Inside Arvada – Details, episodes & analysis

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In honor of Park and Recreation Month in Arvada, Parks Manager Steve Gustafson joins us to share his lifelong passion for parks maintenance and the complexities of managing the city's vast outdoor spaces.

In this episode:

• Overview of the Arvada Parks Department, which maintains over 200 sites across 4,200 acres with 56 full-time employees
• The collaborative relationship and distinctions between Arvada Parks and Apex Park and Recreation District
• How Arvada Parks are funded with half coming from Jefferson County Open Space sales tax and half from the city's general fund
• The Jefferson County Property Search tool shows a property's mill levies for special districts such as Apex 
• Major challenges facing the Arvada Parks Department include battling emerald ash borer infestations, rising water costs ($800,000 annually), and transitioning to electric maintenance equipment
• Arvada Parks' turf conversion program that aims to conserve water, reduce maintenance, and benefit the environment

News and events: 

• Movies Around Town continues Friday, July 18 with 'Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice' at Michael Northey Park 
• Vote in the People's Choice Movie Poll
• Motorized vehicles such as dirt bikes and ATVs are not allowed in our parks and trails. Visit our trails rules and etiquette tips page for more info 
• The City's Resident Tax Rebate Program is now through Aug. 31

Visit us at ArvadaCO.gov/Podcast or email us at podcast@arvada.org.

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Don Wick talks about his 30-year journey of serving the Arvada community, from starting out as an entry-level police officer in 1985 to recently becoming the new city manager. 

Don explains how all of his previous experience – Police Chief, Public Works Director, and Deputy City Manager – has prepared him to step into his new role leading the city. 

In this episode:

• How the city manager is responsible for executing City Council's Strategic Plan
• How the Ralston Road Bond Project is an example of executing the City Council Strategic Plan
• Opportunities and challenges facing the City, including: Homelessness, Affordable Housing, upgrading Utilities Infrastructure, and more
• How the City of Arvada operates within a council-manager form of government

News and Events:

• Arvada's Fourth of July Fireworks Show is Friday, July 4 at Stenger Sports Complex
• The Movies Around Town summer series kicks off Friday, June 27 with a free showing of the film "The Goonies" at Memorial Park
• Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is a destructive insect that is destroying ash trees throughout the City. Learn how you can protect your trees from EAB
• A recording is available of the Arvada Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) community meeting held in May
• The Ralston Creek Trail detour near West Woods Golf Course has been extended to July due to weather delays 
• It's the last chance to take the Water Quality Survey before it closes at the end of June

Visit us at ArvadaCO.gov/Podcast or email us at podcast@arvada.org.

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Sarah Kolb from the Arvada Arts and Culture Commission, joins us to talk about some of the new public art projects in the city. 

In this episode: 

• History of the Arvada Arts and Culture Commission and how it relates to the Arvada Center 
• Garrison Street Underpass Mural
• Quaker Street Underpass Mural 
• Update to the Babe Walls murals 
• Upcoming projects for the Arts and Culture Commission 

News and events:

• The Lake Arbor Center and Golf Course Master Plan open house is Thursday, Feb. 20 
• Arvada Winterfest is Saturday, Feb. 22 in Olde Town Arvada
• The Arvada Reservoir is looking for more volunteers for the 2025 season
• Discounts on water-saving programs available to Arvada residents through Resource Central partnership
• The City of Arvada has re-opened the recruitment process for our next City Manager
• Starting March 3, City Council meetings will be held on Tuesdays instead of Mondays  

Visit us at ArvadaCO.gov/Podcast or email us at podcast@arvada.org.

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Homelessness Resolution Case Managers Alex Williams and Hudson Janz share information about their work with the unhoused population in Arvada. 

