All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
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The Niwot Community Association (NCA) held its monthly board meeting Aug. 3 in the Mountain View Fire Rescue Niwot Station conference room. The board bid farewell to Kim Hawksworth who stepped down as the NCA’s events planning director because she will be leaving Niwot. Kim has been a member of the board since 2015, and has served as events planning director since 2018. The board expressed their appreciation for the years of work that Kim put into what is one of the most important roles in the organization. The NCA sponsored the National N...
National Night Out, a nationwide effort to connect communities with first responders, returns to Niwot Tuesday, Aug. 2, from 6 to 8 p.m. The event is co-sponsored by the Niwot Community Association and the Boulder County Sheriff's Office. Niwot is one of several venues where the BCSO will set up in Boulder County that evening. The NCA website invites the community to attend, saying, "National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that promotes first responders and community...
The race for Boulder County Commissioner in the Democratic primary election had to wait until all corrected and absentee ballots were counted before the results were certain. Ashley Stolzmann, Louisville mayor, had a 42-vote lead over Ealaina Shively, an attorney with the Boulder County District Attorney’s office, after over 55,000 votes were counted. When the last of the corrected ballots were in, her lead increased to 68 votes, with a total of 27,870 votes for her, compared to 27,802 votes for Shively. Though the margin of victory triggers an...
The Niwot Community Association (NCA) held its monthly board meeting on July 6th in the Mountain View Fire Rescue Niwot station conference room. There were two guests from Niwot Youth Sports (NYS), a local non-profit that has launched a new project to make improvements to the Hangge Fields at Monarch Park. There will be several improvements to the fields, but most importantly, a new building to replace the shipping containers and port-a-potties that are currently on site. Fundraising...
Proving the event has staying power, the Second Annual Niwot Jazz Festival wrapped up Saturday night, June 25, 2022. Approximately 650 people were in attendance throughout the afternoon and evening and enjoyed almost perfect weather and an even better jazz lineup. Keith Waters, the Jazz Festival's Musical Director, as well as CU Music Professor and Inkberry Books co-owner said, "We were really delighted with the way it turned out." Musicians from as far away as New York and Washington, DC,...
Nothing conjures up a deeper sense of patriotism and belonging to a community like a 4th of July parade, and Niwot's celebration has a way of elevating that hometown, apple pie feeling to the max. There are kids riding their streamer-adorned bikes, horse-mounted riders carrying flags, well-represented community organizations walking with their banners, all encased in a backdrop of majestic music. And of course there's the Grand Marshal riding in a spiffy convertible smiling and waving to the cro...
Businesses, community groups, and others handed out candy, flowers, flyers, books, t-shirts, and other mementos as the Niwot Community Association's Annual 4th of July Parade got off to a rousing start, with a full slate of entries for the first time since 2019. The parade lined up on Meadowdale Drive for the first time, and kicked off the festivities at 11:00 a.m. with the Color Guard and Scout Troop 161 leading the way. The Niwot Community Semi-Marching Free Grange Band performed the Star Span...
Nothing conjures up a deeper sense of patriotism and belonging to a community like a 4th of July parade, and Niwot's celebration has a way of elevating that hometown, apple pie feeling to the max. There are kids riding their streamer-adorned bikes, horse-mounted riders carrying flags, well-represented community organizations walking with their banners, all encased in a backdrop of majestic music. And of course there's the Grand Marshal riding in a spiffy convertible smiling and waving to the...
This year, 4th of July festivities kick off in Cottonwood Square at 7:30 a.m. with a Pancake Breakfast at the Niwot Market. In addition to pancakes, sausage and eggs, topped with Bert Steele’s famous green chile, will be part of the fare. The annual event is hosted by Niwot Market and the Niwot Community Association (NCA) and typically feeds at least 500 to 600 hungry Niwotians and area residents eager to celebrate the birth of their nation. Tips will be collected to benefit the Niwot Patriotic Cookie Moms in their efforts to send care p...
