All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
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"I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy.....Born on the 4th of July" The line from "Yankee Doodle Dandy" fits the Niwot Community Semi-Marching Free Grange Band, which first performed on July 4, 2005, as part of the bandstand dedication ceremony in Whistle Stop Park. "The Niwot Business Association built a bandstand in the park reminiscent of the bandstand that stood for many years on the corner of 2nd Avenue and Murray Street," Biff Warren, one of the founding band members said. "We had everything ready...
Niwot's summer calendar will look more like its pre-pandemic norm, after the Niwot Local Improvement District Advisory Committee voted to provide funding for three familiar events at its monthly meeting on May 4. The board also elected new officers, and discussed its financial priorities for the rest of 2021. Officer Elections In the first order of business, the NLIDAC unanimously elected member Scott Firle as chair, replacing Laura Skaggs, who is leaving her seat on the committee in January...
Eli Buzas brought the idea of forming an education foundation to Niwot High School from Florida when he moved to Colorado in 1991. Buzas, who died earlier this year of COVID-19 complications, envisioned a foundation that did more than provide scholarships to students. Other school foundations in the school district raised money for scholarships, but Buzas had in mind a foundation that could fund current projects as well as develop a long-range funding program. Through his leadership while workin...
Niwot High catcher Josh Strid was set to take on varsity catching duties for the Cougars in 2020, but the season was cancelled before it even started. Strid is one of nine seniors on the Cougar baseball squad this year, and Head Coach Adam Strah is looking for him to provide leadership on and off the field. "He's a hard worker, a mature kid, who knows the game well," Strah said. "Josh is what you want out of a senior catcher." Strah said Strid is able to call pitches on the field, rather than re...
The Niwot Business Association, known informally as the NBA, is the organization that gets most things done in Niwot's business district. While the Niwot Community Association (NCA) addresses matters of community-wide interest, the NBA has taken the lead on business-related matters. The two organizations often work together on projects of mutual interest, such as the Veteran's Banner Project last fall. But the NBA, whose 150-plus dues-paying members often live in NIwot as well as work there, is...
Jason Champion has spent many nights at Niwot's Rock & Rails summer concert series, volunteering as a Gargoyle for several years, one of the many youths who sit on top of the bins and supervise the compost and recycle deposits at the popular event. Now a sophomore at Niwot High School, Champion was looking for an Eagle Scout project in the Niwot community, and Whistle Stop Park was a natural fit. Jason and his father, Jay Champion, contacted the Niwot Cultural Arts Association (NCAA), owner of t...
Women's International Niwot Club, or WINC, as it has come to be known, has been active in the Niwot community for 11 years, though it was officially incorporated in 2015 by founder and current president Deborah Read Fowler. Fowler, a local realtor originally from England, first brought a chapter of the Daughters of the British Empire to town, but after several years of seeing most of the money raised by the non-profit group go to out-of-state causes, Fowler decided to form a more locally-focused...
Last year, Niwot's signature summer music series, Rock & Rails, went off the rails thanks to pandemic-related safety restrictions. This year, event organizers are doing everything they can to get it back on track. "Right now, we have most of our regular favorites ready to return on the stage," said Satir DeMarco, who is in charge of arranging performers, managing the stage and emceeing the event. "We know people like to get out and dance. And we need to come together to comfort and appreciate...
Left Hand Grange No. 9 is the oldest institution in Niwot, and the oldest active Grange in Colorado, organized Dec. 20, 1873 and chartered in 1874, before Colorado was even a state..Since then the Grange has evolved from an agrarian organization serving a largely agriculture-based community, to a town center which continues to support the semi-rural character of the community and the values that have sustained the organization for over a century. The Grange building at the southwest corner of Se...
The Rotary Club of Niwot is currently the only nationally chartered service club meeting in Niwot. While the Niwot area has in the past had Optimists,Lions, Jaycees and Kiwanis clubs, the local rotary club now serves the community in a variety of ways, with a focus on education. “We just celebrated our 12th anniversary,” Doug Montgomery said of the organization which was formed in 2008. “It’s alive, it’s active, it’s growing.” Montgomery served as president of the Niwot club until July of 2020, and will become president of the affiliated ch...
