NCA elects board members

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

Membership Director

Johnny Barrett

LID Representative

Jeff Knight

Director at Large

Kathy Koehler

Area 1 Representative

Jeff Knight

Area 3 Representative

Pat Murphy

Area 5 Representative

John Barto

Area 7 Representative

Liz Marr

All ran unopposed and all were re-elected to positions they now serve.

NCA President David Limbach reviewed the NCA's accomplishments in 2022. Limbach reported that the NCA collected $2,122 in donations from members for the immediate needs of Marshall Fire survivors, including many donated gift cards. He also noted that there was good progress on the Niwot Road underpass mural restoration and repainting project. The Slepicka tractor show was held for the first time in 2022, and is slated to return in 2023.

The NCA was involved in the Boulder Library District creation campaign by conducting a survey and presenting the results to the BOCC (Board of County Commissioners) and the Boulder City Council. As a result of the survey, which indicated that most Niwot residents utilized the Longmont Library, the district map was redrawn to exclude most of Niwot.

Limbach also reviewed NCA activities and events planned for 2023. He reported that the NCA has been invited to participate in the Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) by Boulder County, which received voter approval to fund the project last fall. This effort was launched by Mountain View Fire Rescue in order to gather data and create predictive models in order to better defend against fires in the urban-wildland interface and the interior of communities.

The leaders of the Niwot Community Connection (NCC) then described the organization and its accomplishments. As the founder of the NCC, Pat Murphy introduced the co-leaders, Eve Lempriere and Dawn Server.

Lempriere said the NCC was formed in 2021 to provide a forum for people 50 years of age and older to promote community and to encourage connections. The age threshold was taken from the AARP standard. There are currently 370 participants.

Server focused on the 17 diverse active interest groups within the NCC. She described the Niwot pocket garden project where two gardens are planned to be built at the west entrance to Niwot. The goal is ultimately to build and plant three gardens.

The NCC also provides volunteers to help with events created by other community groups, Server said. In 2022, 37 NCC members volunteered to assist local events., and the NCC has already provided 53 volunteers for local events in 2023. The NCC also publishes a monthly newsletter and holds monthly meetings at Left Hand Grange No. 9.

Limbach then noted local concerns voiced by NCA members, including speeding through the school zone on Niwot Road, railroad safety and the banners on the athletic field fence at Niwot High School.

The focus of the meeting then turned to a presentation about the Colorado Highway 119 (the "Diagonal") bus and bikeway projects.

Stacey Proctor from Boulder County Planning and Permitting spoke first, outlining the history of the projects. Proctor reported that they hope that additional improvements in the corridor would be accomplished after the initial project is completed.

Adnana Murtic from the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) spoke about safety challenges along the Diagonal. She said three automotive fatalities have occurred and safety for cyclists and pedestrians is a big concern. There is currently no direct bike connection through the corridor between Boulder and Longmont and bus service can be slow and travel times are unreliable. It is expected that traffic will increase 25% on the Diagonal by 2040.

Murtic was asked how much median space will be needed for car lanes to expand the Diagonal in the future. She answered that the way it was originally designed anticipated new managed lanes, which will make it easy to add new lanes in the future.

Ali Imansepahi, the RTD project manager, described safety improvements and the installation of an Intelligent Traffic System to accommodate the complexity of interactions between cars, buses, cyclists and pedestrians. Imansepahi said the relationship between the bus and bikeway projects on one hand and FasTracks is being studied but should be complementary because the Northwest Rail FasTracks project will not have a stop between Boulder and Longmont.

Steven Humphrey, an engineer with the consulting company, Muller Engineering Company, said an on-site safety audit of the Diagonal/Niwot Road intersection was conducted in the past week. The audit identified factors contributing to accidents, which include running red lights and the signal confusion when traveling on Niwot Road through the intersection. In addition, the proximity and visual overlap of the traffic signals when crossing the separated directions of travel on the Diagonal could also be factors resulting in accidents. He said there will be some signal relocation work to eliminate overlap and some optical technology to minimize visibility of a distant signal when stopped at a closer one.