The Niwot Community Association (NCA) Board returned to the Mountain View Fire Protection District conference room for its monthly meeting on June 1st. It had not been possible to meet at that location since early in the pandemic. The annual Niwot Cleanup Day was held on an unusually chilly May 21st. Organized by Board member John Barto, this event allows NCA members to drop off a variety of types of household and yard materials at the temporary site set up for the event in the Niwot High School parking lot. It is free for NCA members, which...
This time of year, a good spring cleaning is at the top of many people's list. So the annual Niwot Community Association (NCA) Cleanup Day is here just in time. The event takes place Saturday May 21st from 8:00 a.m. to noon or until the dumpsters are full. John Barto, NCA member and event organizer said that the event has been happening for more than 20 years. "Cleanup Day started as a couple dumpsters for trash and yard waste and a swap area. The event has grown every year since then with...
The Niwot Local Improvement District (LID) approved five funding requests at its regular meeting May 3, including funding for three popular community events. Scott Firle chaired the meeting, with advisory board members Lisa Rivard, Cornelia Sawle, Bruce Rabeler, Jeff Knight, Heidi Storz and Keith Waters also in attendance, along with Boulder County liaison Mark Ruzzin. The Niwot Cultural Arts Association (NCAA) and the Niwot Business Association (NBA), co-managers of the Rock & Rails summer...
The Niwot Community Association’s (NCA) monthly meeting on Wednesday, May 4, covered a multitude of timely issues and events ranging from the latest on the Boulder Library District to the organization’s array of upcoming events. Boulder Library District update The NCA has been keeping close tabs on the possibility that a Boulder Public Library District could potentially include Niwot in its scope. In late April, the Boulder City Council declared it saw “no path forward to reconcile with the Boulder County Commissioners on a library resol...
The Niwot Community Association’s annual meeting was held April 19 at Left Hand Grange No. 9, facilitated by Niwot Community Association (NCA) president, David Limbach. An in-person audience of nearly 30 people and live online viewers were provided with information regarding 2022 NCA board elections, a review of the NCA’s 2019 activities, and other plans for the present year. It was followed by a timely presentation about wildfires given by Sterling Folden, Deputy Fire Chief of Mountain Vie...
On April 5, in a joint session, the Boulder City Council and the Boulder of County Commissioners (BOCC) held a public hearing on whether to create a library district which would include all city of Boulder residents as well as residents of unincorporated Gunbarrel and Niwot, and extend as far west as Jamestown. After more than seven hours of an online hearing in which speakers were limited to two minutes, the city council approved the plan by a vote of 6-3. The plan would include Gunbarrel and...
Jeff Knight, a Niwot resident since 2005, was appointed to the Niwot Local Improvement District Advisory Committee (LID) by the Boulder County Commissioners. Knight was designated by the Niwot Community Association (NCA) as its nominee for the NCA representative position on the nine-member committee, which considers funding requests for sales tax dollars for projects and events which benefit the business district in Niwot. Knight, who resides in the Burgundy Park subdivision, also serves on the...
The pandemic has been a devastating time within our personal lives and within our local and national governmental operations. Now that life is returning to "normal," the Boulder Library Champions, a grassroots group of local volunteers, are interested in making some changes to the way the Boulder public library operates. They're also in need of book donations, in case you're interested in contributing to the group. On March 8, the Boulder Library Champions held a community meeting at the Left...
A second summer concert series and signs for Niwot's new public parking lot were just two of the pending issues before the advisory committee to the Niwot Local Improvement District at its monthly meeting on March 1. The group also met its likely future representative from the Niwot Community Association, heard a year-end revenue report from treasurer Bruce Rabeler, and put the finishing touches on its update to the Niwot five-year strategic plan. Treasurer's Report Boosted by robust earnings...
The Niwot Local Improvement District’s advisory committee may be without a Niwot Community Association representative for at least the next few months, after the Boulder Board of County Commissioners office was unable to appoint a candidate for the open position during the latest recruitment period. According to county liaison Mark Ruzzin, both a small number of applications and other priorities in the BOCC office contributed to the inability to seat a new member. “The commissioners, as you can...
When the Marshall Fire devastated the communities of Louisville and Superior, Niwot community members were eager to help. In the immediate days after the tragedy, many went above and beyond. For others still wanting to do something positive, there are ongoing opportunities to make a difference. Below is an overview of what's been done already and what opportunities to help are still available. Local businesses offered housing and food Shelter was one of the most immediate needs for residents in...
