Niwot LID board approves additional funding for parking lot

Changes mandated by Boulder County and rising material costs led to approximately $30,000 in unanticipated expenses during construction of the downtown parking lot, according to Chuck Klueber of the Niwot Business Association. Appearing on behalf of the group at the July 6 virtual meeting of the Niwot Local Improvement District advisory committee, he requested the additional funding for the project and explained how the original estimate missed the mark by so much.

"We did as best we could to try to keep the changes and cost down," he said.

Klueber then listed "four specific reasons," for the excess costs, starting with a recent sharp rise in the cost of construction labor and materials, making the asphalt, concrete, and gravel surfacing significantly more expensive than originally estimated in August 2020, when the NBA made its first request for funding.

But the main driver of the overage were revisions to the plans mandated by the county during the permitting process, which came after the 14-space lot was approved by the Board of County Commissioners at a public hearing on Aug. 6, 2020. Among those were an additional three-foot turnaround behind the charging stations, requiring additional asphalt, and changes to the drainage and landscaping, requiring an updated grading and site plan.

"When we went to the county and went to the planning board, we presented the plan that basically I drew in PowerPoint," Klueber said. "We thought our job was done and everything was approved.... We just got hit by these different changes that the county required during the second review process... And it just translates, that every time we made a change, we got a hit from the contractor with a markup that he adds to it."

The $30,007 request also included costs for the solar lighting ($21,336), another item that came with some sticker shock, as well as a $6,000 contingency. There is also an estimated $1,500 for a third drainage survey, which was ordered after problems with the existing grade were detected shortly before the oft-delayed parking lot was due to open.

"We've gotten some fairly large puddles," Klueber said. "And so we've contracted the surveyor to come in to survey the lot to make sure that it was graded to the specifications in the grading plan. And if it wasn't, we're going to go back to Whitestone and say you've got to fix this. But there's a fee that we're going to have to pay the surveyor that we hadn't anticipated."

Finally, Klueber noted that the costs for the project might have been even higher if not for the assistance of Chad Fletemyer of Fletemyer & Lee Associates, who served as a pro bono consultant and helped the NBA save "tens of thousands of dollars" in professional fees.

Before voting on the request, LID members briefly discussed the county's role in the process, and how to avoid these pitfalls during future phases of the lot. If needed, the NBA has approval to add 36 additional spaces to the property, in two phases. Members also discussed the impact to the Niwot LID's fund balance, which stands at approximately $200,000, not counting any revenue collections in 2021. After reassurances from Boulder County liaison Mark Ruzzin about the process, the request was approved with a unanimous vote.

Treasurer's Report

Before the parking lot discussion, the LID board tended to regular monthly business, starting with treasurer Bruce Rabeler's financial report.

In April, the Niwot LID earned $20,210 in sales tax, up slightly from March ($19,348). Through the first four months of 2021, the district has collected $75,953, a 24% increase over the same period in 2020 ($61,308). Notably, the proportion of restaurant/food service sales rose to 21.2% in April, from an average of 16% in the three prior months. Rabeler also noted that sales from the manufacturing/wholesale sector now account for approximately 10% of collections, up from 4% in 2019 and 5% in 2020.

On the expenses side, the LID has approved $138,586 in funding requests through June, or 93% of its 2021 budget allotment. After approving July requests totaling $36,523, the amount jumps to $175,109, meaning the LID will be exceeding the original budget for the remainder of 2021. In a brief discussion, members agreed that surging revenues and a large cushion of reserve makes this prospect less worrisome than earlier in the year, since the original budget is based on 80% of 2019 actual revenue, which is far less than anticipated revenue for 2021.

Other funding requests

The committee unanimously approved two funding requests from the Niwot Cultural Arts Association: $1,600 for musicians at First Friday art walks, which resumed in July; and $1,796 for the Why Not Niwot? Juried Art Show, now in the People's Choice voting phase. The contest is in its sixth year, and features Niwot-themed artwork, with prizes awarded to the top three entries, plus the People's Choice winner. Of the total, $950 will go to the winning artists, and $541 will go toward creating cards and prints of the winning entries. The remainder will be spent on advertising and music at the prize ceremony on September 3rd.

The board also approved a request of $3,120 from Klueber and the NBA for watering the parking lot's newly installed landscaping. The funds are enough to cover watering of the 74 new plants on a daily basis through the end of July, tapering off gradually to three times per week in the fall, and once per month during winter.

"That soil there is pretty harsh soil," Klueber said. "There's a lot of clay, so if you stand there and water it, it doesn't soak in really well. So it takes a lot of time and a lot of effort."

New Business

New LID committee chair Scott Firle announced that Boulder County is likely to allow in-person meetings soon, and surveyed LID members about the prospect. There was universal agreement that face-to-face meetings are preferable, though the Mountain View Fire community room might not be available, due to ongoing restrictions around first responders.

Ruzzin then announced that later this month, the BOCC will be reopening the recruitment process for the LID's unfilled board seat. During the last round in January, no eligible candidate applied for the business representative opening, so member Bruce Warren agreed to extend his term by six-months. The new member would be formally seated in September.

Old Business

Ruzzin and the board set a tentative schedule for completing the five-year update of the district's strategic plan, an outline of the "objectives and goals" that underlie the LID's funding priorities. Members will start preliminary discussion of the revisions in September, hold a half-day retreat in October, and then "button it up" in November and December, if needed.

The LID will hold its next monthly meeting on Tuesday, August 3 at 7 p.m.