RMCC Addresses Expansion Concerns
Church’s Primary Purpose Expansion, While Serving As Community Center
By Claire Chase
The day after Rocky Mountain Christian Church (RMCC) filed its building expansion plans with the Boulder County Land Use Department, an exuberant Rick Thielen, the church’s business administrator, said, “The plan is officially in play.”
Before submitting its application, the church met with the Niwot Community Association (NCA) and the Quiet Retreat Homeowners Association to address community concern about the church’s planned expansion.
Thielen said one of the biggest issues was the direct competition between the church’s sports programs and Niwot Youth Sports. “That is not our intent by any means. We are confident there are enough kids out there to fill two quality programs. Our intent is to support the community, not compete against it,” Thielen said.
Traffic congestion, especially on Niwot Road, has also been a community concern. According to Thielen, a traffic study commissioned by RMCC found that about 20 percent of cars entering the complex were coming from Niwot Road. The remaining 80 percent were coming from 95th Street.Thielen stated that plans include incorporating a “cue line” around the perimeter of parking lots so members can get into and out of the complex quickly and traffic can line up on church property instead of on public roads.
“We want to encourage most everyone to come in from 95th Street,” said Thielen. He added that the church would pay for any widening of roads. He explained that RMCC addressed concerns of Quiet Retreat homeowners by meeting with them several times to hear, in particular, how residents felt about land usage plans just to the east and to the north of the subdivision.
Thielen said it was important to the church to understand what Quiet Retreat residents thought of the church’s plans, and for the church to take into consideration residents’ suggestions for improvement.
“We postponed the application for 30 days to address concerns,” Thielen explained. “We asked ‘What can we do to mitigate parking issues?’”
Original plans were adjusted to accommodate concerns. Thielen said, “We want to be great neighbors. We have been and will continue to be that.”
The area just east of Quiet Retreat was originally slated for sports fields. Theilen said, “Quiet Retreat did not like being surrounded by noise,” and he noted that the obvious choice was to put an overflow parking lot in that space. The Niwot High School sports fields border the subdivision to the west.
The plans now show a parking lot 10 feet below the existing grade, with berms from property lines in Quiet Retreat to the edge of the drive. The berms are to include trees a minimum of eight feet in height.
“The west parking will actually be closed off during the week. The only time we would need it would be on Sunday mornings and for large concerts on an occasional Friday night,” said Thielen. Parking spaces are at an angle so “headlights are aimed away from Quiet Retreat in the overflow lot,” said Thielen. “And lights are on a separate circuit.”
The plan for the RMCC complex’s northern most property, which includes five acres of baseball fields purchased from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is to make it part of a conservation easement on which no building would be built.
“We realize it’s big. We are really trying to minimize impact,” said Thielen. “It is designed to be sharp. We want it to be inviting to people. Every building has been designed on an angle with a view of Longs Peak.”
RMCC membership has grown steadily in the 20 years it has existed. “The primary purpose is the expansion of the church,” explained Thielen. “But we want this to be a community center. It is the intention of the church to make the buildings available to the community (non-profits) free of charge.”
Last year about 1000 community events were held at RMCC. It is the largest venue of its kind in the area. It is also an evacuation center for the Red Cross and for local schools. Groups like the Boulder Symphony hold weekly rehearsals and concerts in its auditorium.
“I’m trying to think of where some of those groups would meet if we didn’t exist,” said Thielen. “We want to have a positive impact on the community – for it to be a pleasing, welcoming church and community center.”
MVFPD Election Results
By Claire Chase
Election results from Mountain View Fire Protection District (MVFPD) ballot issues resulted in two new directors on the fire district board and a failed attempt at a mil levy increase.
Incumbent Starr E. Aldrich Jr. was not returned to office. The newly elected directors are Randolph J. Winsett of Mead and Stephan E. Walker of Niwot. Stephen Pischke, information officer for MVFPD, attributed the overwhelming vote against the mil levy increase to “inaccuracies” in letters that circulated around the Niwot community. “We were disappointed that those type of inaccuracies had that kind of effect and that that type of activity took place,” said Pischke.
The idea that there was “nothing in it for Niwot was totally inaccurate. Had it been voted in, there would have been one extra person at the station in Niwot,” said Pischke.
It had been reported that there were enough volunteers from Niwot to make the increased mil levy unnecessary, but Pischke explained that there are no volunteers from Niwot.
