City of Thornton recognized for building a healthy community
THORNTON, CO – LiveWell Colorado has awarded Elite status to the city of Thornton for its commitment to building a healthy community by advancing healthy eating and active living (HEAL) policies that make Thornton a healthy place to live, work, and play. “We are honored to be recognized as a LiveWell Elite City,” said Acting City Manager Jeff Coder. “Our HEAL committee has been working hard and it is paying off.”
Since joining the LiveWell Colorado’s HEAL Cities & Towns Campaign in September 2013, the city of Thornton has:
- Partnered with Adams 12 School District to offer free recreation programs at schools providing free summer meals for kids from low-income families.
- Created city employee wellness policies.
- Built bike and pedestrian underpasses and trails. “A trail connection was constructed to link the Woodbridge Station Subdivision across a drainage way to provide safe pedestrian connection through the area and to the adjacent bus stop,” says Thornton Capital Projects and Planning Manager Diane Van Fossen.
- Adopted Station Area and Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Plans.
- Donated city land for a community garden.
The city has had a wellness program in place for a number of years and is currently looking to expand the program through the addition of a Wellness Coordinator position, which is currently being considered in the proposed 2018 Thornton Budget. This position is expected to help increase employee participation in the program, thereby increasing healthy habits and decreasing future health insurance costs for both employees and the city.
“Thornton is very proud of its Elite status in the HEAL Cities & Towns Campaign, and we recognize that we must continue our efforts to ensure access to healthy eating and active living for all our residents, particularly those most impacted by health disparities,” says Coder. “We look forward to working with LiveWell Colorado as we continue down a path to health for Thornton residents.”
To learn more about Thornton and its healthy living initiatives, visit www.cityofthornton.net.
