NEDERLAND — The Town of Nederland presented an update on the Big Springs Egress project to the Board of Trustees (BOT) on Tuesday, June 2, 2026. This was not an announcement of progress, but of an extension of the Town’s services agreement with engineering firm JVA, Inc. 

After having received an extension for funding of the much needed emergency egress project through August of 2026, Nederland must amend their agreement with JVA to extend services through December 31, 2026. 

The agreement for engineering services was originally initiated on July 31, 2023, though JVA have been the principal engineering consultants on the egress project since 2016. The agreement was first amended in 2025 to extend it through December 31, 2025. 

According to the Agenda Information Memorandum prepared by Town Manager Jonathan Cain, the State requested documentation this April pertaining to JVA’s expenses due to invoices having been submitted for services rendered in January and February of this year. 

The second amendment includes the extension, as well as JVA’s 2026 hourly billing rate increase of $308, which the Town was already paying. Approval of the amendment is necessary in order for the Town to be compliant with the State’s request and to “support FEMA grant documentation and reimbursement for 2026 project expenses.”

With little discussion, no clarifying questions, and no public comment, the BOT quickly moved to unanimous approval of Resolution 2026-18, approving the second amendment to the Town’s services agreement with JVA for engineering services on the Big Springs Egress project. 

Proposed bike trail

The BOT also heard from Cain regarding a proposal for a Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Advisory Board (PROSAB) project to construct a beginner’s mountain bike trail at the Nederland Ice and Racquet Park (NedRINK). 

According to Town staff, the trail would provide “a safe, low-consequence place for new riders, especially children, to learn basic mountain biking skills.” It would include “a climbing grade, a progressive trail loop, a jump line, flow elements, and rock gardens,” and could provide “a place for children and other new riders to learn balance, braking, cornering, climbing, descending, and trail etiquette.”

Though Trustees had no formal plan before them, the discussion was meant as more of a preliminary measure to determine whether the Board supported PROSAB developing a plan, which they hope to execute before the end of the summer. 

The plan would include the proposed location of the beginners’ trail, the general scope of the overall project, the basic design concept, the proposed public engagement process, definitions of the volunteer and staff roles, risk and safety reviews, maintenance expectations, budget considerations, and projected timeline. 

Developing a plan does not involve any direct financial commitments from the Town, but will require some amount of staff time. However, if the plan reveals the need to incur costs, the Board will have to evaluate that cost before taking a final vote. The Town specified those costs as being for “materials, tools, signage, professional review, insurance requirements, volunteer coordination, or maintenance.”   

As the project is a volunteer-led endeavor in regard to labor, it is also being highlighted as a potential pilot project that can serve as an example for future community collaborations.

“There’s a huge value in demonstrating that we can achieve something like this with volunteer manpower and organization without putting a lot of burden on the Town,” Mayor Pro Tem Luke Miller said. “And if we can do this and demonstrate that it’s a functional way to move forward, it opens us up for more interesting projects.”

Cain added that the project was not a part of their strategic planning and was not budgeted for 2026. However, it was also specified that the trail would connect with the Rink Link trail, which connects NedRINK to Nederland Elementary School.

Mayor Pro Tem Miller noted that local youth mountain biking organizations—Singletrack Mountain Bike Adventures and the Ned SHRED program—often launch from the school when teaching beginners, and that the new trails will create an integrated system that offers skill progression.  

Trustees were overall in favor of the proposed project and supported PROSAB and Town staff pursuing the NedRINK  beginners’ mountain biking trail project and developing a plan to bring before the Board for discussion in the near future. 

The Nederland Board of Trustees meets on the first and third Tuesday of every month. The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, June 16, 2026, at 7 p.m. and can be attended either online or in person at the Nederland Community Center. 

For more information go to: townofnederland.colorado.gov/board-of-trustees.