All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
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A local anti-fracking group, born out of the Heatherwood neighborhood in Gunbarrel, is reaching out with a new name to join with the greater Gunbarrel and Niwot communities. Formerly known as Keep Heatherwood Frack-Free, the citizen group formed in rapid response to oil and gas companies’ interest in developing hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, in and near the Heatherwood neighborhood in late 2018. Oil and gas companies approached the homeowners of Heatherwood en masse in November 2018 to inquire about purchasing mineral rights to drilling a...
Heatherwood Elementary students had two opportunities this winter to show off their smarts. In December, students competed in the National Geographic Geography Bee, and in January, students completed in the Heatherwood Spelling Bee. Both bees are new to Heatherwood this year, thanks to new TAG (talented and gifted) teacher Jennifer Arreola. Heatherwood Principal Genna Jaramillio said, "The Geography Bee and Spelling Bee are great learning experiences for our students and are a great addition to...
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...
Jessica Arment, the teacher-librarian at Heatherwood Elementary School, has been recognized for her dedication to learning. Arment is a recipient of the 2018-19 Impact on Education Award for Heatherwood Elementary. Arment, a 10-year teaching veteran who has been at Heatherwood Elementary for the past six years, was nominated for the direct impact her work has on the students, and for the leadership role she takes on with the rest of the staff. Her library is a safe and welcoming place for...
Gunbarrel Hill, the unassuming entrance to the Great Plains of America, is being stewarded into the second major phase of its decades’ long restoration. Boulder County Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP) is asking for the community’s help in realizing the vision of an area that is a healthy, balanced wildlife habitat and an enjoyable recreation space. The Gunbarrel Hill Open Space includes the area bordered west to east by 75th and 95th Streets, and north to south from Lookout Road to the Whi...
The work for Gunbarrel residents to keep Heatherwood free from fracking has only just begun, according to Keep Heatherwood Frack-Free. After the well-attended town hall meeting in Gunbarrel, organizers from the leadership team have started reaching out to potential volunteers to harness the mixed feelings of disbelief, indignation and concern that community members shared at the Dec. 19 meeting. Organizers of Keep Heatherwood Frack-Free said they have been working to create a group that is more inclusive of Boulder County in general to address...
Over 160 people attended the Wednesday, Dec. 19 meeting to learn more about how to oppose oil and gas developers who have set their sights on Heatherwood. Attendees overflowed the parking lot and filled up the sanctuary at Niwot United Methodist Church for two hours of speakers, presentations and a Q & A period. The town hall, organized by the Frack-Free Heatherwood leadership team of Victoria Bard, Lon Goldstein, Amanda Janusz, Gabrielle Katz, Adam Pastula, Leesah and Gavin Patt, and Ryan...
It all started with a letter that many Heatherwood homeowners received during the week of Thanksgiving, and it has quickly turned into a community coming together to educate themselves so that they can protect their homes and families. The letter from Rocky Mountain Hydrocarbon, LLC, was sent to homeowners who were identified through county records as owners of the mineral rights of the land their homes are built upon. Through the venue of the social media app, Nextdoor, residents voiced...
Colorado is a beautiful place. It is filled with open, wild spaces, and that unbridled nature is why many of us live here. With open, wild spaces comes wildlife. Lately, our local news has been filled with sightings of mountain lions and foxes in our own backyards. Much of this is attributed to human development encroaching on their habitat. As winter approaches, they need to hunt a lot now to survive later. Learning how to coexist with these non-domesticated critters is essential if you’re a pet owner. CATS Most cats love to be outside, becaus...
NextDoor, the social media app designed to build communities, has about 833 members in its Heatherwood division. Any member who is paying attention will notice that one name shows up over and over again—Leesah Patt. It’s not because she’s complaining about negligent neighbors, or trying to pick a fight over political viewpoints. When Leesah Patt’s name shows up, it’s because she’s offering to do something for folks in the community. Leesah lives in Heatherwood with her husband, Gavin, in t...
