Niwot
Bandstand Construction Underway
By Bruce
Warren
Tim Wise of Wise Buys Antiques and
Ken Fucik of Twiggs aren’t content with bringing a
caboose to Niwot.
Through the Niwot Business Association (NBA),
Wise (treasurer) and Fucik (president) spearheaded
the effort to bring a caboose to Niwot as a symbol of
the town’s railroad history, as well as a sign visible to travelers on the 
In its early days, Niwot had a bandstand at the intersection of
The Niwot
Garden Club, a group of local women, was responsible for the bandstand’s
upkeep, as well as the landscaping around it.
In the 1960’s, the bandstand had to be moved to make way for development
of the property. Since there was no
public park land available at the time, it was moved to the home of one of the
Garden Club members near the intersection of
When the NBA decided to continue to
emphasize Niwot’s history, the bandstand became a
topic of discussion. Efforts to acquire
the original bandstand, which is still located in the backyard of the home,
were unsuccessful.
Wise and Fucik
turned their attention to constructing a new bandstand as a venue for community
concerts and outdoor performances.
Community First National Bank, now Bank of the West, came through with a
site for the bandstand, just as it had for the caboose. Selene Hall, Niwot branch manager of Bank of the West, arranged for the
bank to lease another portion of its property, just south of the caboose, to
the NBA as a bandstand location.
Wise recruited Niwot
resident Dan Zbozien of Building Tech Consultants,
Inc., to supervise the construction on a volunteer basis. Zbozien’s neighbor
Jerry Lizakowski and his brother Curtis helped drill
the holes for piers with a bachhoe provided by Niwot Rental and Feed at a discount. Niwot
residents Anne Olson, an architect, and Jeff Smith, a structural engineer,
also volunteered to provide consulting services. Corey Heil of Excel
Electric, Inc., has committed to help bring
electricity to the bandstand site. Boy Scout Troop 161 and scout leader Bill
O’Donnell of Donegal Homes have volunteered to help with the construction.
At press time, concrete footings had
been poured for the foundation and a trench and box for the electrical service
has been completed. “We’ll start the deck next Saturday,” Zbozien
said.
Partial funding for the bandstand project
has been obtained from an economic development grant by 
Fucik has
been busy lining up groups to perform at the bandstand for the summer
months. The NBA hopes to have an
official dedication ceremony in conjunction with the Niwot
Community Association’s 4th of July celebration.
To volunteer for the bandstand
construction, contact Zbozien at 303-652-6107 or Wise
at 303-652-2888. To volunteer to help coordinate bandstand performances,
contact Fucik at 303-652-9065.
The foundation of the new Niwot Bandstand has been poured near the Niwot Caboose. Photo by Bruce Warren
Gunbarrel
Water Project Wraps Up
By Claire
Chase
According to Kathy Peterson, general
manager of the Left Hand Water District (LHWD), the
water line replacement project in Gunbarrel Estates
that began in 2001 will be completed this spring. 
“There have been three phases for
the construction of the Gunbarrel project. Phase one
started May 2001; phase two, May 2002; phase three,
July 2004. The projects generally take two to four months to complete, with
paving following in the spring when the weather is warm,” Peterson said.
As part of a deferred maintenance
program, LHWD prioritizes which areas need new water
lines. The Gunbarrel pipes were an older part of the
system and had leaks.
“The neighborhood seems resigned to eternal
repairs,” said Sharon Vadar-Arendt, a homeowner in Gunbarrel Estates and former president of the Gunbarrel Estates Homeowners Association, “When I was
president two years ago, we were publishing which streets would be done when in
our newsletter. After a while we just stopped.”
Residents
also complained that LHWD failed to repaint
crosswalks on certain streets, as they felt the crosswalks served as a
deterrent for speeders. Despite the
complaints, Vadar-Arendt said she appreciated the
water quality. “The water here is so much better. It’s a much higher water
quality than we had in another neighborhood in Gunbarrel.”
Peterson was pleased to hear the
compliment and hoped people would not notice any negative changes. She said
that LHWD has seen an improvement in water use in the
Gunbarrel area and added that the goal of LHWD was to provide good, reliable water with sufficient
pressure.
Peterson said that the last part of
phase three, paving the final section of road, could be finished as early as
March. “The good news is that people get good quality water lines and there is
reduced water loss from leaks,” Peterson said. “And it’s almost over.”
