Niwot Community Association helps beautify Niwot

The Niwot Community Association (NCA) held its monthly meeting on July 12. This was the first meeting of the new schedule, with monthly meetings moving to the second Wednesday of the month, and it was held at the Left Hand Grange for the first time. The new meeting time and location worked well.

The NCA has previously paid to clear the weeds from the north side of Niwot Road at the west entrance to Niwot from the Diagonal Highway, thanks to arrangements made by board member Pat Murphy. The thin strip of ground between the sidewalk and fence has grown tall from the unusually high precipitation this spring and summer.

The ground is in the Boulder County road right of way and therefore is to be maintained by Boulder County. However, Boulder County rarely gets the weeks cleared in a timely fashion.

The NCA put in two requests to Boulder County recently. The NCA decided it will return to its prior practice of spending money to have the weeks cleared. The NCA has budgeted money to make sure the area is well-maintained. It is also coordinating an Eagle Scout project by Montana Heather to construct a Niwot welcome sign in that area.

All the precipitation has put a damper on the project to restore the mural in the Longmont-Boulder (LoBo) trail Niwot Road underpass. Warmer and dryer weather will probably allow the project to be completed in August of this year.

The board’s 4th of July parade planner, Julie Breyer, gave a recap of the parade this year. The pancake breakfast was more popular than ever, with over 1,000 people attending.

The parade was also well attended. There seemed to be more parade entries, perhaps because there were over 20 classic cars entered. One lost child was rapidly reunited with their mother thanks to the communications technology that the NCA Road Crew uses behind the scenes. The parade was another great success for Niwot and the NCA.

The Road Crew will continue working through the event season, even for events that are not sponsored by the NCA. You will see them in their orange vests and NCA hats working on the Cottonwood Concert on August 26 and the Honey Bee Festival on September 16.

The next big event on the NCA calendar is the annual National Night Out community-building campaign on Aug. 1 from 6 to 8 p.m. It is a great chance to meet local first responders and other people in the Niwot community. The Niwot site for this national event is on Murray Street between Second and Third Avenues. There will be free food, information booths from a number of organizations, safety demonstrations and equipment on display.

The NCA’s director for Trails and Open Space, Vicky Dorvee, reported on Boulder County’s Springhill bridge project this year. Dorvee said the engineering work is still ongoing and it will require final approval from the ditch company. The project is likely to get underway in the fall/winter timeframe. Dorvee reported erosion of the trail behind Niwot High School to Boulder County. In response, the county indicated it will resurface the trail this week.

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 website is http://www.niwot.org.