August 2019

Upcoming Aurora City Council TOWN MEETINGS

GO BIG • GO AURORA

303.739.7000 • AuroraGov.org • Follow us @AuroraGov • AuroraTV.orgThe city of Aurora Communications and Marketing Department produces this newsletter. Contact us at communications@auroragov.org.

HOUSEHOLD CHEMICALS: These meetings are designed for residents to hear directly from their council member. To confirm meeting details, call 303.739.7015.

Ward I Town MeetingsCouncil Member Crystal Murillo• Aug. 22, 6-7:30 p.m.Martin Luther King Jr. Library9898 E. Colfax Ave.• Sept. 14, 10 a.m. to noonVillage Exchange Center1609 Havana St.Sept. 26, 6-7:30 p.m.Moorhead Recreation Center2390 Havana St.

Ward II Town MeetingsCouncil Member Nicole Johnston• Sept. 26, 6:30-8:30 p.m.Beck Recreation Center800 Telluride St.

Mornings with Marsha BerzinsWard III Council Member• Aug. 15, 7:15-8:30 a.m.• Sept. 19, 7:15-8:30 a.m.Tin Cup Café, 50 S. Peoria St.

Ward III Town MeetingsCouncil Member Marsha Berzins• Aug. 14, 6:30-8 p.m.• Sept. 11, 6:30-8 p.m.Aurora Municipal Center, City Café15151 E. Alameda Parkway

Ward IV Town MeetingsCouncil Member Charlie Richardson• Aug. 15, 6:30-8:30 p.m.• Sept. 19, 6:30-8:30 p.m.Garden Plaza of Aurora14221 E. Evans Ave.

Ward V Town MeetingsCouncil Member Bob Roth• Aug. 20, 6:30-8:30 p.m.• Sept. 17, 6:30-8:30 p.m.Heather Gardens Clubhouse2888 S. Heather Gardens Way

Ward VI Town MeetingCouncil Member Françoise Bergan• Sept. 11, 6-8 p.m.Heritage Eagle Bend Clubhouse23155 E. Heritage Parkway

Round ‘em up

Recycle paint throughout the year If you’re planning to attend this year’s Household Chemical Roundup but have only paint to drop off, PaintCare, a statewide program, has partnered with numerous retail stores to accept unwanted paint free of charge throughout the year. For details and a store near you, visit PaintCare.org/Colorado. And don’t forget that dried paint can simply be thrown away. To dry paint, just remove the lid or mix in kitty litter to speed up the process.

Do your part to prevent pollution by taking your household chemicals to Aurora’s Household Chemical Roundup from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 7 at Aurora Central Facilities, 13645 E. Ellsworth Ave. You must be in line by 4 p.m.

This event is open only to Aurora residents and proof of residency or a current Aurora Water bill is required. While the event is free, there is a $3 fee for tires, and donations to offset event costs are appreciated.

For easy drop off, group similar items into boxes. Also, consider gathering items from neighbors so only one person is making the trip. If you do, bring a list of contributors’ addresses so we can track the number of participating households.

New paint and unopened, usable products are always donated, so be sure to stop by the reuse station on the way out to see if there is anything of interest to you.

ITEMS ACCEPTEDPaint and paint products, automotive fluids, (motor oil, antifreeze, etc.), lawn and garden chemicals, household cleaners, mercury, vehicle batteries, tires ($3 fee per tire), light bulbs and compact fluorescent lights/tubes.

ITEMS WE CANNOT ACCEPTHousehold batteries, business waste, medical waste, radiological waste (e.g. smoke detectors), containers more than five gallons in size, mixed products or chemicals, ammunition, explosives, propane tanks and other canisters (e.g. extinguishers, butane tanks, etc.)

For more information, visit AuroraWater.org or email hcr@auroragov.org.

Aurora hosting a Contractor Business Opportunity FairRegistration is happening now for the city’s Contractor Business Opportunity Fair, an informational event for contractors, consultants and vendors from 9 a.m. to noon Sept. 19 at the Aurora Municipal Center City Council Chamber and Lobby, 15151 E. Alameda Parkway.

Learn about doing business with the city and about opportunities for design consulting, construction and operations and maintenance services; find out about the city’s small-business program; meeting large companies with a need for subcontractors; visit resource tables; and more.

Registration will be open through Saturday, Aug. 30.

For more information or to register visit AuroraGov.org/OpportunityFair.

