Castle Rock Town Council Regular Meeting – February 20, 2024
Castle Rock Town Council Regular Meeting – February 20, 2024
The Castle Rock Town Council held its regular meeting on February 20, 2024, at 6:00 PM in the Town Hall Council Chambers. The meeting covered approval of consent items, a presentation on joining the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD), legislative updates, approval of a construction contract for Cantril School, the Fire Department strategic plan with an update on Fire Station 156, authorization of eminent domain for Crowfoot Valley Road widening, an intergovernmental agreement for the Cherry Creek Project Water Authority, and a resolution to discontinue hybrid public participation for council meetings. All consent items and most action items passed unanimously, except the hybrid meeting policy which passed 6-1.
Consent Calendar
- ORD 2024-002: Annexation of 3.76 acres for Tower Open Space (Second Reading, 7-0).
- ORD 2024-003: Initial zoning for the Tower Open Space parcel (Second Reading, 7-0).
- ORD 2024-004: Amendments to municipal code regarding water rights dedication as a condition of annexation (Second Reading, 7-0).
- MIN 2024-004: Approval of February 6, 2024 Town Council meeting minutes (7-0).
Public Comments & Testimony
- Regarding the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD) presentation: Dana Frazee (Tri-Arts Project president) supported joining SCFD, noting 70% of the sales tax would be paid by out-of-town visitors and residents would see about $6.71 per year. Rick Young (resident, former Douglas County teacher) urged council to refer the question to voters, stating it is time for Castle Rock to "grow up culturally." Katie D'Arcangelo provided data on SCFD benefits, including $1.5 million in grants to Douglas County Tier 3 organizations in 2021 and that 30% of event attendees come from outside the county. Julie Browning (parent) spoke in support for future generations, saying her children did not benefit from cultural arts programs and she does not want her grandchildren to miss out.
- Regarding the Hybrid Meeting Policy: Dana Bonham supported ending hybrid meetings, stating COVID is over and residents should attend in person. Ayna (resident) asked council to continue the hybrid platform to broaden participation and to preemptively address meeting disruptions. Caryn Johnson (online comment) requested that remote participation continue to accommodate residents unable to attend in person.
Discussion Items
- Presentation from a Citizen Arts Advisory Group: Jen Perry presented an overview of the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD), a 0.1% sales tax (one penny on $10) that funds arts and culture in the seven-county Denver region. Castle Rock and Larkspur are the only municipalities in Douglas County not part of SCFD. The estimated annual cost per resident is $6.71, with 70% of the tax paid by out-of-town visitors. Currently, no SCFD-funded programs can come into Castle Rock, and no local nonprofit arts organizations can receive SCFD grants. Perry asked council to consider referring the question to the ballot by 2025. Town Manager David Corliss noted it would be helpful to see the totality of all budget requests before making a decision. No formal action was taken.
- Legislative Update and Direction on State/Federal Bills: Assistant Town Manager Kristin Read reported that the town is tracking over 115 bills at the Colorado General Assembly. Council discussed positions: supported the construction defects bill (to encourage condo development), the CML land use bill (still pending), and a property tax cap bill; opposed occupancy limits, accessory dwelling unit mandates, minimum parking requirements, and transit-oriented communities bills. Councilmember Cavey also raised a bill by Representative Bradley to impose harsher penalties on purchasers of child sex trafficking victims, which died in committee on an 8-3 party-line vote. Councilmember Brooks proposed sending a letter from the town supporting harsher penalties for buyers. A motion was made to affirm staff recommendations on state legislation and add a letter on child trafficking penalties. The motion passed unanimously (7-0). Additionally, Castle Rock Water Director Mark Marlowe recommended sending a letter to Colorado’s U.S. Senators urging support for federal legislation that would protect water providers from Superfund liability for PFAS (forever chemicals) removed during treatment. Council gave general consensus to send that letter.
- Resolution 2024-012 – Cantril School Renovation Construction Contract: Assistant Town Manager Matt Gohl reported that the historic Cantril School has hosted 51 programs serving 328 participants since being reopened six months ago. The proposed construction contract with O-A-K Colorado, LLC, for $804,000 (lowest bid) covers accessibility improvements, restrooms, an ADA flex-step lift, a front desk area, kitchen upgrades, and structural improvements. With a 10% contingency and other costs, the total project is approximately $930,000, funded from prior year appropriations. Construction is expected to be completed by August 2024. Approved 7-0.
- Resolution 2024-013 – Fire and Rescue Department 2020-2024 Strategic Plan Update and Fire Station 156 Update: Fire Chief Norris Croom presented the annual update. All six plan elements are completed except a fleet maintenance facility, which is on hold. The department will develop a new 2025-2029 strategic plan later this year. In a supplementary presentation, Chief Croom provided details on Fire Station 156, planned at Castle Oaks Drive and Pleasant View (town-owned open space requiring rezoning). The station will be approximately 12,000 square feet, with construction costs estimated at $6 million (funded from TABOR timeout proceeds) and annual staffing costs of $2.5 million (12 personnel). An engine ($1.1M) and brush truck ($250,000) are already ordered and partially paid. The station is expected to be operational in early 2026, improving response times in Fire Management Zone 6 (currently meeting only 35% of first-arrival benchmarks). Staffing may be supported by a SAFER grant. Approved 7-0.
