All Local, All The Time
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The Niwot Community Association (NCA) welcomed Abby Silver, Wildfire Partners Outreach Coordinator, at the March board meeting. Silver was invited by NCA Area Representative and wildfire protection specialist Neal Anderson. Anderson introduced Silver, pointing out that Niwot is the largest community in unincorporated Boulder County. Wildfire Partners provides Boulder County’s volunteer fire mitigation program, which has been in place for mountain communities for years. It helps homeowners clear fire fuels away from near their homes to lessen t...
On March 12, the Niwot Community Association (NCA) held a Subdivision Paving Summit at the Left Hand Grange in Niwot. The meeting was led by NCA President David Limbach and Liz Marr, NCA Board Member and member of the Subdivision Paving Coalition (SPC). Approximately 35 members of the community attended the spirited and collaborative session. The meeting had a number of objectives, including: • Review issue history and update the community on recent activities • Give Niwot neighborhoods a for...
The Niwot Community Association (NCA) board held its monthly meeting at the Left Hand Grange hall on Feb. 14. Membership Director Johnny Barrett reported that a membership drive will begin soon. The manager of the NCA's annual Cleanup Day, John Barto, reported that planning is very nearly finished, with all contacts made, approvals in place and a date of May 18 set. These two activities are related because the cost for non-members of the NCA to drop off yard waste, scrap metal, some types of...
Road maintenance and development has been, and continues to be, a concern for residents within the Niwot and Gunbarrel communities. The degeneration of roads within residential subdivisions and neighborhoods are very apparent and only continue to get worse as time goes on. So how do they get improved? Well, it's not that simple. Issues regarding road maintenance are not new and have been prevalent for decades. It wasn't until the mid-2000s that residents started really noticing the...
The working draft of the Niwot Master Plan 2023 was presented to the Niwot Community Association (NCA) on Jan. 23 at the Left Hand Grange No. 9. The master plan is the first step in imagining how Niwot might look in the near and distant future, and includes an update to the 2012 Transportation & Connectivity Plan that has guided Niwot projects for the past decade. This vision for Niwot has been developed by the Niwot Local Improvement District Advisory Committee (LID) in conjunction with the...
The Niwot Community Association (NCA) set goals for 2024 during its December board meeting. The NCA serves as a local advocacy group with representatives from eight residential service areas that interfaces with local government to provide input and provide a forum for Niwot citizens to learn about issues and voice their opinions.The January monthly meeting saw the NCA board launch projects that board members volunteered to champion. Boulder County’s land use policies and actions are an important topic for NCA attention. Examples of d...
First, just in case you were wondering, most of these groups of letters are not acronyms but initialisms, as they cannot be pronounced as a word. For example, FOMO (fear of missing out), FedEx, and NASA are pronounced as words, consequently they are acronyms, whereas ATM is not pronounced “attem,” thus an initialism. But the initialisms listed above represent organizations in Niwot, including non-profits, a taxing district and its advisory committee, and a business committee, which are all quite important to local Niwot citizens. The ini...
On Saturday, Dec. 16, some 200 Niwotians gathered in front of the Niwot Market for the unveiling of a bench dedicated to the memory of beloved community member Bert Steele. It was a touching final farewell to Steele, who died Aug. 7, 2023, after a short illness. Born on Oct. 16, 1950, Steele founded Niwot Market in 2002. A hard worker and passionate business owner, he cultivated a commercial space that has become truly integral to the community of Niwot. Niwot Market is frequently at the center...
The Niwot Community Association (NCA) is a non-profit organization established in 1990 that advocates for the Niwot community with local governmental agencies. The NCA also provides a forum for Niwot citizens to have an opportunity to become informed and involved in proposed changes affecting their lives in the community. The NCA board of directors held its monthly meeting Dec. 13 at the Left Hand Grange No. 9. The focus of the December board meeting was to set goals for the new year. In...
Bert Steele was a beloved member of the Niwot community for over twenty years as the face of the Niwot Market in the Cottonwood Square shopping center. Steele, who died last summer after a short illness, was known for his friendly down-home demeanor, and made friends wherever he went. Steele and his family turned the Niwot Market into a successful business that also hosts several other small businesses within its doors. Steele was also involved in most of Niwot's many community events,...
