John Scarffe, Nederland. The Nederland Downtown Development Authority (NDDA) Board discussed leadership transitions for the Executive Director and Board Chair during the Board’s remote monthly meeting on April 14, 2021. The Board also approved the Revitalization Grant proposal and the beautification budget.

On February 10, 2021, Chair Steve Karowe announced that Executive Director Hope Jordan is resigning and approved an executive director hiring committee. During the February NDDA meeting, Jordan shared with the Board her need to transition out of the position in late spring, and she offered to assist with the training of her replacement.

A hiring committee was formed, which includes Barbara Hardt, Karina Luscher and Town Administrator Karen Gerrity. The hiring committee considered the necessary steps to be taken in the process, and the Board approved the steps and timeline. The timeline has shifted a bit to allow extra time for interested applicants to submit their cover letter and resume.

The hiring committee received 10 applicants in total. The process included each member reviewing the applicants to come up with a list of the top three. Karen Gerrity contacted these candidates to schedule interviews. 

All candidates are available to interview April 19th. All committee members are able to attend the interviews.

The committee plans for background, reference checks and testing on April 20th to 23rd and finalist(s) meet with NDDA board members on April 28th. The final selection will be discussed in an executive session on April 28th, and depending on the outcome, the finalist will be announced on April 29th.

The Board discussed pushing the item to May 6th when Board Member Brent Tregaskis will be back in town, and he has a lot of hiring experience. Tregaskis said he didn’t mind if the Board moves ahead. 

Gerrity suggested they could do the interviews and as a board discuss the candidates and go into executive session and then vote. The next Nederland Board of Trustees meeting would be on May 18th, when the executive director can be approved. 

After the interviews, they can set up meetings while doing background checks. Tregaskis could talk with candidates on April 22nd, and Karowe is available.

Chair Karowe announced that he will step down as Chair of the NDDA in July, and the NDDA needs to elect a new chair, and possibly a co-chair. Chair Karowe has enumerated the activities, responsibilities, and approximate time spent on various aspects of the Chair position in an accompanying document. The monthly average is between 7-18 hours per month.

The Chair needs to be organized, have good attention to detail, good people skills, and should be a critical thinker. Karowe asked the Board if anyone was interested in the chair position in July. 

Whoever is next chair, Karowe will work with them and will be on the Board for another year, and would not have a problem being Vice Chair. “It has been very rewarding. It’s been too much work and businesses are really blooming.”

Nederland Public Works Manager Chris Pelletier introduced a Revitalization Grant proposal. He is asking the Board to support an application to reconstruct sidewalks on East 1st Street and bury the existing overhead power lines. 

This is a similar request to the existing TIP grant staff is currently working on. Additionally, staff is asking the board to consider a project creating a loading zone. Staff requested formal support from the Nederland Board of Trustees on April 6, 2021, to bring this to the NDDA to request matching funds.

Staff recommended support to submit an application for this funding opportunity that aligns with the documented goals for Nederland’s downtown. Burying above ground utilities is an expensive and complicated necessity to remove the obstacles for a more walkable and ADA accessible downtown. One of the elements for the criteria of the project requires official local concurrence in support for the proposed project.

The Town is in the middle of the Main Street Initiative Project, and Pelletier just signed the grant today. This is a grant opportunity to address the east side of 1st Street and turn the corner by Snyder. It will involve burying the power lines. On the sidewalk on the south side of the street where the Co-op is, they could do a loading dock.

They could do both projects for $2 million. This type of project is directly out of the NDDA Master Plan. We have a good opportunity to remove these power poles. It has been at least 20 years since something happened on 1st Street, Pelletier said. 

The Town has no sidewalk at the end of 1st Street. It has an ADA parking space, but if you get out of your car there, you have no safe way to get on the sidewalk. The NDDA Master Plan has designated four improvements, and this will help on three of them. Pelletier requested a 10% match for a $2 million project.”

Board members fully approved the project and said it will fall in line with what the NDDA Master Plan. Board Member Ron Mitchell, who owns property on 1st Street, said he is planning on the northside of the street pulling the facades of the building back 25 spaces. He loves the idea burying utility lines,  but would not be interested in seeing the sidewalk work because that would be a waste of money. Mitchell has plans to renovate the area. 

The Board approved the project and match with Mitchell abstaining. The Board also approved a beautification budget of $20,000.

Mitchell said he will provide a water truck to water district plants and asked for $1,000 for remuneration and it is cleared on the table.

The next regular meeting of the Nederland Downtown Authority is planned for May 12, 2021, at 6 p.m. remotely on Webex.

(Originally published in the April 22, 2021, edition of The Mountain-Ear.)