Past Issues

Preserving the Sadar property as open space augments the Longmont-Hygiene buffer and was supported by the City of Longmont. It is the location of the only remaining dairy farm in Boulder County, and the Sadar family will continue to operate the farm, leasing the land from the county, for at least 10 years.

Acquisition of the Macy property preserves one mile of open corridor along the west side of Highway 287, greatly enhancing the open expanse of scenic agricultural lands in this area. The Macy property is prime irrigated agricultural land, and the family will lease the property back from the county to continue the agricultural use of the land.

Boulder County has accepted a donation of 80 acres of land near Kossler Lake from the Bureau of Land Management. The parcel will be preserved as open space and will be added to the county's adjacent Walker Ranch Open Space, which is located about 4 miles west of Boulder.

Situated at the top of Hawkin Gulch, the site is forested with mature stands of Douglas fir and Ponderosa pine. It is the only known location in Boulder County for a siting of Pileated Woodpeckers.

The Parks and Open Space Department relocated a historic barn March 5 from land in west Longmont to an open space property northwest of the city. The 40-foot-tall Dickens/Stroh barn was moved from land owned by the Federal Aviation Administration at 2045 17th Ave. to the Lohr Open Space on the Ute Highway near McIntosh Lake.

The relocation was made to preserve the barn as an historically unique structure in Boulder County. Its hand-crafted, post-and-beam construction includes structural joints that are secured with wooden pegs, making it architecturally unusual for this part of the United States. The barn was built in 1900 by the Dickens family, who farmed the land until selling it to another farm family, the Strohs, in 1928. The FAA purchased the property, including the barn, in 1992.

The Dickens/Stroh barn has been identified as a historic landmark by the City of Longmont Landmark Designation Commission and the Boulder County Historic Preservation Advisory Board. In May 1994, the Colorado Historical Society determined that the barn was eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.

The Colorado Historical Society has awarded a $34,825 grant to Boulder County to help pay for the restoration of the Lion's Club Fountain on the Pearl Street courthouse plaza. The grant will come from the State Historical Fund, and the county's Capital Expenditure Fund will cover costs not funded by the grant. Total costs are not yet known.

The fountain will be disassembled during the restoration, which will be complete this summer. The finish of the terra cotta (clay) masonry blocks will be repaired, and some blocks will be replaced where necessary. A new electrical system will be added in the basin of the fountain to restore lighting, and new plumbing will be installed to replace the deteriorated system .

"The fountain is not going to look brand new," said County Architect Wayne Kuhn. "That's not the purpose of the restoration. We'll respect the original finishes and replace what can't be restored."

The plaza fountain was built in 1935 with funding from the Lions Club. It was designed by Glen Huntington, the architect who designed the county courthouse, and the fountain's art deco style was intended to be similar to the courthouse, which was built in 1933. The fountain stopped operating in 1977 and was used for a time as a flower planter. During the 1980s, several attempts at repairs had only limited success, and the fountain has operated intermittently ever since.

In applying for the state grant, the county cited the courthouse plaza's historic use as a public gathering space for the community, as well as citizen support for restoring the fountain. Technical staff from the Colorado Historic Society were consulted in planning the restoration project to ensure that the finished fountain will be as close as possible to the original design, including water spray patterns and lighting. For more information, contact County Architect Wayne Kuhn, 441-3187.

The Boulder County Commissioners have appointed Diane Knudsen to the new position of county volunteer coordinator. She will begin work April 7 in the Community Services Department.

Knudsen co-founded and administered the volunteer program in the County's Social Services Department for 10 years, ending in 1986. She then moved from Boulder County and for five years worked with the Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services in Mankato, Minn., and the American Cancer Society in Chambersburg, Penn. Both positions involved work with volunteers. Returning to Boulder in 1993, Knudsen has been employed as office manager for the Emergency Family Assistance Association since that time.

"Boulder County offers many kinds of volunteer opportunities, and we wanted to bring them together through a single resource to strengthen the overall program and develop some new ideas," Commissioner Ron Stewart said. "We had a number of highly qualified applicants, and we're very pleased that Diane Knudsen has accepted the position."

In this new position, Knudsen will develop a wide range of volunteer opportunities including intergenerational programs for older adults and youth, short-term positions for youth groups, clubs and university students, positions for retirees and opportunities for people between jobs to allow them to stay involved and profit from their multiple skills and interests. She will work with County offices and departments to design volunteer programs throughout the County. For more information, contact Barbara Gigone, Community Services Director, 441-3560.