All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
Sorted by date Results 601 - 650 of 730
An application submitted by the Niwot Business Association to build a 14-space multimodal parking facility with a potential expansion up to 50 spaces at the intersection of 3rd Avenue and Murray Street has been put on hold by the Boulder County Land Use department, pending more information about the potential effects on local traffic. According to a Jan. 3 message to NBA representative Bruce Warren from staff planner Molly Marcucilli, the county transportation department requested a hold of the...
VOLLEYBALL Mackenzie Fidelak (Niwot) was part of Stanford's NCAA national championship team, which defeated Wisconsin Dec. 24 in the NCAA finals. Fidelak, a sophomore opposite hitter, played in six contests during the season, but did not see action in the NCAA tournament. Her most extensive action came against Arizona State in a 3-0 victory Oct. 13, where she played all three sets, recording 11 kills and only three errors. She had an attack percentage of .348 against Arizona State, and also...
Niwot's local law firm, Warren, Carlson & Moore LLC (WCM), is excited to introduce the community to their newest member of the team. Attorney Heather Rutherford has taken over much of the firm's family law practice and is thankful to have been welcomed both by the WCM family as well as the Niwot community at large. She joins attorneys Bruce Warren, Tom Moore and Laura Moore as well as paralegals Vicki Maurer and Hannah Valadez at the law firm, which was established by Warren in 1975. Rutherford...
After a one-year hiatus, the Niwot High School Homecoming parade returns to downtown Niwot on Thursday, Sept. 12. The parade, featuring floats, marching bands and high school royalty, will begin at 4 p.m. at the intersection of Murray Street and 2nd Avenue and proceed down 2nd Avenue to Cottonwood Square. Those streets will be closed for one hour. The Homecoming football game will be played Friday night, Sept. 13, at Everly-Montgomery Field in Longmont, but the parade is scheduled for the day...
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...
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...
This column is designed to highlight good and bad government in the Niwot-Gunbarrel area. Readers are encouraged to email the Courier with descriptions of local events showing exemplary performance by our government officials in serving the people, as well as those actions that fall well short of that standard. This week’s column features assistance provided to the Niwot Community by the youngest members of the Boulder County Sheriff’s staff. Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle’s staff is often...
Recent vandalism at Niwot Children’s Park, and across the street at Whistle Stop Park, has prompted the Niwot Cultural Arts Association (NCAA) to install security cameras at the sites. Tim Wise, a member of the Children’s Park building committee who continues to monitor the park for maintenance issues, removed graffiti from the boys bathroom earlier this year. Jim Fletemeyer, another member of the building committee, noticed that someone had placed pornographic material in the Little Free Lib... Full story
On June 18, the Boulder County Commissioners considered a petition from the owners of the property where Left Hand Animal Hospital is now located, 304 Franklin Street in Niwot, to be annexed to the Niwot Local Improvement District. Mark Ruzzin, a member of the county commissioners’ staff, presented the petition to the commissioners, noting that the business was formerly located on 2nd Avenue, an area included in the district, but had recently moved to a location that is outside the district. The hospital’s new location is less than a block fro... Full story
BASEBALL David Bote, son of long-time Niwot baseball coach Bob Bote, has solidified his position with the Chicago Cubs this season. As a rookie with the Cubs in 2018, Bote was called up from AAA Iowa and sent back five time during the season. In the midst of the call-ups and demotions, Bote had his share of dramatic moments, culminating in a nationally-televised Sunday night ninth-inning, two-out, two-strike, pinch-hit grand slam home run to dead centerfield, allowing the Cubs to snatch a 4-3...
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...
RUNNING Maddy Jalbert (Niwot) ran the San Francisco 50mi/50K Endurance race May 18. Jalbert, who now resides in Los Angeles, elected to run the longer 50-mile course. She was the first woman in and the fourth person overall out of 47 runners. The race has 9,890 feet of elevation gain and Jalbert finished in 9 hours and 36 minutes, battling rain as well as the elevation. TRIATHLON Colin Laughery (Niwot) finished 11th in the last Boulder Ironman on June 9, posting a time of 8:53:52 as a... Full story
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...
