AURORA | City officials are temporarily banning alcoholic beverages and limiting weekend evening hours at the Aurora Reservoir, beginning this weekend, in response to increased police calls to the popular venue in southeast Aurora.
“Several isolated incidents, and not one single incident, led to staff raising concern to city management in order to mitigate any future incidents,” Aurora spokesperson Ryan Luby said in a statement.
Police officials said the calls focused mainly on intoxication and behavior.
The changes are intended to “improve the guest experience and safety,” according to a statement from the city of Aurora.
Officials said that the bulk of the issues occur on weekends, and especially on Fridays, so the reservoir will close early on those two days, at 6 p.m.
The reservoir is generally open from 5:30 a.m. through about 9 p.m.
Neither possession nor consumption of alcoholic beverages will be permitted at any time.
“Park rules prohibiting loud music will also be strictly enforced,” officials said. Also, visitors can expect “heightened security,” but officials did not detail what that entails.
“The changes will not have an impact on prescheduled, permitted, large-scale events or any other Parks, Recreation and Open Space facilities or parks,” city officials said in a statement.
“Aurora Reservoir is a beautiful and unique space within the city, and one that we want all guests to be able to enjoy,” Parks, Recreation and Open Space Director Brooke Bell said in the press statement. “We are making these changes to improve the experience for all guests and to assist our staff in managing the large crowds we see during the warmer months.”
Last week, Arapahoe County Sheriff deputies were called to Cherry Creek reservoir to respond to calls of shots fired in the early evening.
Aurora officials say there is no connection between issues they’ve seen at Aurora Reservoir and unruliness at Cherry Creek State Park reservoir.
“Deputies say someone fired shots into the air during a music event which several hundred people were attending,” sheriff officials said in a June 2 social media post. “The crowd quickly dispersed and fortunately, no one was injured.”
Two unidentified men were arrested.
State parks officials said visitors always increase on the weekends, and so, too, does more noise, more trash and more drinking, said Colorado state parks spokesperson Kara Van Hoose.
“We have seen an uptick in disturbances this year starting in April at Cherry Creek,” she said.
Ridiculous.
Aurora Police cahandle the booze calls andet peoplenjoy the park.
The changes areally intended to close the park to those of us who work and not get home until 6 p.m.
Yes, safety improved wheno one is there. (Better close all parks, City officials.)
Regarding the shooting incident, why two men unidentified?
Understand the no alcohol and lowering volume of music but closing that early is ridiculous. Many people work Friday and weekends. This will limit many from enjoying the park at all.
The few ruin it for the many. I will note that I am out there nearly every day. I do see young people drinking, walking their dogs on the watercraft launch beach and treating that beach like a swim beach. They get a little rowdy as young people will. They do drink a bit. Still, when this old man drags his kayak out of the water and up the slope to his truck these rowdy young people never fail to offer to help me drag it up and lift it up to the rack on my truck. Don’t let the few taint the entire crowd. Since the City is aware the ill behavior is confined to a few select hours just have an officer asssigned during those few select hours to educate as to allowable and proper behavior.
Consequences. Some people’s children.
How long are citizens in America going to tolerate nazi like mandates by force ?
Why moderate my comment if free speech is a constitutional right ? More nazi behavior to oppress!
The Sentinel is not a government organization
“ Several isolated incidents, and not one single incident, led to staff raising concern.”
Really? So that is what the city is telling us and expects us to buy their cooked up explanation? Nice try city- you’ve been told over and over about this.
This is fascinating with their spin.
The reason the city has responded to the problem is Aurora citizens are so fed-up with the city and their usual do-nothing responses to legitimate simple complaints. The citizens have now decided that despite Aurora departments telling us they are working on the problem, the taxpayers are calling TV stations for help. Citizens expect the city to actually do their job. Well Good Luck with that wait. When TV reporters start rooting around and showing up at city hall asking why they are not doing anything, politicians run for cover and feel some heat. So we better do something thinking kicks in.
What is regrettable anymore, this look the other way is what we have seen to have now become the norm. And right on time, city inaction led to the ongoing Del-Mar- Park meltdown, once again citizens forced into asking TV reporters for help. The stations did intervene at the parks disorder that predictably had been allowed by the city. It’s amazing, rules are now being enforced.
Seems to me that with the City’s Public Safety Training Center right next door to the Reservior that they could get an officer our two out there from 6:00 tp 9:00 PM two nights a week to enforce the rules and maintain order. Are we really to believe we don’t have the person power to staff the location for 6 hours a week 12 weeks out of the year?
Will the ban on alcoholic beverages extend to the Aurora Pride event later this summer, or does it focus solely on the behavior of the latino young adults who have discovered the venue?
Some people don’t know how to enjoy the parks and be considered to others,
They should respect and assimilate
“Officials said that the bulk of the issues occur on weekends, and especially on Fridays, so the reservoir will close early on those two days, at 6 p.m.”
Everything that I have seen posted said the reservoir is closing early on Saturday and Sunday. If the issues are “especially on Fridays”, this makes no sense.
Just Aurora doing Aurora things… what a terrible city to live in.