AURORA — The truck with “limpieza de drenajes,” or drain cleaners, emblazoned on it had barely even come to a stop on Dayton Street when several men started yelling “over here, over here” in Spanish.
One man ran across the street and promptly hopped into the cab of the truck. He had secured employment for the day.
The dangerous scene in the 1500 block of Dayton in Aurora has been playing out for the better part of a decade — day laborers hustling in and out of traffic to be chosen by an employer.
It’s also been something the city has struggled for years to address but now may finally have the answer, at least on a temporary basis. The city is discussing plans to purchase two lots on Dayton for a temporary site while it searches for a long-term solution.
The site would allow employers to gather day laborers off of the busy street just north of Colfax, where the Fletcher Station post office also is located.
“I can guarantee you someone is going to get killed” if we don’t move them off the street, said Aurora City Councilwoman Sally Mounier, who is spearheading the effort in her council district.
The proposal was forwarded at a recent committee meeting to a City Council executive session for consideration. If approved, the city would provide $200,000 to secure the lot or $400,000 for the two lots and an adjacent store, although negotiations could change that price.
“We have had contact with the owner,” Aurora City Manager Skip Noe said. “We’ve looked at a lot of options.”
The plan also calls for partnerships with El Centro Humanitario Para Los Trabajadores in Denver. The center would agree to raise money to operate a trailer for 30 months on the site, and Catholic Charities could also provide educational opportunities.
El Centro Humanitario Para Los Trabajadores has worked with the day laborers in the past, said executive director Marco Nuñez, providing assistance in reducing wage theft as well as promoting health and safety issues.
While nothing has been finalized, Nuñez said, he is committed to helping the day laborers in Aurora and elsewhere.
“These are hardworking folks who get up early in the morning to earn an honest day’s work,” he said.
The city for years has tried to identify property it might purchase for a permanent home for day laborers in Aurora. However, the day laborers have said they are reluctant to move to another location because the workers and employees already know about the Dayton site. Also, the site is conveniently just off Colfax, which provides easy access for employers to reach the day workers.
On Friday, Dave Cabrera and his father, Dagoberto, who are from San Pedro Sula in Honduras, were waiting along Dayton for work. Dave, 18, said he and his father have heard about plans for the city to provide a safe haven for day workers in the past and they hope this time it happens.
“It would be good but they’ve been addressing this for a long time,” the younger Cabrera said. “If they can work it out, then, yeah, that should be good.”
Mounier said the proposal is a win-win for Aurora. If they city should find a permanent site somewhere else, it can sell the site and have two parking lots in the heart of the Aurora Cultural Arts District, Mounier said.
Carlos Illescas: 303-954-1175, cillescas@denverpost.com or twitter.com/cillescasdp