All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
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Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church in Gunbarrel hosted a Thanksgiving Eve service Nov. 22, with six area churches participating. The ecumenical service, which has been a tradition for several years for Niwot United Methodist Church, St. Mary Magdalene Episcopal Church and Valmont Community Presbyterian Church, doubled in size. This year the service expanded to include participation by Vinelife Church, Harvest Baptist Church, and Shepherd of the Hills. An offering was taken for the benefit of the Association for Community Living (ACL), which... Full story
Mackenzie Fidelak - Stanford For as long as she can remember, Niwot volleyball standout Mackenzie Fidelak has had Stanford University at the top of her college wish list, but not necessarily for obvious reasons. To be sure, Stanford is home to one of the most successful collegiate volleyball programs in the country. Winners of seven NCAA national championship matches —and runners-up in another eight—the Cardinal are a perennial top-ten team that has never finished a season with a losing record.... Full story
The 2017 Golden Hammer Award for volunteer service to the Niwot Community was presented to Kathy Koehler at the Great Pumpkin Party Oct. 28. Pat Murphy of Niwot Real Estate, who originated the award in 2009 in honor of late community volunteer Curtis Lizakowski, made the presentation to Koehler, noting that she has worked tirelessly for the community since moving to Niwot in the early 1970s. Koehler, a native of Boulder County, has been involved with the Niwot Community Association and the...
Quality work is the bedrock of every project taken on by Jim Fletemeyer and, much to the fortune of Niwot’s youngest community members and their parents, Fletemeyer’s propensity for excellence was extended to one of Niwot’s newest community venues. The Niwot Children’s Park became a reality a year ago thanks to the generosity of many people, and Fletemeyer’s gold standard involvement was integral to the creation of the final product. Fletemeyer’s day job is as the Principal Landscape A... Full story
Howard Treppeda, founder and chief organizer of Niwot’s Jazz on 2nd Ave, was more than pleased with the seventh edition of the event, held in downtown Niwot, Sept. 16. “Fantastic, fantastic,” was Treppeda’s quick response when asked how the event was going. The day opened with cloudy skies and cool weather, but Treppeda was not worried. “I feel confident with the tents and the fanbase. There’s a jazz family, and they’re going to come out rain or shine.” As the day warmed up, so did the music....
On Aug. 30 at the Left Hand Grange, residents from Old Town and other interested Niwot residents met with members of the Niwot Futures League (NFL) and the Niwot Business Association (NBA) to discuss details of a proposed 50-spot public parking lot along the railroad tracks west of town. The 2-acre parcel, which is approximately 80 feet wide by 1,100 feet long, is under contract with Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad for $170,000. The parking lot would be located on the southernmost 306 feet...
Several years ago the Niwot Local Improvement District had a transportation and connectivity study done through Boulder County that identified a need for a dedicated parking lot in or near the business district downtown. Bruce Warren, who participated in the study, said that when parking usage downtown exceeds 74 percent of the available spaces open to the public, it’s time to explore options for a parking facility, and when it reaches 85%, it’s time to act. Anyone who frequents downtown Niwot can attest that often times it is hard to find par...
FOOTBALL Alex Oelsner (Niwot) is a freshman slotback at Northwestern this fall. Oelsner, who played tight end and linebacker primarily in high school, was second team All-State as a senior. Trey Fleming (Silver Creek) is a senior wide receiver for Black Hills State this fall. Fleming caught 18 passes last year for 289 yards and one touchdown. He has also served as a kicker for Black Hills State, making six of 11 attempts last year, including one from 43 yards out. Former long-time Niwot High...
Reid Porter of Niwot finished in the top 40 in the BMX World Championships in Rock Hill, SC. Porter, at eight years old, already has multiple national championships under his belt. The World Championships, however, use a different age cut-off than the U.S. competitions. Although Porter is only eight years old, and won’t turn nine until December, he raced in the nine-year old division at the Worlds, where the top 110 riders from 25 countries gathered to compete. He said, “ I didn’t make it as fa... Full story
Cool weather greeted 2,151 participants in Boulder’s half-Ironman Triathlon on August 5. The event began at Boulder Reservoir with the swim leg of the event, with athletes then riding north to the edge of Longmont before returning to the Rez for the running portion of the event, which looped north around the Rez and Coot Lake before finishing back at the Rez. Traffic in and around Niwot and Gunbarrel was delayed for several hours as roads were limited to one lane. Colin Laughery, a Niwot High g...
