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The 2006 Edition Of Niwot Nostalgia Day Journeys – Yesterday…Today…Tomorrow
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By Betty Parham
For 30 years, Niwot citizens have gathered to celebrate their town and their lives at Nostalgia Day. What started out as a small, school sponsored event is now seeing a third generation participate in an annual gathering which has become an integral part of the Niwot community.
“Nobody thought it would last that long,” said Pat Murphy, one of the original organizers. “There were a couple of years that we thought it was going to fade away, but there were always people who wanted to keep it going.”
Now sponsored by the Niwot Community Association, aNostalgia Day has evolved considerably from the earlier days when it featured picnics and sack races, to an event that reflects the growth and diversity of the community.
Even though there have been many changes, memories of long ago Nostalgia Days are still fondly recalled. Pat Murphy remembered the year of the pig roast where participants feasted on a donated pig.
“Nobody knew so many people would show up. We really weren’t prepared and ended up running back and forth to the store for more supplies,” she said. The year of the pig was probably a preview of the growing popularity of the event, which now attracts well over 1000 people as opposed to a few hundred when it first began.
Murphy’s daughter, Tara, is now 29, but remembers helping clean up when she was only four. She recalled the fun of playing mud volleyball and the time there was pizza dough wrestling. “We had this wrestling ring filled with pizza dough that was donated by Dominoes,” she said.
“The kids loved it, but every parent hated it. The dough was soft and gooey and we had to throw away shoes and clothes and it took weeks to get out of your hair,” she said.
While there might not be pizza dough or mud to roll around in, this year promises to be equally enjoyable.
The theme this year is Journeys – Yesterday…Today… Tomorrow, which will put an emphasis on children and their journey into the future.
A few of the things to look forward to include a pancake breakfast, a parade, scores of vendors and food booths, a quilt show and mini flea market, children’s games and rides, magic shows, a concert by Niwot Timberline Symphony Orchestra, a bake sale, a recipe contest, games and rides, music and varied entertainment.
A very special part of the day will be a storytelling session with long time resident Donlyn Whissen telling the story of her family members who were original settlers of the area during the time of Chief Niwot.
Remember to check out the Courier’s September issue for specific times and places for these events, and remember to keep Saturday, Sept. 9 free for a great time. For more information, or to participate, contact:
- Nostalgia Day Organizer: Neal Anderson, 303-652-3099, nanderson82@comcast.net
- Parade Coordinator: Carol and Matt Forbes, 303-652- 3588
- Booth Coordinator: Gaythia Weis, 303-652-1347; Kylie Gertge-Booth: 303-702-1094
- Fund Raising: Hossein Tolooee, 720-273-4113
- Evening Events Coordinator: Neal Anderson, 303-652-3099
- Table Set-Up/Tear Down: TBD
- Traffic Control: Tony Santelli, 303-652-3888
- Advertising: Terry Larsen, 303-652-1378; Bonnie Nelson, 303-845-3101
- Children’s Games: NHS Orchestra Students as a fundraiser.
- Quilt Showcase: Emily DeCillis, 303-652-1179
- Event Application/ Insurance/Treasurer: Gary Zarlengo, 303-652-6290.
Photos courtesy of Pat Murphy and Curtis Jones
Nostalgia Day - then and now. Clockwise from top left, street dance and dinner in front of Rev. Taylor’s Restaurant; youngsters dressed for the parade; a balloon hat model; mud volleyball.
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Left Hand Laurel Dwight Wederquist
By J. Svendsen-Delaney
Dwight Wederquist, this month’s
Left Hand Laurel, is held in high regard by former students and by employees
and fellow board members at Left Hand Valley Water District (LHVWD). 
“He’s a great leader and a visionary,” said fellow LHVWD board member Craig Anderson. “He could see down the road a piece and tell you what was coming.”
Following a 10-year stint on the Niwot Sanitation board, Wederquist served on the LHVWD board for 15 years. “Term limits shoved me out,” Wederquist said with a hint of regret.
He said that he felt a sense of accomplishment serving on the board; it was gratifying to help build a reliable and fiscally responsible organization. “Not to mention that it was wonderful working with a neat bunch of people.”
Wederquist credits the LHVWD for making wise decisions as it anticipated the area’s growth. “The community has developed because water is available.” During Wederquist’s term, he convinced the organization to move into a new building, arguing that the office would be more efficient next to one of its plants.
