In this issue of City News, you’ll find out how to enjoy free parking on Saturdays and holidays, support local businesses this holiday season and help families in need.

- Kelly DiMartino, Interim City Manager

The City will again offer free parking in City parking structures on Saturdays and holidays this year to help support downtown businesses.

Free Saturday parking began Saturday, Nov. 27, and continues through Saturday, Jan. 1.

In addition, free parking will also be offered this year on Christmas Eve (Dec. 24), and New Year’s Eve (Dec. 31).

Parking in structures is always free on Sundays and City holidays. On other days, parking is free for the first hour and $1 each hour after in all structures.

The City’s three public parking structures are the Firehouse Alley Parking Structure at 160 Chestnut St.; the Old Town Parking Structure at the corner of Remington Street and Mountain Avenue; and the Civic Center Parking Structure at the corner of Mason Street and Laporte Avenue

To learn more about parking downtown, visit www.fcgov.com/parking.

In times of need, families turn to Fort Collins Utilities and Energy Outreach Colorado (EOC) for assistance. The Payment Assistance Fund helps customers catch up on their overdue utility bills and get back on track.

The program recently helped Louisa (pictured above), who was laid off and still waiting for unemployment benefits to start. She spoke about the immense relief she felt from no longer having to worry about her bills cutting into her grocery spending. Thank you for sharing your story, Louisa!

More families and individuals than ever are navigating turbulent times and have been unable to pay their electric and water bills. From October 2020 through August 2021, the Payment Assistance Fund helped nearly 800 Utilities customers – a 17% increase over the same period last year. The need for assistance continues to grow. We’re asking for your help so that no one gets turned away.

You can help those in need with a monthly or one-time donation to Utilities’ Payment Assistance Fund. One hundred percent of donations assist families and individuals in our community. Every donation is matched dollar-for-dollar by Energy Outreach Colorado, so your gift goes even further. All donations, no matter the size, make a difference.

How to Donate:

• In person: Donate at 222 Laporte Ave.
• By mail: Complete and return the Payment Assistance Fund envelope in your November Fort Collins Utilities bill

The ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future will prove to be more than just apparitions on The Lincoln Center stage as they pay miserly Ebenezer Scrooge an unforgettable visit on Saturday, December 18. Celebrate the true Spirit of Christmas as Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol delivers a powerful message of transformation and redemption in two special holiday performances at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. This delightfully entertaining production is filled with haunting special effects, lush costumes, stunning sets, beloved carols, a heavy dose of humor and a timeless message of heartfelt sentiment. Bring the whole family to see and experience what all the holiday bah hum-buzz is about. Tickets are on sale now with seats starting at $15 at LCtix.com or by phone at 970-221-6730.

All patrons attending this performance must provide either proof of full COVID-19 vaccination with a photo/student ID or, proof of negative COVID-19 test with a photo/student ID. Click here for more details. Masks are required for all persons age 3 and older regardless of vaccination status.

Several changes to the Gateway Natural Area pass purchasing process will begin January 1, 2022. Beginning January 1, annual passes will dispense from pay stations via credit card and will expire at the end of 2022.  Hangtag passes issued in 2021 are valid until the expiration date on the pass. The new pay stations will dispense day passes ($7) and annual passes ($40). People with disabilities can purchase annual passes for a discounted rate from an accessible pay station ($15).

Crews are continuing work on the new Lemay Avenue bridge over Vine Drive and the BNSF Railroad. The project is on track to open to traffic by the end of December 2021!

Although the bridge will be open to traffic in a few short weeks, some work will still remain, including landscaping, fencing, and art installation, all of which will take place in early 2022.

Stay tuned for more updates, as well as an official ribbon cutting planned for Spring 2022!

From Thanksgiving to New Year's Day, household waste increases by more than 25%! 

This year, have a greener season by: 

• Looking for gifts with minimal packaging or that are made from recycled materials.
• Wrapping your gifts in reusable materials such as fabric.
• Recycling what you can! Even holiday lights and your Christmas tree can be recycled at local drop off centers.

This year, Christmas trees can be recycled at 3 locations:

• TIMBERLINE RECYCLING CENTER HARD-TO-RECYCLE MATERIALS YARD: 1903 S. Timberline Rd. | $10
• HAGEMEN EARTH CYCLE: 3501 E Prospect Rd. | $5
• LARIMER COUNTY LANDFILL: 5887 S. Taft Hill Rd. // Green Waste Drop-off | $5

Be sure to remove all items from tree before dropping off, including: lights, wire, hooks, ornaments, tinsel, and fake snow.

Join us for one of Northern Colorado's favorite holiday traditions! Stroll through a whimsical, twinkling winter wonderland illuminated by hundreds of thousands of LED lights at the Gardens on Spring Creek!

Garden of Lights features a half-mile loop of perennial flower beds, huge sculptural flowers, grapevines, butterflies, a holiday village and other favorite garden creatures—all constructed entirely from holiday lights. Additionally, the Color Blossom Show will be returning to the Great Lawn, with 700 lighted blossoms adding vibrant colors and movement to your holiday experience. Don’t miss the return of Santa, as well as other nightly entertainment!

