By Rudy Hemmann

The Surveyor

Colleen Cutshaw, a lifelong resident of the Tucson, Arizona area who recently moved to Loveland has been selected to be Berthoud’s first Public Information Officer (PIO). She stated that after applying for the position she spent time in Berthoud interacting with and observing the residents of the town.

She stated that she was impressed with how genuinely happy and helpful the residents of the town were, and the more she saw the more she wanted to become a part of it.

“I take the long way to work so that every day I can look at the Front Range,” said Cutshaw, “I could never get tired of that (view).”

She stated that she and her husband are avid outdoor people. “If there is something outdoors count me in,” she said.

She indicated her primary task at this juncture is to come up with a communication plan for the town., by finding out what it is that the town residents want to know, or what they need to know.

With the dog park nearing completion Cutshaw stated town staff is looking forward to making the opening a fun event. She indicated they are considering inviting food trucks, inviting someone who has dogs that do agility circuits give demonstrations, and have humane society representatives present. She reported the date for the event has been set for Saturday, March 28.

Cutshaw stated her background is in marketing and communications. She admitted to not having a lot of experience working with municipalities, but she is strong on the communications side.

As she worked her way through the interview process, she remembered thinking to herself, “I not only want to work for this town, I want to work for those guys. It was totally unexpected for me to find such  smart,  forward-thinking, strategic thinking people in such a small town.”

Town Administrator Chris Kirk stated, “We are excited to have someone with Colleen’s background and expertise on our team.  Our No. 1 goal in bringing her aboard is to improve the quality of our communication with the residents of Berthoud.  She will be overseeing our traditional and electronic media outreach, supporting internal communication improvements, enhancing our printed communications materials, and supporting town events, among other things.”