NBA re-elects officers

The monthly meeting of the Niwot Business Association (NBA) was postponed until Feb. 21 due to a conflict with Valentine's Day, but the delay did not hurt attendance as 37 members gathered at Porchfront Homes to hear about the launch of the newly designed NBA website, http://www.niwot.com.

The website is currently in transition as businesses are updating their listings, which was made easier by a new platform.

NBA president Eric Bergeson announced that the current NBA officers, who ran unopposed, had been reelected, with Bergeson again serving as president, Deborah Read Fowler as vice-president, Nancy Bureau as secretary and Mary Coonce as treasurer.

Other positions on the executive committee of the NBA, including membership, streetscapes, education liaison, retail, and Cottonwood Square positions, are filled by appointment.

Bergeson also announced that Sarah Cioni of Belle Terre has been appointed to serve on the Niwot Local Improvement District (LID) Advisory Committee as a business representative, taking the place of Bruce Rabeler whose term ended.

Bergeson also thanked Catherine McHale for her five years of service as Economic Development Director for the NBA, noting that the job description had changed somewhat as Niwot's business district has fewer vacancies, and more events which require administrative support. McHale's position will end March 31, but she will continue to be involved with the NBA as well as serving as champion for Dancing Under the Stars, a popular Friday night summer event in Cottonwood Square. McHale will also continue her marketing business, Power & Purpose Marketing, based in Niwot.

An announcement by The Wandering Jellyfish owners Jerilyn Patterson and Carissa Mina that their planned Drag Queen Storytime had generated calls and messages from people planning to protest the event resulted in an outpouring of support for the event from the members of the business community who were present at the meeting.

It was also announced that the Boulder International Film Festival, scheduled for March 2-5, will include a film about suicide, focusing on the loss of former Niwot resident Liv Kunik, entitled "My Sister Liv."

The film is a production of The Liv Project, and is described on the website: "MY SISTER LIV reveals the realities of stigma, the struggles of mental health, and the aftermath for the survivors left behind in a suicide. As a family learns to cope with their new normal, they find hope in filling a gap around fearlessly talking about mental health and ultimately to save young lives." The film will also be shown at The Hampton Inn on March 7 and 8.