All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
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Niwot dentist Dr. Ashley Niles has submitted plans to Boulder County for redevelopment of the property located at 364 Second Avenue in Niwot, which is currently occupied by Niwot Pizza, formerly Lefty's Pizzeria. The application is scheduled for a hearing before the Niwot Design Review Committee on Wednesday, Feb. 8 at 5 p.m. The hearing will be conducted via zoom and the link is available on the Niwot Design Review Committee page on the Boulder County website. Niles, who owns the property...
The Niwot Cultural Arts Association, which manages Niwot's Rock & Rails summer concert series with the Niwot Business Association, announced that applications for receipt of Tip Jar proceeds are now open. Non-profit organizations serving the Niwot area, or which have a substantial connection to Niwot as part of a mission to serve a broader community, are eligible to apply. For the 2023 summer concert series, there will be 14 concert nights, beginning June 1 and ending Aug. 31. The Tip Jar...
The Boulder County Sheriff’s office arrested 27-year-old Michael Chunn who reportedly lives in Gunbarrel following a string of incidents that occurred in Boulder County spanning from the late evening hours of Jan. 24 into the morning hours of Jan. 25. According to a press release, Chunn was arrested in Denver and transported back to Boulder and booked into the Boulder County Jail on the following charges: attempted murder in the 1st degree, a class 2 felony; assault in the 1st degree, a class 3 felony; motor vehicle theft in the 1st degree, a...
The Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) Legislative Council approved a plan to increase the pay structure for high school game officials in Colorado on Jan. 24 by a strong majority vote. In addition to addressing Colorado's need to improve officials' pay, the effort is also being promoted as a way to help address the shortage of game officials across all sports. A CHSAA press release stated, "The proposal, which is a 3-year gradual increase structure beginning next school year...
Four candidates have applied for appointment to the Niwot Local Improvement District Advisory Committee, with four openings to be filled. The Boulder County Commissioners will make appointments to the LID in February. Current LID Treasurer Bruce Rabeler, who serves as one of four rate-paying business members of the LID Advisory Committee, did not seek another term. Rabeler is a co-owner of Little Bird in downtown Niwot. Sarah Cioni, owner of Belle Terre Floral, a floral design shop in...
First-year coach Ella Thramann was pleased with the performance of her swimmers and diver Jan. 21 at the District Swimming and Diving Meet at Mountain View High School, but disappointed with a second-place finish. The Cougars took second to cross-town rival Silver Creek, which took top honors among the six schools competing, outsourcing the Cougars 645 to 580. Thramann said the Cougars didn't realize how deep the Silver Creek team was. "I think they have 47 girls to our 35," she said. Thramann...
Hundreds of Boulder County residents, and some from beyond, gathered at the Boulder County Fairgrounds Jan. 10 to honor retiring Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle. The assembly featured so many speakers that the 2-hour event ran out of time. Newly elected Sheriff Curtis Johnson, known as "C.J." to many of the law enforcement officers in attendance, spoke about the culture of integrity created by his predecessor. New undersheriff Carey Weinheimer also appeared on stage, and both officers spoke of...
The Niwot Business Association (NBA) got down to its own business at the last meeting, held Jan. 10 at Rocky Mountain Christian Church. NBA president Eric Bergeson announced that NBA membership dues for 2023 would be $200, which is the first increase in over a decade. For the past several years, the NBA has had two membership tiers: Basic membership at $100 annual dues, and Gold membership at $200 for additional perks, including more exposure on the NBA website, www.niwot.com. "We based this...
The Niwot Local Improvement District (LID) advisory committee approved a $10,000 expenditure for connectivity planning, accepting a proposal from Niwot architectural firm Fletemeyer & Lee Associates, Inc., to create a plan for better access to Niwot from the planned bikeway-pedestrian path in the median of the Diagonal Highway from Longmont to Boulder. The proposal was presented by Mary Coonce on behalf of the Niwot Business Association (NBA). Coonce is a LID member, and also serves as...
Deb Fowler, vice-president of the NBA, was pleased with the results of the Pumpkin Walk, an NBA event held throughout October which was funded by the Niwot Local Improvement District (LID). Fowler reported to members of the LID on Jan. 10, that the Pumpkin Walk marketing program was a success. Pumpkin Walk passes and a list of 15 participating businesses were distributed to the first 100 shoppers who stopped in to Fowler's real estate office. Each business stamped the passes and provided a...