Jaryd Meek plays a variety of roles for the Niwot Cougar baseball team, both in the field and at the computer. Meek, primarily a first baseman who played both C Team and JV baseball last spring as a sophomore, played for Niwot’s Legion B team this summer under new head coach Adam Strah. In addition to seeing action at first base, he also played third base and pitched at times. Meek drove in the winning run in walk-off fashion in a 4-3 victory in the last game of the summer season for the C... Full story
Eric Hejl (pronounced “Hail”) has been named the new Niwot High School boys basketball coach, replacing Preston Hardy, who resigned in June for family reasons, including a new baby on the way and club team coaching responsibilities. Hejl, a varsity assistant under Hardy last year and the freshman coach two years ago, will assume the reigns on a one-year interim basis, according to Athletic Director Chase McBride. Hejl works at Lake Valley Golf Course as a PGA apprentice and assistant pro when he is not coaching basketball. He grew up in Ran...
Summer time is construction time, and the area between Boulder and Longmont is no exception. There are several projects going on currently and that will start in the near future. Andrew Barth, communications director for the Boulder County Transportation Department, said that the reason so many run concurrently is a matter of cost-effectiveness. “Construction costs are increasing steadily and our funding has stayed relatively flat,” Barth said. “We’re trying to do more with the funding that’s... Full story
Niwot’s Legion B baseball team has had to overcome a lack of varsity experience as players battle against other local teams’ experienced lineups. One of the reasons is that the top returning battery for NHS, pitcher Caleb Martinez and catcher Colton Goldfarb, have spent the summer playing for the BoCo 19U team, consisting of players from a variety of local high schools. Martinez, who finished last season as the Cougars’ top hurler, and Goldfarb, who caught virtually every game for last season’s high school varsity, helped the BoCo team to a vic...
BASEBALL Former Niwot High teacher and baseball coach Bob Bote has been hired to coach Standley Lake High School next season. Bote, who coached at Niwot from 1978-2006, was the head coach for five Class 4A state championship teams – 1998, 1999, 2000, 2004 and 2005. Bote’s overall record at Niwot was 459-123. He served as an assistant coach at Erie after leaving Niwot, then served as an assistant coach to his son, head coach Danny Bote, at Faith Christian, where they won a state title in 201...
Jake Sims graduated from Niwot High School last month with a 3.71 GPA, and was a multi-sport athlete for the Cougars, but he had to overcome a serious ankle injury after his junior year to return to action for his senior season. “I fractured my fibula in two places sliding into second base in summer baseball,” Sims said. He also tore ligaments and dislocated the ankle, which got caught up with the second baseman as he went over the base. “It wasn’t fully healed until last January, but he resumed...
The Boulder Valley Girls Softball Association (BVGSA), along with the Boulder Valley School District and the Foothills Kiwanis Club of Boulder honored long-time coach and volunteer Pete Sprenkle by re-naming the ballfield at Horizons K-8 School in Boulder in his honor. In a ceremony June 13, the field formerly known as Burke Field, located at 4365 Sioux Drive in Boulder, was dedicated as Pete Sprenkle Field. Sprenkle said, “I thank the BVSD for this honor and I also thank the many parents, p... Full story
Boulder County District Court Judge Norma Sierra upheld the decision of the Boulder County Commissioners which approved a marijuana retail dispensary for property on the south edge of Cottonwood Square in Niwot in a decision issued June 6, 2017. Boulder County Commissioners had approved the application in 2016 of Ernie Craumer to change the use of the property at 6924 N. 79th Street in Niwot to allow a marijuana business to operate. The initial request included a grow operation, but that request was later dropped, with the final approval... Full story
Niwot Business Association President Tony Santelli welcomed the crowd and introduced Bert Steele of Niwot Market, which hosted the June 13 meeting. Steele expressed appreciation for the longevity of the market and thanked his management team, including his daughter Alison, whom he introduced. He is excited about the abundance of organic produce available to him from local wholesalers and invited everyone to shop in the produce department. Niwot Cultural Arts Association president Biff Warren...
Shayla Amaya-Sidoti has been a cheerleader since she was five years old, and it paid off in a national championship at age 15 with Ignite, a competitive co-ed cheerleading program based out of Lafayette. “I was so excited,” Amaya-Sidoti said. “It was unbelievable that we won.” The 28-member squad traveled first to Minneapolis last December, winning the regional competition in the age division and a $25,000 “full pay” award to go to the national championships, known as the Summit, in Orlando, FL...
