NEDERLAND - On Wednesday, November 13, 2024, the Nederland Downtown Development Authority (NDDA) voted on two initiatives, determining whether to move forward into the next phase of their major Wayfinding project.

The NDDA has been working with third-party design firm Merje to map Nederland’s in-town and gateway signage, and to design new signs to indicate the Town’s attractions and available parking. The signage is expected to provide visitors better accessibility, to promote walkability and a regular tourist flow through Town. 

The project has been in development for several years, having recently been paused to allow for the completion of plans that would impact Wayfinding, including the Town’s rebranding plan, Comprehensive Plan, Multimodal Transportation Plan, and paid parking plan. 

The Authority budgeted $400,000 for Wayfinding in 2024, with the majority of that amount having been reallocated to other projects throughout the year. Merje and the NDDA expect the project to be implemented in 2025, with the final budget totalling $298,067.

Fabrication and installation of the signs is next, in order to get the project closer to the finish line. Construction administration services are required, consisting of overseeing the bid process for fabrication services and reviewing all subsequent designs, drawings, and layouts. Merje is offering to provide these services for an estimated $16,500. 

After assuring that the Authority will also be able to review bids for sign construction, and that the latest sign designs were all in compliance with the newest edition of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, which sets federal standards, Board members voted to approve Merje handling construction administration services.

Board members also approved the Request For Proposal (RFP) for fabrication and installation services. The scope of services includes the development of prototypes and samples, production of shop drawings, removal of existing signs, and provision of structural engineering and traffic control plans.   

Town Administrator Jonathan Cain requested $865.40 from the NDDA to reimburse the Parks Department for “holiday lighting items, solar lights, decor for the traffic circle, and 12-foot outdoor trees for Town Hall,” for the Town’s Holiday Lighting event in December.

Board member Barbara Hardt voiced her concern that, because Town only pays to decorate their own property, the businesses on the south side of Town, including those in the Caribou Village Shopping Center, are ignored. Cain stated that he would be willing to discuss a solution for her concern. 

The Authority voted to approve reimbursing the Parks Department.

As per the Board of Trustee’s (BOT) discussion on the Town’s 2025 budget on Tuesday, November 12, Cain made more requests from the NDDA in regard to helping the Town with its significant deficit.

Cain requested that instead of funding the two temporary part-time Parks Department employees, the Authority should consider funding one full-time employee. The Parks Department is currently shorthanded one position after longtime Parks employee Brian Biggs transferred to the Utilities Department.

The cost of the two temporary positions is covered in the NDDA’s $75,000 beautification budget for 2025, with the hires expected to handle summertime trash pickup in the downtown area. Parks Manager Nicki Dunn has indicated that a full-time employee would better fill the department’s needs, as the temporary employees are not sufficiently trained in the use of certain equipment. 

The NDDA agreed to discuss the possibility further, as well as discussing the prospect of sharing responsibility for the Visitors Center, which the BOT has considered closing in 2025 because of its operating loss of $41,000. 

Cain’s final request to the Authority was for the use of $15,000 out of the $20,000 allocated in the NDDA’s 2024 budget for parking initiatives. The funds would be used to hire Interstate Parking as a consultant in order to successfully roll out the Town’s paid parking plan in 2025. 

The consultant work includes complying with recommendations made in the Town’s Subarea Plan, as well as to the signage being created in the NDDA’s Wayfinding project. This would also include setting up digital wayfinding, indicating Town’s parking inventory, and analyzing pricing, loading zones, different fee zones, and employee parking.    

“We don’t really have a comprehensive map of where it would make sense to have paid parking and whether or not it would make sense to have different ‘price zones’ for closer in and farther out areas,” Cain indicated in the Agenda Information Memorandum on the Authority’s agenda. 

“They could also be looking at things like where striping will add spots, where we can put motorcycle parking; basically just focusing on making sure that the ‘experience’ works well.”

Board members asked questions ensuring that Cain could manage Interstate Parking and direct where their consulting is most required, and that mitigation of the offset parking that will be created from paid parking implementation be built into the management structure of the Town’s paid parking plan. 

The Authority voted to approve the funding and execution of the consultant agreement with Interstate Parking.  

The NDDA also heard a presentation from Studio Seed on the Downtown Subarea Plan, which is being drafted in tandem with the Town’s Comprehensive Plan update. A draft of the Subarea Plan has been released to the public; Studio Seed expects the final draft to be approved in either January or February of 2025. 

Board members provided feedback on the four “pressing topics” covered in the plan, which include Economic Development and Housing; Growth and Character; Circulation, Gateways, and Parking; and Recreation, Tourism, and Placemaking. 

The discussion mostly concerned East 1st Street, from design standards to the need for sidewalks, events, a second bridge, a maintenance district, better economic opportunities for businesses, more lighting, a holiday lighting program, and an expanded farmers market.

BOT liaison to the NDDA, Trustee Tania Corvalan, suggested that another location for a second bridge be specified in the Subarea Plan, considering that the main location currently suggested in the plan is on private property. 

As for the Subarea Plan’s references to holding events on East 1st Street and creating an entertainment district, Corvalan noted that the NDDA had previously decided not to be involved in event planning and to focus more on infrastructure. 

The Nederland Downtown Development Authority meets the second Wednesday of every month. Their next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, December 11, 2024, at 6 p.m. and will be held online as well as in person at the Nederland Community Center. 

For more information go to: https://townofnederland.colorado.gov/downtown-development-authority.