Plans outlined for Niwot Hall courtyard and storage

On May 22, Niwot Hall president Jim Dorvee presented plans for a redesigned storage facility and a courtyard suitable for outdoor events as part of Niwot Hall's effort to make the site formerly known as Left Hand Grange an attractive community gathering place.

Dorvee spoke to a gathering of 17 Niwot residents, which included board members of Niwot Hall, a non-profit corporation which owns the property at 195 Second Avenue in Niwot. The meeting was part of a land use process required by Boulder County before the application for Limited Site Plan Review is submitted to Boulder County Planning & Permitting.

As Dorvee noted, many residents of Niwot have already seen the preliminary plans as they have been presented to multiple community organizations, and are part of the Master Plan approved by the Niwot Local Improvement District.

The plans call for deconstruction of the former Niwot Volunteer Fire Station, which has been used only for storage since 1983.

Chad Fletemeyer of Fletemeyer & Lee Associates, a Niwot architectural firm that has worked on the Master Plan, was also present. Dorvee noted that Fletemeyer and his partner, David Lee, have donated their time to the project, with Niwot Hall covering only the cost of their staff time.

Fletemeyer described how drainage from the site would be improved."We know that we will handle the drainage better than it is today, in a number of different ways," he said. "We will get more of the drainage to go east rather than north." Niwot Hall board member Gregg Hangge said, "It will help the drainage of other properties."

Dorvee noted that the current building provides only 419 square feet of storage area, due to the need for a walking area. "The new building is actually smaller than the firehouse, but we gain more storage," Dorvee said. Many Niwot community groups, including the Niwot Community Association, the Niwot Business Association, and the Niwot Cultural Arts Association currently use the storage space. Each organization will have its own separate facility under the new configuration.

The plans call for storage facilities to be constructed along the south property line, with a small stage in front to be used in conjunction with the patio area. Parking along Franklin Street will also be reconfigured to parallel parking.

Dorvee noted that once plans are finalized, Niwot Hall will seek funding for the project through grants and fundraising activities. He also noted that use of Niwot Hall as a rental facility for weddings, receptions and other events has increased in the past year as improvements have been made to the Niwot Hall building. He expects the courtyard to make it even more attractive for use. "If you build it, they will come," he said.

The next step in the process is a meeting on May 28 at 4 p.m. at Niwot Hall with the Historic Preservation Board Advisory subcommittee as well as the Niwot Design Review Committee. After input is obtained from that meeting, plans will be finalized to submit to the county as part of the limited site plan review process.