30th Anniversary of Natural Areas#

Natural Areas began a year of celebrations honoring the landmark ballot measure establishing a quarter-cent sales tax toward the conservation of local natural areas. More than 300 people gathered at the Lincoln Center for the kickoff event in November, which highlighted the 30-year history of Natural Areas and debuted the first-ever Natural Areas Conservation Award. Councilmember Kelly Ohlson received the inaugural award in recognition of his role in the passage of the ballot measure. Moving forward, the award will bear his name and will recognize extraordinary achievements in conservation of local lands and resources.

Making Natural Areas Accessible for Everyone#

Looking forward to the next 30 years and beyond, Natural Areas is working to create more accessible natural spaces for those who have historically been excluded from the benefits of public lands. In 2022, Natural Areas staff worked with community consultants from ARC of Larimer County and the City's Recreational ARO program to offer feedback for future accessibility features.  

Learn More

Volunteer Impacts#

6,047 City Volunteers donated 94,700 hours of their time for an estimated economic impact of $2.9 million in 2022. Many City programs—such as Restorative Justice, youth sports and Adopt-a-Neighbor—thrive due to crucial support from volunteers. 

NextGenServe#

The City also launched NextGenServe, a youth service club for community members ages 11-18, where youth learn about leadership and service and get an up-close look at the variety of career paths in local government.

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Resilient Recovery Plan Adoption#

In March, Council unanimously adopted the Resilient Recovery Plan to guide long-term response and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The plan includes four themes for recovery as identified by the community through extensive public engagement: Health, Equity & Community Resilience, Economic Recovery and Environmental Resilience.

American Rescue Plan Act#

All $28.1 million of federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds received by the City have been allocated to 66 different programs, primarily supporting economic and community recovery. ARPA-funded projects include:

• Expansion of Police Mental Health Response Team
• Rapid Rehousing Program for those in need of short-term housing assistance
• Multicultural Business and Entrepreneur Center
• Increased funding for local non-profits and community partners focused on human services, childcare and learning loss

Financial Relief & Inclusive Access#

• Council unanimously adopted Utilities’ Income-Qualified Assistance Program as a permanent program after a four-year pilot. The discount on utilities was increased from 23% to 25%, providing additional support to those in need.
• As Connexion service and PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) revenue grew, the City invested in Digital Inclusion programming and services, including a discounted internet price of $19.95 for 1 Gig internet speeds for income-qualified residents.
• More than 2,500 guests visited The Gardens on Spring Creek for free through the Gardens for All inclusive-access program.
• More than 4,800 guests participated in Recreation’s Reduced Fee Program, providing more equitable access to the City’s Recreation programs and facilities.
• In its inaugural year, the Youth Golf Scholarship Fund granted 55 scholarships for a total of $6,000 supporting young golfers in our community.

Equity and Inclusion Office#

After a year of adding staff and assessing organization and community needs, the City's Equity and Inclusion Office established primary goals for 2023. Goals include developing a Citywide approach for increased accessibility, providing ongoing opportunities for staff to develop inclusive leadership skills and creating community engagement circles for historically underrepresented groups to empower partnerships that help shape City initiatives and create programs that reflect community needs.

Civil Rights History#

The City’s Historic Preservation Division began its Civil Rights History program, which seeks to document the history of civil rights for many diverse communities within Fort Collins. The program is set to expand existing local history projects that focus on preserving complex stories and essential places that define Fort Collins and is supported by a grant from the Colorado State Historical Fund.

Social Services Support#

The Social Sustainability Department facilitated more than $1.7 million in funding to local nonprofits and community partners for human services programs to support community members in need. This included more than $625,000 for those most impacted by the pandemic, along with childcare and learning loss programing. Programs funded include:

• Behavioral health support for youth at local Boys & Girls Club
• Mobile Food Pantry at Poudre High School
• Transportation and support for older adults and individuals with disabilities
• Reading and literacy support programs for children

Housing#

• Received $2.6 million from the Department of Housing and Urban Development to address critical needs in housing
• Completed rehabilitation on 84 affordable housing units at CARE Housing Swallow Apts.
• Completed construction of 58 new units of affordable housing
  • 3 homes for ownership, through Habitat for Humanity
  • 55 rental units serving seniors, through Cadence by Volunteers of America

Diverse Community Celebrations#

The Equity and Inclusion Office partnered with local organizations and served as a key connector in supporting and expanding community celebrations to honor diverse communities in Fort Collins. For various cultural observances, the Equity and Inclusion Office provided free gathering space and hosted conversations to help connect and uplift diverse community members, as well as strengthen ties between community groups and the City.