It was a night of full of laughter, full bellies, and good cheer. The Rotary Club club of Niwot, along with over 200 guests, celebrated the ninth annual Wine, Cheese, and Chocolate Extravaganza at the Longmont Museum on Saturday, May 18. Ron Grunzweig, this year’s President of Niwot Rotary, has been coming to the group’s marquee event for nine years, and said, “It’s the most successful event that has been done. I want to thank Lucky’s Market for supporting us for the past several years 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...
To the Editor: The following comments are related to Bruce Warren’s Editorial in the May 1st Courier entitled: ‘Broken Trust in Niwot.’ However, first of all we would like to say…Welcome back, Biff. We hope you continue to heal and regain your strength. There are a few misconceptions in his article that need clarification. - Biff states: “In 1996, the county prepared an alley study, which concluded that commercial property owners on 2nd Avenue should have very limited access to the alley,while 3rd Avenue residents were allowed full use of th... Full story
The Boulder County Commissioners (BOCC), whose job includes the governance of Niwot, abdicated that role to a Land Use Department whose “arrogance of power” as Niwot resident and community volunteer Laura Skaggs put it, is out of control. The April 23 hearing on changes to the Niwot Rural Community District (NRCD) regulations once again demonstrated a blatant disregard of previous direction from the BOCC to Land Use and Transportation departments, most especially with regard to opening the alley behind 2nd Avenue to immediate use by commercial... Full story
This April marks the Left Hand Valley Courier’s 22nd anniversary. Like most things I’ve started, I’ve often wondered, if I had really known what I was getting myself into, would I have done it? This is the type of thing that pops into my head around 2 a.m., when sleep eludes me. We started the Courier to give recognition to those in the community who might otherwise be overlooked. At its core, the paper strives to keep our readers informed and to create a dialogue about events that can and have changed the shape of our area. From the propo... Full story
As a part of their last update to the Niwot Strategic Plan in 2017, the LID advisory board tasked the Niwot Business Association with developing a forward-looking “vision” to help guide funding decisions and planning over the next 10 years. NBA representatives finally unveiled that vision at the board’s regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 5. “It’s not a committed plan, and it’s not an approved plan,” NBA president Tony Santelli said while introducing Niwot Vision: 2029. “It’s a visio...
Let’s face it. For some, Valentine’s Day is a thrill--what will my sweetheart buy me? What fantastic restaurant will we indulge at? For others, it’s a stressful minefield of procrastination, uncertainty about gift choices and inadequate feelings about available finances with which to buy said gifts. Those minefield veterans often walk through the door with last-minute mylar balloons, a sheepish smile, and are often met by a cold-shoulder welcoming committee. And for others, it’s just plain l...
Reporter’s note: I’ve been reporting for the Left Hand Valley Courier (LHVC) since July 2018, although as a Gunbarrel resident, I’ve been reading the paper for four years. Much of my life has been in small towns, so I have a fondness for small, independent papers—which, by the way, are a rapidly disappearing breed. When I began working with the LHVC team, I was struck by the founders’ fierce dedication to the integrity of the paper, but even more so by their dedication to the community...
Chuck Klueber (left), chair of the Sculpture Park Committee for Community Corner, presented a plaque and a check for $250 to artist Glenn Murgacz, winner of the People’s Choice Award for his sculpture, “Ocean’s Embrace.” Several members of the committee, including Anne Postle, Laura Skaggs, Scott Deemer and Catherine McHale, were present at Osmosis Art and Architecture for the First Friday Art Walk presentation by the Niwot Cultural Arts Association. “We got 70 votes by members of the public,...
Three eight-week old puppies were rescued not once, but twice last week, after a small fire broke out at the Niwot Veterinary Clinic (6964 N. 79th Street) where they were being treated prior to adoption. Niwot Veterinary assistant Katelyn Ristow said one of the clinic’s doctors stepped outside around 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 2, then rushed back inside after she and a nail technician from Classic Looks hair salon saw smoke and flames coming from the roof. The veterinarian told Ristow to call...
