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WEEKLY BRIEFS - City of Arvada internal news Nov. 13, 2023 New City Mayor and Councilmembers sworn in Newly-elected Mayor Lauren Simpson, Mayor-Pro Tem Randy Moorman and councilmembers Sharon Davis (At-Large), Shawna Ambrose (District 2) and Bob Fifer (District 4) were sworn into office on Monday, Nov. 13 in Council Chambers. Outgoing Mayor Marc Williams and Councilmember David Jones were thanked for their service. If you missed the ceremony, you may view it on Youtube. Veterans Day Appreciation Event On Friday, Nov. 10 at 7:30 a.m, the Employee Committee hosted a Veterans Day Appreciation Event at City Hall. The event began with the raising of the American flag by the Arvada Police Honor Guard and was followed by the Pledge of Allegiance led by Mayor Marc Williams and members of City Council. A big thank you to the Arvada Chorale for volunteering their time and filling the cold morning air with beautiful music. All veterans in attendance were recognized and honored. The City of Arvada would like to offer a heartfelt thank you to all who have served and continue to do so in such selfless ways. We are eternally grateful. We also invite you to watch this video made by the Arvada Media Services team in honor of our veterans. Email your news to ---PAGE BREAK--- Nominate the Team of the Year and Employee of the Quarter (Q4) by Friday, Nov. 17 Help the City organization celebrate the hard work and contributions of your colleagues! Submit your nominations for the Team of the Year and Employee of the Quarter for Q4 on Inside Arvada. The Employee Committee will vote on the nominations received and select a winner for each of the three City values of Innovation, Opportunity, and Passion. Each winner will receive a $50 gift card of their choice and a day off! Winners will be recognized in the Weekly Briefs and during the Everyone meetings. At the end of the 4th Quarter, the Employee Committee will take all twelve winners of Employee of the Quarter and vote for an Employee of the Year for each value. These three employees will receive an additional $100 and day off! The Employee Committee will also vote on a winning team, which is defined as two or more people who came together to achieve a goal or complete a project that had a positive impact on our organization and/or community. The winning team will receive $500 and each person on the team will receive a day off. The team will be recognized in the Weekly Briefs and in the Arvada Report. Please email Housing Specialist Johnny Yang at [EMAIL REDACTED] with any questions. City of Arvada Workplace Giving Campaign Giving at work is easy, especially when you spread out your giving through a number of pay periods. We invite you to find the nonprofits and causes you care about most and donate directly through your paycheck! Everyone is welcome to participate in the City of Arvada Workplace Giving Campaign. Every dollar makes a difference! Sign up to contribute by Friday, Dec. 15, 2023 and your selected nonprofit(s) will receive your gift throughout 2024. Join with your coworkers to make a lasting impact! Did you know that City of Arvada Employees contribute over $10,000 each year to support nonprofits? That’s less than $5 per paycheck. Let’s work together to make this amount even higher next year! Email your news to ---PAGE BREAK--- Giving to Community Table In the spirit of gratitude and thankfulness, the Employee Committee/Outreach Committee will be making a $500 donation to Community Table on behalf of the City of Arvada Employees. If you are interested in supporting this organization further, visit the Community Table website. Your gift of money, food or time can give hope and make a difference in the lives of hungry and struggling families. Please contact Jennifer Kemps on the Employee Committee Outreach Team at [EMAIL REDACTED] or x6754 with any questions. Attend the Annual Mayors Roundtable on Nov. 17 The Annual Mayors Roundtable will take place on Friday, Nov. 17 at Revive Church in Arvada (8270 W. 80th Ave.). Join the event in-person to hear updates from the newly-elected mayors of Arvada and Lakewood, plus the mayors from Golden, Westminster, and Wheat Ridge. You can network with attendees over coffee and then learn about regional business challenges, upcoming municipal projects, and opportunities for our communities to collaborate. ● 7:30 - 7:45 a.m. I Networking Light breakfast and coffee available ● 7:45 - 9:00 a.m.I Program A “Community Impact Forum” ticket is $20. Senior tickets are $15. If you would like to attend, you can register on the Arvada Chamber of Commerce’s website. Organizational Service Effectiveness Work System Employee Survey Every three years we’ve participated in the Top Workplace Survey, which is an internal employee engagement survey. The 2023 survey launched on Nov. 6 and closes on Nov. 20. We need (and want) everyone’s perspective! Check out this flyer to learn more about the survey. In 2021, our response rate was 86% which gives us reliable data regarding our employee perspectives in key areas: leadership, direction and workplace environment. For this survey, we are compared to similar size organizations and considered for a Top Workplace distinction. We have been recognized as a Top Workplace in 2021, 2018, 2015 and in 2012. Email your news to ---PAGE BREAK--- Our goal is to have 100% of employees participate! Please make time and complete the anonymous survey coming from Energage