Montrose Attains LiveWell Colorado’s HEAL Cities & Towns Campaign Elite Status
LiveWell Colorado is proud to award the Elite Status City recognition to the City of Montrose. The city achieves this milestone recognition from LiveWell’s HEAL Cities & Towns Campaign for adopting five healthy eating and active living policies that help make it a healthy place to live, work, and play.
“We are honored to be recognized as a LiveWell Elite City,” says Virgil Turner, Director of Innovation and Citizen Engagement for the City of Montrose. “The support we’ve received from LiveWell’s HEAL Cities & Towns Campaign—including a recent active transportation analysis—has helped departments in the city work better together on efforts to build a healthier community for all residents.”
“Montrose has demonstrated a serious commitment to building a healthier community,” said Julie George, LiveWell Colorado’s director of the HEAL Cities & Towns Campaign. “The city has made significant policy changes and infrastructure investments that help improve safe access to biking, walking, recreation, healthy food, and healthy workplaces in the community.”
There are four levels of the LiveWell Colorado HEAL Cities & Towns Campaign: Eager, Active, Fit and Elite. In order to qualify for Elite status, a city must have adopted at least five healthy eating and active living (HEAL) policies.
The following are just a few of the policies, programs and practices the City of Montrose has adopted since joining the HEAL Cities & Towns Campaign in April of 2015:
- In May 2015, the City of Montrose opened the Niagara Community Garden. Forty-six garden plots are available in a variety of sizes for growing fruits, vegetables, herbs, or flowers.
- In September 2015, the Visit Montrose staff developed the Garden Loop Bicycle Trail and published a guide which encourages active transportation options. Bicycles are also available to visitors to use for free at the Visitor Center.
- The 2016 Capital Improvement Budget (Resolution 201522, adopted Nov. 17, 2015) included:
- Middle Trail LED lighting installation from S. 9th to S. 12th Street
- Woodgate Road Improvement (improved access to Montrose Community Recreation Center) $1.2M, included sidewalks, bike paths.
- Pomona/Columbine Safe Routes to Schools Project – $250K provided safer pedestrian access to two schools.
- Hillcrest/Sunnyside Intersection Improvement Project – $500k ($800k actual cost) provided great safety improvements for bicycle and pedestrians at a very busy intersection.
- The 2017 Capital Improvement Budget (Resolution 201622, adopted Nov. 15, 2016) included:
- Parks Infrastructure Improvements at Rotary, Fox Park, Taviwach, Riverbottom and Buckhorn Lakes; Design work for Cerise Park Amphitheatre, as well as Middle Trail, Sunset Mesa and Pump House Improvements – $160k
- Northside Elementary Sidewalk Improvement Project $175k
- Since the spring of 2015 the City of Montrose has installed indoor water bottle filling stations in the Elks Civic Building, City Hall, Black Canyon Golf Course and Public Works.
To learn more about Montrose and their healthy living initiatives, visit www.cityofmontrose.org.
About LiveWell Colorado
LiveWell Colorado is a statewide nonprofit organization that increases access to healthy eating and active living by removing barriers that inequitably and disproportionately affect low-income communities and people of color. For more information, visit livewellcolorado.org.
About the HEAL Cities & Towns Campaign
The HEAL Cities & Towns Campaign is a partnership between LiveWell Colorado, the Colorado Municipal League, and founding funder Kaiser Permanente. The Campaign provides free training and technical assistance to help municipal leaders adopt policies in three primary areas: active community, healthy food access, and healthy workplace. For more information, please visit livewellcolorado.org/healcampaign.
