 Neighborhood Night Out - August 5th- Ginny Sawyer , Neighborhood Administrator Whether you are a veteran participant in Neighborhood Night Out (NNO) or a newbie to this event, it's time to start marking your calendar for NNO 2008. This annual event will take place on Tuesday, August 5, 2008.
Participating in Neighborhood Night Out is an easy way to bring neighbors together and Neighborhood Services can provide support for your event. Whether you plan a block party, ice cream social, potluck on the lawn or bike parade you can register your event with Neighborhood Services.
To be eligible for the t-shirt and goodie bag, and to get your event on the master map, please register your event at Neighborhood Services by July 21. Goodie bags will be available for pick-up starting Wednesday, July 30. Goodie bags contain informational materials and items to help create fun activities at your event. They do not contain toys or bags for every person attending your event. Please be sure to mail or fax the enclosed form to us by the July 21 deadline. This is one of our largest and most fun events and it can be one of the easiest in which you can participate. Remember, this year NNO falls on August 5. If you've been meaning to have a party and meet your neighbors, take advantage of this night to make it happen!   Great Sofa Round-Up - August 1-2- Ginny Sawyer , Neighborhood Administrator It just wouldn't be summer without the Great Sofa Round-Up! Neighborhood Services and CSU Off-Campus Student Services are once again sponsoring this annual event. Scheduled to coincide with the majority of lease renewals, the Great Sofa Round-Up will take place on Friday, August 1 from 10-2 pm and Saturday, August 2, from 8 am to 2 pm. The event will take place at the CSU Visitor's parking lot north of Lake Street on College. Please note, no sofas will be taken after 2 pm on either day. Sofas can be dropped off or claimed for free during the Great Sofa Round-Up. If you have a sofa you would like to unload the city will do a limited number of curbside pick-ups. Call 224-6046 to make arrangements. Sofas rounded up for this event are available to students, long-term residents or social agencies in need of a free sofa. There is a limit of one sofa per person. This is a highly collaborative event involving staff from several different departments at the City of Fort Collins and at Colorado State University. Part of the incentive for this event is to help clean up the neighborhoods and prevent indoor furniture from finding its way to yards, streets, and curbsides. If sofas are left in alleys, on a porch or in the middle of a lawn, it is a City code violation. If you have questions or would like to volunteer please contact Ginny Sawyer at or 224-6070. Upcoming Class-Eviction Basics for Landlords - Ginny Sawyer , Neighborhood Administrator Attention landlords and property managers! Neighborhood Services is offering a two-hour training on evictions. Local attorney, Zach Wilson will discuss the basic eviction process during this free class. The class is scheduled for Tuesday, June 24th from 6 to 8 pm. Space is limited, so please contact Ginny Sawyer at or 970-224-6070 to make a reservation. Adopt-A-Street Lonnie Murt , Streets Since 1987, volunteers throughout Colorado have "adopted" and cared for hundreds of miles of streets and highways. In response to requests from Fort Collins residents, the City of Fort Collins Streets Department implemented a program that enables organizations to adopt a one-mile segment of a city street. These groups can take pride in their contribution to their community and be confident that their efforts are increasing public awareness about litter control and improving the environment. The Adopt-A-Street program saves taxpayer dollars and gives adopting groups a valuable opportunity to make a difference in their community. Many groups that have already adopted local streets include homeowner associations, religious groups, boy scouts, and non-profit organizations. Currently, there are over fifty streets available for adoption. Each of these streets is in a one-mile segment. Some of these streets include College Avenue from East Prospect to East Drake, Shields Street from West Mulberry to West Prospect, Taft Hill Rd from West Prospect to West Drake, Overland Trail from West Prospect to West Drake, and Lemay Avenue from East Horsetooth to East Harmony. Once the adopting parties agree to adopt a street, they are asked to designate the stretch of road that they would like to adopt, pick up trash and litter along the adopted street at least three times each year, and be responsible for selecting the clean-up dates and times. Similarly, we ask that each adopting party organize the people in their group and contact the Streets Department in advance of their scheduled clean-up date. When participating in the clean up, each group will be provided with the necessary materials required for the clean up, including trash bags, safety vests, and gloves. We provide enough materials for approximately fifty people. In recognition of the adopting group, The Streets Department will install a sign at each end of the street segment which will acknowledge the group responsible for the adoption. Doing Business in Fort Collins - Claire Thomas , Marketing Specialist Do you have a small business in Fort Collins? Are you interested in what's happening at an economic level in the city? If so, the City's Business website has a great resource for you. fcgov.com/business is updated regularly with spotlights on successful businesses in Fort Collins, city economic news, City financial reports, major initiatives such as Mason Corridor, and lots more! Sign up for a free economic e-newsletter while you're at the site.  Summer Road Construction- Claire Thomas , Marketing Specialist The asphalt manufacturing plants are making asphalt again, and that means streets in Fort Collins are getting repaved! To stay informed about all the construction projects that might affect your commute or travels, visit fcgov.com/conezones.
