Jessie Ansari & Atashnaa Werner, Nederland. The Nederland PROSAB (Parks, Recreation, Open-Space Advisory Board) has had a productive first quarter of 2021. The board met with directors of Nederland’s recreational non-profits including NedSk8, Ned Rink and Tennis Courts to learn the history of each organization and hear about their processes and needs. Also discussed were issues of funding, repair, maintenance, upgrades, expansion, volunteerism, oversight and their futures goals and visions. The board was informed that NedSk8 will be dissolved this year and so the PROSAB is in the process of archiving NedSk8 documents so that historical information is not lost. The board discussed the pros and cons of a Nederland Area Parks and Recreation District and will continue the discussion into the future. 

Two board members, Trustee Liaison Eric Coombs Esmail and Brian Curtis, formed a Nederland Trails Subcommittee specifically to tackle the 2021 revision and update of the Nederland Trails Master Plan. Part of the revision process will involve encouraging a robust conversation and a public survey to gauge interest and needs around trails, connections and pedestrian access in and around the Town of Nederland. In conjunction, the board is working on the development of a new and updated Town Trails Map.

In February, the PROSAB applied for funding through the Great Outdoors Colorado Resilient Communities Program. The project, titled Nederland Shoreline Trails and Stewardship Project - Creating Communities, will create trails and improve access to the Barker Reservoir shoreline area while rehabilitating the area’s natural features. PROSAB Chair Jessie Ansari has been part of a grant writing subcommittee for this project along with Parks Lead Nicki Dunn, TeamWorks Youth Director Ariel Gustafson, and Town Clerk Miranda Fisher. After the grant application was rejected in 2020, the team reworked the grant narrative, and the PROSAB was able to reduce the requested amount to $181,000 by removing lower priority items like irrigation and extra picnic benches from the budget. The grant was successfully awarded to the Town in March. 

The PROSAB have also been collaborating with the Nederland DDA on discussions regarding the Town’s way-finding goals. The DDA way-finding project aligns with PROSAB goals to reduce motorized transport within town and to increase connectivity between various areas within the community. Parks board members are interested in signage that directs visitors and residents to trails, parks, and parking. The possibility of a digital app-based way-finding service was also something that the board would be interested in pursuing. 

Along with other town advisory boards, the PROSAB has also been participating in discussions with Public Works about the Transportation Improvement Project to improve walkability from the RTD station. The plan will incorporate a Nederland Trails, Parks and Open-Space Map into the main kiosk signage. The goal is to increase foot traffic, improve communications, and reduce the use of motorized vehicles within downtown. 

The Parks Advisory Board is in the process of documenting and reviewing past goals and objectives, the status of on-going projects and visions, and streamlining priorities. This includes the organizing and archiving information about our recreational and non-profit assets and continuing to search for potential funding for parks and open space. 

For 2021, the PROSAB is collaborating with the Boulder Watershed Coalition to bring wildfire mitigation education to the Nederland area.

Lastly, stay tuned because this summer, the PROSAB will be again hosting some noxious weed pull events alongside some interactive events to get further involved in your local parks. 

The next meeting of the Nederland PROSAB board will be Thursday, May 20, 2021, at  7 p.m. and can be accessed at nederlandco.civicweb.net.

(Originally published in the May 13, 2021, edition of The Mountain-Ear.)