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WEEKLY BRIEFS City of Arvada internal news September 18, 2023 Curious about how recycling works in Arvada? Watch this video to learn more! The City of Arvada partners with Republic Services to offer trash and recycling services. City staff recently had the opportunity to tour Republic’s recycling facility to learn more about the single-stream sorting process. Watch this video to learn more about how you can reduce contamination by knowing which items can be recycled and which items to avoid. You can also visit the City website for more information about our Trash and Recycling services. Annual Bicycle Recycle Event nets 175 bikes In a partnership between the City's Neighbors Connected Snow Buddy volunteers, the Streets Maintenance team, and the Arvada/Golden Optimists, the annual Bicycle Recycle Event collected 175 bikes last Saturday! After being refurbished by the Optimists, the bicycles will be sent to schools' homeless programs and to “bikes for humanity,” which sends bikes to Africa. Special thanks to Neighborhood Engagement Coordinator Brady Porterfield-Finn for organizing the Snow Buddy volunteers and to Robin Hill in Streets Maintenance for coordinating the building and parking lot use and providing chairs and safety cones to volunteers! Email your news to ---PAGE BREAK--- Organizational Service Effectiveness Work System Get your flu shot! Why you should get a flu shot: 1. Protection for yourself. 2. Protection for newborns and infants who are too young to get vaccinated. 3. Protection for other people at high risk for complications from the flu. 2023 City of Arvada Flu Shot Clinics The Wellness Committee (in collaboration with our Everside Clinics) will be sponsoring flu shot clinics on: Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023 6 to 9 a.m. Indiana Shops, Lunchroom Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023 7 to 11 a.m. City Hall, Anne Campbell Room All employees (both benefited and temporary non-benefited) can receive a flu shot at NO COST at the Flu Shot Clinics regardless of whether you are a member of Everside. ● All flu shots provided will be preservative-free! Please note that only flu shots will be administered at these events. ● Family members may receive a flu shot during the flu shot clinics. How to prepare for Flu Shot Day: ● Sign up for an appointment via the online link. ● Bring your completed consent form (located on the online link?). ● Remember to wear your “shot shirt” (short sleeves!). ● Yes, you’ll get a punch on your Wellness Packs a Punch Card! Are you interested in updating your COVID-19 shot? If you are enrolled in the City’s health plan, you can receive an updated COVID-19 shot at no cost as long as you obtain it from an in-network provider! For more information, please call Human Resources at [PHONE REDACTED]. 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 Our Community Listens workshop Oct. 11, 18, and 15 (3 consecutive Wednesdays) from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Register on Inside Arvada In person, Government Center, Brighton Chapman Foundation for Caring Communities. Adams County Cultural Humility Oct. 12 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Register on Inside Arvada In person, Westminster Human Services Center Adams County Conscious Communication Oct. 19 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Register on Inside Arvada In person, Government Center, Brighton Adams County Mitigating Unconscious Bias Oct. 25 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Register on Inside Arvada In person, West Woods Community Room Employment Matters 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--- Employee Committee Corner Attend the Employee Appreciation Fall Carnival on Oct. 4 The Arvada Employee Appreciation Fall Carnival is coming soon! Please join us on Wednesday, Oct. 4 at Clear Creek Valley Park (3700 W 58th Place) from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. A big thank you to CMO for allowing the closure of City Hall during this time (with the exception of PD). Festivities include a wide variety of carnival games, photo booth, food trucks, music, a live comedian, and the presentation of longevity awards. And don’t forget the treats! Complete with popcorn, sno-cones and cotton candy! We look forward to seeing you all there and celebrating all our organization has accomplished this year. Read the following important information to help us have the best event possible: ● Please bring camping chairs or picnic blankets if you can, as seating will be limited. ● There will be soda available, but please bring a water bottle if you would like water. ● We will not be preparing/delivering meals for this event. Teams that are not able to attend are welcome to send a representative to pick up to-go meals from the food trucks. ● Parking is available in both the east and west lots, look for the balloons! However, the lots are small, so parking is still limited. Please try to carpool if possible. ● The City has partnered with Scraps to create another sustainable event! There will be three zero waste stations at the event and staff directing where to dispose of all waste. Help support the City's mission by making sure that all trash is disposed of in the proper receptacle. 