AURORA, Colo. — Volunteers and a nonprofit are giving Aurora Fire Rescue stations a fresh new look, repainting community rooms and making them more inviting and kicking off a series of service projects in celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
The effort aims to create brighter, more welcoming spaces for both firefighters and residents who use the rooms for meetings, training, and community gatherings.
On Friday, volunteers gathered at Aurora Fire Rescue Station 11 to prep the building's community room for a makeover. The effort is part of the city's partnership with the Walls Project, a nonprofit focused on beautifying public spaces and making them more accessible for community use.
“This is MLK Fest, and it’s a part of our reactivate program,” said Missy Berglund, project coordinator for The Walls Project. “We look to the community to tell us what the needs are within the community, and just seek to make spaces feel welcoming and safe and supportive.”
Berglund said fire station community rooms are often affordable meeting spaces for local groups.
“It’s $18 for a four-hour time period, and there’s nothing comparable to that where you can find spaces to meet,” she said. “One of the barriers to community organizing is often having accessible spaces that people can meet in.”
With fresh paint and brighter colors planned, Berglund hopes the rooms will feel “consistent, bright, lively” and beneficial not just for community members, but for firefighters themselves.
“They show up for us all the time, but for us to show up for them and give back to them, because they use this room too,” she said.
For Aurora Fire Rescue, the upgrades are a welcome improvement. Firefighter and community educator Juan Carlos Moscoso said these rooms are used extensively for training and public events.
“Well, the huge benefit is to have a clean, nice environment that we can use continuously,” Moscoso said. “It gives it a different feel, right? When you come in and it’s brightened up, it’s nice, you know, it’s not old and dusty.”
Moscoso emphasized that the stations belong to the public.
“As far as I’m concerned, it all belongs to the city and to the citizens. So, you know, it’s pretty awesome to see that. I appreciate that. I think we all do.”
Among the volunteers was 14-year-old Shyloh Altman, whose father has been a firefighter in Aurora for several years.
“I like being active. I like being helpful and doing things on my hands, and this just seemed like the perfect opportunity,” Altman said.
The painting will continue Saturday, with Berglund encouraging residents to stop by and show their appreciation.
“Come say thank you to our firefighters for keeping us safe,” she said. “That’s everything that MLK hoped for in our community — building community — and we have to do that together.”
Pre-registration is required for Saturday's painting session and can be found on the City of Aurora's volunteer portal website.
