Castle Rock Town Council Meeting: July 2, 2024
Castle Rock Town Council Meeting: July 2, 2024
The Castle Rock Town Council met on July 2, 2024, at 6:00 PM in the Town Hall Council Chambers. Six members were present initially (Councilmember Brooks arrived at 7:14 PM). The meeting included a proclamation, consent calendar approvals, public hearings, discussion items, and an executive session. Key actions included approval of a natural medicine business ordinance, agreements related to wastewater infrastructure and a fire services mill levy reduction, and performance-based raises for the Town Manager and Town Attorney.
Proclamation
- Smart Irrigation Month – July 2024: Mayor Gray read the proclamation into the record. The proclamation had been approved on June 18, 2024, by a vote of 7-0.
Consent Calendar
- Approved unanimously (6-0) the following items without discussion:
- RES 2024-064: Amendment to the 2008 Access Control Plan (Town, Douglas/Elbert counties, Elizabeth, Kiowa, Parker, CDOT).
- RES 2024-065: 2024 Spot Water Lease Agreement between the Town and Castle Pines Metropolitan District.
- RES 2024-066: Construction contract with Velocity Constructors, Inc. for the Bell Mountain Well Vault Upgrades Project.
- MIN 2024-013: Approval of the June 18, 2024 draft minutes.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Cozie Swicherd (adjacent property owner, 271 North Ridge Road) spoke during the Terra Monte Annexation item. She expressed concern that the annexation would affect her access rights under Section 4G of the petition, noting her driveway is adjacent to the property and that the project would require use of that driveway. Staff noted her concerns would be considered when the zoning application is submitted.
- No other public comments were made on any agenda items.
Discussion Items
- Town Attorney’s Report – Supreme Court Ruling: Town Attorney Mike Hyman reported on the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Grants Pass v. Johnson, which reversed the Ninth Circuit and upheld a camping ban, ruling that fines or jail time for camping bans do not constitute cruel and unusual punishment under the Eighth Amendment. Hyman noted the ruling is narrow but reinforces the town’s existing ordinances that ban camping in parks, public property, and within 100 feet of waterways. Councilmembers confirmed that the town’s ordinances allow citation and progressive penalties.
- DIR 2024-011: Natural Medicine Business Ordinance (Continued from June 18): Attorney Hyman and Development Services Director Tara Vargish presented the proposed ordinance. The state does not allow the town to prohibit natural medicine businesses but allows time, place, and manner restrictions. The ordinance limits such businesses to Light Industrial (I-1) and General Industrial (I-2) zones, with a 1,000-foot buffer from property lines of schools, child care centers, residential dwellings, etc. Due to the buffer, only a few parcels remain eligible (e.g., town’s salt/sand storage site). The ordinance also restricts hours (8 AM – 5 PM, Monday–Friday), requires security lighting, secure disposal, and includes a nuisance clause for violations of state law or the chapter. Councilmember Tim Dietz expressed concern about crime but supported the restrictions and home rule. The motion to approve the ordinance as presented and place it on the July 16 agenda passed 6-0.
- RES 2024-069: First Amendment to IGA with Villages at Castle Rock Metro District No. 6: Town Manager David Corliss explained the amendment reduces the fire and emergency services mill levy from 10 mills to a phased reduction (9 mills then 5 mills by 2030) for the Cobblestone Ranch neighborhood. The original 2004 IGA required 10 mills due to remoteness; now with plans for a new fire station (2026) and a town-wide ballot measure, the reduction aligns with standard requirements. Councilmember Laura Cavey noted the community was paying more than others. Approved 6-0.
- RES 2024-070: Dawson Trails Boulevard Construction Contract: Public Works Director Dan Sailer presented the project. The town concurs with the award to Bemas Construction as the low bidder ($10 million, well under the $14.2 million budget). The project will construct a portion of Dawson Trails Boulevard from the Crystal Valley Interchange south to the town border. All four ramps at I-25 will open simultaneously in summer 2027. Councilmember Dietz asked about the timeline; Sailer confirmed all ramps open at once. Approved 6-0.
- RES 2024-071: Terra Monte Annexation – Substantial Compliance: Development Services Director Tara Vargish presented. The 32-acre parcel at the northwest corner of Plum Creek Parkway and Ridge Road seeks annexation. The petition was found substantially compliant with state law, and an eligibility hearing was set for August 20, 2024. Councilmember Kevin Bracken noted approval is procedural; concerns about access will be addressed at the zoning stage. Approved 5-1 (Councilmember Dietz voted no).
- RES 2024-067: Amended IGA with Douglas County for Highway 85 Wastewater System: Assistant Director of Castle Rock Water David VanDellen and Douglas County Commissioner George Teal presented. The amendment splits the corridor into north (Dominion Water & Sanitation District) and south (Town of Castle Rock) projects. The town will build a lift station and force main in Sedalia using $14 million in ARPA funds, with a 1% project management fee, 10% extraterritorial surcharge, and system development fees returned to the county. The existing IGA with Dominion will be terminated (RES 2024-068). Commissioner Teal confirmed unanimous support from the Board of County Commissioners. Approved unanimously (7-0).