- Ordinance 2024-005 – Authorization of Eminent Domain for Crowfoot Valley Road Widening: Public Works Director Dan Sailer and Town Attorney Mike Hyman presented the first reading of an ordinance to authorize eminent domain if necessary to acquire small parcels needed for the widening project from Knobcone Drive to Macanta Boulevard. The project will add two lanes, bike lanes, and sidewalks; a traffic signal at Sapphire Point Boulevard is scheduled for completion in Q3 2024. Construction is set to begin in Q4 2024 and run through 2025. Hyman noted the town has a strong record of negotiated acquisitions (10 projects, only 6 condemnation cases). Councilmember Cavey thanked staff for accommodating neighborhood requests. Approved 7-0.
- Resolution 2024-014 – Intergovernmental Agreement for Cherry Creek Project Water Authority: Director Mark Marlowe presented the IGA governing operation of shared infrastructure at Walker Reservoir, which stores renewable water. Castle Rock holds 150 acre-feet of storage in the 650-acre-foot reservoir and is seeking to purchase an additional 250 acre-feet from other members. The agreement requires cost sharing based on usage and provides a right of first refusal if members wish to sell shares. The town’s total capital cost to date is $5.1 million, with a final assessment included. Approved 7-0.
- Resolution 2024-015 – Discontinuation of Hybrid Meeting Participation for Town Council Meetings: Assistant Town Manager Kristin Read presented a resolution to end hybrid public participation (remote live comments) for council meetings, while still allowing council members to participate electronically. The public would continue to watch online and submit written comments. The resolution also includes a related neighborhood meeting policy that would remain hybrid as the primary option, with virtual-only allowed for non-controversial projects. Staff noted that board and commission meetings would follow the same direction. Council debate centered on balancing accessibility (Councilmember Cavey and Hollingshead favored continuing hybrid) versus preventing potential disruptions (Councilmember Brooks cited over 140 tracked instances of hate speech at municipal meetings since summer 2023). The resolution passed 6-1, with Councilmember Cavey voting no.
Key Outcomes
- Consent calendar approved unanimously (7-0).
- Council directed staff to communicate legislative positions to the state delegation and added a letter on child trafficking penalties (7-0).
- General consensus to send a federal letter on PFAS liability protections.
- Resolution 2024-012 (Cantril School renovation contract) approved 7-0.
- Resolution 2024-013 (Fire Strategic Plan update) approved 7-0.
- Ordinance 2024-005 (Eminent Domain) approved 7-0.
- Resolution 2024-014 (Cherry Creek IGA) approved 7-0.
- Resolution 2024-015 (Hybrid meeting policy) approved 6-1.
- Meeting adjourned at 8:18 PM.
Meeting Transcript
Fairly and well, those who have given us a task and help us engage in meaningful discussion and give us clarity and strength using only our best skills and judgment. Please bless this community, its residents, its businesses, and its visitors. Help us to do so in doing good work in your name. Amen. Call to order. Councilmember Hollingshead. Here. Councilmember KV. Yes. Councilmember Bracken. Present. Councilmember Brooks. Present. Councilmember Deeds. Here. Mayor Pro Tem LaFleur. Here. Mayor Gray. Here. All are present. Thank you. Please join me in a pledge of allegiance. Pledge legions to the flag. And to the Republicans one nation. I'll start with council comments. First, I want to thank everyone for coming tonight. I know we have a kind of a fun night and with uh some of the council comments and and with uh having people in the audience speaking as well. Um hope everyone had a great uh President's Day weekend. Hopefully everyone had a safe one. Um and I just want to uh thank every again everyone for coming and uh being a part of the site. Ryan. No comment tonight. Councilmember Katie. No comment tonight. Councilmember Bracken. Yeah, thank you, Mayor. So um I'd like to talk a little bit about um kind of our agendas lately and uh the lack of items. And just just so folks know, like that are here in the community and and in the crowd that that um you know by and large uh uh we we get held accountable to the flux of growth within town, and no one tends to mention when things come in a downturn. Some of our meetings have been like 30 and 45 minutes, which which have been records, and in the and the three ladies in the third row here uh have been showing up to our meetings very regular to very loyal council nerds, if you will, if I may. Um so well done, ladies. You're like me. Um but uh but what that's what happens when the economy and the market takes care of itself in the in the in a downturn, which then it also affects our budgets as well. So we have less for police and fire, we have less money for uh for roads and those things because there's a slowdown in growth. And so I I just wanted to point out um essentially that our meetings have been short and and very uh uh very pointed and lackluster because there's a lot not a lot of items on the agenda because there's not a lot of things to decide, and and the markets deciding that, not us. We don't dictate the market collectively. We decide somebody has to vote and approve uh the items, whether whether we like them or a lot, sometimes or not sometimes. It doesn't matter. It matters if it's going to be approved or not approved because that's the process. So I just wanted to point that out uh that we've been in the downturn. Uh the the agenda's fairly robust tonight comparative to the to the last four.
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