OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Castle Rock Town Council Meeting Summary - August 15, 2023

Town Council — Tuesday, August 15, 2023
BodyCastle Rock, Colorado
SessionTown Council
DateTuesday, August 15, 2023
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 4:02:44

Transcript — Verbatim
0:30

Good evening.

0:31

We'll open tonight with a prayer by by Pastor David Love.

0:42

Well, let's pray.

0:45

Father, I want to thank you so much.

0:47

Um for the town council for this town, for everybody that serves you and especially the town council that serves in the capacity that they do.

0:57

Lord, we know what your word tells us.

0:59

Your word tells us that how pleasant it is when your brethren dwell in unity.

1:04

And so, Father, I know that we all love children here tonight.

1:09

We all love kids.

1:11

We all know that for one, that uh you're not mad at anybody, that you sent your son to die for everyone.

1:17

And so you love everybody here.

1:19

And so, Lord, I do want to pray that you would lead and guide and just show us a way that we could be unified as a town in the way that you have called us to be a light and a witness.

1:29

And so, Father, I do pray for that.

1:31

And I do pray for every single council member that when they go home tonight, um, that you just bless their families.

1:37

I pray that they can enjoy the rest of this week.

1:39

And uh, Lord, that you just bless abundantly above all that we ask or think.

1:43

I am very, very thankful for them.

1:45

And I just ask once again that you just lead us and guide us in wisdom for all the decisions that need to be made here in this town.

1:52

And we ask this in Jesus' name.

1:54

Amen.

1:57

Thank you, David.

1:58

Um, this meeting is held in a connected meeting in accordance with town council electronic participant participation, connected and hybrid hybrid meeting policy, also town clerk for a roll call.

2:10

Councilmember Hollingshead.

2:11

Here, Councilmember Katie.

2:12

Yes.

2:13

Councilmember LaFleur.

2:14

Here.

2:14

Councilmember Brooks.

2:16

Councilmember Deeds.

2:17

Here.

2:17

Mayor for Tembracken.

2:18

Here.

2:19

Mayor Gray.

2:19

Here.

2:20

All are present.

2:21

Thank you.

2:21

Please rise with Pledge Leadance.

2:48

First, I'd like to uh welcome the Superintendent Cain and uh and her colleagues to make a presentation to town council.

3:01

Thank you.

3:01

I'll just wait for my presentation to load.

3:04

Um so again, I'm Superintendent Aaron Kane.

3:06

Thank you so much for having us tonight.

3:08

Um with me tonight.

3:10

I will actually I'm gonna let everyone introduce themselves.

3:14

Becky.

3:16

Becky Myers, school board.

3:19

Mike Peterson, president of the school board.

3:21

Molly Milley, principal of Wildcat Mountain Elementary.

3:25

Okay, um, thank you very much for having us tonight.

3:28

I had no idea you were bringing a whole audience, so thank you for being here to everyone.

3:32

Um we'd like to share with the town council a little bit about the state of our school district, um, what we're celebrating and what we're struggling with.

3:44

So um, first of all, we have a lot to be proud of in Douglas County.

3:48

Our schools took home 47 awards last year from the Colorado Department of Education for excellence.

3:56

So that is for being a top achieving schools in the state of Colorado and top growing schools in the state of Colorado, um, including one of our high schools.

4:05

We also have higher reading scores today in our district than we did pre-pandemic.

4:11

So our educators are doing amazing things to continue to move our kids forward to have recovered any learning loss that might have taken place.

4:19

Um, and they are showing record amounts of growth, and we're really, really excited for that.

4:24

Our class of 2023, the class that graduated in May, which to me seems like yesterday, um, graduated with 118 million dollars in scholarships.

4:36

So we're really, really proud of our um kids and all they have accomplished and of the great things our schools and the great opportunities our schools have been able to offer our students.

