EDITOR: The Aurora City Council decided to spend upwards of $300,000 on a marketing strategy to help improve Aurora’s image. Many competing council members support this and claim that Aurora suffers from unfair criticism from outsiders, and the perception of Aurora’s image is often undeserved.
This is laughable when you realize that Aurora’s image is on display right there on the surface. Aurora is a dump. The amount of trash and litter carelessly discarded on our city streets is absolute evidence that we, as a community, have less pride than the rest of the metro area, and have settled for a lower standard of living.
The glaring difference in cleanliness between our city, and just about any other city in the front range is depressingly obvious. Our streets, trails, bus stops, parking lots, parks, and many other public areas are lined with litter.
Worth discovering? It doesn’t seem that way. Perhaps the city council could have invested that marketing money into a few extra trash cans instead. Our negative image is well deserved.
Matt Watson
Aurora via letters@aurorasentinel.com
This is why when I first moved the the Denver metro I quickly learned to steer clear of Aurora… Dirty Aurora…
And Aurora is trying to trick people to be attracted to its neighborhoods. Too bad Aurora has no curb appeal.
Have a bit of problem understanding that remark. When I bought in 1963 Aurora has about 3500 residents, and was very pleasant and friendly. Now over 257,000 and still counting. Obviously others did not have problem you saw with curb appeal. And having traveled in, lived in, vacationed in, and been assigned in, 44 of our 50 states, I saw the same in other cities, other states. Did not spend much time in NYC after initial years long ago, because you have to keep driving there. Not that many parking lots, or spaces.
Had friend in military who was born, and grew up in NYC, and was very wealthy. Did not learn to drive a car until after age 35, and in service during Korea, since garage in NYC could cost more than apartment or house. He was Irish, and married a Chinese girl who had been married to a Chinese General, by family choosing. She divorced when she was older, and was allowed to. Met Ed, and I met them in Hawaii. After he retired, he and wife owned a very prosperous Chinese Resturant in LA area, and brought her family over to become citizens. That General was one of Gen. Chiang Kai Chek’s major advisors, and moved to Taiwan when that split occurred.
Surprising the different cultures, beliefs, I encountered in my 26 years of military, and a real education. By the way, lot of Denver has the walled sections within the city, which are cleaner, just as Dam East and Dam West are in Aurora. But do we need to wall in sections of our city? And when I speak of trash, I have to refer to the 5 (that became 13) young, Mexican bachelors, age 20 to 30, who lived next to me in East Aurora, in 2006-07, with 13 vehicles parked, plus 13 they drove, with tires squealing at all times of day and night. When they trashed $186,000 value house, and moved out, left over 2 tons of trash, broken furniture, and house sold in 2009 as fixer-upper for $89,000. Brought my house from $186,500 valuation in 2006-20010, down to $92,000 later. I spent $28,000 during that period for new doors and windows, roof, furnace, and storage to maintain to code and efficiency. Has now come back to value of $150,000 as of 1 January 2016. So I am not so happy with diversity, when it is due to non-secure borders, illegal aliens, and 2-3 or more families living in 1 family homes in recent past. Sanctuary Cities are NO NO NO NO. Obey all the laws, and all police officers enforce all laws, let the judge and courts sort out criminals as to local, state, federal, and ICE needs to have full authority to remove criminals. And if here illegally, they are criminals. I approve of LEGAL immigration. So lets clean all, so we can trust our officials, leaders, once again. Each officer will have to determine what they will go to court to testify to, for or against. BUT DO THEIR JOB BY OATH THEY TAKE.
My apartment complex spends several hours EVERY day picking up trash people just throw out of their cars. There is broken glass in EVERY parking lot in Aurora, I’ve replaced 3 tires in 18 months. Drunken high school kids were throwing rocks at cars the other day. Aurora needs to clean up the people trash first.
Drunken high school kids do that type of thing everywhere, and you must frequent different parking lots than me.
Unless all you people live in the far northern armpit of Aurora you are just whiners. I’ve lived across the metro area and most of Aurora is really no worse.
Not so…. Take a drive down Sable…. Looks like Beirut.
Cops won’t go in Sable Cove apts without there’s least three of them, and preferably a fourth to stay with the cars.
‘pride’? Not the word that comes to mind for folks who throw their ‘eaten, drive-thru, fast food’ out of their car windows. Trash, iIN and out of the vehicle.
