Helping Families From The Inside Out
By Claire Chase
It's nothing special on the outside. The nondescript building is plain green with a gravel parking lot. There is no sign in front. What really matters is inside. Frontier Family services in 
Executive Director Susan Talley started the agency and moved into the space on
She attributes much of her success in foster care to the Girl Scouts. Talley's mother was a scout leader and Talley honed her own leadership and team skills first as a scout and then as a scout leader.
“If I had not been a Girl Scout, I would not be here today. I'm so grateful to my mother for being a leader. I've been blessed that I have this background. When I ran a foster house, my Girl Scout training got put to work. It was like having a patrol,” said Talley.
Frontier facilitates medical and therapeutic foster care for children. Those needing therapeutic care have been diagnosed with conditions such as developmental delay or disability, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, ADHD or ADD. Medically fragile children are those who have special medical needs due to shaken baby syndrome, drug addiction, diabetes, cerebral palsy or Down syndrome.
In all cases, the biological parents are having difficulty coping and need help. In most cases, the biological parents are going through steps to regain custody of their child. The goal, Talley said, is to “try to preserve the family.”
Frontier advocates “normalization” regardless of physical, mental and emotional ability. Frontier's foster families take a child into their home, but also work with the child's biological parents to help them learn how to care for the child.
Due to the different interested parties surrounding the child, Talley's agency strives to create a support system where members support each other. Instead of sending families to a therapist, Frontier contracts a therapist to go into its foster homes. “By getting a therapist to go to the home and deal with the family there, we can really see what's going on at home. It becomes a good support system,” said Talley.
“The foster parents have to be flexible, understanding and knowledgeable of what a (biological) parent is going through. It's a good thing when we can pair a child with a home that can teach (biological parents) how to be a mom and a dad. The kid is getting training and help and the parent is too. We try to create a bond between foster parents and biological parents,” said Talley.
Even after biological parents regain custody, Talley's system of checks and balances is in play. Each biological parent is offered a respite, where every two weeks or so the foster family baby-sits.
Talley said that anyone who is a good parent can be a foster parent; it takes natural and learned abilities. “Some people just have it in their blood,” she said. “I like to do my own training. It gives me insight into these people and time to connect with them.” Frontier receives 80 percent of its funding from federal sources and 20 percent from county social service agencies. When asked what kind of money Frontier received from private donations Talley said, “We are open to that, but don't get it.”
Last year Frontier was “adopted” by Girl Scout troops from Niwot during the holiday season. The troops purchased and wrapped gifts for Frontier's foster families. “We couldn't have afforded to give them the gifts they got from the scouts,” Talley said. “Some people in the neighborhood have started to figure out who we are. Some have called to ask if we could use clothing or food. It's nice to see some of the people in the community realize who we are. I have to go back to what Hilary Clinton said. It really does take a village.”
May is National Foster Care Month. If you are interested in becoming a foster parent or in finding out more about Frontier Family Services, call them at 303-702-0952.
Photo by Claire Chase
Girl Scout Troop 383 wraps gifts for foster families at Frontier Services. Counter-clockwise from bottom left: Chloe Chase, Sami Williamson, Madison Federin-Easley, Jordan Hale, Shelby Nichols and Chelsea Pyatt.
By LuAnn Piccard
The gift of giving doesn't just apply to the Christmas season. Max Eliopulos and his sister, Alexis, discovered that the snowy Niwot Easter egg hunt on March 26 held more for them than just eggs and chocolate. 
In his single-minded quest to find a golden egg, Max, a
When he tried to exchange that egg for a prize, he found out that his egg was just plain yellow. Broken-hearted, he and his mother, Cindy Silvis, went to meet Alexis, a
Unaware of what had happened to her brother, Alexis announced that she had exchanged her golden egg for a giant airplane for Max. Then, when they arrived at home, the phone rang. Alexis answered it and received the news that she had won the large stuffed bunny from the pancake breakfast raffle.
Gifts of spring come in all forms.
Photo by LuAnn Piccard
Alexis and Max Eliopulos show off prizes from the Niwot pancake breakfast and Easter egg hunt.
Road Construction On North 73rd and 75th Streets
By LuAnn Piccard
Road construction to expand the shoulders on both sides of North 73rd and 75th Streets on the northwest side of Highway 119 is under way. According to Andy Reed, Boulder County Department of Transportation, the seven miles of road is being widened by four feet on each side to more safely accommodate bicycle traffic and to make improvements to culverts for drainage and irrigation. 
The construction, which began
in February, is being done in one-mile segments and will finish in August. At the intersection of
Photo by LuAnn Piccard
Roadwork to expand bike lanes and improve drainage and irrigation will conclude in August.
By Julie Fowler
A Niwot service organization dedicated to recognizing the youth in our community has disbanded. The Niwot Optimist Club, established in September 1989, took a vote and officially dissolved last November.