Other city recycling opportunities For more information, including clothing and book drop-off locations, call the city’s Recycling Hotline at 303.739.7173 or visit AuroraGov.org/Recycle. Other information is available at Earth911.com.

Residential Recycling Drop-off LocationsSingle-stream recycling is available at both locations. Call the recycling hotline or visit the website for details on items accepted.

• Central Facilities Recycling Center, 13646 E. Ellsworth Ave. (south end of the city’s Wastewater/Stormwater lot): Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, unless closed for maintenance (cooking oil drums and clothing recycling bins also available)

• Denver Arapahoe Disposal Site (DADS), 3500 S. Gun Club Road (at Hampden Avenue): Accepts recyclables from 6 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday; closed Sundays.

Electronics (see September event in Out and About)

Mercury and Alkaline BatteriesAlkaline batteries and mercury-containing devices: Nov. 15, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Central Facilities Recycling Center, 13646 E. Ellsworth Ave.

Cooking Oil and Christmas TreesPost-Thanksgiving Cooking Oil Collection Event, Nov. 23, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Fire Station No. 9, 17200 E. Mexico Ave.: Free recycling of used cooking oil from turkey fryers; must be kept warm and indoors to allow easy pouring)

Christmas trees: Dec. 26 to Jan. 6 at Del Mar Park, Sixth and Peoria; Olympic Park, 15501 E. Yale Ave.; and Saddle Rock Golf Course, 21705 E. Arapahoe Road

Aurora’s favorite family fall festival moving to SeptemberPunkin Chunkin Colorado—Aurora’s legendary pumpkin launching competition—is moving to a new month this year, and bringing with it new activities like a larger-than-life pumpkin-carving display and Carve War’s chainsaw carving competition.

The family festival is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 21, and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 22 at the Arapahoe Park racetrack, 26000 E. Quincy Ave.

This year, more than 25 teams will compete in six machine categories: trebuchet, centrifugal, air cannon, catapult, human-powered and torsion.

Visitors also can enjoy a pumpkin patch, pony rides, a Corvette car show and fall crafts. Beer will be available for purchase, and food vendors will be serving up favorite festival treats.

Parking is free, and tickets at the gate are $5 for ages 5 and older; children age 4 and younger are free.

For more information, visit AuroraGov.org/PunkinChunkin.

#OhMyGourd

Stay informed during an emergencyIn the event of a non-weather emergency like a natural or man-made disaster, missing child or public safety emergency in your area, the city’s Office of Emergency Management urges residents to sign up for its Everbridge Emergency Alerts.

By registering your preferred means of communication (email, mobile phone, text message or all), the city will be able to contact you when these types of emergencies occur. Please note that cellphones are not automatically included in the city’s emergency notifications; you must opt in to receive emergency notices.

To sign up, visit AuroraGov.org/EmergencyAlerts. Download the Everbridge mobile app from your app store to receive alerts if you travel into the area of an active alert.

During an emergency, be sure to use as many forms of communication as possible to stay informed, including news broadcasts, radio stations, social media websites like @AuroraGov on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, NextDoor.com, AuroraGov.org and weather radios. Do not put your safety at risk waiting for a phone call or notification to be told what to do. Always be prepared to take action to get yourself to safety.

For more information on emergency preparedness, call 303.739.7636 or email afd_oem@auroragov.org.

and Ou t &

about in AuroraHidden in Plain SightThrough Nov. 39 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and SundayAurora History Museum15051 E. Alameda Parkway303.739.6660 or AuroraMuseum.orgAurora’s Historic Preservation Program “Hidden in Plain Sight” chronicles the stories concealed in Aurora’s historic landmarks and districts and reintroduces the Cultural Heritage Site Program. Explore the exhibit to gain a deeper appreciation for the physical links to our city’s unique history. Free.

Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ExhibitionThrough Aug. 13The Hangar at Stanley, 2501 Dallas St.Visit StanleyMarketplace.com for tickets and more information.Explore 34 artfully displayed reproductions of the iconic master’s frescoes that adorn the Sistine Chapel in Rome. This is the only Colorado stop for this exhibition’s global tour.

Food Truck RodeoSept. 6, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.Aurora Municipal Center Great Lawn15151 E. Alameda ParkwayAuroraGov.org/Events

E-cycle EventSept. 21, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.Tallyn’s Reach Library23911 E. Arapahoe RoadFor a complete list of acceptable items, visit AuroraGov.org/Recycle.This event is open to residents and non-residents. Electronics are collected and recycled by Techno Rescue. $5 drop-off fee per household, plus some additional fees may apply for floor-model printers/copiers, LCD monitors, CRT televisions and monitors, flat televisions, and projection, DLP and console televisions.

