Niwot LID board anticipates revenue downturn

On Tuesday, June 2, the Niwot LID advisory committee gathered via videoconference for its monthly meeting.

Treasurer's Report

Treasurer Bruce Rabeler presented an update of the district's finances, starting with the revenue report from March. The Niwot LID earned $12,639 for the month, which is down substantially from the same period in 2019 ($16,406), but higher than expected thanks to robust sales in the Retail and Arts, Entertainment & Recreation sectors. Unsurprisingly, the Accommodation/Food Service sector was the hardest hit, falling nearly 40 percent between February ($4,323) and March ($2,688). Still, total revenue through March 2020 ($45,748) is nearly 9% higher than the first three months of 2019 ($41,991), though the board expects to see big revenue decreases in April and May.

On the other side of the ledger, the LID board has approved $93,879.61 in expenses through the end of May, leaving $55,433.39 remaining in the 2020 budget. After voting to approve June's sole funding request of $12,289 from the Niwot Business Association, the remaining unallocated balance fell to $43,194.39. However, it is uncertain where those funds will be spent, as many of the events and projects slated for LID funding have been canceled, postponed, or substantially scaled back.

"I guess the question is where do we go from here," Rabeler said. "There may be a delay in getting the numbers for April and May, and we won't know how that's going for a little while. But the first quarter started off nicely."

NBA Marketing

Economic Development Director Catherine McHale appeared next to provide a brief marketing update and to request funding for the second half of the Niwot Business Association's 2020 marketing plan, which has undergone some retooling in the face of the pandemic and resulting health guidelines that are changing consumer habits.

"We've pivoted to place more emphasis on social media and some of the lower cost things that we can do to keep attention on Niwot," McHale said. "It's just trying to draw people in, engage them, keep them thinking about Niwot, and hopefully feeling loyal to our little town. I feel as though that's pretty important right now."

The updated plan includes an extension of the "Keep Niwot Strong" advertising campaign, which debuted in March. The NBA is also planning to launch an online "treasure hunt" consisting of 20 Niwot-centric questions that will hopefully lure treasure hunters to the town's shops and restaurants.

"You can answer them either by going into town and exploring, or, if you feel as though you need to be at home, you can find the answers on Niwot.com and our partner websites," she said. "It's not enormous, but it should get us the attention that we want."

As for the first half of the year, McHale said that she and the NBA have been serving mostly in a support role after the pandemic and helping businesses get the assistance and emergency funding they need to tide them over. Nonetheless, there have been a number of closures and cancellations, including 2nd Avenue Hair, Shop Girl, and the weekly summer event, Dancing Under the Stars. However, despite upheaval and challenging economic conditions, she said there are signs that Niwot's commercial district is still an appealing option for both tenants and shoppers, not least of which is the new Few of a Kind Vintage retail outlet on 2nd Avenue. There were also six "dedicated consumers" that managed to complete the Shop Niwot Love Niwot Passport event, which McHale characterized as a "spectacularly badly-timed" contest that opened on February 29 and awarded points for shopping or dining in local establishments.

"For all of the sad news, it's nice to see that we have some resiliency and are still attracting people to town."

McHale's request was approved unanimously, though member Biff Warren abstained.

Small Business Grant Update

Boulder County policy analyst Summer Laws provided the board with an update on the county's Small Business COVID-19 Emergency Relief Grant Program, which launched on May 8. In total, the county received 217 applications, requesting more than $1.2 million in funding. Each of the applications was reviewed by a panel, following a multi-step scoring and evaluation process. Ultimately, a total of $192,500 was awarded to 34 businesses in unincorporated parts of the county, including 11 in Niwot. (For more information about the small business grant program, see Boulder County awards emergency grants to 11 Niwot businesses on page 1).

"Hopefully what it means is a significant impact on the businesses," Laws said. "We did hear back from a few of them when they were awarded how much this meant to them and how they were worried about keeping their doors open."

Laws then reiterated the county's offer to help implement a Niwot-based grant program should the LID board decide to commit part of its 2020 budget to that purpose. In the discussion that followed, board members decided to hold off on emergency relief for now, in case of another downturn later, or to help local businesses weather new social distancing guidelines for the remainder of the summer.

"We've been having some discussions with the county about relaxing the rules around outdoor dining and having alcohol in driveways and things like that," NBA president and LID board member Eric Bergeson said. "One of the things we talked about is having some unique events this summer or fall, obviously in accordance with whatever requirements out there, but still having a sense of community. So maybe there's the potential out there to do some things that would use LID funds."

Such accommodations might include allowing more use of Whistle Stop Park and allowing alcohol service in front of restaurants. Bergeson said there are plans underway for a giant sidewalk sale on 2nd Avenue in July and a Peach Festival in late August. Bergeson, who was a member of the county's grant application review committee, also noted that his review of Niwot applications during the county's grant process didn't reveal a huge unmet need in town at this time, prompting Warren to call for keeping the LID funds in the bank.

"At this time, it doesn't make sense to me to replicate the county's program." Warren said. "I concur with others who suggested we use it later on for marketing, and bringing people back when they can come back."

Old Business

Warren provided a brief update on the public parking lot in Niwot, which is currently undergoing the county's special use review process. On June 17, the proposal is scheduled to go before a remote hearing of the Planning Commission at 1:30 p.m. The proposal will likely move on to a hearing before the county commissioners in July. Additionally, late last month, Warren noted that the NBA was awarded a grant toward the purchase of an electric charging station, which will be installed in the lot if construction goes forward.

The LID will meet next on Tuesday, July 7 at 7 p.m.