Photo by Mary Wolbach Lopert
Left Hand
By Jennifer
Svendsen Delaney
This month, the Courier honors Niwot resident Mark Lamach for
his years of service to Niwot Youth Sports, and
specifically with baseball, by awarding him the Left Hand Laurel for February.
Lamach’s
commitment began 20 years ago, coaching his eldest son Nick’s team. He has also been Baseball Director,
Competitive Baseball Director and Commissioner for the Majors as well as
helping his wife, Rhonda, with the concession stand. He is now in his sixth
year as a board member of Niwot Youth Sports.
“Baseball is a real stress reliever for me.
The kids are important to me and I feel like I’m helping develop the
kids,” Lamach said.
While the baseball, volleyball and
basketball leagues are not directly involved with one another, the leagues’
leadership knows what’s going on in each other’s arena and share ideas. Lamach has been involved in both the recreational and
competitive sides of baseball.
Competitive baseball focuses on
players 11 to 14 years old, giving them the opportunity for a higher level of
competition. They travel extensively.
Recreational baseball has six
levels, and a seventh is being formed. It progresses from T-ball (Rookie), to
Instructional Coach/Pitch team (AA), to the Minors (AAA), the Majors, and
finally the Senior’s league. This year the NYS board accepted Janice Rebhan’s
idea to form a “bubble gum” league, which provides children and families the
opportunity to play baseball together, exposing the four and five year olds set
to the sport.
Outside of
baseball, Lamach has been a store manager for King Soopers for 28 years. He received his MBA in October and
hopes to do some college teaching on the side.
When asked
how he managed a full time management job, completing his MBA and remaining so
involved in the community, Lamach gave all the credit
to his wife. “I couldn’t have done it all with out Rhonda. She is a special
person – a wonderful mother and she does a great job!”
Mark and Rhonda celebrated their
25th wedding anniversary with a trip to
They have
two sons, Nick and Jordan. Nick lives in Niwot and
coaches junior varsity baseball for
Over the
years, many of the children who graduate from Niwot
Youth Sports return to coach or umpire, and Lamach
believes that the values that children learn from baseball will stay with them
forever.
Players learn to work as a team with
other children from diverse backgrounds, developing social skills and community
mindedness. This is established while having a lot of fun. “I get no more joy
than watching kids play baseball. You watch the kids that
struggle all year and then make a great play and that’s just the best,”
he said.
Community
is at the top of Lamach’s priorities. “We have a responsibility and a commitment to
the community. People have to step forward to be a positive role model for the
kids so that they will give back to the community. Kids deserve the best
opportunity to succeed. It takes just one person,”
Lamach
cited people like Marla Bohn who displayed a real devotion to her
Photo by
Jennifer Svendsen Delaney
Mark Lamach
By Cheri Ruskus
The new year
has brought a major change to Niwot High School (NHS). Officer Russ Nanney, the
Boulder County Sheriff Deputy who has been the Security Resource Officer (SRO)
for more than 10 years, has accepted a new position with the Resource
Protection Team for
Nanney
said he was torn about taking the new job because he enjoyed the years spent at
NHS and the relationships he built, but he was ready
to move on to new challenges.
Nanney
enjoyed getting involved with NHS activities. He went
to the school proms, acting as bartender (punch and cookies) in his street
clothes. He also found graduation a great time.
He enjoyed watching students become
young adults, although he was surprised to learn they were a little scared to
be going on to new adventures. Ultimately, most students were very comfortable
in school even with the struggles they sometimes had.
“Students
that are graduating now were new students at Niwot
Elementary when I started,” Nanney said.
Nanney
laughed as he recounted, “In the beginning parents would panic a little and say
‘What’s wrong? Why are you always there?’ Now it’s to the point of, ‘Why aren’t
you there?’”
Over the years, Nanney
has dealt with many problems, including conflict resolution between faculty and
students and, occasionally, an irate parent. He also took the time for
classroom discussion, answering questions such as why he wears a gun while in
school. (Answer: It’s because of his duties both inside and outside the
school.)
To his
credit, students became comfortable with Nanney being
around and saw him more as a person than “Sheriff Deputy.” Perhaps it was
because of his philosophy that respect is a two-way street.
The toughest part of Nanney’s job was when he would arrive at an auto accident
and find that a Niwot student was involved. There
have been a number of those over the years, some with student fatalities.
Nanney is
very grateful for the years spent in Niwot at both
the high school and the elementary school. Though he was not at
When asked
what he would like to say to the community he replied, “Thank you for your
support, Niwot, of the Sheriff’s Department. The
officers in the substation have been embraced by the community and
relationships have been built and friendships made.”
