There are amazing things going on all over our state, and I'm honored to be able to visit and support what makes Colorado special. As I hear from people all over the state, I am inspired by the positive spirit and optimism of Coloradans.

- Jared Polis

A Quick Look Back

NEW STATE PARK AT SWEETWATER LAKE

Last week I announced a partnership with Colorado Parks and Wildlife, U.S. Forest Service, and Eagle Valley Land Trust to create Colorado’s 43rd State Park at Sweetwater Lake. This will be the second State Park created under my administration, with Fishers Peak in Trinidad officially opening almost a year ago. Sweetwater Lake is simply gorgeous and has great potential for even more recreational opportunities, such as a campground.

This first of its kind partnership in Colorado to create a state park on U.S. Forest Service land, and we look forward to working with our partners and Coloradans with the ultimate goal of adding Sweetwater Lake to Colorado’s world-class state park system for fun, conservation, education, and to support job growth for the region.

We are now working to develop a long-term management plan to improve recreational facilities and maintain the unique character of the area, which is expected to be completed in 2022.

REINSURANCE ANNOUNCEMENT

I was so proud to announce that Colorado’s bipartisan reinsurance program will save families and individuals even more money on their health insurance next year while delivering quality care.

Coloradans in rural, suburban, and urban communities are tired of paying too much for health care and our reinsurance program delivers real relief and real savings for small businesses and people. The savings announced last week from Colorado’s reinsurance program have been a tremendous benefit to individuals, families, and businesses, with communities like Summit County seeing historically high levels of savings.

My administration continues taking bold steps forward to eliminate cost as a barrier to quality health insurance and services that all Coloradans need to thrive.

BOOSTER DOSE

Last week, I received my Moderna booster shot on the same day that it had been approved for the general public by the CDC. The data showed clearly and consistently that a third vaccine dose is necessary for stronger and lasting protection against COVID-19. It’s critical that Coloradans have more protection against this deadly virus. Our state’s data shows that we need to get our booster shots after six months.

My administration has been busy providing boosters to Coloradans living in nursing homes but with this approval, we are ready to booster all Coloradans six months past their 2nd dose. We are prepared to administer boosters to the more than 72% of eligible Coloradans who are fully immunized with this lifesaving vaccine. We will get out of this pandemic together using the safe and effective vaccine and now the fully FDA and CDC-approved booster as our tools.

ALTIUS URBAN FARMS

I visited Altius Urban Farms, the highest elevation, vertical aeroponic farm in the country and one of the largest, whose mission is to build stable and lasting farms that produce beautiful greens and produce, locally grown, year-round. The Denver flagship farm in particular offers periodic urban AG tours and special events in our outdoor garden.

As members of the Colorado Proud program, Altius takes pride in being able to grow their produce with patented, vertical aeroponics which uses only 10% of the land, 5% of the water and delivers 10 times the yield per harvest, harvesting every 25-30 days.

Urban farming helps to build a connection between people and food and farms like Altius hel strengthen that connection every day.

SUMMIT COUNTY SMART CO-RESPONDER PROGRAM

I met with the Summit County Sheriff’s Office to discuss their successful System-Wide Mental Assessment Response (SMART) co-responder program. The goal of the program is to de-escalate situations that have historically resulted in arrest or hospitalization and to assess whether the person should be referred for local treatment services or a higher level of care.

The SMART program is designed to address the unique mental health needs of the community. It provides a wide variety of specialized skills, services, and response capabilities reflecting the intersection of Summit County's diverse community and its relationship to mental health. I am proud of Summit County’s leadership in addressing its residents' needs while making the community a safer, healthier place.

ALL KIDS BIKE

I visited Castro Elementary School in Denver to celebrate the “All Kids Bike” program. The “All Kids Bike” program is a national movement supported by myself and the Strider Education Foundation with the goal of giving every kindergartner in the U.S. the opportunity to learn to ride a bike as part of their P.E. program.

I am proud to say that every school who participates in the program, such as Castro Elementary, will receive a curriculum, a fleet of bikes, helmets, and pedal kits. This program is strictly donor-funded with little or no cost to participating schools. Specifically, the Castro Elementary program was funded by Bicycle Colorado, the City and County of Denver, Trust for Public Land, and the Community Active Living Coalition within the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure.

WE GROW STRONGER WHEN WE GROW TOGETHER.

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