Skyler Messenger, known simply as “Skye” to his friends, is the Student-Athlete of the Week. Messinger concluded a stellar high school baseball career by being named the Northern Conference position Player of the Year this season. Messinger led the team and the conference in most offensive categories, and played outstanding defense at shortstop. He was also named Second Team Class 4A All-State by CHSAA, even though Niwot missed the playoffs. As a freshman, Messinger played in the state cha... Full story
SOFTBALL Nicki Blue (Niwot) finished her season with a 10-12 win-loss mark for South Carolina, which ended the season with a 34-25 record. Blue was the losing pitcher in a 9-0 loss to fourth-ranked Arizona, allowing six runs in 5.2 innings, as Arizona scored four times in the sixth inning when the South Carolina leftfielder lost a ball in the sun for a run-scoring double. South Carolina was ranked number 24 at the time and lost in the Regional final. Blue tied for fifth all-time in South... Full story
Gunbarrel resident and Niwot High grad Colin Laughery spent nine hours last Sunday doing what he loves - swimming, biking and running. And he’s a pro at it. For his efforts, he earned an eighth-place finish and $1750 in prize money for his performance in the Ironman Boulder June 11. Weeks after suffering an injury in a training crash that Laughery first thought would keep him out of the race, he rebounded to post a top-10 finish, coming in with a total time of 8:58.45. “It’s my highest finis...
Long-time varsity assistant Adam Strah has been named the new head baseball coach at Niwot, replacing Craig McBride, who resigned following the 2017 season. Strah, who has been with the team for the past six seasons, will also join Niwot High School’s faculty as physical education/health teacher. The promotion marks Strah’s return to the head coaching ranks. Before coming to Niwot, he held the top spot at Rampart High in Colorado Springs, where he amassed a career record of 73-30-1, inc...
Boulder County Assessor Cynthia Braddock sent out notices to many residents in the county on May 15 advising that the assessment notice mailed on May 1was incorrect. Braddock’s letter stated, “We discovered a data input error in the time trend used to establish the value of your property. We have since corrected the error.” The error correction resulted in a reduction of value for most properties. In one case in Niwot, the valuation went from $633,000 down to $560,700. Braddock also noted that the deadline for filing an appeal of the adjus...
Tommy Stager, student-athlete from Niwot High School, has been named the recipient of the MaxPreps Male Athlete of the Year Award, presented in conjunction with the United States Marines Corps. The presentation will be made during the Senior Talent Show at Niwot High School on May 25 at 7 p.m. by special guest presenter Rulon Gardner, American Gold Medal Wrestler who competed in the 2000 Olympic Games, and U.S. Marine SGT Daniel Fitzgerald. MaxPreps, which is the online source for high school sports news, results and statistics, has teamed up...
The rescheduled spring cleaning of Niwot Children’s Park saw 18 people, young and old, show up to rake wood chips, pick up a few pieces of trash, pull some weeds, and spruce up the park last Saturday. Park fundraising coordinator Riki Frea was on hand with her children, and reported that the damage caused by vandals last fall has been repaired at no cost, thanks to the manufacturer’s repair kit. Concrete bugs, bats and frogs which had been damaged are now restored in the play structures. The...
At its May 2 meeting the Niwot LID Advisory Committee heard a preview at what’s shaping up to be another busy summer around town. Before considering the four funding requests on the agenda, the Co-chair Laura Skaggs reviewed the February 2017 revenue report. According to figures from Boulder County, LID sales tax collections for that month were $15,898, which is nearly 40 percent higher than the same period last year ($11,390). Members were surprised and pleased by the sharp increase, but m... Full story
Hunter Stephens, a senior at Niwot High School, has been an important part of the Cougar baseball team during his high school career. Stephens, who carries a 3.0 GPA, saw action in 11 varstiy games as a sophomore, batting .333. He worked his way into a regular varsity position as a junior, primarily playing third base while seeing some action on the mound, then moved to the outfield as a senior, while continuing to play third base and pitch. “He’s been playing baseball since he was four yea...
The clean-up day for the Niwot Children’s Park planned for April 29 was a casualty of the late-April snowstorm. Jason Thomas was the only one to brave the snow and cold to walk the park with Niwot Cultural Arts Association staff, picking up two pieces of trash. Longtime park supporter Stacey Secatch came by the park earlier in the week and removed dog waste which had been left behind. The NCAA will try again for Saturday, May 6 at 9 a.m. Free donuts will be provided. Volunteers are asked to b...