I suggest you all move out, and stay out, of Aurora!! There are other places in the Metro area where you don’t have to feel all superior to those minority folks living, working, and raising families in Aurora. And you won’t get all icky rubbing elbows with us undesirables. Bu-bye. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out!
Wait… Are you saying only minorities working a day raising children litter?
Did you just equate litter with minorities despite the fact no one mentioned race?
Thanks for the little peek inside your mind.
Great letter Mr. Watson! News flash to all the losers out there. Just because you are poor or whatever does not mean you have to act like a lowlife. Be nice to people, pick up any trash you see, put your shopping cart back, and clean up your yard. It’s not hard to do the right thing.
Aurora needs to become business friendly. City is way too restrictive and its “Code Enforcement” has way too much power against easy targets.. small mom & pop businesses of Aurora. Reduce power of “Code Enforcement” or nannies, small mom & pop businesses will come back to Aurora and pay taxes.. then cleaning crews can be hired…
You are being sarcastic, aren’t you? I hope so. Mom and Pop shops are a thing of the past with all the regulations, statutes, and policies piled on from federal, state, county, city, and small enclaves within the city. And don’t fore the taxing structure, of all of those functions. Then minimum wage folks are demanding $15.00 an hour. And where are you going to get those minimum wage workers. Many of our teenagers grow up having everything done for them, and can’t even cook their own meals. Can tickle the keyboards or touch panels on electronic devices for games, texting, and tweeting. But run out of vocabulary after 140 digits.
I sometimes stop in Utah park to eat a car lunch. I have see the trash build up in the thickets and curbs all summer. Leaving Ruby Tuesdays to the west a stop sign has been missing to a busy street for two years, Molly Market is on a trip to Ethopia on our tax money. Never mind nothing here to see…
City council is the executive board, selected by the citizens. They do not manage the city. We pay a selected City Manager, and staff to do the actual managing. City council vote on the statutes under which the managers operate. Anyone who had gripe with a council member, can become one by throwing their hat into the voting frenzy that goes on. I have sat in on those through the years, and as I joked with Mayor Paul Tauer, about earlier Mayor, I asked: “Paul, have you ever carried a weapon to council meetings”? He laughed, “No, but had thought about it”. By then, Ed Tauer was Mayor, and now Steve Hogan is. But they do not have direct management duties or control of city employees.
That is why there is some dissension on council, of stuff not getting done, and of course council meetings can get rowdy at times, with some of the folks who go there to address the council. Not my rice bowl, as Chinese would say.
How glad I am to have been raised in a household speaking multiple languages, eating multiple different types of cuisine, and interacting with all different types of folks. Otherwise, I might make some of the same assumptions about people different than me that I’m reading here. Aurora’s appeal comes from the incredible diversity that we have in our community. Lower income areas around the country suffer from “quality of life” issues, and there have been some creative public policy and community efforts to work together on them. Just think about New York during the 1980’s. Sorry old cranky folks. Ahora vivimos en un nuevo mundo, y se puede adaptar, o seguir quejando.
Then would you explain to me why our K12 school system in 28J has 130 countries, 130 languages used, and we need more school buildings. Have we become the educational center for the world. And with Common Core being used, the results are not pleasing, efficient, or economical. Realize I should understand that, but it appears I need more than !34 college hours, 26 years of military service, and managing complex, programs. I was also a Master Instructor, with fundamental instructor training at Lowry AFB in 1964, and later that year I was at Maxwell AFB, Alabama for Advanced Instructor training in Computerized, Television training methods. There we had top educators (one had two PhD degrees) and while in course, we taught practice lessons. One I gave, was held at Maxwell, and went into their Library of Videos, to be used all over the Air Force in Commander Calls. But I don’t understand 130 languages, among about 40,000 students. How did we become the dumping ground for people?
