OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Castle Rock Town Council Meeting – December 5, 2023

Town Council — Tuesday, December 5, 2023
BodyCastle Rock, Colorado
SessionTown Council
DateTuesday, December 5, 2023
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 37:22

Transcript — Verbatim
0:35

I don't know what you mean with the city.

0:44

So we're actually not enjoying having a lot of time.

0:50

I'm just here.

0:53

Did you actually for a couple of our needs?

0:57

And they're really good.

1:27

Good evening.

1:28

I'll open up the introduction.

1:30

Heavenly Father, Father, we pray that through collaborating we will experience greater wholeness for ourselves and those where we serve.

1:39

Bless the work we do together, so that we may be abundant in harvest with all your love, justice, and peace.

1:47

We'll be known by all.

1:51

I'm sorry, and we and we know by all for us to do good work in your name.

1:56

Amen.

1:59

First, I got a couple of comments.

2:00

Um one is uh I was at a um mayor's conference last week, and it was uh statewide oh sorry, cheese my goodness.

2:09

Thank you.

2:10

No, no, no.

2:11

We'll go ahead and do all that stuff, right?

2:13

Uh please rise for leaders.

2:18

I pledge by the United States and America.

2:26

One nation under liberty just all I got too excited there.

2:34

So uh Shannon, can you do roll call, please?

2:41

Councilmember Holling said, Councilmember Keevy.

2:45

Councilmember Bracken.

2:48

Councilmember Brooks.

2:49

Present.

2:50

Councilmember Deeds.

2:51

Here.

2:52

Mayor Portem Lefleur.

2:53

Here.

2:54

Mayor Gray.

2:55

Here.

2:55

Thank you.

2:56

Thank you.

2:57

Now I'll go into my soliloquy.

3:00

It's only 45 minutes long, so don't worry about it.

3:02

Um that was at a mayor's conference last week.

3:05

Um the Thursday and Friday.

3:06

It was a good conference downtown, um, besides being downtown.

3:10

Um, but it was it was a great conference.

3:13

Uh but most of all, it was nice is the amount of comments I got from other mayors regarding Cass Rock.

3:20

Um specifically downtown Castle Rock.

3:22

But Caswalk in general, um, but specifically downtown, at least a dozen mayors came up to me wanting to figure out and talk to town council, talk to staff, talk to DMA, um EDC and so on and so forth, how to how they can make their their downtown's um vibrant and and busy and and more like ours.

3:42

And it's just so fantastic to hear that because it's been a long journey.

3:45

What I want to do is thank the current town council, past town councils, our town staff, Chamber of Commerce, DMA, DDA, EDC, um, and everybody who just loves downtown because it's just it was really fun to see, and it was just like it felt like every five, ten minutes when we had a break, um, somebody was coming up to to me and and uh and saying how great it was.

4:07

So it's just nice to see that a lot of our hard work has paid off as council members, uh past and present in town staff, tap pass and present everybody else.

4:14

I just want to appreciate that.

4:16

And also I just want to say, you know, again, I I kind of do this a lot, but we're doing the holiday season and it could be a tough time for a lot of people.

4:23

Um if you can extend a hand and donate some time or money or or just uh a a good phrase or two of how much you love somebody is fantastic.

4:32

So with that, Ryan Hollinshead.

4:35

Thanks, Mayor.

4:36

Yeah, I just wanted to there's some people in the audience tonight that are here um concerned about a local issue in their neighborhood.

4:40

I think that's a lot of times we have a comment on that.

4:42

But um, this is my third year on town council, and just one of the neat things that I found at the local level of government is that you know people sometimes assume that things are just a done deal or that things are just kind of pushed through town, but uh we get those emails from from you, we hear public comment, and those things do mean a lot to us, and we do read them.

5:00

Sometimes we don't respond to all the emails because sometimes there become a lot of them, but um we we really do want to really take those things into consideration and that um things at the local level or we would we really care about what people think in our community and try to act on your behalf.

5:12

So thanks for being here tonight if you heard a comment.

5:15

Thank you, Councilmember Brooks.

5:17

Nothing tonight, thank you.

5:18

Thank you, Councilmember Dietz.

5:20

Yeah, thank you, Mayor.

5:21

I just couple observations and takes.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural████████████████████████████████████████40%
Community Engagement█████████████████17%
Land Use█████████████████17%
Transportation Safety█████████9%
Technology and Innovation████████8%
Public Safety██████6%
Arts And Culture███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Castle Rock Town Council Meeting – December 5, 2023

The Castle Rock Town Council met on December 5, 2023, at 6:00 PM in the Town Hall Council Chambers. Six councilmembers were present (Mayor Gray, Mayor Pro Tem LaFleur, Councilmembers Hollingshead, Bracken, Brooks, Dietz); Councilmember Cavey was absent. The meeting lasted approximately 37 minutes, concluding at 6:37 PM. Key actions included the appointment of a Water Commission member, approval of the consent calendar containing nine items, and public testimony regarding a proposed cell tower. No quasi-judicial hearings were conducted.

