John Scarffe, Nederland.  During an emergency meeting of the Nederland Board of Trustees in Town Hall at 5 p.m. on Friday, July 21, 2017, the Board approved intergovernmental agreements for the Nederland Police Department. The Board also approved board members for the Nederland Downtown Development Authority and the next phase of the Biosolids Project.

The Trustees met for the quick 20-minute session because not enough Trustees were present to have a quorum at the July 18 meeting. Information items were presented at that meeting, but no action could be taken.

Marshal Paul Carrill told the Board then that he was trying to hire new officers. He started the hiring process with three candidates, but two were excluded through polygraph and background checks. The remaining candidate must still finish a psychological test.

As a result, the Nederland Police Department has three officers right now out of six, so they are on a modified scheduled. He is filling in with special duty sheriff’s officers.

With current staffing levels, the NPD has one officer working the Monday through Thursday dayshift, one officer the Thursday through Sunday dayshift and one working the Wednesday through Saturday nightshift.

Meanwhile, Carrill submitted several intergovernmental agreements (IGAs) to the Town Attorney, and they have come back approved. An agreement between the NPD and the Boulder County Sheriff would allow a deputy to write tickets, and during an emergency the NPD can support troopers and the sheriff.

The updated Mutual Aid Agreement concerns law enforcement coverage between Nederland and Boulder County, a 7.5 mile emergency policing agreement. A State Stature allows for the temporary assignment of peace officers to other jurisdictions, and the request for temporary assignment of peace officers from another jurisdiction when necessary to respond to unforeseen emergency conditions, such as riots, large-scale disturbances and natural disasters, according to the IGA.

The parties agree that each performs many routine, less-than-critical law enforcement functions in the vicinity of the others for which the parties wish to have a mutual aid process that does not require the direct involvement of the Chief of Police or Sheriff, according to the IGA.

The Boulder County Sheriff's Office and Nederland Police Department share common radio frequencies and frequently assist each other, cover each other on calls for service and respond to emergency calls when officers are not immediately available because of distance or call load.

The second IGA establishes the Boulder County Hazardous Materials Response Authority. Carrill said the Authority has been used twice in the Nederland area for a marijuana grow house and the bomb left near the police department. The agreement includes the City of Boulder, Boulder County, Lafayette, Longmont, Louisville, Lyons, Mountain View Fire Protection District, Ward, Jamestown and Nederland.

The IGA encourages mutual aid agreements between governing bodies, designated emergency response authorities and private entities for enhancing the response to a Hazardous Materials Incident, including procedures for utilizing equipment, personnel and technical assistance. It requires a designated emergency response authority responsible for establishing the capacity to respond to a Hazardous Materials Incident within the jurisdiction of every town, city or county. The members have agreed to share personnel, equipment, training and expertise necessary for an effective response to a Hazardous Materials Incident that may arise within the jurisdiction of one or more of the members.

The third IGA between the NPD and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests and Pawnee National Grassland will fund NPD to police local camp areas. It gives Nederland police officers jurisdiction in the national forest within a 7.5 mile area to enforce drug use, trash and weapons violations.

The fourth IGA between the Town and the Colorado Mounted Rangers will take advantage of their resources during town events. It establishes the Colorado Rangers Law Enforcement Share Reserve.

At the July 21 meeting, the Board approved all four IGAs and approved the appointments of Brent Tregaskis and Claudia Schauffler as Nederland Downtown Development Authority Board members. Brent Tregaskis is president and general manager of Eldora Mountain Resort and filled a vacancy on the Board mid-term.

Schauffler owns The Shop in the Caribou Shopping Center and works as clinic operations manager for Clinica Family Health Services in Boulder.

The Board also approved the next phase of the Biosolids Project by applying for a $950,000 Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) Tier II grant and progressing engineering to 60 percent design or final design. The application deadline for the DOLA grant is August 1.

Don Sandavol, Nederland area representative for DOLA, has offered an optimistic assessment of the Town’s chances to receive funding from DOLA, but he gave some important criteria for a successful outcome, according to the memo to the Board. The project must be shovel ready by April 2018.

That means bids signed and sealed must be done by this time. DOLA is in a hurry to use its money, and often the State Revolving Fund (SRF) is the slower partner in the process. SRF must provide Nederland a guarantee that the town will receive funding by April, although Nederland has received a prequalification assessment and has been approved to borrow the full amount of the project.

Sandavol also said that Nederland should have at least 60 percent design by the time of the presentation to DOLA’s Board in November. The more accurate the opinion of probable cost and closer to design completion, the better the position for the Town when presenting to DOLA.

Staff recommended continuing the design process, according to the memo. “This represents an amazing opportunity to secure funding for half the cost of this essential project. Staff recommends taking advantage of this opportunity to receive funding and relieve the overall financial burden on the Town.”

The Board met on Tuesday, August 1. The next regular meeting of the Nederland Board of Trustees will be at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, August 15, 2017, at the Nederland Community Center.

(Originally published in the August 3, 2017 print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)