4:47

I'd also like to talk for a moment about our work in career and technical education.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Safety█████████████████17%
Procedural████████████12%
Public Engagement██████████10%
Water And Wastewater Management██████████10%
Education███████7%
Parking Management█████5%
Pending Litigation████4%
Senior Services████4%
Traffic Management███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Castle Rock Town Council Meeting Summary - August 15, 2023

The Castle Rock Town Council met on Tuesday, August 15, 2023, at 6:00 PM in Town Hall Council Chambers. The meeting included presentations from the Douglas County School District, multiple public hearings, and votes on ordinances related to land use, parking, eminent domain, and a PFAS litigation agreement. The meeting was extended twice, finally adjourning at approximately 10:01 PM. Several items drew significant public comment, particularly concerning a proposed indecency ordinance and the Pride Fest incident.

Consent Calendar

  • RES 2023-104: Approved a tri-party agreement for design services for the Highway 85 Wastewater Collection and Treatment System Project (vote 6-0, Councilmember Hollingshead not present).
  • MIN 2023-015: Approved the minutes of the July 18, 2023, Town Council meeting as part of the consent calendar.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Regarding Indecency and Children's Protection (Unscheduled Public Appearances): Multiple residents spoke on the topic of public indecency and protecting children at events. Speakers expressed support for a local ordinance to prohibit lewd behavior in front of minors, with some arguing it is not about targeting the LGBTQ community but about objective morality and child safety. Others opposed a measure targeting specific groups, emphasizing parental choice and trust in the town's legal process. The council directed staff to bring information on state laws and policies regarding public nudity, indecency, and obscenity to the September 19 meeting (vote 7-0).
  • Quasi-Judicial Hearing (Senior Housing): Wanda Bode, a resident, inquired about ADA accommodations at the proposed senior housing project. The applicant confirmed 15 ADA parking spaces (above requirements), van parking, pool lifts, and elevator service.
  • No public comment was made on several other items, including the parking permit program, skyline/ridgeline variance changes, eminent domain actions, and the Dewberry engineers agreement.

Discussion Items

  • Douglas County School District Presentation: Superintendent Erin Kane, along with school board members and a principal, presented the district's achievements (47 state awards, $118 million in scholarships for the class of 2023) and ongoing struggles with funding and staffing. The district faces a $130 million deficit due to low teacher pay ($20,000 less per year than neighboring districts), a shortage of 104 bus drivers, and 155 educational assistants. They are seeking a $66 million mill levy override to increase pay and a $484 million bond for facilities and career/technical education. The net impact on a $100,000 home would be about $20 per year. Council voted unanimously to direct staff to provide information at the September 5 meeting for council to consider supporting the ballot items.
  • Proclamation: 35th Anniversary of Douglas Land Conservancy: Mayor Gray read the proclamation, and Jeff Brauer of Parks and Recreation highlighted the conservancy's work preserving over 26,700 acres, including Woodlands Bowl, Quarry Mesa, and Metzler Family Open Space.
  • Council Comments and Motions:
    • Councilmember LaFleur motioned to have staff bring information on state and local laws regarding public nudity and indecency to the September 19 meeting. Passed 7-0.
    • Councilmember Brooks motioned to direct staff to craft a letter urging the library board to retain the Philip S. Miller name on the new library. Passed 7-0.
  • Mobility Hub Overview: Dan Sailer presented CDOT's evaluation of a potential mobility hub (park-and-ride) at Wilcox and Wolfensberger. The concept estimate is $17 million, with a $3.2 million shortfall. Council expressed frustration that CDOT would not contribute to the Crystal Valley Interchange. No action was taken.
  • Multidistrict PFAS Litigation: Town Attorney Mike Hyman and Mark Marlowe of Castle Rock Water presented on PFAS chemicals detected in raw water. The town already treats for PFAS using granular activated carbon (replaced every two years at $650,000 per replacement). They recommended hiring Keller Rohrback, LLP on a 20% contingency fee to represent the town in multidistrict litigation against manufacturers. Council voted 7-0 to authorize the agreement.
  • Quasi-Judicial Hearing: Senior Housing Development (RES 2023-105): Tara Vargish presented a site development plan for a 174-unit age-restricted (55+) multi-family project in The Meadows. The building includes 262 parking spaces (1.5 per unit, exceeding code), an indoor pool, pickleball court, and other amenities. Planning commission recommended approval 6-0. Council approved the resolution 7-0.

