Inside Arvada

Latest Episodes:

Inside Arvada's Transportation Innovations with Kellee Van Bruggen Sep 18, 2024

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October is Pedestrian Safety Month! In preparation, we sat down with Arvada's Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator, Kellee Van Bruggen, to talk about the City's transportation safety and planning efforts.
What goes into making a city bike-friendly and ensuring pedestrian safety? We tackle this question and more as Kellee dives into the challenges, opportunities, and innovations in planning for the future of the City's transportation network and improving bike / pedestrian connectivity.
In this episode:

Looking for more about cycling in Arvada, visit the City's bicycling webpage.
Other news and events:

Take the Bike Friendly Community Survey
Taste & Talks Event on Sept. 24
Celebrate the Lake Arbor Golf Course 50th Anniversary

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

Inside Arvada's Emergency Preparedness with Nick Adams Sep 04, 2024

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The City's Emergency Management Coordinator Nick Adams is our guest as part of September's National Preparedness Month.

In this episode, Nick shares why it's important to prepare for emergencies and disasters in order to keep you, your families and your community safe. Learn practical tips like having a fire extinguisher and an emergency plan, and understand how new challenges like proactive power shutoffs can mitigate wildfire risks.
Topics covered in this episode include:

National Preparedness Month
The City of Arvada's Emergency Preparedness Resources
Resources available on Ready.gov
The importance of making an emergency plan
The importance of knowing and connecting with your neighbors
LookoutAlert, also known as Smart911, the region's official emergency notification system
Arvada's volunteer Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)
Wildfire safety tips and preparedness
Floodplain risk, flood insurance and floodplain management

Other news and upcoming events:

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

Inside Arvada's Economic Development Association with Iza Petrykowska Aug 21, 2024

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What does it mean to be a quasi-governmental entity? What does an economic development association do? And can they really help improve our community?
Join us as we talk with Executive Director, Iza Petrykowska about the Arvada Economic Development Association (AEDA). From helping recruit and retain businesses to collaborations with city teams and everything in between, AEDA is a resource here to help our local businesses of all sizes. Discover why maintaining a vibrant local economy is about more than sales tax but about creating a thriving community.
Other news and events:

Take the Bike Friendly Community Survey
Learn about water, sewer, stormwater rates and fees, including conversations with City Council about 2025 rates on the Utilities Transparency webpage
Celebrate Lake Arbor Golf Course's 50th anniversary
Rank the Climate Action and Sustainability Plan initiatives that are important to you
Celebrate the end of summer at the Arvada Days festival on August 24
Ralston Central Splashpad closes after Labor Day, the Olde Town Water Fountain will be open on weekends only after Labor Day through the end of September

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

Inside Arvada's Community and Economic Development Department with Jessica Garner Aug 07, 2024

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How does a city balance preserving its historical charm with the pressing need for affordable housing? What is a comprehensive plan? And how is it different from the land development code?
Join us as we engage with Jessica Garner, Arvada's Community and Economic Development Director, who explains the multifaceted role of her department. Jessica delves into the inner workings of the five key divisions she oversees: planning, housing, building, economic development, and systems and administration.
Discover how collaborative efforts across departments guide Arvada's strategic community growth and ensure cohesive development. Additional information on topics covered in the episode:

Other news and events:

The last Bulky Item Drop-Off Event of the year is Aug. 10
Information about utilities rates on the Utilities Transparency webpage
Arvada's newest park, Serenity Ridge Park, is now open!
The next Movies Around Town is Aug. 9 featuring "Back to the Future" at Wolff Park
Take the People's Choice Movie Poll to help choose the final movie for Movies Around Town
Celebrate the end of summer at the Arvada Days festival on August 24

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

Celebrating 120 Years of Arvada Jul 24, 2024

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On August 24, 2024 Arvada will turn 120 years young! Join us as we find out how to celebrate the city's 120th anniversary with Rachael Kuroiwa, the City's Director of Communications and Engagement. Rachael shares information about the ways you can celebrate all summer-long, including at Arvada Days on August 24th.
Learn about the establishment of the city, discovering gold, the pivotal role of the railroad, our agricultural roots, and hear about the origins of Arvada's name. Keep listening for some fun facts, including how Arvada earned the title, "celery capital of the world".
Can't get enough? Check out a virtual walking tour of Olde Town. Head to the Visit Arvada website for a complete list of events and special promotions!
Other news and events:

Learn about the plans to redesign the Olde Town Library
The last Bulky Item Drop-Off Event of the year is Aug. 10
Information about utilities rates on the Utilities Transparency webpage
The next Movies Around Town is Aug. 9 featuring "Back to the Future" at Wolff Park
Take the People's Choice Movie Poll to help choose the final movie for Movies Around Town
Celebrate the end of summer at the Arvada Days festival on August 24

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

Celebrating Park and Recreation Month in Arvada Jul 10, 2024

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July is Park and Recreation Month in Arvada! Join us for a special edition of the podcast as we celebrate this year's theme of "Where You Belong."
To celebrate, we visited a variety of parks and trails in Arvada to hear from community members how our parks and trails provide a sense of belonging. Interviews included in this special edition episode include:

