All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
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From providing the quickest driving route, to identifying where measles outbreaks are likely to occur, software applications tracking data across geography have become elemental to our daily lives. Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Global Positioning Systems (like the GPS in smartphones,) and other data collecting/analyzing tools help to forecast floods, analyze accident hotspots, and even study soil patterns. Front Range Community College’s (FRCC) Geospatial Program Lead, Jennifer Muha said...
The month of April features the Pink Moon and the Lyrids meteor shower, but skywatchers need not always look up to enjoy the heavens, thanks to Jim Miller. Miller is an astrophotographer—a photographer of celestial and astronomical events and areas of the night sky—who lives in the mountains outside of Boulder. His lifelong fascination with the stars and the night sky is his inspiration for his work. His photos are the result of the long-exposure technique used in astrophotography, with exposure times varying from 10 to 30 hours. The pro...
Niwot Community Association board members are gearing up for the group’s busy seasons. Kicking off the spring is the annual membership drive, already underway. Emails have gone out to members urging them to join for the 2019-20 membership year, and postcards are coming to those still waiting to join. Membership chair Johnny Barrett reported that membership stood at 248 households. In addition, the meeting will feature updates on membership as of April 3, and more members are expected to join a...
The Niwot LID advisory board got a preview of the warm-weather months ahead at their monthly meeting on Tuesday, April 2. Treasurer Bruce Rabeler was first up with his budget report through the end of March 2019. To date, the LID has approved $38,401.11 in funding requests, or about 30 percent of its annual $132,854 budget. With nearly $30,000 in pending requests for April, total expenditures for the year are set to exceed 50 percent of the budget with eight months still to go in 2019. Rabeler...
A controversial development proposed for the corner of 2nd Avenue and Niwot Road has been taken off the table. The mixed use proposal put forth to the Boulder County land use department by Von’s Colorado Concepts (VCC) became mired in red tape last September when Boulder County began a six-month moratorium on new construction in the Niwot Rural Community District in order to revamp building codes. If the proposed project had been given the go ahead, the property owned by Dr. David Meisner at 376...
Reveling in five years of business in Niwot, Left Hand Animal Hospital will have an even bigger reason to celebrate this month. LHAH owners will be able to officially call Niwot home when they move into their very own building at 304 Franklin Street. “For us, the move is a great thing, because it means we get to be permanent residents of Niwot,” co-owner Dr. Nancy Bureau said.” And we get to move just around the corner from where we are.” The practice will take about a week to pack and move the...
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...
Nearly 20 interested stakeholders came together at the Left Hand Grange on Wednesday, April 3 to continue the discussion with Boulder County officials about how upcoming changes to the NRCD land use code will impact the 600-foot long alley separating the rear properties of 2nd and 3rd Avenues east of Franklin Street in Niwot. A mix of residents and property owners participated in the sometimes-heated roundtable with land use director Dale Case and county transportation engineer Mike Thomas, who...
Gunbarrel has become a happening place. Breweries, restaurants, coffee bars and vibrant housing communities have turned this once sleepy bedroom community into a real, live neighborhood. And now EATS @ Gunbarrel is getting ready to roll out its second season on Sunday, May 12. EATS is a local event that features a collection of gourmet food trucks and local musicians and bands that gather every Sunday afternoon from 3:30 - 7:30 pm until Sunday, Sept. 8. The site for EATS @ Gunbarrel is located b...
APRIL 1—In what seems to be a huge reversal in previous policy and operating procedures, Extinction Oil & Gas is finally responding to the thousands of complaints received about the health and environmental effects of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. “Starting in late 2019,” said a spokesperson for the company, “for every mineral lease agreement signed, we will give two free bottles of Booste-brand oxygen to each participant, along with a coupon book for Jumba Juice. That’s healthy, right?” Booste Oxygen is a canned, compressed oxygen prod...
Renowned Colorado nature photographer John Fielder will be sharing work from his latest book, Colorado: Black on White, at the first annual Nature St. Vrain on Friday, April 12 in Longmont. Fielder, whose popular calendars and books showcase Colorado’s landscapes, will be giving a multimedia presentation featuring over 200 of his Colorado photographs, as well as sharing stories of life on the trail, photo tips and more. Nature St. Vrain, an environmental open house, was created to celebrate t...