Blue skies and unseasonably warm temperatures set the stage for Niwot's November 11th tribute to military veterans. The ceremony began at 11:00 after The Niwot Community Semi-Marching Free Grange Band played several patriotic songs as the crowd gathered, including John Philip Sousa's "Stars and Stripes Forever," and "America." The colors were presented by Niwot Scout Troop 161, followed by the singing of the "Star Spangled Banner." This is the fifth year for the event and the veterans banner...
On Saturday, Nov. 11, Niwot residents will have the opportunity to honor United States military veterans, and especially those with a community connection. The fifth annual veterans banner ceremony will be held in front of the Left Hand Grange at 11:00 a.m. on the 11th day of the 11th month, marking what was originally known as Armistice Day at the end of World War I in 1918. The Niwot Community Semi-Marching Free Grange Band will be on hand beginning at 10:30 a.m. to perform music as the...
After a two-year hiatus, Oktoberfest returned to Cottonwood Square on Saturday, Sept. 30. The festivities kicked off at 11 a.m. with a Nerf Animal Shooting Gallery for kids and adults alike. The inflatable animals included bears, deer and wild boar that could be "shot at" with a Nerf bow and arrow. The shooting gallery was run by the Niwot Rotary Club. Music started at 12:30 p.m. with the aptly named Wurst Case Scenario playing some fun German themed "Weird Al Yankovic" style music. The...
Whether you love them or fear them, insects make up approximately 80% of animals found on earth, and make up the majority of pollinators. This weekend, Niwot celebrated one of the most well-known and well-loved species of pollinators – bees. The over 900 species of bees found in Colorado play an integral part to the farming culture Niwot was built upon. From 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept.16, 2nd Avenue and Cottonwood Square were taken over by various small businesses, artisans, and b...
Karen Ragland, Niwot's St. Vrain Valley School District (SVVSD) school board representative, joined the Niwot Community Association's (NCA) September board meeting to hold a conversation with members and the public about the banners on the football field fence, an upcoming bond measure, and property valuation and taxes. NCA board members have previously spoken with Niwot High School (NHS) principal Eric Rauschkolb about the advertising banners on the football field fence facing Niwot Road, which...
Just off of Highway 119 on the north side of Niwot Road is a new carved rock sign, welcoming visitors who get off the Diagonal Highway to enter Niwot. Montana Heather, a Niwot High School senior, created the sign, located on the north side of Niwot Road just across from Peppertree Drive, as his Eagle Scout project. The planning and coordinating behind the construction of the sign took almost two years due to the spacing requirements of the sign itself, which required approval by Boulder County b...
The Veterans Banner program which started several years ago, will again bring banners honoring veterans with Niwot connections to lampposts in downtown Niwot and in Cottonwood Square, beginning in October. According to a statement on the Niwot Community Association’s website, “This is the fifth year the Niwot Community Association (NCA) and the Niwot Business Association (NBA) are co-sponsoring the Veterans Banner Project to honor veterans of the United States Armed Forces. Banners are displayed in Niwot during the weeks surrounding Vet...
On Tuesday, Aug. 1, Niwot will host its annual National Night Out from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Murray Street between Second and Third Avenues. National Night Out is an annual community-building national campaign that promotes community relationships between residents and law enforcement and other first responders. The event creates an opportunity to get to know local law enforcement and create camaraderie and community. Niwot is just one of several National Night Out sites sponsored by the Boulder...
The Niwot Community Association (NCA) held its monthly meeting on July 12. This was the first meeting of the new schedule, with monthly meetings moving to the second Wednesday of the month, and it was held at the Left Hand Grange for the first time. The new meeting time and location worked well. The NCA has previously paid to clear the weeds from the north side of Niwot Road at the west entrance to Niwot from the Diagonal Highway, thanks to arrangements made by board member Pat Murphy. The thin strip of ground between the sidewalk and fence has...
