Fort Collins used to be the leader in retail and dining in Northern Colorado. Now all of the neighboring communities that once depended on the opening of new stores and restaurants are developing their own shopping and dining areas, leaving Fort Collins a bit emptier.

Residents are now asking questions. What is going to happen to the Foothills Fashion Mall? How about the empty lot where Wal-Mart once was? These questions and more go unanswered to many anxious to see South College get it breath of life back into the Fort Collins community.

Currently there is approximately 655,000 square feet of empty retail on College Avenue alone. It is in line and ready for revitalization and attention of developers and investors. The Midtown Commercial Corridor Study, by ELS, Economic & Planning Systems, and Warren W. Wilson will be hosting and evaluating the challenges and issues regarding South College not to mention provide strategic direction for the City and community.

If you are one of those who would be interested in putting in their two cents concerning this topic, or if you just are interested in overseeing the process as to what will happen to South College, you are in luck. There is a public meeting being held regarding this matter today, Wednesday, March 10^th  from 5-7 pm at the  Fort Collins Marriott (350 E Horsetooth Road). If this topic is something of interest to you, make sure to attend! These meetings make communities truly what they are—a collaboration. There will be much to discuss and to learn so bring your notebook and save your voice.

Today is the opening day for Soapstone Prairie Natural Area and Red Mountain Open Space, located in Larimer County. This natural area first opened last year and now is ready for hikers, horseback riders and outdoor enthusiasts to come and enjoy its’ beauty and activities.

Even though Northern Colorado has been experiencing some snow, there are still trails open and areas to experience just make sure you dress warm. Zoe Whyman, spokeswoman for Fort Collins Natural Areas says there is some snow and ice covering areas and that some trails could be closed because of the winter conditions, but not because there’s snow on the ground.

If your deciding what to do this week and/or weekend, consider visiting the 18,728-acre Soapstone Prairie, owned and operated by the city of Fort Collins, and 15,000-acre Red Mountain Open Space. This is the first time the prairie has been opened in March, so take advantage of the early opening and spend some time with Mother Nature!

More about Soapstone Prairie

Soapstone Prairie Natural Area is an integral piece of the Laramie Foothills Mountains to Plains Project, a partnered conservation effort to create a corridor of protected lands, linking the mountains to the plains. These lands are home to many species of wildlife, such as pronghorn, elk, swift fox, burrowing owls and golden eagles, and rare and threatened plants. Funding for Laramie Foothills Mountains to Plains properties came from Fort Collins and Larimer County dedicated open space sales taxes, Great Outdoors Colorado, The Nature Conservancy, Legacy Land Trust and private landowners.

As most of you know, we are in the process of moving ourselves! We wanted to keep you posted with our move! As of March 1, we will be open for business at 1730 E. Prospect St. Fort Collins (that’s the Waterpik building).  We will be occupying a large portion of their warehouse and our office entrance will be on the west side of the building. 
 
We’re making this move for many reasons, but what we are most excited about is:
 
24 hour live security and video surveillance
All paved parking and outside storage area
Easier access to I-25
Easier access into and out of the facility – from all directions.
Cleaner, brighter, well maintained and newer facility
 
The security is a big plus for our storage clients – not to say they haven’t been secure in the past, but this is definitely a step up!  The pavement is huge for us – dealing with semi tractors and trailers in mud and snow is not fun – especially when it’s below zero outside!  
 

Moving across Fort Collins, within Colorado, or across the country? This is a huge event for the entire family! Residential moves are many times associated with a job change, marriage or divorce, a family death, a new home purchase, or a new addition to the family. Along with the event that may be the initial reasoning for the move, the family is also dealing with the numerous life changes a relocation brings, all at once.

For children, the effects of a move can be even more strenuous. While some children may see the change as an exciting new opportunity, others may not. A new bedroom, new neighborhood, new school, new friends, new bus ride, new schedule, new teachers, new coaches… everything is new at once. All this “new” means transition and the unknown for children that are accustomed to their current routine. As parents, there are ways to make this less scary and an smoother process for everyone involved.

An article on www.About.com discusses strategies for reducing stress, anxiety, and making a family move an easier experience. Here is a list of 6 steps for easing the transition for children during a move:

Involve children in the move as early and as much as possible.

Try to maintain daily routines.

Be patient with children and empathize with their feelings.

Help children make new friends and get them involved in their new communities.

Visit new schools to see if orientation programs are available for newcomers.

Look for warning signs of children not adjusting well.

How do you know if the mover you hire is using professional move teams?

