Left to right: Commander Patrick Shaker, Aurora Deputy City Manger Laura Perry, Aurora City Council Ward I Gianina Horton

Residents of northwest Aurora filled a room at the Moorhead Rec Center Thursday night. Some with notebooks in hand and questions ready, they were there to hear from new city council member Gianina Horton in her first Ward I public meeting since her election last November.

“This is my first time meeting many of you, and I’m really excited to get to work right making sure that Ward I is well represented, well advocated for, and (working for) all the things that we need and want and desire.” Horton told the crowd.

Ninety-plus minutes later, some attendees were still holding on to their questions, telling Horton, after the meeting, they didn’t have a chance to be heard because presentations took up most of the time. Her promise was to allow for more time for questions in the February meeting.

Those presentations focused on the new Aurora Downtown Development Authority and the use of drones by the Aurora Police Department.

The process of forming the Aurora DDA board is underway and residents were invited to apply by Aurora Deputy City Manager Laura Perry.

Perry said that no action can be taken by or on behalf of the DDA until a board is appointed and a plan of development is approved by the Aurora City Council and the new DDA board.

There are restrictions on who can apply for the board. It’s only open to people who live in, own a business in, or work in the boundaries of the district, which stretches along Colfax from Yosemite Street on the western end, East 16th Avenue to the north, the Fitzsimons Urban Renewal Area to the east, and East 14th Avenue to the south. For information about the board and to submit an application, visit  AuroraGov.org/DDABoard.

The DDA presentation was followed by a conversation about the use of drones by Aurora Police for tactical support and searches. Commander Patrick Shaker, who oversees the Drone as First Responder Program, said the drones are “shaving off minutes” in response time by officers.

In the future, he said, there will be six drone platform sites throughout the city, covering 70% to 80% of the city. Currently, one of the platforms is along Colfax Avenue and is being used to help patrol the area. A video shown by Shaker featured the arrest of a car theft suspect using the drone overhead.

But residents at the meeting had questions about privacy and how the drones would be used. Shaker said drone video is kept for 90 days unless needed in a criminal case. More information can be found at tinyurl.com/FPAuroraPDInfo.

Retail strategy and a small business development center are on the agenda for the next Ward I meeting on Feb. 26. at Moorehead. The idea, Horton said, is to “encourage area business and to support small businesses.”

Both Horton and at large council member Alli Jackson both live in Ward I, which includes the Aurora part of Central Park, Original Aurora, University of Colorado Anschutz, and the Aurora Cultural Arts District. They shared contact information and encouraged resident to reach out with questions: ghorton@auroragov.org and ajackso@auroragov.org.

Front Porch photos by Linda Kotsaftis