Boulder County Commissioners Ron Stewart and Jana Mendez held court at the Left Hand Grange Hall in Niwot Aug. 14 to hear what was on the minds of area residents.  Their colleague, Paul Danish, was unable to attend.  

Over 30 people attended the informal gathering, posing questions to Stewart and Mendez.  Several Boulder County staff employees were also available to help answer questions.

An early topic was the installation of pedestrian paths in several locations around Niwot.  In response to a question about the surface, Stewart noted that the sidewalk along 83rd Street would be six feet wide concrete with an attached soft surface for equestrians.  

John Stobbelaar asked about the intersection ofHighway 52 and 79th Street, wondering when a traffic light would be installed in view of the many accidents that occur there.  County officials noted that since Highway 52 is a state highway, state transportation officials would be the ones to determine when traffic counts merited a light.  

Rob Helmick asked if a timetable had been set for construction of a trail through the Lacey property, which is being developed by Markel Homes.  The commissioners were unable to give an date but promised to check on it.  

Several questions foc-used on growth and the encroachment of Longmont on agricultural land separating it from Niwot.  Mendez noted that the Intergovernmental Agreement reached with Longmont several years ago set the limits of the Longmont Planning Area at Plateau Road on the south and 75th Street on the west.  

Stewart said that most of the Niwot area which can be developed under current zoning has been built out.  The only large parcel remaining which is zoned Rural Residential, allowing one housing unit per acre, is the large tract currently for sale north of Monarch Road and west of Niwot Estates near the railroad tracks.  

A Monarch Road resident asked if the approximately 100 acres of open space between her home and the Monarch Industrial Park would be used for the development of recreational facilities.  Stewart and Mendez explained that most of the open space owned by the county was purchased since 1993 with sales tax dollars and could not be used for active recreational purposes or sold without a public hearing.   

The Monarch Park open space, however, was donated by the developer rather than purchased with tax dollars, and thus is not subject to the same restrictions.  But Stewart said that he would not want to see additional recreational facilities there.  He noted that the existing ballfields next to the industrial park are located on a separate parcel of park land, dedicated specifically for ballfield use  and are not part of the larger open space parcel.  

Tom Theobald said he believed the current uses of the Left Hand Grange Park and the Monarch Park ballfields were misuses of those properties in that they were dedicated for the benefit of the respective neighborhoods.  Stewart, who is also Director of the Boulder County Parks and Open Space Department, responded that in his view, the current uses were not a misuse of the properties.  He promised to have his staff check the dedication language of both parcels, which date back to the 1970’s and 1980’s respectively.  

Debbie Quackenbush, a founder of Taxes in Perpetuity (TIP), which opposes the formation of a park and recreation district, asked the commissioners if they would provide services already available to the county such as mowing, tractors, and manpower to assist youth sports organizations with field maintenance if the tax district fails.  

She said, “We all agree it’s a worthy effort.  Is there not some county responsibility for those services?”  Stewart was emphatic in his response, saying, “We do more for Niwot as it is.  We simply don’t have available staff or unused tractors.”

He noted that Gunbarrel Estates residents formed a park district several years ago to improve the park in the middle of the subdivision and that Niwot area residents could do the same if voters approved it.  A Niwot resident commented, “Why can’t the parents do it?  If they’re not willing, they shouldn’t have children.”

After a little more than an hour of dialogue, the meeting concluded with refreshments provided by the county.