Adoption Comes Despite Disagreements
By Thomas George
The City of
The newly approved Community
Center Plan is an extensive outline for future development on Gunbarrel property
within the City of
Classified in city terminology as an “area plan,” the Community Center Plan required approval by both the Planning Board and the City Council to be legally adopted.
While the process of creating the plan was initially described as cooperative, constituents became polarized over language in the draft that allowed four-story buildings in the proposed retail core.
Many Gunbarrel residents felt four-story buildings threatened the character of their neighborhood, but developers and city planners maintained that the tall buildings added a desirable element of density and would help private developers offset the cost of ground-story public amenities.
In October 2003, the Planning Board approved the area plan including the allowance for four stories, but the City Council, seeking a compromise with neighborhood residents, added specific limitations to the design of any potential four-story buildings.
Changes to the language were sent back and fourth between boards numerous times until the April 1 meeting, where planning board members decided there was no point in “kicking this around between the [city] council and our council's latest language. The final wording concerning building height in the retail core is as follows:
“There may be a variety of building heights ranging from one to an occasional four stories, but with a massing that minimizes the perceived height along the pedestrian corridors and invites the larger community into the retail core. At a minimum, the fourth story of all buildings will be set back at least 20 feet from Spine, Gunpark and Lookout Roads. No more than 25 percent of a single building coverage [the footprint of the building] may be above three stories tall.
“Four-story buildings may be considered, but only if the project meets all of the following conditions:
• All buildings along the pedestrian corridor have architectural features which break up the massing such as staggered storefronts and building entrances, balconies, setbacks, variation in building materials and pedestrian seating areas on the ground level;
• The project provides a significant amount of public amenities which will enhance the public areas and support a lively community center;
• There is no request for open space reduction.
“Four-story building proposals require referral to the County Planning Commission and Board of County Commissioners for their comments on the design of the site.” The planning board on April 21 turned down the Gunbarrel proposal for future consideration.
Developer Terry O'Connor, whose
He warned that revenue lost with the reduced fourth story could force him to reduce retail and landscaping components desired by residents and city planners.
While planning board members did not elect to change the language, they largely commiserated with O'Connor. “I'm sorry about an opportunity we've lost here,” said Cowles, in reference to O'Connor's project.
Board members lamented the possibility that the restrictive language would discourage creative designs and could keep developers from building at all. “This is probably not a case where less is going to get you more,” said new board member Phil Stull.
Veteran member Simon Mole went further, saying, “I suspect we'll not be seeing much [new development] in Gunbarrel.”
To neighborhood representatives, though, the approved language is still too lenient. Gunbarrel Community Association representative Chuck Simmons told the board to “remember 287.”
The message, he said, was a reminder that O'Connor has increased the number of apartments he plans to include in his development, and a postulation that the original 287 dwellings could be accommodated in a scaled-back building. Simmons said his organization would continue to protest the building of any four-story building in Gunbarrel.
With the Gunbarrel Community Center Plan approved, city officials will now begin the process of changing land use and zoning regulations to reflect the plan language. The planning board, city council, county planning commission and county commissioners all have a say in zoning changes, and county officials have warned they may not cooperate.
In letters to the city council, the county commissioners expressed their opinion that four story buildings were not appropriate in Gunbarrel, and that they would not look favorably on a plan which included a four-story option.
Left Hand
Fucik And Wise Put Niwot's Sign On Track
By Julie Fowler
Anyone who drives the 
Not only is it a tribute to Niwot's history as a stop along the railroad, but it also is a draw intended to bring more traffic to town.
While this project has been a true community effort, the two men who really helped get the project on track - literally - are Tim Wise of Wise Buys Antiques & Refinishing and Ken Fucik of Twiggs of Niwot. Both men are on the Niwot Business Association Board, Wise as co-treasurer and Fucik as president.
While neither of them claims train buff status, they have in common a love for restoration. “She's kind of become our red-headed step child,” Fucik said with a laugh. “I've always been interested in restoring things; it doesn't matter if it's a plane or a train.”