Pat Murphy and Niwot Real Estate couldn't go another year without an Easter celebration. But rather than host an Easter egg hunt, as she has done for decades prior to the pandemic, Murphy sponsored a pancake breakfast at her office building at the intersection of Niwot Road and 79th Street April 3, complete with balloons, eggs and goodie bags for children. The turnout for the free community event was steady all morning, with families enjoying the music of Eddie Spaghetti as well as the trio...
Pat Murphy is known for many things in Niwot, including organizing the annual Easter egg hunt and the Great Pumpkin Party, both of which have been curtailed or modified by the pandemic. But one activity the long-time Niwot resident and realtor has maintained through thick and thin – providing cookies and other goodies in care packages to U.S. troops far from home, through the efforts of the Niwot Patriotic Cookie Moms, or the "cookie momsters" as they have recently come to be known. Murphy s...
Paperwork delays at the Boulder County Community Planning and Permitting Department are holding up construction of a small parking facility west of downtown Niwot, but Chuck Klueber of the Niwot Business Association is hopeful that work will resume soon. "The county is asking for additional information with regard to the grading permit, electrical permit, and they want to see details of the lighting plan," Klueber, head of the NBA's streetscapes committee, said. "So that has been a hang-up. We...
Some call him Bruce, others The Boss, but whatever you call him, you may be seeing him at the Rock & Rails concert series this summer. While he's known for playing to huge crowds, "The Boss" is from a small town and has an affinity for communities like Niwot, which leaves the door open for a date at the renowned Thursday night concert series. If COVID is under control by July, concert goers could hear new renditions of songs that are tweaked for The Boss' Small Town America Tour: "2nd Avenue...
The Niwot Cultural Arts Association, often referred to as the NCAA, has nothing to do with March Madness, or intercollegiate sports. In Niwot, the NCAA has everything to do with charitable activities involving arts and culture. The NCAA was formed in January 2009 by Tim Wise, Mike Anfinson and Biff Warren at the urging of the Niwot Business Association. The NBA, through Wise's efforts as head of the Historic Projects Committee, had worked with Bank of the West to establish Whistle Stop Park on...
BASEBALL Ford Ladd (Niwot) finished his collegiate career as a pitcher at New York University and has joined the coaching staff at Georgia Gwinnett College as Coordinator of Research & Development. In his final game at NYU, Ladd played first base and went 1-4 at the plate, scoring a run and driving in two runs in an 11-0 victory over John Jay College March 9, 2020. A day earlier, he went 1-3 as a DH in both games of a doubleheader sweep of Stockton University with a run and an RBI in the second...
The Niwot Future League, or NFL as it is commonly referred to, is another one of Niwot’s accidentally sports-themed acronym groups. With the Niwot Business Association (NBA) and the Niwot Cultural Arts Association (NCAA) widely known in Niwot, the NFL is probably the least-known group in Niwot. That’s because it is actually just a committee of the NBA, formed at the request of the Niwot Local Improvement District (LID) several years ago when the LID agreed to fund the NBA’s request for a part-time contractor to serve as Niwot’s Economi...
New events headed to Niwot this spring and summer, as the Local Improvement District advisory committee approved a full slate of funding requests at its monthly meeting on March 2. The LID members also welcomed a new face to the monthly Zoom call, as Heidi Storz officially began her five-year term as a residential representative. Treasurer's Report The LID's December 2020 revenue report has been released by the state of Colorado, and it raises a couple of "interesting" points, treasurer Bruce Ra...
The plat of Niwot was filed in the Boulder County records on March 30, 1875 by Porter Hinman and Ambrose Murray, laying out streets, alleys and lots on both sides of the railroad tracks, but Niwot was never officially incorporated as a town under state law. As a result, Niwot does not have a mayor or city council, and is governed by the Boulder County Commissioners. All of the buildings west of the railroad tracks are long gone, moved or demolished when the Diagonal Highway was built beginning...
Boulder County's newest commissioners Claire Levy and Marta Loachamin got a crash course in the history of the Niwot Local Improvement District when the BOCC met with members of the LID advisory committee on Feb. 25. They also got an earful about some missteps by their predecessors, as well as some still-lingering conflicts that arose from the NRCD building moratorium from two years ago. But the meeting ended with an optimistic tone, and an agreement from both boards to work more cooperatively...