Even though there is snow on the ground as I write, warmer weather is around the corner. While the longer days and climbing temperatures put a little more pep in almost everyone’s step, it is an especially exciting time for gardeners. It’s also crunch time. Time to clean up, keep starting those seeds indoors, water those dry lawns and mulch until the cows come home. First up is to check on those seedlings. Remember February’s gardening column, in which we planned out our planting and seedi...
What the what? That’s been the most uttered question in town these days. But it’s true - struggles to open new thriving establishments in Niwot have led to a newsworthy business about to break ground at 420 2nd Avenue in downtown Niwot. Current plans call for an enterprise named Niwot’s Delight, a recreational marijuana business combined with an artisanal bakery. Ground-breaking is scheduled to begin April 31, allowing the new industrial design building to be completed by mid-June. Thanks to ne...
Boulder County is rich in high quality, locally grown produce and farm-raised animals providing an abundance of nearby Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) choices that is really quite remarkable compared to others parts of the country. Each CSA offers their own format of sharing their bounty of pesticide-free veggie varieties or naturally raised meats. But what they all have in common is that they are just a short drive from your neighborhood, which results in a lower carbon footprint than...
Nevin Gilbert may still be a few weeks away from his high school graduation but the future engineer already has the resume of a seasoned professional. Between a demanding robotics internship and a collaboration with a CU professor, the Niwot High student’s precocious talent for math and computer science has created opportunities not afforded to most college students, let alone those still in secondary school. Later this month, Gilbert will get a chance to add another achievement to the g...
The Niwot Community Corner park was created in 2018 at the corner of Niwot Road and 79th Street. In the fall of 2018, Community Corner was enhanced with a sculpture garden with artwork chosen from various artists for display for up to a year. This is the first in a monthly series about the artwork and artists chosen for Community Corner at Sculpture Park. We begin with the Sculpture Park Committee’s winning sculpture “Feather” by artist Joshua Pass. This sculpture was awarded the committee’s sti...
APRIL 1—The prairie dogs of White Rocks have recently served notice of mandatory forced pooling to some Heatherwood residents, invoking the Colorado state statute that will allow them to burrow underneath homes adjacent to their current colony between White Rocks and Kincross Way. Residents along Kincross Way received notice of the prairie dog colony’s intent to begin burrowing underneath their homes within the next nine months, according to a heated and somewhat panicky thread on NextDoor Hea...
April 1 – In what the county commissioners feel was a bolt of inspiration from the now seven-month-old building moratorium imposed on Old Town Niwot, that august body is now considering something similar for all houses in the county. Commissioner D.B. Farmer said, “We looked at the effect of the moratorium on Niwot and how it promoted such constructive, genial communications between the different streets, neighbors, businesses and homeowners. It was all good. “The whole experience made us reali...
When he was just 24 years old, Justin Hirshfield was likely the youngest head chef in Boulder at his gig with Laudisio’s Ristorante. Hirshfield is familiar to those in Niwot because of his 12 years working at the Niwot Market where he could be spotted most days. But, about a year and a half ago he joined the team at 1914 House as their head chef, so now it’s the evening crowd that’s most likely to see him. You may never have crossed paths with Hirshfield when he didn’t have a hat on his head or...
Around 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 27, subcontractors for an Xcel Energy project accidentally punctured a 12-inch diameter water pipe buried five feet underground, sending a geyser of water onto the adjacent sidewalk, parking area, and townhomes. Left Hand Water’s distribution group was notified immediately and arrived shortly after the pipe was broken. Just after 5 p.m., when residents tend to be returning home from work and school, the flow of traffic was narrowed down to the eastbound lane o...
Springtime brings out the sun, the flowers, and the artists in town. Now in its eighth year, the annual Why Not Niwot? Juried Art Show is guaranteed to draw a talented collection of painters and other artists, each basing their piece on what’s special about Niwot. More than 30 artists will display their entries beginning Friday, April 5 in conjunction with April’s First Friday Art Walk and continuing through Sunday, May 31. The event is sponsored by the Niwot Cultural Arts Association (NC...
