Left Hand Laurel Chris Crandell

Given all the ways Chris Crandell contributes to Niwot, you wouldn't guess he moved here just five years ago, and with a less-than-auspicious start. He described his first living situation here as "an apartment above a friend's barn, in the middle of a pandemic lockdown."

"We lived there for a couple of weeks, with no internet, no cell phone service, and you can't go out shopping or anything because of COVID," he laughed, summing up that time. "For a couple of years, I wasn't getting plugged in."

These days Crandell may be Niwot's biggest fan, and he shows his appreciation by giving back, giving back again, and then giving back some more.

"Being retired, I have a lot of interests and a lot of hobbies," said the avid pianist and snowboarder, "but I wanted to try to do things that were more substantive and contributory, that benefited from some of my skill set. I can't do everything, but some things I can do well."

That self-effacing statement belies the talents Crandell brings to Niwot. He credits owning an engineering company for his management and organizational skills, as well as his facility with computers and spreadsheets. He said it taught him how to work with people.

Now Crandell lends those same skills to organizations throughout town, including Niwot Hall's board of directors, and Niwot's sesquicentennial committee, to name just two. Through these roles and more, Crandell has earned this month's Left Hand Laurel.

Crandell was born and raised in Littleton, but after graduating from the University of Colorado, he spent the bulk of his adulthood back east. He left the west for a Master's Degree in environmental engineering from Cornell University, where he met his wife, Becky. After a short stint back in Denver, the two spent the next 28 years raising a family in Vermont. It wasn't until they retired that Colorado beckoned again, and, eventually, Niwot.

Crandell quickly became convinced that this town is unlike others he's known. "Honestly, I think most people recognize this is an amazing place to live," he said.

"Not many places this size are unincorporated," he explained. "That means we don't have a community center, we don't have a town manager, a police station, a library, or a civic center. So that brings us to the other very unique feature of Niwot. There are dozens and dozens of people that step up to fill all the roles to make this community hum. It really is astounding to me."

Among the first roles Crandell took upon himself to fill was board secretary for both Niwot Hall and Left Hand Grange No. 9, the 151-year-old fraternal organization that still meets at Niwot Hall.

"It's got such history, the Left Hand Grange," he said. "The function has changed over the years, obviously, because it used to be focused on agricultural communities and farm families. We're trying to shift the view of this place and create a new life for it, in a way, so it is more of a community resource."

That's already happening, as Niwot Hall hosts an increasingly wide variety of events and gatherings. Jim Dorvee, who chairs Niwot Hall's board, prizes Crandell's attention to detail. "He brings a quiet clarity to our discussions, and his thoughts on topics are consistently among the most insightful and valuable," Dorvee said.

Crandell's connections to Niwot Hall opened up other volunteer opportunities, such as a position on Niwot's sesquicentennial committee. He described his role as "logistical." For instance, he coordinated with the musicians for the 150th Anniversary Open House on March 30. Mary Coonce formed that committee, and she described Crandell as "easy-going and articulate, with a grounded perspective," qualities that make him an integral part of their team.

Crandell serves even closer to home, if that's possible, as a board member for Johnson Valley's HOA, and wearing that hat led him to join Niwot's effort to create a Public Improvement District to maintain local roads.

"We're in the middle of having conversations with the Boulder County Commissioners and the Public Works Department," he said. "They would like to see this succeed."

Right now, Crandell's primary task is finding local contacts willing to be liaisons within their neighborhoods, and help disseminate information about the road project.

"They don't have to agree to this concept, but a lot of people have stepped up and said, 'Yeah, we're quite interested. Please keep us informed.' We need to get some numbers from the county so we can go out and talk to everybody, because it has to be voted on and approved in a November ballot."

But Crandell doesn't only lend Niwot his brain, he contributes with brawn, too. He and his wife have been spotted mulching and pulling weeds around the Niwot sign along the Diagonal Highway, and watering and weeding the many flower pots around town. But all that gardening wasn't Chris Crandell's idea.

"That's Becky's thing," he said with a smile. "I just tag along."