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All Local, All The Time
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Niwot’s 16th annual Enchanted Evening event on Friday, Nov. 25 will kick off this year’s season of light with plenty of fan favorites and a few added enticements. Promising a night of nostalgia, the event gathers together the old and the young for the singing of traditional yuletide songs, a tree lighting ceremony, a visit with a certain red-suited northerner, and a chance to check off some of the “naughty or nice” people on this year’s holiday shopping list. While hammers are busy pounding... Full story
Niwot’s 16th annual Enchanted Evening event on Friday, Nov. 25 will kick off this year’s season of light with plenty of fan favorites and a few added enticements. Promising a night of nostalgia, the event gathers together the old and the young for the singing of traditional yuletide songs, a tree lighting ceremony, a visit with a certain red-suited northerner, and a chance to check off some of the “naughty or nice” people on this year’s holiday shopping list. While hammers are busy pounding... Full story
Editor’s note: Boulder County Commissioners Deb Gardner and Elise Jones were both reelected on Tuesday. In response to questions, they opted to send one letter representing their stance on issues that face the area. Following is their combined response. They say that running for public office is the toughest job interview you’ll ever have, which makes running for re-election the most rigorous personnel evaluation you’ll ever go through. So we were thrilled and humbled that you, the voters of Boulder County, chose by overwhelming margins to gi...
Rumors that a student had brought a gun to Niwot High School this morning caused a lockdown and lockout. The district has since reported that ALL students are SAFE in their classrooms and that the building has been secured. Boulder County Sheriff's Cmdr. Mike Wagner said the following in a statement: "At this point we have no credible threat and no confirmation that the rumor is true, but out of an abundance of caution, we are treating the information as being potentially real until we can rule out or determine that the rumor is untrue,"...
Two important education items on the Nov. 8 ballot were the St. Vrain Valley School District (SVVSD) bond issue for capital improvements and the Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) mill levy override for operational expenses. Both were approved by voters. The SVVSD $260 million bond measure, which passed 61.88 percent to 38.12 percent by district voters in Boulder County, will address critical student and school needs. It includes various renovations throughout the district, additions to existing schools and building of new schools. A... Full story
On Thursday, November 3 and Friday, November 4, Sunset Middle School welcomed its long-awaited Verification Visit from the IB (International Baccalaureate). The purpose of this visit was to celebrate the work done by staff and students to implement the IB’s Programme standards and practices. The staff has collectively spent almost 900 hours training to become IB teachers. During the visit, the IB team met with all Sunset staff, a group of students, a group of parents and the IB Leadership t...
Niwot Community Association (NCA) board members agreed at the Nov. 2 meeting on a 2017 budget that shows the group finishing the year in the red, but approved it with the understanding that membership revenues are being conservatively estimated for the budget. The group estimates that 2017 operating revenues could be about $14,475 while expenses could total $16,420, leaving the group about $1,945 short. However, stronger membership numbers could make up that shortfall, NCA President Dick Piland said. The NCA also has “healthy” financial res...
Several transportation projects are on tap for the Niwot area in 2017, and additional downtown parking may be one step closer to reality. That’s what the Advisory Committee to the Niwot Local Improvement District (LID) heard from George Gerstle, Boulder County’s Director of Transportation, who spoke at the Committee’s Nov. 1 meeting. The LID also approved funding for two projects, got an update on negotiations with BNSF, and finalized details of an upcoming Strategic Plan Update meeting sched...
The Mountain View Fire Rescue is launching a new program this year to thank veterans and deployed soldiers from the district who will not be able to make it home this holiday season. They are currently collecting names to be placed on a banner that will be on their engines for all holiday parades. Amy Tallent, one of the organizers of the new program, said that the idea came about recently after a discussion about troops who won’t be able to be with their families. “Mountain View has had a few programs in the past where we really like to rec...
Steve and Leslie Kaczeus have added to their list of awards for their brewery in Niwot. Steve, owner and chief brewer of Bootstrap Brewing, along with Leslie, “Chief of Stuff,” won a gold medal at the Great American Beer Festival for their Stick’s Pale Ale, and yet another gold for Wreak Havoc, an Imperial Ale. Stick’s Pale Ale was in the American Pale category, and rose to the top of 157 entries across the country. “It’s a highly drinkable pale ale,” Leslie Kaczeus said. “It’s got a n...