It sounds like you’ve had a long professional career in the area, and my students at Pickens Technical College could have certainly benefited from someone with your areas of technical expertise in computers and system management. In terms of why Aurora -and therefore our public schools- has such a diverse populace, that has a lot more to do with housing policies in Denver and local rehousing policies. In terms of whether you view that as a “dumping ground” or as a community strength, I suppose that depends on how you define a “dumping ground.” Whether you’re talking about the usual quality of life proxies like crime, income levels, Aurora definitely beats out some of our neighbors. Does that diversity of life experiences make it challenging to provide all of our students with a quality public education? Absolutely. As a teacher who hears a lot of criticism of Common Core, I’ve found the vast majority of people have never read the specific guidelines, much less used them in planning. They emphasize critical thinking skill sets, much like the ones you talk about in computer and complex systems management. It’s become a political tool for railing against government control of schools.” Maybe you’re different, and if that’s the case I’ll certainly weigh this opinion more favorably. There are a lot of issues in APS, but in my classroom teaching experience Common Core has been a helpful measuring tool, and it’s the least of our worries. In any event, I’m always glad to hear people concerned about our public schools, and I’d encourage you to get involved with volunteering or mentoring programs
After I retired in 1976, I attended classes at Aurora Pickens, maintained the VA military veteran records for school, paid by VA through the school. Also worked with registration of students, and after instructor had failed at reworking the locks on classrooms and buildings, I took on that task, working my hours between classes, or as needed. At that time teachers (I call them instructors) since if student does not want to learn, no one can teach them anything. Also added to my own skills, or built a record of what I could already do, or had done. Such as taking algebra class, after I had taught algebra, trigonometry, and some calculus in Electronic Courses in military (avionics and satellite communications). But I had nothing that showed that. And the Instructor had bankrupted a business he inherited from his grandfather, and really knew algebra. BUT HAD ATTITUDE to where I recommended he never appear in any classroom ever, until he changed his language, attitude, and way of teaching. (We all wanted the course, and was paying for it (evenings 2 hours, 2 nights each week at Pickens. Started class with about 40 students, and in 2 weeks, we had dropped to about 10. (all of his word problems was mixing illegal drugs – street language- at different prices, and reaching a sales price for the product). Not exactly what our futures were to be.
And in computer- accounting, the instructor tried to spend more time telling us how Social Security was not going to be there for him, and what a Ponzi scheme is was. Did not take me long to clue him in ( in civil terms) that I was now on SS at age 62, and had paid into it since 1965, when military started paying. We were given credit for time between 1956 since government had not taken from us before, due to cold war, and low pay. (Cold war started 1955, with no promotions, no increase in pay, and long separations from family. (I served 1950 to 1976) through many skills, personnel, administration, security, intelligence, supply, avionics, INSTRUCTOR – TO MASTER INSTRUCTOR- Taught Greeks, Turks, Canadians, Air National Guard, and Regular Air Force technicians-mechanics. Satellite Communications 1970 to 1976, managing, installing, closing units, and teaching through out. During that time at Pickens and Aurora Community College, with all the courses taken during active service, I attained 134 college credit hours, not all in one discipline. Briefed others my entire 26 years 18 days, after attending a course at Lowry AFB in 1951, and taught the class when our Instructor (AF MSgt had just come off Recruiting Duty, was handed a book (new) of change of Army Air Corps specialty codes for career fields and jobs, to Air Force Specialty Codes. (I had been doing that as clerk from Nov 50 to about June 51. When he talked to me, I had been promoted from private through grades to Sergeant) and he stated: “You will teach the class, and me”, which I did. Also met young lady, who became my wife in 1952, having completed Junior year HS at East High School. I registered her at Henderson HS, Nevada for Senior, year, then had to dis-enroll her when she was pregnant 3 months later. (Sen. Harry Reid was Freshman at Henderson HS that year, though she did not know him.)
Carol Bublitz was Director over Accounting Courses at Pickens, and Don Ball was over Electronics. I also did some student teaching in air conditioning-refrigeration when Instructor took some students on house calls, and I taught the older students (veterans) on Microwave and Electric.
I have reviewed the Common Core, and find too much set on teaching activists and agenda. EX: Maryland HS K12 curricula for US History. Don’t know what text they teach from, but entire curricula is based on how Europeans came to US, stole the land and possessions from the Indians. And set (if used by lazy instructor) for each student to receive same subject, or item on certain day, for entire school system. I ALWAYS TAUGHT WITHIN THE CURRICULUM, TEXT, AND TO NEEDS OF MY STUDENTS. Some learn faster than others, some need instructions in different words where other students are helpful, and In military I taught to team effort. Work together in teams, discuss problems, because your life and others depend on accuracy. In avionics, F102A Delta Dagger Interceptor, crank one potentiometer just a tad off proper setting and in a lead-collision attack, plane will crash into the bomber pilot- and system- was supposed to have fired before, and missile is supposed to complete the attack and blow up the bomber. (We did not want to sacrifice a pilot and plane, to kill a nuclear bomber). So accuracy of test equipment, and setting to tech order specifications was important. No room for mistakes with certain equipment.