Rosemary Morrissey is looking forward to getting back on her mountain bike this summer to get back in training for cyclo-cross competition. Morrissey, a sophomore at Niwot High School, finished seventh at USA Cycling Nationals in Hartford, CN, January 8th in the Women’s Junior 15-16 division, after winning the Colorado state title. Cyclo-cross combines cross-country running with biking, Morrissey explained, comparing it to a steeplechase. “The races usually last 40 minutes,” she said. “You... Full story
I distinctly recall thinking, “How hard could this be?” when seven of us got together in November 1996 to talk about starting a newspaper for Niwot and Gunbarrel. I assumed that everybody could write well, that people would jump at the chance to send us photos and cool stories of their kids and that businesses would be knocking down our door to advertise. Except that we didn’t have a door. And my expectations were, to put it kindly, wildly optimistic. All of us had other things to do, like... Full story
Having been approached by Bruce “Biff” Warren in 1996 to help publish a local newspaper, I thought, “How hard can this be? We write a few stories, sell a few ads, and deliver the product to the Niwot / Gunbarrel area.” Little did I know that we’d still be doing it 20 years later and all of us would still be great friends. While it hasn’t always been easy, it has been a lot of fun thanks to our friendship, respect for each other and, mostly, our sense of humor. We’ve thanked our advertisers a... Full story
Niwot Elementary was hoping for good weather for the school’s 50th Anniversary Celebration, and Saturday, April 8, turned out to be a perfect sunny spring day. “It was so important to be outside today because where you’re sitting is Ward Field,” principal Nancy Pitz told the audience of past and present Niwot Elementary staff, students, and families as she introduced the field’s namesake and the celebration’s keynote speaker, Terri Ward. Ward was a fifth grade student at Niwot Elementary when th...
Dylan Hollingsworth, former Niwot High School football coach, was given a one-year deferred sentence March 23, 2017, on misdemeanor charges in a plea bargain approved by the Boulder County Court. Hollingsworth was accused of choking a 17-year-old student and kneeing him in the groin on Oct. 27, 2016, during a PE class, resulting in charges of second- and third-degree assault. As part of the plea agreement, those charges were dismissed and Hollingsworth entered a plea of guilty to misdemeanor harassment and criminal mischief charges. Conditions...
BASEBALL Pate Katechis (Niwot) is second on the team in homeruns with three for Kearney-Nebraska. Katechis, who plays leftfield, is hitting .228 on the season, with 15 RBI. He had two doubles, scoring a run and driving in two runs, in an 11-2 win over Washburn March 31. Greg Reynolds (Silver Creek) is hitting .342 for Colorado Mesa this season. Reynolds, who started at shortstop and moved to third base, had two hits including a double, scoring a run in an 11-10 win over New Mexico Highlands April 1. Ford Ladd (Niwot) is hitting .500 for New Yor...
Daisha Agho, who has coached Berthoud volleyball for the past eight years, has been named the new Niwot High volleyball coach. Under Agho, Berthoud finished with a record of 21-6 last season, advancing to the state Class 4A tournament. There the Spartans beat Windsor before being eliminated by eventual state champion Lewis-Palmer. Berthoud finished 16-11 in 2015 following a 20-7 mark in 2014, and has made it to state in three of the last four years. Agho, who lives in Firestone with her husband... Full story
The Link Building at 7916 Niwot Road in Niwot is now an official link between Cottonwood Square and Old Town. The Boulder County Commissioners approved a petition by owners Anne and Jim Postle to add the property to the Niwot Local Improvement District (LID), which collects a one percent sales tax on retail sales in the Niwot business district. Bruce Warren, representing the property owners, told the commissioners that the Link Building was an office building back in 1992 when voters approved creation of the LID, and no one seemed to know why...
Pitchers and catchers reported to the Rockies’ spring training camp in Scottsdale last week, but local youth did not have to go that far to start warming up for the season. With spring-like weather of late, players, coaches and parents have recently been spotted working out at Niwot’s Lefthand Valley Grange Park as well as the Niwot High School baseball fields. For local youth, Niwot Youth Sports baseball and softball registration is underway for the 2017 season. NYS is wrapping up the basketball season, and another season of baseball and sof... Full story
Niwot High Athletic Director Chase McBride announced Wednesday that Jeremy Lanter, an assistant coach and math teacher at Berthoud High School, has been hired as head coach of the Niwot football program. Lanter replaces Dylan Hollingsworth, who was suspended from teaching and coaching after an incident involving a student in a weight training class. An assault charge against Hollingsworth is pending. Lanter has served as the defensive coordinator at Berthoud for the past several years, and was on the staff there when McBride was the athletic di...
