Berthoud’s Board of Trustees held their usual gathering on Tuesday. Their points of discussion included a pollination garden, a discussion with Larimer County’s health department on the topic of mosquitos and updates on multiple road development projects.

The trustees kicked off the meeting with the proposal of a pollination garden that would be placed off NE 2nd Street. This garden would be used to promote the pollination of flowers and non-invasive bees in the community. Included in the proposal was a plaque that would inform the people of Berthoud about the importance of bees and their role in pollination.

Trustees were hesitant to fund the proposal in its entirety as it would set a precedent for similar propositions. The decision was that there will be a special meeting held where trustees will discuss the potential funding of the garden and will further discuss how to approach similar proposals – specifically with funding.

Dr. Tom Gonzales and Dr. Jared Olsen from the Larimer County Department of Health and Environment approached the podium to present information regarding the increased Vector Index of mosquitos carrying the West Nile virus. The Vector Index – the examination of mosquitos in an area that carries the West Nile virus – has exceeded the 0.5 limit that Larimer County considers concerning to public health.

The use of pesticides is the typical way of ridding areas of mosquitos. A hotspot where mosquitos are prevalent, especially those carrying viruses are sprayed with the pesticide. The trustees are to decide on whether to use pesticides or not.

Olsen expressed personal concern with the potential inaction of trustees leading to a potential public health crisis. Former trustee Jeff Hindman countered this concern with his own – the use of pesticides could kill insects important to Berthoud’s ecosystem, not simply the mosquitos carrying the West Nile virus.

Trustee Mary Soricelli spoke about her own experience with the West Nile virus when she was 16 years old.

“I thought I was dying. I mean it was brutal. So, I remember that, and I survived that, and you know, I’m fine now. But it definitely makes me think of others and what they would go through if they contracted the virus and so if (the Vector Index) is going up, I think of ‘What can we do,” Soricelli said.

Soricelli went on to mention the concern with using chemicals to combat the troublesome mosquitos which became a shared sentiment with all the trustees. Trustees Jeff Butler, Karl Ayers and Sean Murphey all felt that more information on the pesticide and Vector Index were needed to make a final decision.

Trustee Tim Hardy presented a motion to have a public meeting if the Vector Index exceeded 0.75 after two consecutive weeks of testing mosquitos in which a decision would be made to either spray pesticide or not. This temporary motion was passed with only Murphey and Soricelli voting against it, resulting in a 4-2 vote. This motion replaces the 2017 policy of pesticide spraying.

Updates on the 1st Street corridor plan, the Lovejoy District plan, and the I-25 roundabout designs were presented to the trustees.

The 1st Street corridor intends to focus on human-scale design and seeks to incorporate “New Urbanism” planning and design principles like walkable blocks and streets, housing and shopping in proximity, and accessible public spaces. Different housing types will coincide on the same block and could see commercial buildings in the area as well.

These homes will potentially include townhomes and multi-family homes as well as affordable housing. There are no intended single-family detached homes. Most of the housing types will be two to three stories tall.

The 3rd Street plan – included in the Lovejoy District plan – specifically, the 500 Block includes a narrower street with wider sidewalks, reverse diagonal parking on the west side, parallel parking on the east side, a vertical curb on the west side and a flush curb on the east side. The 600 Block plan seeks a conversion to a one-way northbound, parallel parking on the east side, and proposed public parking on the east side of the buildings.

The 300 Block of Massachusetts Avenue will include similar renovations including wider sidewalks, diagonal parking on the north side, parallel parking on the south side, and vertical curbs on both sides. Alleys will receive special paving and added greenery.

The budget for phase one of the Lovejoy District project is $4.5 million, according to the presentation.

Roundabouts on the I-25/Highway 56 gateway are planned to gain sculptures and landscape enhancements.