Donating money is wonderful, but engaging with a cause by giving your time and energy is likely to have an even greater impact – to that cause, and to you. It’s completely guaranteed that by volunteering you’ll be making the world a better place, and besides the obvious gratification of bringing about positive change for others, you’ll reap the benefits of connecting with others, which is proven to ward off depression and lower your blood pressure, and will generally make life more satisfying. Y...
In November 2017, the Courier reported IBM's Gunbarrel facility would be building Boulder's largest field of photovoltaic panels. Initially projected to be completed by November 2018, the endeavor underwent a few changes and broke ground this month. The array was originally planned to occupy the corner of 63rd Street and Monarch Road, but is now located on the eastern side of the campus bordering Highway 119. Still planned to occupy nearly 55 acres, the panels will span from Highway 52 near the...
Writer and filmmaker Ethan Knightchilde presented his premier Ghost Towns of the American West lecture to a packed crowd at the Left Hand Valley Grange in April 2018. Even those standing in the back of the room that evening walked away feeling entertained and educated by Knightchilde's study on hundreds of western ghost towns. As a result of the debut Niwot Historical Society speaking engagement, this year Knightchilde is bringing an updated version of his presentation to an even larger...
Longmont-based Up-A-Creek Robotics is home to one of the top high school robotics teams in the country, thanks in large part to Niwot couple Terry and Cathy Olkin, recipients of this month's Left Hand Laurel. When the Olkins signed on for a stint as mentors to the Up-A-Creek Robotics team five years ago, they were just hoping to spend more time with sons Jake and Zach. Before long, however, the naturally competitive duo found themselves enjoying not just their extra time with the boys, but also...
The Longmont Community Foundation (LCF) will be celebrating 25 years of supporting charitable giving at its annual dinner on April 4. Since 1994, the foundation has overseen the distribution of $11 million to non-profits. This year alone the organization will allocate more than $1 million to the arts, education, animals, human services, health and environmental causes. There are only 1,900 community foundations world-wide, each honing in on a particular geographic area. LCF was originally under...
If the mark of a neighborhood's growth is measured in pizza joints, then Gunbarrel can puff out its chest and brag away. First Proto's Pizza, then Domino's Pizza, and now there is Fringe Pizza, which opened its doors about a month ago. A concept restaurant from owner Nate Rajotte, Fringe is definitely different. The tiny pizzeria, located right next to Rush Bowls on Spine Road, is working in less than 400 square feet, but that's enough to house the remarkable pizza oven that is just one of the...
Senate Bill 181 (SB181) is on track to become law, and the bill contains the most sweeping regulations of the Colorado oil and gas industry in decades, giving many who oppose oil and gas development, including fracking, cause for celebration. Other anti-fracking activists believe the bill is simply more of the same and doesn’t go far enough to reform decades-old legislation that impacts the health and safety of Coloradans. But what would SB181, as it stands now, mean to Boulder County r...
There is a stout little tree that dots the landscapes throughout our region. It’s native territory spans from Utah and Wyoming south through Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and even into parts of Texas. Vast expanses of land in the Southwest are covered by its sparse forests. It’s a hardy survivor. We often find it used in the landscape as a low screen tree, functioning to block the wind or create privacy in a backyard. This stout little evergreen has a vast history that’s been deeply inter...
Two of the founding members of The Lookout Alliance (TLA), Leesah Patt and Amanda Janusz, officially severed ties with the organization they founded and organized after the group and its mission were co-opted by LOGIC (League of Oil and Gas Impacted Coloradans), according to a press release from the two women. When oil and gas interests placed the Heatherwood mineral rights’ owners in their sights in November 2018, Janusz and Patt organized the community, recruited volunteers, and sponsored a town hall meeting attended by nearly 200 r...
