Town of Castle Rock on LinkedIn: 🎨Castle Rock residents will soon have even more opportunities to foster… (2024)

A potential ballot measure to address police and fire funding and the Town Manager’s Proposed 2025 Budget are topics on Town Council’s Aug. 20 meeting agenda. View the full agenda online.Here is a closer look: https://conta.cc/3AtpxfU

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Town of Castle Rock Mayor Jason Gray's sixth State of the Town address is in the books!Thanks to all of the residents, board and commission members, elected officials, business and community leaders, Town Councilmembers and Town staff who attended the event. If you missed this year's State of the Town address, check out the recap at CRgov.com/StateoftheTown.

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You don't want to miss Mayor Jason Gray's annual State of the Town address at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 13, at Cantril School, 312 Cantril St. You'll learn about the Town's projects involving public safety, parks and recreation, roadwork, water projects and more. We can't wait to share our updates with you! The Castle Rock Police Department's Frosty Five-0 will serve up cold treats ahead of the Mayor’s 30-minute update on Town accomplishments and major projects. Parking at Cantril School is limited. Park at the Encore parking garage on the corner of Perry and South streets, and ride the Town Trolley to and from the event. The Town Trolley will run through 7:30 p.m. For more information, see the news release: https://lnkd.in/gc53NAy3

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😮💨 Cleaning out your garage? Here’s a #WaterWednesday tip for you.The garage tends to be a top priority for summer cleaning and Castle Rock Water has some tips for you. To clean up oil and auto drips, use cat litter— not the hose. Use the inexpensive clay type and simply pour it on the spill, let it sit and then sweep it up and place it in the trash.Sweeping the garage instead of hosing it down prevents pollutants from reaching our storm drains that lead to our waterways. Landfills are much more equipped to manage the dirt, salts and chemicals swept up from the garage floor.

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Studies continue to rank Castle Rock as one of the safest communities in the State and the Country.To help ensure the Town can continue to maintain its margin of excellence in public safety, Town Council is considering placing on this November’s ballot a request for a 0.2% sales tax increase, to provide the funding needed to hire 40 fire and police employees from 2025 to 2029.Town Council in July unanimously gave initial approval to place the request on the ballot so voters can decide. A second and final vote will occur on Aug. 20.Hiring this staff would allow the Town to:Put a fourth ambulance into service in Castle Rock, as there are currently on average 18 minutes a day when there is no ambulance available in TownHelp adequately staff the new fire station planned to open in Cobblestone Ranch/Terrain in 2026Add police officers for patrol, schools and traffic safetyKeep up with the almost 200% increase in immediate/urgent calls Castle Rock Police Department has seen in the last 10 yearsThe Town’s sales tax rate has been the same since 2011 and cannot keep pace with the growing cost of maintaining excellent public safety services. The Town’s property tax mill levy rate, meanwhile, has declined by 46% since 2011; the owner of a median-valued home in Castle Rock ($663,360) pays $37.50 in Town property tax annually.The proposed sales tax increase would amount to 20 cents on a $100 purchase. It is projected to raise a little over half of the $7.6 million that would be needed annually in 2029 and beyond to fund the 40 proposed public safety positions. The remaining funding needed for the initiative would come from permanent reductions in Town spending in areas including Downtown initiatives, economic development and other Town staff expenses.The majority of shoppers in Castle Rock come from out of Town, meaning the majority of the Town’s sales tax revenue is not paid by Castle Rock residents. If a household buys $30,000 in taxable goods annually within Castle Rock, the total proposed increase would amount to $60, which would be spread out over hundreds of transactions during the year.Public comment on the proposal is welcome – visit https://lnkd.in/dfwHuJtR to share input. Additional information, including frequently asked questions, can be found on the webpage.Get Town news straight to your inbox. Sign up online at CRgov.com/NotifyMe, or follow the Town on Facebook (facebook.com/CRgov), Twitter (@CRgov), Instagram (CRGOV) and LinkedIn (search Town of Castle Rock).Need to talk to the Town? Dial 720-896-TOWN (8696) to reach a menu for help with frequently asked questions or live assistance during business hours.

