To: Board of County Commissioners
Through: Gini Pingenot, Director, Open Spaces
Prepared By:
prepared
CSU Staff, Open Spaces Department
end
presenter
Presenter: Kerri Rollins, Regional Director, and staff of Colorado State University Extension
end
Subject:
title
2:00 PM *2026 Extension Program Highlights and 2027 Community Needs Assessment Planning
end
Purpose and Request:
recommended action
CSU Extension staff will present an informational review of 2025-26 programmatic highlights as a recap of existing Extension programs in Arapahoe County. The Extension Regional Director will provide an overview of the 2026-27 Community Needs Assessment process and findings to date and will seek the board’s feedback/reactions to those findings as well as guidance with community conversations and planning.
end
Alignment with Strategic Plan: Good Governance - Understand and respond to community needs, interests, and values.
Background and Discussion: For over 100 years, Colorado State University Extension has partnered with Arapahoe County to provide research-based educational resources and expertise to all community members. Current signature programs offered in Arapahoe County Extension include Colorado Master Gardener, 4-H Positive Youth Development, Food Preservation & Safety, Cottage Food certificate training and Expanded Food & Nutrition Program (EFNEP). Staff consist of a hybrid of CSU and County employees, including five CSU staff (which includes an EFNEP bilingual peer educator that is fully grant funded) and six county staff.
Staff will provide an update to Commissioner’s on programmatic highlights and accomplishments for CSU Extension. Attached is a copy specific metrics used for CSU Extension. Numbers may vary from those in the presentation based due to differing reporting requirements. Staff will also look ahead into 2027 and beyond via the CSU Statewide Community Needs Assessment and present the 3-phase data collection efforts underway and share initial results.
A short series of questions are provided to drive discussion and Commissioner feedback. These questions include:
What? What does or doesn't resonate with what you're seeing or hearing within Arapahoe County? What is missing or confusing - how would you recommend we learn more?
Wonder? What raises questions for you or deserves deeper exploration? What's contributing to this? What local conditions might explain differences within topic areas?
Who? Who seems most affected? Whose experiences or perspectives may not be visible in region-wide averages? Who will be especially important for us to hear from?
Alternatives: N/A
Fiscal Impact: There are no current fiscal requests or impacts to review as they relate to this study session. The Board will learn about community impacts of current staff, including the newest bilingual educator position that was funded and filled earlier this year.
Alignment with Strategic Implementation Strategies: NA
Staff Recommendation: No staff recommendations are put forward at this time
Concurrence: NA