For players’ weekend, major league baseball allows players to put a nickname on the back of their jerseys. For David Bote, a Chicago Cubs infielder who spent his formative years on the baseball fields of Niwot , the choice was easy - “Boat.” For the few baseball fans who weren’t watching when Bote hit a 2-out, 2-strike, bottom of the ninth, grand slam, walk-off homerun to beat the Washington Nationals, 4-3, on national TV last August 12, the correct pronunciation of his last name is “Bo’-tee” wi... Full story
VOLLEYBALL Sarah Falk (Niwot) played 10 matches for Sacramento State this fall, seeing action in 14 sets. Falk, a redshirt freshman, playing middle blocker. Falk finished with seven kills on the season in 10 attacks, with only two errors. Mackenzie Fidelak (Niwot) was part of Stanford’s NCAA Championship team. The freshman outside hitter saw action in three early season games for the Cardinal, but was able to preserve a redshirt season. Fidelak, who wore jersey number 7, earned substantial s...
Boulder County is now accepting applications for two 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. The Niwot LID was formed in 1992 and authorized to collect a half-percent sales tax to pay for street, drainage and other improvements in Old Town. In 2007 following a successful Niwot effort to change state law, vot... Full story
The Niwot United Methodist Church Choir’s (NUMCC) performance at New York City’s Carnegie Hall on Nov. 18 was a memorable experience for the small but accomplished group of local singers. NUMCC, under the direction of Liz Olson, had been rehearsing for a few months prior to their performance of Pepper Choplin’s Christmas Presence cantata as part of a 275-member choir. Choplin, who also conducted and directed the choir’s performance, drew rave reviews from the members of NUMCC. “Pepper Choplin ha... Full story
Niwot’s Economic Development Director Catherine McHale welcomed a crowd of over 30 people to the dedication of nine pieces of public art installed at Community Corner, at the intersection of Niwot Road and 79th Street. “We wanted it to be accessible to people, something they can experience,” McHale said. “We tried to choose pieces that fit with the community. All pieces are available for sale, but should be here between six and nine months.” The Sculpture Park Committee, consisting of McHale, A... Full story
VOLLEYBALL Sarah Falk (Niwot) has played eight matches for Sacramento State this fall. Falk, a redshirt freshman, is a middle blocker. After seeing action in only three of the first 18 games, she has played in five of the last eight games. Falk has five kills on the season in 10 attacks, with only one error. Mackenzie Fidelak (Niwot) played her first collegiate match for Stanford University in a 3-0 victory over West Virginia Sept. 1. Fidelak, who is listed as an outside hitter/opposite on the r...
In the wake of the Boulder County Commissioners’ temporary moratorium on new development applications in the Niwot Rural Community District (NRCD), the Niwot LID advisory committee welcomed Land Use director Dale Case and his staffers, Jose Ruano and Denise Grimm, to the Oct. 2 meeting to discuss the wider implications of such a ban, as well as the next steps in the process. They also considered a funding request, elected a new slate of officers, and discussed the agenda for the upcoming m...
Skye Messinger, University of Kansas infielder, has a couple of weeks off before heading back to school August 18th, but he’s not wasting an opportunity to work on his game. Messinger and his older brother, Connor Messinger, go down to the Niwot High School baseball field weekday mornings at 6 a.m. to get some work in before Connor heads off to his day job working for his father, Cary Messinger, at Flying Colors Painting in Niwot. “We work on ground balls and various defenses,” Skye said. “Then...
Niwot held their annual spring signing ceremony for athletes committed to playing at the next level on Tuesday, May 22. Caleb Martinez— University of Sioux Falls (Sioux Falls, SD) There’s no question that Caleb Martinez has enough talent to succeed as a collegiate pitcher. As Niwot’s staff ace for the past two seasons, he amassed a 2.69 ERA and 81 strikeouts, putting him squarely among the ranks of the Class 4A league leaders. But it isn’t just physical skills that will make him success...
