LID approves 6 of 7 funding requests

The Niwot Local Improvement District Advisory Committee (LID) met Tuesday, Sept. 5, at the Niwot Inn, and approved six out of seven funding requests, all submitted by the Niwot Business Association.

Kate Head of Pebble Art Jewelry presented a funding request for Out and About, a one-day event, now in its second year, designed to allow "all businesses to showcase their services and products in a fun way all around town," according to the application. The event is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 23, with live music and carriage rides between downtown and Cottonwood Square.

The funding request, which included $550 for musicians, $860 for carriage rides, and the balance of $1175 for advertising and promotion, was approved unanimously, with the NBA contributing $500 toward the total cost.

Pat Murphy of Niwot Real Estate-Compass presented a request for Niwot's Great Pumpkin Party on Oct. 28, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The application describes the Party as "a family event for over 25 years that is a tradition in Niwot," with Murphy, who has championed the event since its inception, estimating 1,000 people will attend.

Children are invited to dress in costume and trick or treat at Niwot businesses along 2nd Avenue and in Cottonwood Square. Included in the fun are hay rides, a petting zoo, live music, a magic show and a dog costume contest.

A parade, from the parking lot at Left Hand Corner to the intersection of 2nd Avenue and Murray Street, starts at 11:30 a.m. The LID unanimously agreed to approve the request to fund $5,700 of the $7,500 cost of the event.

Another Halloween-themed event, the Niwot Pumpkin Walk, was also approved for funding. Deb Fowler of Slifer Smith & Frampton realtors presented the request for the fourth year of the event. "We would like... to kick start holiday shopping early, and encourage people to frequent the businesses," she wrote in the application. "The concept is we issue 100 Pumpkin Passports (one per household) and a shopping bag." She explained that participants will go to participating stores and get their passport stamped, and will receive a small pumpkin-themed gift. Those who make purchases from at least four different businesses, and provide receipts, will enter a drawing for prizes.

Fowler said, "This is one of the events we can capture good data [from] when they check in and return the passes. We ask at check in how they found out about the event, do they know about future events, did they holiday shop, do they know about Holiday Magic."

She reported that last year, all 100 passports were picked up, 58% were from Niwot, 24% were from Longmont, and the remaining 18% were from neighboring towns. Twenty of the passports were completed, with total sales from those passports at over $4,000. The average participant reported visiting four new places. "It's amazing how many people walk into a store for the first time," she said.

This year, Fowler reported that there are 16 businesses signed up to participate, and she would like to add a restaurant element. The funding request included $1,855.19 for 16 different gift items, as well as marketing and advertising, for a total cost of $4,327.19, of which the NBA will contribute $500. The request was unanimously approved.

The next request was funding for Niwot Holiday Magic, consisting of four events in late November and early December. Niwot Holiday Magic will include Enchanted Evening on Nov. 24, the Holiday Parade on Nov. 25, then a holiday market including a holiday fayre in the Left Hand Grange on Dec. 2 and Dec. 9.

WINC, a non-profit organization, will no longer run the holiday fayres, but will be a participant with a bake sale. "New this year is that we are incorporating a luminaire walk into Enchanted Evening whereby 1,000 luminaires will be put all around town...to visually show connectivity between Cottonwood Square and 2nd Avenue," Fowler wrote in the application.

Fowler reported that up to 70 businesses plan to participate in the parade, and that they are considering extending it to end in Cottonwood Square rather than at Left Hand Corner. Santa Claus is expected to appear at all four events. The total cost of the events was reported to be $16,532.26, with the NBA contributing $500 toward the cost.

Included among the cost estimates were $1,400 for graphic design, $816.66 for candy canes, $720 for luminaries, $3,100 for horse and carriage rides, $1,500 for a visitor from the north, $3,800 for carolers and music at the Grange, and $1,350 for rental of the Grange. LID members questioned whether carolers might be available from Niwot High School or local churches, but organizers responded that the high school students were too busy and churches were not able to supply singers. The request was unanimously approved.

The next funding request was broken into two parts - funding for existing holiday lighting, and funding for additional holiday lighting. The NBA plans to use Colorado Christmas Lighting again this year. The company owns the lights that have been installed in the past, with the exception of the snowflake lights, which the NBA owns.

The funding request for existing lighting increased slightly, due to inflation and the fact that trees to be lighted have grown. The request of $8,872.59 was unanimously approved.

The second part of the lighting request was for $3,125 to add additional lighting in the taller trees of the sculpture park area, according to Angela Hudgins, who presented the request. The proposal was to have Colorado Christmas Lighting install the additional lighting, which Hudgins described as creating a starburst effect.

After considerable discussion, LID member Heidi Storz said, "I think maybe we don't spend the additional $3,000. I think long-term we definitely want to do this."

Most LID members could not recall the last time the advisory committee did not unanimously approve a funding request, but after a motion to approve by Keith Waters, and a second by Eric Bergeson, the motion failed on a 5-3 vote, with Waters, Bergeson and Scott Firle supporting the motion, and Sarah Cioni, Jeff Knight, Lisa Rivard, Mary Coonce and Storz voting against it. LID member Cornelia Sawle was not in attendance.

The meeting ended with approval of funding for the purchase of customized reusable shopping bags, to be distributed at various Niwot events. Hudgins presented the request, and noted that it was part of Niwot's Zero Waste effort to get rid of plastic bags. The funding request of $1,745 of the $2,245 cost was approved, with the NBA covering the additional $500 of the cost. Storz suggested that the artwork on the bags be designed to build the Niwot brand. Rivard noted that the bags could become collector's items.

In other business, the LID approved moving the October meeting to Oct. 17 at 7 p.m., with an eye toward the planned Nov. 9 meeting of all Niwot organizations at the Grange, when work on the Master Plan effort will be presented and discussed.

The Treasurer's report by Coonce noted that sales tax collections through June, 2023, were down by 2.1% over 2022. The LID has approved funding in excess of the beginning budget, which is set at 80% of actual collections from 2021.