“Dwight was a watchdog
where the budget was concerned,”
When IBM arrived in 1965, employees expressed a desire to feel more integral to the community. In a joint effort between Niwot citizens and IBM, Wederquist and friends founded the Niwot Men’s Club. The club was the driving force behind the Niwot Volunteer Fire Department and it initiated the first Niwot recreation program that offered activities for children.
Wederquist’s wife, Jean, said, “The Men’s Club tried to offer something that would appeal to every interested child.” Those activities set the precedent for the current Niwot baseball program.
Wederquist holds a masters degree in education administration from CU and an undergraduate degree in education from CSU, where he met Jean. The couple will celebrate 56 years of marriage this year. They have three grown children: Kurt, Scott, and Heidi.
After teaching four years in
Later, he worked as assistant principal at Heritage Middle School, principal at Erie elementary and, finally, principal of alternative education in St. Vrain Valley School District where he oversaw the Drop Out Recovery and Teen Parenting programs, adult education, ESL and the alternative high school.
Wederquist said of the alternative high school, “I never knew what would happen next,” adding how impressed he was with the young adults. “That’s where I learned the most about empowerment.”
After his career in public
education, Wederquist taught classes in conflict management, emphasizing
the premise that when people lose power, they lose respect and when they
feel powerless, they lash out. He started his own company offering private
conflict management and personnel mediation. Clients included school
districts, fire departments and
“He made good use of his considerable mediation skills while he served on the board,” said Kathy Peterson, LHVWD general manager. “And, he was a great mentor. He made you stand up for your ideas and express them clearly.”
Although Craig Anderson thinks
highly of the new LHVWD board president who replaced Wederquist, he said,
“Those are some big shoes to fill!”
Photo by J. Svendsen-Delany
The Wederquists,
Dwight and Jean, at their home on
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By
While the debate over diesel or electric rail cars continues, FasTracks officials announced at a series of meetings held July 11 through 13, they are now splitting the U.S. 36 Corridor Project into two separate studies.
Initially,
the project combined the Denver-Boulder-Longmont commuter rail study
with a study for intended highway improvement running along the U.S.
36 corridor from
The commuter rail study will now be called the Northwest Rail Alignment due to its proximity to the Burlington Northern Santa Fe tracks. FasTracks officials are working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to determine whether an Environmental Assessment (EA) or an Environmental Impact Study (EIS) is required.
Three reasons were given for the separation. First, the structure of the FasTracks vote in 2004 allotted or allocated funds for the rail project. Jonathan Bartsch of CDR Associates said, “That’s a committed project and will not require federal funding.” The highway developments will be eligible for federal funding.
Second, it will let officials review and measure the impact of each study separately. FasTracks representatives expect to be able to provide clearer information to stakeholders for a better understanding of the study and the project.
Finally, each project will be able to move forward with separate funding. “That’s important because, in this case, the highway improvements are not tied to the rail projects, and the rail projects are not tied to
the highway improvements.” Bartsch said.
The
Northwest Rail Alignment project would run along existing Burlington
Northern Santa Fe rail lines, call for the development of one additional
track and have eight transit stations between
Along
with separating the two studies, representatives for CDR Associates confirmed
that the property located at
Bruce Dierking is the
attorney for the property owners and clarified that while there is no remaining 911 or Intrado owned equipment remaining in the building, the building does house, “substantial communications infrastructure” including fiber optic lines that can provide sizable telecommunications capacity.
Dierking also noted, “The building was recently selected
as a finalist by a well-known international tech company looking to locate
a facility somewhere between
Representatives for the project are now working with property management firms to locate an acceptable alternative. One possible property has been identified, a mini-storage facility in the same area, and is under consideration.
Additionally,
the group has ruled out a Niwot station location, which would have been
located near
Still under consideration is a layover station to house engines and cars during off peak hours on the property located across from IBM, on the southeast corner of Hwys. 52 and 119.
For addition information about FasTracks contact Meghana Shaw of CDR Associates 303-442-7367, mshah@mediate.org. Or visit the FasTracks website at www.rtd-denver.com.
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Niwot Loop And Cottontail Trail Connection Is Official
By Mandy Sutyak
In a brief ceremony hosted
by
During the ceremony, Mike
Patton, director of Open Space for the City of
Boulder County Commissioner
Will Toor, who rode his bike to the ceremony, said the connection
demonstrated the excellent level of support the county receives from
residents and local government. He also said that the current increases
in oil prices and demands for energy conservation
will see trails and mass transit playing a greater part in our lives.