Purchase your tickets to see the show or sign up to volunteer! 

This holiday season, support community recovery by shopping locally! Whether it’s buying gifts at your favorite local spot, dining out at one of Fort Collins’ one-of-a-kind restaurants or simply by sharing some love for your favorite local businesses online, there are many ways to support local.

Visit https://forfortcollins.com/support-local/ to learn more and take the 2021 Support Local Pledge – you could receive a $25 NoCoNosh gift card!

As a locally owned, not-for-profit utility, Fort Collins Utilities is committed to delivering safe, reliable and competitively priced electric, water, wastewater and stormwater services.

Our prices are based on the costs associated with serving our customers and are adjusted through bi-annual, cost-of-service studies. We do not profit on the services we provide. Funds received are invested into our infrastructure and operations to maintain and continually improve our systems.

Rates provide funding for ongoing maintenance, infrastructure improvements and capital (construction) projects throughout our community.

2022 Rate Updates:

• Electric: 2% increase due to a projected wholesale cost increase.
• New for 2022: Homes without gas heat can choose between standard Time-of-Day (TOD) pricing or TOD pricing for electric heat. Learn more: fcgov.com/all-electric
• A typical residential customer, based on average annual use, could expect to see an increase of $1.56 per month.
• Water, Wastewater and Stormwater: Not increasing.

Take Control of Your Bill

Many programs and services are available to help customers offset costs and lower bills.

• Residential: fcgov.com/residential-efficiency or fcgov.com/UAP
• Commercial: fcgov.com/business-efficiency

View detailed electricity and water usage with MyEnergy and MyWater. Each portal has unique features to help save resources and money.

It was an incredible year for new public art in Fort Collins. The Art in Public Places program installed four new sculptures, 43 murals, 13 pedestrian pavers, one collaborative temporary art installation and accepted the donation of a monumental bronze sculpture. The projects include:

• Fort Collins artist Lisa Cameron Russell’s sculpture Western Snowberry Patch, located near the new restroom in City Park.
• Fort Collins artist Todd Kundla’s sculpture Reclamation at the Drake Reclamation Facility.
• Florida artist Mark Aeling sculpture Acumen at the Northern Colorado Law Enforcement Training Center. This is a joint project with the City of Fort Collins and City of Loveland Art in Public Places programs.
• Fort Collins artist Joe McGrane’s Neighborhood Hammock in the new Traverse Park.
• 24 transformer cabinet murals (including 2 neighborhood murals), 12 Pianos About Town murals, four traffic cabinet murals, one irrigation cabinet mural and 2 temporary murals on bridges.
• 13 granite Pedestrian Pavers sandblasted with youth drawings to be placed in City sidewalks.
• The program collaborated with the Gardens on Spring Creek on a temporary art installation Mountain Wildwoods: The Resilient Beauty of Juniper Trees by Montana artist Tom Benedict (shown above).
• Accepted donation of The Hand That Feeds sculpture by Frank Garza from the Mujeres de Colores. The Hand That Feeds sculpture was placed at Sugar Beet Park in an integrated plaza designed by Park Planning & Development.

Art in Public Places looks forward to sharing many more exciting projects in 2022!

COVID-19 vaccination is now approved for everyone age 5 years and older in the United States for the prevention of COVID-19.

Booster doses are now recommended for all fully vaccinated adults age 18 and older in Colorado. People who received the Johnson and Johnson vaccine should receive a booster at least 2 months after they received their first dose and people who received the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines should receive a booster at least 6 months after their 2nd dose.

Make an appointment today, and continue to take steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19, including wearing a face covering, maintaining 6ft distancing and washing your hands.

Let's continue to work together, take care of each other and Keep NoCo Open!

In honor of Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, all City offices will be closed on Friday, Dec. 24 and Friday, Dec. 31. Any additional or adjusted closures will be posted on fcgov.com closer to the holidays.

Essential services such as fire, police and utilities will continue as usual.

Additional holiday hours are as follows:

• Transfort services will not be available and all Transfort offices will be closed on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Regular COVID-level Transfort services will be available on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, but the offices will be closed.
• Recreation facilities, including golf courses, will be closed on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. On Christmas Eve, all recreation facilities will close at 2 p.m. and the Farm will be closed. On New Year’s Eve, all recreation facilities will close at 2 p.m. and the Farm will be closed.
• Golf courses close at 5:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. If there is snow on the ground and the course is not playable, check fcgov.com/golf for winter pro shop hours.
• The Gardens on Spring Creek will be closed on Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day. The Garden of Lights will remain open on Christmas Eve.
• The Fort Collins Museum of Discovery will be closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. The Museum will remain open on New Year’s Eve.
• All libraries will be closed on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. On Christmas Eve, all libraries will be open until 1 p.m. On New Year’s Eve, all libraries be open until 3 p.m.

All City offices and facilities will resume regular hours on Monday, Dec. 27 and Monday, Jan. 3.

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