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Interested in learning what’s happening this year in Castle Rock with public safety, parks and recreation, roadwork, water and development projects, and what’s ahead in 2025? Find out at the State of the Town on Tuesday, Aug. 13.The entire community is invited to join Mayor Jason Gray at the annual, family-friendly event from 6 to 7 p.m. at Cantril School, 312 Cantril St. Stop by early for cold treats served up by the Castle Rock Police Department Frosty 5-0. Mayor Gray’s 30-minute presentation starts at 6 p.m. It will entertain you while catching you up on all things Castle Rock. “I encourage everyone to join me at the State of the Town to connect with the community and learn about updates and information related to our Town,” said Gray. “It’s also a great opportunity to see historic Cantril School in use and the work underway to preserve it and make it accessible for all to experience.” Parking at Cantril School is limited. Park at the Encore parking garage, at the corner of Perry and South streets, and ride the Town Trolley to and from the event. The ride is free, and the trolley will run through 7:30 p.m.

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The security of Castle Rock’s water supplies is crucial, along with where and how sewage gets handled. Traffic impacts lives daily, and those effects are important. For a development in the center of Castle Rock, Town Council — which is accountable to Town residents — should oversee these critical issues.The proposed Pine Canyon development in unincorporated Douglas County would bring 1,800 homes and 600,000 square feet of commercial space into the center of Castle Rock. The development would cause daily depletion of Denver Basin Groundwater — Castle Rock’s long-term water supply source for times of drought — as no renewable water sources are proposed for the project.It would also construct an unneeded sewage treatment plant within 460 yards of homes in Castle Rock, bringing with it odors and potential overflows. Further, Pine Canyon residents would drive daily on Castle Rock’s roads without paying into Town road projects, which is a requirement of building a home in Castle Rock.For these reasons and more, the Town opposes Pine Canyon unless it’s developed in Castle Rock, using existing Town water and sewer infrastructure and abiding by the Town’s renewable water plans and conservation regulations. The development must also pay its fair share to the community it will undoubtedly impact.Visit CRgov.com/PineCanyon to see additional detail about why the Town opposes the proposal and to share your thoughts. The Town will relay feedback shared to Douglas County's Planning Commission, as they are hearing a water appeal and zoning request related to the proposal on Monday, Aug. 5. Or, participate in that meeting yourself: https://lnkd.in/gFnu7Pqr

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It #WaterWednesday and we have the answer to last week's question for you: The cycle and soak method of watering is beneficial because the water soaks deeper into the root zone.🧐 As Smart Irrigation month comes to a close, we have a few final tips to carry you through the rest of the season.1. Don’t water during the heat of the day. Not only is more than half of sprinkler water lost to evaporation, but the sun can also scald the plants. Plants are also conserving energy during the heat of the day and aren’t prepared to absorb water effectively.2. Don’t water once in the morning and once at night. This is not cycle and soak and actually has the opposite effect. Frequent irrigation keeps roots close to the surface, making it easier for them to dry out and require more water.3. Keep to the every-third-day schedule. Most homes built before 2018 have Kentucky bluegrass lawns. This is a cool-weather grass that will go dormant and turn brown during the heat of the summer. Cool weather, not more water, is what will turn this type of lawn green again.

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Did you know that the Castle Rock Fire And Rescue Department is organized into several divisions? All divisions work together to help keep the community safe. Today, we want to highlight CRFD's Fire and Life Safety Division.CRFD's Fire and Life Safety Division focuses on prevention services, education and enforcement to build connections with residents and prevent fires. The division members' responsibilities include fire inspections, education, fire/arson investigations, fire and life safety enforcement, plan review and community relations for risk reduction. The Fire and Life Safety Division strives to keep community members safe through the use of fire sprinklers and alarms, education and ensuring our buildings are built and maintained to protect our community. Everyone has a part, and the Fire and Life Safety Division is instrumental in building strong connections that make a difference to the Town and CRFD's service area. The services provided by this division play a key part of a greater whole by helping protect residents within our service area, firefighters and those visiting Castle Rock.

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