Yes, I was of help – and was civil- during my time, but at 86 now, I am caring for my own health, heart problems, breathing, bad knees, arthritis through whole body. I have outlived many of my peers, who are now deceased much younger than me.
And I don’t like Common Core, since some teachers are just that. They don’t use common sense, and teach by rote.
Have seen that my entire life, in every course or school, training situation I was involved with as student-mechanic-technician. And until discipline is introduced and enforced back into schools, I don’t see future being better. Not paranoid. Just pragmatic. Been there, and done that, and have had this discussion with many over the years.
Every child does not need a college degree. And that was too common in the 70s and 80s. Schools taught to tests then, to force feed to colleges. We need to train our own, and quit importing vocational workers from other countries. 28J District brags of 130 countries, 130 languages used in K12, for 40,000 (?) students. Who can assure each graduate of each class is ready to advance?
This is long, but you were civil, and I need to get my point across. when I taught Greeks and Turks at Perrin AFB, for a year, and managed the MAP program, the Turks had all gone through Lackland AFB, for English training and had to have a level of proficiency. Greeks all spoke English fluently. That was in1967-68, and USA sold F102A aircraft to Greece and Turkey at end of that training. These troops went back Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, and to Athens Air Base, where they taught their personnel so aircraft could be maintained. Pilots went through different training, just as George W. Bush did through Air National Guard, and Air Force training, then flew over 600 hours guarding our country from Russian Nuclear Bombers (TU95 Bear, and the Bison) of that era. We had Cuban crisis few years before that and Russia was not our friend then, or now.
Hey Frank, really appreciate you sharing some of your experiences and thoughts throughout the years. Quote a career. You touched on a lot of subjects and I’ll share my thoughts on several of them. I’ve found that most of the older learners in my college courses bring a breadth of life experience and seriousness to their studies that benefits everyone in the class. Being a student advocate for more quality teachers is also hugely important, and I’m glad there are folks like you to push teachers from resting too much on their laurels. There is a huge issue with attracting and retaining effective teachers, I agree. We’ve all had those terrible teachers.
I can’t speak to Maryland standards, but as a US History teacher here are the ones for Colorado. It doesn’t allow teachers to “teach by rote,” since there’s no curriculum to speak of, only concepts and skills:
1. The historical method of inquiry to ask questions, evaluate primary and secondary sources, critically analyze and interpret data, and develop interpretations defended by evidence from a variety of primary and secondary sources
2. Analyze the key concepts of continuity and change, cause and effect, complexity, unity and diversity over time
3. The significance of ideas as powerful forces throughout history
With AP courses, yes, there’s content to be covered. Jefferson County schools just went through this . We may have to agree to disagree on this. I see the teaching of non-dominant narratives (such as the inadvertent genocide of native peoples) alongside traditional euro-centric curriculum as crucial. I want my students to see more than two sides of every issue, and realize that everyone has an agenda.
It also sounds like you’ve worked with folks from all over the world in your career. I can understand being concerned for your grandson; I’d feel the same way. I’m hopeful, though. Looking back through history different cultures have never come together without some bumps and bruises. Aurora being one of the most diverse communities in Colorado, we shouldn’t expect that to be different at first. I think we can assume that everyone living here wants the best for their children, and assuming that positive intent keep moving forward.
Now I can agree with what you have. That is not what I saw with the curricula I found on net. I printed it and still have it on my computer. Every item was to research and find how land and possessions had been taken. And that is why I see folks having problem with Trump about eminent domain. Most of that seen in my experience was hold-out for more money, after neighbors had sold, and they had stranglehold on last 2 or 3 parcels.
I do grant many older folks have emotional cling to property. My father did to farm (112 acres) in Ohio. Thought of splitting it into 5 parcels for 5 children. But all of us had own property, and none wanted to live there after we married and lived our lives. I have emotional ties, and visit that area just to see it, when I visited Ohio. Can’t now. Dad died 1997, age 90, mother died in 1980 after 3 major strokes, last 2 within 24 hours. Still have a brother and sister in Ohio, and other nephews and nieces, but cannot travel there now.
