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The Niwot Local Improvement District Advisory Committee (LID) met March 5 at the Niwot Inn to consider funding requests from the Left Hand Grange No. 9 for improvements to the Grange Hall, now owned by Niwot Community Hall, a newly formed non-profit organization. The meeting began with an introduction of Carla Hunter, the newest member of the committee, who was appointed to fill the resident vacancy held by Lisa Rivard, who did not apply for reappointment. LEFT HAND GRANGE Left Hand Grange No....
Niwot's Sculpture Park at the southwest corner of Niwot Road and 79th Street was home to the iconic Native American tree carvings of the late Eddie Running Wolf for over a decade, but since the recent removal of the deteriorating tree carvings for restoration, another artist's bronze art has become the link to Niwot's Native American heritage. Artist Bobbie Carlyle of Loveland, whose work is collected internationally, created the bronze sculpture christened "Peacemaker" which greets visitors...
The long-vacant property at the northeast corner of the intersection of Colorado Highway 119 and Colorado Highway 52 was sold Dec. 7, 2023, to QuikTrip Corporation, based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for $3.6M. The property has been owned by St. Julien Partners Gunbarrel, LLC, which moved truckloads of fill dirt onto the site after purchasing it from IBM in 1999. Aside from several complaints of musk thistle growing on the property from time to time, there has been little activity since then. The...
Late in the afternoon of Feb. 14, a high-speed chase ended with a two-car collision on Niwot Road near the Niwot High School football field. Multiple reports were made on social media of a vehicle speeding east on Niwot Road across the Diagonal Highway, followed by Boulder County Sheriff's officers and Colorado State Patrol vehicles on Valentine's Day, ending in a collision near Niwot High School. The crash resulted in the speeding vehicle rolling onto its top and crashing into the chain link...
The annual meeting of the Niwot Business Association on Feb. 13 saw the re-election of all current officers and directors. Eric Bergeson of the Niwot Wheel Works and The Wheel House will again serve as president, Deborah Fowler of Slifer Smith & Frampton real estate will continue as vice-president, Nancy Bureau of Left Hand Animal Hospital returns as secretary, and Mary Coonce of Porchfront Homes was re-elected as treasurer. All four officers ran unopposed for one-year terms, and their...
Everyone attending Niwot High School's final home basketball game of the season Tuesday, Feb. 13, was treated to a special halftime show by the NHS cheerleaders. Both the Cougar boys and girls basketball teams posted a victory over Fort Morgan on senior night, and the NHS cheerleaders were out in force to support the teams. During halftime at the boys game, the cheerleaders rolled out a foam mat and performed the routine they have been working on for months for a cheerleading competition in...
The House Blend Band is back for a fourth summer of concerts on Second Avenue. The Niwot Local Improvement District Advisory Committee (LID) approved funding for the popular concerts, now known as 2nd Avenue Concert Series, based on an application from the Niwot Business Association, presented by Michael Tomich and Patty Machen of The Old Oak Coffeehouse. Tomich explained that there would be five concerts this summer beginning May 18, an increase of one over last year. The headliner for the...
Paul Gibb grew up in a family with a father who worked on the Manhattan Project, and a mother who was an anti war activist. The Niwot resident described his first novel, "Haunted by Hiroshima," to a standing-room-only audience at Inkberry Books Feb. 10, saying, "I've rewritten the lives of my parents. It's been wonderful therapy for me. Growing up I could feel the tension." Gibb grew up in Beverly, Massachusetts, where the Manhattan Project, processing uranium and plutonium for use in atomic...
St. Vrain Valley Schools presented a concert at Longmont High School Feb. 7, which included a performance by the district's Middle School Honor Band, conducted by Mr. Phuong Nguyen. Nguyen, a graduate of Colorado State University, has 23 years of teaching experience and currently teaches at Boltz Middle School in Fort Collins. His experience includes performing in Colorado rock/jazz/ska/reggae bands. He has also performed with famous rock bands, Vietnamese pop stars, as well as starred in short...
Niwot High School wrestling coach Bobby Matthews was pleased with the performance of three of his wrestlers at the Regional tournament last weekend, where two Cougars qualified for the state tournament in Class 4A. NHS wrestler Ryder Evans placed second at 144 pounds, losing only in the Regional finals. The junior earned the Cougars' highest seed, and will wrestle against Erie sophomore Tyler Muir in the first round at state. Senior Gavin Burrage placed third at 175 pounds, and had to come all...