When out for a stroll, With your pooch or a friend, You may see this box, As you come ‘round the bend. No typical box, this, But you’ll soon see why, For while it’s made for the ground, It can fly in the sky. From world to weird world, Though time and deep space, It’s wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey, All over the starry place. “Bigger on the inside!”, Is what they all exclaim, And this small blue cop box, Holds fast to that claim. When you open the door, To what’s hiding inside, Enough words on paper, To take you far and wide. Beyond the bounds of...
The words “social media” don’t always inspire warm, secure feelings in most of us. Nextdoor, the private neighborhood-focused social media app designed to connect neighbors, is an online platform with good intentions that can sometimes degenerate into just another place for folks to air grievances or behave in a less-than-neighborly fashion. And while Nextdoor’s mission is “to provide a trusted platform where neighbors work together to build stronger, safer, happier communities, all over the wor...
The Boulder County Sheriff’s Office is once again teaming up with the Niwot Community Association (NCA) for National Night Out, an annual countrywide celebration that brings police and first responders into local neighborhoods for an evening of camaraderie and fun. “It’s a way to get the community, especially kids, more comfortable with first responders,” NCA President David Limbach said. “We want to build that trust.” This year’s free event is slated for Tuesday, Aug. 7 from 6-9 p.m. in Old T...
You tilled, planted, hoed and weeded, so all that’s left to do is sit back in the July heat with a tall glass of lemonade and enjoy those beautiful blossoms. Well, not if you want to do it right. With a little bit of daily maintenance, you can enjoy nature’s second bloom as summer’s heat wears on. That daily task is known as deadheading, and it has nothing to do with dreadlocks or tie-dye shirts, unless you want it to. Deadheading is the term for the simple process of removing the dead or faded...
Holly Owens notices when things need some of what she’s good at – adding a little sparkle. When she moved to Gunbarrel, she sensed Heatherwood Elementary School (HES) could blossom with her loving touch. Because of her enthusiasm and hard work, Owens has been selected as this month’s Left Hand Laurel. Owens had never heard of Gunbarrel when she lived in South Boulder. But when friends moved to the area and the Owens’ family was invited for a barbeque, they too were lured by the larger yards a...
Dani Hemmat Dani Hemmat has worked as a freelance writer and reporter for nearly 20 years, both in Washington State and Montana. She has written for magazines, newspapers and online publications; co-hosted and produced an award-winning podcast; blogs occasionally; gives an Ignite™ talk every once in awhile, and teaches natural movement classes on the side. She resides in the Heatherwood neighborhood of Gunbarrel with her family and many dogs where she works on novels, practices her guitar and i...
Ever wanted to start a small business? Heatherwood fourth-graders know how. This spring, students in Ms. Runyon’s and Mrs. Zimmerman’s classes studied economics through a unit called mini-society. During the unit, students paired up to form companies. Each company earned seed money, called Husky Bucks, by doing chores around the classroom, such as stacking chairs or taking attendance. Companies used their bucks to buy supplies and create products. Some students made items to sell and others cre...
Heatherwood Elementary School (HES) won the lottery when Carrie O’Boyle moved to Gunbarrel seven years ago. Her husband Patrick was starting a new job in the area, so after more than 20 years in Madison, WI, the couple and their two young children headed to Colorado. The O’Boyle boys are Finn, now 11 and attending Platt Middle School, and Cormac (Mac), 9, a fourth-grader at HES. “Carrie, a valued volunteer at Heatherwood Elementary, is always willing to pitch in where needed and lend a helpi...
The fifth-grade Junior Scouts of Troop 179 have been working hard this school year to earn their Bronze Award, which is the highest award that Junior Girl Scouts can earn. One requirement for the Bronze Award is recognizing a need in the community, making a plan and putting it into action. In this case, the girls talked about how the playground designs at Heatherwood Elementary were faded and hadn't been updated in years. As outgoing fifth-graders, they wanted to give back to their school. A sma...