The wheels for Niwot's unique
sign got rolling when the NBA applied for and received a $3,000 economic
development grant from
Once the idea of using a caboose was sparked, Jason Midyette, who has a caboose in his back yard, got involved. Midyette is president of the Boulder County Railway Historical Society and helped Wise and Fucik locate an old caboose.
The next step was to find a prominent home for it. Selene Hall with Community First Bank helped arrange a five-year lease for the NBA to place track and the caboose on its current site.
To date, Wise estimates the
number of volunteer hours is well over 1,000 and the group has spent
about $7,000 on the project. While
Both men can rattle off a number of names of folks who put in countless hours toward bringing this unique landmark to life. But the bottom line, says Wise, is that the project wouldn't have happened if it hadn't have been for the community.
“It was such a community effort,” he says, “it was cool.”
Photo by Julie Fowler
Right on Track: Ken Fucik(l) and Tim Wise (r) were the steam behind the Niwot Business Association's efforts to acquire and restore this old caboose that is now the official welcome to the historical town.
Longmont Officials Eye Bypass Near Niwot
Courier Staff
As the congestion increases on Ken Pratt Boulevard , Longmont city officials are thinking about building a bypass near Niwot sometime in the future. The proposed road would run from the Diagonal Highway (SH 119) between Niwot and Longmont east to County Line Road .
Longmont Community Development leaders presented the concept during a city of Longmont and Boulder County Commissioners meeting on March 25.
The “long-long-range” plan would run asphalt east-west through vast tracts of county open space from near Ogallala and Plateau Roads, across Highway 287, then east to County Line Road. The two-lane bypass would reduce traffic on Ken Pratt Boulevard , which is logging has more than 22,100 vehicles daily.
The proposed two-lane road would have 5,000 to 15,000 daily trips and would run three and one-half miles from Highway 119 to County Line Road .
Despite the need to ease traffic, Longmont 's Community Development Director Phil DelVecchio said the concept is only in the informal planning stage and is nowhere close to happening now.
“Our city council has not directed staff to pursue this concept,” said DelVecchio, adding that even if the bypass were in the early stages of planning, there would be hearings for people to communicate their concerns. “This was something that was broached in passing with the county commissioners.”
Longmont development leaders need a new road to ease congestion on Ken Pratt Boulevard because when the southern part of Longmont is fully developed, they expect more than 45,000 to 55,000 cars to use the road daily.Longmont city leaders had envisioned a similar road closer to Pike Road some years ago, but discarded the plan after residents objected, the costs became prohibitive and council was split on the issue. DelVecchio said those problems led city planners to remove the concept from Longmont 's long-range plan.
Although just a concept, Commissioner Ron Stewart said Boulder County Commissioners didn't like the idea of a road running through the heart of county open space. Stewart, along with Commissioners Paul Danish and Tom Mayer, expressed opposition to the project at the county-city meeting.
“I don't think people would much appreciate the idea of selling open space to put a road through it,” Stewart said. “We just felt it would be a pretty bad idea. It is not in a good location.”
The county would have to sell the open space in order for the road to be built and impacted farmers would have to sell their property for fair market value, DelVecchio said.
If the county decided to sell the land, county voters could break the deal if someone decides to circulate a petition, which would force the issue to a vote, Stewart said.Realizing commissioners' support for open space, DelVecchio said the bypass couldn't go forward without their help. ”It is not going to happen unless the county commissioners feel they can support it,” DelVecchio said.
John Turner, who owns a home on Ogallala Road and would be only be a few hundred yards from a future bypass, said the noise from the Highway 119 is loud enough already, so a new road would only add to the din he already hears. “We bought this house because it is in the county,” he said.
Although years in the future, if at all, it is vision of the future that Turner and his neighbors probably wouldn't want to see happen, Turner said.
Bridge Dedicated To Fallen Soldier
Photo by Vicki Maurer
Offering
better access to Niwot High's sports complex, a second bridge over the
and
Left Hand Ditch is dedicated to the memory of Randy Rehn, Niwot High
Class of 1986, who was killed in
According to NHS Principal Don Haddad, the bridge was “designed to ensure safe passage of students to the fields, just as the work Randy did ensured safe passage for Americans.”
