Aurora’s all-American waste of money

Stop the presses — Aurora’s one of the 17 finalists for the National Civic League’s annual All-American City competition.

Watch out, Marana, Ariz. and Gladstone, Mo., one of those 10 prizes is ours!

And the cost for this whole endeavor is only $35,000.

Really? This is the best thing the Visitors Promotion and Advisory Board could do with that money?

According to a story we published last week, organizers say that the VPAB’s mission is to promote tourism and improve the city’s image.

I don’t see how winning some award that would officially declare our city as “All-American” would help either cause.

It’s like trying to renovate that decrepit windmill on Colfax — it makes no sense.

I doubt winning this award would raise much awareness for Aurora. An All-American distinction isn’t something I look for when I plan trips.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for pride in one’s community. As someone who’s lived in Aurora for nearly his entire life — minus my first two in Denver — I’ve enjoyed watching my hometown grow from a small suburb to the city it is today. I love being emersed in rich, diverse cultures and communities. I love how the old Fitz area is growing with the arrival of the Anschutz Medical Center.

But I also know that our city has many problems in it, such as Aurora Public Schools’ 61 percent graduation rate. There’s something wrong when nearly two out of every five students don’t graduate.

Listen, VPAB, I know that you all are trying to promote our city and encourage others to come visit it, but this competition isn’t the way to do it.

There are far better ways to spend that money. And update the website — it’s been more than a year since “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” appeared in the Aurora Fox Arts Center. Promote new attractions such as the Shadow Theatre and older ones such as the Plains Conservation Center and Star K Ranch.

These are small measures, but will help move us away from the old saying of the best thing to do in Aurora is go to Denver.