Thirty years ago Niwot's 2nd Avenue was a mess whenever it rained or snowed. No curb and gutter, no streetlights, and nowhere for moisture to drain. As an unincorporated community, the downtown business district had no tax revenue or funding mechanism for basic infrastructure projects. In the early 1990s a small group of local commercial property owners approached Boulder County officials seeking a solution. Anne Dyni, who with her husband Jack owned the former blacksmith building (now occupied...
The Niwot Business Association unveiled its 2021 budget at February’s monthly meeting of the Niwot Local Improvement District Advisory Board, prompting a discussion of the district’s 2021 finances. The board also approved a handful of funding requests, discussed topics for its upcoming meeting with the Board of County Commissioners, and got an update on recruitment for upcoming vacancies from county liaison Mark Ruzzin. Treasurer’s Report Up first was the February treasurer’s report from Bruce R...
It has been six months since the death of Arapaho artist Eddie Running Wolf due to the coronavirus, but his memory and his art live on in Niwot. A Saturday gathering, masked and socially distant, paid tribute to the work of Wolf and continuing efforts to preserve his iconic tree sculptures on Niwot Road with a blessing ceremony led by Thornton resident Walt Pourier of the Oglala Lakota Nation, and attended by the artist's wife Melissa, his sons Calvin and Dustin and his mother. "So I called...
At its first monthly meeting of the new year, the Niwot Local Improvement District Advisory Board approved funding for a slew of routine maintenance expenses, as well as new events devised by the Niwot Business Association to help keep traffic circulating through local businesses. The members also discussed their upcoming annual meeting with the Board of County Commissioners, scheduled for Feb. 4. Treasurer's Report LID Vice Chair Jim Eastman delivered the January Treasurer's report in lieu of t...
At the final monthly meeting of 2020, the Niwot Local Improvement District's Advisory Committee met virtually to consider two funding requests related to marketing and economic development in 2021. Treasurer's Report But before the fun could get underway, the board heard from LID Treasurer Bruce Rabeler with an update on the district's finances through the end of November. To date, the board has approved $254,303.08 in funding requests in 2020, including $101,512 for the public parking lot....
Boulder County is seeking applications for three openings on the Niwot Local Improvement District (LID) Advisory Committee, a nine-member independent board that "prioritizes expenditures of the LID sales tax revenue," and makes recommendations to the county commissioners, who serve as the board of directors for the district. The Niwot LID was formed in 1992 and was authorized to collect a half-percent sales tax to pay for street, drainage and other improvements in Old Town, beginning in 1993. In...
In 1975, the Lutheran Medical Center Foundation was created as a way to support a nonprofit hospital in West Denver. Since then, it has been renamed the "Community First Foundation" (CFF) and has sought to create change beyond just the Denver Metro. Then, CFF became involved with ColoradoGives.org, an online tool that is a way to connect with and support nearly 3,000 nonprofits around the state. In 2010, CFF and ColoradoGives.org kicked off Colorado Gives Day, which has garnered $355 million in...
The retail incubator launched by the Niwot Business Association last month got a boost from the Niwot Local Improvement District's Advisory Committee when they agreed to recommend funding a portion of its marketing and promotional expenses at their virtual monthly meeting on Nov. 10. By a vote of 8-1, the board granted a modified funding request of $4,554 that will cover advertising and printing costs, as well as costs associated with hiring an "ambassador" to assist shoppers during business...
After spending two years as head coach of Niwot’s junior varsity baseball team and two years as NHS varsity pitching coach, Colin York’s Niwot reign came to a close in October as he accepted the head baseball coaching position at Frederick High School. “I am incredibly excited for him,” said Niwot head coach Adam Strah. “I think he's going to do a great job. I think he's ready.” York’s ability to be a rock for Niwot was one of his best attributes according to Strah. A constant and calm presence isn’t a bad trait to have in this chaotic year. ...
It's shaping up to be a busy, but socially distanced winter around Niwot, as the LID advisory committee members considered funding requests for upcoming holiday themed events at their virtual monthly meeting on Oct. 6. Treasurer's Report First, however, they heard from LID treasurer Bruce Rabeler, who led off with a concerning notice from the Boulder County finance office regarding the district's 2020 earnings. According to county analyst David Thayer, the state of Colorado believes the LID's hi...