The Niwot High Booster Club donated $4,000 toward the project, while the 2004 Senior Class, Gary Daum's wrestling program and Athletic Director Ella Padilla also made substantial contributions from their budgets. Rehn was a wrestler for Daum and also starred in football for NHS.
The ditch company generously donated time and fees for engineering services. The bridge was built at cost by local contractor Bob Spencer of R.A. Spencer Construction, father of NHS junior Kyle Spencer and NHS grad Katie Spencer.
Contributions to the Randall Scott Rehn Foundation can be sent to Wade Smith, 919 North Seventh Place, Johnstown, CO 80534.
By Ron Goodman
Only the board of directors
and a few local residents were present at the Niwot Community
Association's (NCA) April 7 meeting when Rocky
Mountain Christian Church presented plans for expansion. The church expected
to file official plans with the Boulder County Land Use Department by
the end of April. 
Planning consultant Rosi Koopmann informally presented the church expansion plans. She reported that there would be no construction north of Quiet Retreat's north property line.
The church is located at the
northwest corner of
Two years ago the Boulder County Commissioners approved plans for additional temporary classrooms. Those classrooms allowed the church to expand its school program.
Pat Murphy of Niwot Real Estate asked, “What could have been built on the property?” Two homes was the reply, on 27-acre lots. All of the property is zoned agricultural.
The existing building contains 105,000 square feet. The proposed addition would more than double the church's size, to 245,000 square feet. The temporary classrooms placed on the site two years ago would be removed.
Plans call for two new buildings connected by a covered passage to the existing structure. The sanctuary would be enlarged, with balconies for additional seating. This work will increase the seating capacity from 1400 to 2400 seats.
The design concept is for the addition to appear to be a clustering of smaller buildings. A new gymnasium and chapel are also planned as part of the expansion. The maximum building height will be 40 feet.
Additional parking will be added on the western side of the property. Much of it will be excavated 10 feet deep, and 10-foot high berms will serve to hide the parking from the Quiet Retreat subdivision.
A landscaping area, 80- to 100-feet wide, is planned to separate the project from Quiet Retreat. Koopmann said, “The berms should hide parking lots, but you will see buildings 20 feet above the berms.”
There will be a new and much
larger (than the existing) detention pond on the site, near
Cliff Tharp asked about the
area the church draws from. Most
members are from
The applicants noted that they have many requests from the community for more varied meeting spaces. When the expansion is complete an additional 60 to 80 people will work there during the week.
The school enrollment, kindergarten through seventh grade, is now 380 students. An increase to 540 students is anticipated with the addition of eighth grade. All students are driven to school by car. No bus transportation is planned.
Photo by Ron Goodman
Rosi Koopmann points to the site location and the open space line on the north side of Quiet Retreat. Behind her is the proposed site plan. The dark shapes are the proposed additional structures
Drawing courtesy of Lee Architects/Interior Designers
Conceptual architectural drawings of the first floor footprints for the Rocky Mountain Christian Church complex.
With Mil Levy Override, St. Vrain Would Join The Pack
By Lisa Whitehead
“We are the only school district of our size or larger which does not currently have a mil levy override,” said Nancy Herbert of SVVSD Information Services. The St. Vrain Valley School Board may decide to ask the voters for a mil levy override in November.
Kathy Hall, school board member, noted that across the state the average school district receives 11 percent more funding, including mil levy overrides, than SVVSD. In administrative salaries, SVVSD offers about 20 percent less than comparable districts. “You can lose good people when faced with those comparisons,” said Hall.
Herbert and school board members pointed out that Superintendent Dr. Randy Zila, said in last August's “Inside Your Schools” message that “it will be necessary to turn to the voters for a mil levy increase in the near future.”
Sandi Searls, school board president, explained that the current surplus in bond money – due to lower than anticipated bids – could only be used for “bricks and mortar.” Not all the major projects specified in the bond issue are completed, so the surplus may not stand.
Any final surplus will be applied to a second tier list of projects. Additional funds from the previous bond issue built Fall River Elementary, which is now bursting at the seams.