Stalled plans to build a public parking lot west of old town Niwot could be getting a jump-start after Boulder County Commissioner Deb Gardner strongly suggested revisiting a county policy that has prevented the lot’s developers from moving ahead with construction. During a March 12 Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) public hearing on proposed updates to the Niwot Rural Community District (NRCD) land use code, Gardner questioned a provision in the 2011 Niwot Transportation and Connectivity P...
Chris Wathen of All-Pro Lawns, Inc., has been a staple in Niwot and Gunbarrel neighborhoods for many years. Wathen said the business has grown steadily since he bought it from his father-in-law, Charlie Schulze, in 2008. The time has come, however, to refine his business model. The business has grown steadily over the years, Wathen said. “We had to sit down and redefine what we want to do and pinpoint what our business is.” Starting this spring, he’ll be concentrating on commercial buildings, HO...
Heatherwood Elementary is getting a much-anticipated facelift thanks to a Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) bond approved by voters in 2014. This $6.2 million project broke ground in February, and the essential portions of the project will be completed in time for school to start this coming August. During the renovation, the building will receive routine repair and maintenance, as well as security upgrades. Though these changes aren’t always visible, they are significant. “It’s impor...
At what was potentially the final public meeting regarding the Niwot Rural Community District (NRCD) code update process on March 12, when Boulder County Commissioners (BOCC) could have approved land use staff’s proposed code updates for development in downtown Niwot, Commissioners Elise Jones, Matt Jones, and Deb Gardner instead chose to send the team back to the drawing board on several issues, thereby extending the six month moratorium on development by another month. While commercial entitie...
You can't miss the increasing number of nearby fields donning what seem to be modern art installations of shiny black rectangles slanted toward the sun. These masses of photovoltaic panels are solar farms and, while their orderly appearance in place of the usual disarray of plant life is what captures our attention, it's their purpose of collecting power from the sun and converting it to electricity that's truly amazing. But you haven't seen the most awe inspiring type of solar installation yet...
In a move that caught some stakeholders off-guard, Boulder County Commissioners voted unanimously at their March 12 public hearing to extend Niwot’s development moratorium until April 23 in order to address, among other things, concerns from property owners about proposed limits on Floor Area Ratio (FAR) for the non-historic blocks of the NRCD. FAR is a measure of a building’s above-grade floor area in relation to the total area of the lot it’s built upon. A FAR of 1.0 means that a 10,000 squar...
DNA testing companies like 23&Me can tell you about your genetic origins, but they can’t tell you much about the fateful encounters, harrowing escapes and happily-ever-afters that helped those genes make their way to you. For those curious about the human drama in their family’s story, researching and preserving genealogical information doesn’t have to be a major undertaking, according to local historian and Gunbarrel resident Dina Carson. Carson is hosting the workshop Publishing Your Herit...
If you’ve have ash trees that have been marked for removal due to the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) quarantine in Boulder County, you still have time to schedule treatment to keep your trees from being cut down. Boulder County removes ash trees that have been flagged with a blue “X” during the colder months between September and April. The cold-weather culling is to avoid spreading the infestation of the EAB, which is not in flight during that time. Trees can be treated by licensed contractors, and t...
This long, cold winter has many feeling cooped up. For people who exercise and train outdoors―which is a large portion of Boulder County’s population—the icy paths and sub-zero temperatures make keeping up a regular regimen challenging. But using the weather to change up movement habits and patterns could be the best thing for more productive and safe training for the rest of the year. Joe Gambles, an Australian transplant who lives in Niwot with his wife and toddler son, is a professional triat...
The National Education Association’s celebration Read Across America has been an annual event since 1998. What better day to revel in reading than to honor cherished children’s author Dr. Seuss? His March 2 birthday was chosen to spread the excitement of reading. On this national celebration of the wonder and importance of reading, Niwot Rotarians, known for bringing about positive changes in the community, read stacks of Dr. Seuss’s beloved stories aloud to every grade in Niwot Eleme...
Free entertainment for the community Niwot High School has a beautiful auditorium; the acoustics are fantastic, the seats are cushioned, and it’s a fabulous setting to enjoy a performance. On Tuesday, March 19, NHS is extending an invitation to the entire community to experience Spectacle 2019 – a no cost concert featuring four bands chock full of energy and skill. Joining NHS’s two bands, the Niwot All-Stars, an advanced student jazz band, and the Lefthand Jazz Ensemble, will be professional lo...
