The Nederland Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Advisory Board (PROSAB) met on Thursday, November 16, 2023, at 5:30 p.m. to discuss recent recreation progress and events within the town.

Parks Manager Nicki Dunn began her staff report by announcing that for the second year in a row, the town was awarded Outstanding Management of Loss Control by CIRSA. This was achieved through several meetings of safety control and high-scoring safety inspections.

The Safer Main Street (SMS) grant will go into the request for proposal process in February and March of 2024. The grant would add a paved sidewalk to the roundabout going towards Tungsten Village. It would also add a new crosswalk at the library and visitors center. The construction will begin in Spring 2024 and hopefully be completed by April 2025.

The Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) grant for Barker Meadows was approved. The funding will help continue to revitalize the dirt fields in an effort to reclaim the entire space. The town’s engineering company is working on drawings and estimates for the rain garden next to the playground.

Since the town received money from the sale of the Broncos, PROSAB is working with community members to draft a criteria form for people or groups to request money from the Metropolitan Football Funds. Five thousand dollars of those funds are set for a junior firefighting camp in partnership with the Nederland Fire Protection District in the Summer of 2024.

New Vista High School students did an incredible job assisting with land mitigation surrounding the Nederland Rink. Many fallen trees have been lying around since the original construction, so volunteers worked to fill about ten truckloads of logs.

In the past month, there have been multiple meetings between PROSAB advisors and GOCO to move forward with the Rink plans. Unfortunately, obstacles of miscommunication regarding the logistics of the design and process have slowed down the operation. The team plans to return to the project in January 2024 to work through the details. In the meantime, PROSAB hopes to send out a survey to community members asking residents their opinions on specific features and other outdoor recreational spaces.

Outdoor Oath, a nonprofit organization that promotes the inclusion of the outdoors, recently held its Empowering-Access in the Outdoors session. The event highlighted the importance of recognizing those with disabilities and understanding that disabilities are not always obvious from the outside. Physical barriers that come with creating outdoor accessible spaces include making accessible restrooms and parking spaces. Psychological barriers stand in the way of organizations by causing them to question if they are doing enough and doing it right. Organizational barriers can include a lack of knowledge or lack of funding. Outdoor Oath attempts to overcome these barriers through inclusion and education. To do our part, we can start by changing our outdated language. Shifting “wheelchair bound” to “wheelchair user” and “disabled person” to “person with disabilities” are some examples.

PROSAB is working to create a Parks and Recreation volunteer program. The hope is to engage volunteers to help with recurring and individual maintenance needs. This can include volunteering at the Rink in the winter and pulling weeds in the summer. The group already has multiple community members dedicated to helping out but hopes to recruit more by creating a calendar of needs accessible to the public.

Discussion around the new Pump Track continued from last month’s meeting regarding concerns about the location of the track and the inclusion of the kid area. A sewer line under the northern region of the space was detected, so they will bring that to the attention of the American Ramp Company as they create the 3D version of the design. As of now, the location of the track and the kid area will remain in the design.

Miranda Fisher reviewed progress from chapter 3 of the Parks, Recreation, Open Space, Trails master plan (PROST). Fisher collected updated information using existing data from other organizations and previous studies. This data includes a report on disproportionately impacted (DI) and environmental justice (EJ) populations, housing data, and school enrollment data. The team has submitted their request for the capstone students to assist with future surveys and other community outreach. Chapter 4 will be reviewed and discussed in next month’s meeting.

The Nederland Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Advisory Board meets on the third Thursday of every month. Their next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, December 21, 2023, and can be attended online. For more information go to https://townofnederland.colorado. gov/parks-recreation-open-spaceadvisory board.