On Nov. 4, Niwot High School head football coach Dylan Hollingsworth, 43, was arrested for assaulting a student during a weight lifting class the prior week. According to a media release from the Boulder County Sheriff’s office, Hollingsworth turned himself in to the Boulder County jail last Friday morning, and was booked on charges of second degree assault, a class four felony, and third degree assault, a class one misdemeanor. He was subsequently released on bond, and faces a hearing in B... Full story
On Wednesday, Nov. 2, over 20 people gathered at the Lefthand Valley Grange Park in Niwot to celebrate the dedication of benches as part of Zhou Ming “Ming Ming” Sun’s Eagle Scout project. Those in attendance were from Boulder County Parks and Open Space, Left Hand Grange No.9, Niwot Boy Scouts of America Pack 161, Niwot Historical Society, Niwot Community Association and other community members. Stan Snyder, a landscape architect with Boulder County Parks and Open Space, was in charge of the p...
Twenty-nine immigrants from 16 countries took the Oath of Allegiance to become U.S. citizens on Wednesday, Oct 26 at Twin Peaks Charter Academy in Longmont. The countries include Argentina, Canada, People’s Republic of China, Guatemala, Italy, Jamaica, Kenya, Mexico, Mongolia, Pakistan, Philippines, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Turkey and Venezuela. Twin Peaks Principal David Yu spoke at the ceremony. Scott Koenigsberg, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Denver Field Office supervisory i... Full story
New teachers often inherit a treasure from their predecessors -a desk, a set of text books, maybe a syllabus. This fall Niwot High School (NHS) vocal music teacher Laura Marshall inherited an entire musical, the fall production of the popular Sondheim musical, “Into the Woods.” And she’s loving it. “The students auditioned back in the spring,” Erin Anderson, the play’s musical director said. Kimberly Watkins, who moved to Altona Middle School this fall, helped select the cast. “The studen...
The Boulder County Parks and Open Space Advisory Committee (POSAC) held a meeting on Thursday, Oct. 27 to discuss the transition plan for genetically-engineered crops (GE) on county open space. The discussion started with an overview from staff member and Agricultural Resources Manager Jeff Moline, who said the meeting was the first presentation of the plan to phase out genetically-modified crops (GMO). Moline said the county’s goal is to keep farmers growing food, remain stewards of open space, encompass sustainability, and provide economic s...
As of November 1, the Left Hand Valley Courier is going virtual. The Courier will no longer maintain the office at 6800 N. 79th Street, Suite 103A, in Cottonwood Square. Communicate with us by email at: editorial@lhvc.com advertising@lhvc.com on the web at www.lhvc.com by phone at 303-845-3077 by mail at PO Box 652, Niwot, CO 80544-0652...
Editor’s note: Due to several reader requests, the Left Hand Valley Courier asked a follow-up question to Boulder County Commissioner candidates about the proposed affordable housing project in Gunbarrel. Here are their responses. Q “Do you support the proposed location for affordable housing in the Twin Lakes area? Why or why not? Do you think other options should be considered, and if so, where and why?” Paul Danish A I do not support the Twin Lakes project. It is difficult to imagine a more inappropriate place to build a major public housi... Full story
On Wednesday, Oct. 26, the Niwot Historical Society (NHS) held a lecture at the Left Hand Grange, featuring the Boulder County Latino History Project. Presenters included Marjorie McIntosh, a distinguished professor of History Emerita at the University of Colorado-Boulder; and Linda Arroyo-Holmstrom, a Boulder native, retired educator in the local public schools and a committee member of the Boulder County Latino History Project. NHS President Kathy Koehler said the two speakers centered their...
On Saturday, Oct. 29, Niwot celebrated Halloween with another parade during the Great Pumpkin Party. Hundreds of children came dressed in costumes from super heroes, princesses and pirates, to Harry Potter characters. Parents also came in costume and some families dressed up in matching costumes. Excited children ran from business to business in downtown Niwot and Cottonwood Square to trick-or-treat for candy, as well as visiting the animals at the petting zoo and walking in the parade.... Full story
Through an anonymous parent grant, Boulder Country Day School (BCD) is partnering with the I Have a Dream Foundation of Boulder County to form a combined First Lego League team. The collaboration brings together technology and STEM with BCD’s goal of inspiring students to reach their full potential. During an eight-week period, two teams composed of BCD students and Dreamers ages 9-14 work together to solve a problem in preparation for the Regional Qualifier Tournament to be held on Saturday, N...