American flags are a common decoration and symbol to see flying during national holidays that celebrate the United States of America. Most notably, the 4th of July, Memorial Day, Flag Day, and Veterans Day are holidays where the flag is seen frequently. However, American flags have decorated Niwot this year for longer than usual. According to the Niwot Community Association, the "Flag Fairy" recruited some volunteers this year to raise American flags all around Niwot, including Cottonwood...
You might recognize him as a volunteer at various Niwot Community Association events, such as Niwot Clean Up Day. Perhaps you have seen him on the NCA Road Crew or as a member of the tech team at Rocky Mountain Christian Church. Most likely, you have seen him driving the golf cart offering transportation service at Rock & Rails. Misha Barrett started providing his transportation services for patrons who parked down the street from Rock & Rails in the summer of 2022. His usage of the golf cart...
The June meeting of the Niwot Business Association, held Tuesday, June 13 outside of the former feed store at 291 Second Avenue in Niwot, was sponsored by Osmosis Art & Architecture. Owner and architect Anne Postle greeted members and introduced Tucker Huey of her staff. Postle has been instrumental in working with John Fischer, owner of the former feed store, and the Niwot Cultural Arts Association, to arrange for Open Studios artists to use the space until early July to display art by local...
Given the weather over the last month, it seemed inevitable that rain would eventually crash a Thursday Rock & Rails party. And rain it did on Thursday night, June 15, halfway through the headline act. But that didn't stop the appreciative crowd from enjoying a country-themed evening, nor did it end the evening. Taylor Shae, a Colorado native who recently released the single, "Small Town America," started the music and happy hour off at 5:00 p.m. Shae, a singer and songwriter, has been...
The Niwot Community Association (NCA) held its monthly meeting June 14. This is a busy time of the year for the NCA as it focuses its work on the many events it sponsors. Niwot Clean Up Day and the second annual Slepicka Tractor Show were a success, and the annual 4th of July Pancake Breakfast and Parade is coming up very soon. Director John Barto led the effort organizing Niwot Clean Up Day. Barto reported that the event went very smoothly with traffic spread out throughout the morning. A...
In 1987, Jerry and Marsha Slepicka bought a lot and, as per county regulation, had to keep it mowed. So they bought a tractor, and that original 1946 John Deere B turned into a somewhat unexpected hobby (collecting tractors) and a tradition: an annual tractor collection show. This year, the show will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, June 10, at the Slepickas' property, 6675 N. 79th Street in Niwot. Visitors will have the opportunity to walk around, check out the vintage farm...
Niwot Clean-Up Day saw favorable weather Saturday, May 20, and a large amount of household waste recycled or sent to the landfill. "Another year and another successful NCA Clean-Up Day event," said event manager, John Barto. "I think everything went very well, and it was great to have such amazing volunteers. We couldn't do it without the help of our NCA members, the [drumline], and the scouts." There were approximately thirty volunteers helping this event operate smoothly. Barto mentioned that...
Pat Murphy and the crew at Niwot Real Estate - Compass hosted the May meeting of the Niwot Business Association May 9. NBA president Eric Bergeson introduced Angela Hudgins, who has been contracted to serve as the new Administrative Coordinator for the NBA and other non-profit organizations. He also discussed the recent transition of the www.niwot.com website to a new format. Bergeson noted that an NBA focus group has been formed to look at the website, headed by NBA vice-president Deb Fowler. N...
Niwot's Local Improvement District Advisory Committee (LID) approved funding requests for six events in Niwot from May to September, including several beloved Niwot events as well as a new music event. The May 2 meeting included annual requests from the Niwot Business Association (NBA), Niwot Community Association (NCA) and Niwot Cultural Arts Association (NCAA), and a request from a local restaurant. Cottonwood Concert Among the funding requests approved was a new event, a Cottonwood Concert,...
The Niwot Community Association (NCA) held its monthly board meeting May 3 at the Mountain View Fire Rescue Niwot Station. Life Scout Montana Heather gave a presentation about his proposed Eagle Scout service project to create a town sign for the west entrance to Niwot. The 4 or 5 foot tall stone sign would have a carved message welcoming people to Niwot. The sign would be installed on the north side of Niwot Road and east of the railroad tracks in the strip of land between the sidewalk and the...
