COMMUNITY NEWS

Aurora ranks No. 1 in Colorado for immigrant support in 2021 Cities Index

The city of Aurora has been ranked No. 1 overall in Colorado on the New American Economy Cities Index for its commitment to support its immigrant population. Aurora’s ranking on the index has risen steadily in recent years as the city has prioritized immigrant integration and inclusion in the community. In the individual categories that the index ranks, Aurora had the highest scores among ranked cities in Colorado in economic empowerment, inclusivity, government leadership, community, emergency management and job opportunities.

“One of Aurora’s greatest assets is the diversity of our people, coming from around the world in search of a better life,” said Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman. “This ranking shows the important work that’s already been done in supporting our immigrant communities and serves as a foundation for our continued efforts to be a welcoming city to all who want to make Aurora their home.”

The Cities Index examines and ranks how cities assist and support the immigrant population living within their borders. Most of the index’s categories align with the focus of Aurora’s 10-year immigrant integration plan, titled “Aurora Is Open to the World.” These include supporting vocational training, licensing and entrepreneurship; ensuring access to translated materials published by the city and building language support through vendors and city staff; having an office dedicated to immigrant services and supporting the immigrant population through resolutions and programs; advising City Council on issues related to immigrants and diversity; and providing programs that support and guide immigrants through the naturalization process.

Aurora’s overall score of 3.25 on the Cities Index places the city tops in Colorado and third in the Mountain Region.

“From innovative leadership programs like Natural Helpers, to a wide network of community partners serving our immigrant and refugee community, Aurora has been at the forefront of how to create an integrated city,” said Ricardo Gambetta, manager of the city’s Office of International and Immigrant Affairs. “I’m excited to see this work recognized by New American Economy and look forward to continue improving our services and engagement with our immigrant community.”

As the third-largest city in Colorado and one of the most diverse cities in the US, Aurora is committed to bettering the lives of its immigrant population. It is one of a handful of cities in the nation, and remains the only city in Colorado, to create a strategic plan for immigrant integration. The first plan was unveiled in 2015, and it was followed up last year by a new 10-year immigrant integration plan spanning 2020-30, focusing on 12 goals, including cultural inclusion, entrepreneurism, immigrant leadership and more.

The Cities Index ranking reflects the work Aurora has done in implementing its immigrant integration plans.

New American Economy is a bipartisan research group that advocates for smart immigration policies at all levels of government. Knowing that immigration is vital to the longterm prosperity of the U.S. economy, as well as the success of individual cities, the organization evaluates policies relating to the immigrant population to gauge how well immigrants are faring in their adopted cities. The Cities Index measures and compares immigrant integration across the 100 largest cities in the US. The NAE Cities Index helps inform the city’s Office of International and Immigrant Affairs of areas where continued improvement is needed. Learn more at www.auroragov.org.

Colorado Springs to purchase park on southwest side as home for new Asian heritage center

The P.E.O. Chapter House main building is where the former Stratton Park bandstand was located. The city is buying the house and 8.48 acres of the surrounding property for $2.3 million. Joanna Zaremba, Cheyenne Edition

The Colorado Springs City Council voted on November 23 to buy a new park on the southwest side that is envisioned as the home for a new Asian heritage center.

The board voted 7 to 2 to spend $2.3 million to purchase 8.48 acres, known as Stratton Park, along west Cheyenne Road. The purchase represents a return to the property’s past because around the turn of the century, the area was a park and featured a bandstand and pavilion.

The Philanthropic Educational Organization, a nonprofit that supports education opportunities for women, took ownership of the property in the 1960s and is now selling it.

The Colorado PEO selected the Golden Lotus Foundation, the group proposing the heritage center, to purchase the property initially after the nonprofit outbid the city by $100,000, city officials said during a meeting Monday. The PEO received other higher bids but selected the Golden Lotus Foundation because it intends to use the property for educational and philanthropic purposes, said Britt Haley, the city parks design and development manager.

Haley said the city and the foundation have come to an agreement that would allow the city to purchase the property and control it, while the nonprofit would raise funds to remodel an existing building into a heritage center that would include a museum and build a Chinese-style tea house.

The center is envisioned as both an educational and a social gathering space for “people to eat, drink and be merry and shop,” said Florian De Castro, who presented high level plans on behalf of the foundation.

Most council members were enthusiastically supportive of the project and its potential.

“I really believe this is a class A project,” Councilman Bill Murray said.

De Castro said the foundation intends to build a place where Asian individuals can find community and educate others about their culture. In addition to indoor areas, the group envisions a walking trail that would highlight Asian art and botanical gardens from different cultures, such as a Japanese rock garden and an Indian-style garden that could be built around the existing pond.

“Our vision is to provide additional education regarding what is Asian as best we can,” he said.

The largest Asian groups in Colorado include the Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Korean, Indian and Filipino communities, De Castro said.

Councilman Dave Donelson raised some concerns about the project Monday because the city is purchasing the property with the predetermined expectation it will be an Asian cultural center. He voted against the project along with Councilman Mike O’Malley on Tuesday.

Haley framed the agreement as an opportunity for the city to host a cultural experience that it couldn’t fund on its own.

“We often struggle at the parks department when we have an operational need... We do often look for partners to run those special events areas,” she said.

Once the area is developed, the city would likely be responsible for maintaining outdoor areas and the nonprofit would be responsible for maintaining and operating the indoor spaces. Even though the nonprofit is investing in the buildings, they will remain under city ownership, Haley said.