The Nederland Board of Trustees met on Tuesday, June 21, 2022, at 7 p.m. to discuss potential ordinances for the town’s watershed and for the humane keeping of animals on private property. The BOT also appointmented new members to the Nederland Downtown Development Authority (NDDA) and the Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Advisory Board (PROSAB).

PROSAB has three vacancies, with only current PROSAB Chair Jessica Ansari seeking reappointment. Kat Barr, Lindsey Danforth, Jeff Young, and Alexandra Zabierek have also applied for the open seats. On June 9, PROSAB voted to recommend Ansari, Barr, and Danforth to the BOT for appointment to PROSAB.

Ansari has served on PROSAB since 2019, where she has worked on the Big Springs Egress Committee, the Barker Meadows Park Shoreline Restoration and Stewardship Project, and on the Trails Master Plan. Ansari desires reappointment to PROSAB to continue the momentum on these projects.

Barr has been a Big Springs resident for over 10 years, currently works at Wild Bear Nature Center, and has worked with PROSAB on park maintenance as a former Town seasonal employee with the Parks Department. Barr has also volunteered at the Nederland Food Pantry and has worked in management, strategic planning, and communications for several nonprofit organizations.

Danforth has served on the Planning Commision as well as the BOT and is a Geographic Information System Enterprise Administrator for the City of Boulder. Danforth wishes to utilize her professional experience with Boulder County and her expertise in managing, analyzing, and visualizing geographical data to work on important projects with PROSAB.

Young is a new resident to Nederland with a background in tech who wishes to contribute to expanding recreational efforts with PROSAB. Young unfortunately wasn’t present for the June 21 BOT meeting to answer questions from the BOT about his experience and priorities.

Zabierek is also a new resident and has experience with outdoor recreation and engaging with government agencies through her work as an attorney for Vail Resorts. Zabierek desires to protect Nederland’s wilderness while expanding recreational opportunities for residents and visitors.

The BOT, after hearing from the candidates that were present, moved to approve Ansari, Barr, and Zabierek for appointment to PROSAB.

The NDDA currently has two vacancies, with only former NDDA Chair and current Board Member Steve Karowe seeking reappointment. Roz Bagtaz, owner of Kaleidoscope Fine Arts Gallery, and Scott Papich, founder of business consulting firm Outside Intelligence LLC, have also applied for the open seats. On June 8, the NDDA voted to recommend Bagtaz and Karowe to the BOT for appointment to the NDDA.

Though unable to attend the June 21 BOT meeting, Bagtaz spoke to the NDDA on their June 8 meeting about her platform. Bagtaz wishes to prioritize more beautification efforts throughout town, as well as the creation of a pedestrian loop to help increase foot traffic to other businesses outside of the Central Business District (CBD).

Karowe, owner of Hub Ned and African Basket Markets, has served on the NDDA for four years, where he was also the head of the Wayfinding Committee. Karowe desires to continue prioritizing the Town’s Wayfinding plan, which is a town-wide mobility improvement initiative featuring updated signage, sidewalks, and crosswalks throughout Nederland.

Papich has worked in business analysis and planning for more than 20 years and has served on the Nederland Fire Department and the Board of Directors for the Nederland Community Library. Papich wishes to use his experience to help Nederland businesses flourish. His priorities, if appointed, would be 1st Street redevelopment, road improvements at town intersections, and a second bridge across the creek.

The BOT, after hearing from the candidates and asking them questions about their experience and priorities, moved to approve Karowe and Papich for appointment to the NDDA.

PROSAB has developed Ordinance 827 to provide regulations regarding Nederland’s parks and trails which would aid the Nederland Police Department (NPD) in accurately monitoring these areas. The desired regulations cover the dumping of trash in Town parks, vandalism and trespassing, open alcoholic beverages, wildlife damage, and recreational use of any lake, pond, or stream.

Town Administrator Miranda Fisher presented the BOT with the question of whether or not they approve Ordinance 827 as it is written. Trustees discussed the importance of having these regulations in Town Code so that NPD can accurately enforce them as law. The BOT also discussed the language pertaining to the hours that would define “sunrise” and “sundown,” in reference to the span of allowable time for recreational use in parks.

The BOT moved to approve Ordinance 827, providing parks regulations in Town Code affecting Nederland’s parks and trails. Ordinance 827 will go into effect starting July 23, 2022.