Key Outcomes

  • ORD 2023-017 (The View at Castle Rock Extension): Approved on first reading 5-2, granting an eight-month extension (to December 2024) for the certificate of occupancy. Councilmembers Cavey and Dietz voted no.
  • ORD 2023-016 (Neighborhood Parking Permit Program): Approved on second reading 5-2. The program allows neighborhoods adjacent to high-density developments to petition for restricted parking with permits. Councilmembers Cavey and Dietz voted no.
  • ORD 2023-018 (Skyline/Ridgeline Variance Authority): Approved on first reading 6-1, transferring variance approval from the planning commission to the town council. Councilmember Bracken voted no.
  • ORD 2023-019, 2023-020, 2023-021 (Eminent Domain Authorizations): All three ordinances were approved on first reading unanimously (7-0):
    • 2023-019: For the Fifth Street Widening Project (21 parcels, speed reduction from 45 to 35 mph, new roundabout at Woodlands and Fifth).
    • 2023-020: For the East Plum Creek/Sellars Gulch Confluence Project (downtown area, includes potential recreational paths).
    • 2023-021: For the Plum Creek to Rueter-Hess Reservoir Pipeline Project (38 parcels, 18 property owners; concerns about horse safety addressed by Castle Rock Water staff).
  • RES 2023-103 (Dewberry Engineers Service Agreement): Approved unanimously, funding water infrastructure improvements in Young American neighborhood, Bell Mountain raw pipeline, and meter vault upgrades. A budget transfer from advanced metering infrastructure funds was included.
  • Meeting Extensions: The meeting was extended to 10:00 PM (7-0) and a second extension to 10:30 PM failed (6-1, Councilmember Bracken opposed) because a unanimous vote was required. The meeting then adjourned immediately.

Note: The agenda was amended to remove RES 2023-106 (Recreation Center Slide Tower Removal and Replacement) prior to the meeting.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening. We'll open tonight with a prayer by by Pastor David Love. Well, let's pray. Father, I want to thank you so much. Um for the town council for this town, for everybody that serves you and especially the town council that serves in the capacity that they do. Lord, we know what your word tells us. Your word tells us that how pleasant it is when your brethren dwell in unity. And so, Father, I know that we all love children here tonight. We all love kids. We all know that for one, that uh you're not mad at anybody, that you sent your son to die for everyone. And so you love everybody here. And so, Lord, I do want to pray that you would lead and guide and just show us a way that we could be unified as a town in the way that you have called us to be a light and a witness. And so, Father, I do pray for that. And I do pray for every single council member that when they go home tonight, um, that you just bless their families. I pray that they can enjoy the rest of this week. And uh, Lord, that you just bless abundantly above all that we ask or think. I am very, very thankful for them. And I just ask once again that you just lead us and guide us in wisdom for all the decisions that need to be made here in this town. And we ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. Thank you, David. Um, this meeting is held in a connected meeting in accordance with town council electronic participant participation, connected and hybrid hybrid meeting policy, also town clerk for a roll call. Councilmember Hollingshead. Here, Councilmember Katie. Yes. Councilmember LaFleur. Here. Councilmember Brooks. Councilmember Deeds. Here. Mayor for Tembracken. Here. Mayor Gray. Here. All are present. Thank you. Please rise with Pledge Leadance. First, I'd like to uh welcome the Superintendent Cain and uh and her colleagues to make a presentation to town council. Thank you. I'll just wait for my presentation to load. Um so again, I'm Superintendent Aaron Kane. Thank you so much for having us tonight. Um with me tonight. I will actually I'm gonna let everyone introduce themselves. Becky. Becky Myers, school board. Mike Peterson, president of the school board. Molly Milley, principal of Wildcat Mountain Elementary. Okay, um, thank you very much for having us tonight. I had no idea you were bringing a whole audience, so thank you for being here to everyone.

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