John Scarffe, Nederland.  The Nederland Downtown Development Authority Board (NDDA) discussed funding requests from the Town and funding for Town beautification during a regular meeting on Wednesday, January 18, 2017, at the Nederland Community Center. The NDDA received a donation toward the flower project, so if the Town decides not to fund it, the NDDA will lose the donated funds.

During the public comment portion of the meeting, Nederland Business Owner Ron Mitchell handed out to the Board a 32-page set of plans for development in the downtown area.

Mitchell said he has had an architectural firm working on documents during the past ten years to develop a plan for the downtown area. He asked that DDA Board members to review the plan, and he and his business associates will make a presentation at the next meeting.

“I’m really ready to go forward with this, and, due to the traffic during the last three weekends, I have some ideas for that too.” Mitchell said he has purchased two more pieces of property since the plan was developed. “It’s conceptual at this point but has been studied in depth”.

Board Chair Katrina Harms said Mitchell will be on next month’s agenda for 45 minutes. Harms explained that the first two items on the agenda are intertwined but the Board needs to vote on them separately.

During the budgeting process the Town decided it was important to have a new snow plow, but that made them go back and cut a lot of other items, Harms said. The Nederland Board of Trustees is thinking of adding employees for public works and traffic control.

The Board cut flowers out of their public works budget, Harms said. The Trustees had budgeted $7,000 for flowers, and the DDA had $4,000 to put towards the $11,000 needed. The DDA board talked about fund raising to make up that money, but Town Horticulturist Elizabeth Allen had a little angel cover the $7,000 through a donation, so the DDA now has $11,000 to do the project.

The Trustees decided that they would like the DDA to help pay for these projects, Harms said. No one communicated to the DDA that they had moved money from beautification and fireworks to pay for sidewalk maintenance.

“The flowers are a huge part of the atmosphere and livelihood of downtown,” Harms said. “When people drive through downtown, and it looks like nobody cares, they won’t care either. If we don’t fund Elizabeth’s project, we don’t get the $7,000.”

The DDA Board should decide whether to help the Town with the public works person, Harms said. “I also feel strongly that public works is underfunded and understaffed. We need to be obvious in our appreciation of public works.” Board Member Peter Marshall said, “I’m a big fan of it.”

Elizabeth Allen told the Board that in 2015 she was approached by Harms and the Town treasurer and asked to bid on the town beautification project. She has been in horticulture since 1994.

“I feel that the best resume has been the flowers themselves, and the response we’ve gotten,” Allen said. She had an $11,200 budget last year and expenses came close to that. The Town has been asking for Alpine flowers a month after Boulder receives theirs, so the flowers they received were all droopy.

Allen is looking at another business that is ready to grow the flowers Nederland needs and bring them up. “We kind of need to know by the end of this month. They’re going to have to grow them for us.”

In response to complaints from Public Works that it was costing a lot to water the flowers, Allen has found flower pots that have self-watering kits. She got an estimate for a $2,800 cost, and that’s what it costs for the labor to water the flowers.

All of Allen’s bids for the past three years have given the town 10 percent savings, and soil donated saves money each year.

“We’re trying to bring more value to this project. I’m very grateful for our donor and just want to see Nederland look its best,” Allen said.

She looks at Black Hawk, Central City and Idaho Springs, and they have store bought flowers. “I felt so grateful that Ned looks unique. My next goal is the traffic circle,” Allen said.

“I’m so tired of our town looking like neglect. Nobody wants to be around neglect, weeds and ugly things. Do they want to stop here and patronize our businesses? It makes a difference. It’s not window dressing. I see people taking selfies every day on the bridge. Two weddings. How do we quantify this project and the return to the Town?”

The self-watering pots should last a decade, Allen said, so this is a cost reduction measure. Mitchell said he also wants to do something on the roundabout. “I’d love to work with you. I agree. It’s economic development.”

Harms said that a portion of Allen’s bid is the watering of the bridge flowers and the garden, and they could use volunteers for that. She asked Marshall if employees from Cross Cut Pizza, which is right next to the bridge, could do the watering, and Marshall said, yes, they would be willing to do that.

Board Member Amanda Kneer said that it doesn’t look like the fireworks are going to happen this year because of funding and volunteering. “I’m on the one man committee. The Town’s not going to give us what it did last year, so if the DDA doesn’t fund it, it’s kind of a done deal.”

Harms said the beatification line item was $5,000, and they can do it for $4,000. “We can save $1,000 each from flowers and fireworks, and with volunteer watering another $1,000.”

The DDA is happy to move the $3,000, Harms said. Kneer said she will be doing the books for the DDA, so they can cut funds for administration. Harms said they can move the administration fee to Public Works. “We’ve identified about $4,000.”

Board Member Jeffrey Green said that the flowers Elizabeth does should be fully funded. As for the fireworks, the sidewalks are more important. “One night of revelry, or taking care of the sidewalks? It’s a no brainer since the donor gave the money. The flowers are the best thing we do.”

Harms said the DDA will commit to the $3,000 and give as much as they can. The Board moved to accept the whole bid from Color Colorado and then work out the volunteers. The motion was approved. The Board agreed to move $1,000 from fireworks, $1,000 from administration and $1,000 from flowers to sidewalk maintenance.

The next regular meeting of the NDDA Board will be on Wednesday, February 15, 2017, at 6:30 p.m., at the Nederland Community Center, when Ron Mitchell will present his downtown plans. Harms said she is looking forward to Mr. Mitchell’s plans and presentation. “I hope that other people in the community, especially the business community, will take the time to come and see what he is proposing.”