John Scarffe, Nederland. The Nederland Board of Trustees approved the resubmittal of a Great Outdoors Colorado Resilient Communities Grant and appointments to the Envision 2030 committee during a regular on-line meeting at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, January 19, 2021. The Board also discussed building code updates. 

GOCO Grant Resubmittal

Town Clerk Miranda Fisher introduced the Great Outdoors Colorado Resilient Communities Grant Resubmittal. In November 2020, the Town and the Parks, Recreation, Open Space Advisory Board (PROSAB) were notified that they did not receive the GOCO Resilient Communities grant funding for the Barker Meadows Park project. 

In October 2020, PROSAB applied for funding through GOCO’s Resilient Communities Program (RCP). GOCO was offering grants for needs that have emerged in response to the pandemic within the context of their five program values: resource conservation, outdoor stewardship, community vitality, equitable access and youth connections. 

The focus of the grant at the time was on reducing damaging impacts by providing more options for park visitors to spread out and to restore the natural area along Barker Reservoir shoreline into a usable recreation space, and refitting the bathrooms at Chipeta Park to meet COVID-19 requirements.

After the grant was declined, Fisher and Jessie Ansari, PROSAB Chair, scheduled a meeting with Chris Yuan-Farrell, senior program officer with GOCO to find out why Nederland was not selected for the grant. Yuan-Farrell explained that the grant review committee felt that the application did not effectively highlight how developing Barker Meadows Park would help with the impacts of COVID-19 on the community, which is a requirement of the grant, according to the agenda information memorandum. 

Yuan-Farrell recommended that the Town reapply for the final round of funding, but encouraged the Town to consider removing the Guercio Field irrigation and upgrades to the Chipeta Park bathrooms and focus more on trails development. PROSAB agreed that they wanted to reapply with a new focus, according to the memo. 

Called the Nederland Shoreline Trails and Stewardship Project Resilient Communities - Creating Connections, this project will create trails and improve access to the Barker Reservoir shoreline area while rehabilitating the area’s natural features. As a front range community, usage dramatically increased throughout the pandemic leading to erratic social trails, erosion and water quality concerns. 

Trail improvements are vital because the town has only one narrow trail in the overused area, according to the memo. The site design includes doggie waste receptacles, revegetation, native seeding and stewardship education. 

A natural play sculpture is proposed to be built by youth crews employed through non-profit partner, TEENS Inc. TeamWorks would also address the trail damage caused by the sudden increase in foot traffic.

Fisher told the Board the previous application did not highlight how the Town was affected by COVID, so they have removed irrigation on the field and will focus on trails development and will reapply.

Ansari said this is one-time funding in direct response to COVID. With building by youth crews from Teens, Inc., it is a highly compelling case and will be competitive. They also reduced the amount of the request to $220,00 and will try to get it to under $200,000. 

They have done public outreach, removed irrigation and anything with top soil for Guercio Field. The touch free restrooms were removed because they didn’t meet the level of approval. 

Trustees expressed concerns that it falls on town staff to maintain these assets, and they don’t have a budget to upgrade trails and can’t maintain them. Ansari said this focuses on long- term and low maintenance with sustainability materials, and they have requested a trail grader that would drastically decrease the work on town staff. 

Trustees applauded the work that has been done and said it is a great opportunity. The Board approved the application.

Envision 2030 Committee

Fisher introduced 14 applications for appointment to the Envision 2030 Committee. She said it would require two to four hours per week, and requirements did not specify that committee members must live in town.

At the December 15, 2020, meeting, the Board approved forming an Envision 2030 committee that will help to develop the vision, values, guiding principles, major goals and specific objectives for the Vision 2030 action plan. Applications for the Envision 2030 were released on Wednesday, December 23, 2020, with a due date of January 13, 2021. 

