All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
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The City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP) is seeking community participation to help create a vision for restoring healthy grasslands while improving the visitor experience on the open space at Gunbarrel Hill northeast of Boulder, bordered by 75th and 95th streets, and Lookout Road and the White Rocks area. OSMP needs your help to understand community interests and values for the area. After a decades-long restoration effort of the area, OSMP now would like to gather information...
Let’s face it. For some, Valentine’s Day is a thrill--what will my sweetheart buy me? What fantastic restaurant will we indulge at? For others, it’s a stressful minefield of procrastination, uncertainty about gift choices and inadequate feelings about available finances with which to buy said gifts. Those minefield veterans often walk through the door with last-minute mylar balloons, a sheepish smile, and are often met by a cold-shoulder welcoming committee. And for others, it’s just plain l...
Reporter’s note: I’ve been reporting for the Left Hand Valley Courier (LHVC) since July 2018, although as a Gunbarrel resident, I’ve been reading the paper for four years. Much of my life has been in small towns, so I have a fondness for small, independent papers—which, by the way, are a rapidly disappearing breed. When I began working with the LHVC team, I was struck by the founders’ fierce dedication to the integrity of the paper, but even more so by their dedication to the community...
While it’s a myth that Ben Franklin wanted the turkey as our national bird, he did think that the turkey was “a more respectable Bird, and withal a true original Native of America.” As for the bald eagle, he believed that the “Bald Eagle… is a Bird of bad moral Character. He does not get his living honestly. You may have seen him perched on some dead Tree near the River, where, too lazy to fish for himself, he watches the Labour of the Fishing Hawk; and when that diligent Bird has at length ta...
There are people in the world who see an opportunity to help others and just do it from the bottom of their big hearts. That describes Laurel Fox, this month’s Left Hand Laurel. Fox is the Courier’s first Left Hand Laurel named Laurel and, although she’s not technically left handed, she said a couple of years ago she mangled the fingers on her dominant right hand in a lawn mower and has subsequently developed excellent dexterity in her left hand. Thankfully, being a southpaw isn’t a require...
Boulder County hosts discussion of proposed NRDC regulations Residents of Niwot’s 3rd Avenue were unusually quiet during the community meeting with Boulder County Land Use Department staff at Niwot High School on Jan. 24. The first pass at the Niwot Rural Community District I (NRCD) proposed changes to the Land Use Code had been emailed to interested parties on Jan. 18, which meant that specific proposed code updates had been digested to some degree prior to the meeting. NRCD code provisions are...
Cottonwood Square Shopping Center under new ownership, same management Bridge Commercial Partners Fund III LLC has sold Cottonwood Square Shopping Center to MAC Management Cottonwood, LLC. MAC is owned by mother and son partners Maria Biernat and Alex Chlebek. Bridge Commercial Partners, owner of the shopping center since 2005, is comprised of a group of investors represented by Managing Partner Harris Faberman. Faberman was very active in the Niwot community, most recently as a member of the...
Gunbarrel Hill, the unassuming entrance to the Great Plains of America, is being stewarded into the second major phase of its decades’ long restoration. Boulder County Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP) is asking for the community’s help in realizing the vision of an area that is a healthy, balanced wildlife habitat and an enjoyable recreation space. The Gunbarrel Hill Open Space includes the area bordered west to east by 75th and 95th Streets, and north to south from Lookout Road to the Whi...
After over a decade-long absence, Domino’s Pizza is once again ringing doorbells in the Gunbarrel/Niwot area. The new Gunbarrel location opened up on Jan. 4, months after the original intended opening of October 2018. And while some folks are happy to see the new pizza offering, long-time residents might remember when Domino’s delivered in the area way back when. “There was actually a Domino’s here in Gunbarrel,” said manager Nick Keeler, who used to manage the Longmont Domino’s. “It was a g...
Gunbarrel is home to three non-traditional health learning institutes – Boulder Massage Therapy Institute, Southwest Acupuncture College and the Dr. Ida Rolf Institute. If the start of the new year has you considering ways to change your life, knowledge and career opportunities are abundant and close by, and there are low-cost clinics at each school to help improve your health as well.. Boulder Massage Therapy Institute (BMTI) Health Benefits: Professional massage therapy offers pain relief, r...