Mark your calendars for May 20 as the Niwot Community Association (NCA) is once again hosting its annual Clean-Up Day. The event will take place in the parking lot of Niwot High School from 8 a.m. to 12 noon for all members of the NCA. If you are not currently a member of the community association or have yet to renew your membership, don't worry. You can make your payment of $30 when you arrive at the event. Payments can be made to the NCA via cash, check, Paypal, or Venmo. For more information...
The Niwot Community Association (NCA) held its annual meeting at 7 p.m. on April 19 at the Left Hand Grange No. 9. A presentation was made by the Niwot Community Connection (NCC), followed by a slide show and presentation by the principal organizations involved in creating the CO 119 Safety and Mobility Projects (Bus Rapid Transit and the Bikeway). The results of the annual election for one-half of the board to 2-year terms were: Vice President Julie Nelsen-Breyer Treasurer Terry Larsen...
Open Stage - a musical community event Sunday, April 16, 1:30 - 3:30 p.m. Performer sign up begins at 1:15 p.m. This free heartwarming, foot tapping, hum-along entertainment is certain to touch your heart and soul all courtesy of our community's abundant homegrown talent. Enjoy Open Stage as an audience member or perform for the community. Everyone is welcome. Play a cover piece or an original – folk, bluegrass, rock, pop or jazz. Bring a musical instrument; a harmonica, guitar, banjo and y...
The Niwot Community Association (NCA) held its monthly board meeting April 5 at the Mountain View Fire Rescue Niwot Station. Keith Long, Assistant Chief for Special Operations in the Mountain View Fire Protection District (MVFPD), gave a presentation on the new Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) that is being developed under MVFPD leadership. Long has 42 years in service and was a Type 1 incident commander on the Marshall Fire. The goal of the CWPP is to create a planning document with input from the local fire district, government...
The Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) will hold a hearing on Monday, April 31 at 1 p.m. to hear a proposal from Niwot for a multi-modal transportation underpass to improve safety at the intersection of Niwot Road and Highway 119 (the Diagonal). The underpass would send both lanes of the Diagonal under Niwot Road and preserve the pristine view of the mountains for travelers heading west on Niwot Road. The commissioners are expected to make a positive decision. The Niwot Local Impediment...
The Niwot Local Improvement District Advisory Committee (LIDAC or LID) held its annual meeting with the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) on Monday, March 27 in the Left Hand Grange. The members of the LID are a mix of people from businesses and community plus representatives of the Niwot Business Association (NBA) and Niwot Community Association (NCA). The commissioners serve as directors of the LID while the LIDAC advises the commissioners on ways to benefit the district through...
The Niwot Community Association (NCA) has a full calendar of events for 2023 which are all open to the public. One event in particular, the annual Niwot Clean-up Day on May 20, is free for members and is a great reason to join the NCA. Roll-off dumpsters will again be set up in the Niwot High School parking lot so that members of the community can drive through to unload a variety of materials which might otherwise end up in a landfill. That includes yard waste, branches, and much more. Staff...
The Niwot Community Association (NCA) held its monthly board meeting Feb. 1 in the Mountain View Fire Rescue Niwot Station conference room and the first topic was trees. Board member Pat Murphy raised her concern about the loss of old trees in Niwot and arranged for Josh Morin, founder of We Love Trees, Inc., to present information to the NCA. Morin explained how humans relate to the ecosystem and have established trees in this area, many of which are aging. He described some initiatives that mi...
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...
Curtis Johnson, who was elected Boulder County Sheriff in the November 2022 election, was sworn in as the top law enforcement officer in Boulder County on Jan. 10. Johnson succeeds Joe Pelle, who served an unprecedented five 4-year terms as Boulder County Sheriff. Pelle is a former Niwot resident whose wife Stephanie worked at the Niwot Post Office for many years, and as a result, was very familiar with the community. Johnson, a Boulder native whose father, Clayton "Swede" Johnson, was a...