Officer
Steve Aubry has taken over the position of SRO at NHS. When asked his feelings about Aubry,
Nanney said, “He will be a fantastic replacement.”
Aubry has
spent the past three years at
School successes for Aubry include creating several effective programs at
Couples
In Business
By Claire
Chase, Ron Goodman and Cheri Ruskus
Compiled by
Many Sutyak
With Valentine’s Day approaching,
we’d like to pay tribute to those special couples who work together.
Relationships come in all shapes and sizes and for many couples the idea of
partners working together
is simply unthinkable.
However, look around our community
and you’ll see a number of businesses run by couples. We asked a few “couples
in business” to share their thoughts on working together.
Café Blue
Leslie and Kevin Middleton, owners
of Café Blue in the
As for working together, Leslie
said, so far, she has only quit twice and Kevin hasn’t fired her yet. “It’s
interesting. It’s an adjustment. It can be a challenge. I don’t think I was
prepared for the differences in our work styles. We have different approaches.
It took us a couple of months to get into sync.”
She continued, “We are learning a
lot from each other. I am so amazed by him and what he does. … When I see 18
plates … all go out perfectly, I think, ‘Wow, he is so amazing.’”
GlassMat
Gunbarrel’s
Marsha and Robert Livingston of GlassMat (the company
makes a special under-desk mat) not only work together, they work out of their
home in Gunbarrel. According to Marsha, working
together has been great. “It’s such a gender thing. For me, being together all
the time is the best thing. For him, that’s probably the worst.”
She added that there is a real
challenge when one of them has had a difficult day or is irritated with the
other “Somehow, at five o’clock when work is over, you have to drop it and get
back to your personal life. That can be tough when you’re already at home.”
Niwot Jewelry & Gifts
Jan Kahl’s
family has been in the retail jewelry business for several generations. Her
father, Owen Irby, owned Schapell’s, which was
located in the Crossroads Mall for 30 years.
“Dad trained (my husband) Vern to do
watch repair and now he does all the repair work and I do everything else,” Kahl said.
“It is a good thing my spouse is
here. Trust in this business is very important.” Kahl
added, “No, we don’t go home and talk about work.”
Chris
Finger Pianos
Barb and Chris Finger agreed that
working together can be way too much. “There is no separation,” Chris said. “We
each have an office here as well as at home. It can be a disadvantage.”
That said,
they moved quickly to a positive note. “We have traveled a lot together, many
trips to
“For some reason,” Chris mused, “our
friends think that Barb does not work.” ‘Join us for lunch’ they ask.”
“You know the boss, you can do what
you want,” Barb said with a smile. Apparently, it ain’t
necessarily so.
Creative Design Solutions
Patti and Ed Weaver are the owners
of Creative Design Solutions – Kitchen Design, located in Falcon Point in Niwot. According to Patti, working together means “… our
lives are so in sync. We find that when I am busy up to my eyeballs, so is he
and even our stress levels rise together. We support each other by listening
and venting.
“Many couples can not work together, but we
seem to handle it well with lots of communication, an occasional martini, and
lots of humor.”
Phoenix
Doctors Sid and Amber Wolf have been
working together for the past five years, three of those as the co-founders of
the
On the other hand, she said, “The
worst part would be talking too much about the business when we are at home.”
But there are perks, as witnessed by
Sid’s recent surprise birthday party. Amber said, “The clients were
co-conspirators and helped in keeping him totally surprised. The look of
surprise as he stepped into the reception area and everyone said ‘Happy
Birthday’ was priceless.”
Watch Out
For the Bubblegum League!
NYS Baseball & Softball Signups March 5 & 6
By Bruce
Warren
Boys and girls signing up for the Niwot Youth Sports (NYS)
recreational baseball and softball programs this season will notice some
changes, according to Baseball Director Janice Rebhan
and Girls Softball Director Tony Dageenakis.
One of the biggest changes is an
introductory program for children, both boys and girls, from 4 and one-half to
6 years of age, known as the Bubblegum League.
NYS formed the program due to requests from
parents for a place for younger children to learn the game. Players will have
six practices/games during an abbreviated season. “Teams will have a short
practice prior to the weekly game,” according to Rebhan.
The cost is $45.
Another change is a revision of the
league names in baseball. The Rookie
League (formerly T-Ball) is for children in kindergarten and first grade. It will include players hitting off a tee as
well as an introduction to coach-pitch baseball. Games for the eight-game
season will be played at the Monarch Park Fields. The cost for Rookie League is
$60.