The Niwot Business Association's Holiday Magic events on the day after Thanksgiving and the first two Saturdays of December produced increased attendance and raised almost $2,000 for charity. Deb Fowler, NBA vice-president and champion of the events, reported to the Niwot Local Improvement District, which provided funding for the event. The festivities began with Enchanted Evening, on what is known elsewhere as Black Friday, with Linda Klueber organizing the annual Christmas tree lighting, a...
Niwot High School Athletic Director Joe Brown announced that girls soccer coach Jenna Machado has resigned due to the time demands of a growing family. With informal workouts beginning, Brown did not have to look far to find an interim coach to take over the program. Niwot High boys soccer coach Stephen Dimit agreed to step in and serve as head coach for the 2023 season. Dimit is no stranger to NHS girls soccer, having served as head coach for the girls program in 2017, 2018 and 2019. When...
The 2022 Rock & Rails summer concert season has long been over, but offseason work continues. Co-managers Vicki Maurer and Dan Hawk organized a crew of 11 to meet up at Whistle Stop Park Jan. 7 to clean and reorganize the Depot building for the offseason. Chris Teta, who handles set-up and break-down on concert nights, Tom Smathers, who coordinates the food vendors, and Satir DeMarco, who books all of the bands, were joined by regular beer tent volunteers Tony Maurer, Maureen Miller, Doug...
VOLLEYBALL Morgan Daugherty (Niwot) played in 21 of 27 matches for South Dakota School of Mines as a freshman this season. Daugherty, an opposite hitter, recorded 110 kills for Mines, to go along with 20 blocks, including four solo blocks. She added 26 digs on the season. One of her best efforts came at Black Hills State during a 5-set victory Sept. 6. Daugherty recorded 12 kills in 29 attempts for a .310 hitting percentage. CROSS COUNTRY Samree Dishon (Niwot) helped New Mexico to a...
Niwot High School's wrestling coach, Bobby Matthews, opened the Gary Daum Classic wrestling tournament with a brief tribute to the late NHS wrestling coach, then asked the crowd to join him in a moment of silence in honor of the memory of Daum's daughter Lindsay and his granddaughter Meadow who died tragically last summer. Following the national anthem, the tournament began with 15 schools competing at Niwot High School, including schools as small as Lyons High School and as large as Boulder...
Jason Champion was awarded the prestigious Eagle Scout rank at a ceremony at the Left Hand Grange Dec. 12. Champion, a member of Troop 161 B of the Boy Scouts of America, has been involved in scouting for the past six years. His Eagle Scout project was to make improvements to Whistle Stop Park in Niwot, where Champion has volunteered for several years as a member of the Gargoyles, who man the recycle and compost stations at the Rock & Rails summer concert series and retrieve traffic control devi...
With three minutes to go in the first half against Longmont High School, the Niwot High School girls basketball team was matching the more experienced Trojans point for point. Niwot junior Molly Slupik made a layup to even the score. But with the teams tied at 18-18, the wheels fell off for the Cougars. Longmont went on a 12-0 run to take a commanding lead, and the outcome was no longer in doubt. Turnovers by Niwot and hot shooting by the Trojans from 3-point range put Longmont up 30-18 before S...
The oldest bank in the Gunbarrel-Niwot area is closing in March. FirstBank announced that the Gunbarrel branch, which opened in June, 1975, will be closing March 7, 2023, due to lack of foot traffic at the location. Kevin Classen, a Niwot resident who is president of Firstbank Holding Company, cited the changing nature of banking brought on by online banking, and Covid concerns. Customers are now able to deposit checks with their phones, and almost all merchants now accept credit cards with the...
The City of Boulder's Open Space Mountain Parks (OSMP) Board of Trustees held a virtual hearing Dec. 14 to hear from members of the public about the city OSMP staff recommendation to change the rules about where e-bikes are allowed on city-owned open space. Karen Hollweg chaired the meeting, which included Trustees Jon Carroll, Dave Kuntz and Caroline Miller. The Trustees will meet Jan. 11, 2023, to consider making a recommendation to the Boulder City Council concerning e-bikes on open space...
The Boulder County Commissioners met with most of the state legislators who represent parts of Boulder County over breakfast Dec. 14, and the discussion provided a hint of what we might see in the 2023 legislative session. Those attending talked about their legislative priorities for the upcoming 2023 legislative session, as well as the difficulties of legislators being limited to introducing no more than five bills. Marta Loachamin, Chair of the Boulder County Commissioners, welcomed the guests...