Vandals struck Niwot late Sunday evening, defacing the LOBO Trail underpass at Niwot Road with graffiti. Niwot resident Tim Hughes reported the incident to the Courier on Monday, and the matter was reported to Boulder County Parks and Open Space that evening. Hughes sent photos and wrote, "I noticed it Monday morning, so it likely occurred Sunday night. We can see it from our house. It is spray paint on the concrete as shown, on both sides of Niwot Road and on the path itself on the [south]...
As an unincorporated community, Niwot relies on Boulder County for day-to-day governance, and the two appointed advisory boards that directly affect Niwot are the Niwot Local Improvement District (LID) Advisory Committee (NLIDAC), and the Niwot Design Review Committee. The Niwot Design Review Committee is charged with reviewing development applications and proposed changes to properties in the Niwot Rural Community District I, which includes the Old Town business district. Some regulations apply to the entire district, while others apply only...
Niwot High School hosted the Class 3A Colorado Speech and Debate State Championships Tournament, which began on Feb. 2 in the afternoon and concluded on Feb. 3, in spite of rain that quickly turned to snow during the day. NHS staff members Danielle Maloit and Joe Brown were on hand to see that the event went smoothly, while the Niwot High School cheerleaders manned the concession booth for the Saturday session. The event carried on well past the anticipated 5:15 p.m. ending time, and the...
CPAs and Niwot residents Don Perry and Dayna Roane joined forces in Niwot in 2010 to form the accounting firm, Perry & Roane, P.C. In addition to their professional accounting and tax services, the partners were active in the community, providing pro bono services to a wide range of Niwot area non-profits, including Niwot Youth Sports, the Niwot Business Association, the Niwot Cultural Arts Association, and Left Hand Grange No. 9. While Perry retired from the firm several years ago, he...
The Niwot High School girls basketball squad picked up a much-needed 67-35 victory over Fort Morgan High School on the road Jan. 18, dominating the game from start to finish. The victory gave the Cougars a 3-8 record on the season, and Niwot's first league victory over the winless Mustangs. Senior Chloe Mitchell led the scoring, putting up 15 points on 6-11 shooting from the field. One of her field goals came from 3-point range, and she was 2-2 at the free throw line. Also scoring in double figu...
Four Niwot-area appointed positions on Boulder County advisory boards are open for applications, which close on Friday, Jan. 19. Niwot Design Review Committee The Niwot Design Review Committee's primary role is to act as a referral agency for proposals within the Niwot Rural Community District I (NRCD I), which consists of the first block of 2nd Avenue between Murray Street and Franklin Street, plus the historic Bader House property. According to the county website, "The committee does not have...
The Niwot Local Improvement District (LID) Advisory Committee approved funding for three upcoming events to be held in January, February and June, 2024, at its Jan. 9 meeting. Mary Coonce, who serves as treasurer of both the LID and the Niwot Business Association (NBA), spoke in support of the events, saying, “The goal is to have an event every month.” In her treasurer’s report, Coonce reported a $10,716 decrease in sales tax revenues collected by the LID through October 2023, compared...
The Niwot High School wrestling program showed significant improvement at the 49th Annual Alameda International Invite last weekend, according to trackwrestling.com. A total of 22 teams competed from several classes. Jonathan Lopez led the way with a fourth-place finish in the 285-pound division, scoring 16 points. Lopez began the meet with a win over Bobbie Hester of Clear Creek in a tense 1-0 decision. He followed with a quarterfinal win by fall at the 1:23 mark over Romeo Ramirez of Bear Creek. In the semi-finals, Lopez lost by fall to...
The Niwot High School girls basketball squad came out of winter break with a record of 2-6, hoping to get back in the win column, but the first two games of January came against tough opponents, Thompson Valley High School and Frederick High School. The Cougars took on Thompson Valley Jan. 9, on the road, and stayed with the Eagles through the first half. Although they found themselves down 12-7 at the end of the first period, the Cougars outscored the Eagles 11-9 in the second period, with...
When Steven Craig joined the Rotary Club of Niwot shortly after building a home on Portico Lane in the Ranch at Clover Basin subdivision two years ago, he didn’t waste any time in making a difference. Sadly, Craig, who was recently chosen as President-Elect for the club, will not have a chance to serve in that position. Craig was attacked in his home on Dec. 19 in the middle of the night, and died of his injuries Dec. 24. Michael Lucky, 32, turned himself in to the Boulder County Sheriff’s...
