The Nederland Board of Trustees approved improving Big Springs Drive during a regular, virtual meeting on August 3, 2021, at 7 p.m. The Board also approved a public arts project and the 2030 Vision statements and heard an update on building code meetings.

Big Springs Improvement project

Public Works Manager Chris Pelletier introduced a resolution increasing Public Works expense to pave a portion of Big Springs Drive and requested appropriating surplus revenue of $105,000 from the 2021 General Fund for this effort.

Staff had originally presented this project at the regular July 20 Board meeting. The Board supported the project and requested that staff bring back the proposal in a resolution with the future supplemental budget.

On August 3, staff recommended approving the resolution to increase Public Works expenditures for street improvements. Pelletier said it is a formality for a project to repave Big Springs Drive and use these finances.

The anticipated project date is September, depending on availability of asphalt. Pelletier hopes to have an agreedon price for the asphalt this month. The Board approved the resolution.

Public Arts Project

Kate Masingale, Executive Director of the Nederland Downtown Development Authority (NDDA), introduced a resolution to move forward with a public arts project. The Nederland Public Art Committee (NAPC) is ready to install a mural at the Business Connection and is requesting funding approval to move forward on the installation of the mural surface.

Danielle Crouse, NDDA Board Member on the committee, said this funding of the first mural is part of the Public Arts master plan. The artist selected for the mural is Greg Marquis, and the NDDA will communicate how he was selected in future public outreach.

Because the Business Connection is an historic building, the committee didn’t want to build on the brick, so a frame was constructed with two main beams to support the mural so it can be sold later. The mural will be up for three to four years, and a coating will protect it.

The NDDA had unanimously recommended that the Trustees approve the resolution on July 14. It highlights Nederland’s unique community, character, environment, and history through public arts offerings, which strengthen a sense of place for residents and visitors alike.

The full master plan can be found on the August 3 Board of Trustees site at https://nederlandco.civicweb.net/ Portal/ MeetingInformation. aspx?Org=Cal&Id=394.

Crouse said that by the end of September, they will work on the next steps to be finalized at an NDDA Board meeting. They will learn about community artists and what people would like to see.

Trustees wondered why the funds being invested in a high yield account cannot be used for this project, and Town Deputy Administrator Miranda Fisher said TIF funds would be used for public art and the NDDA will bring investment procedures to the next meeting.

Other Trustees expressed excitement for the project and approved the resolution, saying,

“Let the painting begin.”

Vision 2030 statements

At the June 15 Board meeting, Town staff presented the draft 2030 vision statements to the Trustees. After a robust discussion, the Board decided that they wanted to gather more public input on the vision statements.

Trustees Lindsey Danforth and Eric Coombs Esmail created a survey that asked the community to rank the vision statements from “strongly approved” to “strongly disapproved,” and to provide comments. The survey was released on June 18, and closed on July 9.

Twenty-three people participated in the survey. During the week of July 12 to July16, the Envision 2030 subcommittee met to review the feedback and to see if changes were needed, and to adjust the vision statements accordingly.

The updated vision statements were reviewed by the full committee on July 19. During that meeting, additional updates were made to the statements and the committee members were asked to vote either in support of the statements or not.

“Since all statements passed with majority votes, the final document was presented to the Envision 2030 Advisory Committee. The committee was asked to again vote on whether they approved the ‘Final 2030 Vision Statements’ document in its entirety, and 11 members voted yes and three members voted no (one member was unable to vote due to personal reasons),” according to background.

Deputy Town Administrator Miranda Fisher asked the Board if they approved the statements.

The Vision 2030 Advisory Board will help guide the future of Nederland over the next ten years. You can read the envision statements on the Envision 2030 page at https://nederlandco.org/ envision-2030/.

Trustees expressed concerns about the housing component, but said each of these statements is put together by a committee and they trust the committee. Mayor Kristopher Larsen said he’d like to throw it open to public comment.

Public comment at the meeting included four in favor, one in favor of removing the lodging section, and one who said the document doesn’t reflect the community. Trustee Lindsey Danforth recommended not dragging this out too long, because it has exhausted members of the committees.

She doesn’t like lodging in the housing section because people live here and need housing. The Board moved to approve the vision statements with all comments

Building Code Update meetings

During the month of August, the Town of Nederland seeks feedback on the 2018 building code updates, including recommended amendments. Visit the Town of Nederland website for more information regarding the ways that you can provide feedback, including the dates, times and meeting access information.

RSVP is required for all in-person and virtual meetings at https://nederlandco.org/2018-building-code. With questions, contact Town Hall at 303-258-3266.

The next Nederland Board of Trustees meeting will be virtual on August 17, 2021. For more information, go to https://nederlandco.civicweb.net/ Portal/ MeetingInformation. aspx?Org=Cal&Id=391.