The Niwot Community Semi-Marching Free Grange Band traveled to Denver for the holiday season, performing at Denver's Christkindl Market at Civic Center Park Dec. 11. Twenty-five members of the band made the trip to the event, sponsored by the German American Chamber of Commerce and the German Cultural Foundation, for the first time since the pandemic. The band performed to children dancing while parents patronized street vendors with an Old World flair. Selections included "A Can-Can...
The Niwot High girls basketball team came out cold against unbeaten Riverdale Ridge Dec. 13, and failed to score in the first quarter, falling behind 26-0. The Cougars got on the board in the second quarter, scoring seven points, but trailed at the half, 45-7. After suffering through a 2-point third quarter while allowing another 23 points, Niwot came back to score eight points in the final quarter, but lost 78-17. The only consolation might be that Riverdale Ridge's next opponent suffered and...
One of the functions of our local community journalism is to report on governmental actions which may impact the Niwot and Gunbarrel communities. The Left Hand Valley Courier regularly monitors Boulder County government meeting schedules and agendas, and as a result, learned of a meeting among Boulder County Commissioners and legislators that was described as “not open to members of the public.” Since such closed meetings are prohibited by Colorado law, the Left Hand Courier contacted the county commissioners’ office and the notice was changed....
Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle is retiring - finally. Pelle has been elected sheriff five times, with the last three 4-year terms coming after voters specifically extended the 2-term limit for the office. Pelle will officially retire on Jan. 10, 2023, after serving as sheriff for 20 years. Curtis Johnson has been elected to succeed Pelle. Sheriff Pelle was first elected in the fall of 2002, taking office in January 2003. He is well-respected throughout the law enforcement community, having...
With 16 Niwot businesses participating, the Niwot Business Association's inaugural Tannenbaum Charity Trail silent auction raised almost $2,000 for various charities. Each participating business decorated a miniature Christmas tree, and many included gift certificates to their business. The trees were displayed at Niwot Market from Dec. 3 to Dec. 10. A tree decorated and donated by Niwot Eye Care & Vision was the top fundraiser, with a winning bid of $300 to benefit the Humane Society. Belle...
The Niwot High School girls cross country team traveled to Portland, Oregon, to run in the Nike Cross Nationals on Dec. 3 and brought home the second-place trophy. A total of 22 teams from across the nation and 45 individual runners competed in the invitation-only event, where the Cougars were runner-up to the Kinetic Club from Saratoga Springs High School in Schenectady, NY. Team scores were counted based on the places of the top five runners from each school, compared to the other team...
The Niwot High School girls basketball team is very young - and the learning curve is painful. The Cougars hosted Roosevelt High School Dec. 6, and the final score, with Roosevelt on top 87-20, gave an indication of how far Niwot has to go to compete with the best. Roosevelt has a record of 2-1, with the only loss coming against a 5A Cherry Creek team in the opening week of the season. Against Niwot, Roosevelt took control early and never let up. The Cougars were led by sophomore Rose Pacheco, who scored eight points. Sophomore Alex Mounce...
Niwot High School students Jack Klein and Logan Waldron spend 12 to 15 hours a week year-round, training and practicing water polo for the Rocky Mountain Neptunes, a water polo club based in Boulder. Both have similar stories. They started out swimming, but preferred team sports and through watching the Olympics, found the sport. Water polo is often heralded as the toughest sport in which to compete. Players must tread water for the entire game while sprinting back and forth, playing both offens...
The Holiday Market opened in Niwot Dec. 3, with live music on the streets from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. as well as crafts and art vendors throughout town and in the Left Hand Grange. The Holiday Market featured multiple craft vendors at the Grange, including the Women's International Club Niwot (WINC), which previously put on the craft fair. This year the event is sponsored by the Niwot Business Association, and organized by NBA Vice-President Deb Fowler. "We've had over 740 people, which is a new...
Sometime between 9:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 2 and 6:00 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 3, vandals threw a large rock through the bay window of Inkberry Books in Cottonwood Square. Nothing appeared to be stolen from the store, but "glass was everywhere" according to Gene Hayworth, who co-owns the bookstore with his partner, Keith Waters. "Dawn Dunlop from Garden Gate saw it when she came to work Saturday and called," Hayworth said. The Boulder County Sheriff is investigating. "Keith talked to Officer...
