1-Color
March 27, 2014
Free Douglas County, Colorado | Volume 1, Issue 33 A publication of
castlepinesnewspress.net
Jail expanding into the future Medical building has focus on mental health, drug issues By Hannah Garcia
hgarcia@coloradocommunitymedia. com With completion set for later this year, Douglas County is busy finishing up remodeling and expansion projects for its jail. The implementation of a medical services building is one of the more significant additions to the detention facility in Castle Rock, a response to a rising population of inmates with mental illness, medical needs and drug addictions. “If they end up here, and we can’t help them, they get out and do it again,” said Holly Nicholson-Kluth, administrative services bureau chief for the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. On March 11, county commissioners approved funds totaling $136,727.54 for the Robert A. Christensen Justice Center medical building network equipment and book-
ing area remodeling projects. The whole venture is projected to cost $25 million and is on schedule, according to the DCSO. The entire expansion project began in August 2012. The expansion project also includes a parking garage, which was completed in November, to ease overcrowding in the front court lots and reduce safety issues with police vehicles. The county is also remodeling facilities, like cells and showers, to be more compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The new medical building will include new beds and dorms for inmates on suicide watch, an ambulance port, hospital beds and exam rooms, dental care facilities, mental health resources and glass barriers for better line of sight, according to building plans. It is expected to be complete in June, Nicholson-Kluth said. Once completed, the new facility will cut down on funds and safety issues that accompany bringing an inmate to a hospital, Jail continues on Page 8
A construction worker uses an excavator to move dirt on March 20 outside of the site of the county jail’s new medical facility, which is due to be finished in June. Photo by Hannah Garcia
Children’s theater still on agenda Castle Pines group didn’t get expected city funding for 2014 By Virginia Grantier
vgrantier@coloradocommunitymedia. com
the four scouts in Troop 2518 started, and Murray supported, to get the claret cup cactus named the state cactus. Murray performed her piece Jan. 31, with prepared music, on third reading — which is typically staid and formal, she said. It was part of her attempt to get fellow lawmakers to vote for bill HB14-1024, designating as the state cactus this particular plant that has large reddish-orange flowers that are loved by hummingbirds, and is edible. It also has a spineless version, and it’s
Castle Pines Arts and Cultural Foundation didn’t get the $5,000 it was expecting for 2014, when the Castle Pines City Council voted 4-2 to deny funding after expressing concerns about the organization’s lack of fundraising. But Joan Millspaugh, foundation board president, who is a retired nurse and 17year resident, said plans for this year’s three events are still on — including bringing in Missoula Children’s Theatre in July. Millspaugh said the foundation still has money. The foundation, started in January 2013 and given $6,000 in seed money from the Castle Pines City Council, ended 2013 with almost all of it, $5,900, because of a profit of about $1,500 made from a livemusic and supper event at Cherokee Castle and Ranch. That covered the organization’s 2013 start-up and administrative costs, she said. Millspaugh said the foundation was hoping for the additional $5,000 this year to help the foundation start a savings account for future purchases of outdoor art, as well as giving the group some additional money to fall back on in case this year’s events don’t do as well as expected and they lose more money than anticipated. She said as far as the council’s concern about lack of fundraising, the board is working on getting its 501(c)(3) status so they can pursue grants. That has been slow going because of unanticipated problems
Capitol continues on Page 8
Theater continues on Page 8
Castle Rock Girl Scouts from Troop 2518, who thought up the idea of naming a state cactus, were successful in getting lawmakers to pass a bill recently. Helping the effort: They brought homemade “cactus” cupcakes, like the one given to Gov. John Hickenlooper. Courtesy photo
Girl Scouts’ prickly idea wins at Capitol It’s a rap: Rep. Murray takes center stage for state cactus By Virginia Grantier
vgrantier@coloradocommunitymedia. com A 6-inch-tall cactus was the reason why state Rep. Carole Murray — a longtime conservative who usually focuses on education reform and other titanic issues — was up in the middle of the night recently penning an ode to the cactus and turning it into a rap
song. To percussive, strongbeat accompaniment, it started off like this: “Those girls from the ‘Rock’ just came to me and said, `Hey, Rep. Murray, this can’t be…’” “It literally came to me Murray in the middle of the night,” Murray said in a recent interview about her lyrics. The “girls,” are Girl Scouts, the “Rock” is Castle Rock, and all this was an effort that
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