But education has to be variable to each class, and needs of students in that class, as long as main standards and curricula are met. And I believe in a test at beginning of class, and one at end, to measure what has been learned. Other tests are determined by time between start and ending.
For Electronics Fundamentals, I had one I designed for class with 35 questions, where every answer was correct at some point, but only one of distractors was accurate, for the stem of question. Caused a lot of pencil erasers to be used, when some students who do not listen to instructions, catch on about 4 or 5 items, have to erase and start over. Even had a few cuss me out. But technicians destroy more electronic circuits by careless testing, then system will by operating.
I did not complete one thought I started earlier. On that key project, when I started every instructor at Pickens had a wire ring with about 4 lbs of keys. Had a key for each classroom, entrance door to buildings. When I completed I had a key box in each building with the 4 Directors each carrying a master key to those boxes. In those boxes was the keys for that building and its classrooms. The Instructors did not have keys to those boxes. Each instructor only had the keys to their own classrooms or other rooms they needed entrance to. I would go in and take a key wire from Instructor, and give them the keys they needed, with a clip to hold them. Usually 3 to 5 keys. Took all the other keys to the main Director, who arranged for them to be crushed, and salvaged.
Caused some confusion to students, who I would sit in class with, then they would see me do that in back of room, while they had other classes. Was funny how many questioned me of “are you a student, or employee”. And I was both. But it was interesting time before my health and age caught up to me. We had one disciplinary case of young fellow attacking other students, where I sat on committee to hear his statements, and the ones he attacked. His father was there too, but not as witness or vote. Just as parent of young man, disciplined by school.
I have not had connection to Pickens for some time now. So have no idea what happens there. Just know my grandson was threatened, and received death threats at Central few years ago, and I had experience of the gang activity on streets in my residential area. .
Wow, my letter about littering has stoked an asinine discussion about wealth disparity and race relations. What exactly does an individual’s race or income have to do with their ability to respect each other and have pride in their community? Is there a correlation? Aurora is proud of it’s diverse culture. Where is the evidence of such pride?
Yeah, I wrote the letter. No, I’m not retired. Yes, I am cranky. I am a young professional that grew up in Aurora, and have witnessed it slowly circle the drain. I want to live in a nice community that people take pride in. Not tolerate a trashed, selfish community that no one cares about.
The city spokeswoman responded to my letter in the Aurora Sentinel stating she simply “does not see” the issues described in the letter. What’s more distressing than Aurora city official’s lack of action on the issue, is their unwillingness to even recognize a problem. Can’t see it? Should we be alarmed that city officials are driving around our city with their eyes closed? Seems the city of Aurora has been brainwashed by it’s own marketing rhetoric, and has collectively agreed to pretend we aren’t the toilet of the front range.
Me too Matt. And I am retired, and very tired. Wife and I purchased our Aurora home in 1963, when I returned from Goose Bay, Labrador to teach at Lowry AFB. Aurora was clean little city on east side Yosemite, and it was fun to take the children to McDonalds and buy a bag of burgers for a dollar. 10 hamburgers, and 2 cheeseburgers, with normal condiments. Go to doughnut shop in Denver, near East High School (my wife attended there until we married in 1953) and that had been a favorite place for her, living in Denver.
But all that changed. When I think of diversity, I am not really thinking of race, color, or religion. Diversity in Denver Metro area is the coast city folks who moved here for the pot (last few years) and gambling before, or came here on vacation, and we had made this so attractive to them. So they brought their Democrat-Liberal-Progressive policies with them, because it was too expensive to live where they were. Mix California, Texas, NYC, NJ, Illinois, and some other states, and you have folks who moved here, and brought habits with them. Now are voting more spending, more borrowing, more spending, and it is getting as expensive here as everywhere else.
Yesterday I drove from Iliff to 6th Avenue on I-225. North bound side had trash bags of trash that had been thrown out of vehicle windows, about every 10 feet. And Construction crews had worked that siding of freeway not more than a month ago. But you see folks eating, combing hair, picking their nose, and with signs of 65 mph, vehicles traveling between 35 and 80 or 90, cutting and weaving in and around others. With the walls along there, that trash is not blowing in, but is habit of easy living folks, who are used to others cleaning up after them?
Not whining, just stating the facts. Anyone who wants to pick a fight with me, go look in your mirror first, and ask a question. Was he writing about ME???????? Yes, I am. I don’t smoke, drink, or throw stuff out the car window. Never have, and never will.