Dear Editor, 

Vote NO, showing you care for Nederland’s future. Vote NO to Nederland Town Government disposal of your public land in Dyers Neighborhood. This regional childcare center should not be built on the backs of Nederland resident tax payers. Clinica and the Nederland Food Pantry successfully found other locations after Nederland Town Government voted NO on their proposals.

Is placing a regional facility the size of the Fire Station in Dyers Neighborhood to primarily support non-tax payers, including Eldora, how you want your land used? Land a previous BoT earmarked for Affordable housing? Vote NO.  

This proposed mega-project will forever transform our land from quiet wetlands on Caribou, into a bustling commercial center while fencing out wildlife. Daily neighborhood traffic will increase from 10 vehicles to over 164 vehicles per day. 65+ attendees, the majority driving in daily from out of town; and 14-17 employees, equals 82 morning and 82 evening vehicles. Over 164 vehicles per day. So much for our quiet, neighborhood – from 10 to 164 vehicles per day. 

For those of you who love Nederland’s charm, my neighborhood may be one of the most photographed areas in town. Why? Because tourists and townspeople alike love horses and ponies, two live in Dyers Neighborhood.  People are delighted to interact with them. Parents taking photographs, kids curious about the pony, and passers-by from Caribou to Kansas stopping by say “Hi” to my horses. This proposed mega-project is antithetical to horses, wildlife, and a slap in the face, to us, the majority of residents.

Regional child care question has come up in other mountain towns, and Towns are turning to a special tax district to fund these efforts, as we have for RTD and the library. Are you looking forward to more city taxes, higher utility bills?

In response to Tom Mahowald’s letter last week, it’s easy to see he IS busy. Tom works for a multi-national banking and investment firm; and you may see his partners and him touring town considering “investment.” Keep in mind, an element investors look for in a Town is childcare. Their trademark moniker for accelerating growth in a town is to “outwit complexity,” or once a mega building goes in for a worthy cause, no matter how Ill-suited the location, then fill between the big buildings with similar scale. Completely opposite of Town’s Envision vision. Tom makes vague allegations against the neighbors, and I don’t know why he implies “others” are “stealing” his signs. But, this type of innuendo and bullying has been the face of this project since day one. Land stolen from residents, forever transformed to a looming building next to the creek, NOT open to the public.

Trustees rushed this, beginning in earnest while you were on holiday Dec. 20, 2023. Then, voted to approve Teens Inc proposal, a plan of indeterminate size, with ground floor estimates as high as a 7,000 sq ft. Town Govt process was flawed, with the slam dunk accurately described by a Trustee, “We’re passing this even if we have to lock ourselves into a room.” Another Trustee asked, “Can’t the referendum petition simply be discarded?” – throwing away your right to a Vote, your NO Vote.

Vote NO if you agree Trustees ignored tax paying residents’ concerns. Vote NO, demand Teens Inc find their own funded solution. Vote NO on a second publicly-owned taxpayers land gift to Teens, Inc. Vote NO! Bring this discussion back to the BoT, back to the People!

Mary Jarril
Nederland

[Editor's NOTE. There are letters this week that are not in print because they did not make the letter deadline, and the paper is full. These letters are unedited, printed as sent.]