Even while the land is just a field of dirt, Boulder County farmers who sell their crops to restaurants and markets, and who offer Community Supported Agriculture programs (CSAs) are plenty busy this time of year. It’s a big task getting prepared for the upcoming growing season. Last year’s devastating hail storms led Michael Moss, owner of Kilt Farm, most visitable off of Oxford Road near the Diagonal HIghway, to re-examine his business plan, and especially what he was up against when it cam...
To the Editor: I want to address the myth of humane animal production in regards to poultry. There is nothing natural about the poultry consumed at restaurants because these birds have been bred over years to modify the body parts, fat, and protein content. Cage-free generally means giant warehouses containing hundreds or thousands of individuals crowded together on the floor. Withholding hormones or antibiotics from them may be healthier for humans but does nothing to alleviate the suffering of these creatures. Taken directly from the website...
More than 800,000 federal employees are either laid off or have been working without pay for weeks. The direct consequences to those workers and their families, and the subsequent trickle-down impact to the businesses they buy goods and services from, such as their banks, credit unions, and landlords, are being felt across the nation. In the Niwot, Gunbarrel and South Longmont area, several nonprofit organizations and businesses have stepped forward to announce they would like to be a safety...
The work for Gunbarrel residents to keep Heatherwood free from fracking has only just begun, according to Keep Heatherwood Frack-Free. After the well-attended town hall meeting in Gunbarrel, organizers from the leadership team have started reaching out to potential volunteers to harness the mixed feelings of disbelief, indignation and concern that community members shared at the Dec. 19 meeting. Organizers of Keep Heatherwood Frack-Free said they have been working to create a group that is more inclusive of Boulder County in general to address...
The turning of a page to a new year often signifies a time to improve our bodies, minds, and spirits. For those who have vowed to eat healthier to achieve their goals in 2019, there’s no need to swear off the pleasures of eating out. Niwot, Gunbarrel and South Longmont offer a medley of restaurants with healthy fare. Here’s a smattering of local establishments offering delicious ways to eat mindfully. Each eatery was asked for its philosophy on healthy food, what accommodations the kitchen is...
John Anthony (Tony) Dageenakis passed on to the presence of the Lord on January 6, 2019 at 1:27pm. He was surrounded by those who loved him most as he made his entrance into God’s hands. He was 86 years young and truly lived a full and special life. He was born on September 6, 1932 as the second child of 7 to Anthony John and Carmela Dageenakis in the city of Johnstown, New York. He served in the US Navy during the Korean War from 1950-1953 and returned to upstate New York to marry Elayne N...
Gunbarrel native Catherine (Smith) Rossett has been appointed as the new executive director of the Colorado Historical Foundation, a non-profit organization that supports history and historic preservation projects in our state. Rossett, daughter of Gunbarrel residents Liz and Fred Smith, is only the second person to act as full-time director of the foundation in its 53-year history. The previous director was Lane Ittelson, who held the position for 19 years. A non-profit organizational leader...
Justus “Jay” Nichols is a United States postman whose route is in the Gunbarrel Estates/Boulder Tech Center neighborhood. He’s been delivering folks their mail there since 2005, but residents along Jay’s route know that he brings more than just letters and packages. He brings goodness. Nicknamed “Jumping Jay” by some of the neighborhood kids for the way he jumps in and out of his mail truck, Jay began getting to know his customers on his first day. At his very first mailbox, he noticed a d...
Gunbarrel-based author and teacher Ellen Korman Mains will be appearing at the Boulder Book Store (1107 Pearl St.) on Jan. 10 for a discussion of her moving memoir, Buried Rivers: A Spiritual Journey into the Holocaust. Published in October, Buried Rivers recounts Mains' melancholy childhood in Montreal as the daughter of Polish Holocaust survivors, and her later attempts as an adult to reclaim her Jewish family's interrupted history. It is also the story of her spiritual quest as a practicing...
The most substantial update in more than a decade took effect in Colorado’s oft-lamented liquor laws on Jan. 1, 2019, when the sale of full-strength beer and wine was finally allowed in grocery and convenience stores statewide. Though welcome by most, especially chain retailers and mass-market brewers, the new law is largely regarded as a blow to independent liquor stores, who stand to lose a big chunk of their daily sales. Bridging the uneasy gap between the two are independent craft b...