Boulder County Sheriff's Office On October 29, at around 1:40 a.m., a lone individual broke through a set of glass doors at Niwot High School, and caused damage inside the school to two interior windows, and a vending machine. The individual then exited the school and broke into three cars parked overnight in the parking lot, by smashing driver side windows on each car. All three cars appeared to have been rummaged through. A fourth vehicle showed signs of an attempt at entry by the suspect, but he was unsuccessful at getting inside. St. Vrain...
Editor’s note: Due to several reader requests, the Left Hand Valley Courier asked a follow-up question to Boulder County Commissioner candidates about the proposed affordable housing project in Gunbarrel. Here are their responses. As of press time, Paul Danish and Deb Gardner had not responded. Q “Do you support the proposed location for affordable housing in the Twin Lakes area? Why or Why not? Do you think other options should be considered, and if so, where and why? Elise Jones A Boulder County has an affordable housing crisis. Over 40,... Full story
At the Boulder County Planning Commission’s Wednesday, Oct. 19 meeting, members decided in a 5-1 vote to reconsider their original decision to approve the medium-density residential land-use designation for the Twin Lakes parcels. The change in zoning for 20 acres of vacant land on both sides of the 6000 block of Twin Lakes Road in Gunbarrel, which are owned by the Boulder County Housing Authority and Boulder Valley School District, will be up for reconsideration at another hearing not yet s... Full story
For all the dog lovers out there, Left Hand Animal Hospital in Niwot is putting on this year’s dog costume contest, after sponsoring it last year, following the Great Pumpkin Party parade on Saturday, Oct. 29. “Pat Murphy started it and she invited us to work with her two years ago,” owner Nancy Bureau said. “She agreed that [the hospital] could take over the pet costume portion and she’s still putting on the children’s parade.” The dog costume contest will begin after the parade, and in front... Full story
It’s a sad fact that Colorado is hamstrung by complicated provisions of the state constitution that prevent the state legislature from adequately funding public education, but fixing that problem is not on the ballot. As a result, local school districts are forced to turn to voters time and again to ask for bond issue approvals and mill levy overrides to keep pace with the demands of increasing populations and escalating costs. The St. Vrain Valley School District has proposed a bond issue (3A on the ballot) which would generate $260 million f... Full story
On Oct. 4th, the Advisory Committee to the Niwot Local Improvement District (LID) met to consider funding requests for the town’s upcoming holiday events, as well as urgent repairs to Spear Lodge Man in the Tree Sculpture Park. The committee also got a look at the preliminary results of a recent parking utilization study, and heard a report from Howard Treppeda on this year’s Jazz on 2nd Ave event. After dispensing with various housekeeping matters, the committee heard first from Sarah Cioni, ow...
“The shadow self seems to be the opposite of love. Actually it is the way to love.” Deepak Chopra My book Living in the Shadow of the Too-Good Mother Archetype explored the meaning of the shadow and addressed many of the unconscious beliefs held by mothers today. In my upcoming book Reconciliation of the Heart, I address the common shadow aspects that many of us, not just mothers, have still haunting us. In my personal and professional life I have witnessed many examples of ways that we car... Full story
Niwot Community Association (NCA) board members agreed to continue the group’s policy of serving only as an information conduit for the Niwot/Gunbarrel community when St. Vrain Valley School District (SVVSD) officials asked for the group’s endorsement of the district’s proposed mill levy increase on the November ballot. Although several board members expressed individual support for the measure and praised the school district’s student academic achievement and fiscal responsibility, the NCA board agreed that the NCA’s primary function... Full story
Dear Editor: Did you know: * The Twin Lakes Action Group (TLAG) has offered three alternate locations for the proposed development that are closer to bus stops, stores and services. The proposed site at the Twin Lakes has the City’s lowest possible score for walkability—hardly the best place for 280 urban-density apartments. * Even the Housing Authority’s own flawed habitat study shows the fields to be the SOLE wildlife corridor linking the Twin Lakes to Walden Ponds. The biologist even discovered meadowlarks and mallards nesting in the tallg...
