Niwot LID approves 2 funding requests

Amid encouraging reports from February sales tax receipts, the Niwot Local Improvement District Advisory Committee (LID) recommended approval of funding for two signature events for Niwot – the Niwot Community Association's (NCA) 4th of July celebration and the Rock & Rails Summer Concert Series, co-sponsored by the Niwot Cultural Arts Association (NCAA) and the Niwot Business Association (NBA).

4th of July Celebration

Kathy Koehler, a member of the NCA's board of directors, presented the 4th of July event application for funding. Koehler said the 4th of July events begin at 7:30 a.m. with Bert's Pancake Breakfast outside of the Niwot Market, named in honor of the late Bert Steele, who owned the Market and was a fixture at the event every year, providing space, equipment, and manpower.

The application states, "The NCA supports and coordinates the breakfast with the Market and coordinates volunteers for the breakfast." Food serving volunteers are coordinated by the Niwot Patriotic Cookie Moms.

A "family fun run" event will return this year, starting at 8 a.m. For the one-mile fun run, the NCA provides porta potties.

From 8:30 to 9:30 a.m., the NCA sponsors the bike-trike-wagon-stroller decorating for the parade participants. Other community groups help as well, with Troop 161 Scouts assisting with the decorating, using packets assembled by Niwot Nifties 4-H volunteers. Niwot High School cheerleaders are on hand to apply face painting and temporary tattoos to children upon request.

At 9 a.m, the Niwot Community Semi-Marching Free Grange Band will perform a concert featuring patriotic music, including the service songs of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, National Guard and Space Force.

The parade lineup will begin at 10:30 a.m. on Meadowdale Drive, with the NCA's road crew working in conjunction with the Boulder County Sheriff's office for signage and traffic control.

For Niwot's Sesquicentennial celebration this year, the NCA plans to have historic items, including kazoos, available at the NCA tent during the breakfast, and will provide the history of the kazoo.

The 4th of July Parade begins at 11 a.m. and will proceed down Niwot Road, then proceed down 2nd Avenue. "We will again sponsor a Balfour tent," Koehler said, noting that this year there will be three tents along the parade route for senior citizens from the Balfour Retirement Community. "They have been so excited."

Prior to the 4th of July celebration, the NCA is sponsoring a scavenger hunt for elementary school-age children during the month of June, with yard signs that the NCA displays along walking trails in Niwot. Students can document the signs and turn in their answers on the 4th of July.

The NCA expects to fund $6,125 of the costs of the event, and Koehler requested $4,000 from the LID, primarily to cover the costs of flags, advertising and promotion as well as the porta potties.

The LID unanimously approved the request.

Rock & Rails

The NCAA presented the funding request for Rock & Rails, which will feature 13 concerts on Thursday nights in Niwot, from 5 to 9 p.m. The application states, "The Rock & Rails summer concert series is the premier event in Niwot, bringing many people to Whistle Stop Park, one block from the Historic Niwot Business District, on Thursday nights in June, July and August. Now in its 18th year (we lost 2020 to Covid), the event won the Governor's Award for Best Downtown Event in 2006."

The NCAA owns the park and built the Depot building in the park, while the NBA purchased the historic caboose and built the bandstand for the park. The two organizations have co-managed the event since 2014, returning over $693,000 to the community since then in the form of net profits, donations to non-profit organizations, and payments to the LID for sales taxes, according to the application.

"In addition to Niwot residents, the event brings people from surrounding communities who might not otherwise visit Niwot," the application states. "Local musicians perform at 5 p.m., and headliners, including well-known regional bands, perform from 6:30 to 9 p.m."

According to the application, tip jar proceeds generated over $28,000 in donations to local non-profit organizations last year, with over 100 volunteers assisting with the concerts. Net proceeds from the events are divided equally between the NCAA and the NBA, with the NCAA proceeds covering the costs of maintaining the Niwot Children's Park across the street.

The concerts begin Thursday, June 5, and conclude on August 28. The $10,000 funding request to cover advertising and promotional costs as well as security was unanimously approved.

LID Revenues Rise

LID Treasurer Mary Coonce reported that revenue reports from February 2025 showed marked improvement. "We're doing better," Coonce explained, noting that February receipts were $16,698, compared to $15,330 for the same period a year ago. The number was still down, however, from the February 2023 collections, which were $18,215. Due to a large downturn in January 2025 compared to the January 2024 collections, the year-to-date revenues for 2025 remain down 9.7% over the same period in 2024.

Niwot Master Plan

The LID formally adopted the Niwot Master Plan following two minor revisions by Fletemeyer & Lee Associates, a local architectural firm hired to prepare the plan. The changes resulted from input at a community meeting held in December 2024, and involved the addition of a crosswalk on Niwot Road and improved signage.