The Nederland Downtown Development Authority (NDDA) met on Wednesday, July 10, 2024, to discuss a Tourism Management Plan. The NDDA also heard an update on the Wayfinding project, which has been delayed due to several Town of Nederland initiatives.

Before the start of their meeting, the Authority first held a closed executive session for “a discussion of a personnel matter involving the evaluation of the Executive Director, who has consented to the executive session.”

After the Nederland Board of Trustees (BOT) elected Everett Nielsen and Nathan Smallwood to fill seats on the NDDA left vacant by Ron Mitchell and Catherine Valen, Board members needed to choose new faces to fill the positions of Chair, Vice Chair, and Treasurer.

Board members Andrew Dewart and Barbara Hardt had both expressed interest in the position of Chair, with Hardt also expressing interest in the Vice Chair position. Steve Rowntree has expressed interest in remaining Treasurer.

A motion was made to appoint Dewart as Chair, which was seconded; the Authority voted to approve the appointment. Hardt was approved as Vice Chair and Rowntree was approved as Treasurer.

The NDDA received an update from the Wayfinding Committee regarding the town-wide signage initiative that aims to promote accessibility for pedestrians and motorists. The project has been paused while the Town of Nederland completes its rebranding, with third-party company Merje incorporating the Town’s new branding designs and colors into the wayfinding signs.

The question before the Authority was whether Merje and the Wayfinding Committee should wait to move forward with signage for parking until the Town has permanently implemented its paid parking plan.

The BOT recently approved a contract with Interstate Parking to manage paid parking at the Visitor’s Center and down East 1st Street for a trial run through the summer.

Board members discussed whether it was necessary to indicate on signs which parking lots are paid and which are not. Town Administrator Jonathan Cain noted that Interstate Parking will be providing their own signage for the trial period, and suggested that Merje focus on directional signs pointing to all available parking, and to wait on informational signage once the Town has made a final decision regarding paid parking.

Cain, from his experience adopting paid parking for Idaho Springs, also suggested that the signs should inform tourists where they can access free parking in order to dissuade them from illegal and “creative” parking occurring in residential areas.

Dewart took the opportunity to express his opinion as to how paid parking should be managed, stating his support for the way it was being managed in the Canadian tourist town where he had stayed. The Canadian system featured parking spaces directly labeled for local businesses that were strictly enforced for 30 minute free parking; any vehicle in violation was fined $150.

Rowntree, who serves on the Wayfinding Committee with Board member Steve Karowe, said that they had received enough feedback in order to reconvene with Merje on the next steps of the project.

Board members discussed the first draft of the 2025 NDDA Budget, which is expected to be completed and approved in September. All of the Authority’s 2024 projects, except for Wayfinding, are scheduled to be completed before the end of the year, with any joint capital projects between the Town and NDDA that involve matching funds to be carried over into 2025.

NDDA Executive Director Kate Masingale expressed that the budget was being brought to Board members early in order to provide time to ascertain which projects should be moved forward and budgeted, with priority on local businesses. A more robust discussion regarding the 2025 NDDA Budget is expected in August.

Nederland’s Public Engagement Manager Peter Cacek presented a draft Tourism Management Plan (TMP), which aims to manage sustainable tourism for Nederland through collaborative work with other Town boards, and with the Colorado Tourism Office, as part of their Destination Blueprint program.

Cacek has presented the plan to, and gathered feedback from, the Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Advisory Board, the Sustainability Advisory Board, the Planning Commission, and the BOT.

The TMP has been drafted to align with the many different plans currently being drafted by third-party entities contracted by the Town of Nederland, including the Multimodal Transportation Plan, the Comprehensive Plan update, and the NDDA Master Plan, though it is not yet being updated or redrafted.

Tourism strategies were provided to coincide with the original vision statements within the Envision 2030 town planning framework. For Arts, Culture, and Education, the Envision 2030 vision statement reads, “In 2030, Nederland celebrates our community’s creativity and natural and cultural resources while empowering lifelong learning and engaging the community in opportunities through Town.”

The tourism strategy within the TMP associated with Arts, Culture, and Education reads, “Through curated events, workshops, and immersive experiences, we attract visitors seeking lifelong learning opportunities and engagement with the arts and culture in our community.”

Cacek’s presentation listed Nederland’s strengths in relation to tourism, as well as the challenges and opportunities of tourism.

Nederland’s access to trails, open space, and outdoor recreation, its “quaint” downtown area, the residents’ pride in the Town’s character, its Visitor’s Center, and its “new brand identity and visual assets developed from community values and input,” were listed as strengths.

For its challenges, the TMP listed traffic congestion, lack of housing options for seasonal workers, few lodging options, limited resources, weak workforce retention, and lack of a dedicated budget for tourism management.

Tourist education, community engagement, promotion of local businesses, busier shoulder months, conservation and sustainability initiatives, ADA-compliant sidewalks, beautification, and improvements to recreational facilities were listed as the possible opportunities that could arise from a focus on tourism in Nederland.

The NDDA did not offer any feedback at this time regarding Cacek’s presentation and the latest draft of the TMP.

Tania Corvalan, Trustee Liaison to the NDDA, asked whether the Authority wanted to discuss at a later meeting the possibility of extending the size of the Board, which currently numbers nine. Corvalan stated that with more members the Authority could expand its number of projects.

Vice Chair Hardt noted that the Authority has had issues in the past with finding enough interested individuals to fill board positions when they open. Masingale noted that with Mitchell, landlord to many Nederland businesses, no longer serving on the NDDA, more business owners are now eligible to serve and have expressed interest in doing so.

The Nederland Downtown Development Authority meets the second Wednesday of every month. Their next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, August 14, 2024, at 6 p.m. and will be held online as well as in person at the Nederland Community Center. For more information go to: https://townofnederland.colorado.gov/ downtown-development-authority.