A baker's dozen small Christmas trees are on display near the baked goods in Niwot Market as part of the Niwot Business Association's effort to raise money for charities during the holidays. Niwot businesses decorated and donated miniature trees as part of the Tannenbaum Charity Trail Silent Auction. Each tree was donated by a local business, which chose a charity to receive the funds from the highest bid. The trees are on display until 4 p.m. Dec. 10 at Niwot Market, where bidders can write...
The youth of the Niwot High School girls basketball team showed in the opening games of the 2022-23 season, as Niwot lost to Regis Groff and Denver North. The Cougars stayed with the more experienced Regis Groff squad for most of the game, but came out on the short end of a 50-46 score on Dec. 1. The teams traded baskets during the first half, with Regis Groff holding the lead at the end of the half, 18-16. Sophomore Thalia Almarez opened the second half with a 3-pointer, giving Niwot a 19-18...
The large crowd assembled in the parking lot at Left Hand Corner Nov. 25 at 6 p.m. was treated to a concert of holiday tunes by the Niwot Community Semi-Marching Free Grange Band in anticipation of the arrival of Santa and Mrs. Claus. The warm evening brought several hundred parents and children to downtown Niwot for the annual Enchanted Evening gathering, and the lighting of the community Christmas Tree in the Niwot Sculpture Park. Just before Santa's arrival, the crowd was treated to an appear...
Members of local faith congregations gathered Nov. 30 at Gunbarrel's Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church on Lookout Road for a Community Thanksgiving Eve service. The service, an annual tradition in the Gunbarrel community for many years that was interrupted by Covid, allowed in-person attendance as well as remote attendance on video. The faith leaders of five congregations participated in the service, including Pastor Janet Kettering (Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, ELCA), Rev. Sasha...
Niwot boys basketball coach Clay Wittrock enters his fourth season at the helm with a solid group of seniors who came to Niwot High when he did. Two of those seniors are returning full-time varsity players, as is sophomore guard Jack Jarvis. Several other players return with varsity experience, "This is the most experience we've had," Wittrock said. "For the first time, these guys had a full offseason to grow and develop trust with each other. We have a better understanding of where our...
As part of its 50-year anniversary celebration, Niwot High School is creating a Hall of Fame to recognize teachers, coaches, players, students, administrators, and community members who have played a significant role in the history of the school, or gone on to make important contributions to society. “This is our capstone project for our 50th anniversary celebration,” Athletic Director Joe Brown said. Initially, a small group consisting of Brown, Principal Eric Rauschkolb, coaches, community members and past administrators will receive and eva...
The dedication of the Niwot Parking Lot, located west of the intersection of 3rd Avenue and Murray Street in Niwot, has been set for Friday, Dec. 2 at 4 p.m. Niwot Business Association President Eric Bergeson will be on hand to recognize the contributions of Chuck Klueber, NBA Streetscapes Coordinator, Chad Fletemeyer, of Fletemeyer & Lee Associates, a local architectural firm, and others in the acquisition of the property and construction of the parking lot. The lot provides 14 parking spaces...
The Niwot Business Association meeting at the Niwot United Methodist Church on Nov. 8 focused on saving energy, reducing costs and recycling. Pastor Emily Kintzel welcomed the NBA members and she and Janet Gates provided a brief history of the church, which was founded in 1870, and formerly occupied the building which is now the offices of Left Hand Animal Hospital in Niwot. Jim Dorvee, President of Left Hand Grange No. 9, was the featured speaker, sharing his experience trying to maximize energy savings for the Grange building in Niwot....
Ella Thramann, a 2019 graduate of Niwot High School, has been hired to be the new girls swim coach at her alma mater. "Some of my best memories are from swim team at Niwot," Thramann said. She hopes to create a similar environment for her swimmers. "I'm hoping to be a mentor to them," she said, recalling how her coach at Niwot, Sarah Stamp, was a mentor to her. Thramann swam freestyle sprints during her high school years, including the 50 and 100 freestyle events. She swam on club teams at...
BASEBALL Jack Brooker (Niwot) signed to play baseball at Queens University of Charlotte, a Division I program. Brooker, who graduated from Niwot High School in the Class of 2022, played in the Mile High Collegiate Baseball League All Star Game last summer held at Scott Carpenter Park in Boulder. He played in the collegiate league this past summer and was the only 2022 high school graduate on his team. He not only represented his team in the All Star game but also in the Home Run Derby. Skyler...