Art in Public Places#

Through the Art in Public Places Program, local artists made Fort Collins more vibrant with the painting of 37 murals: 22 transformer cabinet murals, two Water Treatment Facility transformer cabinet murals, 12 Pianos About Town murals and one mural at the Hoffman Mill Fueling Station.

30th Anniversary of Natural Areas#

Natural Areas began a year of celebrations honoring the landmark ballot measure establishing a quarter-cent sales tax toward the conservation of local natural areas. More than 300 people gathered at the Lincoln Center for the kickoff event in November, which highlighted the 30-year history of Natural Areas and debuted the first-ever Natural Areas Conservation Award. Councilmember Kelly Ohlson received the inaugural award in recognition of his role in the passage of the ballot measure. Moving forward, the award will bear his name and will recognize extraordinary achievements in conservation of local lands and resources.

Making Natural Areas Accessible for Everyone#

Looking forward to the next 30 years and beyond, Natural Areas is working to create more accessible natural spaces for those who have historically been excluded from the benefits of public lands. In 2022, Natural Areas staff worked with community consultants from ARC of Larimer County and the City's Recreational ARO program to offer feedback for future accessibility features.  

Learn More

Live at the Gardens#

2022 heralded the first year of the Live at the Gardens Summer Concert Series, co-produced by The Lincoln Center and The Gardens on Spring Creek. Approximately 8,700 tickets were sold for the seven-performance run, including multiple sold-out performances.

Lincoln Center Participation#

The Lincoln Center hosted a total of 610 events and performances with nearly 110,000 community members attending. Ticket sales generated more than $2 million, and The Lincoln Center also saw a 26% increase in wedding ceremonies from 2019, hosting 24 nuptials. In addition to generating revenue for the performance hall and event center, attendee survey data illustrated the positive impact to local businesses: Nearly half of all Lincoln Center patrons visited a local bar or restaurant before or after attending a performance.

Park Openings & Updates#

2022 saw the grand opening of Traverse Park. FC Moves provided bikes so neighbors could test out the park’s pump track, a key feature.

Another hub for recreation, the disc golf course at Edora Park, received substantial renovations including signage upgrades to help disc golfers better navigate the layout of the course.

Multicultural Business & Entrepreneur Center#

In early 2022, the City launched the Multicultural Business & Entrepreneur Center (MBEC), a free bilingual (English & Spanish) center that provides business owners and entrepreneurs access to business service providers, resources, mentorship and specialty training. It also connects them with critical resources to create, launch and grow a business in Fort Collins. Since its launch, the center has held more than 175 appointments with more than 100 different businesses and assisted with the launch of 27 new businesses, many of them minority owned. 

Capital Projects Business Liaison#

In 2022, the Capital Projects Business Liaison position was created to better support businesses affected by City construction projects – ensuring that impacted businesses have the information, resources and support they need. Since hiring, this position has been actively engaging with businesses across the City, including those located on or near the newly renovated Linden Street.

Small Business Grants#

Using American Rescue Plan Act Funds (ARPA), the Economic Health Office awarded 162 businesses grants to support pandemic recovery and economic stabilization, totaling more than $822,000. Grant recipients include businesses focused on food service, health & wellness, retail, artists and manufacturing, among other industries.

Bird City Designation#

The City was recently designated a Bird City by Environment for the Americas. This designation, in recognition of actions that support birds and their habitats, marks Fort Collins as the third official Bird City in Colorado and the first to achieve High Flyer status.

Community Canopy Expansion#

In partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation, the Forestry Department provided 1,000 trees—nearly triple the amount from the previous year—to residents for only $25 each. Expanding the tree canopy in Fort Collins helps homeowners lower energy costs, contribute to cleaner air and water, reduce stormwater runoff, and mitigate the impacts of climate change, all while improving the look and feel of our neighborhoods.

Water Conservation#

• Utilities performed 484 sprinkler checkups and partnered with the community to complete 94 residential Xeriscape Incentive Program (XIP) projects. This was the second-highest number of sprinkler checkups completed in a single year, as well as a record year for XIP with more than a 35% increase in participants and completed projects—nearly 100—compared to 2021.
• In 2022, 1,105 households pledged to turn off irrigation systems by October 1. Ending sprinkler use by that date allows people to conserve water while maintaining the integrity of their lawns. This effort saved 2,554,674 gallons of water in 2022 alone.
• In September, City Council adopted an ordinance allowing people to use graywater for toilet flushing. The ability to install a graywater system, which is voluntary for all development types, went into effect in November. Both Utilities and Building Services collaborated on this Council priority.

