NEDERLAND - The Nederland Board of Trustees (BOT) met on Tuesday, October 7, 2025, to take action on several matters including whether the Town should take part in a $20,000 pilot program to test a new road stabilization product on two of Nederland’s most “problematic” sections of road on Alpine Drive and Navajo Trail.

Perma-Zyme pilot

Streets Manager Josh Davis and Sustainability Coordinator Cass Grady identified Perma-Zyme as a viable replacement to the Town’s current road stabilization and dust suppression efforts, which are costly and require constant staff hours for repeated work and monitoring. 

Davis and Grady met with representatives from Substrata on September 24, to witness first-hand that Perma-Zyme adhered well to road soil samples from four different locations throughout Nederland. 

On September 25, during a meeting of the Sustainability Advisory Board, SAB members voted 5 to 1 in support of Perma-Zyme to be used on Alpine Drive and Navajo Trail. Concerns were raised regarding the potential of material leaching from Alpine Drive and draining into Barker Reservoir. 

According to Substrata, the product is made with food grade materials and “uses enzymes to strengthen the bond between clay soil particles in road material to create a hardened road surface that lasts for 10 years.”

Perma-Zyme is presented as a soil stabilizer with a pH of 4 to 5.5, and is diluted in water before being applied to the roadway, thereby creating a water-resistant hardened road surface that experiences “minimal leaching.” 

As a result of these claims, the majority of the SAB were in support of using the Perma- Zyme, though it was recommended that the pH levels of the soils near the affected areas be monitored and recorded before and after application of the product.

The SAB also warned that, due to the proprietary status of Perma-Zyme, the actual ingredients —organic or otherwise— involved in its production may not need to be legally disclosed.

However, a disclosed Safety Data Sheet for Perma-Zyme assured the Town that the product primarily consists of organic enzymes and requires minimal PPE precautions in order to safely handle and work with it.

Though Perma-Zyme is expensive compared to similar products, Davis and Grady stated that the product should still be considered viable due to its projected 10-year lifespan and promise of minimal impact to the surrounding environment.

The request is for $19,995 for the pilot program, which would be funded from the Streets Department’s $20,000 budget for dust suppression. Pending approval from the Board, the application of Perma-Zyme on Alpine Drive and Navajo Trail would begin the week of October 13.

If the pilot program is deemed successful, Town staff would search for available grant funds and seek BOT approval for applying Perma-Zyme “to the remaining 12 miles of gravel roads within town limits.”

Grady answered questions from Trustees, specifying that Alamosa County will also be engaged in a pilot program with Perma-Zyme at the same time as Nederland, though areas in Utah, including Summit County and Park City, have already engaged the pilot program. 

Trustees asked Grady to further research the results of Perma-Zyme in Utah after it was revealed that the application of the substance requires a 72-hour curing period, during which it is recommended that no moisture come into contact with the road as it cures. 

Because this was seen as an unrealistic expectation, and that reports from Summit County that portions of their roads where Perma-Zyme had been applied became slippery, Trustees became worried that the application to Alpine Drive could create a risk to residents, especially considering the average speed vehicles travel in the Big Springs neighborhood.

The BOT decided to table the matter until next Spring, tasking Grady until then with conducting further research on the results of Perma-Zyme in similar mountain areas with similar climates.   

Guercio Field

Town Manager Jonathan Cain led Trustees in a discussion regarding the regrowing of Guercio Field’s turf, which the Town has monitored since reseeding efforts were completed in 2023. 

According to the Agenda Information Memorandum prepared by Cain, the “conditions in 2025 showed significant improvement over the prior year, and the field is trending toward healthier and fuller coverage.” 

The Town reports that a wetter spring and consistent watering has really supported growth, combined with the addition of fresh compost, and the completion of tree maintenance, drainage monitoring, and trail upkeep.

If this kind of work and attention on Guercio Field continues, the Town expects the field to be nearly “fully established” by the end of 2026. As a result, Cain asked Trustees to note any additional aspects of Guercio Field that Town staff should be tracking, and any considerations that should be included into the Town’s 2026 Work Plan for the field.

The field is currently available to be used for light recreational activities, though organized team sports and heavily attended events will not be considered at the field for 2026.  

Most Trustees felt that the Town was on the right track with Guercio Field, and that there was no need to add any additional considerations to the Work Plan. The sentiment was raised that people living in the mountains are used to things moving at a slower pace. 

“A couple of years for good grass is nothing,” Trustee Kristopher Larsen remarked.  

Bakery stand

The BOT was tasked with voting on Resolution 2025-21, which allows, as a special case, the operation of a bakery stand at 154 Highway 72. Currently, Nederland Municipal Code (NMC) does not allow “home occupation” use on properties, including this one, zoned Central Business District. 

The Nederland Planning Commission had previously reviewed this matter, having discussed the possibility of instituting additional conditions, addressing potential impacts to the neighborhood, permitting use through a conditional use review, and whether to implement amendments to NMC. 

Commissioners opted to expedite the process for this particular bakery stand by recommending the BOT approve the use. They also opted to continue discussion in November on amending NMC to either change the use group table or rewrite Section 16-76 to allow such stands in CBD and other zones.

A motion was made and seconded to approve the Resolution, which was then approved unanimously by Trustees. 

Retirement plan

The Board voted to approve Resolution 2025-24, enabling the Town of Nederland to join the Colorado Retirement Association (CRA), which will provide Town employees with retirement savings opportunities, including access to a 401(a) Money Purchase Pension Plan and a 457(b) Deferred Compensation Plan.

The Town must join the association in order for a retirement plan for Nederland employees to be drafted by CRA and voted on by the Board. 

Trustees also approved appointing Nick Legan to the regular member position on the Parks, Recreation, Open Space Advisory Board, also appointing Adam Stroup to the alternate position.

The Nederland Board of Trustees meets on the first and third Tuesday of every month. The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, October 21, 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.