley Courier. Left Hand Valley Courier has applied for...
The Niwot Cougars girls basketball team traveled to Longmont Dec. 19 to take on the Longmont Trojans, but came away with a 44-27 loss to the crosstown rival before taking a break for the holidays. The game was within reach for the first three quarters as Longmont scored 11 points in each of the first two quarters, while the Cougars put up six and five, respectively. Niwot held the Trojans to only six points in the third quarter, but managed to score only five points. Entering the fourth quarter...
This is a Christmas story wrapped up in a baseball story - a story of faith, belief and redemption. I finally got around to reading a book given to me several years ago by my friends and former Boulder Daily Camera sportswriters Bill and Leo Hirsch. The book, "It's Not Who Won or Lost the Game-It's How You Sold the Beer," is an autobiography of Hall of Fame broadcaster Bob Wolff, who happens to be the only broadcaster to call the World Series, the NFL championship game, the NBA championship game...
The Niwot Sanitation District Board of Directors hosted a public meeting at the Left Hand Grange in Niwot Dec. 14 to let customers know that fees will rise substantially in the new year to fund infrastructure improvements which have been in the planning stages for the past three years. For many years, Niwot Sanitation District customers have grown accustomed to paying only a $71.00 bimonthly cost of service, without a mill levy for property taxes, which most special districts impose for capital...
Approximately 75 people turned out for an open house at the Left Hand Grange No. 9 on Dec. 13 to review plans for Highway 119 (Diagonal Highway) improvements between Boulder and Longmont. Representatives from Muller Engineering Company, consultants on the project, were on hand with Boulder County Public Works and RTD staff members to listen to comments and answer questions. The primary topic of discussion was the design of a pedestrian-bikeway underpass leading from 2nd Avenue in downtown Niwot...
On Saturday, Dec. 16, some 200 Niwotians gathered in front of the Niwot Market for the unveiling of a bench dedicated to the memory of beloved community member Bert Steele. It was a touching final farewell to Steele, who died Aug. 7, 2023, after a short illness. Born on Oct. 16, 1950, Steele founded Niwot Market in 2002. A hard worker and passionate business owner, he cultivated a commercial space that has become truly integral to the community of Niwot. Niwot Market is frequently at the center...
Niwot High School wrestlers competed at the 9th Annual Keith Kilker Invitational Tournament at Weld Central High School Dec. 16, but attrition left the Cougars with a small roster. The format of the tournament has each wrestler compete against wrestlers in the same weight class from each of the four other schools in a round-robin format. Thus, there are no elimination rounds, and each wrestler comes away with a personal won-loss record. “We have been dealing with some sickness and a few injuries as well as some kids leaving for break,” Cou...
The Niwot High School girls basketball team had to reevaluate expectations. A few injuries and departures from last year's starting lineup forced the Cougars to rebuild the team from the ground up. With seven games under their belt and new lineups being tested, hiccups are to be expected and struggling is an opportunity to learn. In the first conference competition on Dec. 9, the Cougars fought hard to stay in the game but ultimately lost to Silver Creek High School, 46-35. Rose Pacheco stole...
The Niwot High School boys basketball team has strung together two tough weeks as their season continues to slide. Niwot fell roughly to both Severance High School and Riverdale Ridge High School. The Cougars started the week with a loss to the Riverdale Ridge Ravens, 66-48, to fall to 3-3 on the year before losing to the Severance Silver Knights, 59-36, dropping to 3-4 on the year. Niwot started slow against Riverdale Ridge, only scoring 12 points in the first half. The Ravens ran up the...
Even when not at full strength, the Niwot High School girls swim team is a formidable opponent. On Dec. 13, the NHS girls swimming team hosted the Roosevelt High School Roughriders at the St. Vrain Aquatic Center next to Silver Creek High School, and came away with a 197-88 victory. Coach Ella Thramann said, “This meet, we had very few of our girls there, but the ones that stood out the most were Charlotte Heuer, who made state [qualifying times] in 50 free (26.44) [and] 500 free (5:46.29), our A relay for 200 free relay, [which] was 2 s...