The Niwot Community Association (NCA) held its monthly board meeting Jan. 4 in the Mountain View Fire Rescue Niwot Station conference room. The board approved the budget proposed for 2023. Costs have increased for many of the NCA's events and activities, but there are no plans to increase the annual membership fee. It was reported that membership in the NCA has increased to 364 members. The board followed up on the presentation made to the board last month about a possible affordable housing...
Grange funding approved The Left Hand Grange is on a mission to make the iconic building in the center of Niwot's downtown business district even more of a community center. Jim Dorvee, president of Left Hand Grange, Inc., which owns the building on the southwest corner of the intersection of 2nd Avenue and Franklin Street, presented a funding request to the Niwot Local Improvement District Advisory Committee (LID) at the LID's regular meeting Dec. 6. Dorvee asked for a contribution of $15,000...
The Niwot Community Association (NCA) held its monthly board meeting Dec. 7 at the Mountain View Fire Rescue Niwot Station conference room, and listened to a presentation about a proposed housing development at the northeast corner of SH 119 (the Diagonal) and SH 52 (Mineral Road). The proposal, which is in a very preliminary stage, would include 100 units of affordable housing and 150 units of workforce housing. Workforce housing is designated for those earning 80% to 120% of the Area Median Income (AMI), while affordable housing is designated...
On Sunday, Nov. 6, approximately 100 members of the Niwot community came together in Cottonwood Square to honor military veterans at the fourth annual Veterans Banner ceremony. The event, jointly sponsored by the Niwot Community Association (NCA) and the Niwot Business Association (NBA) began at 1:30 p.m. with a patriotic concert by the Niwot Community Semi-Marching Free Grange Band. The colors were presented by Niwot Boy Scout troop 161 followed by the National Anthem performed by the band....
The Niwot Community Association (NCA) held its monthly board meeting Nov. 2 in the Mountain View Fire Rescue Niwot Station conference room. Terry Larsen, NCA Treasurer, reviewed the Association's finances through her detailed spreadsheets and then launched the process for developing next year's budget. Two annual events are prominent in budget planning: the Niwot Clean-Up Day in May, and the 4th of July Parade. The NCA has been working on restoring the mural in the LoBo Trail underpass under...
The Niwot Community Association (NCA) held its monthly board meeting Oct. 5 in the Mountain View Fire Rescue Niwot Station conference room. The board welcomed two new members. Vicky Dorvee will join the board as the director for Trails and Open Space. Dorvee is often seen on the trails around Niwot, with her husband Jim Dorvee, as they walk their dogs. Jeff Server is the new Area 4 representative. Area 4 is bounded by Niwot Road on the north, State Highway 52 on the south, 79th Street on the west and 95th Street on the east. Server and his...
The Niwot Community Association is seeking 8-12 volunteers to help with the restoration of the underpass mural on Niwot Road where the LoBo trail crosses near Centrebridge. On Saturday, Oct. 8, the NCA is organizing a restoration project to repair and restore the mural which was created several years ago. The work will begin at 10 a.m. and is expected to wrap up by 12 noon. The project includes peeling away paint that is separating from the walls, applying primer to the affected areas, and...
The Niwot Community Association (NCA) held its monthly board meeting Sept. 7 in the Mountain View Fire Rescue Niwot Station conference room where several issues were discussed. The Veterans Banner Project celebration will take place on Sunday, Nov. 6, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., in Cottonwood Square shopping center. Banners honoring veterans with local connections will be displayed downtown and in Cottonwood Square this fall. Fall festivities in Niwot will keep the NCA Road Crew busy with several roa...
The Niwot Community Association (NCA) and Niwot Business Association (NBA) have launched the fourth annual Veterans Day Banners Project to honor veterans with Niwot connections. Participants purchase a durable banner honoring an active duty member or veteran of the United States Armed Forces. Banners feature a picture of the honoree, the branch of service, rank and years of service. The banners are hung from poles on 2nd Avenue and in Cottonwood Square during the weeks before and after Veterans...
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...