LID Discusses Event Funding   November 2011
BY KIM GLASSCOCK
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Are Niwot events in and of themselves considered “informational products and materials” for the Niwot Local Improvement District? That was the question debated by members of the Niwot Local Improvement District Advisory Board at the Oct. 4 meeting.

The question came up when $3,400 in funding was requested by the Niwot Business Association for the Oct. 29 Great Pumpkin Party, the November Enchanted Evening event and the annual December holiday parade. The funds would be used primarily to pay for entertainment and venue rental, along with advertising.
LID members eventually approved the finding request, but it sparked quite a bit of discussion.

“We have directed people in the past that their funding request must be for some kind of advertising or information expenses,” said LID member Jim Eastman. “Our mandate says ‘informational products and materials for the Niwot LID.’ Do these events fall into that category?”
“In the past, these events have been considered an ‘informational product’ about Niwot,” said LID member Bruce Warren. “We defined our mandate broadly, and included events as informational products and materials. But the budget presented here for Enchanted Evening includes paying a number of musicians. Does this seem to be a gray area?”

“To me, anything that draws people to Niwot business areas is an ‘informational product’ about the Niwot LID,” said LID member Tony Santelli. “The product is to create events that bring people to town. I think we need to rethink what ‘informational products and materials’ means.”
“When we supported the Timberline Symphony, we were careful to pay for promotional materials for the symphony when it was playing in Niwot. We didn’t pay the musicians or pay expenses for the symphony,” Eastman said. “Is this similar to that kind of event?”

“We use LID funds to pay only for the advertising for the Rhythm on the Rails concerts, not the music,” LID member Lane Landrith pointed out.
“I think the event itself promotes the town and the district and is an ‘informational product’ about Niwot,” said LID member Harris Faberman.
“Right now, I think this would fall into a really gray area,” said Boulder County policy analyst Leslie Irwin, an audience member at the meeting. Irwin has been working as a facilitator with the LID as the group develops its mission, vision and strategic goals.

However, the LID may have a little more latitude in funding projects than the group expected.
In an Oct. 12 email, Irwin wrote that she talked with Boulder County attorney Larry Hoyt about the LID funding events as “informational and promotional products and materials” and what could qualify within that category.

According to Irwin, Hoyt said it is a gray area because no definition is provided in state statute, but he had “indicated that he might be comfortable with a little more breadth in the interpretation, even to the point of considering funding of music or entertainment as a promotional product for the district.”
Irwin suggested that the LID define and specify what the advisory board thinks should be included as fundable under “informational products and materials.” Once the LID has done so, she and Boulder County liaison to the LID Pete Salas can take that information to the Boulder County Commissioners for their consideration.

LID members may get some clarification for funding questions during the next legislative session.
Irwin told LID members that Colorado Counties, Inc., has thrown its support behind a second try to pass proposed legislation to broaden the use of LID funds to specifically include cultural arts and events, and allow commercial property owners to request that their property be added to an existing LID. The current statute does not include a way to add properties after the initial boundaries for a district are set and approved by district voters.

“We think this may have a good chance of passing because of the bipartisan support from Colorado Counties, Inc.,” she said.
LID members held a work group meeting Oct. 13 to discuss possible finding priorities for 2012. The group worked with three funding categories already agreed upon: infrastructure, marketing and promotions and economic development. The funding priorities will be discussed again at the LID’s Nov. 1 meeting.

Gateway Sign

The gateway monument sign project has moved forward, Historic Projects subcommittee chair Tim Wise told LID members. Contractor M Squared Garden and Home of Boulder has been selected to oversee the sign construction and installation, he said.

Wise pointed out that the 40 lb. rail portion of the sign’s design can be “tricky” to work with, but he said a Denver fabricator is willing to try a test bend to test the design’s feasibility.
“Making the curving rails for the sign is the stickler on this project,” Wise said. “But we think we have found someone who can work with the iron, and they will do a test bend soon to make sure that the rail design works.”

The cost may end up between $15,000 and $17,000 for the gateway sign, well over the original estimate of $8,500. Some of the additional cost is attributable to the sign’s unusual design, the need to raise the grade of the site and landscaping costs, Wise said.

The sign’s cost “is a fair cost,” Wise said. He researched what other municipalities are spending on gateway signs, and found that Broomfield spent $43,000 for a monument sign, while Louisville is spending $15,000 per sign for much smaller signs. “I think we are getting a pretty good price,” Wise said.
The LID has already set aside about $9,500 for the sign, and may be able to contribute more, he said. The group is also seeking 2012 Boulder County economic development grant funds for the project.

Once the test bend for the rail is completed, the project will be taken to Boulder County Commissioners for their approval. After that, it should take seven to 10 days to get approval from the Colorado Department of Transportation for the work.

Niwot Business Association

The NBA held its Oct. 11 meeting at Rocky Mountain Christian Church. The church provides a meeting place for nearly 3,000 community meetings each year, according to Pastor Darrell Hammond.

Niwot Historical Society

Businesses interested in displaying some of Niwot’s historic photos have the opportunity to lease them from the Niwot Historical Society. The photos were framed and hung as part of last spring’s exhibit about Niwot at the Longmont Museum and Cultural Center.

“We would like these photos to be out in our community to be seen, and not just kept in storage,” Dyni told NBA members.
Business owners can contact Anne Dyni by email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to arrange to lease the photos.
Dyni said the Niwot Historical Society’s kick-off to its first lecture series, given by CU Center of the American West Director Patty Limerick, was a huge success. “We had a packed house,” Dyni said.
The next lecture in the series is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 30, at the Left Hand Grange, 2nd and Franklin streets in Niwot. The lecture will feature Niwot’s railroad history.

NCAA

The Niwot Cultural Arts Association Board of Directors is hoping to expand its membership, NCAA board member Bruce Warren of Warren, Carlson and Moore told NBA members.
“We are looking for two to four more members.” Warren said. “We want to start planning a major fundraising campaign.”
Fundraising was on the minds of three Niwot High School Forensics, Speech and Debate team members. The students, Meg Thornbury, Katie Rose and Parker Fowler, spoke to the NBA about the team’s need for funding.
NBA President Tony Santelli of the Niwot Tavern agreed to meet with the students to discuss the team’s finances and ways to raise funds.