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 - August Please contact your Employee Committee at [EMAIL REDACTED] if you have questions. Community and Economic Development Work System Jessica Garner named new Director of Community and Economic Development Jessica Garner, AICP, has been named the City of Arvada’s new Director of Community and Economic Development. In this role, Garner will provide overall leadership and direction for the community and economic development department and its divisions including City planning and zoning, building services, development, and housing as well as the Arvada Economic Development Association (AEDA), and Arvada Urban Renewal Authority (AURA). Ms. Garner brings over 23 years of local, statewide, and national land use planning, transportation and public health experience to the role. Born and raised in Colorado, she received her bachelor’s degree from Colorado College and master’s degrees in Urban and Regional Planning and Urban Design from the University of Colorado at Denver. Ms. Garner began her career with the City of Commerce City, where she worked for over six years before moving into consulting and later joining the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, where her focus was primarily at the intersection of public health and land use planning. She later joined the San Mateo County Health System in the Bay Area as a senior community health planner, where she led and collaborated on countywide land use, active transportation, public health, and equity issues with multi-sectoral partners and agencies. While in California, Ms. Garner returned to local government with the City of Milpitas as their planning manager in 2017, where she worked in the second fastest growing community in California on a variety of long-range and current development projects, before returning to Colorado and the Town of Estes Park as the community development director in 2021. Email your news to ---PAGE BREAK--- Safe Community Facial recognition technology The Arvada Police Department is continuing to advance through the process legislated under SB 22-113 in order to re-implement the use of facial recognition technology as an investigative tool. This technology can be used to help law enforcement generate leads as to the identity of unknown criminal suspects or missing or otherwise at-risk persons and has been used successfully by APD in the past. APD has published a draft “accountability report” which documents various information about the specific facial recognition technology application that will be utilized, and how it will be used. The APD is hosting community meetings next week to obtain public comment on the draft accountability report prior to presenting a final report to City Council. The meetings will take place as follows: ● Sept. 25 from 6 to 7 p.m. at Arvada Police Headquarters, Anne Campbell Room ● Sept. 26 from 6 to 7 p.m. at Whisper Creek Community Station ● Sept. 27 from 6 to 7 p.m. at Lake Arbor Community Station Vibrant Community & Neighborhoods Work System Celebrate National Public Lands Day this Saturday (9/23) by cleaning up and restoring areas along Ralston Creek The City of Arvada is joining Jefferson County Open Space and surrounding municipalities for National Public Lands Day, this Saturday, Sept. 23. Volunteers are needed to help clean up and restore areas of the Clear Creek Watershed, including 4 locations along the Ralston Creek Trail in Arvada: ▪️Ralston Creek between Ward Rd. & Beech St. ▪️Creekside Park ▪️Gold Strike Park ▪️Memorial Park All ages are welcome. After the cleanup, join fellow volunteers at Anderson Park in Wheat Ridge with food trucks, live music, and a raffle. To register, click on the links above or visit Jeffco.us. Email your news to ---PAGE BREAK--- Infrastructure Win Prizes with Eco-Friendly Trips The Denver Regional Council of Government's (DRCOG) Way to Go program is sponsoring a challenge to encourage employees to take eco-friendly trips in the month of October for cool prizes. View this flyer for details on rules and prizes. If you are interested in participating, please sign up at MyWaytoGo. The Traffic and Mobility Team is heading up this initiative for the City team. Reach out to Parking and Travel Demand Management Coordinator Derek Fern at [EMAIL REDACTED] with any questions. The Arvada Center for the Performing Arts Discount ticket opportunity for City team members to The Laramie Project Sept. 29 - Nov. 5: Performances are Wednesday - Saturday at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday at 1 p.m., and Saturday - Sunday at 2 p.m. When gay college student Matthew Shepard was found brutalized and tied to a fence outside Laramie, Wyoming in 1998, his death made people across the country take a hard look within. Twenty-three years after its World Premiere at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, The Laramie Project still resonates today. As America continues to grapple with hate crimes, we dive deep into a very human story of the prejudice, hatred, conflicts and contradictions revealed by Matthew’s death. Patch-worked together from hundreds of interviews, The Laramie Project explores the reactions of sixty real-life characters at the epicenter of one of the country’s most heinous anti-gay crimes, examining the depth of human hatred and the heights of compassion and love. Content: Ages 6 - Adult City of Arvada Employee Discount Tickets: $10, limit 4 Purchase through the Box Office or by calling [PHONE REDACTED]. Tickets are not available online. You must state which City department you work for, and use promo code 11209. Email your news to