NCA ponders trees and much more

The Niwot Community Association (NCA) held its monthly board meeting Feb. 1 in the Mountain View Fire Rescue Niwot Station conference room and the first topic was trees.

Board member Pat Murphy raised her concern about the loss of old trees in Niwot and arranged for Josh Morin, founder of We Love Trees, Inc., to present information to the NCA.

Morin explained how humans relate to the ecosystem and have established trees in this area, many of which are aging. He described some initiatives that might be helpful in the replacement of some of Niwot's trees, including the Cool Boulder campaign, which addresses urban heating from climate change. One Cool Boulder project involved Boulder Valley School District high school students providing young trees to the public.

The NCA plans to continue communicating with Morin about ways to address Niwot's needs for trees.

Dawn Server from Niwot Community Connections (NCC) gave a presentation about their organization. The NCC is managed by Server, Pat Murphy and Eve Lempriere, and provides a way for people over age 50 to gather and share their interests. The group currently has 350 members with 19 special interest groups on topics ranging from birding to writing. Server explained that another valuable service of the NCC is to provide volunteers for many of Niwot's events.

The CO Highway 119 Safety and Mobility and Bikeway Project was again a focus of discussion. Most recently there has been growing concern about safety issues in the redesign of the intersection of Niwot Road and CO Highway 119 (the "Diagonal"). There have been serious and even deadly accidents in the intersection in the last several months.

In other news, Board Representative for Area 3, Pat Murphy, reported that there have been car break-ins in her Morton Heights neighborhood.

Membership Director Johnny Barrett reported that the 2023 NCA membership drive will begin this month with the goal of reaching the 400 member level.

Trails and Open Space Director Vicky Dorvee reviewed the East Boulder Creek Site Management Plan which affects a 1377-acre area between Highway 52 and Jasper Road. The county is currently conducting a public survey to help determine its future conservation and recreation uses. Take the survey at: https://bouldercounty.gov/open-space/management/east-boulder-creek/.

Subdivision Roads Director Liz Marr reported on the continuing effort of the Subdivision Paving Coalition (SPC) to encourage the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) to put something on the ballot to address the issue for the next election.

NCA board meetings are generally held on the first Wednesday of the month at 7 p.m. at the Mountain View Fire Protection District Firehouse #4 (8500 Niwot Rd.) in Niwot.

NCA members are encouraged to attend monthly board meetings and the public is welcome. If you wish to speak or want a specific issue discussed, please contact the NCA board at least one week in advance of the meeting to be included on the agenda.

The NCA's annual meeting will be at 7 p.m. on April 19 at the Left Hand Grange.

The NCA's annual Niwot Clean-Up Day will be on May 20.