Consent Calendar

  • Ordinance 2023-038 (Second Reading): Designating the Cantril School as a local historic landmark (312 Cantril Street).
  • Ordinance 2023-039 (Second Reading): Authorizing eminent domain for real property interests needed for the Wolfensberger Widening Project.
  • Resolution 2023-142: Approving an intergovernmental agreement with CDOT for oversight of Crystal Valley Interchange construction.
  • Resolution 2023-143: Approving the Town’s 2022 Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report for CDBG.
  • Resolution 2023-144: Authorizing engagement of FORVIS, LLP for the FY 2023 independent annual audit.
  • Resolution 2023-145: Consenting to the dissolution of the Rueter-Hess Recreation Authority.
  • Resolution 2023-146: Approving a variance for nighttime surveying activities for Castle Rock Water’s acoustic sewer line assessment program.
  • Minutes 2023-022: Approving the November 21, 2023 Town Council meeting minutes. All consent items were approved by a 6-0 vote (Councilmember Cavey not present).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Jennifer Brezicha, a resident, opposed the proposed T-Mobile cell tower at Bison Park, citing health risks to children from RF radiation and requesting a moratorium on towers near schools and parks. She noted that other communities, including Fort Collins, had revised codes to prevent such placements.
  • Salena Zavorka, a resident, expressed concerns about the design of the proposed Bison Park bathroom (to deter vandalism and homelessness) and the cell tower location. She suggested placing the tower on a butte for safer distance from schools and homes.
  • KC Neel, president of the Downtown Merchants Association, thanked the Council and staff for holiday decorations and the Starlighting tradition, praising the vibrancy of downtown Castle Rock.
  • Giana Sitzes, a resident appearing online, requested an immediate moratorium on all new/proposed cell towers within 1,640 feet of elementary schools and parks while the municipal code is reviewed.

Town Manager Dave Corliss noted that the Bison Park cell tower application would be considered by the Planning Commission on December 14, 2023, with the Council receiving their recommendation on January 16, 2024.

Discussion Items

  • Councilmember Comments: Mayor Gray reported positive feedback from other mayors about downtown Castle Rock’s vibrancy. Councilmember Hollingshead emphasized that public input is valued. Councilmember Dietz discussed efforts to bring ice sports facilities and the importance of the Crystal Valley Interchange for public safety and commerce.
  • Appointment to Castle Rock Water Commission: Angie Brown was appointed for a partial term ending May 31, 2024, by a 6-0 vote.
  • Calendar Reminders: The Town Manager reviewed upcoming events, including the Toys for Tots gala, neighborhood meetings for annexation/development proposals, and the revised holiday schedule.
  • 2023 Holiday Card Art Contest Award: Maia Yates (Public Arts Commission) introduced winner Madelyn E. from Douglas County High School, whose artwork “Wonderful Wilcox Street” will be used on the town’s holiday card and displayed in public facilities.
  • Development Services Project Updates: Tara Vargish, Director of Development Services, presented pre-applications (e.g., D1 training center, demolition/infill, Tesla supercharger, Core Electric feeder) and new formal quasi-judicial applications (e.g., Wellspring PD zoning, Dawson Trails residential lots). No hearings were held.
  • Town Attorney’s Report: No report.

Key Outcomes

  • Appointment: Angie Brown appointed to Castle Rock Water Commission (6-0).
  • Consent Calendar Approved: All items (ordinances, resolutions, minutes) passed (6-0).
  • Agenda Accepted: As presented (6-0).
  • Meeting Adjourned: At 6:37 PM by motion (6-0).
  • Next Steps for Cell Tower Proposal: Planning Commission review on December 14, 2023; Council recommendation on January 16, 2024.

Meeting Transcript

I don't know what you mean with the city. So we're actually not enjoying having a lot of time. I'm just here. Did you actually for a couple of our needs? And they're really good. Good evening. I'll open up the introduction. Heavenly Father, Father, we pray that through collaborating we will experience greater wholeness for ourselves and those where we serve. Bless the work we do together, so that we may be abundant in harvest with all your love, justice, and peace. We'll be known by all. I'm sorry, and we and we know by all for us to do good work in your name. Amen. First, I got a couple of comments. Um one is uh I was at a um mayor's conference last week, and it was uh statewide oh sorry, cheese my goodness. Thank you. No, no, no. We'll go ahead and do all that stuff, right? Uh please rise for leaders. I pledge by the United States and America. One nation under liberty just all I got too excited there. So uh Shannon, can you do roll call, please? Councilmember Holling said, Councilmember Keevy. Councilmember Bracken. Councilmember Brooks. Present. Councilmember Deeds. Here. Mayor Portem Lefleur. Here. Mayor Gray. Here. Thank you. Thank you. Now I'll go into my soliloquy. It's only 45 minutes long, so don't worry about it. Um that was at a mayor's conference last week. Um the Thursday and Friday. It was a good conference downtown, um, besides being downtown. Um, but it was it was a great conference. Uh but most of all, it was nice is the amount of comments I got from other mayors regarding Cass Rock. Um specifically downtown Castle Rock. But Caswalk in general, um, but specifically downtown, at least a dozen mayors came up to me wanting to figure out and talk to town council, talk to staff, talk to DMA, um EDC and so on and so forth, how to how they can make their their downtown's um vibrant and and busy and and more like ours. And it's just so fantastic to hear that because it's been a long journey. What I want to do is thank the current town council, past town councils, our town staff, Chamber of Commerce, DMA, DDA, EDC, um, and everybody who just loves downtown because it's just it was really fun to see, and it was just like it felt like every five, ten minutes when we had a break, um, somebody was coming up to to me and and uh and saying how great it was. So it's just nice to see that a lot of our hard work has paid off as council members, uh past and present in town staff, tap pass and present everybody else. I just want to appreciate that. And also I just want to say, you know, again, I I kind of do this a lot, but we're doing the holiday season and it could be a tough time for a lot of people. Um if you can extend a hand and donate some time or money or or just uh a a good phrase or two of how much you love somebody is fantastic. So with that, Ryan Hollinshead. Thanks, Mayor.

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