VOLLEYBALL Sarah Falk (Niwot) played 10 matches for Sacramento State this fall, seeing action in 14 sets. Falk, a redshirt freshman, playing middle blocker. Falk finished with seven kills on the season in 10 attacks, with only two errors. Mackenzie Fidelak (Niwot) was part of Stanford’s NCAA Championship team. The freshman outside hitter saw action in three early season games for the Cardinal, but was able to preserve a redshirt season. Fidelak, who wore jersey number 7, earned substantial s...
Over 160 people attended the Wednesday, Dec. 19 meeting to learn more about how to oppose oil and gas developers who have set their sights on Heatherwood. Attendees overflowed the parking lot and filled up the sanctuary at Niwot United Methodist Church for two hours of speakers, presentations and a Q & A period. The town hall, organized by the Frack-Free Heatherwood leadership team of Victoria Bard, Lon Goldstein, Amanda Janusz, Gabrielle Katz, Adam Pastula, Leesah and Gavin Patt, and Ryan...
Grocery and convenience stores are on their marks for New Year’s Day when an 85-year-old remnant of Colorado’s prohibition laws is put to rest, sanctioning them to carry full-strength beer. As a result, mom and pop liquor stores, whose beer sales are estimated at more than 30 percent of their present sales, will be feeling the punch. While there will still be “lite” versions of beer to appease those watching their waistlines, anything with the moniker of a 3.2 beer now on shelves is headed...
At 17, Josie Whitley is clearly focused on her goals, figuratively and literally. The Niwot High senior is already an accomplished photographer, and has her sights set on one day working for the most well-known publication in our country’s history. “Working for National Geographic,” said Whitley, “that’s my dream in life. It’s a big dream.” Whitley, who grew up in Niwot and Gunbarrel, is displaying her work on the walls at Winot Coffee Company through the end of December, and it doesn’t take...
A group of local quilters has just finished stitching a batch of 48 quilts that they made to send a little comfort to the victims devastated by the Paradise, CA, fires. The quilters come from Boulder County, Denver and Fort Collins, meeting once a month in Gunbarrel at eQuilter’s classroom, to create comfort quilts which are sent all over the world to areas that have suffered natural disasters. The owners of eQuilter, their customers and their friends donate their time, effort and materials for...
If your new ‘smart’ technology makes you feel anything but, then it might be time to call Neighborhood Tech Services. Launched earlier this fall by longtime Niwot resident Jim Dorvee, NTS provides a wide range of IT and computer support services for the home market, from audio/visual integration, to online and home security, to laptop tune-ups and repair. “There’s smart doorbells, smart locks, smart thermostats, and all of those things often need to work together,” Dorvee said. “It’s no...
The tradition of giving books as gifts is practically as old as the printed word itself and, in fact, books were among the first items mass-produced and marketed specifically as Christmas gifts, back in the 1820s. Nearly 200 years later, books remain a popular choice for both givers and receivers, and not just for the holidays. A book can be a token of intimacy, of friendship, or even of just shared interest. A book can sometimes say what we can’t, and giving one at just the right time can m...
It all started with a letter that many Heatherwood homeowners received during the week of Thanksgiving, and it has quickly turned into a community coming together to educate themselves so that they can protect their homes and families. The letter from Rocky Mountain Hydrocarbon, LLC, was sent to homeowners who were identified through county records as owners of the mineral rights of the land their homes are built upon. Through the venue of the social media app, Nextdoor, residents voiced...
Thanks to the social networking app Nextdoor, when there’s an escapee cat or a dog running the streets, within a nanosecond the neighborhood is alerted and folks spring into action. The internet has loads of heartwarming tales about forlorn pets who’ve made it back to the arms of their loving families owing to a shout-out on Nextdoor. In the blended country-residential areas of Niwot, Gunbarrel and Longmont, it’s not surprising that animals of the farmyard persuasion also often warrant our c...
On Oct. 18, HPD (High Performance Devices) was recognized as and presented with the Photonics Company of the Year award at the Colorado Photonics Industry Association’s annual meeting. The Gunbarrel company received the award for achieving distinction in the industry and its contribution to the photonics economy in Colorado. According to the OP-TEC website, “Photonics is the technology of generating and harnessing light and other forms of radiant energy whose quantum unit is the photon.” This...