Niwot Community Association board members agreed at the Jan. 5 meeting that the organization wanted to help Marshall Fire victims that have found shelter in Niwot. Board members Pat Murphy and Mark Brigham, both real estate agents, said several fire victims are being hosted in Niwot and the area, with some needing “just about everything,” according to Murphy. “And I know we will have more displaced families coming soon,” added Brigham. Board members discussed at length how they wanted to help the fire victims. Board member Craig Rahenka...
Like it or not, 2022 is just around the corner, and if your plans for the new year involve bettering the world, there's no better place to start than your own community. The Left Hand Valley is home to dozens of non-profit organizations that are making a difference, and they need engaged volunteers to help them do it. No experience is necessary; there's a position for you. By volunteering, not only are you helping your community, you'll also reap the benefits from connecting with others, learnin...
Behind any community event in Niwot, there is an unsung army of volunteers, handling details and logistics that most attendees overlook. Among them is the Niwot road crew, a group that has been dedicated to keeping the town's parades and festivals pedestrian-friendly since 2014. "We started with seven, and it blossomed from there," Dick Piland said of the group he founded as Niwot Community Association president nearly a decade ago. "It was amazing. We had people calling up insisting they get...
In 2020, charitable giving rose to an all-time high in the U.S., even as many Americans struggled with uncertainty and disruptions. While that is good news for the nation's non-profit organizations, the unfortunate reality is that much of the bounty went to high profile causes and groups, leaving small and locally-focused charities scrambling to make up for lost fundraising opportunities. As 2021 comes to a close, many of those groups could still use some help to balance the scales. "There are a...
As part of the effort to update the town's five-year strategic plan, the Niwot Local Improvement District Advisory Committee invited leaders from more than a dozen local community organizations to a round table discussion at the Left Hand Grange on Nov. 2 to discuss how to prioritize tax revenues over the coming years and encourage cooperation among the groups on community projects. Among the groups represented were the Niwot Business Association, Niwot Community Association, the Rotary Club of...
A crowd of almost 100 gathered at the intersection of Franklin Street and Second Avenue on Sunday, Nov. 7, to honor veterans of the U.S. armed forces, including some 44 veterans with local connections featured on banners hung throughout the Niwot business district. The Niwot Community Semi-Marching Free Grange Band, under the direction of Debbie Benson, began with a selection of John Philip Sousa marches and other tunes, including Yankee Doodle Boy, Respect, The Thunderer, America, Stars &...
Niwot realtor Pat Murphy presented the 2021 Golden Hammer Award to long-time Niwot volunteer Julie Breyer at the Great Pumpkin Party Oct. 30. In presenting the award, Murphy noted that Breyer was first employed as a waitress at Rev Taylor's Restaurant shortly after moving to Niwot in 1986. She later became a third-grade teacher at Niwot Elementary School, where she currently teaches. Breyer has also been a volunteer for many organizations in Niwot, including the Niwot Community Association,...
Work on a proposal to create a community garden space in Niwot is starting, Niwot Community Association board member Diane Zimmermann told NCA members at the Oct. 6 meeting. "The first step is to survey our NCA members to gauge interest and gather ideas, and then put together a community group made up of Niwot residents and NCA members interested in getting this project started," Zimmermann said. "We see so many Niwot residents with beautiful gardens and we could use their expert advice and...
The Niwot Community Association is now accepting applications for the 2021 Veterans Banner Project, a public tribute to locals who have served or are serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. Starting in October, full-color banners featuring a photo and service details of the honoree will be hung from lighting fixtures along 2nd Avenue and in Cottonwood Square, where they will remain through Veterans Day. The NCA launched the banner project in 2019 as a way to recognize former or current service...
It was a beautiful morning for taking out the trash. On Sept. 18, the Niwot Community Association held its annual Clean Up Day in the parking lot of Niwot High School. Turnout was so heavy in the early morning hours that there were cars lined up waiting to enter the parking lot half an hour before the lot opened. The cars kept on coming, and it was 9 a.m. before Niwot Road was cleared of vehicles waiting to turn left into the school parking lot, according to volunteer Kathy K...