Several Gunbarrel-area churches will be teaming up this coming summer to host a series of meetings about The Conversation Project. The Conversation Project started about six years ago on the East Coast and spread quickly, forming in Boulder County just a year later. The idea behind the project is to have open and honest talks with family about end-of-life care. Constance Holden, director of The Conversation Project in Boulder County, said that the goal is to focus on three things; the first is for the individual to examine how they see their...
Roots, stems, leaves and more! Heatherwood first-graders are learning about plants this fall. As part of this unit of study, students took a field trip to Growing Gardens in north Boulder on Oct. 10, where they observed and tasted plants like carrots and sage, planted seeds to take home, studied bees, and even sampled fresh honey. Growing Gardens is a non-profit organization founded in 1998. Its mission is to cultivate community through sustainable urban agriculture....
The skies were clear over the Front Range at lunchtime on Monday, Aug. 21. Students at Heatherwood Elementary in Gunbarrel grabbed their protective glasses and headed outside for a solar eclipse party. “It was really cool that it could get so dark and cold and the sun get so small so fast and then it all just comes back,” fifth grader Joy Allen said of her eclipse experience. “The temperature really surprised me,” said third grader Simon Schmidt, who measured a temperature drop of 12 degrees...
Following a successful July 4 parade, the Niwot Community Association board has turned its attention to working with the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office to hold a National Night Out event in Niwot. The National Night Out will be held at 6 p.m. Aug.1 along a portion of Murray Street in Niwot. National Night Out is a nationwide, annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie. The event was previously held in Gunbarrel in the Heatherwood neighborhood, but the county sheriff’s dep...
The Boulder County Sheriff’s Department has decided to host this year’s National Night Out starting at 6 p.m. on Aug. 1 in Niwot. It’s meant to be a time where the community can connect with law enforcement and first responders outside of the normal setting. Niwot Business Association President Dick Piland said that it’s also a great opportunity for people to come out and see where their tax dollars are going. “It allows the sheriff’s department and first responders to show off their equipment that tax dollars paid for and enjoy an evening out,...
The Niwot Local Improvement District Advisory Committee held its monthly meeting on Tuesday, June 6 at the Niwot Fire Station. After the meeting was called to order, members reviewed the June budget reports prepared by county liaison Pete Salas and LID treasurer Harris Faberman. According to their figures, the LID has committed to just over $66,000 in expenses so far this year, including about $11,000 in pending requests, and has nearly the same amount remaining in the 2017 budget. The...
Mother’s Day is a special holiday for Denise Dollar, not only because she values her role as mother to her two children, but also because motherhood is the theme of the community service endeavor she created three years ago. Denise and her husband Tony Ricke relocated their family from Wisconsin to Boulder County in 2013. Their son has Type 1 diabetes and is on the autism spectrum. As the stay-at-home parent, the responsibilities of having a child with multiple disabilities fell mainly on D...
Heatherwood Elementary second graders are singing and dancing about economics this spring. The students have spent the last six weeks working with professionals from the Boulder theater group, The Catamounts, to create an original, curriculum-based production. This second-grade tradition began in 2011, when teacher Jolie Evans teamed up with her longtime friend Amanda Berg Wilson of The Catamounts to bring theater education to Heatherwood. Berg Wilson had recently moved to Boulder from Chicago...
Girl Scout Troop 179 is on a journey to Get Moving. The eleven Heatherwood Elementary fourth graders of Troop 179 have spent the school year exploring the theme of movement and energy through an intensive, collaborative study called a journey. “We’re learning about all types of energy,” troop leader Nancy Renken said of the project, which requires more in-depth study than a typical girl scout badge. “One part of the journey was animal energy. Observing animals in nature is a little tricky so I reached out to Greenwood [Wildlife Rehabil...
At its Feb. 7 meeting, the Advisory Committee to the Niwot Local Improvement District (LID) got a preview of the expense side of the 2017 ledger when the Niwot Business Association (NBA) unveiled its budget for the year. Members also reviewed the final treasurer’s report for 2016, considered two funding requests, and heard updates on a new LID merchant and Jazz on 2nd Avenue. The meeting was called to order by co-chair Laura Skaggs. The committee heard from LID treasurer Harris Faberman who p...
