HomeMy WebLinkAboutMemo - Mail Packet - 7/7/2020 - Memorandum From Seonah Kendall And Josh Birks Re: Regional Recovery EffortsEconomic Health Office
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Fort Collins, CO 80522
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: June 25, 2020
TO: Mayor and City Councilmembers
THROUGH: Darin Atteberry, City Manager
Kelly DiMartino, Deputy City Manager
Jacqueline Kozak-Thiel, Chief Sustainability Officer
Travis Storin, Interim Chief Financial Officer
Jim Byrne, Emergency Preparedness and Security Director
FROM: Josh Birks, Economic Health & Redevelopment Director
SeonAh Kendall, City Recovery Manager
RE: Regional Recovery Efforts
The purpose of this memo is to provide Mayor and Council additional information regarding the “Reignite Our
Economy” Regional Plan, and how this plan aligns with the Larimer Recovery Collaborative and the City of Fort
Collins Recovery Plan and work. In addition, staff was asked to provide additional context on the county-wide
efforts, who is participating from the City, what is the city role and the efforts being done with other municipalities.
BACKGROUND
Northern Colorado has always been a collaborative, innovative and caring community. COVID-19 has been far
reaching in its regional impact. As Colorado has moved from the Stay at Home phase to the Safer at Home, Greater
Outdoors Phase, Fort Collins has focused efforts on the response and precovery of our local community while
continuing to develop collaborative solutions at a regional scale for recovery. The COVID-19 pandemic is not your
typical disaster or emergency and will have long lasting effects that require an integrated, regional approach.
Examples of this progressive, coordinated approach include:
The coordinated emergency operations center (EOC) model that was highly effective as Fort Collins
Emergency Preparedness and Safety worked closely with Larimer County Office of Emergency
Management.
The activation of NoCoRecovers.com by the City, Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce and Bohemian
Foundation to serve as a one-stop-shop of information for businesses and nonprofits.
The City’s support of Larimer County to convene businesses to identify best practices to assist all
businesses in their reopen strategies.
The strong regional foundation of collaboration and innovative approaches has prepared northern Colorado to
quickly activate critical infrastructure and planning efforts to assist in the regional and local recovery efforts.
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COUNTY-WIDE RECOVERY EFFORT
The Larimer Recovery Collaborative (the “Collaborative”), led by Larimer County, is intended to bring groups
together to work collaboratively on long-term recovery efforts. Focus areas within the Collaborative include:
Workforce, Small Business and Economic Development; Government, Education and Policy; Housing and Human
Services; and Community Support Services (Attachment 1). The purpose of the collaborative is to support and
strengthen regional efforts within the categories identified above. Currently, Director Jim Byrne and Manager
SeonAh Kendall are working with Larimer County to identify City staff, their roles and responsibilities and the
projected outcome and support needed for the Collaborative.
Recognizing the significant role that economic recovery will have in the overall recovery, a regional group known
as the Northern Colorado Regional Economic Development Initiative, or REDI, made up of 35 municipal economic
practitioners, chambers of commerce, workforce developers and others developed a framework for business and
economic recovery. The document, “Reignite our Economy,” recognizes the regional approach focused on
resilience and creating systems for an overarching, coordinated recovery plan to address short- and long-term
economic challenges facing our community, businesses (including nonprofits), institutions and local governments.
LOCAL EFFORT/CITY OF FORT COLLINS RECOVERY APPROACH
The City of Fort Collins recognizes that recovery will not be static and will not occur on a specific date. Additionally,
the recovery is not simply a return to the old ways of doing business and going back to “normal,” as normal was
not good for everyone within our community. The multiphase, multiprong recovery plan will include objectives,
outcomes and metrics that focuses on economic and social recovery for all within our community. The citywide
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recovery plan will be in coordination of the Collaborative and “Reignite our Economy” plan while still achieving
Fort Collins’ community goals, objectives, and outcomes, as well as working collaboratively with the Colorado
Resiliency Office. The plan will include metrics, a regional communication and education campaign on the new
normal so that all in our community can recover strong, recover safe.
NEXT STEPS
Develop the Fort Collins Recovery Plan, including an overarching regional communications/education
campaign and metrics. Continue to support regional efforts such as the Collaborative and “Reignite our
Economy.”
Update City Council on recovery efforts in Q3 2020.
Attachment 1: Larimer Recovery Collaborative
Attachment 2: Reignite Our Economy
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