What if Nederland events went away?

The Nederland area is known for its events. Ranging from Frozen Dead

Guy Days and famous fireworks displays to the High Peaks Art Festival

and the Enchanted Forest, these events attract visitors to the area

from all over the Front Range and beyond. Former residents, tourists

and interested folks plan a year ahead to come from all over the world

to attend these attractions. Many of these events have received

support from the Town of Nederland through Boulder County Economic

Development grants in the past. This year the town has decided not to

participate in any events and has disappointed hundreds, if not

thousands of people that plan their vacations to be here, in our

little town.

Last week, a Board-directed proposal was presented and accepted by the

Nederland Board of Trustees that eliminates the funding of these

events and replaces it with a Winter Economic Boost program called

NEDWEB. The program is designed to boost revenue for businesses during

the slow time of the year. This program would directly support my

business financially and I do NOT support the program.

According to a proposal presented to the Board at its Oct. 2 meeting

by Town Clerk Teresa Myers, Nederland’s Economic Development Grant has

been $6,000 for the last several years and is projected to be $6,000

again next year. Meyers proposed taking $1,000 of that toward

administrative costs of the NEDWEB program and $5,000 toward actual

program implementation.

Under this proposal, during the months of January through May, a

limited number of residents that present to the Clerk’s office $100 in

receipts from Nederland businesses or service providers on the

Nederland “Good Neighbor Business” list would each receive a $15

voucher good as cash at any Nederland “Good Neighbor Business.” The

business could redeem the voucher for its full $15 value, plus an

extra $1 handling fee at Town Hall. Myers said this project in

conjunction with the Nederland Chamber of Commerce would encourage

residents to shop local twice.

While this plan has some interesting ideas, it would not generate any

revenue for the Town, instead the Town would lose the income from the

many events supported by the grant funds. If these events no longer

continue, Nederland businesses would lose revenue from the many

tourists and visitors. The events impacted by loss of funds include

Wild Bear Enchanted Forest, High Peaks Art Festival, Miners' and Old

Timers' Day Festivals (since 1952), NederNederland 5K&10K, Nederland

Fireworks and Parade, Nederland Community Champions Awards and Taste

of the Peaks Competition, Frozen Dead Guy Days and the Holiday

Mountain Market.

For the High Peaks Art Festival, the Town received a $200 event

permit, a $75 noise variance permit and $382.50 for Public Works for

cleaning the Visitors’ Center parking lot. Sales tax that the Town

received from High Peaks Art Festival artists totals $1,382. Local

restaurants had booths and they paid sales tax too.

For Miners' and Old Timers' Days festivals the town received $475 in

fees for event permits. Teens Inc. received $200.00 in rental fees,

LOCAL vendors displayed their wares and local restaurants contributed

food. Residents of town as well as competitors from other parts of

Colorado, Nevada, Idaho, Wyoming and New Mexico participated in these

events. Over $7000.00 was paid out to competitors. These out of town

folks stayed in local hotels, frequented local restaurants and

participated in late night music at area venues. This event costs over

$12,000.00 to run.

Community Champions spent over $1000.00 in the community to provide a

meal to 136 people. The event is a celebration of what a great place

Nederland is and why we choose to live here. The event costs over

$1300.00 to run.

Numbers are still coming in from other events, but given adequate time

to respond, I believe each event that received economic development

grant money would respond in kind with facts and figures of why these

events are so important to our community.

If each event raises almost $2,000 for the Town, that soon makes up

for the $6,000 spent. That does not count money made by all of the

businesses in the area. What revenue will NEDWEB generate? Sales tax

from 66 residents? Does that outweigh the sales tax from the thousands

of visitors who flood businesses during these attractions?

This is not the kind of progress Nederland needs.