Survey ([EMAIL REDACTED]). It takes about 5 minutes to complete and will launch on mobile devices too. Share your photos in the City’s “Hidden Gems” photo contest After a wildly successful “Wild Arvada” community photo contest in 2023, the communication team is hosting a new one for 2024! We are looking for photos that reveal “hidden gems” in our community. "Hidden Gems" can mean different things to different people: a fishing spot under a bridge, a bench with a majestic view, a stained glass window in a church, a tree that has twisted with the elements over time. We invite you to share your hidden gems with us through our Hidden Gems photo contest! Snap a photo of your hidden gem and email to [EMAIL REDACTED] or upload to Speak Up Arvada. Selected photos will be featured on the City’s social media platforms and, potentially, a future cover of the Arvada Report. Visit ArvadaCO.gov/hidden-gems for photo submission guidelines and where to submit your photo. Submit your photos between Nov. 15 and Dec. 12. Fidelity phone appointments available on Nov. 21 and 22 Sam Casad from Fidelity will be holding 30 minute phone appointments this month on Tuesday, Nov. 21 and Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. Any participant from ANY of our City retirement plans can sign up for one of these appointments. All appointments are FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED. Please use the links below to access sign up sheets for these appointments. Each link has several 30 minute appointment times you can reserve. When signing up, please provide your name and a phone number for Sam to call you. On the sign up sheet, you will also see 5 additional alternate spots listed as well. These alternates will only be contacted if Sam has extra time during the day, or if he cannot reach someone who had signed up. He will call those people in the order they are signed up. Tuesday, November 21 Phone Appointments Wednesday, November 22 Phone Appointments If you are unable to get a phone appointment, you can also speak to a Fidelity rep by phone by calling customer service at 1-[PHONE REDACTED], or by accessing the numerous financial resources available by logging into your account through Fidelity NetBenefits. 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. Email your news to ---PAGE BREAK--- Here’s how to view City of Arvada job postings All City of Arvada job opportunities are posted on our job link. 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 Customer Service Foundations Nov. 30 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Register on Inside Arvada In person, Whisper Creek Community Room Employment Matters Leadership Influence Strategies Dec. 5 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Register on Inside Arvada Virtual Employment Matters Conflict Management Dec. 13 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Register on Inside Arvada Virtual Employment Matters Project Management Training Jan. 25 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Register on Inside Arvada Virtual City of Arvada Internal Project Management Team Employee Committee Corner Winter Snow Grab & Go Breakfast Plan to stop by City Hall on Tuesday, Dec. 12 for the last Employee Committee event of the year! All City of Arvada employees are invited to the City Hall Atrium for a hot grab & go breakfast. The event will be catered by Serendipity Catering from 7 to 9 a.m. We look forward to seeing you there. There will be vegan and gluten free options available. Please plan to pick up breakfast and head out for your day. There will be a couple of standing tables, but there will not be enough seating for everyone. Please contact your Employee Committee at [EMAIL REDACTED] if you have questions. Email your news to ---PAGE BREAK--- 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: ● Find My Rep! ● 2023 Events Schedule* *Please note: this is a working document and all events are subject to change. ● Meeting Minutes - October Please contact your Employee Committee at [EMAIL REDACTED] if you have questions. Infrastructure Little Dry Creek Trail Improvements Survey The Mobility Planning and Innovation team is evaluating trail connectivity and grade separation (moving the trail above or below the roadway) where Little Dry Creek Trail meets the road near 80th and Wadsworth Blvd. The study is looking at several design options for connecting the gap in the trail. The project team is asking for community feedback on the design options and users experiences with the trail. 👉Learn more and give us your feedback on the SpeakUp project page. Last days of free leaf recycling drop-off Leaf recycling drop-off is available for free to all Arvada residents as a part of the minimum services of the waste hauling program during the following dates and times: ● Dates: Mon.