- RES 2024-068: Termination Agreement with Dominion Water & Sanitation District: Presented together with the previous item. The termination allows Dominion to manage its own wastewater facility and the LeViers water supply project. Councilmembers confirmed a good ongoing relationship. Approved unanimously (7-0).
- RES 2024-072: Second Amendment to Construction Contract with Garney for Plum Creek Water Purification Facility Expansion: VanDellen presented Work Package 2, which includes an ozone generator system and vertical turbine pumps. Staff identified cost savings on rebid items and proposed replacing two existing ozone generators for efficiency ($677,000, offset by contingency savings, with 10-year payback). Total Work Package 2 cost: $6.7 million; project remains within $74 million budget. Approved unanimously (7-0).
- RES 2024-073: Services Agreement with Burns & McDonnell for Construction Phase Engineering: Burns & McDonnell, the original designer, will provide construction phase support for all work packages at a cost of $3.8 million plus 5% contingency ($4,016,202). Approved unanimously (7-0).
- RES 2024-074: Construction Contract with Inliner Solutions for Young American Sanitary Sewer Rehabilitation: VanDellen presented the project to rehabilitate clay sewer pipes using trenchless lining in the Young American neighborhood (near South Street and Valley Drive). The low bid was $322,832 plus 10% contingency ($355,121 total). Work will begin in August 2024 and complete by January 2025, coordinating with the school district. Future phases (2025) will address water lines and laterals. Councilmember Max Brooks asked about homeowner responsibilities for laterals; staff clarified only the portion within the right-of-way is covered. Approved unanimously (7-0).
Key Outcomes
- Votes: All resolutions except RES 2024-071 (5-1) passed unanimously. The consent calendar, discussion items, and contract approvals all received 6-0 or 7-0 votes.
- Raise for Town Manager and Town Attorney: After executive session (8:00 PM – 8:44 PM), the council approved a 6% raise for Town Manager David Corliss and a 5% raise for Town Attorney Mike Hyman. Motion passed 7-0.
- Next Steps: The natural medicine business ordinance will be placed on the July 16, 2024 agenda for first reading. The Terra Monte eligibility hearing is set for August 20, 2024. The Plum Creek Water Purification Facility expansion and Dawson Trails Boulevard projects continue as scheduled.
- Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 9:43 PM.
Meeting Transcript
We seek to represent you fairly and well and those who represent the town of Castle Rock as well to this task. Help us engage in meaningful discussion and give us clarity and strength to use only our best skills and judgment. Please bless this communities, residents, businesses, and visitors, and help us continue doing good work in your name. Amen. Roll call, please. Councilmember Hollingshead. Here. Councilmember KB. Yes. Councilmember Bracken. Present. Councilmember Brooks. He will be arriving late. Councilmember Deeds. Here. Mayor Partemala Flora. Here. Mayor Gray. Here. Thank you. Please rise with pleasant leaders. First, I'd like to start off with Council Comments a little bit. Um Fourth of July is coming up, and hopefully everyone can be really safe. It's one of my uh favorite official holidays. My favorite official unofficial holiday is probably starlighting. Um, but uh that's uh fourth of July is is something that holds a special place in my heart. I know that our family growing up, we'd we'd meet pretty much every Fourth of July and all hang out together in big groups, and it was always a lot of fun. And hopefully everyone can have fun in town of Cass Rock and be safe and be courteous, and again, be safe, right, Chief? Yes, sir. And um also we have First Friday coming up and this coming Friday and several events over the next uh month. So we're right in the middle of our season, so it's it's a fun time to be in Castle Rock. I know that a lot of vacations planned, that kind of stuff, but it's if you don't have those those those vacation days planned, um, being in Castle Rock is is a great option as well. And with that, Ryan Hollinshead. Yeah, I echo that. Happy Fourth of July, everybody, and um thanks to our fire department for making uh a safe location for our fireworks this year. I know that's a a big task and a big ask. And also just to point out that we are fortunate to have our own police and fire department and not rely on um bigger departments that are much harder to work with. I've worked with our fire department on a lot of cool things over the years. They work on starlighting, work on our fireworks, they help high schools do bonfires, um, and and they make it happen for for the citizens of our community where sometimes the big monster departments aren't as fun to play with. So we appreciate all you guys do. Thanks. Thank you. Councilmember Kavey. Yep, I would like to echo what Ryan said in terms of happy independence day. I hope everybody has a wonderful 4th of July. Um, I'd also like to give another shout out to Jeff Brower for Friday's event. Um, we were able to kind of do, I guess you could call it a ribbon cutting for Lost Canyon. Um so that is just such an amazing piece of property that we are going to be able to retain as open space. Um, and nothing will ever be built on it. So it would be there forever and ever for the public to go enjoy to preserve that piece of property and to preserve the the wildlife that's on it.
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