Our Climate Future#

Fort Collins continued advancing towards our climate, waste and energy goals. Through cross-departmental and community collaborations, Fort Collins implemented strategies for significant environmental impact, including:

• Disposable Bag Ordinance rollout
• Enforcement of the Community Recycling Ordinance
• Adoption of 2021 Building Energy Code with enhanced efficiency and electric vehicle requirements
• Coordination with Platte River for reaching 2030 goals with increasing focus on Distributed Energy Resources

Significant milestones include:

• The communitywide greenhouse gas inventory for 2021 was 24% below 2005 levels.
• Council adopted a new communitywide greenhouse gas reduction goal of 50% by 2026.

Mental Health Response Team Expansion#

The Fort Collins Police Services Co-responder program was originally formed in 2018 with one clinician. It has since grown to four clinicians, four officers and a sergeant in what is now known as the Mental Health Response Team (MHRT). MHRT responded to more than 1140 calls for service and fielded more than 200 referrals in 2022 alone.

Police Academy#

Regarded by the State of Colorado and Colorado Attorney General as a model for other agencies to emulate, Fort Collins Police Services continued to train its officers through the Fort Collins Police Academy (FCPA). The FCPA, which graduated 10 cadets in its inaugural debut in 2021, brought its total graduates up to 32 cadets in December. Through FCPA, officers are trained with an emphasis on empathy and policing with a peace officer mindset.

Safe Choice#

Parking Services launched its new Safe Choice program to discourage drinking and driving in Downtown Fort Collins. The program allows Downtown visitors to leave their vehicles parked in on-street parking overnight without being ticketed by registering via phone or through QR codes on signs placed Downtown. In the first few weeks of the program’s debut, more than 40 people participated.

City Park Sewer Rehabilitation and Replacement#

Utilities replaced an aging sewer system west of City Park Lake that required frequent repairs with new, more reliable infrastructure. The project included a new 8-inch sewer main and water main. Staff took advantage of road closures for the safety repairs and paved an upgraded bike lane on West Mulberry Street, as well. Crews completed the project ahead of schedule and under budget.

Electric Buses#

Transfort received and began operating two new battery-electric buses this year, moving closer to the goal of having 21 percent of its fleet battery electric by 2025. To celebrate the City’s first two electric buses, a ribbon cutting and unveiling of the custom bus wrap was held in April 2022.

Linden Street Renovation#

The City completed the Linden Street Renovation Project, turning Linden into a "convertible street," that can be closed to vehicular and bicycle traffic and transformed into a pedestrian gathering space during specialty events. To celebrate the opening of the new convertible street, the City hosted a Block Party, inviting community members and businesses to experience the dynamic setting while enjoying live music.

Active Modes Plan Adoption#

In December 2022, Council adopted the City’s first Active Modes Plan, a consolidated update to the City's 2011 Pedestrian Plan and 2014 Bicycle Plan. The plan covers existing and potential networks, support facilities, policies and programs for active modes of transportation, including bicycles, pedestrians, electric scooters and skateboards, among others.

Asphalt Art#

FC Moves continued its asphalt art program, which brings neighborhoods together to improve beatification while also calming traffic to increase safety for cyclists and pedestrians. The fourth and newest mural, “El Corazon de la Colonia,” was installed in the Alta Vista neighborhood. FC Moves also led community maintenance projects on the three murals installed in 2021 on Romero Street, Hickory Street and at Roosevelt Avenue and Maple Street. FC Moves is planning to install more of the popular asphalt murals in 2023.

Leadership Transitions#

In July, City Council appointed Kelly DiMartino as Fort Collins' new city manager, concluding a national search that began when the former city manager departed in 2021. The City also welcomed new executives in the roles of Utilities executive director, assistant city manager and deputy city manager. A second assistant city manager and new chief sustainability officer are anticipated to be hired in early 2023.

Connexion Municipal Broadband#

2022 marked three years of municipal broadband service through Fort Collins Connexion. Connexion has reached 95% community buildout, meaning service will be available citywide in 2023. Connexion is currently targeting installation and contracts with more than 300 multi-dwelling units (apartments, townhomes and condos) and commercial properties in 2023.

Income-Qualified Assistance Improvements#

Utilities' Income-Qualified Assistance Program (IQAP) transitioned to automatic enrollment for customers who use the state's Low-Income Energy Assistance Program (LEAP). This eliminated the need for people to fill out a second application, removing a major barrier to participation. As a result, the number of IQAP participants–about 1,700–nearly doubled from September 2021 to September 2022.

Volunteer Impacts#

6,047 City Volunteers donated 94,700 hours of their time for an estimated economic impact of $2.9 million in 2022. Many City programs—such as Restorative Justice, youth sports and Adopt-a-Neighbor—thrive due to crucial support from volunteers. 

NextGenServe#

The City also launched NextGenServe, a youth service club for community members ages 11-18, where youth learn about leadership and service and get an up-close look at the variety of career paths in local government.

Learn More