Abo's Pizza in Niwot's Cottonwood Square has been closed ever since a fire broke out in the oven at the business on August 10, 2022. Since then, the popular restaurant's reopening has been delayed multiple times by insurance issues, building permit delays, asbestos mitigation requirements and electrical issues related to the oven. Jeff Riegel, who purchased the business from Tom Smathers in 2020, operated the pizza business for two years before an early morning fire shut it down. Smathers, who...
The Niwot Cougars girls basketball team traveled to Longmont Dec. 19 to take on the Longmont Trojans, but came away with a 44-27 loss to the crosstown rival before taking a break for the holidays. The game was within reach for the first three quarters as Longmont scored 11 points in each of the first two quarters, while the Cougars put up six and five, respectively. Niwot held the Trojans to only six points in the third quarter, but managed to score only five points. Entering the fourth quarter...
This is a Christmas story wrapped up in a baseball story - a story of faith, belief and redemption. I finally got around to reading a book given to me several years ago by my friends and former Boulder Daily Camera sportswriters Bill and Leo Hirsch. The book, "It's Not Who Won or Lost the Game-It's How You Sold the Beer," is an autobiography of Hall of Fame broadcaster Bob Wolff, who happens to be the only broadcaster to call the World Series, the NFL championship game, the NBA championship game...
The Niwot Sanitation District Board of Directors hosted a public meeting at the Left Hand Grange in Niwot Dec. 14 to let customers know that fees will rise substantially in the new year to fund infrastructure improvements which have been in the planning stages for the past three years. For many years, Niwot Sanitation District customers have grown accustomed to paying only a $71.00 bimonthly cost of service, without a mill levy for property taxes, which most special districts impose for capital...
Approximately 75 people turned out for an open house at the Left Hand Grange No. 9 on Dec. 13 to review plans for Highway 119 (Diagonal Highway) improvements between Boulder and Longmont. Representatives from Muller Engineering Company, consultants on the project, were on hand with Boulder County Public Works and RTD staff members to listen to comments and answer questions. The primary topic of discussion was the design of a pedestrian-bikeway underpass leading from 2nd Avenue in downtown Niwot...
Niwot High School wrestlers competed at the 9th Annual Keith Kilker Invitational Tournament at Weld Central High School Dec. 16, but attrition left the Cougars with a small roster. The format of the tournament has each wrestler compete against wrestlers in the same weight class from each of the four other schools in a round-robin format. Thus, there are no elimination rounds, and each wrestler comes away with a personal won-loss record. “We have been dealing with some sickness and a few injuries as well as some kids leaving for break,...
Even when not at full strength, the Niwot High School girls swim team is a formidable opponent. On Dec. 13, the NHS girls swimming team hosted the Roosevelt High School Roughriders at the St. Vrain Aquatic Center next to Silver Creek High School, and came away with a 197-88 victory. Coach Ella Thramann said, “This meet, we had very few of our girls there, but the ones that stood out the most were Charlotte Heuer, who made state [qualifying times] in 50 free (26.44) [and] 500 free (5:46.29), our A relay for 200 free relay, [which] was 2...
The Boulder County Public Works Department is hosting an open house at the Left Hand Grange No. 9 in Niwot, on Wednesday, Dec. 13, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. The focus of the meeting is to present information on a proposed underpass from the planned Highway 119 (Diagonal HIghway) median-bikeway into Niwot on 2nd Avenue. County officials hope to gather feedback from the community on the location of the underpass and how it would connect bicyclists and pedestrians using the median bikeway to Niwot. The...
The Niwot Local Improvement District (LID) Advisory Committee approved two funding proposals from the Niwot Business Association (NBA) at its Dec. 5 meeting. Chuck Klueber presented a request for funding to clean up the area along Niwot Road where Eddie Running Wolf's iconic tree carvings have been removed for restoration. The application requested $862 toward the total cost of $1,062, based on a bid from Niwot arborist company We Love Trees. The NBA and the Niwot Cultural Arts Association each...
The Niwot girls basketball team had a tough week, but if the team's last three quarters are any indication, things are looking up for the 2-3 Cougars. On Dec. 5, Niwot traveled to Roosevelt High School to take on the Roughriders, but came out on the short end of a 71-17 score. The Cougars had trouble generating any offense as sophomore Ella Zechman led the team in scoring with five points. Junior Evelyn Melis added four points and no other player had more than two points. Rose Pacheco, the...
