NEDERLAND - The Nederland Board of Trustees (BOT) met on Tuesday, September 16, 2025, to vote on the implementation of a Donations Policy, which would provide the Town with the framework necessary to accept certain gifts. These would range from services and labor to material and cash contributions, and would pertain to citizen-led projects and potential private/public partnerships. 

Creation of the policy was proposed to the Board on August 5, 2025; the initial discussion resulted in an agreement among Trustees that Town staff should shoulder the responsibility of approving most donations as opposed to forcing each decision to come before the Board.

Donations Policy

Trustees were to continue their discussion on August 19. However, the formal draft of the Donations Policy was not included in the official agenda on that day.

Despite the matter being tabled, the subject of trail alignment, particularly the “Rink Link”—a stretch of trail proposed to connect NedRINK and the Nederland Elementary School—was raised.

As a result of the offer from local resident and business owner Jesse Seavers to contribute labor and equipment to the Town for its creation, the Rink Link was named by a Trustee as the proposal that prompted the need for a clear Donations Policy. 

Though this topic was called by one Trustee “a distraction from the original topic on the agenda,” during the public comment portion of the discussion one member of the public directly opposed the trail connection, concerned for its potential harm to the elk population in the area.

On September 2, a draft of the policy was provided to Trustees for review. The draft was created with the aim of supporting the goals within the Town’s various planning documents, as well as the BOT’s own Strategic Plan.  

According to the Agenda Information Memorandum (AIM) prepared by Town Manager Jonathan Cain, adoption of the policy would “provide a consistent, transparent, and fair process for all donors,” “support staff’s ability to scope, manage, and deliver projects to professional standards,” and “protect the Town from legal, financial, or operational risks.” 

The draft policy covers donations of cash, real property, in-kind materials, labor, professional services, and even community volunteer projects.

The policy states that any project related to donations must follow the Town’s existing Finance and Purchasing Policy, satisfy concerns of legal compliance, align with the Town’s planning documents, and consider staff “capacity, equity, and sustainability.” 

For a donation to be accepted, Town staff must approve the intended use, location, and design standards of all associated projects. Staff are also permitted to require certain “high-visibility” projects to go through a public engagement process. 

Additionally, Town staff are expected to provide Trustees with quarterly and annual reports on all accepted, declined, or deferred donations.  

As previous discussions on the matter resulted in refinement of the evaluation process for donations, and in the draft policy becoming more condensed and concise, Trustees voted unanimously to approve the Donations Policy.   

 Capstone Project

The Board voted to approve applying for the University of Colorado’s Masters of the Environment (MENV) Capstone Project program for the opportunity to have graduate students develop a Resiliency Plan for Nederland. 

With Nederland’s goal for reaching 100% renewable energy having been recently moved up to 2030, and with the Sustainability Advisory Board (SAB) working with Xcel Energy’s Partners In Energy program to create an updated Energy Action Plan for 2026, the Town expects that additional assistance from the MENV program would ensure success in reaching that goal. 

The proposal is due September 26. A networking event with CU Boulder students is scheduled for November, with a final determination to be made by the MENV team in December.

If the Town’s project is selected, the first meeting between the BOT, SAB, and the MENV team will take place in late February, 2026, with the final deliverables to be due by December, 2026.

Sustainability 

In other matters related to sustainability and resiliency, the Board also voted to approve applying for funds from the Circular Economy Funding Program, made available by the Resource Conservation Division of Boulder County Public Works, for a project specifically focused on fighting climate change.

Sustainability Coordinator Cass Grady and the SAB had previously selected three options for projects, with the leading suggestion being a town-wide waste diversion initiative and data study.

This would include procuring three-stream and two-stream waste stations to be used year-round at the Nederland Community Center, and seasonably at the Nederland Farmers Market. 

Per the Board’s previous direction, Grady returned with a draft application adjusted to include a specific request for two Ameru AI Smart Bins, which use visual recognition to robotically sort general waste, cardboard, single stream recycling, and food waste. 

The two bins cost a total of $17,747.92, which includes the cost of shipping, required software, and import duty fees. With the addition of $800 for education and outreach, the total amount requested is $20,547.92.

If the project is selected, there would be no match required for the funds.

Though Grady and the SAB still intend to showcase the bins at the Nederland Farmers Market, because of maintenance and upkeep concerns, the bins may be stationed somewhere other than the Nederland Community Center.

Strategic Plan  

The BOT continued their discussion on the creation of their Strategic Plan for 2026 into 2027, which will include a major focus on Nederland’s attempt to acquire Eldora Mountain Resort, a public vote on becoming a Home Rule municipality, and taking action on the recommendations made within the Town’s Comprehensive, Subarea, and Multimodal Transportation plans. 

Cain listed the many goals which required prioritization. These include meeting Proposition 123 requirements for the creation of affordable housing, assessing and improving Town facilities, tackling the deficit in the Town’s General Fund, and creating the East 1st Street Overlay District.

Also included are fulfilling the water and wastewater capital improvement plan, securing water rights, building a second bridge, improving the roundabout, creating a parking management plan, completing the Big Springs emergency egress road, completing the Safer Main Streets and Transportation Improvement plans, creating a streets maintenance plan, modernizing municipal code, and preparing for the 2026 municipal election.

The BOT approved focusing on the Strategic Plan through a resiliency lens, and approved using SMART goal standards to prioritize the goals.

Each Trustee then gave their own list of prioritized goals based on specific framework areas, including Health and Wellbeing, Economy and Society, Infrastructure and Ecosystems, and Leadership and Strategy. 

Many Board members listed “maintaining civil services” as a priority goal, while also naming projects that have specific timeline requirements, such as the Big Springs egress road and the Proposition 123 requirements.

Though there were few overlapping priorities among Trustees, Cain and Town staff will draft the 2026 Strategic Plan for further discussion.  

The Nederland Board of Trustees meets on the first and third Tuesday of every month. The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, October 7, 2025, at 7 p.m. and can be attended either online or in person at the Nederland Community Center. 

For more information go to: https://townofnederland.colorado.gov/board-of-trustees.