Who Owns the Canaries? Let’s say that you have a product you’d like to sell. What’s one of the best marketing tricks you could pull off? It would be to convince people that you were simply offering your product for sale out of the goodness of your heart to benefit them, not because you wanted to – oh, the horror! – make money. Such is the achievement of the organic industry. And while fooling the general population about their supposedly pure motivations is one thing, we should be very concerned when our policy-makers are too naive to recogn...
Paul Danish Tell voters about yourself: •Age 74. •Lived in Colorado since 1947 and Boulder County since 1960. (Here longer than most natives.) •CU graduate, 1965, BA, History. •Served on Boulder City Council, 1976-81. •Wrote Boulder’s first growth ordinance, popularly called the Danish Plan, 1976. •Served as a Boulder County Commissioner, September 1995 to January 2005 as a Democrat. Registered Republican since 2012. •Has voted to buy more than 50,000 acres of open space. Q: What makes you the best choice? A: Experience. I served 9 years... Full story
Deb Gardner (D) Tell voters about yourself: In Colorado since 1980 and Longmont for 15 years. My family is my brother, cousins, friends who keep me grounded, make me laugh, and are my safety net, as I am theirs. Local accountant for 30 years, House District 11 Representative, Commissioner since January 2012. Life long activist, volunteer, and leader with many environmental and social justice issue groups, non-profits, and the Democratic Party. I have a Bachelor of Science in Biology & Accounting. Website is debgardner.net. Q: What makes you... Full story
Nourish and Company will soon be opening its doors at 240 Second Avenue in Niwot. The business will be a consortium of three health services, massage therapy, skin care and personal fitness training and nutrition. Holly Saia has been a personal trainer for over 25 years. She will offer single session and other packages for anyone looking to get in shape. Beyond that, she can go along for trips to the grocery store and make home visits to take a look at what’s in the fridge and pantry. “But I’m... Full story
Halloween is the one day of the year children and adults can be anything or anyone else they want to be. Niwot has embraced this holiday for over two decades by hosting the Great Pumpkin Party, giving families the opportunity to dress up and walk in a parade; children can trick or treat at local businesses, take hayrides and visit a petting zoo. Pat Murphy of Niwot Real Estate has been organizing this event, put on by the Niwot Business Association, for nearly 25 years. Since its beginning as a...
Dear Editor, I found the Courier online poll chart in last week’s paper to be very misleading. Close to 1,700 people from Gunbarrel and the surrounding areas have signed the Twin Lakes Action Group (TLAG) petition opposing upzoning to medium density on the Twin Lakes parcels. Therefore, I was surprised to find that 72.7 percent of those who filled out the online LHVC poll were for this development, until I found out that only 32 people filled out the online poll. This omission of the very small sample size gives the impression that the m...
How do people learn to respectfully discuss sensitive topics? On Wednesday, Oct. 5th, the entire Dawson student body, grades K-12, participated in a morning of learning about and practicing Civil Discourse. The goal was learning to debate appropriately while also practicing the art of listening and formulating persuasive arguments. Topics were chosen that would be less emotionally charged than others, while still giving students the chance to formulate and defend a constructive argument about a...
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...
After spying the excellent work being done by Elaine Fein on the left hand chair situated in front of KL Realty, I’ve learned that Anne Postle and Michelle Henzel of Osmosis Gallery and Architecture have ordered 11 more concrete chairs – eight are adult-size and three are the smaller kids’ chairs. Postle said that the southpaw chairs are available for purchase at the cost of $250 for an adult chair and $175 for a child’s. Buyers need to secure their own artist to decorate the chairs. The Niwot C...
Kevin Sipple Tell voters about yourself: In Boulder County since 1969. Background in business. One of the founders of Eldorado Artesian Springs, Inc. Good practice for being a county commissioner, company owns roads, water utility, Resort, every parking spot in town, and all surrounding property. My specialties: Quality Control, Regulatory Compliance, Operations. Project Manager for construction of new bottled water manufacturing plant in Louisville. Volunteer Service: Placement Alternatives Commission, PAC 1992 to 2002, a social services board...
Elise Jones Tell voters about yourself: I’ve lived in Boulder County for nearly 20 years and was elected County Commissioner in 2012. Prior to my election, I served for 13 years as executive director of the Colorado Environmental Coalition, a statewide conservation advocacy nonprofit. I have a bachelor’s degree in Natural Resources from Cornell University and a master’s in Resource Policy from the University of Michigan. I live in Boulder with Karl, my partner of 27 years, and our daughter McKenzie. Q What makes you the best choice? A My policy... Full story
Life for Lora Cantele seems pretty normal from the outside. She lives in Gunbarrel with her husband and two teenage children, both of whom attend Niwot High School, and she has her own aromatherapy business. Besides taking care of her family and her business, Cantele finds herself sitting in a comfortable office every other Monday morning with other moms who are all walking the same path of raising children with special needs. Cantele’s 17-year-old son was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder when he w...