For her 48 years of "service, dedication, and love for Niwot," the Rotary Club of Niwot honored longtime resident Kathy Koehler with its second annual Community Achievement Award. "This year's winner could not be more deserving," RCN member and past president Doug Montgomery said during the presentation, held at Old Oak Coffee's OctoberFeast Celebration on Oct. 3. "To say that her love and care for the Niwot community has been on full display since she moved here in 1972 would be a colossal...
At their virtual meeting on Sept. 1, the Niwot LID advisory committee members got a preview of what could prove to be a very busy fall around town, with funding requests for a slew of upcoming events as well as plans to preserve the Native American tree sculptures carved by the late artist Eddie Running Wolf. Treasurer's Report LID Treasurer Bruce Rabeler went first with an update on the district's finances, though there was nothing new to report on the revenue side, as the Colorado Department...
A proposal to bring more parking to downtown Niwot cleared its last major hurdle on Aug. 6 when the Boulder Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously to conditionally approve a parking facility on the western edge of downtown. Now the project's sponsors are preparing for construction and coming to terms with the realization that their long-held vision is finally becoming a reality. "Well, it's been a long battle, but yes, I did think we would get it done," Niwot Cultural Arts Association...
After taking a short summer break in July, the Niwot LID advisory committee was back in action on Aug. 4 with a full agenda. Treasurer's Report LID Treasurer Bruce Rabeler opened the meeting with a financial update, starting with the latest revenue reports from the Colorado Department of Revenue. For now, revenue collections are holding steady in Niwot, despite ongoing restrictions on large events and indoor dining. The Niwot LID earned a combined $29,968 in April ($15,560) and May ($14,408),...
In last week's edition of the Left Hand Valley Courier, we covered the story behind Niwot's Ritz Field, named after Colorado Rockies pitcher Kevin Ritz. We now turn our attention towards its neighbor, Hagen Field, named after the late Greg Hagen. Hagen was a parent volunteer for Niwot Youth Sports. When NYS lost the use of borrowed fields in Niwot at 83rd and Neva Road, Hagen helped erect the backstops at three new fields on Left Hand Water District property off Nimbus Road. When Hagen died...
Organizers of Niwot's award-winning summer concert series, Rock & Rails, pulled the plug on the 2020 season after holding out hope that gathering restrictions would be relaxed. "We took it month by month," Niwot Cultural Arts Association (NCAA) president Biff Warren said. "We held out hope that restrictions would ease up as the number of COVID-19 cases declined in Boulder County, but after an early decrease, the rate of positive tests began to increase, especially after the Memorial Day...
Niwot Youth Sports baseball was thriving in the 1990s and was in desperate need of additional fields for its over 500 ballplayers. NYS was limited to local school fields and borrowed land for much of its then 20-year history. The situation was not ideal for a growing program. Former NYS Softball director Jim Martinsen reached out to the Left hand Water District in hopes of securing land for future ballfields and his wish was granted. NYS quickly constructed three makeshift fields adjacent to...
Now that Niwot Children's Park has reopened, albeit on a limited basis - no more than 25 people in the park at one time, no more than 10 people in any one group - Niwot resident Elizabeth Wright has organized a Clean-Up Day at the park, scheduled for the last Monday of every month at 8:00 a.m. The first Clean-Up Day will be held on Monday, July 27, at 8 a.m. The early time slot is set to avoid times of heavy usage by children. In keeping with the gathering restrictions, Wright is asking...
Kate Missett is the Left Hand Valley Courier's newest staffer. Missett, who moved to Niwot in April after nearly 60 years in Wyoming, has remarked that while some people were born with a silver spoon in their mouths, she was born with printer's ink in her veins. She was two when she first started a newspaper press. Missett comes from a newspaper family. Her father, William J. Missett, was publisher of the Casper, Wyoming Star-Tribune, and that is where she began learning the trade. Her four...
GOLF Kelsey Webster (Fairview) of Gunbarrel was named to the Women's Golf Coaches Association All-American Scholar for the 2019-2020 season. Webster, a sophomore psychology major at the University of Colorado, posted a 77.58 stroke norm for 12 rounds. To be eligible for WGCA Golf All-American Scholar status, a golfer must have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.50 (on a 4.0 scale) and must have played in 50 percent of the college's regularly scheduled competitive rounds during the...
