Jennifer Livingston, Nederland. The meeting of the Nederland Downtown Development Authority (NDDA) took place last Wednesday, December 11, 2019, at 6 p.m. in the multipurpose room of the Nederland Community Center. 

Hope Jordan, executive director of the NDDA is working to update the NDDA website including more information about local businesses and commercial properties for sale or lease. Request for proposals have gone out for the NDDA’s wayfinding project which is an effort to help visitors understand where parking and trails are located. 

JVA, a civil engineering firm, will be presenting a parking project to the Nederland Board of Trustees at their January 21, 2020, meeting. The project will be focusing on Big Spring, Conger and Lakeview. Tebo Properties, which owns the Black Forest and the downtown shopping center, is working with the DDA on parallel parking for Big Springs and turn lanes from Big Springs and Lakeview onto Hwy 119. Hwy 119 is controlled by CDOT and likely years away from other improvements to improve traffic flow in the area.  

Jordan also reported that the Town Lighting Ceremony was a success and something the NDDA can build on in years to come in an effort to celebrate the town and draw people into businesses for a fun and festive evening. 

Discussion also included the potential to have a fireworks display. Independence Day displays are a thing of the past due to fire danger. However, it may be possible to do a New Year’s display if moisture and wind levels were cooperative. Fireworks displays are expensive, around $25,000, but may be less expensive in January rather than July. Such a display would again entice people into town. Businesses and organizations could take the opportunity to engage the public with booths and events, etc.

Jordan has also been speaking with the Nederland Library regarding the potential to bring burro races to Nederland. There is a circuit and Nederland could host its last race on September 20, 2020. The races are deeply tied to the states mining history and contestants would run to Caribou and back. This may figure into the efforts of the Nederland Historical Society’s efforts to bring back the Nederland Miners’ Days. These festivities would certainly add to the fun and finances of Nederland. 

The NDDA is working with town staff to anticipate directed revenue from the tax levy in order to better track and create revenue opportunities for local businesses. 

Solutions for overflow parking for the Hessie Trailhead continue to be investigated with the hope that the parking lot at the Nederland Middle Senior High School will relieve the congestion at the RTD stop created by visitors shuttling to the trailhead. The NDDA is hopeful that wayfinding signs and beautification projects will entice hikers to refreshments and shopping after their hikes. Parking issues related to the Eldora ski area was acknowledged as an issue by the NDDA, but discussion did not turn to solutions at this meeting. 

The NDDA heard from four individuals interested in joining the efforts to further the 2017 Master Plan and other projects such as grants, loans and rebates, arts, wayfinding, parking and traffic flow improvements etc. 

Ron Mitchell, who owns a majority of commercial property around First Street, was interested in furthering his plans for paid parking on his properties but stated he would recuse himself from decisions that may seem “improprietous.” He would like to see the NDDA focus on revenue producing projects to perpetuate the NDDA into the future and would look to Longmont and Greely as examples of Development Authorities exercising their statutory powers to help develop and support local businesses. 

Corey Sutton moved his salon to Nederland from Boulder and has been in Nederland since 2013. He believes his experience as founder of The Heart to Health Foundation would adapt well to the efforts of the NDDA. He had ideas on how to inspire more “shop local” efforts and would like to work on beautification efforts that would get people out of their cars and into local businesses. When asked what he hears most people concerned about at the salon, it was traffic concerns and the canyon project. He acknowledged that growth would continue to happen and would like to see it happen in a “responsible manner.” 

Barbara Hardt offered her community connections, and an interest in increasing NDDA’s communication with local businesses and the community at large. Hardt has 33 years of residence in the Nederland area and extensive volunteer experience. She started volunteering decades ago with Gilpin County Human Services advisory Board, Peak to Peak Healthy Communities Project, Nederland Area Seniors, Nederland Area Historical Society, and various projects and events including organizing town fireworks for three years, organizing Nederland Miners’ Days for a few years, and more. She plans to use these experiences along with a keen interest and study of “people and how they interact” to help bring people in the community out to work together toward common goals. She wants to gather more information from the business community regarding their needs and ideas and to work on projects for the economic development of the town. Hardt believes businesses need a lot more representation and thinks the NDDA could serve the business community better with more communication.

Andrew Dewart is currently building a home on First Street and owns a business in town. He’s been a general contractor for the past 15 years and wants to share his contacts and experience with the NDDA to help them further their projects and be a part of seeing the “huge potential” of the 2017 Master Plan and wants to be a part of bringing those projects “to fruition.” He sees a second emergency egress out of town, safe sidewalks, and general brink and mortar business development as priorities. 

The NDDA voted to recommend Hardt and Dewart to the BOT for official appointment to the NDDA. All applicants were appreciated by the NDDA and while not selected at this time, encouraged to join the various committees of the NDDA to help further the goals of a thriving business district in Nederland.  

The NDDA then heard from Patrick Marold, a Colorado native, who has moved to Magnolia Road area in the last year and was invited to present to the NDDA about arts opportunities for downtown. He’d like to use his extensive education and experience to assist the NDDA to create a Public Art Plan which will bring arts funding and interest to Nederland while supporting the unique attributes of Nederland and its people. He presented a collection of beautiful and functional installations from around the state and the world. Sculptures, benches, roundabouts, murals, light installations etc. are all within the realm of possibility for Nederland. When asked Marold said that “preserving the funk” of Nederland may be an important thing to keep in mind as the NDDA continues to look into ways to make Nederland even more of an art destination. 

The NDDA is also moving forward with learning more about how it can use tools such as TIF refunds benchmarked against tax revenues to stimulate and support development. Such tools could be used to clear the way for difficult properties to make improvements and become more useful. For example, Snyder’s Garage requires expensive remediation and the NDDA would like to see the Black Forest more active. The NDDA could also incentivize workshops and events. These are common practices all over the state and there are many examples of successful projects bringing economic development to towns through the tools available to Development Authorities that are not available to local government. The goal of the NDDA would be to match the needs of the town with incentive funds for opportunities. 

(Originally published in the December 19, 2019, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)