Heatherwood Elementary School invites parents of incoming kindergarteners for the 2017-18 school year to a registration tour event on Wednesday, Jan. 25, from 11:30-12:30. Parents can come meet current kindergarten teachers, get general information about kindergarten, and take a tour of the school. Staff will also be available to assist families with registering through the BVSD online system after the tour. In addition, Heatherwood asks families to mark their calendars for the Kinder Kickoff Orientation for parents and students on Tuesday,...
Bells rang out holiday carols at Barnes and Noble as the Heatherwood Huskies Handbell Choir, led by the school’s new music teacher, Lynette Schulz, delighted families and shoppers during their debut performance, as part of the school’s music department book fair fundraiser. “I chose handbells to start with because I knew it would be something new, something the kids would be excited about,” Schulz said when explaining her decision to launch the group this past fall. She also felt it would b...
Looking back at a life of service to others, a local man has decided to share his life in print. “I wrote the book because I thought we had a story to tell,” said Eb Roell. The book is Piercing the Night, and the story is of the years Eb and his wife Debbie spent living and working in Uganda, amidst the chaos left behind by the infamous dictator Idi Amin. Eb was born in Frankfurt, Germany in 1939 and immigrated to the U.S. in 1962; first to Colorado Springs, and then eventually to Estes Par...
In November, Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) will be asking voters to approve an operational mill levy, ballot measure 3A. Though the ballot language states the levy would support the district’s ongoing construction, technology and maintenance expenses, the school district envisions it as a way to provide for much more. Since the State of Colorado began cutting education spending during the recession in 2009-2010, using a legislative maneuver called the negative factor, BVSD’s funding has...
Leslie Swirhun, age 61, died at her home after a long illness. She worked for Boulder County Transportation on many projects in the Niwot and Heatherwood areas. A memorial Open House was held Sept. 10, 2016. Contributions in her memory can be made to a charity of the donor’s choosing....
Genna Jaramillo loves to learn. From the time she was a high school senior serving as her school’s mascot, T-Doug the Cardinal, to stepping into the role of principal at Heatherwood Elementary School, Jaramillo has been dedicated to schools and education. Born and raised on the bayou, Jaramillo received her undergraduate and graduate degree from Louisiana State University and is still a proud Tigers fan. From there, Jaramillo taught first grade in Houston, Texas, where access to new t...
Former Heatherwood resident Katy Blakemore finished fifth in the women’s pro competition at the Boulder Ironman 70.3 June 11. Blakemore, a teacher in Denver, got out to a strong start in the swimming leg of the triathlon, with the third-best time. The bike portion of the race was not quite as strong as she was seventh among pro women, but her run time was fifth among all women, helping her to a strong finish. Her total time of 4:21:58 put her 43rd overall. Niwot High grad Colin Laughery of B...
During the last four years, Principal Brent Caldwell has brought many positive changes to Heatherwood Elementary, including the creation of a new vision and mission statement, a significant upgrade to the technology available at the school, and the introduction of the Design Thinking philosophy. Even though Caldwell will leave Heatherwood at the end of the school year to assume the principal role at Boulder Valley School District’s new PreK-8 school in Erie, he is confident Heatherwood’s sta...
For youngsters in the area, Niwot Youth Sports (NYS) has brought a lifetime of memories and experiences since its beginnings with recreational baseball in the late 1960’s. A decade later, the organization was dubbed the Gunbarrel Lefthand Valley Recreation Association, and basketball and girls softball were added. Today, NYS serves 450 children in baseball and softball, close to 300 in basketball and around 100 in flag football each year. NYS offers competitive and recreational versions of e...
A new play structure. The best backpack ever. Over 300 Heatherwood Elementary School parents and students used the Design Thinking method to dream up solutions for common elementary school problems, at the first ever family challenge night on Thursday, April 7. Participants worked together as a family to design and build a product prototype, which they presented to a classroom of participants. “I liked all the colors and using all the puff balls,” second grader Kaitlyn Tschoepe said as she exp...