Antique Appraisal FairSept. 28, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.Aurora Central Library14949 E. Alameda ParkwayCall 303.739.6705 to request an entrance time, which is not the time of actual appraisal; wait time depends on items being appraised.Drop-off assistance is located in the main library entrance. Walk-ins cannot be accommodated. New pricing: one item ($10), two items ($15), three items ($20), four items ($25) and five items ($30)

AuroraCensus2020.org303.739.7400 #AuroraBeCounted

Census 2020: Be Heard. Be Seen. Be Counted.The U.S. census, a count of every resident in this country, takes place every 10 years, and helps shape many different aspects of your community, like hospitals, schools, highways and roads, emergency preparedness and much more.

The census results help determine how more than $675 million in federal funding is distributed to states and communities. And it’s mandated by the U.S. Constitution. In fact, the first census was taken in 1790.

We are joining our partners at the counties and state to support the U.S. Census Bureau in its effort to count every single person of any age in Aurora. In the coming months, we will share more information about how you can respond to the census in 2020 and where you can get more information locally.

For information on the U.S. Census, visit 2020Census.gov.

Water Billing Questions: 303.739.7388 • Service Questions: 303.326.8645 • AuroraWater.org

SEPTEMBER WATERING SCHEDULE - Two days per week

ROTOR HEADSPOP-UPS

21*7* 13*

ROTARY NOZZLES

*CYCLE-AND-SOAK TECHNIQUEAutomatic sprinkler systems work best with the cycle-and-soak technique. For example, if you have pop-up sprinkler heads, you run each zone for seven minutes, three times a day, giving the water at least an hour to soak in between cycles.

QUESTIONS?303.739.7195

Water Billing Questions: 303.739.7388 • Service Questions: 303.326.8645 • AuroraWater.org

LEARN ABOUT SMART CONTROLLERS AND RAIN SENSORSWeather in Colorado is unpredictable. Take the guesswork out of whether or not you should turn off your sprinkler system with a smart controller and rain sensor. We even have rebates for them.

A smart controller uses local weather and landscape conditions to tailor watering schedules to actual conditions on site. The controller then tells your sprinkler system when to turn on and off. Watering schedules are then better matched to plants’ water needs.

Smart controllers also require a rain sensor, which acts like a switch and shuts down your sprinkler system when it rains. Applications and information are available on our website.

IRRIGATION REBATE PROGRAM

Aurora Water offers an irrigation rebate to residents and large property customers to help improve the efficiency of their irrigation systems. Get a free outdoor water assessment with us to check your irrigation efficiency, and you may qualify for a rebate.

After receiving your outdoor water assessment report, call to discuss the application process and the proposed irrigation changes with Water Conservation. For more information, email conservation@auroragov.org or call 303.739.7195.

PLUMBING ISSUES? VISIT THE HOMEOWNER RESOURCE PAGE

Aurora Water has a homeowner resources web page to help customers with basic items, such as what your shutoff valve looks like, how to check your shower’s, faucet’s and toilet’s efficiency, and sewer line protection information.

This page is a good reference to minimize damage when you’re investigating plumbing problems and making repairs.

We’re updating and adding to the page regularly, so check back often.

Visit AuroraWater.org and click on the Homeowner Resources button.

WATER CONSERVATION CLASSESClasses are FREE and registration is required. For more information or to register, visit AuroraGov.org/WaterClasses or call 303.739.7195.

All classes take place at Aurora Water-wise Garden, shade structure 15151 E. Alameda Parkway

Installing your Water-wise Landscape Are you ready to get started on a low-water landscape? Learn the practical steps from removing sod to installing a landscape suited to Aurora’s climate. If you plan on converting your own yard, this is your class. Sept. 7, 8:30 to 10:30 a.m.

Grow Food, Save WaterEven though fall is just around the corner, September is a great time to prep your garden bed so that it’s ready for spring planting. We’ll cover how to put your garden “to bed” (that’s a thing), as well as how to have a more productive growing season by preparing now. And, you’ll save water – veggies thrive on 30% less water than turf. Saturday, Sept. 14, 9 to 11 a.m.

IMPORTANT PERMIT REMINDERSLawn and irrigation permit applications are required before seed, sod or an automatic sprinkler system is installed, no matter what time of year.

For more information, call us at 303.739.7195 or visit AuroraWater.org.