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WEEKLY BRIEFS - City of Arvada internal news Jan. 29, 2024 City of Arvada purchases building, future tenant Community Table The City of Arvada recently closed on the purchase of a 15,000+ square-foot building at 4600 W. 60th Ave. near Tennyson Avenue and the RTD Gold Strike Station. Community Table, the emergency food assistance provider serving the northern metro area, including Arvada, is intended to be the future tenant. The location of the new building close to transit lines makes it an ideal location for Community Table. While the purchase of this property is now final, there will be renovation work to complete prior to Community Table relocating and beginning to offer services at the new location. Renovations are anticipated to take approximately eight months to complete. The current Community Table building on W. 57th Ave. will be retained by the City of Arvada for future use by yet-to-be-determined City teams. Meet our City’s Housing Navigator, Alexa Ursetta “I Am Arvada” is a video series focusing on the City's mission, vision and values and how our work supports the community and City's priorities. Watch this video to meet Housing Navigator, Alexa Ursetta. Alexa joined the City team in October of 2022 and her primary responsibilities focus around helping individuals who qualify for rental assistance through the Housing Choice Voucher Program navigate getting into safe, affordable housing. Prior to joining the City of Arvada, Alexa worked for a nonprofit organization for roughly 11 years helping people with developmental disabilities access and navigate resources to help them live fuller lives. The City of Arvada is lucky to have someone as passionate as Alexa helping our community members achieve positive outcomes. Volunteer for Winterfest on Saturday, Feb. 24 Our City’s Festivals team would like to invite all City team members to volunteer at Arvada WinterFest on Saturday, Feb. 24 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m at McIlvoy Park in Olde Town Arvada. Volunteers play a crucial role in making this an unforgettable event for the community. WinterFest is less than a month away, so now is the perfect time to sign up! We are hoping to fill our largest remaining spots for Set-Up and Teardown! Volunteers are provided with snacks, lunch, drinks – and most importantly – lots of fun! If you have questions about the event, email Festivals Event Assistant Layla Diaz at [EMAIL REDACTED]. Email your news to ---PAGE BREAK--- Water Tower lit for Black History Month To honor Black History Month the Olde Town Water Tower will be illuminated on Friday, Feb. 2, 2024. We invite you to attend ‘A Chocolate Affair’ ‘A Chocolate Affair’ is a fundraiser to help stop child abuse in our community. All proceeds benefit Ralston House, a local nonprofit that provides a safe and healing place for over 1,000 children and families who have been victims of abuse. Join us next Saturday, Feb. 3 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Olde Town Arvada (5726 Olde Wadsworth Blvd.). Visit the Ralston House website to buy your pre-sale tickets now! Organization and Service Effectiveness Meet Elissa Willson, the newest employee of the City Attorney's Office The City Attorney's Office is incredibly happy to announce their newest team member, Elissa Willson. Here is a message from Elissa: I previously worked for five years in Public Works but I am excited for the new chapter with the City of Arvada in the City Attorney's office. I have lived in Arvada since 2012 with my husband and son. I was born and raised in southwest Colorado near Telluride and graduated from Fort Lewis College in Durango. I've worked in homeowner association management, land development and insurance over my career. I love the mountains, traveling with family & friends, baking & cooking and my dog, Max. I am famous for my award winning chili (green & red) and have been known to bake way too many cookies for the holidays! Email your news to ---PAGE BREAK--- ACTION REQUIRED on updates to Personnel Rules and Employee Policies by Feb. 2 In 2023, the City’s Human Resources team collaborated with the Legal team to make several significant updates to the City’s Personnel Rules, which are ordinances approved by City Council, and numerous Employee Policies, which are City Manager’s Office approved guidelines to help with the implementation process related to the Rules. On Jan. 3, 2024, the HR team emailed all employees the links to these updated rules and policies, as well as an electronic acknowledgement form that is required to be signed and submitted by every City employee. Please note that MuniCode and Intranet updates are currently in process, with expected completion in the near future. Please view the links below: ● View the updated Personnel Rules, as well as a copy of the red-lined version of the rules that shows all the updates. ● View the updated Employee Policies, as well as the red-lined version of the policies that shows all the updates. Every city employee is responsible for reading and understanding these policies, as well as for completing the EMPLOYEE ACKNOWLEDGMENT FORM. Once you click the SUBMIT button, the form will be sent electronically to both the HR team