Postle resigns as NBA representative to LID committee

Citing concerns over the appointment of new members of the Niwot Design Review Committee, member Anne Postle resigned from the Niwot LID Advisory Committee at its monthly meeting on Jan. 7.

Reading from a letter she planned to send to the Boulder County Board of County Commissioners on Jan. 8, Postle said, "For me, with the NDRC process, this trust has again been compromised to the point that I cannot continue to serve as the NBA representative on the LID. I hope my resignation will be a wake-up call to ensure that the NDRC will be comprised of members that truly represent Niwot's different community organizations and constituencies."

Postle, who has served on the LID since 2018, was referring to recent appointments to the NDRC, a five-member panel of local residents that serves as a referral agency to the county's Historic Preservation Advisory Board. It has been largely inactive over the past several years, but was revived in last year's land use code update, prompting the county to recruit five new members who were appointed to three-year terms.

According to Postle, land use director Dale Case and the BOCC didn't adhere to county guidelines when they rejected her candidacy on the NDRC, as well as a substitute candidate put forth by the NBA. They also rejected the Niwot Community Association's nomination, despite language in the code that says representatives from those organizations are intended to be included. (For more information about the NDRC process, see "Downtown Niwot after the moratorium" on page 1.)

"An unfortunate clear precedent is being established, that no organization has any voice in determining who can represent them on the NDRC. In 2019, no recommended candidates were accepted into the position for which they applied," Postle's letter continued.

Postle's resignation from the nine-member board is effective immediately. The NBA will forward a candidate for her replacement on the LID to the BOCC in the coming weeks, likely after its upcoming officer elections on Feb. 11.

"We all know that with the leadership of Laura [Skaggs], and Biff [Warren], and Jim [Eastman]-the people who started on the LID-that the LID is now a pretty well-oiled machine," she said. "...I'm not concerned about the LID, and I respect everybody at this table and have enjoyed working with all of you, but, for me, I can't do it anymore."

Several members had an emotional reaction to the news, including LID chair Laura Skaggs, who called Postle's news "hard to hear."

Postle's resignation came near the end of an eventful night for the committee, as it checked several items off its annual to-do list.

Treasurer Bruce Rabeler opened with a report on district finances, starting with revenues. Through October, the district has collected $166,254, up nearly 8 percent from the same period in 2018 ($154,276). For 2020, the Niwot LID initial budget will have $149,313 available to distribute, which is 80 percent of the total revenue collected in 2018 ($186,651). That is 12.8 percent higher than the three prior years.

At December's meeting, the group approved $41,289 in expenses for the upcoming year ($25,000 for the Economic Development Director's compensation, and $16,289 to support the NBA's 2020 marketing plan), leaving $108,024 remaining. After approval of January funding requests, the unallocated portion of the budget total falls to $89,998.39, with about $76,000 in projected expenses to come.

Rabeler then discussed the district's 2019 finances. Through December, the Niwot LID approved $140,586.79 in funding requests, exceeding its budget of $132,854 by about six percent. However, just $118,259 of those expenses have been reimbursed to date, which Rabeler attributed to a combination of late invoicing and lower than expected costs. Groups with outstanding expenses have until Jan. 15 to submit any outstanding invoices to the county.

Moving onto funding requests, first up was Postle, with two requests on behalf of the Niwot Cultural Arts Association: $2,453 for the annual Wine About Winter fundraiser in February, and $1,747 for the 2020 Why Not Niwot juried art show, slated for the spring. Both amounts are the same as were approved in 2019, and were approved unanimously.

Next up was Chuck Klueber with the NBA's Streetscapes committee with four requests related to annual maintenance and repair expenses, including utility payments ($1,900), snow removal on 2nd Avenue ($1,800), tree care ($2,000), and general maintenance and repair of the lampposts, banners, tree sculptures, and other community assets ($3,500). Again, these are the same amounts requested by Klueber in 2019, and all were approved unanimously.

"I appreciate the folks that have kept the costs within last year's parameters," Skaggs said. "That's worth noting, and we do appreciate it, because this is not an endless pot."

For the final request of the night, Klueber asked for $4,625 to help build a second phase of Niwot's sculpture park at 79th Street and Niwot Road, which will be home to four additional art installations later this spring. The new area will be to the west of the original park, incorporating the Niwot Christmas tree, and featuring similar low-lying landscaping.

Niwot resident Scott Deemer and his company Outdoor Craftsmen will be providing design, labor and materials for the project, for a total cost of $9,950. The NBA ($1,500), Cottonwood West HOA ($1,500), and a pending Boulder County Economic Development Grant ($2,325) are also expected to provide funding, and the HOA will also be contributing water for the park's irrigation lines.

"I think it's amazing what the committee has done, especially in working with the HOA," Warren said of the Niwot sculpture committee, composed of representatives from the NBA and Niwot Cultural Arts Association, including LID members Skaggs, Postle, and Lisa Rivard. "The HOA used to be very protective of its property, but now that's totally reversed, and they've been supportive and are even financially supporting this."

In the night's final agenda item, the committee formally adopted an introduction to the Niwot Vision 2029 addendum to the town's strategic plan, which was approved last month. Language in the document refers to the 2029 plan as "aspirational," and "a vision," as opposed to "a precise plan." It also invites "a local group or individual to embrace one of the hub ideas and to champion that element."

To view the Niwot strategic plan and its addendum, visit https://assets.bouldercounty.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/niwot-vision-2029.pdf

The Niwot LID Committee will meet next at 7 p.m. on Feb. 4 at the Mountain View Fire Station (8500 Niwot Road, Niwot).