 City Launches Public Input Webpage, "Your Voice"- Claire Thomas , Marketing Specialist Community feedback is very important to City staff. In addition to contacting staff directly, the public now has an electronic way to communicate to the City on important issues. fcgov.com/yourvoice is a site where residents can learn the facts on a hot topic and provide feedback to staff. The topic on Your Voice now is the City's logo.
- Ginny Sawyer , Neighborhood Administrator For over 10 years, Neighborhood Services has offered grant money to neighbors. These grants are meant to encourage and support community building within our city. Over the years these monies have helped create neighborhood entryways, sponsored neighborhood clean-ups, including yard waste cleanups, and have supported numerous bike parades, potlucks, and neighborhood socials. Currently neighborhoods are eligible for amounts ranging from $25 to $500 dollars. The first grant round in 2008 brought in 19 requests totaling over $7000! Although we are not able to support all grants, nor support at full request levels, Neighborhood Services tries to provide enough funding to make events happen as well as enough coaching and ideas to help neighborhoods be more self sufficient in their endeavors. The second grant round deadline is July 7, 2008. This round is for events that will occur between August 1 and December 31, 2008. Start talking with your neighbors now and consider applying for support for your neighborhood event! 
 HOA Education Program- Lynn Suess , Customer Service Representative
Mark your calendars and join us for our second HOA program of the year! On Tuesday, April 29, Melissa Garcia from HindmanSanchez will be covering "Understanding Association Governing Documents & Key Provisions of Colorado Law." This class will provide you with an overview of key provisions of association governing documents and will leave you with a basic understanding of how provisions of your association's governing documents and Colorado law regulate the activities of the board of directors, committees, management and homeowners alike. This free session runs from 6-8pm. Please email or call 970-224-6046 for location information and to reserve a space. Kudos & Comments This is a new addition to our newsletter and one we need your help to continue. If you have kudos and positive comments regarding good neighboring please let us know!! Kudos to neighbors from Rolland Moore West for committing to 40 hours of emergency response training. This training is known as Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), is funded by the Department of Homeland Security and the City of Fort Collins. Neighborhood Services and the Office of Emergency Management are working with Larimer County to get this program started in Fort Collins. CERT is a training program that prepares residents to help themselves, their families, and their neighbors in the event of an disaster. During an incident, emergency personnel may not be able to reach everyone right away. By getting trained in CERT, residents have the skills to help emergency responders save lives and protect property. As a member of a CERT team, residents can respond to disasters, participate in drills and exercises, and take additional training. CERT teams are known and trusted resources to emergency responders and their communities. We will continue trainings in more neighborhoods, so keep an eye out for CERT coming to your neighborhood. For more information, go to citizencorps.gov. Kudos to the CSU students who worked the Occupancy Ordinance Booth at the CSU Housing Fair on March 26th. These five students (Katie Freudenthal, Tim Adams, Dan Dearhart, Derek O'Donnell, and Bronson Barrett) did a great job informing students about the City's occupancy limit. They quizzed students on specific occupancy details (like, "What is a Disclosure Statement?" or "Is it true that a visitor staying more than 30 days (not consecutive) at your house in a calendar year is considered a resident of your household?") and gave out over 500 t-shirts to students who answered these questions accurately. Great job!!!! A big thanks to the long-term residents and students who participated in the recent Neighborhood Dialogues. Participants came together for an evening of lively discussion about their experiences, successes, and frustrations around living in neighborhoods where students and long-term residents coexist. As a result of participating in the discussion, a post-participation survey showed that residents: 1. Had a better understanding of others' perspectives 2. Were more aware of how their behavior can impact the neighborhood in which they live 3. Felt more comfortable approaching a neighbor to resolve a conflict 4. Became more aware of differing viewpoints 5. Had a better understanding about how lifestyle differences can impact the way in which neighbors get along with each other 6. Became more aware of resources available to resolve a conflict Again, a special thanks to all of our participants who contributed to the success of these discussions. Be on the lookout for Neighborhood Dialogues offered next fall!  