1. ASK! Are all of your move crew employees of your company? Are they on your payroll?

Unlike other movers who will bring on temporary contract labor, we put workers on our payroll. We know exactly who we have on our team and what their character is.

2. Have the movers been through training programs?

Once hired, our staff receives extensive technical and customer care training as well as a personal orientation by our  CEO, Kris Boesch.

3. What screening process is used for hiring?

Here at Exodus, each employee undergoes a background check, drug testing, an in-depth interview and a reference check.

4. Is the company properly licensed?

We’re nationally certified. We’ve been recognized as a great mover by national organizations, like AMSA, the American Moving & Storage Association, which sets the standard for qualified movers. We’re one of two Colorado moving companies, and just 100 nationally, to be an AMSA “Certified Mover.”

5.  Is the company an accredited Better Business Bureau member?

We’re also approved by the Mountain States Better Business Bureau and are registered with the Department of Transportation. The DOT sees that we’re adequately insured and that we regularly meet transportation safety requirements. Plus we meet the exacting standards of the Public Utilities Commission (PUC). In other words, you needn’t take our word for it: we’re certifiably trustworthy.

We think, actually, we know that we have one of the best moving teams in Colorado. Fort Collins, Longmont, Loveland, Greeley, Windsor …our employees come from all around the Northern Colorado area and care about the neighbors they are moving in and out. Meet the Exodus Moving staff, whose aim is to make your move worry-free!

At Exodus, we are locally owned and locally involved. We support and work with many local businesses and know the importance of supporting people right in our own backyard.

Even though we help people relocate from all over the world; whether they are moving to Northern Colorado or not, we still put a heavy focus on being involved with local non-profits, going to events and festivals, and promoting the businesses and charities we work with.

A way that you can get your business or office involved is through BALLE - Business Alliance for Local Living Economies, which is a national organization whose mission is to catalyze, strengthen, and connect local business networks dedicated to building strong Local Living Economies. BALLE has over 70 active networks across the US and Canada. To learn more visit http://livingeconomies.org

Another great way is just by riding your bike down the street and shopping at the farmers market, buying your clothes from a local retailer and having dinner at a community restaurant. Supporting the business down the street builds our local economies, which is vital to overcoming the economic downturn. The small mom and pop shops are closing faster than you can imagine because they cannot compete with the big box stores. Try to think of alternatives within your community to support businesses that are locally owned and operated.

There is no doubt that December is one of the busiest months of the year. We love being busy, in fact, we wanted to share with you some things we are excited about.

We assisted Realities for Children on their annual Bikes for Tykes event this year by providing trailers and assisting them in picking up bikes for donors here in Fort Collins. We were so pleased to receive a large thank you poster with wonderful thank you messages all over it from some of the kids who received bikes. We are also excited about our donation move for a Habitat for Humanity family.

We also just completed a complicated large move from Windsor, CO to Texas. It was 25,000lbs of household goods including a pool table that had to be crated. We delivered them on a Sunday so they would not have to miss any work and delivered the entire highly insured load with no damage. Also, we recently assisted Lee Cord (A Group Realtor) and the Larimer Chorale with the receiving, delivery and storage of their new risers. We received a nice card from Lee Cord where he stated, “You have solved a problem for the Larimer Chorale, and you made the purchase of the riders possible for us, thanks again, we will continue to refer customers to Exodus”.

As you can see, December was a busy month for us! We look forward to a busy and successful 2010 and hope to do business with you!

More and more people are finding the need to have extra storage space, more than their homes or garage space can provide. There are different kinds of storage units that are offered but climate controlled storage units have many perks and advantages that make it well worth any extra costs. When you do become interested in receiving information on climate controlled storage units, make sure you are aware of what is considered the moving companies regulations of climate control and exactly what that means for your belongings. One of the advantages of climate controlled storage units is its resistance to harsh weather. Rain and snow cannot penetrate the roof and they are built above sea level.

Here at Exodus, we load weatherproof containers at your location and then they are kept in our secured and monitored storage lot, located directly behind our warehouse. We store them with us until you are ready for delivery. Even though our beautiful state of Colorado experiences extreme weather conditions, don’t be too surprised to know that there is a lack of climate controlled storage options from most movers in Northern Colorado. However, here as Exodus, we offer three options for clean, safe and secure storage: Climate Controlled Vaults; 20’ Ocean Containers; and 48’ Trailers. Any combination of these three types of storage containers can be used to meet your needs. So whether you are located in Loveland, Windsor, Greeley, Boulder, Wellington or Fort Collins, and no matter what your situation,  can find an appropriate storage solution for you.