When jazz musicians have played together for over 50 years, good things happen. Niwot's Keith Waters, a professor of music at the University of Colorado, got together with childhood friend Scott Sawyer to create a new jazz compact disc, titled "Night Songs." The 10-track CD is scheduled to be officially released on Dec. 16 at Sharp Nine Gallery in Durham, NC, but the disc is already available at Inkberry Books in NIwot, which Waters co-owns with Gene Hawworth, as well as online at Amazon and...
The Niwot High School boys basketball team under first-year head coach Walker Bounds is off to a fast start, posting wins in the season-opening round robin tournament hosted by the Cougars Nov. 30-Dec. 2. Niwot lost seven varsity players to graduation last year, when the team finished with a 5-17 record under Coach Clay Wittrock, who stepped down after four years as head coach. Niwot is also without Jack Jarvis and Drew Stapp, both among the statistical leaders for the Cougars last season as...
Temperatures in the low 20s and light snow did not keep the crowds away from Niwot's Enchanted Evening Nov. 24, nor the Holiday Parade the next morning on Nov. 25. ENCHANTED EVENING The annual tree-lighting ceremony in Niwot began with an abbreviated concert by what one band member referred to as the Niwot Community "Semi-Freezing" Free Grange Band. Niwot Inn & Spa proprietor Cornelia Sawle opened up her conference room to allow band members to "warm-up," a term that took on a dual meaning...
A crew of workers, led by Bryan Buikema of C8 Design + Fabrication out of Berthoud, and David Schaldach of Niwot's We Love Trees, arrived early on Wednesday morning, Nov. 15, at the intersection of Second Avenue and Niwot Road to remove the two iconic tree carvings by Native American artist Eddie Running Wolf for restoration. The willow tree trunks carved by the late artist once lined a lateral of the Hinman Ditch that ran along Niwot Road to irrigate farmland around Niwot before housing...
Visitors to Niwot's Sculpture Park at the southwest corner of 79th Street and Niwot Road may assume that all of the sculptures are on permanent display. In fact, the Niwot Cultural Arts Association owns only five of the sculptures, as the rest are on loan from the artists, including the iconic and imposing "Peacemaker" bronze sculpture, which greets visitors who enter the park from the east side. Of the five permanent sculptures, four have been donated to the NCAA, and the fifth, "Kore That...
The tree carvings by the late artist Eddie Running Wolf, which lined the south side of Niwot Road near the intersection with 79th Street in Niwot, have come to symbolize the community of Niwot and its connection to the Arapaho people who historically occupied the Left Hand Valley. The first of those tree carvings, Spear Lodge Man, was removed for restoration two years ago, and is almost complete, thanks to the work of Running Wolf's son, Dustin Wolf, and Niwot resident Jeff Wolcott. Wolf has...
The Niwot High School cheerleading squad is headed to the state competition, tentatively set to begin Friday, Dec. 8, at the Denver Coliseum. Coach Christina Ayers's squad just finished the high school football season, and has already begun appearing in local and regional competitions. Squad members include Ashley Lavato, Audrey Perez, Ayushi Bhandari, Azariah Lucero, Cassidy Skole, Clara Rhea, Elizabeth Sullivan, Fernanda Laguna-Perez, Isaac Lopez, Juliette Cook, Juliette Sales, Kyla Helme, Lib...
The Niwot High School volleyball team season finally came to an end, but not until the Cougars were eliminated at the state Class 4A tournament Nov. 10. The Cougars got to state by knocking off cross-town rival Longmont High School, a higher seed, on the Trojans’ home floor Nov. 4. At state, Niwot was seeded 11th out of the 12 teams that qualified, and found themselves paired up with No. 6 seed Palisade High School in the first round on Thursday, Nov. 9. Niwot started strong, winning a hard-fought first set 25-23. Palisade regrouped to win...
Wednesday, Nov. 8, was a busy day at Niwot High School as ten student-athletes signed National Letters of Intent to continue their athletic careers at the next level. The athletes represent a cross-section of fall sports at Niwot, including soccer (2), volleyball (2), cross country & track (2), softball (1) and golf (1). In addition, two athletes signed to play lacrosse in college, a sport not offered at Niwot High. Ashton Karch, who played football at Niwot, will play lacrosse at...
