GRAND JUNCTION, Colo (KREX) - On Tuesday at Gelato Junction, residents gathered for a monthly coffee meeting with the city manager.
Residents expressed their concerns regarding red light cameras, speed limit areas and various other issues.
Interim City Manager Andrea Phillips states, "We heard that from several individuals. There's quite a bit of activity in terms of bicyclists, vehicles, and pedestrian traffic and so the city is trying to tackle this issue by looking at those high accident intersections and corridors and trying to find ways that we can make it safer for everyone."
Phillips, alongside Police Chief Matt Smith, sat down with community members, listened and emphasized the importance of having that connection.
"I love it because it's a direct line of communication with the residents and we need to hear from them in person. Because we get a lot of information from them at public meetings, interactions with city council email correspondence," Phillips said.
"I think it's healthy and I do think that it's important that we have dialogue and then we go back and forth and then they can express their concerns. We can talk about maybe some of our response and then sometimes, you know, there's concerns that they bring up that we haven't addressed," said Smith.
One local mom, Adria Graven, shows her son Jack why it is important to be exposed to the community at a young age.
"I like to get him involved in the community while he's young. Well, it's not as intimidating as I think," Adria states.
"It was cool meeting the chief of police and the city manager," Adria's son, Jack Graven, said of the meeting.
Adria states, "He was the youngest person here and it's not a mixed bag. More older people come in, so having representation for all sorts of ages curled comb. I think people need to come out and do these things."
Regardless of your demographic, there is always someone willing to listen to your concerns for the community.