FOOTBALL Mitch Webster (Silver Creek) will be a junior linebacker for Augustana University this fall. Webster saw action in four games last season. Paul “Tiny” Koehler, former long-time football coach at Niwot High, has officially retired from coaching at Fort Lewis College. Koehler, who coached running backs at Fort Lewis for the past several seasons, returned to assist with spring camp after the 2017 season. He was back in Niwot last week for the NHS Class of 1988 reunion, and noted that he...
BASEBALL David Bote, son of former NHS Baseball Coach Bob Bote, earned his third promotion to the Chicago Cubs’ major league squad June 26 when Kris Bryant went on the disabled list. Bote has been back and forth between Iowa (AAA) and the Cubs this season after making his major league debut with the Cubs during an April trip to Colorado. At Iowa, Bote was hitting .268 with 12 homers and 38 RBI, both high marks on the team. He has played second base, third base, shortstop and outfield in the m... Full story
Colterra restaurant in downtown Niwot has submitted a request for Site Plan Review Waiver to the Boulder County Land Use Department as the first step in its effort to rebuild the fire-damaged restaurant, which closed in October 2017. Bradford Heap, owner of Table 210 LLC, which owns the property at 210 Franklin Street, is working with his insurance company’s architect, James D. Powers of PowerSquare Design & Architecture, LTD, on the project. Boulder County Land Use Department emailed the referral packet to adjacent property owners and other i... Full story
Niwot wrestler Jose Lopez came to the sport later than most of his peers, but that lack of experience hasn’t kept him from success on the mat. A surprise state-qualifier during his rookie junior season, he amassed an impressive record as a senior before a broken arm thwarted his 2018 postseason ambitions. Late last month, the heavyweight’s career took another step forward when he signed a letter of intent to wrestle collegiately at the alliterative Cloud County Community College, in Concordia, K...
The Niwot United Methodist Church has been looking for ways to utilize some of their land on Lookout Road and Mt. Evans Place in Gunbarrel, and Habitat for Humanity homes have been considered. A meeting was held in late May to discuss the proposition with neighbors and members of the church. Some concerns raised during the meeting included impact on water and sewer services and local schools, construction time-line, lot sizes and potential for loss of the view. Dave Emerson with Habitat said that the process began as a way for the church to... Full story
Baseball and softball games at Hangge Fields at Monarch Park were part of the Opening Day festivities for Niwot Youth Sports on Saturday May 5. The program, which has roots back to the Left Hand Men’s Club in 1969, provides baseball and softball programs for children in the Niwot-Gunbarrel area. According to Executive Director Pat Longseth, over 300 boys and girls are signed up for the baseball program, and approximately 120 girls are playing softball. . Longseth is himself a former player in th...
At the regular monthly meeting on May 1, the Niwot LID Advisory Committee got a sneak peek at the Niwot Business Association’s new branding campaign, and heard about some important changes in store for this year’s Rock & Rails Summer concert series. Boulder County liaison Mark Ruzzin kicked off the meeting with a brief discussion about officer elections, a subject curiously left out of the Committee’s bylaws. Leadership of the nine-member Committee consists of a Chair, who conducts the meeti... Full story
David Bote drove the second pitch he saw to the wall in right-center for the Chicago Cubs Saturday night at Coors Field, marking his major league debut with a double. Bote is the son of long-time Niwot High School baseball coach Bob Bote, and the younger Bote pointed with both arms to his parents and the 32 family members and friends seated on the third-base side of Coors Field. The moment was not lost on the Colorado Rockies’ television crew, who interviewed Bob and Therese Bote during a b...
On Tuesday April 3, the Niwot LID Advisory Committee held its first monthly meeting since the appointment of Scott Firle, Anne Postle, and Bruce Rabeler to the board by the Boulder County Commissioners late last month. On hand to welcome them were current members Bruce Warren, Jim Eastman, Harris Faberman, Carrie Wise, Jay Champion, and Laura Skaggs, who was also reappointed to board for a second five-year term. “It’s great to have new individuals and faces on the board,” Boulder County liais...