The Niwot Community Association will hold its annual Clean Up Day from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Sept. 18 in the parking lot at Niwot High School, 8989 Niwot Road, Niwot. Any NCA member can bring two free trash loads, with additional loads costing $25 each; non-members will pay $40 a load. Loads equal a standard size pickup truck at bed level. "We suggest that people come early, because once our collection dumpsters are full we will have to close up," event organizer John Barto told NCA...
Niwot Community Association board members had a bit of a "green-storming" session at their August meeting. Niwot resident Terry Purcell approached the group with the suggestion that Niwot needs a community garden. "I've been talking to people as I work at the Niwot Market and everyone has been enthusiastic about the idea," he told NCA board members. "This could be a really wonderful social gathering place for the community." Purcell said he was bringing the idea to the NCA because of the...
People strolling along Niwot's Second Avenue looking for a peaceful place to sit in the shade can thank their lucky stars that Chuck Klueber gives his time to Niwot. Klueber, who has been named the 2021 Grand Marshal of Niwot's 4th of July patriotic motorcade parade, is the quiet force in the background making sure that "streetscape" projects are completed in the town. The "bump out" patio in front of Old Oak Coffeehouse, allowing for inviting umbrella tables, chairs and trees, was one of the...
The Niwot Community Association (NCA) began as a reaction to a regional shopping center proposed by an out-of-town developer in the early 1980s. The concept put forth was that the property kitty-corner from the IBM site on the Diagonal Highway would be developed into a regional shopping center as part of a plan to incorporate the town of Niwot, with a sales tax providing all the revenue the newly incorporated town would ever need. At the time the City of Boulder had not yet annexed the IBM site or the would-be shopping center property and Twin...
Niwot Community Association board members are sticking to their plans to hold a July 4th motorcade instead of a full-blown parade, even though Boulder County has loosened COVID-19 restrictions on large outdoor events. "We are erring on the side of caution this year," said parade coordinator Julie Breyer. "We want people watching from their front yards along the motorcade route to be as comfortable as possible." In addition, the NCA board also plans to have each area representative host an...
The Niwot Business Association, known informally as the NBA, is the organization that gets most things done in Niwot's business district. While the Niwot Community Association (NCA) addresses matters of community-wide interest, the NBA has taken the lead on business-related matters. The two organizations often work together on projects of mutual interest, such as the Veteran's Banner Project last fall. But the NBA, whose 150-plus dues-paying members often live in NIwot as well as work there, is...
The Niwot Community Association board of directors has decided not to hold its traditional July 4 parade this year, NCA president David Limbach announced at the group's annual meeting on April 14. NCA board members agreed that it's too hard to predict what Boulder County's COVID-19 incidence rate and restrictions will be in July. "It would be nearly impossible to plan a traditional parade that doesn't promote gathering," said Limbach. Instead, the NCA will host a "motorcade parade" to bring the...
April is National Volunteer month, a moment when the US acknowledges and honors the impressive impact volunteers make by giving their time and energy. We can all make the world a better place by volunteering in big and small ways, and while pitching in, you're also bringing health and happiness to yourself. Here's a list of nearby organizations where volunteers make a huge difference. Note: For the past year, we've been told to stay socially distant during the pandemic, but many organizations...
Members of the Niwot Community Association Board are cautiously exploring whether the group will be able to host some of its signature activities in 2021. "Will we see the same Covid-19 restrictions this summer after vaccines are more widely distributed? It's too early to know," said NCA Vice-President Tom Sesnic. He and area 5 representative John Barto co-chair the Niwot annual cleanup day usually held in May. That event was cancelled last spring due to Covid-19 restrictions set by Boulder Coun...
Thirty years ago Niwot's 2nd Avenue was a mess whenever it rained or snowed. No curb and gutter, no streetlights, and nowhere for moisture to drain. As an unincorporated community, the downtown business district had no tax revenue or funding mechanism for basic infrastructure projects. In the early 1990s a small group of local commercial property owners approached Boulder County officials seeking a solution. Anne Dyni, who with her husband Jack owned the former blacksmith building (now occupied...