Currently, there are two career personnel working at the Niwot Station. A third firefighter would have allowed utilization of the engine at the station. Safety restrictions prevent the engine from being operated by a two-person team.
The MVFPD is now considering all the options without increased funding. “Now we are in the process of looking at all the different ways that we will change the way we operate. We have to look at ways to reduce overtime. We are not sure how we are going to do that yet,” said Pischke.
Idell Leinweber Captured Niwot’s Past In Photographs
by Jennifer S. Delaney
As Idell Leinweber and I watched a train pass through Niwot
from her living room window, I was struck by the nostalgia it evoked – a
feeling of an era gone by, and yet, while the train no longer stops here with
deliveries, its passage bridges us to the past.
Photo albums lying open on Leinweber’s kitchen table remind us of a vivid history including settlers, gold miners and sugar beet farmers determined to create a thriving community. Because she documented so much of Niwot’s past and is so willing to share, the Courier has made Leinweber June 2004’s Left Hand Laurel.
Leinweber has lived in Niwot all of her life. Her grandparents are buried in the Niwot cemetery and her two sons attended the local public schools. She kept an informal record throughout her lifetime, capturing events such as the demolition of the old school built in 1910 when it was razed to make room for the eastbound lane of the Diagonal Highway.
“I just grabbed my camera and jumped on my bicycle and got there in time to take a few pictures,” said Leinweber.
She witnessed Niwot’s growth and its changes, eventually becoming an official record keeper of its history. In 1986, when the Niwot Historical Society was established, Leinweber became its first secretary and later served as president.
Leinweber’s paternal grandfather, Thomas Kneale, arrived from the Isle of Man in 1872. After his brother-in-law gambled away the family’s property rights and fortune, Kneale and his brother, Charlie, decided to make a new start in the United States.
The day after they arrived in New York City, they overheard a conversation in a restaurant, “Colorado is the place to go!” This testimonial determined their destination.
Kneale opened a lumber business in Eldorado Springs and, later, a wagon freighting service in Niwot. He is known to have transported the first bar – mirrors and all – to Leadville after it arrived in Denver on a train. A seemingly impossible feat, he hired several Fort Collins college students to sit on the back of the wagon to hold the corners to keep the bar from tipping.
Thomas Kneale married Georgeanna Hatfield, who had come from Illinois to Niwot in a covered wagon drawn by a team of oxen when she was two years old. Leinweber’s father, Charles Albert Kneale, born in 1890, was one their of 14 children.
Leinweber’s mother, Idell McKee, was born in Mississipi in 1894. When she contracted tuberculosis, she decided to pursue drier air and joined one of her brothers, a minister bound for a new church in New Mexico.
Later, she moved to Boulder with a sister who was accepted at Colorado University and McKee landed a job teaching at the Niwot School. McKee recovered from tuberculosis, met and married Kneale, and in 1924 gave birth to Idell, their only child. Leinweber commented that she just celebrated her 80th birthday.
Leinweber was getting a ride to high school from a friend when she first learned the name of her future husband. She climbed into the car and picked up a notebook that was lying on the seat. “Chuck Leinweber” was written all over the front of the notebook.
“Who is this?” Leinweber asked her friend, who explained that Chuck was a new boy in town. Chuck’s family had emigrated from Russia in 1937, and he was Idell’s first date.
After they married, Chuck and Idell moved to a small farm and raised their sons. The oldest was born while Chuck was overseas during WWII. Idell worked at Rocky Flats for 15 years, receiving and tracking classified records. “And, I don’t glow in the dark!” she said.
As for the Niwot Historical Society, few people know that the first attempt to organize it failed when, after mail requesting information, only one form was returned.
Leinweber, currently the society’s treasurer, regrets that before they made their second attempt, a number of residents died so their stories are lost forever.
For the second try, Niwot resident Jane Langdon took it upon herself to hand-deliver the forms and assist in their completion. She also made several tape recordings of her meetings with longtime Niwot residents.
The donated photos in the society’s collection have now been labeled and indexed. The photo collection includes a number of photos of Second Avenue, including many of Nelson Hall, home to the current Grange and, likely, the first building on main street.
Leinweber explained that John Nelson paid to have the building constructed in 1907 to accommodate the meetings of Independent Order of Odd Fellows, as well as other secret societies, but when he died, a bitter dispute over ownership ensued. Ultimately, associates of the Grange took over the building.