In this episode:

• How the case management process works
• Understanding the Point-In-Time count
• Sharing City-run and other local resources
• The day-to-day work and recent success stories
• Cold weather resources and other challenges facing the unhoused population

News & events

• City Manager search to recruit additional candidates
• City recertified as Silver-level Bicycle Friendly Community
• Ralston Creek Trail section closed for flood risk mitigation project
• Lake Arbor Master Plan open house from 4 - 6 pm on Thursday, Feb. 20
• Winterfest, the City's multicultural winter celebration, is Saturday, Feb. 22 from 11am - 4pm in Olde Town

Visit us at ArvadaCO.gov/Podcast or email us at podcast@arvada.org.

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Senior Landscape Architect Maki Boyle discusses the Gold Strike Park revitalization project. Located at the confluence of Clear Creek and Ralston Creek in southeast Arvada, Gold Strike Park is known for being the location of the first documented gold discovery in Colorado. 

Maki shares what's happened so far with the project and what to expect next!  

In this episode: 

• History and background of the Gold Strike Park project 
• Significance of the park’s history, thanks largely to the efforts of Lois Lindstrom
• The project's Preferred Schematic Site Design
• $7.3 million in grant funding the project was selected to receive
• Collaboration with the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes for authentic storytelling and park design 

News and events: 

• Update on the City manager selection process 
• Ralston Creek Trail closure near West Woods Golf Course 
• Olde Town now has recycling! 
• Lake Arbor Center and Golf Course Master Plan 

Visit us at ArvadaCO.gov/Podcast or email us at podcast@arvada.org.

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Happy New Year to all our listeners! As we reflect back on 2024 with some of our favorite moments throughout the past year, we are also looking ahead to be an even better podcast in 2025.

Help us improve the show by taking a short 3-question survey. Provide us your address at the end of the survey and we'll mail you an Inside Arvada podcast sticker! 

This best-of episode features a snippet from each of our first 19 shows (links to YouTube or available wherever you listen):

• Episode 1: Festivals with Adelle Burton 
• Episode 2: Majestic View Nature Center with Anna Hoover
• Episode 3: Public Works with Jacqueline Rhoades
• Episode 4: Trees with Ian MacDonald
• Episode 5: Neighbors Connected with Marco Randazzo
• Episode 6: Parks and Urban Design with Darin DeLay
• Episode 7: Water Quality of Evelyn Rhodes
• Episode 8: Park and Recreation Month
• Episode 9: Arvada's 120th Anniversary with Rachael Kuroiwa
• Episode 10: Planning and Economic Development with Jessica Garner
• Episode 11: Arvada Economic Development Association with Iza Petrakowska
• Episode 12: Emergency Preparedness with Nick Adams
• Episode 13: Transportation Innovations with Kellee Van Bruggen
• Episode 14: Sustainability with Nalini Margaitis
• Episode 15: Budget and Finance with Bryan Archer
• Episode 16: Arvada Aquatics Center with Hillary Roemersberger
• Episode 17: Water Rates with Sharon Israel
• Episode 18: Snow Plowing with Keith Bohan
• Episode 19: Arvada Police Department with Chase Amos

News and Events: 

• Trees Across Arvada sale is going on now through Feb. 1
• City boards, commissions applications are now now through Jan. 6
• Brad Rupert appointed to at-large City Council seat 
• Update on the City manager selection process 

Visit us at ArvadaCO.gov/Podcast or email us at podcast@arvada.org.

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Chase Amos, Public Information Officer with the Arvada Police Department, joins us to discuss trending topics in public safety. Chase shares his unique career path, from the US Foreign Service in Israel to local law enforcement in Arvada. 

In this episode:

• Which situations you should use the non-emergent line to contact Arvada PD, 303-980-7300, and when you should call 9-1-1 
• Staying safe around the holidays by avoiding scams and porch pirates
• Arvada Police Department's Weekly Activity Report 
• FBI's Crime Data Explorer 
• Code Enforcement
• Auto Theft Reduction and Recovery Program 
• Facial Recognition Technology 
• Apply to work for the Arvada Police Department 

News and events: 

• Trees Across Arvada orders are open until Feb. 1
• Apply for a City board or commission by Jan. 6 
• Councilmember at-large vacancy 
• City Manager search 

Visit us at ArvadaCO.gov/Podcast or email us at podcast@arvada.org.