The mil levy override is not required to staff or run the new schools. Searls clarified that teachers and administrators from overcrowded existing schools largely staff the new schools. “We asked our [central] staff, ‘Do we have enough money in the general fund to staff these schools? Do we have enough money to pay for other services?' And the answer was, ‘Yes, we do.' So we have enough money to operate those schools that will open this fall.”
The St. Vrain Valley Education Association has asked that the board “restore teacher salaries as soon as it was prudent,” and a mil levy override could be used for that purpose. But Searls noted that most overrides have sunset clauses, and it would be unwise to fund salaries through a tax with a limited life.
In other school districts, mil levy overrides pay for safety upgrades, technology upgrades, additional funding for support programs for special needs and gifted students, transportation and textbooks.
The school board asked central staff to provide new enrollment forecasts adjusted to the current economy as well as updated numbers on operating funds now that the district is crawling out of debt. They also asked the staff to prioritize possible uses of a mil levy override. Once all that information is in place, the board will determine if this November is the time to ask voters for an override to pay for very specific items.
“Data-driven decisions are very, very important,” said Searls, “both in delivery of instruction and in demonstrating that we value input and oversight when it comes to taxpayers' money. We need to impress on the community that it takes an investment to move forward.”
“We've been talking about [a mil levy override] for five to six years,” said Hall. “People have short memories when it doesn't actually make it to the ballot.” This may be the year a mil levy override does make it.
Directors For MVFPD Up For Election
By Claire Chase
In addition to ballot question 1 requesting a 3-mil tax increase, the May 4, 2004 regular election ballot for the Mountain View Fire Protection District asks voters to elect two directors, each for a four-year term. The nominees are Randolph J. Winsett, Starr E. Aldrich Jr. (incumbent) and Stephen E. Walker.
At press time, only one candidate had responded to the Courier's request for an interview.
Background
• Lived in Mead since 1979
• Served on the town board for 9 years in the 1990's
• Worked
in
• 1979-1985 patrol officer
• 1985 promoted to sergeant
• 1993-1997
managed
• 1997-
present command officer on investigations in
Q: Why do you want to be a director of Mountain View Fire Protection District?
A: “I'm at the point where I'd like to get back involved with the community and thought it would be interesting to be involved in Fire Protection. I have worked side by side with them for years. It's a way to give back to the community. Also, there has not been strong representation form the North of the District. My experience with the sheriff's office might come into play and do some positive things for the Fire District.”
By Karen Copperberg
Yesterday, being the first of May, a number of persons went into the fields and bathed their faces with the dew on the grass, with the idea that it would render them beautiful.
– A
Sorry, but our little newspaper can't promise you anything of the sort. But it is interesting that this event happened at a time when people didn't bathe frequently, so perhaps having a cleaner face did make you more beautiful.
While we have Mother's Day and Memorial Day to look forward to this month, did you know that it is also National Physical Fitness and Sport Month, American Bike Month, Strawberry Month and Better Sleep Month?
My question is, if everyone has a special month, where can I sign up for “My House Is Magically In Perfect Order” month? Or perhaps we could celebrate “Eat All You Want And Never Gain An Ounce” month?
But really, if anything seems to get done in our house as far as repairs, or even normal maintenance, it usually happens in May, because there is usually a special event to get ready for. It's probably a good thing that we have the motivation of company coming or a graduation at this time of year, otherwise the “to do” list would just continue to grow.
I like to be able to count on one major event for the year to propel me through spring-cleaning. If there is a deadline, better yet. Once your company arrives, you're done.
So whether you are planning a maypole dance with your sweetheart, or any other celebration for renewal, enjoy the month, and we will keep it between you and me until next time….
Niwot Elementary School's OM Team Heads To Worlds
Photo by Laura Harrison
Niwot Elementary's team of second
and third grade boys placed first at the Odyssey of the Mind state competition
held on April 17, in 
If you are interested in sponsoring or supporting the Niwot team at the world competition please make your tax deductible 501(c)(3) contribution check payable to: Colorado Odyssey, Inc. Send your checks by May 21 to: c/o Niwot Elementary, 8778 Morton Road, Longmont CO 80503 Attn: Laura Harrison.
If you need additional information please call Laura at 303-746-0746.