Niwot High School entered the state Class 4A Volleyball tournament seeded sixth overall, one spot behind Palmer Ridge High School, which was seeded fifth, in spite of the fact that Niwot had beaten them very early in the regular season. But it was hard to fault the committee assigning the seeds as the higher seed won every time through the first 18 matches of the tournament, except one: 5th-seed Lewis-Palmer High School beat 4th-seed Lutheran High School in the sixth match. That proved to be a...
Now it can be told. For well over 20 years, long-time Niwot resident and real estate agent Pat Murphy has sponsored, organized, funded and championed the Great Pumpkin Party on the Saturday before Halloween, and whenever there is a vacant commercial space in town, she has been quick to ask if it can be used for a haunted house as part of the event. Murphy has often worked with the Niwot High School Key Club to construct and staff the haunted house, and this year was no exception. Except that it...
All nine members of the Niwot Local Improvement District advisory committee (LID) were present for the Nov. 1 meeting at the Niwot Inn. Treasurer Bruce Rabeler reported that revenues continue to climb as collections through August are up over $26,000 from a year ago. He noted that with an approval of the loan funding request on the agenda, the LID would have approved over $222,000 in expenditures for 2022. The 2022 LID budget is only $170,000, but Rabeler reminded the committee that the budget is set at 80% of collections from two years ago....
Niwot High School girls volleyball made short work of its first round opponents in the state playoffs Nov. 5, sweeping Pueblo East High School and Steamboat Springs High School, 3-0, 3-0. Niwot entered the regionals as a host team, seeded seventh against Pueblo East (30) and Steamboat Springs (18). Jade West, a member of the NHS volleyball team, began the morning with a powerful rendition of the National Anthem. The first match against Pueblo East saw the Cougars trade points early. A great...
Stephen Dimit, head coach of Niwot High School boys soccer, was sad to see the season end, but proud of his players after they suffered a loss in the quarterfinals of the state 4A playoffs. "We knew it would be a really tough game," Dimit said. "They just have so many ways to beat you," referring to Northfield High School, which won the 4A championship last season with a perfect 20-0 record. The Cougars battled Northfield throughout the game, but came out on the short end of a 2-0 score. The...
A request from the Boulder County Sheriff to store long rifles inside Niwot High School and Lyons Middle-Senior High School was approved by the St. Vrain Valley School District School Board at its Oct. 26 meeting. The request was first presented in 2018 out of belief that longer response times to Niwot High School and Lyons High School by law enforcement in the event of an active shooter incident would be mitigated if school resource officers had access to rifles securely stored in the school building. The request was not approved at that...
Niwot High School boys soccer coach Stephen Dimit didn't rest easy until Javier Alvira scored what turned out to be the third and final goal of a 3-0 shutout against D'Evelyn High School in the first round of the state 4A soccer playoffs. Niwot hosted the game under the lights on the new turf at NHS, and fans were not quite sure where to sit as both teams feature green as the school colors. Niwot entered the playoffs as the No. 7 seed, while D'Evelyn was No. 26. "They came out pretty fired up,"...
On the same day the Courier’s coverage of the Boulder County Sheriff’s Department request to store long rifles at Niwot and Lyons High Schools came off the press, the St. Vrain Valley School Board held a study session that included further discussion of the issue. On Oct. 19, the board’s study session included a renewed request by the Boulder County Sheriff to store long guns at the two schools due to the time it would take to respond to an incident at the district’s two most rural high schools. The matter was first presented several years a...
Niwot High School got a head start on Halloween with the school's first annual Fall Fest after school on Friday, Oct. 21. Children of all ages enjoyed a variety of booths sponsored by an array of NHS clubs and organizations, including corn hole, face painting, crafts and trunk or treat vehicles. The Student Council organized the event and invited the community to attend the free event. Principal Eric Rauschkolb was on hand to welcome participants, as were Athletics and Activities Director Joe...
Tim Waters, a Longmont city councilman, hosts a podcast called "The Backstory." On Oct. 9, Waters took his show on the road to the auditorium at the Longmont Museum, where a crowd of 50, including Niwot historian and former Courier columnist Anne Dyni, attended in person, in addition to an online audience. The topic was the future of journalism in the age of social media, and Waters assembled an impressive panel of journalists, including Dana Coffield, co-founder of the Colorado Sun, Melissa...