H-ZIP Road Construction UpdatePhase II of the Harmony Ziegler Improvement Project is underway! Watch for cones, construction and reduced lanes at the Horsetooth Ziegler intersection. A roundabout is under construction, and a quarter mile of Ziegler Road is being widened. Drivers are asked to please drive slowly and safely through the project. The intersection will be complete by July 1, 2008. For up to date information visit fcgov.com/hzip. For other street construction projects, visit fcgov.com/transportation.  Spring Street Sweeping- Streets, 970-221-6615 Are you ready for spring cleaning season? The Streets Department is doing its part by launching the 2008 Residential Street Sweeping Program, beginning April 1st. Residential streets will be swept four times this year- in the spring, summer and twice in the fall. To find out the sweeping schedule for your street, contact the Streets Department at 970-221-6615 or visit fcgov.com/streets/sweeping.php. Residents can view the street sweeping schedule by querying an address or simply looking at the street sweeping map. On street sweeping day, you may see a large dumpster on your neighborhood street. These roll-off dumpsters are utilized by the street sweepers to deposit debris collected from the street and greatly improve efficiency and productivity by reducing the number of truck drivers needed to haul debris back and forth to the landfill. Four roll-off dumpsters will be dispersed throughout a residential zone near the curb. Since these dumpsters are rather large, they may impact on-street parking areas for no longer than 12-24 hour periods before being hauled to the landfill and relocated to a new residential zone. Given that residential sweeping occurs only four times a year, it is very important for citizens to pitch-in to get the most for their taxpayer dollars. You can help the street sweepers do their job on scheduled street sweeping days by removing vehicles, trash cans, basketball hoops and other obstructions from the street. It is also important to keep tree branches and bushes trimmed back so that sweepers can sweep up to the curb line. Residents, business owners and landscape companies are discouraged from blowing grass clippings or disposing yard waste, leaves and branches for a sweeper to clean up. A clean sweep will remove dust and debris in the street, bike lane, curb and gutter in an effort to improve storm water and air quality in Fort Collins, and of course the improve appearance of our neighborhoods. In the event of inclement weather, sweeping will be postponed to a later date. Sweepers will stay on the assigned schedule and come back to the streets that were missed when the rest of the routes are completed.  Party Patrol is Back in Action- Police, 970-221-6540 The weather is getting warmer and the school year is nearing its end and that can mean party-time!! While everyone has a right to let loose and have friends over everyone also has a responsibility to not negatively impact their neighbors and neighborhood. Twice a year, Fort Collins Police Services utilizes a "Party Patrol" unit to proactively and exclusively respond to noise and party calls. This program began in 2003 with money from the City Manager. Based on the success of that first year, Party Patrol has continued. For five weeks, between April 18 and May 24, the Party Patrol cars will be out on Friday and Saturday nights. So, if you're having a party be sure to monitor the noise level. And, if you're being impacted by a party, know that you can call the non-emergency number at 970-221-6540 and seek some relief!  When Students Move Into the Neighborhood- Melissa Emerson , Community Liaison Each year I'm asked, "What is CSU doing to educate and prepare students for off-campus living?" We know that roughly 80% of students currently living in the residence halls will chose to move off campus after their freshman year. Since thousands of students will be moving into the neighborhoods of Fort Collins next August, I believe it is important to provide students with education and resources to help them successfully transition into off-campus living. During the months of February and March, prior to lease signing, Off-Campus Student Services and Neighborhood Services team up for our Sophomore Transitions Programming. Below is a list of ways we share information with students considering a move off campus.