“The charter of these clubs is for members to participate in sponsoring challenging projects for the youth of their community,” said Dick Mandile, the club's final treasurer. “But a majority of the members weren't able to put the time in.”
At its peak, the group boasted 50 dues-paying members, about three quarters of whom were active. But in recent years that number had dwindled to 35 dues paying members, and only about five or six of whom helped with local projects.
Optimist International, which has about 4,300 clubs and 160,000 members worldwide, was founded in 1919 as a non-profit youth-oriented community service organization. The goal is to host projects that help develop optimism in young people.
Mandile said that the local club wanted to be more than a source of money for groups. Members were asked to commit time to at least one service project a year.
Through the years, the Niwot Optimist Club, which focused its efforts on middle and high school students, spent and raised money to support such programs as oratory and essay contests, a basketball skills camp and a student of the month program at
“We weren't running any programs that were actually interfacing with students – other than student of the month,” he said. “We just became a little piggy bank. That is a noble purpose, but that was not the charter of the Optimist Club.”
When the club ceased, it had $3,933.94 in its treasury. Members voted to grant these funds to the Niwot High School Education Foundation to be used for a $500 scholarship to be given each year to a graduating senior.
In a letter from the NHS Education Foundation, President Daryl Mercer thanked the club for its donation: “While the Niwot community will miss the contributions of the Niwot Optimist Club, students will continue to benefit from the generosity and caring of the club members for years to come.”
Mercer explained the scholarship will be awarded to a student who best reflects “the principals of the Optimist organization, as the winner will be selected based upon contributions to their community.”
Realtor Pat Murphy, a long-time Optimist member and host of the Easter pancake breakfast that raised money for the organization, said she'll miss the positive influence the club had, especially with the student of the month program. Both Mandile and Murphy said they were amazed each month to hear all that these kids accomplish.
“It's kind of a sad thing,” Murphy said. “(The club) was a good thing … and we did lots for the youth of the community. I think the biggest thing we did toward the end was student appreciation and listening to the kids explain all they do. I'll miss that. The people who were in Optimists will still be around.”
The Business Women In Your Neighborhood
By Claire Chase
In honor of Mother's Day, the Courier asked a few of the many local female business owners:
How has being female worked to your advantage or disadvantage in terms of owning and operating your business?
Nancy Cook Tenacity Wine Shop - Prospect
|
Donna Currie B.C. Computer - Longmont “Some people have been skeptical that I know anything about computers because I'm female. When I had the retail store, I'd have people that would want to talk to one of the guys instead of me, even though I was the owner of the business. And I never had a problem with it because I figure as long as they're talking to somebody that's fine.I haven't had that problem since I've been working from home. Most people just seem to be amused by the idea that there's a female who's working on their computer (who) knows all this stuff.” |
Flowers In Bloom - Niwot
“Being in business has given me independence, job security and confidence. It has given me a lot of self-confidence. When the weight's on your shoulders, you know you are going to persevere. Everyone who works here is a woman. It's a good support system. If one of us needs help, the others are willing to share their knowledge and experience.” |
Marlene Donnelly State Farm Insurance Group - Gunbarrel
“The advantage I have over most is not only being female, but being older. I am more permanent. I will have been in business for 28 years in November. I've been here in the Gunbarrel area for 25 years. I'm very stable and I think that helps a lot. People feel quite secure. And the service, we give excellent service.” |
Vandenberg Creative - “Because I've never been a man, it's hard to say if I'm at an advantage or disadvantage. I notice that when I'm trying to be straightforward or trying to get things handled quickly, that I'm being perceived as being pushy or witchy, whereas a man would be seen as just taking charge of the situation. I don't think I've ever lost or gained any business because I'm a woman.” |
Mary Carol Hebert Capers and Co. - Prospect
“Well, I think it's worked to my advantage in that I think women can multi-task a lot better than men. I think I can bounce back and forth between the business end of it and the creative end of it and not get so wrapped up in one or the other. I haven't really come across a disadvantage… I guess I've been pleasantly surprised that I haven't run into any chauvinism or anything like that. Around here it's interesting because most of us are women and we tend to kind of come together and help each other out, where I'm not sure men do that as much.” |
Sweet Pea Cottage - Prospect
“I would say for me it's more from maybe an emotional standpoint. I've been home with my kids for 20 years. Opening this up and interacting with people, it's been really positive. I obviously mainly attract women customers so that's the way I'm geared anyway… My husband is extremely supportive.” |
Gail Anderson and Happy Shaffner Curves - Niwot
“As far as the disadvantages go, renting space was difficult. Men seem to want to defer to your husband,” Gail Anderson said. “We didn't need a loan, but securing a loan can be difficult for a woman, especially if they are first starting out. In terms of advantages, any time a woman can own her own business, it speaks to the abilities of all women. We can make a difference in our community and women's lives.” |
Gina McCune Niwot Barber - Niwot
|
“I think women multi-task a lot better than men. I've got so many things going in the shop at once. I'm doing invoices, stocking the shelves, waiting on customers - I'm doing it all… I actually have a partner that's a man, but I have done all the touches in here. Even his mom, when she came in she said, ‘See- I told you it takes a woman's touch in a shop like this.'” 