What can hit 200 mph, has played a part in such beloved films as “Viva Las Vegas,” and has scads of international groupies? It’s the legendary Shelby Cobra and the Shelby Mustang. Gunbarrel is home to a museum that goes above and beyond in honoring the engineering, elegance and triumphant history of the line of autos that racers completely obsess over. The world renowned Shelby American Collection is ironically located on a quiet and unassuming cul-de-sac, in a completely nondescript build...
Nationwide, results of the highly anticipated 2018 midterm elections had a little something for everyone, but that was not the case in Boulder County. Locally, democratic candidates received large majorities, as did ballot measures supporting election reforms and oil and gas industry regulations. Here is a look at some (unofficial) results of particular local interest. On average, registered voters in Boulder County cast their ballots at a higher rate than their counterparts elsewhere in...
Two Boulder law enforcement agencies are investigating a string of “smash-and-grab” burglaries that occurred at seven area businesses in the overnight hours of Tuesday, Oct. 30, and at least one more on the night of Nov. 5. Three businesses in the Cottonwood Square shopping center (7960 Niwot Road) in Niwot and four businesses in Gunbarrel’s King Soopers shopping center (6565 Gunpark Drive) suffered damage to glass windows or doors, and an unspecified amount of money and property was also stolen...
NextDoor, the social media app designed to build communities, has about 833 members in its Heatherwood division. Any member who is paying attention will notice that one name shows up over and over again—Leesah Patt. It’s not because she’s complaining about negligent neighbors, or trying to pick a fight over political viewpoints. When Leesah Patt’s name shows up, it’s because she’s offering to do something for folks in the community. Leesah lives in Heatherwood with her husband, Gavin, in t...
A rainbow has many symbolic meanings attached to it—one of the most common is that of prosperity and good luck—which makes it a fitting symbol for the eQuilter logo that now sits atop the company’s brand-new location on Spine Road in Gunbarrel. Luana and Paul Rubin started their online quilting supply business, eQuilter, in their basement in 1999. Within 60 days, they had exceeded their three-year business plan, and had to find a bigger space to rent. Now as eQuilter moves toward its 20th anniv...
Store manager Brandon Chisam may look familiar because he is a longtime resident of the Left Hand Valley area, and has been working at Gunbarrel Liquor for many years. Considering his friendly, helpful and polite demeanor, if you’ve ever stopped in for a bottle of red or a six-pack of Colorado’s finest, chances are, you’ve run across Brandon. Left Hand Valley Courier (LHVC): Where are you from? Brandon Chisam (BC): Independence, Missouri. LHVC: How long have you been in this area and what broug...
We need to reach people “where they live, work and pray.” This recommendation came from Ellen Goodman, former Boston Globe columnist and founder of The Conversation Project in Cambridge, MA. She was talking about ways to spread the word about the importance of talking about what matters to you at the end of life. Studies show that over half of us will need to rely on others to make treatment decisions. A faith community partnership in Gunbarrel is holding a 5-part series entitled, “Th...
Gunbarrel’s restaurant scene has been in a bit of an anticipatory flux for the good part of this year. Things are at a tipping point and here’s an update on four previously reported culinary happenings in the area. Rush Bowls – up and running Newly opened this past July, Mark Kranjcec, marketing director of Rush Bowls, reports that the blended bowl and smoothie restaurant is already feeling well-supported by the community and is doing as well as locations in larger metropolitan areas. Servi...
The removal of ash trees infested with the emerald ash borer beetle (EAB) located in the Boulder County right-of-way will begin this October. If you’ve been notified that any of your ash trees are subject to removal, now is the time to act. Trees that have been marked with a blue ‘X’ will be removed starting this October, and then more removals will occur throughout 2019-2020. In the spring, Boulder County also marked trees with orange plastic bands, notifying adjacent residents that marke...
November’s election will determine the next Boulder County Commissioner to serve a four-year term with incumbents Elise Jones and Deb Gardner. Each candidate must live in District 3 (Niwot, Gunbarrel, Louisville, Lafayette, Superior, East Boulder, Erie), but is elected at-large and on each issue, acts on behalf of the entire county. Running for the office are Gary Cooper (R), Matt Jones (D), and Cliff Willmeng (G), one of whom will replace District 3 Commissioner Cindy Domenico in January 2...
