On Tuesday, March 12, 2024, at 7 p.m. the Nederland Board of Trustees (BOT) and Downtown Development Authority (NDDA) met for a joint work session, together with the business support nonprofit Downtown Colorado Inc. (DCI). The meeting was an opportunity to identify projects and areas of focus where the Board and the Authority can collaborate.

The Town of Nederland contracted with DCI on September 13, 2023, for $12,500 to synchronize the two organizations’ goals and to build Action Items for official approval. Since September, DCI has conducted in-person meetings with stakeholders, and organized a survey with NDDA members.

On February 21 the NDDA heard a presentation from Kat Correll of DCI regarding an overview of the last three months of their work. “Administration” and “programming” were the two areas of focus indicated as vital from the results of DCI’s meetings with the Authority.

Administrative issues were defined as relating to a collaboration with the Town’s goals, as well as adhering to current guiding documents, in order to reach the stated goals for Nederland’s future. Programming issues involved ways in which the NDDA can better support businesses, better provide improvements to their jurisdiction, and how the Authority can communicate better.

For the March 12 meeting, Correll and Kylie Brown, DCI’s Rural Programs Manager, met with NDDA Board members and Trustees, as well as Mayor Billy Giblin and Town staff, to discuss the role of the NDDA and what goals the Authority and the Town share.

Correll began the meeting with a brief description of DCI and what they do. DCI is a member-based nonprofit organization that works with downtown development groups and assists them to work toward their goals through programs and seminars.

Those attending the joint work session were asked to define the purpose of the NDDA. The Authority was defined as an entity that supports economic development of the downtown through infrastructure improvement projects and special event funding.

In discussing the Authority’s accomplishments and challenges, Town Administrator Miranda Fisher spoke about the work the NDDA has done to advance support for Nederland’s music and arts community. Giblin noted the Big Springs parking project and repaving of the Visitor’s Center parking lot as major NDDA successes.

NDDA Board Member Scott Papich listed the Authority’s support for events as a challenge due to the intricacies of evaluating an event’s financial success and whether any event supports the Town’s local business community.

NDDA Vice Chair Andrew Dewart identified the Authority’s difficulty in determining whether certain infrastructure improvement projects were within their purview or were the responsibility of Town Works.

Kimberlee McKee, Executive Director of the Longmont Downtown Development Authority, discussed how a development authority should advocate for the infrastructure the community needs and wants, and to fund improvements to that infrastructure as an Authority project. NDDA Treasurer Steve Rowntree cited the collaborative effort to improve the Nederland Covered Bridge as an example of a successful use of the Authority’s resources and services.

Rowntree also mentioned how he felt that there was an expectation in the DDA’s relationship with the Town and the BOT that a given project will not come to fruition without funding from the NDDA. He spoke of the Town’s need for sidewalk repair as an example of a project that has been postponed for various reasons.

Correll noted that Nederland could benefit from focusing on non-traditional sidewalks, such as certain examples from European countries; attendees were quick to explain how non-traditional sidewalk designs led to the much-maligned crusher fine sidewalks in the downtown district.

Trustee Luke Miller and Papich both reiterated that a major challenge to supporting and approving infrastructure projects, such as new sidewalk construction, is the fact that the majority of the properties in the Central Business District are owned by one person.

Giblin noted that it has previously been reported to him by a fellow Trustee that the NDDA Chair had approached that Trustee regarding voting another Board member off the Authority. He did not specify whether he was referring to the current chair of the NDDA, Ron Mitchell, or to a previous chair. He then asked how the Authority can navigate negative personal dynamics like that and work as a more effective entity.

Correll spoke briefly on how DCI does offer management seminars and programs to strengthen intra-Authority relationships, but reiterated that the purpose of the meeting was to find ways for the Authority and the BOT to collaborate.

In discussing the administrative end of the NDDA, Fisher wanted to ensure that the Authority would take more responsibility in successfully reporting to the public on their projects and efforts. Dewart noted that the Authority, composed mostly of volunteers and with only one paid employee, Executive Director Kate Masingale, finds it difficult to achieve successful reporting and marketing.

DCI is expected to complete their program with the NDDA by October, 2024, but is expected to deliver reports and suggestions for actionable ordinances and possible grant opportunities for collaborative projects with the BOT by May. DCI is hosting an annual event called “In The Game” from April 2 to 5 in Durango, to which Nederland officials and staff are invited.

It was also announced that DCI will be meeting with representatives of Colorado Creative Industries in an effort to designate the Peak to Peak Highway as a “creative corridor.”