Gunbarrel resident Debra Crosser will retire at the end of the month after 30 years of public service, most of it as Clerk of the Court for the 20th Judicial District, which encompasses all of Boulder County. For county residents who’ve broken the law, or for those who’ve landed in court simply to pay a fine or file a claim, the process can be intimidating. Crosser has been on the job making the public’s experience through the court system as smooth as possible, whether they’re in court for an a... Full story
Madison Barkow Niwot three-sport star Maddie Barkow knew she wanted to play soccer to the University of Northern Colorado since her sophomore year of high school. On Feb. 1, she made it official, signing a national letter of intent with UNC. “The coach wanted me early on,” Barkow said in explaining her choice. “He believed in me after I tore my ACL during my sophomore year.” Barkow gave veteran UNC coach Tim Barrera her verbal commitment while recovering from the injury two years ago, and nev...
The Boulder County Planning Commission has an opportunity to reconsider its earlier approval of the change in the Boulder County Comprehensive Plan that would pave the way for the City of Boulder and the Boulder Valley School District to build sorely needed affordable housing, up to 240 units, in the Twin Lakes area of Gunbarrel. For decades the City of Boulder has implemented policies which, while making Boulder a very desirable place to live, drive the cost of housing up, to the point where middle class families, not to mention lower income...
The Niwot Children’s Park has apparently been vandalized, according to a posting from Jan. 24 on the Niwot Children’s Park Facebook page. One of the park’s most notable and unique features are the small, custom-crafted, painted stone creatures—such as bats, insects, frogs, and lizards that inhabit the area—in various locations on the play structures and other elements throughout the park. Several of these stone animals have been severely damaged or destroyed, some appearing to have been chis... Full story
The Niwot Cougars posted their most decisive win of the season Jan. 19, coming away with a 60-18 win over Silver Creek on the home mats. While several of the matches were forfeits, Niwot posted wins in four out of the six contested matches. “It was a solid win and we came out with a lot more passion than we have had up to this point,” Head Coach Bobby Matthews said. “I was very happy to have this performance in front of our alumni.” Matthews had invited all former Niwot wrestlers to the match,...
The Advisory Committee to the Niwot Local Improvement District (LID) held its first meeting of 2017 on Tuesday, Jan. 3. District revenues dominated the discussion, as members welcomed representatives from the State of Colorado Department of Revenue to respond to several concerns related to sales tax collection in Niwot. They also reviewed budget projections for 2017, and considered three funding requests for upcoming streetscape expenses. Co-Chair Laura Skaggs called the meeting to order...
HOCKEY One of the country’s top collegiate hockey players, Andrew Sturtz of Penn State, is the nephew of Niwot residents Brad and Jane Langdon. Sturtz is from Buffalo, NY, and is currently a sophomore forward for the Nittany Lions. As a freshman, he led the team in goals with 18, which was the fifth-most in the country by a freshman. The performance earned him the freshman of the year award. His first goal for Penn State was named the NCAA’s No. 1 Play of the Week on Oct. 23, 2015, coming agains...
The Colorado Court of Appeals rejected an appeal by Citizens for Quiet Skies and six individual plaintiffs, led by Kimberly Gibbs of Gunbarrel. The court’s decision, which came just 10 days after the case was argued by attorneys during a Court of Appeals session at Fairview High School, affirmed substantially all of District Judge Judy LaBuda’s ruling. Judge Roman wrote the opinion for the court and was joined by Judges Lichtenstein and Freyre. The plaintiffs sued Mile-Hi Skydiving Center, Inc., which operates out of Vance Brand Airport in Lon...
When filmmaker Erika Volchan O’Conor was searching the internet for images of early Colorado, she saw a photo of the original Niwot United Brethren Church from the early 1900s, and she knew she had seen it in a sketch. The photograph had been sketched by Muriel Sibell Wolle, one of the four Colorado artists O’Conor featured in her film. The photo caused her to reach out to Rev. Pam Everhart, current pastor of the church, now known as the Niwot United Methodist Church after several mergers, and... Full story
When former Denver Bronco Matt McChesney shows up at your high school, people tend to notice. McChesney, a former lineman for the Denver Broncos among other pro teams, returned to Niwot High School, his alma mater, to announce the selection of NHS senior Alex Oelsner to the Blue-Grey High School All-American football squad Dec. 2. McChesney, a 2000 NHS grad, now owns and operates Six Zero Strength and Fitness in Denver, a gym that caters to high school and college athletes who want to play at... Full story