The AA League (formerly known as
Coach Pitch or 89ers) is designed for second and third grade players. All
pitching is done by coaches to allow players to develop hitting, fielding and
throwing skills. Players will play a
10-game season at Monarch Park Fields and the Left Hand Grange Field. The
registration fee is $90.
The AAA League (formerly known as
Minors) introduces pitching by the players. Players ages 9-12 are eligible to
play, and must go through the evaluations to be placed on a team. The 12-game season will be played at Kevin
Ritz Field at the Warren Complex on
The Majors League is still known as
Majors, which has been the name of the league ever since NYS
changed from the Pony Baseball “Bronco” League designation in 1986. Players ages 10-12 are eligible and must go
through the evaluations to play in the league, which is the highest
recreational league for 12 & under players.
All games are played at Columbine Field at the Warren Complex on
The Seniors League is still known as
Seniors, with players ages 13-14 playing on Niwot teams entered in the Longmont Baseball League. Home games are held at Greg Hagen Field at
the Warren Complex on
All ages for baseball are determined
by the age of the player as of July 31, 2005.
NYS also
offers competitive baseball teams, known as Travel Teams, for players ages 11U, 12U, 13U and 14U. Mark Lamach
is the NYS Competitive Baseball Director. Players typically try out for the Travel
Teams in the fall or spring and are selected based upon ability. The cost for
Travel Teams varies by team and is significantly higher than the recreational
programs due to an increased number of games and tournaments.
According to new Softball Director
Tony Dageenakis, the NYS
Girls Softball Program will also participate in the Bubblegum League with the 4
and one-half to 6 year-old boys. The
program is designed to be an introductory program, with six practices/games at
a cost of $45.
The 8U Coach Pitch program is for
girls eight and under. Games involve
hitting off a tee as well as coaches pitching.
Teams play an 8-game season as part of the Indian Peaks Girls Softball
Association (IPGSA) with limited travel to
The 10U Girl Pitch program
introduces players to pitching by the players.
Girls ten and under are eligible.
Teams play a 10-game season in the IPGSA, with
limited travel. Home games are played at Monarch Fields, with an end-of-season
tournament also possible. The
registration fee is $100.
The 12U Girl Pitch program offers a
more competitive experience, although it remains a recreational league. Girls 12 and under play in
the IPGSA, with a 12-game season and a tournament at
the end. Travel is limited, and home games are played at Monarch Park
Fields. The cost is $100.
The 14U Girl Pitch program is more
competitive and is open to girls 14 and under.
The 14-game IPGSA season includes limited
travel, with a season-ending tournament. Home games are played at Monarch
Fields. The cost is $110.
The 18U Girl Pitch program is more
competitive and includes a 16-game season.
The program is part of the IPGSA and includes
limited travel. Home games are played at Monarch Fields. The registration fee is $110.
Ages for girls softball players are determined as of January 1,
2005.
Registration
for all NYS baseball and softball programs will be
held at
Player evaluations for 9-12 year old
baseball players will be held Sunday, March 13, at the Monarch Park Fields,
with 9 & 10 year-olds reporting at 12:45 p.m. and 11 and 12 year-olds
reporting at 1:45 p.m. along with any 10 year-olds wishing to try out for the
Majors program. Evaluations are held for
the purpose of balancing teams. The rain
date for evaluations is March 20, with team selection to be held March 29.
Girls
softball players and the younger baseball players do not participate in
evaluations.
A parents’ work day is scheduled for
Saturday, March 12 at Monarch Fields beginning at 9 a.m. Other events on the NYS calendar include Opening Day Ceremonies on May 1, and a Rockies Day fundraiser June 5 for the 1:05 p.m.
Courier & Ives Contest Winners
The final three winners of the
Courier & Ives Shop Niwot Contest were announced
by the Niwot Business Association (NBA).
Michelle Ping of
Luann Piccard
of Niwot also won a $100 gift certificate for
entering at the most different participating businesses, after her name was
drawn from among all participants who tied for the lead. Piccard’s shopping
destinations included The Enchanted Bookshop, Baby Cakes Boutique, Nic Nats and Niwot
Liquor.
Jessica Warren of
Over 770 entries were received by
participating Niwot merchants, who also collected
$169.50 and food items for Community Food Share.
The NBA expressed its thanks to
Kristen Mercer, Nancy Mercer and Vicki Maurer for administering the program.