Niwot High School sophomore Fiona Nugent’s six months of treatment for cancer are behind her and in front of her now is the anticipation of the upcoming track and field season, continuing to play her cello and creating art. Then, there’s her first trip out of the country thanks to Make-A-Wish Colorado. Wish Night, the organization’s annual fundraising event, was held on Feb. 22 with hundreds of donors in attendance at the festivities. That evening, Nugent’s gift of a week in Paris was publica...
The Colorado State tournament for VEX IQ robotics took place on Saturday, March 2. Flagstaff Academy had five teams qualify to compete at a state level: three middle school teams and two elementary school teams. After a very dramatic final competition, one Flagstaff Academy middle school team - The Burgundy Dragons - qualified for the VEX IQ World Championships which will take place in Louisville, Kentucky in April. Overall, the teams received the following awards: Burgundy Dragons - Teamwork...
The Niwot LID advisory board is back at full strength, following the appointment of three new members late last month. Joining the six current members are residential representative Lisa Rivard, and business representatives Cornelia Sawle, owner of the Niwot Inn, and Mary Coonce, co-owner of Porchfront Homes, who was also elected to the Niwot Business Association’s executive board recently. The three fill the vacancies left by the departures of Harris Faberman, Carrie Wise, and Jay Champion d...
It’s been the better part of a decade since teenage rocker Jackson Cloud made his St. Vrain Valley Schools debut, and now the Niwot senior will get a chance to end his school performance career the same way he started it—co-headlining with local recording artist Mojomama. “Mojomama came to my school for their music academy when I was in, I think, second grade at Niwot Elementary, and I got a chance to play with them,” Cloud said in an interview about Spectacle 2019, an upcoming concert to bene...
The Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) will consider proposed text amendments to Land Use Code Article 4-116 Niwot Rural Community District and related provisions on Tuesday, March 12, at 2 p.m.. Public testimony will be taken. What: Board of County Commissioners hearing to consider update to NRCD Land Use Code When: Tuesday, March 12, at 2 p.m Where: Boulder County Courthouse, 1325 Pearl St., Boulder Advance online sign-up for anyone wishing to speak at the hearing is available at http://bit.ly/dc-18-0004. Speakers will be organized in the...
Bonnie Egeland discovered first-hand the benefits of Pilates when it helped her to heal chronic injuries she had worked on in a multitude of ways. Her history of trying to beat the injuries resulted in a cycle of healing and then re-injury. But with Pilates, she’d hit on the silver bullet and has stayed strong and injury-free. “I finally found Pilates and that was the one thing that helped me to strengthen and rehab old injuries,” Egeland said. “Then I found that I just loved it and what a...
Have you been out for a walk in the morning in Niwot and then midday stopped at the Niwot Liquor Store to pick up provisions, and perhaps in the late afternoon you were on your way to meet friends on 2nd Avenue, and on each outing you chanced upon the familiar face belonging to Rob Gordon? Gordon gets around town like no one else. Why? Because Gordon walks dogs and housesits; he’s a clerk at the liquor store; he works at the Niwot Inn; he does yard work around town; and he delivers newspapers e...
One day while riding with her dad and chatting about autonomous (driverless) cars, Boulder Country Day seventh-grader Zoë Wagner noticed something at a four-way stop. “We saw that the car across from us turned right and then the car next to us turned right, and I thought ‘well, if this were an autonomous intersection, then both of those cars could have gone at the same time.’” Not content to let the question lie, the precocious Wagner eventually decided to investigate the idea further for her...
City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP) held an open house on Feb. 26 to share the upcoming trail repair and maintenance projects for 2019, and two of the intended projects will affect Niwot and Gunbarrel folks who utilize the Cottontail Trail and the White Rocks area. Addressing recurring erosion issues is the focus of the work on Cottontail Trail, which connects Gunbarrel to Niwot. OSMP will repair ¾ mile of the trail with drainage improvements, including culverts and ditches....