Dave and his grandson, Hudson, fishing at Arvada-Blunn Reservoir
Jeffery with his daughter and grandchildren at Ralston Central Park Splash Pad
Lou at Johnny Roberts Disc Golf Course at Memorial Park
Tom, skateboard instructor at Arvada Skate Park
Brenda, dog walker at Creekside Park
Patty, walker at Tennyson Knolls Park
Anna, dog walker at Tennyson Knolls Park
Abraham, playing basketball at Majestic View Park
Polar Bear pickleball group at Yankee Doodle Park
Larkin, Movies Around Town at Homestead Park

Visit ArvadaCO.gov/ParksMonth for "31 Ways to Celebrate 31 Days of Park and Recreation Month in Arvada."

You can also celebrate Park and Recreation Month with our partners at Apex Park and Recreation District by playing bingo for a chance to win prizes!
Other news and notes:

Arvada's annual craft beer and barbecue festival, Arvada On Tap, is July 13
The next Movies Around Town event is July 19 featuring "Jaws" at Lake Arbor Park
Late summer Garden In a Box Kits are on sale through Resource Central
The last Bulky Item Drop-Off Event of the year is Aug. 10

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

Inside Arvada's Water Quality with Evelyn Rhodes Jun 26, 2024

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Arvada's water begins its journey high in the Rocky Mountains making it's way from the Fraser River and Clear Creek to one of Arvada's two water treatment plants. Water Quality Administrator, Evelyn Rhodes, leads the team who ensures that when Arvadans turn on the tap, we can trust that our water has been treated, monitored, and tested to protect our health and safety. Visit ArvadaCO.gov/Water-Quality for more information, including a map of Arvada's water sources.
In this episode, Evelyn shares more about:

Arvada's annual Water Quality Report
Lead in drinking water and the Service Line Replacement Program
Source water protection
PFAS

Editor's note: when discussing PFAS particles as parts per trillion, the analogy that Evelyn was trying to explain was that this would be equivalent to one penny in 10 billion dollars!

Other news and events:

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

Inside Arvada's Parks and Urban Design Department with Darin DeLay Jun 12, 2024

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Arvada is home to more than 100 neighborhood, community and regional parks. But there's always room for more! Learn about the city's current and future plans to expand and improve the City's unparalleled park system from Darin DeLay, the City's Parks and Urban Design Manager.
Darin explains how his team of landscape architects take projects from visionary concepts to tangible, sustainable realities. Topics covered on this episode include:

You can learn more about the City's Parks and Urban Design team by visiting the city's website at ArvadaCO.gov/ParkProjects.
Other news and events:

July 13 - Arvada On Tap
July 19 - Movies Around Town (Jaws at Lake Arbor)
Recycling and trash rates and fees update July 1

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

Inside Arvada's Neighbors Connected Program with Marco Randazzo May 29, 2024

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Marco Randazzo is an Arvada resident, dad, music lover, and Neighborhood Leader.
In this episode, Marco talks about what it means to be a Neighborhood Leader with the City's Neighbors Connected Program and the value he has found in discovering new, creative ways to connect with his neighbors.
Some of the topics covered:

Block party trailer (reservations open now)
Neighborhood grants program
Neighbor conflict resolution

Other news and events:

Annual Water Quality Report
Movies Around Town
Help name Arvada's newest park
June 8 events:
- Kids Fishing Contest
- Bulky Item Drop Off
Ralston Central Splash Pad and Olde Town Water Fountain are open for the summer!

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

Inside Arvada's Forestry Team: Talking Trees with City Forester Ian MacDonald May 15, 2024

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City Forester Ian McDonald joins the podcast to talk all things trees in Arvada!
Arvada was recently named Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation for the 33rd consecutive year! And for the fourth straight year, Arvada earned the Tree City USA Growth Award from the Arbor Day Foundation for our outstanding commitment to sustainable urban forest management.
In this episode, Ian explains the criteria required to earn those recognitions (including the fact Arvada spends $8.35 per capita on our tree care – far exceeding the $2 per capita required to be eligible to be named Tree City USA!)
Other topics discussed with Ian include:

The City's annual Arbor Day tree planting event with local elementary schools
What exactly is 'urban forestry' and how it's different than traditional forestry
The City's approach to replacing trees when they have to be removed
City and County of Denver's Licensed Tree Contractor List
The programs and services the City's forestry team offers, including Christmas Tree Recycling, Trees Across Arvada, a new mulch pick-up site that will be available soon, and the City's Plant-A-Tree program
Which types of trees are suitable for Colorado's dry climate and which types are more trouble

Other news and events:

Mayor Lauren Simpson recently gave her first "State of the City" address
The City's Volunteer Appreciation Event is now June 8 after getting rained out on April 27
The Ralston Central Splash Pad and Olde Town Water Fountain open Memorial Day weekend!

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

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