- Sat. through Nov. 18 ● Time: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. ● Location: Stenger Sports Complex (11200 W 58th Ave) is the ONLY location this year. The entrance is off of Oak Street. Visit the Leaf Recycling webpage for more details, including a map of the drop-off location. Thank you to the many team members who support making these events successful! Email your news to ---PAGE BREAK--- It’s a Wrap on DRCOG's Go-Tober challenge! Throughout the month of October, City of Arvada employees were invited to track eco-friendly trips on MyWayToGo.org to decrease single-occupancy-vehicle (SOV) trips and win some cool prizes along the way. Overall, the City had 22 new participants sign up for accounts and participate in the challenge! While we didn’t take any first place prizes, we are excited to see our organization embracing new and sustainable commuter options. Check out the graphics below to see the impact made by all participants across the region. Regional GoTober Stats HR, Housing moving, and remodeling Facilities will be completing two more remodel projects here at City Hall and the Annex. Human Resources and Housing will be switching places, undergoing construction and purchasing new furniture! Once complete, HR will be located in the Annex on the 1st floor on the north side of the building. Housing will be located in City Hall on the 2nd floor by the Courts area. These projects overlap and are expected to take about 5 months to complete. We are expecting to begin the City Hall construction in December and then move on to the Annex construction and plan to be finished with both projects in May. HR will have temporary locations during construction. They will have three workstations on the 2nd floor of City Hall in Public Works. Housing will remain in-person in the Annex during construction of their new location. During this project, please reach out to HR personnel via phone or email. Meetings with Human Resources will be by appointment only. If you have a general question or need help being directed to the correct person, you can contact HR at [PHONE REDACTED] or [EMAIL REDACTED]. If you know who you need to meet with, contact them directly and coordinate with them on where to meet. We will be sending out updates and communications as we proceed, including any impacts to other workgroups as they arise. If you have any questions during these remodels, please reach out to Katie Will. Thank you in advance for your flexibility and patience! Email your news to ---PAGE BREAK--- Community and Economic Development Housing Division seeks survey responses The Housing Division is still seeking responses to the housing survey in order to collect information about Arvada’s housing market, including the current housing needs of workers, commuters, and Arvada residents. The information obtained from survey results will help the City create programs to better address housing needs in Arvada as well as help inform housing planning in the future. Housing is seeking survey responses from Arvada residents, commuters, employers and their employees. Those who participate in the survey will be entered to win $100! The implementation of this survey comes at the direction of the newly formed Arvada Housing Advisory Committee. The Arvada City Council charged this new committee with developing a housing plan for the City, which will be created and presented to City Council over the coming months. The survey will be open through Nov. 24. Take the survey today! Safe Community Arvada-Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth Members of Arvada PD attended and sponsored a table at the Arvada-Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth (AWRSAY) Get it Done breakfast. We congratulate this year's scholarship recipients, Awoyn Sieler and Angel Rodriguez (pictured with three of our School Resource Officers). Their stories of overcoming adversity are amazing, and we wish them luck in their college future. Learn more about AWRSAY and how the organization takes an active role in the future of our young community members. Vibrant Community & Neighborhoods Work System West Woods Golf Course sees record number of rounds For the second year in a row, West Woods Golf Club saw a record number of rounds played at the 27-hole City-owned course in West Arvada. The West Woods staff recently surpassed 75,000 rounds in 2024, breaking last year’s previous record of 68,703. Congrats to the entire West Woods staff! It’s not too late to enjoy some fall golf and/or food and beverage. Visit the West Woods website to book a tee time or check out the restaurant’s daily and seasonal specials! Email your news to ---PAGE BREAK--- Upcoming Closures at the Majestic View Nature Center The Nature Center will be closed Nov. 23-24 for the Thanksgiving Holiday. The park and trails will remain open during this time. If you’re looking for something to do with your family and friends, try our Winter Wonderland Park Bingo. The Arvada Center for the Performing Arts Discount ticket opportunity for City team members Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella Performance dates: Nov. 24 - Dec. 31, 2023 Performance times: Tuesday - Saturday at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday at 1 p.m., Saturday - Sunday at 2 p.m. When a young woman is forced to be a servant by her evil stepmother, it takes knowing her self-worth, some wonderful friends, and a little magic to help her get out. Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella takes a whimsical turn in the Arvada Center's production this holiday season, creating a mysterious but playful world where magic is real and dreams come true. This stylish contemporary take of the fairy tale classic promises fantastical costumes, hilarious dialogue, romantic lyrics, and unforgettable music for a truly magical experience. Content: ages 4 - adult City of Arvada Employee Discount Tickets $15 Tickets, limit 4. Tier II and Tier III seating only. Purchase through the Box Office, or by calling [PHONE REDACTED]. You must state which city department you work for, and use promo code 11209. Email your news to