LID Advisory Committee approves funding request for Jazz on 2nd Avenue

At its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, June 5, the Niwot LID Advisory Committee considered funding requests for the eighth annual Jazz on 2nd Avenue festival, as well for mowing of the future parking lot west of Old Town.

Before hearing the evening’s applications, members reviewed Treasurer Harris Faberman’s report through the end of May. So far, the LID has committed to $109,314 in expenses in 2018, leaving $23,686 from the budget to spend for the remainder of the year. However, the report omitted $10,000 for the 2018 Rock & Rails concert series, which was requested and approved last month.

The evening’s first funding request came from Chuck Klueber with the Niwot Business Association Streetscapes committee, who requested $3,800 for periodic mowing services for the two-acre lot adjacent to Murray Street, between 3rd and 5th Avenues. Before Boulder County purchased the property from BN&SF on behalf of the LID, nearby residents performed seasonal upkeep on the property, which is approximately 80 feet wide by 1,100 feet long.

After reviewing bids from both local landscape contractors and the Murray Street contingent, the LID board approved $2,000 in funding, with a “friendly amendment” that allows Bruce’s Lawn Service to perform the initial mow for $250, while allowing the Murray street neighbors to provide ongoing services through September in exchange for reimbursement of their gas and expenses.

Up next were former LID committee member Howard Treppeda and his colleague Craig Blockwick of the Colorado Jazz Group, the 501(c)3 non-profit organization that produces Jazz on 2nd Avenue, slated this year for the weekend of Sept. 15.

Once again, Niwot High’s jazz band will kick things off at 2 p.m. on Saturday, followed by a loaded lineup that includes Grammy-winner Jeff Coffin, as well as national acts Liquid Soul and Special EFX. On Sunday morning, Chicago-based Ty Morris and the Hearts of Worship perform during Gospel Brunch, a new feature this year that organizers hope will add yet another dimension to the festival’s eclectic lineup.

“We thought it would be a fun thing to do,” Blockwick said. “There’s going to be food trucks and we’ll see who wants to come out for Sunday morning.”

Treppeda and Blockwick requested $10,000 to help offset publicity and advertising costs for the renowned event, which draws thousands of visitors to Niwot from all over the Front Range. In 2017, it was named “Best Music Festival Outside of Denver” by Westword Magazine in its Best of Denver issue.

“This is a really big deal for Niwot,” LID member Anne Postle said during the ensuing discussion. “This is an event that puts Niwot on the map for a lot of people who don’t know Niwot. It might not meet every individual business’s needs, but it’s a wonderful event for Niwot, and it’s mostly volunteer run.”

Though the Colorado Jazz Group does sell tickets for the festival, public and private donations provide up to 90 percent of event’s revenue. The modest surplus generated last year provided funding for demonstrations by the music education group Vail Jazz Goes to School at Niwot and University Hills elementary schools. The request was approved unanimously.

In New Business, Postle presented the Grand Prize-winning entry for the Niwot Cultural Arts Association’s Why Not Niwot? juried art show, announced on June 1. Local artist Andrew Woodward’s painting Niwot Crossing won both the Grand Prize and the People’s Choice Awards at the seventh annual show, which ran from March through May at participating businesses throughout Niwot. A reproduction of his piece, as well as the second and third-place winners, is available for purchase on wine labels and notecards. The LID provides funding for prizes awarded to the winners, and all net proceeds from the event benefit the NCAA’s many programs and projects, including Niwot Children’s Park and Whistle Stop Park.

County liaison Mark Ruzzin asked the committee to consider dates for the annual Board of County Commissioners and LID joint meeting, which is typically held near the end of summer. The Committee will meet next at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, July 3, at the Niwot Fire Station.