- Ginny Sawyer , Neighborhood Administrator
The objective for the City of Fort Collins Mosquito Management Program is to utilize trained field biologists to suppress the number of mosquitoes, in the aquatic larval habitats. The City of Fort Collins monitors adult mosquito populations via a surveillance trapping network to enable a proactive response to suppress West Nile Virus mosquito populations prior to a public health emergency outbreak. Call 970-663-5697 to report any water that stands for more than 4 days, mosquito annoyance concerns or for information requests regarding West Nile Virus prevention. Resident phone calls continue to locate new mosquito habitats, thereby reducing the number of mosquitoes in our backyards and along the trail systems enjoyed by the residents of the City of Fort Collins. As of 2007, there are over 1,100 larval sites in the City of Fort Collins which are routinely inspected for mosquito larvae. CMC technicians inspect a wide variety of larval sites including urban mosquito breeding locations (storm drains, catch basins, wading pools, paddle boats & tire piles), as well as cattail marshes, stagnant ditches, reservoir edges and irrigated pastures. Take steps now to lessen the likelihood of mosquito bites: - Limit time spent outdoors at dawn or dusk, when mosquitoes are most active. - Wear lightweight, long-sleeved shirts and long pants while outdoors. - Spray clothing with insect repellent since mosquitoes may bite through clothing. - Install or repair window and door screens to keep mosquitoes out. - Apply insect repellent sparingly to exposed skin. Many products are available and effective to help keep mosquitoes away. - Always read and follow product directions.
Don't Breed Mosquitoes! You may not realize it, but your pond, birdbath, or flower pots can act as a breeding environment for mosquitoes. Mosquitoes lay eggs in still water which hatch in seven to 10 days. The following measures can make summertime more pleasant by reducing the number of mosquitoes in and around the house.  Summer is Wood Smoke Season Too- Ginny Sawyer , Neighborhood Administrator As tempting as those summer-time s'more making parties may be, it is important to ensure that they are done correctly and with minimal impact to neighbors. Fort Collins does not have a wood burning ban but we do ask that residents burn only clean, dry wood and only use wood burning appliances when necessary. Permanent outdoor wood burning fire pits are illegal in Fort Collins and may be subject to legal action and a correction notice from the City. Portable outdoor fireplaces and chimineas, while legal, do contribute to air pollution and the "brown cloud." The City is currently in compliance with all federal air quality standards, but Fort Collins violates the state's visibility standard about one in four days. Reducing wood smoke in Fort Collins' neighborhoods is a major policy goal of the City's Air Quality Plan. Wood smoke is potentially harmful to all of us, but especially affects infants and young children, and those with asthma, allergies, emphysema, and other respiratory problems. Please be mindful of those neighbors who have difficulty breathing and cannot enjoy the air when wood smoke is present. If you do burn, the following are legal requirements: - Burn only clean, dry wood in a small hot fire. It is illegal to burn trash, which includes cardboard, plastic, newspaper, office paper, and treated wood. - Only stoves certified by the US Environmental Protection Agency may be installed in Fort Collins. - After the first 15 minutes of start up, City Code requires that the smoke from your chimney not exceed "20% opacity" (smoke should be barely visible when looking at it with your back to the sun). The City of Fort Collins also suggests: - Instead of an outdoor fireplace, try a freestanding gas patio heater which is a cleaner burning alternative to outdoor fireplaces. - Consider replacing or removing your wood burning unit. The City of Fort Collins offers a zero interest loan program, called ZILCH for this purpose. You may be eligible to borrow up to $2,300 interest-free. Visit the ZILCH webpage to learn more. Foreclosure Counseling & Prevention Neighbor to Neighbor is a non-profit organization in our community which focuses on housing issues from homelessness through homeownership. Neighbor to Neighbor currently offers free, confidential counseling with a HUD-approved housing counselor, to help Larimer County homeowners avoid foreclosure. The sooner clients seek counseling, the more options they may have to prevent foreclosure. Homeowners who have had changes in income or adjusting mortgage payments are encouraged to meet with one of Neighbor to Neighbor's mortgage counselors before they have missed a payment, or as soon as possible thereafter. If you or someone you know could benefit from this program please visit the Neighbor to Neighbor website or call 970-484-7498. Kudos & Comments A few CSU students, former CSUnity volunteers, stepped up to help local elderly neighbors with yard work…during finals week! Thank you CSU! Michelle, from an old town neighborhood, wrote in to thank her neighbor Todd for picking up trash and debris and recycling when he walks his dog. Neighborhood Services would like to thank and honor all of our citizens and staff who have been participating in efforts to help Windsor following the tornado. This is a heartwarming and critical example of "good neighboring."
|
