Castle Rock Town Council Regular Meeting – March 4, 2025
Castle Rock Town Council Regular Meeting – March 4, 2025
The Castle Rock Town Council met on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. in Town Hall Council Chambers. Mayor Jason Gray presided; all seven councilmembers were present. The Council approved the agenda, consent calendar, legislative positions, and all four advertised action items by 7-0 votes. The meeting adjourned at 8:01 p.m.
Council Comments and Proclamation
- Councilmember Dietz commented that Americans can be anything, said the President is keeping promises, and encouraged joy and patriotism.
- Mayor Gray read a proclamation honoring William Roy (Bill) McDonald, former Castle Rock mayor from 1987 to 1989, who died February 12, 2025, at age 98. Two of McDonald's daughters, Barb McDonald Larson and Kellie McDonald, accepted the proclamation.
Consent Calendar
- Motion by Councilmember Bracken, seconded by Councilmember Dietz, passed 7-0.
- Approved resolutions 2025-020 through 2025-031, including construction contracts for the 2025 Asphalt Overlay, Full Depth Reclamation, Curb/Gutter/Sidewalk, Slurry Seal, Town Facility Parking Lot improvements, Bridge Rehabilitation, Pavement Markings Maintenance, nighttime construction noise variances, fund reallocation for the 2025 Pavement Maintenance Program, assignment of the 2025 Private Activity Bond volume cap to the Douglas County Housing Partnership, adoption of the 2025 Water Use Management Plan, Denver Basin Aquifer Wells rehabilitation, and the February 18, 2025 meeting minutes.
Public Comments & Testimony
- John Delay, a resident, thanked Council for purchasing the Cantril building, removing train horns, and honoring Bill McDonald; he also noted Dave Corliss was named Advocate of the Year at the Chamber gala.
- Dana Bonham, a resident, thanked Councilmember Brooks for his State House work, expressed strong opposition to rapid transit in Castle Rock, and urged Council to reject it due to concerns about crime, taxes, and road demand.
- Brooke Bernstein, a Castle Rock parent active with Douglas County Pride, asked Council to formally reaffirm the August 20, 2019 human rights proclamation, citing the hostile climate facing LGBTQ+ and transgender residents.
- No public comment was offered on the advertised public hearing items.
Town Manager's Report
- Assistant Town Manager Kristin Read presented calendar reminders and noted the town's plan to issue a request for proposals for a downtown parking study, nearly 10 years since the last study, funded from the downtown special fund.
- Legislative update: staff recommended opposing House Bill 1261 and supporting House Bill 1272, House Bill 1152, and a 2021 digital accessibility bill. Council voted 7-0 to affirm staff's recommended positions and communicate them to the town's legislative delegation and the Colorado Municipal League.
- Kevin Tilson, Castle Rock Downtown Alliance director, reported that the Downtown Development Authority would invest $80,000 in streetscape improvements on the west side of the 300 block of Wilcox Street, with town parks and recreation managing the project.
- Public Works Director Dan Sailer presented the 2025 Pavement Maintenance Program: $16.5 million budgeted, about 87% of recommended funding, strong bids leaving about $1 million in contingency, 93% of pavements still having remaining lifespan, and an average pavement life of about 35 years. The Public Works Commission unanimously recommended the contracts. Councilmember Davis asked about Front Street/6th Street and the Liggett Road bridge; Sailer said those were on the radar. Mayor Pro Tem Cavey asked about extending pavement life; Sailer said it depends on hitting recommended treatments on time.
- Water Director Mark Marlowe reported on Advanced Metering Infrastructure: all base stations are installed, meter reading goes live April 1, fewer than 10,000 radios remain, and the project cost is now about $6.5 million versus the original $11.5 million estimate. Crews are upgrading about 260 radios per month, and completion is expected around 2028.
- Development Services Director Tara Vargish reported new quasi-judicial applications including a proposed 80-unit multifamily project in Castleton Heights, an Advent Health medical office/emergency room, and Pine Canyon zoning. She also summarized pre-application activity including Finlay Toyota, Bellco Credit Union ATM, Metzler Ranch monument sign, Scileppies phase two, Walmart screening, Bella Mesa South (91 townhomes), Castle Rock Vistas (81 single-family homes), and a Dawson Trails planned development plan amendment with no density change.