The COVID-19 pandemic turned life upside down for most of us over the past 12 months, but it was especially hard on the local non-profit community, which saw its donations dry up as traditional fundraising events and activities were postponed or canceled. Fortunately, there's still time to help balance the scales as we count down the final hours of 2020. Among the many provisions of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) passed back in March, was a change to an IRS rule...
In 1975, the Lutheran Medical Center Foundation was created as a way to support a nonprofit hospital in West Denver. Since then, it has been renamed the "Community First Foundation" (CFF) and has sought to create change beyond just the Denver Metro. Then, CFF became involved with ColoradoGives.org, an online tool that is a way to connect with and support nearly 3,000 nonprofits around the state. In 2010, CFF and ColoradoGives.org kicked off Colorado Gives Day, which has garnered $355 million in...
In 1918, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, all fighting as a result of World War I officially ended with the signing of an armistice with Germany. Since then, it has been a day around the world to remember those events and those who served. In 1954, various veterans' organizations within the United States banded together to have Armistice Day be renamed to Veterans Day. While Memorial Day honors those who died while in the military service.Veterans Day celebrates all who have...
Small towns like Niwot are an endangered species throughout the US. For a small town to survive or even thrive, is heroic. What makes Niwot different? Our Voice, which speaks to us weekly, is a large factor behind Niwot's success. Our Voice reminds us that Niwotians' are really a special breed. Our Voice reminds us that unlike other towns, we volunteer and govern ourselves. Our Voice helps us celebrate our volunteer leadership associations with fancy nomenclature that make things happen, like the NBA, NCA, NFL, NCAA, LID, and not so fancy,...
Boulder County Parks & Open Space has recently completed a new fence along the Niwot Loop Trail on the south side of Somerset to protect a critical and rare habitat. Working in conjunction with the Niwot Community Association and the Somerset Estates HOA, Boulder County installed the four-foot-tall Jackleg fence as a barrier to help protect the natural area. Therese Glowacki, manager of the Resource Management Division of Boulder County Parks & Open Space, was part of the team that helped identi...
Last Tuesday, the Niwot Community Association (NCA) hosted a virtual forum for the Boulder County Commissioner Candidates. This year, two of the district seats are up for a county-wide vote, District 1 and District 2. Though the third commissioner, Matt Jones, is from District 3 which includes much of the Left Hand Valley, all commissioners are elected on a county-wide basis. County commissioners assist in making a number of decisions that affect the whole county--road maintenance to allocation of funding for services such as mental health and...
As Veterans Day 2020 approaches, the Niwot Community Association will once again honor the local men and women who have served their country in the U.S. Armed Forces. Starting in early October, more than 50 full-color banners featuring the names, photographs, branch, and service years of Niwot's military members past and present will be installed along 2nd Avenue and in Cottonwood Square where they will hang through Veterans Day. "I think it's great that the community would honor our veterans,...
In 2020, the public receives news from an enormous number of electronic as well as traditional sources. The information onslaught is relentless, can be frustratingly inaccurate, and isn't always able to portray what occurs in a localized area. Local journalists have an important role to fill in this kind of potentially confusing environment. Community newspapers such as the Left Hand Valley Courier tell stories about businesses, schools, parks, open spaces, neighborhoods, local infrastructure,...
Leonard Sitongia is an essential worker, or more fittingly, an essential volunteer for the Niwot community. Even before Leonard and his wife Christine moved to their Niwot home in 2014, while waiting for their North Boulder house to sell, he stepped up to be an area representative for the Niwot Community Association (NCA). For the past three years, he's also been the organization's secretary. Hearing about his history, it's clear that connecting through community engagement is Sitongia's modus...
Niwot Community Association members heard from Boulder County Commission candidate Claire Levy at their July 1 virtual meeting. Levy, who was uncontested in the Democratic primary, faces Republican Cinda Kochen for the District 1 seat in November. Kochen will virtually meet with NCA board members at their Aug. 5 meeting, along with county commissioner candidate James T. Crowder from District 2. Crowder will face Democrat Marta Loachamin who won the Democratic primary over Jonathan Singer. While commissioners must live in one of three specific g...
