NEDERLAND — Nederland’s never-ending conflict of high demand versus limited space has been heightened due to recent events, causing some long-term problems to be re-examined.

One of them is the issue of the Nederland Community Center’s West Wing, which was labeled uninhabitable by the Nederland Fire Protection District (NFPD) nearly 20 years ago. 

The loss of the town’s beloved shopping center in the Lakeview Fire six months ago left local officials looking at every possible location for both reinvigorating commerce after the loss of the 20-plus businesses, and continuing to fulfill contract obligations with the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO). 

This need brought eyes back to the Community Center’s West Wing, which has been in violation of fire and life safety code since the remodel was completed in 2007. At that time the wing’s fire and sprinkler systems were not updated to connect to the entire facility. 

Fire Marshal Andrew Joslin wrote in a letter to Nederland’s Town Administrator in 2024 that, despite the code violations, tenants—mostly non-profit organizations including Peak Abundance, TEENS, Inc., Mountain Forum for Peace, and Nederland Community Library Foundation—were endangering their lives by continuing to use the West Wing for storage purposes.

Everything must go, including the wall fixtures and electrical infrastructure throughout the West Wing.

Photo by Christopher Kelley

“Should a fire occur, they would have no means of knowing they should evacuate,” Joslin wrote. “And should they need to evacuate, the northern exits do not egress.”

This letter was released again by Joslin during the NFPD’s meeting on December 10, 2025, which reignited the discussion about the West Wing. Deliberation on the issue became more prominent during the Board of Trustees’ meetings regarding the 2026 Town Budget. 

Trustees discussed the issue at length on January 20, 2026, at which time it was detailed how Town staff had already begun coordinating with the NFPD on a cleanup checklist and schedule. Dumpsters were also already ordered, as the Town was hoping at that time to complete the cleanup process quickly. 

Town Manager Jonathan Cain also expressed to Trustees that any work on the West Wing will require some remediation and will be treated as though asbestos had been used in its construction. He specified that asbestos could potentially be found surrounding the old heating ducts, and that the method of “encapsulation” may be used as opposed to a full asbestos removal process, due to the high cost. 

Trustees did decide, however, to pursue renovation of the West Wing rather than completely demolish and rebuild it, primarily because of the Town’s contractual obligation to provide BCSO with a substation.

Further, an Energy and Mineral Impact Assistance grant from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) could award up to $1 million in funding for the project. 

The application window for the DOLA grant ended on February 13, though the Town is currently awaiting the next application window as well as researching other potential grant opportunities to fund the renovations.  

In the meantime, the cleanup process has been underway, overseen by Community Center Director Dawn Baumhover and Community Planner Britt DeMinck, with help from all of Nederland’s Town Works departments.

Cain, Joslin, and Town staff have reported frequently about the project since February, starting with the arrival of a 30-yard dumpster for the removal of all combustible materials as defined by the International Fire Code. Slowly but surely the West Wing has been emptied, with many items moved to new locations, stored in containers on the Center’s upper parking lot, or given away to the community.  

The 30-yard dumpster was replaced in March by a 20-yard one, which will be removed at the end of April but not replaced, since the cleanup process is nearing completion—and locals have been using it to dump their own personal trash. 

Those tenants who have been cleaning out their spaces report almost unanimously that Town staff have been incredibly gracious and accommodating in regard to the cleanup process, as no official timeline was strictly enforced. 

In addition to singing Town staff’s praises, Nederland Community Library Director Elektra Greer mentioned that what began as an inconvenience for her organization became a rather fortuitous experience, as their Foundation had to relocate their massive inventory of fundraising book sale items to the space below the Mountain People’s Co-Op on East 1st Street. 

“The move ended up being catalyst for what was ultimately a positive change,” Greer said. “I think our community will be very happy with how our foundation will be able to operate and continue to serve them.” 

As for the next steps, once the cleanup of the West Wing is complete, Cain and the Board of Trustees must determine a financial avenue to fund the installation of a new and updated fire alarm and sprinkler system.

Cain specified in a March report to Trustees that the matter of the installation costs, as they are not covered in the 2026 Town Budget, will require a supplemental budget. This will soon become the Board’s next big item on their agenda. 

Following the update to the wing’s fire alarm and sprinkler system, there remains the issue of designing and funding a complete remodel of the West Wing. Though another funding source has yet to be announced, ideas as to which businesses and services could exist in the newly remodeled space are already circulating.

Apart from the obligated BCSO substation, Town staff has floated several ideas for possible future inhabitants of the West Wing, including a new laundromat, a dedicated boardroom for government meetings, a permanent space for Tadasana Mountain Yoga, and senior housing.