Advertised Public Hearings & Action Items
- Brickyard Metropolitan District Nos. 1-3 (RES 2025-032): Town Attorney Mike Hyman presented the consolidated service plan. The model plan limits the debt service levy to 50 mills, overall levy to 60 mills, and the debt service term to 35 years, and requires refinancing to come back to Council. Suzanne Meintzer of McGrady Becker, PC, representing metro districts, explained that metro districts finance and install public infrastructure. Councilmember Bracken noted the infrastructure would save the Town approximately $32 million. No public comment; approved 7-0.
- Plum Creek Water Purification Facility Expansion (RES 2025-033): Mark Marlowe presented the third amendment with Garney Companies. Work Package 3 has a guaranteed maximum price of $41.8 million, down from an initial $64.4 million estimate; total expected project cost is $74 million, and expansion to 12 million gallons per day is expected by early 2028. No public comment; approved 7-0.
- Plumbing Fixtures Ordinance (ORD 2025-010) and Water Conservation Rebate Program (RES 2025-034): Mark Marlowe presented both together and Council voted separately. The ordinance would require 0.8-gallon-per-flush ultra-high-efficiency toilets in new single-family and multifamily residential development, saving an estimated 47 million gallons (145 acre-feet) per year. The rebate program increases the ColoradoScape rebate from $2.50 to $3.25 per square foot, removes the artificial/synthetic turf credit, and retains other rebates, with $300,000 budgeted and a likely $700,000 budget amendment. No public comment; ordinance passed first reading 7-0 and resolution approved 7-0.
Key Outcomes
- Agenda approved 7-0.
- Consent calendar approved 7-0.
- Legislative position motion approved 7-0.
- RES 2025-032 approved 7-0.
- RES 2025-033 approved 7-0.
- ORD 2025-010 passed first reading 7-0; second reading/final adoption will come at a future meeting.
- RES 2025-034 approved 7-0.
- Meeting adjourned at 8:01 p.m. by a 7-0 vote.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening. We will open with invocation. Heavenly Father, we ask for your guidance, your wisdom, and support as we begin this meeting. We gathered here today on intent of doing good work. We seek to represent fairly all who the who have given us given us this task, help us engage with meaningful meaningful discussion. Give us clarity and strength to do our best skills and judgment. Please bless his community, its residents, its businesses, and its visitors. Help us do and continue doing good work in your name. Amen. Call to order, roll call, please. Councilmember Hollingshead. Here. Councilmember Bracken. Present. Councilmember Davis. Here. Councilmember Brooks. Present. Councilmember Deeds. Here. Mayor Pro Tem KB. Yes. Mayor Gray. Here. All are present. Thank you. Please rise, please allegiance. Indeed, liberty and justice for all. As always, I want to thank everybody for being in person and online. And uh and thank everybody for taking their time out of their day. So uh first of all, I want to start off. Um I had the honor and the pleasure to um speak at an event this weekend. It was a Douglas County. We uh had a the their launch for NAACP. Um they have it they have a chapter now in in in a Douglas County, and uh myself and Sheriff Weekly and a handful of other representatives um spoken uh in just to kind of a really great tone. It was a great meeting to have in in Douglas County, uh part of Castrock as well. And uh, you know, it just a lot of talk about how we all want to be treated equal. We all want equality regardless of race, religion, you know, uh uh w lifestyle. Uh you know, whatever whatever you're doing is is you know, one once we talked about is you know, I want what I like to say is you know, I don't care what what what you're doing, I I want to care about you. At the same point, I do care about what you're doing. Uh I mean I I I care about you regardless uh of your orientation, uh of of your your ethnicity, your race, your religion. Um I think it's one of those things that a lot of times a lot of people say, I don't care you know what you are, like I do care what you are. Uh and I care um even even if we don't agree. And uh so I just want to make sure that that we all hear that it was a great meeting, it was a great kickoff event. Uh Sheriff Weekly has some great words uh uh as well. Um and a lot of other representatives did for the for the county, so it was a really neat event, really good kickoff. Um it was it it it made it it uh made my early March a fantastic early March, and so hopefully we will continue forward. Uh with that, Councilmember Hollingshead. No comment tonight, thanks. Councilmember Bracken.
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