Plans for a multimodal parking facility adjacent to downtown Niwot got the preliminary go-ahead from the Boulder County Planning Commission at a remote public hearing held on June 17. With a unanimous vote, the nine-member board approved a proposal from the Niwot Business Association and the County of Boulder to develop a lot with 14 spaces on vacant land between the BNSF railroad tracks and Murray Street, provided several conditions are met. “The applicants were very accepting of the conditions...
On Tuesday, June 2, the Niwot LID advisory committee gathered via videoconference for its monthly meeting. Treasurer's Report Treasurer Bruce Rabeler presented an update of the district's finances, starting with the revenue report from March. The Niwot LID earned $12,639 for the month, which is down substantially from the same period in 2019 ($16,406), but higher than expected thanks to robust sales in the Retail and Arts, Entertainment & Recreation sectors. Unsurprisingly, the...
On Tuesday, May 5, the Niwot LID advisory committee gathered via videoconference for its first monthly meeting since March. Unsurprisingly, the coronavirus pandemic and its ongoing economic impact on Niwot drove the discussion. Summer Events Noting a paucity of funding requests on the board's official May agenda, chair Laura Skaggs opened the meeting by asking LID members Bruce Warren and Eric Bergeson (presidents of the Niwot Cultural Arts Association and Niwot Business Association,...
When COVID-19 cancelled the 100-mile run she had been training for, Kalyca Zarich decided to plan her own run, and benefit health care workers at the same time. Zarich, a furloughed manager and fitness coach at Orange Theory Fitness, and her boyfriend and one-man support crew, Logan Craven, live in south Longmont and often run and bike the trails in and around Niwot. Zarich set out to run 100 miles in one day. She started her run at Niwot High School at 8 a.m. on May 8, setting out on the Niwot...
Timing and relationships have been key to the success of several local small businesses that received loans in the first round of funding from the federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The $350 billion fund dried up within days, leaving some businesses empty handed and hoping to get a piece of the $310 billion second round of funding that is funneled through lending institutions. "It's been a chaotic process for everyone," said Kate Head of Pebble Jewelry. She got on the phone with her...
Dear Readers, In an effort to survive in the current COVID-19 economy, the Left Hand Valley Courier will change to an on-line only format as of the April 15 issue. We have brought local news to your doorstep for 23 years, but times have changed, and after April 8, the Courier will arrive ONLY on your computer, ipad, or cell phone. And, for the first time, we are asking readers to pay for the content in the Courier by subscribing. For 23 years, our advertisers have been our sole source of income, enabling us to pay for printing and delivery... Full story
Patrick Perry, a 2001 graduate of Niwot High School, was an important part of the 2000 NHS 4A state baseball championship team, and one of three players from that team selected in major league baseball's amateur draft. Baseball has pretty much been Perry's life ever since, and has carried him to a position as an area scout for Nevada and northern California for the Texas Rangers, evaluating players for the same draft. "I cover Reno to the Bay Area to Fresno," Perry said. Perry went to Otero JC...
Vicki Maurer's approach to life and volunteering is probably best put in her own words: "We do what we have to do and get it done." Maurer has been involved with many community organizations over the years, from Niwot Youth Sports to the Left Hand Valley Courier to the Niwot Cultural Arts Association. Appreciation for her efforts is widespread. "She's really easy to work with, enthusiastic about the town...and fantastic at what she does," said Michelle Henzel, treasurer of the NCAA. "Vicki is...
The Niwot LID advisory committee held its monthly meeting on Feb. 4 Treasurer’s Report Bruce Rabeler led off with a report on current LID finances. The district collected $16,854 in sales tax revenue in November 2019, bringing the total for that year to $183,108, an 8.4 percent increase over the same period in 2018. The rise was most notable in the retail sector, which jumped 44%, to $8,070. On the expense side, the LID has approved $65,024.61 in funding requests so far in 2020, leaving just under $84,288.39 of its $149,313 budget. Rabeler e...
Citing concerns over the appointment of new members of the Niwot Design Review Committee, member Anne Postle resigned from the Niwot LID Advisory Committee at its monthly meeting on Jan. 7. Reading from a letter she planned to send to the Boulder County Board of County Commissioners on Jan. 8, Postle said, "For me, with the NDRC process, this trust has again been compromised to the point that I cannot continue to serve as the NBA representative on the LID. I hope my resignation will be a wake-up...