Leinweber’s husband, Chuck, passed away four years ago. When he was alive, the couple took pleasure in traveling around America, and on their journeys, they gathered rocks of all kinds. “We were real rock hounds.” said Leinweber.
Chuck sliced the pieces that Idell accented with paint: a trout on selenite or a coyote on agate. She is also a lapidary artist, creating pendants from the rocks, and she enjoys oil painting.
Her artistic work is displayed around her home, next to photographs of her children, five grandchildren and seven great grandchildren. Her current home, near the new post office, was built in 1969. She shares her space with two personable cats, named Peggy and Sally.
Local historian Anne Quinby Dyni, author of a number of books about Niwot and Boulder, also has ancestors from the Isle of Man. She credits Leinweber’s historic efforts: “Idell’s determination to preserve Niwot history has resulted in an impressive collection of historic newspapers and photographs. These are priceless research tools!”
Leinweber offers tours of Niwot to a variety of individuals and organizations, including the Girl and Boy Scouts of America. Copies of the Niwot Tribune and Niwot Weekly News dating to the early 1900’s can be purchased from the society for $1. Postcards are 50 cents.
Left Hand Water District Election Results
By Mariah Hall
Left Hand Water District (LHWD) held its regular election on May 4. Directors for districts four, five, and six were up for election.
Corey Heil ran unopposed for director of district four. A Niwot High School graduate, Heil helped to found Excel Electric in 1986.
Bo Shaffer emerged as the winner of a three-way race for district five. Shaffer earned 70 votes. His opponents Phil Erwin and Marvin Hanel trailed with 52 and 39 votes respectively. Shaffer will bring his years of experience as a board member of the Shannon Water District to LHWD. Lifetime resident Paul Schlagel ran unopposed for director of district six.
After the election, two long-standing board members left LHWD. Former President Brian Burnett and former Vice President Craig Anderson dedicated many years of service to the organization.
On the condition of LHWD, Anderson remarked, “I have never felt better about the district. We are in great shape, and the future is bright.”
Currently, LHWD has no restrictions on water usage. “We ask people to conserve, but we don’t have anything official right now,” said election judge Kim Lane.
As to future water restrictions, Lane observed that it is “hard to say.” Hopefully, these favorable conditions will persist throughout the summer months.
LHWD recommends watering at night and in the early morning when the air is cooler and wind is minimal. LHWD also suggests setting mowing height to two-and-a-half to three inches.
For updates on water restrictions, drought conditions, and more tips for conserving water, visit the LHWD website at lefthandwater.dst.co.us or call LHWD at 303-530-4200.
This Is Now – Class of 2004
Photo by Mary Wolbach Lopert
Front Row (l to r) Bryan Barnsley, Hayley Parker, Sarah Zaslow, Stephanie Butler, Lauren Ruth, Julie Strecker, Matial Guilott. Second Row (l to r) Hilary Faulk, Michelle Haggerty, Kim Gerhardt, Stephanie Wilson, Kendall Page, Andy Freas, Nikki Berson, Laura Fox, Robin Carpenter, Spencer Biddle, Brian Ford, Tyson Muffly, Josh Arters. Third Row (l to r) Ainsley Volinsky, Callie Maguire, Austin Mills, Kevin Martinsen, Lewis Johnson, Zach Ross, Ben Wright, Bill Mikulak, Joel Keesy, Kevin Gzym, Ross Mottram, Sean McCudden, Andy Hill. Absent: Stephen Zaharris, Scott Mercer.
By Bruce Warren
Niwot High Baseball coach Bob Bote has a problem-what to do with a stockpile of hats that became outdated when Niwot won its fourth state baseball championship. At the beginning of the season, Bote ordered hats with the Roman numeral “IV” stitched on the back. Now he needs a new batch to sell to boosters with a “V” instead of a “IV.”
The “IV” was a constant reminder of the team’s goal, to win state for the fourth time. Niwot took state three years in a row, in 1998, 1999 and 2000. But not since.
All that ended when senior Mike Zarlengo got the third Broomfield out in the seventh inning on a strikeout to close out a 9-6 win in the state title contest. Players dogpiled on the field, where they were soon joined by a throng of NHS students. When the dust cleared, Niwot players hoisted the class 4A state championship trophy.
Everyone in the lineup contributed, but Zarlengo got the huge chocolate-chip cookie as player of the game for his gutsy performance on the mound. On a day when he didn’t have his best stuff, Zarlengo battled through all seven innings for the victory. He had trouble getting loose early in the game, and often left the ball up in the strike zone.