In early March, all students living in the residence halls receive in this in their hall mailboxes. This guide offers a number of helpful tips and information on what to think about when moving into the community. Topics include: managing a budget, negotiating a lease, roommates, utilities, safety, good neighboring tips, being aware of City codes and ordinances that impact students (noise, occupancy limit, nuisance gatherings, parking, snow shoveling, etc.), resources, and much more! To check out a copy of this handbook go to: (upload PDF for Becca). The Rental World Grab some popcorn and watch The Rental World! This 23-minute video addresses issues commonly faced by students who move off campus for the first time. Filmed as a parody of MTVs Real World, it traces the lives of Donnie, Elainea, Tom, Matt, and Missi as they encounter landlords, leases, police, and neighbors. You can watch the video online at ocssral.colostate.edu/clc/rental-world.asp or go to YouTube.com and search for Rental World. The Rental World aired in dining halls during the month of March. It's All in the Free Deck of Cards Each of the 52 cards is designed with helpful neighborhood tips, information about local codes and ordinances, and useful phone numbers. In March 2008, nearly 1400 decks of cards were given to students during meal times in the dining halls as well as during the annual housing fair. Students were also able to pick up a deck at any Moving Off Campus Jeopardy presentation. These sessions were offered in Residence Halls in late February and early March. Like Trivia? Then test your rental knowledge with some Off-Campus eTrivia! These three powerpoints are designed to help students understand their rights and responsibilities as a Fort Collins resident. The true/false and multiple choice questions are based on ordinances, myths and tips for living off-campus. Categories include: Leases & Housing, City Codes and Ordinances, Roommates, Parties & Neighbors. To play, visit ocssral.colostate.edu/clc/living-off-campus.asp. Housing Fair 2008 This fair, (held in March) allows students to visit with scores of landlords, apartment complex managers and property managers and gather information on places to live around town. During the 2008 fair, ASCSU and a group of students from CSU's Argumentation class set up a booth to quiz students on their knowledge of the Occupancy Ordinance. Neighborhood Services was also available to answer questions and provide information about City services and resources. Over 2,200 students attended this one-day event. Occupancy Limit Ordinance Outreach Outreach included a student email, information in the post-it handbook, a handout given to students entering the Housing Fair, U+2 posters and ads in the Collegian and College Ave Magazine. Students we informed about the ordinance were encouraged to visit ocssral.colostate.edu/clc/occlimit.asp. As an interesting side note, a recent survey of CSU students showed that 96% of students were aware of the City's occupancy limit. Avoid Renting a Lemon! Students were encouraged (prior to signing a lease) to check the history of a property to see if it has a record of code violations. If a home has a history of noise violations or tickets for animal disturbances, trash, weeds, parking on yards, or over-occupancy, it could be in jeopardy of becoming a "public nuisance property." Parent Newsletter Parents of CSU freshman receive a newsletter highlighting helpful information when talking with their children about whether or not to move off-campus. Student Legal Services Prior to signing a lease, students were encouraged to visit sls.colostate.edu, the Student Legal Services website, to download a Lease-Fix Kit which provides tenants with step-by-step instructions to make sure the lease terminology protects the renter. Student Legal Services also offers legal advice, free of charge, to CSU students. Go to sls.colostate.edu for more information. Code Update - Beth Sowder , Neighborhood Services Manager On May 20th, City Council will consider adopting Exterior Property Maintenance Codes which address dirt/dead yards and dilapidated fences. Currently, the City does not regulate these things, so dirt yards can remain for any amount of time and broken down fences are not required to be repaired. While these items can pose some health hazards (e.g. increased particulates in the air can be harmful to people who suffer respiratory illnesses and broken fences can create a safety issue), they also can create a run-down or deteriorated appearance which then leads to a decrease in neighborhood quality and pride. In addition to Exterior Property Maintenance Codes, City Council will also consider updates to the Building Conditions Code (formerly known as the Dangerous Building Code) and the Rental Housing Standards. The updates will bring Fort Collins up to current health and safety standards for buildings and rental units in accordance with the International Property Maintenance Code.
Some of the updates for the Building Conditions Code include:
Some of the updates for the Rental Housing Standards include requiring:
The Exterior Property Maintenance Codes and the Building Conditions Code will apply to all properties in Fort Collins. The Rental Housing Standards will only apply to rental units. A major concern of stakeholders, as well as City staff and City Council, is that appropriate assistance programs are available for low-income, owner-occupied home owners. Some assistance programs already exist, and more are being explored. This will also be a topic of discussion for Council consideration. |