With the Niwot Trails Master Plan, a complete connection between
Gunbarrel resident Gail Fay cycled to the event. She said, “I couldn’t be more delighted. I thank everyone who put time and effort into this. We’ve waited almost three decades. This has been a dream. Now we have no excuse not to come to Niwot.”
Attendees were invited to
Niwot after the ceremony where Flowers in Bloom and Altamann Cycles
provided snacks and refreshments while La Cavasita hosted
a wine tasting.
Photo By Mandy Sutyak
The connection between the Niwot Loop and the Cottontail Trail is declared officially open. Pictured left to right are Tim Swope from Boulder County Transportation, Niwot Community Association President Neal Anderson, Boulder County Commissioners Ben Pearlman and Will Toor, Boulder County Transportation Department Director Larry Matel, and Niwot Business Association President Biff Warren.
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Pheasant Ridge Ranch Runs Out Of Options
By Betty Parham and Bruce Warren
The earthy smell of horses
still lingers at the Pheasant Ridge Ranch, even though their owners,
by order of
But another pungent scent also lingers over Colleen Seltz’s 71 acres located at
Through letters to the editor of local newspapers, e-mails and phone calls, citizens have directed their displeasure primarily at the county’s zoning bureaucracy, which they say created massive inconvenience for the horse owners, was insensitive to small business and community needs and did damage to an already diminishing Boulder County horse culture in general.
Also coming under fire was the county’s methods, which began with a single complaint by e-mail about the facility authored by someone whom no one can seem to identify.
The property is zoned for agricultural use, which contrary to most news reports, actually allows an equestrian center, defined as a facility where “15 or more different people per month, other than the owner or manager of the property, are, for a fee, trained or instructed in riding, driving, or showing horses,” as a use by right.
The code also states, “This use requires a building lot. Activities related to the use may occur on agricultural outlots which do not prohibit the activity, however no structures related to the use are allowed on the outlot. Boarding of horses is permitted.”
Therein lies the problem with the Seltz property, which is actually a 7-acre outlot, carved out and made subject to a conservation easement when the prior owners wanted to cluster development of 10 lots on an original parcel of more than 170 acres. That conservation easement, a document recorded in the real estate records, protects the property from further development, and by its terms, the outlot is not a building lot.
The regulations, developed
several years ago with input from the Boulder County Horse Association,
specifically define an “
But according to current owner Colleen Seltz, the facility had approximately 39 boarders in residence when she purchased it as a business in 2004. No violations were ever cited against the former owners.
Conspiracy theories are also beginning to percolate about the identity and the motives of the person behind the complaint, and who might want to get their hands on the property if and when the business goes under. Seltz reportedly filed for bankruptcy protection.
The Boulder Weekly, an alternative
paper in
Apparently reacting to public pressure, Graham Billingsley, who heads the Boulder County Land Use Department, used the opinion page of the Longmont Daily Times-Call to explain the county’s action.
Of the single e-mail that set off the inspection that essentially shut down the facility, Billingsley explained that Boulder County has a policy of enforcement on a complaint basis only and that the zoning enforcement mechanism can be and often is activated by a single complaint.
“When a complaint of illegal activity is brought to our attention, we have the responsibility to respond to and correct that violation. However, we do not go around looking for violations or seeking to shut down local businesses; the idea of policing the county for land-use violations is not one supported by the Boulder County Commissioners,” Billingsley wrote.
Once the county inspected the property, several land-use code violations emerged which included sheds built on conservation easement property, mobile homes without permits and other violations. On being informed of the violations, Seltz helped two families move off the property, got rid of the mobile homes and in general, tried to comply.
But because the property was subject to the conservation easement, which does not allow an equestrian center, Seltz had no other choice but to inform the owners to move the horses or face legal action from the county.
“You would think considering
all the inconvenience and the possible loss of my business that I could
at least get a hearing or some kind of appeal to ask for an exception.
After all, this is supposed to be
Indeed,
The only way Seltz could get a pubic hearing would be to disobey the land use department notice of violation and force the county to take her to court. She chose instead to inform her borders who went about the task of finding other facilities and removing their horses.
There was a hearing of sorts on July 19, when Graham Billingsley agreed to meet with Seltz, the horse owners and other supporters at the ranch.
