All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
The new parking lot on Murray Street in Niwot was dedicated Dec. 2 with a crowd of approximately 20 people on hand: (l to r) Chad Fletemeyer, Dawn Server, Jeff Server, Diane Zimmerman, Bob Zimmerman, Gary Vehrenkamp, Chuck Klueber, Linda Vehrenkamp, Linda Klueber, Tammy Bergeson, Bert Steele, Vicky Dorvee, Eric Bergeson, Jim Dorvee, Tim Wise, Bruce Warren and Carrie Wise. Not pictured: Mary Coonce.
The new parking lot in Niwot was officially dedicated in a brief ceremony Dec. 2, with Niwot Business Association president Eric Bergeson presiding.
Bergeson noted that the project had been long in the works and thanked all those who saw it through to completion. While the parking lot has been open for several months, glitches with the functioning of the two charging stations delayed the official ribbon cutting. Bergeson also noted that approval has already been obtained for expansion of the parking lot from 14 to 50 spaces when the need arises.
Chuck Klueber, who was the NBA Streetscapes coordinator on the project, thanked Chad Fletemeyer of Niwot architectural firm Fletemeyer & Lee Associates for his pro bono work on the design and completion. Extensive repairs by the contractor were required when severe ponding on the parking lot surface was discovered after a rain by Fletemeyer’s father, Jim Fletemeyer.
Chad and Jim Fletemeyer worked with Klueber, Mark Ruzzin of the Boulder County Commissioners’ office, and attorney Bruce Warren to get the contractor to correct the drainage on the project.
They also arranged with local contractor Porchfront Homes to install the solar lighting in the parking lot at a reduced cost. Mary Coonce of Porchfront Homes was on hand for the ceremony.
Once the repair work and the lighting installation were completed, it was discovered that one of the two electric vehicle charging stations was not working properly. It took several months before the issue was resolved.
The charging station allows electric vehicles to be charged for free for the first two hours. Thereafter there is a small charge. The revenue helps offset the electric bill that is paid by the NBA, which maintains the parking lot pursuant to an agreement with Boulder County.
Warren also addressed the approximately 20 people in attendance, noting that Tim Wise, who was also present, had been working on acquiring a parking lot for the business district for over 25 years, but that the railroad had previously been unresponsive.
Warren related that Niwot businessman Cotton Burden, who also coached soccer for many years at Niwot High School, had put the NBA in touch with one of his former players, Mike Searls, whose wife Abigail worked for real estate company Jones, Lang, LaSalle in Austin, Texas.
She in turn put the NBA representatives in touch with officials at Burlington Northern Railroad who actually had authority to make a decision to sell the 2-acre parcel of land next to the railroad tracks along Murray Street.
The Niwot Cultural Arts Association, which uses the parking lot and the remainder of the parking for the Rock & Rails summer concert series, negotiated a contract with Burlington Northern, then assigned the contract to Boulder County and obtained funding from the Niwot Local Improvement District for the $170,000 purchase price, with the sale closing Nov. 30, 2017, almost exactly five years prior to the official dedication.
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