Jacque Stauffer
Julia Vandenberg 
Susan Hammond
“Initially, when I first opened here, people would walk in, stop at the door and ask if (I) could cut a flattop. … They were thinking of me as more of a stylist than a barber. It wasn't very hard to overcome. People would come in and they would trust me and give me a shot. As of the 18th of March it's been two fabulous, incredible years and it's been far more successful than I ever could have expected. I believe what could have been a disadvantage has turned into an incredible advantage, because I have customers that are more than customers. I've become real friends with them.”
Niwot's Grocery List
By Anne Dyni
The historic plaque on Chris Finger's building reads “Esgar Mercantile - built 1911.”
Until recently, little was known about Frank Traver Esgar, other than the location of his grocery store during the 1920s. Recently, Esgar's granddaughter, Debi Christensen of 
When Esgar came to Niwot with his family, there were two other mercantiles in town. The closest was Reverend Taylor's White House Grocery and Meat Market.
“Mom said that Rev Taylor was (grandfather's) competitor,” Christensen recalled. “He was next door and had some overlapping merchandise in his mercantile that he ran.”
Then there was Bill Buchert, west of the tracks, in the original business district. Buchert was an eccentric, but had been in business there since 1900, when most of the other merchants moved to
Frank Esgar was born in
It wasn't long before he met his future wife, Eleanor Tomlin, who was considerably younger. After their marriage in 1906, Frank and Eleanor left
Esgar must have missed the grocery business, because in about 1920, they left the farm and moved into Niwot. There, he opened a general store on the corner of
It's unclear whether he initially went into partnership with Walter Hogsett, who had already established a dry goods business there, or if he purchased the building outright. But it is Esgar's name which appeared on the side of the building in several early photographs of Niwot in the 1920s. The sign read Frank T. Esgar, General Merchandise.
The family moved into a bungalow three blocks north of his store, at
One of the few published news
items about Esgar appeared in a 1925 edition
of the Niwot Tribune. He was quoted as saying, “Our meat supply
has become so heavy, the ice box dropped through the floor. John Young
is now engaged in repairing the floor.” Esgar's store,
along with other businesses in town, prospered until the stock market
crash of 1929. When the Niwot State Bank folded, faithful customers had to bank in
Today, Chris Finger Pianos occupies Esgar's mercantile building, and Niwot Sweeps operates from the Esgar bungalow on
NYS 7th
Grade Boys Basketball Wins Division
The Niwot Youth Sports Boys 7th grade basketball team completed the regular season with a 15-1 record, and for the second year in a row won the Northwest Division Championship. According to coach Keith Nichols, “The boys really came together as a team and continued to be a tenacious group of defenders with their full court pressing defense.”
The Cougars finished a respectable second place in the Niwot Roundball Classic Tournament just before Christmas, losing only the final game against a very tough and big 
Once league play started, the Niwot 7th graders ran through their schedule with only 1 loss, playing one of the toughest schedules in the Gold Crown Silver Division.
At guard and running the offense were Ryan Strufing, Conrad Ottem, Zach Hiel, and Thomas Bloomberg. Filling the lanes at forward were Matt Perry, Curtis Steyck, Eric Fisher, and David Perry. The big guys filling the paint at center were Veric Nichols, J.C. Bartley and Matt LaBorde. Coach Nichols remarked, “The boys all played terrific together as a team with several close games where this team showed that they are winners. This team knows that defense and hustle wins games.”
In the post-season tournament, the Cougars finished
undefeated in pool play. Then, in the championship brackets,
the boys made it to the Elite Eight of the Gold Crown Silver Division, finally losing to a good
In
recognition of Niwot's great season, two of
the players were selected by other team coaches in the league to participate
in the Gold Crown Jr. Show All-Star Game. Veric Nichols and Ryan Strufing were
invited to play with 22 other 7th grade Silver and Gold All-Stars at
the
Photo by Tracey Nichols
NYS 7th Grade Basketball 2005 Gold Crown Northwest Champions:
(back row, l to r) Coach Keith Nichols, David Perry, Ryan Strufing, Matt LaBorde, Matt Perry, Veric Nichols, J.C. Bartley, Coach Eric Ottem; (front) Zach Heil, Curtis Steeyk, Conrad Ottem, Thomas Bloomberg. (not pictured, Coach Fritz Fischer, Eric Fischer.)