About 70 people showed up to fire questions at Billingsley about the situation. What was apparent was that most of them could not understand why such a popular facility couldn’t stay open in spite of complicated land use laws and a single anonymous complaint.
“My responsibility is to enforce the law. I can’t change the law. Only county commissioners can change the law.” Billingsley said.
Perhaps Suzanne Webel,
president of the Boulder County Horse Association, best sums up the episode.
“Everybody is a little bit right and everybody is a little bit wrong
in the whole sad story,” she said. “Buyers need to read the fine
print, especially regarding zoning and land use regulations whenever they consider
purchasing property in
“Horses and horse people
are responsible for preserving a lot of agriculture and open space in
Simple enough, but the only possibility that remains to keep the facility open would be for Boulder County Commissioners to change the land use code regulations concerning equestrian centers to allow such activity on land which is not designated as a building lot.
There was a hearing of sorts on July 19, when Graham Billingsley agreed to meet with Seltz, the horse owners and other supporters at the ranch. About 70 people showed up to fire questions at Billingsley. Many offered creative loopholes in the code that might allow the facility to remain open. Among the ideas presented was the possibility of forming a co-op, but it wasn’t clear if that would solve the problem. Seltz said she would look into the idea, but was not hopeful.
What was apparent was that most could not understand why such a popular facility couldn’t stay open in spite of complicated land use laws and a single anonymous complaint. “My responsibility is to enforce the law. I can’t change the law. Only county commissioners can change the law.” Billingsley said.
In a late development, Boulder County Commissioners again heard from Seltz, who has filed for bankruptcy, and others about the personal and economic impact of the ranch’s closing. The Commissioners acknowledged that the Pheasant Ridge situation was a unique one and noted that few complaints have been made regarding the zoning laws which prevent the ranch from being run as a business.
Michelle Krezek, projects manager for the land use department, proposed discussing possible changes to the land use code, which is currently being restructured.
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Computer Corner
By Donna Currie
If the title is a little confusing, I guess I should explain that “Vista” is the name of Microsoft’s newest operating system (OS), due for release…soon(er)…or later.
The problem with any new operating system is that there are always bugs that need to be worked out, not only with the OS itself, but with the things that you use with it.
Most people have peripherals that they’d like to keep using, like cameras or printers, and for those things to run with the new OS, manufacturers need to write “drivers.”
Drivers, simply explained, are bits of software that tell the computer how to use the hardware. For your old printer to work with a new OS, it needs new software so the computer knows the printer is indeed a printer and not just a hunk of junk on the end of a cable.
Programs
might also need some updates to work with
So,
the more cautious consumers might want to wait just a little while before
they leap into
Others
of us, however, have installed beta (test) versions of
To
test
What’s the use of testing something if all the features aren’t enabled? More boxes, a few new parts, and I had a fully functional computer that crashed with amazing regularity.
More parts. By this time, I had two computers assembled and
The
final release of
If
you bought a computer with XP installed, if it’s not currently
a top-of-the-line system, plan on upgrading at least some hardware for
So,
is it worth it? There are three major differences that I’ve noticed,
right off the bat. First, it’s pretty. XP looked gaudy and cartoonish to me.
Second, installing new hardware has changed. In a way, it’s smarter, but it also gives the user a little less control…which might not be the worst thing. I’ve seen a few computers messed up when people have forcefully installed incorrect drivers.
Third, the system is more security-aware. If you start to change certain things, the screen dims and a box pops up asking if this is really you trying to make these changes.
The constant pop-ups were a little maddening, but once it was configured, the questioning stopped. I guess this feature is intended to keep people from meddling where they could damage the software, and also to warn the user if a virus is trying to change things on its own.
But really, it’s a little like having your stove warn you that you could burn yourself. And do you really want to turn that burner on?
People
who seldom mess with system settings won’t be bothered by this
feature very often, so perhaps it’s a good thing. We’ll see.
And I’m told that “under the hood”
That’s definitely a good thing.
The last big difference is the same as with every OS upgrade Microsoft has done. Some familiar things have moved from one place to another, changed, or disappeared. New things have been added. Yawn.
As far as whether I’ll like
Don’t
worry, there’s plenty of time for me to prepare. I’ll be
ready when you break your shiny new
Donna
Currie owns B.C. Computer, a repair service and more. For repairs, just
drop your computer off at Longmont Printing, 628 S. Sunset.
For
more information call 303-651-7433 or email donna@computertoyz.com. Got
a technical question? Just send an email. No charge, no obligation.