BERTHOUD, Colo. — Berthoud is changing rapidly. Once a town of roughly 5,500 people, it now has approximately 15,000 residents. People who call this town home have a lot to say about what that means for their community.
Denver7 went to the town and spoke with community members.
Mayor Bill Karspeck has watched the transformation up close. He grew up in Berthoud when everything was within walking or biking distance.
"I technically was born in Loveland, but I moved here when I was 1 year old. ... It's a fantastic place to grow up; everything was walkable," Karspeck said.
That small-town atmosphere was his childhood.
"We just saw kids with fishing poles on their backs biking... Here, that's common, so you just ride around," Karspeck said.
Even as the town grows, Karspeck said some of that close-knit culture remains.
"Be careful how you treat people, because down the road you're gonna see him at Hayes, or you're gonna see him at the high school," Karspeck said. "We were 5,500 people, and we've been around 5,500 since I was born."
"Now, we're roughly 15,000 so we've just about tripled in size," he continued.
His goal now is managing that growth without losing what makes Berthoud unique.
"We have that community identity, and as we grow, we don't just want to look at ourselves as someone else's suburb," Karspeck said.
At Fickel Park, where a historic arch from Berthoud's 1900 school still stands, families gather every day. The school is long gone, but the arch remains a landmark in the heart of town.
Brittany Baron, a mother of four and business owner who has lived in Berthoud for six years, said the growth is happening.
"Yeah, I think it's no secret that Berthoud is growing, right? We can see it, and all the developments popping up, and all of the squeeze in classrooms and schools," Baron said.
Still, she said the community's close-knit culture remains.
"Connection and the deep community ties. It is unlike anywhere else I've ever traveled, anywhere else I've ever lived," Baron said.
Richard Flynn, another Berthoud parent, shares concerns about the direction of development.
"We don't want to bring in a bunch of commercial industrialized facilities and stuff like that to the community," Flynn said.
A limited water supply is also on his mind.
"You have a lot of people that are worried about data centers and stuff like that that are potentially going to, you know, put a strain on our water," Flynn said.
Longtime resident Aaron Perry echoed those concerns, but said he has confidence in local officials.
"Even though we are growing commercially like we should... I really love the aspect of how our town board, especially, is working to make sure that the commercial stays away," Perry said.
Local realtor Christin Torres, who also lives in Berthoud, offered a measured take on the town's expansion.
"The growth has been mindful. I know it's uncomfortable; anything in life, growth is uncomfortable, right? But the trustees and our town admin really try to make it where it could be a place that is a positive growth," Torres said.
Denver7 also talked to Berthoud's longtime farmer, Bill Markham. He's the owner of M&M Farms.
His family has farmed the land for five generations.
"I was born a half mile over there, and this is as far as I moved in my life," Markham said.
For 62 years, M&M Farms has grown barley for Coors. But Markham said keeping that legacy alive is getting harder.
"Got to stop this growth. They're building houses everywhere, apartments, condos, all this stuff, but they don't have the water, and they're taking up all the good agricultural ground. It's a shame to see some of the best farms in the country being turned into houses," Markham said.
This year, drought conditions have compounded the pressure. Markham, who is 77, said he has never seen it this dry.
"This is the driest year I have ever seen in history. I'm 77 years old. I've been around for a long time, but never in my life have I ever seen it this dry," Markham said.
The drought has forced him to cut back production for Coors.
"I raise for Coors every year, and we had to cut way back because we don't have the barley. So, yes, we had to tell Coors down at Golden that our production will probably be 50% less than normal," Markham said.
If you live in Berthoud or other small towns and want to share your story or concern, email Peter Choi at peter.choi@denver7.com