The Board recommended that the committee consist of the following: one member from the Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA), one member from the Nederland Downtown Development Authority (NDDA), one member from the Planning Commission (PC), one member from PROSAB, one member from the Sustainability Advisory Board (SAB), five community external community agency members and five community members. 

The Town received 14 applications. From Advisory Board & Commissions: Tom Mahowald (BZA), Ron Mitchell (NDDA), Karen Blakemore (PC); Community Agency Members: Jill Dreves (Wild Bear Nature Center), Ari Goodman (Center for People with Disabilities); Community Members: Deb DAndrea, Clara Draper, Kayla Evans, Billy Giblin (Billy is also a member of the BZA and PC), May Jarril, Sarah Martin, Amanda McDonald, Lee Stadele, Atashnaa Medicineshield Werner (Atashnaa is a member of PROSAB however has requested not to be a liaison and serve as a community member instead). 

Mayor Kristopher Larsen thanked the applicants and appreciated all who have stepped up for more online meetings. This will be a guiding document for the Town, and he hopes Envision 2030 will be the same kind of document as Envision 2020. 

Larsen proposed that they appoint all 14 applicants as the Envision 2030 Steering Committee. Applicants Atashnaa Medicineshield Werner, Jill Dreves, May Jarril, Ari Goodman, Amanda MacDonald, Sarah Martin and Billy Giblin all addressed the Board with their qualifications and thanked the Board for not closing the process to town’s people only. Larsen said he also would like to be involved.

The Board moved to appoint the 14 applicants as well as Mayor Larsen to the Envision 2030 committee.

Building Codes Update

Building codes govern the design, construction, remodeling and maintenance of all structures and are necessary to set the minimum requirements that help safeguard the health, safety and welfare of all building occupants. Adopting a more recent code will further the Town’s sustainability and resilience goals.

The Town, in collaboration with the Nederland Fire Protection District (NFPD), has discussed an update from the Town’s existing building codes to the 2018 standards. Currently, the Town is adhering to the 2012 building codes, for all but the National Electrical Code (NEC) standards which change more regularly to mirror State adoptions. 

It is important that the Town adopt the 2018 building codes to ensure that the Town is in compliance with the most current standards. An administrative committee has been working on drafting the ordinance changes, which includes Town Administrator Karen Gerrity, Deputy Town Administrator and Town Clerk Miranda Fisher, Deputy Zoning Administrator Cynthia Bakke, Public Works Manager Chris Pelletier and Fire Marshal Rik Henrikson. 

The committee has reached out to SAFEbuilt, who provides building inspection services to the Town, with a request that they put together a PowerPoint presentation that highlights the changes between the 2012 code and 2018 code. Following the SAFEbuilt presentation, the committee will begin to focus on public vetting, which will include presentations to all of the boards and commissions and public charrettes. These meetings will likely be virtual depending on social distancing guidelines.

Henrikson said they should look at a new chapter on energy systems and hazmat as well as a section on food trucks, looking at those for safety and fire hazards. “We want to look at amendments to codes allowing flash burns in town.” They would apply only to new structures or upgrades.

Boulder County is looking at the same code. Nederland has had a couple of structure fires. On Aspen Drive, they had fire sprinklers that went off. Two other fires did not have sprinkler systems, and two dogs were killed. Had there been sprinklers it would have been a big difference. 

Trustees expressed concern that it would drastically increase the cost of a house in Nederland and may need to temper it if costs are out of line. Fisher said they will have additional public meetings and aim to have an ordinance by summer. Mayor Larsen said he is looking forward to having this come back in future public meetings. 

The Board also agreed to bring Nederland Municipal Code Changes to Encroachments on Town Right-of-Way and the Commercial Parking Fund back to a future meeting. 

The next meeting of the Nederland Board of Trustees will be on February 2, 2021. For more information, go to https://nederlandco.civicweb.net/Portal/MeetingInformation.aspx?Org=Cal&Id=298.

(Originally published in the January 28, 2021, edition of The Mountain-Ear.)