Dear Editor,

Sometime in 2000, I read an article in The Mountain-Ear about the efforts to create a library in Nederland. Hughes Moir was looking for volunteers to sort donations. 

Despite the fact that I didn’t think Nederland needed its own library (we had Boulder and George Blevins with the wonderful bookmobile out of Gilpin), the chance to mess about with books was too much to ignore. When we opened, I changed my mind because people came; the library, as modest as it was, was clearly serving a need. That was twenty years ago. 

The founders started a campaign to establish a library district to be funded by property taxes. The voters approved the measure giving the library an income stream with which to hire a full time librarian and buy books. 

In order to be certified, the library had to be staffed at all times while open by a paid librarian which the library couldn’t afford. So we volunteers, Sally Grahn, Rosie Hauge, Emily Kaune, and more, became paid librarians with an annual salary of $1.

When the roof collapsed on our first home in the Community Center during the epic snowstorm of 2003, the library moved to the west end of the building which was essentially abandoned. Then the Town turned off the heat. It was winter and very cold in the sunless space. There was talk of closing, but Library Director Gretchen Beatty insisted on keeping the library open. And we did – with space heaters and outdoor clothing. And still the patrons came. 

Our second move was to a bay in the shopping center where we had to deal with water leaking from the restaurant above. It was a dark, claustrophobic space, but a busy one. It was clear that the library couldn’t operate properly and fulfill its obligations to the community unless it had secure housing – a building of its own. 

After much soul-searching and many meetings with the public for input, the boards of the District and the Foundation decided to go back to the voters to ask them to support and increase in their property taxes to erect a library building. It was a controversial idea. But, once again, the residents of the district voted to tax themselves so that the community could have a beautiful building to house its library. The Town donated a vacated street adjoining a lot purchased by the Foundation. These were combined into one building site and donated to the District. 

We hired an owner’s representative, an architect, general contractor, and construction began. 

Our new library opened in January 2011. Ten years ago. And the people are still coming. 

Please join us in celebrating these two anniversaries on January 30, 2021 from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Pick up your goody bag and a book, all delivered in a Covid-safe way, and share a smile, under your mask. Thank you for your support for these past twenty years.

Susan Gerhart
Peak to Peak