The Nederland Board of Trustees (BOT) met for a special meeting on Tuesday, June 14, 2022, at 7 p.m. to hear a presentation from RTD Transit Police on the expansion of their services.

The BOT also heard from representatives for Boulder County about transportation funding, and voted on whether or not to pursue grant applications for both a Trails Master Plan and a Transportation and Mobility Plan.

RTD Police Sergeant Patrick Meester led the BOT in a presentation about the RTD Transit Police and their services. The RTD Transit Police Division was formed in 2003 and has since grown into a fully actualized police department. RTD Police will replace armed security guards currently stationed on bus and light rail vehicles and stations. They are officers capable of administering misdemeanor-level enforcement within their jurisdiction, which covers any RTD vehicle and property in eight counties and 44 cities, ranging over 2400 square miles.

On April 3, 2022, RTD Transit Police restructured how they deploy their officers from a sector-based system to a team-based system, to assure the perfect response team is deployed on a case-by-case basis. RTD Transit Police’s four response teams are the Bus Team, the Rail Team, the Mental Health and Homeless Outreach Team, and the Community Engagement Team. RTD Transit Police also employ a Video Investigation Unit who pore over recorded surveillance and live CCTV footage, as well as two K-9 units for detecting explosive and ballistic materials.

The BOT requested that RTD Transit Police’s trained mental health experts on their Mental Health and Homeless Outreach Team familiarize themselves with the area and partner with Peak to Peak Health and Human Services, as well as the Nederland Interagency Council for Homeless Encampments.

To report any criminal or suspicious activity on an RTD vehicle or property, call RTD Transit Police dispatch at 303-299-2929, or report anonymously and discreetly using the Transit Watch app on your smartphone.

Representative for Boulder County Kathleen Bracke, along with Tim Swope and Stacey Proctor, led the BOT in a presentation about Boulder County Transportation Funding and the desire to increase their County sales tax. The County currently collects one- tenth of the sales tax to be allocated for use towards different transportation- related investments, such as transit services and programs, and road and trail maintenance.

Bracke noted that the County sales tax provides continuous sustainable funding for projects that benefit Boulder and unincorporated Boulder County. Such projects that were mentioned that could benefit Nederland were Boulder County’s Mobility-For-All programs, which include a mountain area volunteer driver program, Eldora mountain road repairs, and a Peak to Peak transit study, which would look at the potential of a light rail route in the mountains.

The BOT wished to see more projects pertaining to Nederland if Boulder County were to be granted their percentage increase from the County sales tax. Trustees were in favor of a Peak-to-Peak transit study and desired to see emergency evacuation roads be considered as a prioritized project for Boulder County.

Parks Manager Nicki Dunn presented to the BOT a request to seek a grant to fund development of the Parks, Recreation, Open Space and Trails Master Plan. Dunn, along with Town staff and Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Advisory Board (PROSAB), were seeking approval to complete the Transportation-Land Use Technical Assistance Pilot Application for the $25,000 grant.

The Trails Master Plan is aimed to create an interconnected trail system throughout Nederland, as well as act as a guideline for trail maintenance. Dunn and PROSAB have begun public outreach and have met with all of the Town’s advisory boards and commissions for feedback and suggestions on what to include in the plan.

The BOT was in favor of Nederland having a Trails Master Plan and, considering there was no match required from the Town for applying for the grant, the BOT moved to approve Dunn and PROSAB applying for the grant.

Trustee Karen Blakemore presented a request for matching funds of $15,000 from the Town of Nederland’s 2023 budget to apply for a grant to fund a Transportation and Mobility Plan. The total budget for the plan is $125,000; if approved by the BOT to apply for $100,000 from the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP), it would require a 20% match of the total budget, totaling $25,000, from the Town. The NDDA agreed at their meeting on June 8, 2022, to commit $10,000 from their 2023 budget towards the required matching funds.

The Transportation and Mobility Plan is meant to guide the town of Nederland for the next 10 to 20 years on addressing parking and transportation issues by prioritizing the most cost-effective and community-desired projects. If funding for the project is awarded, a third party consultant would need to be hired to perform a traffic study. Once the study is complete, a committee would be formed to draft the plan, which would take an estimated 12 months.

The BOT was mostly in favor of the Transportation and Mobility Plan, believing it would be better for Nederland to have a plan than not. However, members of the BOT desired to see a more direct approach to public outreach, especially if a third party consultant were to be involved, in order to get the most accurate data needed on what transportation-related projects the community deems as priorities.

The BOT moved to approve committing $15,000 from the Town of Nederland’s 2023 budget for the matching funds needed to apply for the grant.

Jim Reis of the Planning Commission led the BOT in a discussion concerning the parking problem in Nederland. A subcommittee formed of Reis, Town Administrator Miranda Fisher, Deputy Zoning Administrator Cynthia Bakke, and Planning Commissioner Linda Glasser devised four recommendations on the issue. Reis spoke to the BOT about their thoughts on these recommendations.

The first recommendation was to place a two-year moratorium on payments into the commercial parking fund, which would also require returning the money currently in the fund. The BOT was mostly in agreement with the moratorium, noting that the commercial parking fund isn’t equally enforced and has never generated much revenue for the town.

The second recommendation was to redevelop additional lots throughout town, as well as redesigning and properly outlining existing parking lots like those at Chipeta Park. Suggested locations for increasing parking were the Old Town Shop site at 750 West 5th Street, Fisherman’s Lot on the corner of East 1st Street and East Street, and along West 1st Street in front of Nedernet. Several Trustees warned that building parking lots and spaces in residential neighborhoods shouldn’t be considered lightly.

The third recommendation was to phase in paid parking, beginning with 25 parking spaces in the Central Business District (CBD) along East 1st Street and then expanding into the Visitor’s Center parking lot. The BOT discussed the feasibility of rolling out paid parking in town, with most agreeing that it would be an economically smart plan. Trustees spoke on whether they preferred a kiosk-based system or a system based on a smartphone app, and discussed the possibility of having a 15 to 30 minute exemption for locals.

The fourth recommendation was to promote parking outside of the CBD by providing signage, in conjunction with the town’s Wayfinding project, as well as by providing trail mobility, in conjunction with PROSAB’s Trail Master Plan. The BOT agreed that promoting parking at such areas as the Nederland Community Center would be ideal, though there were raised concerns about the conditions of the trails, especially in the winter.

The matter of parking in Nederland will be brought before the BOT again at a future meeting.

The Nederland Board of Trustees meets on the first and third Tuesday of every month. Their next scheduled meeting is on Tuesday, June 21, 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