On Oct. 5th, the Niwot Historical Society and President Kathy Koehler kicked off the 2016-17 Niwot: Now & Then lecture series with an examination of baseball and its impact on the town. From its earliest days, when Evart “Toots” Conilogue got together with his brothers and friends to form the Niwot Farmers; to the modern era, when Coach Bob Bote led the Niwot High Cougars to five state championships in eight years, the national pastime has been an integral part of Niwot’s civic identity. In Ba... Full story
On Friday, Sept. 23, the Boulder County Land Use director approved with conditions the site plan requested by Anne and Jim Postle for the property at 240 2nd Avenue in Niwot. The approval was conditional for a 14-day period until Friday, Oct. 7 where the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) had the opportunity to call the docket up for a public hearing. Postle said in an email over the weekend that the commissioners were not going to call the project up for review, meaning the project is approved. The site plan calls for redeveloping the...
The Niwot High School drama department aims to keep its audiences guessing with its upcoming play, Murder in the House of Horrors. “It is the first interactive play that Niwot has ever done, and is shaping up to be a ton of fun,” Drama Teacher and Director Erin Murphy said. The play is set in the Hamilton Museum where audience members attend a lecture by Dr. Dirk Carlson, as part of the museum’s Monsters, Murderers and Mad Men Speaker Series. During the talk, the projector malfunctions and t... Full story
If you’ve ever been in the hallways at Sunset Middle School, you’ve likely heard Dr. Macy telling students, “If you can, you must.” This rings true for Sunset Middle School’s Fall Crawl, an all-school walk/run being held at Sunset Middle School on Oct. 21st. Sunset thrives on its support from its PAC, staff and parents. In the coming weeks, students will be asking the community to support them as they raise funds for numerous activities and supplies, such as transportation to field trips, classroom materials and community building incentive...
Integral CrossFit and the Mountain View Fire Protection District will be hosting a free CPR and Automated External Defibrillator (AED) class from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. on October 14 at their 7960 Niwot Road location. There are only 15 slots available for the class, and about half are still open. Jim Pascucci, owner of Integral CrossFit, is hosting the class after the death of a close friend who recently died from a heart attack. He said his friend also owned a CrossFit facility near Lake Tahoe, and suffered the heart attack while eating breakfast...
The Boulder County Transportation Department has lowered the speed limit on Niwot Road between 95th St. and U.S. 287 due to requests from concerned residents about their safety. The speed limit dropped from 50 mph to 40 mph to ensure citizens remain safe when entering the road, according to Boulder County. “They were concerned about speeding overall but more specifically with ‘close calls’ that they had with drivers moving well over the speed limit, similar to complaints we received last year...
The Rotary Club of Niwot’s annual Oktoberfest was met with beautiful, sunny weather on Saturday, Oct. 1. Although it might not have felt like fall, people were in the mood to celebrate the new season with good music, food and fun. The day-long event saw a good crowd even in mid-afternoon. But Rotary club member Margaret Hix said she expected even more people as the day turned into night. She was not disappointed as the 5 p.m. crowd appeared on schedule. Event goers enjoyed traditional German m... Full story
The Niwot Children's Park has had many eyes on it, especially those of little children, for a number of months as they've awaited the opening of the park for play. Their anticipation was finally alleviated when the park finally opened on a sunny afternoon on Sunday, Oct. 2. It was not only eagerly awaited by children though. The many adults who have been working on this project to bring it to fruition were excited that the park is finally open. Fundraising Coordinator Riki Frea had a hard time f...
Boulder County Commissioners held a public hearing on Tuesday, September 27 to make their decision on the land-use change request for Twin Lakes, which would open the doors for affordable housing to be built. The commissioner’s hearing followed the Boulder County Planning Commission’s vote, which ended in a 4-3 approval of the land-use request. The change would allow the land use designation to become mixed density residential on the 20 acres of land next to Twin Lakes in Gunbarrel. Even though the county commissioners took their time on del... Full story