BASEBALL Niwot was represented at the World Series by Patrick Perry, a 2001 NHS grad, who is an area scout for the Texas Rangers. Perry was able to meet up with Matt Mercurio, a former teammate from Perry's days in the Boston Red Sox organization at the World Series. Mercurio, who played first and third base for the Lowell Spinners in 2005, is now a scout for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Perry, was a catcher for Lowell in 2005 after being drafted out of the University of Northern Colorado. Skyler...
Snow came early on Saturday, Oct. 28, but it did not deter the hundreds of costumed children (and adults) who gathered in Niwot for the annual Great Pumpkin Party. Pat Murphy, who has been the champion and chief sponsor of the event for over 25 years, was on hand to welcome the children and their parents. "Such a great turnout," she said, in spite of the weather. Murphy's The Niwot Group at Compass Realtors offered treats and hosted a petting zoo for the children. The Niwot Business Association...
One of the highlights of the annual Great Pumpkin Party in Niwot is the presentation of the Curtis Lizakowski Golden Hammer Award. This year, event organizer Pat Murphy made the presentation on Oct. 28, just before the Halloween parade down 2nd Avenue, to long-time Scoutmaster Bill O'Donnell, and Niwot Nifties 4-H leaders Jerry and Marsha Slepicka. Murphy explained that the award is designed to recognize volunteers who devote countless hours to the betterment of the community, and often receive...
A full house listened to Ethan Knightchilde tell ghost stories of the old west at the Left Hand Grange Oct. 25. The presentation, titled "Tales of the Haunted West," was part of the 5-part Now & Then Lecture Series, sponsored by the Niwot Historical Society, and was the last presentation of the 2023 series. Knightchilde recounted his exploration of various ghost towns in Colorado, Oregon, Arizona and beyond, reading excerpts from his book, "Ghosts of the West: Tales and Legends from the...
Boulder County announced that the first phase of the safety improvements on Colorado Highway 119, also known as the Diagonal Highway, will begin on Nov. 1. Rumble strips will be installed on the outside of the shoulder line from approximately Hover Street in Longmont to Foothills Parkway in Boulder. According to a press release, "Rumble strips provide an audible and vibration warning to drivers who may be leaving the roadway. The strips will be installed along the edge line of the outside should...
The Niwot High School Cougars split four games at the Cheyenne Mountain tournament in Colorado Springs over the weekend. The tournament invites only go to the top 10 teams in Class 3A, the top 12 teams in 4A and the top six teams in 5A, based on criteria that extend over the last three seasons. After the tournament, Niwot accepted an invitation to return for the next two seasons. Each match was best-of-five-games, with team standings based on cumulative scores. The Cougars began Friday with a...
A fire at Colterra, a French restaurant at 210 Franklin Street in Niwot, led to the closure of the popular high-end restaurant in October, 2018. Now, five years later, the iconic property is finally being redeveloped. Restaurateur Bradford Heap, who transformed the previous restaurant known as Le Chantecler into Colterra, faced with the prospect of bringing the damaged building up to current code, ended up selling the property to Boulder developer Terry Palmos for $625,000 in September 2019,...
The Great Pumpkin Party is one of Niwot's most beloved traditions, with costumed children of all ages, often accompanied by pets dressed up as well, going trick-or-treating at Niwot businesses in Old Town and Cottonwood Square. This year, the event will be held on Saturday, Oct. 28, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. And as is customary, 2nd Avenue will be closed briefly at 11:30 a.m. for a children's parade. The 2-block affair kicks off with a choral performance by students from Niwot Elementary School in...
On Oct. 4, Boulder County Library District Board of Trustees President Joni Teter announced that the 2024 library budget will be presented at public board hearings at the main library at 1001 Arapahoe Avenue in Boulder on Oct. 10 and 24 at 6 p.m. An Oct. 6 memo from David Farnan, Library Director, and Jennifer Phares, Director of Administration, to the Boulder Library District Board of Trustees, stated, “The recommended 2024 library district budget is $38,619,172. The simplest explanation of this amount is that the inaugural 2024 budget...
All nine members of the Niwot Local Improvement District Advisory Committee were present Oct. 17 in the downstairs conference room of the Niwot Inn & Spa for a preview of a master plan commissioned by the LID. David Lee and Chad Fletemeyer of the Niwot architectural firm Fletemeyer, Lee & Associates were on hand to give a preview of a master plan for Niwot being developed to assist the LID and the Niwot community in planning for the future. The LID’s first effort at creating a master plan was completed in 2012 when several community members...