Niwot scored twice in the first inning, with Sean Ratliff driving in Jordan Dame and Layne McBride with a line shot off the pitcher’s foot. Veteran Niwot fans recalled the 1998 title game when Eric Larson led off with a homerun to set the stage for Niwot’s first crown, a 14-0 win over Broomfield behind then-sophomore pitcher Mike Moat, now playing professionally in the White Sox organization.
But this time, Niwot did not have it so easy. The Cougars scored a run in the third for a 3-0 lead. Catcher Lewis Johnson, who some umpires have described as the best receiver they’ve ever worked behind, had trouble stopping some of Zarlengo’s pitches, which led to two unearned Broomfield runs in the third inning. Johnson came back in the top of the fifth with a two-run double to give Niwot a 7-2 lead.
Then in the bottom of the fifth, Zarlengo thought he had a strikeout for the third out. When he didn’t get the call, Broomfield’s batter hit a low line drive over the left-field fence for a three-run homer, closing the gap to 7-5. Bote had pitcher Matt Hawley and catcher Dylan Tumblin warming up in the bullpen if Zarlengo struggled in the sixth, but after being told it would be his last inning, Zarlengo suddenly found his fastball and sailed through the inning.
Sean Ratliff, who pitched five innings the day before, was ready to go in the seventh, but Bote consulted with pitching coach Roger Fisher, then decided to leave Zarlengo in to pitch the last inning. He sent senior Jimmie Bowron to the bullpen to get loose just in case.
Broomfield hit the ball hard in the seventh, scoring once to close the gap to 9-6, but Zarlengo seemed to reach back for something more. Broomfield hit a wicked shot at second baseman Layne McBride, who backhanded the ball on a short hop and threw to first baseman Dillon Boveri for the first out.
With one on, Zarlengo got a ground ball for a force out by shortstop Jordan Dame. With the fans on their feet, and the dugout ready to rush the field, Zarlengo made short work of the last Broomfield hitter, ending the game on a swinging strikeout on a high fastball.
Dame scored three times for Niwot, while Ben Wright and Kevin Gzym each scored once with what proved to be important runs. The Cougar defense, which had been stellar all year, committed five errors, including some tough calls on the bases.
The first base umpire ruled a Broomfield runner safe when first baseman Thomas Bauer fielded a weakly hit grounder and flipped to Zarlengo covering first. The News4 cameraman on top of the Niwot dugout checked his video, the next best thing to instant replay and wondered aloud how the runner could be called safe. Earlier in the game, the call went the other way when a Niwot runner was called out at first, with the “replay” indicating the first baseman had pulled his foot off the bag.
Broomfield’s 11 hits included some “seeing-eye” grounders, just out of reach of third baseman Mike Harpe and first baseman Bauer.
But when things mattered most, Niwot came up with the defensive plays needed. Besides McBride’s seventh inning stop, he and Dame turned a nifty double play with Bauer to get our of an inning. And Johnson threw out a runner trying to take third on a pitch which went all the way to the screen, ending another Broomfield threat.
None of the current crop of players were in high school when Niwot won in 2000, but the connection continues. The Niwot fan support was overwhelming, numbering well over 1000, while the Broomfield contingent paled in comparison. Former players on hand during Niwot’s run at state this year included Matt Cooper, Luke Kingsley, Mike Warren, Pat Perry, Mike Olsen, Joel Lahman, Spencer Crosser, Bryce Knowlton, and John Hake.
Hake was the hero of Niwot’s come-from-behind 7-6 win over Central of Grand Junction in 2000, laying down a suicide squeeze bunt with the bases loaded to score Zac Bellinger with the winning run in the final inning.
This time, Hake’s younger brother, Joe Hake, missed having a chance for a suicide squeeze by one batter. This time it was Clint Stapp who bunted home courtesy runner Nick Stockwell with an insurance run on a suicide squeeze in the top of the seventh. Joe Hake was hit by a pitch, an art his older brother perfected, and reached third before being stranded.
Junior Michael Perry, who filled in admirably as catcher earlier in the season when Johnson and Tumblin were unavailable, is the younger brother of Pat Perry from the 1999 and 2000 squads. The elder Perry is now the catcher and clean-up hitter at the University of Northern Colorado.
