On Tuesday, March 1, 2022, at 7 p.m. the Town of Nederland Board of Trustees (BOT) met to discuss several initiatives focused on downtown safety and revitalization. “Sticker shock” was the phrase of the evening as the Board was also presented with expensive grant proposals for housing development assessment and for updating Nederland’s Comprehensive Plan.

The meeting began with Town Administrator Miranda Fisher presenting an update on the upcoming election. Ballots will be mailed out to registered voters the week of March 14. Nederland residents can register to vote at the Town Hall, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and can also register on the Boulder County Elections website at: https://www.bouldercounty.org/elections/.

Voters will be able to drop off their completed ballots at the Town Hall, Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Ballots can also be dropped off at any time of day at the ballot boxes outside of the Community Center, and can also be submitted by mail to P.O. Box 396, Nederland, CO 80466.

Fisher led the greater part of the Discussion Items on the BOT’s agenda, starting with the possibility of public government meetings returning to inperson attendance. The current BOT has operated under a state of emergency for nearly their entire term of service and has since kept meeting attendance entirely virtual.

With the restrictions put in place for COVID-19 starting to roll back, the BOT must establish a new precedent for how future meetings should be attended. The Board provided their input on how an updated resolution should be drafted, addressing the major concern of whether or not virtual attendance should be regulated or kept as an always available option.

Though the belief was expressed that in-person discussions are more fruitful than those strictly virtually attended, the consensus from the Board was that the ease of remote access benefits both trustees and the public. The BOT hopes to test the hybrid process of both virtual and in-person attendance at their next meeting on Tuesday, March 15, and will mold the process as they continue forward.

Board Members were presented with the progress on two grants; The Safer Main Streets Initiative and the Revitalizing Main Streets grants. The Safer Main Streets Initiative grant will focus on sidewalk and crosswalk improvements on Peak to Peak Highway 72, East 1st Street, and on Highway 119. The Revitalizing Main Streets grant will focus on much needed sidewalk repair on both the north and south side of East 1st Street.

The Safer Main Streets Initiative grant had already been awarded to the Town; Board members were required to assess the site map for the project before sending it to the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) for approval. The crosswalk improvements include new, stamped concrete and a fresh paint job, and the sidewalk improvements would require dedicated staff from Public Works for maintenance and snow removal. The Board approved the site map.

Progress on the Revitalizing Main Streets grant had not gone as smoothly, with the Town being denied the funds from their initial application back in May, 2021. Two Nederland East 1st Street business owners have also requested that the Town not move forward on a second attempt at the grant.

The Nederland Downtown Development Authority (NDDA), in a January 2022 meeting, had also advised against reapplying for the grant, given that the project would have a negative impact on local businesses. The NDDA also noted at that January meeting that the new sidewalks from this project may have to be destroyed and reconstructed again due to other development plans on East 1st Street to be considered in the near future.

However, the Revitalizing Main Streets grant is being considered again by Town staff due to concerns regarding the Town’s liability in matters of sidewalk disrepair. The proposed project involves the reconstruction of the north and south side sidewalks on East 1st Street, extending the sidewalk to Snyder Street, and connecting to the 2nd Street sidewalk.

Board Members agreed that the conditions of East 1st Street’s sidewalks are hazardous and “an accident waiting to happen” for residents and visitors. The Board supported moving forward with submitting another application for the funds for this project.

Fisher presented the BOT with a proposal to apply for the Housing Planning Program grant, an $80,000 grant that requires a $20,000 match from the town. The grant would fund a housing study which would facilitate Nederland to change existing zoning codes in order to promote affordable and alternative housing.

The fifth round of funding for this grant is set to close on March 15, so the Board had to move quickly on what was agreed by all to be a pertinent issue for Nederland. Though the funding for the required $20,000 match can’t be met by the Town at this time, funding could be acquired from the occupational tax set aside for Health and Human Services. The Board approved moving forward with the grant application and will be updated on their meeting on Tuesday, March 15.

The Board heard a proposal for the cost of rewriting the Town’s Comprehensive Plan and how to pursue funding for the $100,000 match required to apply for the necessary grant. The main question before the Board was whether the required funds should be included in a supplemental budget for 2022, or if they should be held over to the Town’s 2023 budget.

A Comprehensive Plan is a document aimed to guide a municipality to achieve its vision and goals in regards to its growth and development. It provides the policy framework needed to address the current and long-term needs of a town or county, and directly influences matters of transportation, land use, and economic development. A town is expected to revisit and update their Comprehensive Plan every ten years. Nederland’s last Comprehensive Plan update was in 2013.

Despite the large price tag, the BOT unanimously approved that the funding for the necessary grant be included in this year’s supplemental budget.

The last Discussion Item on the Board’s agenda was of public concern over language in Nederland’s current animal/livestock ordinances. A collection of Nederland residents have proposed changes to Town Municipal Code to include regulations on previously unspecified domestic livestock, since current regulations only relate to chickens, horses, and llamas specifically. The proposed changes also would dictate the number of animals a resident can have, based on their lot size.

The changes proposed by residents uses Boulder County policies for the baseline and are seemingly born from neighborly concerns of the noise and smell from such livestock as goats and pigs. Trustees Tania Corvalan and Eric Coombs-Esmail voiced their opposition to the changes, stating that they may be overreaching regarding people’s personal property rights. Additionally, Corvalan and Coombs-Esmail stated that the language considered for changes to Town Municipal Code should enforce matters of animal welfare, specifically neglect and cruelty concerns.

The BOT agreed that the discussion should move forward with the public with guidance from the Nederland Planning Commission.

The Nederland Board of Trustees meets on the first and third Tuesdays of the month.

Their next scheduled meeting is for Tuesday, March 15, 2022, at 7 p.m. For more information go to: https:// townofnederland.colorado.gov/boardof trustees