Dear Editor,

Flabbergasted! Astonishing! Wow! Jawdropping, and you’ve got to be kidding! are the words that initially popped into my mind, as I began reading page 22 of the November 24 issue of The Mountain-Ear. The title being ‘Nederland’s Issue Over Annexation’ by Christopher Kelley.

Not living within the town limits of Nederland, I am unable to cast a formal vote. However, that does not preclude me and many more residents from actively participating in having our voices heard, opinions expressed, engaging in volunteer activities, and recognized as valued (extended) community members of ‘our’ town.

I’ve been told that of all the registered voters in the town of Nederland voter turnout is usually around 30%; shameful in itself. I don’t think there is a way to tell what % of those who do vote and/or fill out surveys are property owners, renters, or non-town residents, and business owners within Nederland; or is there?

Nederland being in a bowl with town boundaries abutting the city of Boulder reservoir, USFS and unincorporated Boulder County land; even the average layperson has become somewhat familiar with terms like: infill, density, and annexation.

In some fashion, all the goals from the past three Nederland Envision Summits have been met, except for affordable - subsidized housing.

During the past ten years, potential plots of suitable acreage for density-infill to accommodate affordable housing had been looked at; with extremely limited and ever shrinking options. Which gets me back to Nederland’s issue over annexation. ONLY 92 SURVEYS were submitted. ONLY 92! Even then, some may have submitted more than once.

Possibly this was due to not many folks being aware of the survey. Active in local civic affairs as I am, I wasn’t aware till down to the wire time. Not everybody is on social media. And, perhaps the survey wasn’t circulated or posted in as many public venues as it could have been.

We are familiar with some of the town’s subdivisions. However, how many of them do we realize were annexed into the town to provide housing for the growing population?

In 1963 Big Springs was annexed. In 1989 Caribou Ridge (35 acres) was annexed. In the early 1983 Sunnyside was annexed. In 2005 Indian Peaks was annexed. (Thank you to Town Hall staff for your time to provide this information). Approximately every 20 years housing subdivisions were being annexed into Nederland.

While the housing being built was/is for middle-income and wealthy people (imo); the time has now arrived for some balance; with subsidized housing being built for our community members directly affected by the affordable housing crisis which is our community workforce, our limited income seniors, and our young families (some of who grew up here).

92 surveys; still shaking head. Following is some of the benefits derived from those annexations (the last two are private annexations). The others are on unincorporated Boulder County land. Now, try to imagine without the annexations what Nederland would be like today. Many, if not most of us wouldn’t be here.

And, what we give no thought to because of annexation of approximately 125 acres. Some of us still remember when the town didn’t have the following: the Nederland schools (34 acres); the Nederland school bus yard (8.5 acres); the town transfer recycle center (24 acres); the County Forestry Sort Yard (35 acres); the town shop (7.75 acres); the Caribou Room formerly Len Coles Excavation (2 acres), Cole Replat of 5th & 6th St; and Wild Bear Nature Center (5 acres land swap).

Atashnaa Medicineshield Werner

Nederland