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Learn about what it takes to help keep our roads safe and passable in the case of a snow storm. 

Hear from Streets Manager Keith Bohan about the City's snow plow operations. Keith shares information about the routes City teams plow, how they make decisions about deployments, what materials they use on the roads, and innovations the team uses like route optimization technology. 

In this episode:

• Snow plow routes
• Parks and trails plow routes
• Snow operations phone line: 720-898-7725
• Streets maintenance phone line: 720-898-7720

News and events:

• Trees across Arvada orders are open until Feb. 1
• Apply for a City board or commission by Jan. 6
• Water sampling credit for homes built 1983 to 1987 contact the Water Quality Department at  LCR@arvada.org or 720-898-7800

Visit us at ArvadaCO.gov/Podcast or email us at podcast@arvada.org.

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Arvada's Utilities Department ensures that our high-quality, essential water, wastewater, and stormwater services are running 24/7, 365!

Join us with guest Sharon Israel, the City's Director of Utilities, who shares how water, wastewater, and stormwater services are handled with care. Learn more about how the City budgets for these services, including the upcoming adjustments to rates and fees for 2025 that aim to sustain Arvada's robust and aging infrastructure.

In this episode:

• 2025 water, sewer, stormwater customer rates & fees
• For information on financial assistance programs, reach out to the Utility Billing team at 720-898-7070 (M-F, 8 am-5 pm)
• Resource Central outdoor water conservation programs
• Arvada's water supply sources
• Various public improvement projects
• More about Arvada's systems and funding on the Utilities Transparency page

News & Events:

• Participate in the Connecting Arvada transportation survey
• Leaf Recycling drop-off extended through Tues., Nov. 19
• Arvada Aquatics Center Grand Opening celebration on Sat., Nov. 23
• Updates on 57th & Grandview Traffic Calming Pilot Study
• Garrison Garden Paseo and the Standley Lake Library Trailhead are now open!
• Climate Action and Sustainability Plan Open House on Thurs., Nov. 14
• Ongoing development of a Waste Diversion Action Plan 

Visit us at ArvadaCO.gov/Podcast or email us at podcast@arvada.org.

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Have you ever wondered what it takes to bring a state-of-the-art aquatics center to life? Want to know when the new Arvada Aquatics Center will open?

Tune in to hear it here first, the grand opening of the Arvada Aquatics Center is just around the corner! The new facility promises to be an amazing asset for local swim teams and regional meets, boasting a 50-meter competitive pool, a 25-yard auxiliary pool, and an impressive dive well. Plus, it's designed with sustainability in mind, achieving a silver LEED certification.

Join us for a conversation with Hillary Romersberger, the Director of Recreation Services for Apex Park and Recreation District. Hillary shares her extensive expertise and passion for community recreation. She details how this project wouldn't be possible without the strong collaboration between the City of Arvada, Apex, and Jeffco Public Schools. 

For more information about the Arvada Aquatics Center visit the City of Arvada's project page. In the future, information about programming at the facility will be available on the Apex website. 

Also in this episode: 

• Last chance to take the Arvada Community Survey (arvadasurvey.com)
• Take the Connecting Arvada transportation survey to help the City plan for the future of transportation projects over the next 20+ years 
• 2024 Leaf Recycling Drop-off Events (Nov. 2 to 16)
• Climate Action and Sustainability Plan Open House on Nov. 14
• Learn about the Waste Diversion Action Plan
• Visit the Utilities Transparency page to view 2025 water, wastewater, and stormwater customer rates and fees (approved by City Council on October 21)

Visit us at ArvadaCO.gov/Podcast or email us at podcast@arvada.org.