The Cougars have so many talented players, it was hard to find roster spots and playing time for all of them. Brian Lux, a junior pitcher who split time between JV and varsity, was out with a broken foot, the one he pitched through for most of the season. Like Hake, he had an older brother, Steve, who played on the 2000 championship team. Tim Naiman, another player who split time, was unable to get out of school at Longmont Christian to play during the week. All in all, Niwot had 20 different players participate in varsity games, with another set of talented athletes waiting their turns at the JV and C team levels.
While the Cougars lost 11 seniors, juniors Sean Ratliff (P-OF), Clint Stapp (OF), Thomas Bauer (1B) and sophomore Mike Harpe (3B) return from the starting lineup. Juniors Nick Stockwell (OF), Michael Perry (C) and Kyle Spencer (P-OF) from the playoff roster give Niwot reason to hope for a return trip next year.
Golf Course Rating
By John Alderson
Editor’s Note: John Alderson has been a volunteer for the Colorado Golf Association (CGA) for seven years. He is one of the lead raters, meaning he is in charge of some individual course ratings and is responsible for inputting the data into the USGA (United States Golf Association) software program. He is also on the CGA course rating review committee ensuring consistency and fairness statewide and is a trained on-course official and course marker for the CGA.
Golf courses are given both course and slope ratings to facilitate calculation and portability of individual handicaps. Players want to have a handicap that accurately reflects their skill level and to be able to take that handicap to other courses and to be able to compete in handicap tournaments on an even basis with golfers of varying skill levels. In order to establish accurate and consistent handicaps, an accurate and consistent rating system is required.
The current system used by the USGA and its affiliate organizations, such as the CGA and the Colorado Women’s Golf Association (CWGA), to determine course and slope ratings for golf courses in the United States is called the Slope System. The Slope System was implemented by the USGA on Jan. 1, 1987 with several modifications since then.
Rating a course requires that trained personnel measure the course, making adjustments to the measured yardage for factors that affect the playing length, including roll, changes in elevation, forced lay-ups, doglegs, prevailing wind and altitude. Once the course is accurately measured, any and all obstacles that may affect the playing difficulty are evaluated in accordance with established standards. These standards help reduce the subjectivity involved in the rating process, but do not eliminate it.
Each teeing ground is rated based on the performance of both a scratch and a bogey golfer. A “scratch player” is defined by the USGA as “an amateur player who plays to the standard of the stroke play qualifiers competing in the U.S. Amateur Championship.” The male “scratch player” hits his drive an average of 250 yards and can reach a 470-yard hole in two shots, all at sea level.
A male “bogey player” is a golfer “with a USGA handicap Index of 17.5 to 22.4 who hits a tee shot an average of 200 yards and can reach a 370-yard hole in two shots.” The CWGA has corresponding shot lengths for women “scratch” and “bogey” golfers.
The USGA Rating Guide, an on-course book used by raters, gives adjustments to these shot lengths based on altitude. At 5000 feet above sea level, the scratch golfer hits his tee shot 268 yards, and the bogey golfer hits his tee shot 216 yards. These shots may seem like short driving distances to us, and we all know people who hit the ball much further than this, but keep in mind that the objective of the rating system is to provide a consistent rate compared to other courses in the country. The only way to do this is to use a consistent, unchanging definition of both a scratch and a bogey golfer.
Obstacles are evaluated at the landing area for each golfer playing from each tee. With four or five potential teeing grounds on each hole, this can result in a large number of obstacle evaluations. To minimize the number of necessary evaluations, if the center of one teeing ground is within 25 yards of the center of the default teeing ground, the default obstacle evaluations are used for both.
Obstacles evaluated include topography, fairway, green target, rough and recovery, bunkers, out of bounds/extreme rough, water, green surface, trees and psychological. Proximity of the obstacles to each landing area as well as the effect the obstacle has on the shot to the landing area are evaluated.
A sophisticated USGA computer program is used to give relative weights to the obstacle ratings and to calculate the course and slope ratings for each teeing ground. The course rating represents a measure of the difficulty of the course to a “scratch” golfer, while the slope rating represents how much more difficult it will be for a “bogey” golfer to shoot his or her average score than for a “scratch” golfer to shoot his or her average score. Thus the slope rating is meaningless to the “scratch” golfer and both the course and slope rating are used to determine how difficult the course is for a “bogey” golfer.
For all of us who are bogey golfers, a high course rating (larger than the par for the course) and a high slope rating (155 is the highest slope rating given to any teeing ground) should make us think twice about playing from that teeing ground. A better choice would be to move to a shorter set of tees. You’ll enjoy the game more.