With a young team, you never know when things might start coming together. After winning two out of three in Arizona to get in the win column, albeit against some weaker competition, the Niwot Cougars returned home and picked up a victory in the first of two games against Centaurus, Niwot’s first Northern League Conference win of the season. Each team scored a run in the first inning of the April 5 game at Niwot, but the Warriors added three runs in the third inning to take a 4-1 lead. Niwot picked up a run in the fifth inning, but it took a f...
TRACK & FIELD Valarie Allman (Silver Creek) is back for her senior year at Stanford after redshirting last season. Allman was far from idle, earning a silver medal at the World University Games in Taiwan, and setting the 12th-best discus mark in U.S. history. She opened the 2018 Track & Field season with a discus throw of 199.0 feet at the Stanford Invitational March 31, easily outdistancing the competition. In fact, all three of Allman’s throws would have won the meet, topping 184’5” each... Full story
The Boulder County Commissioners picked several new members for the Niwot Local Improvement District last week. Current Co-Chair Laura Skaggs was re-appointed as the Niwot Community Association representative for her second five-year term. Anne Postle was nominated by the Niwot Business Association to replace term-limited Tony Santelli, and the commissioners confirmed her as the Niwot Business Association representative for a five-year term. Postle is an architect and owner of Osmosis Art & Architecture in Niwot, and is also a resident of... Full story
After an 0-5 start to the season, the Niwot Cougars were looking to get well in the Arizona sunshine, and it turned out to be just what the doctor ordered. Niwot faced Toledo, OR in the first game, and scored in every inning of a 22-1 mercy-rule victory. Senior Caleb Martinez, the ace of the Cougar pitching staff, allowed only one run in five innings, giving up only four hits and two walks while striking out 13. “It was what we needed,” Coach Adam Strah said. “We are so young.” The game also marked the return to the lineup of three-y...
BASEBALL David Bote, son of former Niwot High Baseball Coach Bob Bote, is in his first major league spring training camp with the Chicago Cubs in Mesa, AZ. Bote, playing second base, opened the exhibition season in the starting lineup and collected a single in his first plate appearance. He followed with another base hit in the second game of the spring, coming in as a replacement for Javier Baez. Bote, the Cubs’ 15th-ranked prospect, is featured on a video on the Cubs’ website, talking about working with Hall-of-Famer Alan Trammell last fal...
This month’s progress issue features several area groups, clubs and organizations that are all about volunteerism. Though they may range in variety — such as the Niwot Historical Society, the Niwot Community Association or the Longmont Foundation — they have one common goal, and that is to make the community a better place to live, work and play. The next six pages of this issue feature several of the organizations, what they’re about and ways to get involved. We hope you enjoy learning about the many groups that make this community tick. N...
On Feb. 6, the Niwot LID Advisory Committee considered five funding requests, got a sneak preview of the NBA’s 2018 budget and heard after-action reports for two popular events from last year. They also said goodbye to AC members Tony Santelli and Howard Treppeda, who will be stepping down at the end of the month when their latest five-year terms expire. Treasurer Harris Faberman led off with an update on the District’s 2017 finances. The LID collected $13,253.70 in sales tax revenue for Nov... Full story
It is with great sadness that we report the heartbreaking news that Ed Navarro, longtime sports photographer for the Courier, passed away Dec. 31 after a battle with pulmonary fibrosis. Though his death will be felt deeply by his wife Trudy, a retired teacher, and his two children, Ed “Lucky” Navarro and Emily Marcellus, his friends and the many lives he touched will also experience a great loss. I knew Ed as a lawyer in Longmont for many years before he took up photography. I recall seeing him... Full story
It is with great sadness that we report the heartbreaking news that Ed Navarro, longtime sports photographer for the Courier, passed away Dec. 31 after a battle with pulmonary fibrosis. Though his death will be felt deeply by his wife Trudy, a retired teacher, and his two children, Ed “Lucky” Navarro and Emily Marcellus, his friends and the many lives he touched will also experience a great loss. I knew Ed as a lawyer in Longmont for many years before he took up photography. I recall seeing him taking photographs along the fence at a Niwot Hig...