Katrina Harms led the BOT in a presentation on the Peak to Peak Housing and Human Services Alliance (P2P Alliance). Harms is the Operations Manager for the Nederland Food Pantry and Project Manager for the P2P Alliance. The P2P Alliance brings together various human services agencies to better serve the mountain communities across Boulder and Gilpin Counties.

Harms detailed to the BOT what the P2P Alliance wishes to prioritize. They are currently working with the town and with Nederland Community Center to develop a Peak to Peak Emergency Plan. The Nederland Interagency Council for Homeless Encampments (NICHE) is currently in need of a part-time Forest Outreach Coordinator, and Boulder County’s Mobility-For-All program is in need of a part-time Transportation Coordinator.

The P2P Alliance is also working on a survey about a potential transit bus from Gilpin to Allenspark, forming a subcommittee to push forward with affordable housing initiatives, and is preparing for a visit from commissioners from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Harms expressed a desire for Nederland to remain in the conversation for ARPA funding and that Nederland’s ability to get more projects “shovel- ready” relies on it.

Deputy Zoning Administrator Cynthia Bakke led the BOT in a discussion about a Keeping Animals Ordinance. The Planning Commission has formed a subcommittee to review Nederland Municipal Code Chapter 16 for consideration on how to draft language on the humane keeping of animals from a zoning perspective.

The subcommittee found limited regulations pertaining to animals in Chapter 16 of the Zoning Code and asked the BOT if they should look more into the Zoning Code as well as other municipalities’ animal ordinances. If directed to continue, the subcommittee would like to seek expert and community feedback in order to draft the regulations for the ordinance.

Bakke, along with fellow members of the subcommittee Billy Giblin and Roger Cornell, discussed with the BOT the difficulties of drafting clear regulations that encompass all matters concerning defined poultry, livestock, and pets. The ordinance, which the subcommittee hopes to have drafted by next month so the BOT can vote on it in August, would prioritize animal production concerns, such as breeding and slaughter, as well as ensure humane conditions and sustainability for the town.

The BOT, along with Town staff and the Planning Commission, have received several letters from the community, seemingly centered on neighborhood concerns over goats kept on an adjacent property. Several residents voiced their concerns at the June 21 BOT meeting, stating that the lack of ordinance, and therefore lack of enforcement, creates the potential for noise, odor, and vegetation problems, and the potential for animals to be kept in inhumane conditions.

The BOT directed the subcommittee to continue their work on creating a Keeping Animals Ordinance with a focus on acquiring an expert on the subject matter and on expanding public outreach. Trustees stressed the importance of being “precise” in the language used when drafting regulations and to keep the whole of Nederland in mind, as opposed to a single neighborhood.

Town Attorney Jennifer Madsen led the BOT in a discussion about adopting a Watershed Ordinance to protect the Town’s water supply from pollution and waterworks from damage. If the BOT were to consider adopting the ordinance, Nederland’s watershed would first have to be defined and mapped before regulations for prohibited activities on and around the watershed could be drafted.

Madsen mentioned that the ordinance would give Nederland power to enforce regulations on any municipalities attempting to encroach on the watershed, which accounts for five miles of land from the point of access to the water source.

Trustees discussed the question of urgency for such an ordinance, with Trustee Jonathan Baumhover in favor of providing Nederland with more protections and Mayor Pro Tem Tom Mahowald calling it a “bedrock issue.”

Madsen continued the meeting by presenting to the BOT a consideration for adopting 1041 Regulations, which provides a municipality the power to control land development occurring within “areas of state interest,” as defined by state law.

The areas (and activities) of state interest currently being considered for 1041 Regulations, as pertaining to Nederland, are those of historical, natural, and archaeological significance. Mineral resource areas and areas around “key facilities,” including interchanges that involve arterial highways, and public utility facilities, are also considered for regulations.

Trustees were mostly in favor of adapting 1041 Regulations as defensive leverage, particularly when dealing with prospective construction projects from the Colorado Department of Transportation. The BOT agreed to revisit the discussion at a later date, as of yet undetermined.

The Nederland Board of Trustees meets on the first and third Tuesday of every month. Their next scheduled meeting is on Tuesday, July 5, 2022, at 7 p.m. and can now be attended online or in person at the Nederland Community Center. For more information go to: https:// townofnederland.colorado.gov/board-of- trustees.