The words “social media” don’t always inspire warm, secure feelings in most of us. Nextdoor, the private neighborhood-focused social media app designed to connect neighbors, is an online platform with good intentions that can sometimes degenerate into just another place for folks to air grievances or behave in a less-than-neighborly fashion. And while Nextdoor’s mission is “to provide a trusted platform where neighbors work together to build stronger, safer, happier communities, all over the wor...
Reader Laura Bloom of Gunbarrel provided these photos from her vantage point in the Powderhorn Condominiums during the flooding of 2013. She writes. “I took some photos of the greenspace that goes through the complex and the park at the end. They built it for runoff and it did a great job. I heard that not many people had water in their crawlspaces and didn’t hear that anyone had any in their actual condo. I called it Powderhorn River and Powderhorn Lake....
Not everyone learns the same way. For a person with a learning difference, such as dyslexia, dysgraphia or dyscalculia, those differences can create a gap in learning that can last a lifetime. Hillside School in Gunbarrel has a mission to close that academic gap for each and every child that walks through the doors. The small half-day school has been providing options for families and helping hundreds of students since 2005. Kathy Sherman, Hillside’s director and co-founder, has devoted her e...
While the long, hot dogs days of summer ended in mid-August, if you are a dog owner, you know that every day is a dog day. Feed the dog. Pet the dog. And walk the dog. Every dog, no matter how small, needs to get out and about for their health and sanity. Whether it’s an elderly greyhound, a three-legged retriever or a border collie puppy, dogs need walks. And it’s good to know some local dog rules and etiquette when you’re out roving with Rover. Boulder County requires all dogs to wear a curre...
Lamya Deeb may look familiar because she and her family are longtime residents of the area. Shopping, running errands, or taking children to and from school, it is inevitable that we all cross paths many times over the years. But you might find Deeb out in nature too, facing a glorious scene she’s capturing on her canvas. Or you may have met Deeb while she worked at Osmosis Art Gallery on a First Friday Art Walk. In any of these settings, you’ll find Deeb appreciating a connection with the envir...
Initiative 97—the Fracking Distance Initiative—will be on the ballot this November, thanks to volunteers who collected the 98,942 signatures required to get it on the statewide ballot. What does Initiative 97 entail? Currently, oil and gas wells that utilize hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, are allowed to be drilled 500 feet from homes and 1,000 feet from schools. If Initiative 97 passes in November, that distance will increase to 2,500 feet from any occupied structure, to also include dri...
Boulder Country Day (BCD), a K through eighth grade school in Gunbarrel, will be 30 years old on Sept. 16, marking three decades of commitment to academic excellence and character development for local students. BCD’s focus on small class sizes has been one of its guiding tenets. The school limits enrollment to 18 students in each elementary grade, and it’s a commitment the school intends to keep as it moves into the future. “Our middle school is a little more flexible, as far as class sizes...
Niwot Elementary School (NES) starts this school year with Kylea Winka as the newly appointed dean of students and Avery Bounds as the new digital media technician. Kylea Winka has worked at NES since 2012 as a special education facilitator. She holds a master’s degree in special education and an interdisciplinary education specialist degree in educational administration and special education administration. She has worked in special education for 17 years. Winka’s new responsibilities as dea...
In 2016, The Atlantic featured a story determining the markers of thriving American communities—towns and cities that were able to be successful after the 2009 recession. Among the findings of the three-year project was the common factor that those communities all had craft breweries. Small breweries often revitalize older neighborhoods, bring life to industrial parks and create public meeting spaces for the locals. It’s clear that Colorado, with our mind-boggling array of craft breweries and...
Three Gunbarrel kids are tackling obstacles, but not out of necessity. They’re doing it for fun. The three Heinrichs girls—Anabella (14), her sister Secorra (11), and cousin Sorenne (9)—are all Junior American Ninja Warriors. They run, balance, jump, hang, scramble, climb, fall, get up and do it over and over again, simply because they love it. Based on a Japanese show, American Ninja Warrior is a burgeoning sport that began as a television reality show of the same name, in which compe...
