Karen Gerrity, Nederland. Town Staff formed a Recovery and Resiliency Team with a vision to prevent a surge in the pandemic as the community transitions to more relaxed restrictions. The team has been working closely with individuals, business owners, nonprofits, and other government entities to create guidelines and protocols for providing goods and services during these ever-changing times. You can contact the team through the COVID-19 link on the website here https://nederlandco.org/covid-19-information/ .

The Team created and posted special events guidelines for people who are interested in holding an event in the Town of Nederland as the state transitioned to “Safer at Home” guidelines. It’s important that we collectively continue to stay vigilant about social distancing and facial coverings when in public. For anyone interested in organizing an event, please complete and submit documentation (link to process and guidelines is below) so staff can ensure that your event is in compliance with state and local guidelines.

Town of Nederland Guidelines for Special Events during COVID-19 Local Disaster Emergency

The Farmers Market sought assistance from Town staff to understand how best to operate this season and the result has been very successful as they provide services to the public utilizing social-distancing and safety protocols. St. Rita’s worked with Town Staff and is now offering drive up services to their members. 

Town staff worked closely with the Nederland Downtown Development Authority, the Nederland Board of Trustees, and Boulder County in facilitating an online grant program to provide $100,000 in funding to area businesses operating within the district who have been struggling during the pandemic. The application process recently closed with dozens of businesses applying and the goal is to get the funds out as quickly as possible. 

The Recovery and Resiliency Team partners with area nonprofits providing essential services for basic needs such as food, shelter and mental health support. The team continues to work with organizations utilizing the Nederland Community Center as they expand and fine-tune their programs and services to meet the current needs of area residents. 

The team recently worked with Boulder County Public Health to understand when and how public indoor and outdoor facilities could be opened. This has resulted in the Town parks, trails, and skate park being opened. Town Hall will be open to the public on Fridays from 9am until 5pm and during the rest of the week by appointment. 

In addition, the team began a public information initiative to increase people’s awareness and educate them of current state and county regulations regarding social distancing and other safety protocols. Several videos have been posted on the Town Hall Facebook page featuring messages from the Mayor, the Marshal and Sergeant, Center for People with Disabilities, Wild Bear Nature Center, Mountain Forum for Peace and the Nederland Community Library. These videos are meant to be upbeat and informative, helping viewers feel connected to each other and hopefully reduce some of the stress related to the pandemic.

Earlier this month, the members of the team helped to organize and promote a community event celebrating May 15 as “Peace Officers Memorial Day” to honor those who lost their lives. Photos of the event were posted on the Town Hall Facebook page, which is a great resource of information. https://www.facebook.com/NederlandTownHall/.

On Monday, May 25, 2020, the Governor announced updates to the Safer at Home order which will impact restaurants, summer camps and private camping beginning on May 27, 2020. The Colorado Department of Health and Environment has been working on guidelines in anticipation of this transition for a week. Working with the state, they will finalize the guidelines and the intention is for the Governor to include this information in a press conference today at 1:30 p.m.

The Recovery and Resiliency Team has been preparing for this transition and Deputy Town Administrator Miranda Fisher is working with businesses as they modify their spaces and services to accommodate these changes. Miranda was given authority to do so by the attached Declaration which will be discussed further in the Board of Trustees meeting next week. She worked throughout the holiday weekend to assist businesses and her commitment to the Town is remarkable.

(Originally published in the May 28, 2020, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)