Niwot Community Association Membership Day and Cleanup Day in the works

The Niwot Community Association (NCA) board held its monthly meeting at the Left Hand Grange hall on Feb. 14. Membership Director Johnny Barrett reported that a membership drive will begin soon. The manager of the NCA's annual Cleanup Day, John Barto, reported that planning is very nearly finished, with all contacts made, approvals in place and a date of May 18 set.

These two activities are related because the cost for non-members of the NCA to drop off yard waste, scrap metal, some types of electronics and some kinds of mattresses on Cleanup Day in May would pay for a membership.

The board is continuing to hear from members after the Niwot Local Improvement District Advisory Committee's (LID) presentation in January about the Niwot Master Plan. Eighteen people have sent in feedback, which will be forwarded to the LID as it continues its outreach process. NCA members are welcome to send feedback via email to [email protected].

Concern has been expressed regarding the Niwot Sanitation District fee increase to pay for the new Wastewater Treatment Plant. NCA President David Limbach reported that he had a conversation with Jim Jones, President of the Board of Directors of the district, to find ways to help communicate the changes to the NCA membership. The district's notification methods include direct mail and email to customers. A fact sheet from the district is now posted on the NCA website.

Limbach is also the leader of the NCA's volunteer Road Crew, which deploys signage and manages traffic for most of the events held in Niwot that require road closures. Limbach reported there were more such events than usual last year, which led to some burn-out among the Road Crew. The board is considering ways to increase participation in the Road Crew so that the labor is spread more widely. The plan will likely be formalized at the March NCA meeting.

Adhering to the strategy that board members focus on topics of interest to the community for 2024, Pat Murphy took up some of the land use issues that could impact Niwot. One is the proposed Tennis Center of the Rockies to be developed on 79th Street north of Lookout Road. Murphy has attended meetings related to the proposed tennis facility in order to learn more about the project and the opposition to it. She reported to the board that the land is zoned agricultural but there are a number of activities which can be undertaken on agricultural land through Special Use Review that might surprise people.

Another land use project Murphy mentioned is a proposed gas station at the intersection of CO 119 ("the Diagonal") and CO 52 (Mineral Road). QuikTrip Corporation bought a 4.8-acre parcel on the northeast corner of that intersection in December of 2023 for $3.6 million. It is not clear what will happen when CO 52 is relocated farther to the south of the CO 119 intersection as part of the CO 119 Safety and Mobility Project.

Jeff Knight is the NCA's representative on the LID advisory committee. Knight gave a report on the LID's latest meeting and the continuing work on building a pedestrian underpass for the northeast lane of the Diagonal at Niwot Road (and possibly also under the railroad tracks). Knight pointed out that without safety improvements for the Diagonal and Niwot Road intersection, that intersection could soon go from being the second most dangerous intersection in Boulder County to the most dangerous. There are three candidate routes for the underpass and the LID is working to narrow down the choices.

The discovery of graffiti on the sidewalk and bridge near the LoBo trail underpass mural prompted the NCA's Trails and Open Space Director, Vicky Dorvee, to contact Boulder County. A Boulder County Parks and Open Space crew quickly responded and remediated the graffiti on the same day it was reported.

The public is welcome at all monthly board meetings and can contact the NCA if they are interested in volunteering. Board meetings are held on the second Wednesday of the month at 7 p.m at the Left Hand Grange hall. Anyone wishing to speak or having a specific issue to discuss should contact the NCA board at least one week in advance of the meeting to be included on the agenda. Opportunities and information can be found at the NCA website https://niwot.org/.