and your email. This acknowledgement form must be completed by Friday, February 2, 2024. If you have any questions about any of the updates or the acknowledgement process, please fill out this Google form. An HR team member will reach out to you to answer or clarify your question. Fidelity Update View this Fidelity flyer to check out two strategies for paying down debt. Do you have a question about your City of Arvada Retirement Plan (CARP) or your 457 Plan? Email [EMAIL REDACTED]! Your message will be directed to the CARP and 457 City representatives. Employee status changes We invite you to view this spreadsheet to see employee status changes. Employees may demonstrate interest in similar job opportunities in the future by contacting Human Resources at [EMAIL REDACTED] or [PHONE REDACTED], or your supervisor to obtain additional information. Here’s how to view City of Arvada job postings All City of Arvada job opportunities are posted on our job link. Email your news to ---PAGE BREAK--- Arvada University Update Register in advance on the Arvada University Learning Calendar. Contact Liza Nolder ([EMAIL REDACTED]) with questions. Session/topic Date Registration details Type of Training Host Managing Meetings Feb. 8 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Register on Inside Arvada Virtual Employment Matters Trakstar for Supervisors Feb. 13 from 1 to 2 p.m. Register on Inside Arvada In Person PD Training Room Jeff Monzingo and Scott Jarvis Leadership: The Human Side of Business Feb. 14 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Register on Inside Arvada Virtual Employment Matters Radical Collaboration Feb. 15 and 16 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Register on Inside Arvada In Person Whisper Creek Community Room Noelle Oberg CPR/First Aid/AED Feb. 21 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Register on Inside Arvada In Person West Woods Community Room UniFirst First Aid + Safety Emotional Intelligence (EQ) Self-Mastery Feb. 28 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Register on Inside Arvada Virtual Employment Matters Employee Committee Corner About the Employee Committee Employee Committee representatives meet in order to plan and coordinate events as well as collect departmental updates to bring back to their respective teams. Check out the links below to see who your representative is, view the upcoming list of potential City events and browse Employee Committee meeting minutes: ● 2024 Find My Rep! Email your news to ---PAGE BREAK--- ● 2024 Events Schedule* - More all-City event dates coming soon! *Please note: this is a working document and all events are subject to change. ● Meeting Minutes - January Please contact your Employee Committee at [EMAIL REDACTED] if you have questions. Vibrant Community & Neighborhoods Work System Bundle up for Winter Bike to Work Day next Friday! Winter Bike to Work Day is next Friday, Feb. 9. Take the “Pledge to Ride” at BikeToWorkDay.co and get automatically entered to win some awesome bike-related prizes! After work, reward yourself with a cold one at Odyssey Beerwerks’ Winter Bike to Work Day BOGO celebration! Fence replacement at Alice Sweet Thomas Park The Parks Department recently completed installing new fencing at the Alice Sweet Thomas Park tennis and basketball courts. The team replaced 500 feet of chain link fence this year after replacing 300 feet last year. With a recent court resurfacing (winter of 2022), the park has never looked so sweet! Great job Parks! New nature bingo scavenger hunt available Winter is halfway over and we have a new seasonal Nature Bingo Scavenger Hunt at the Nature Center! Explore the park and see if you can find some of Colorado’s animals who hibernate. Get in on the fun and bring in your completed bingo sheet to collect a prize. It’s fun for all ages! Download your bingo sheet or stop by the Nature Center to grab a copy. Email your news to ---PAGE BREAK--- Arvada Center Discount Tickets Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 City of Arvada Employee discount tickets: ON SALE 1/16/2024 Feb. 16 - March 31, 2024 Wednesday - Saturday at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday at 1 p.m., Saturday - Sunday at 2 p.m. Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 is a sung-through musical adaptation of a 70-page segment from Leo Tolstoy's 1869 novel War and Peace by Dave Mallow. The music merges Russian folk and classical with indie rock and EDM; creator Dave Mallow calls it an "electropop opera." It's a sung-through musical, with just one line of spoken dialogue coming in Pierre and Natasha's only scene together. On stage, nearly all of the actors play musical instruments. It is based on Part 8 of Tolstoy's novel, focusing on Natasha's romance with Anatole and Pierre's search for meaning in his life. Content: ages 6 - adult City of Arvada Employee Discount Tickets $10 Tickets, limit 4. Valid for traditional reserved seating only. Not valid for table, booth, or bar seating. Purchase through the Box Office or by calling [PHONE REDACTED]. Tickets are NOT AVAILABLE ONLINE and you must state which City department you work for and use promo code 11209. Learn more about the show on the Arvada Center’s website. Email your news to