News-Press DCCR 6-27-13
Castle Rock
ourcastlerocknews.com
Douglas County, Colorado • Volume 11, Issue 14
Repeal of open-weapons ban eyed Change proposed for inside Castle Rock municipal buildings By Virginia Grantier
vgrantier@ourcoloradonews.com It would make him feel “a little uncomfortable” if he knew audience members could be carrying weapons, Castle Rock Councilmember Clark Hammelman said
at a June council meeting, in response to Mayor Paul Donahue’s request to consider repealing the town’s open-weapons ban in municipal buildings. “I would feel a little bit funny if they’re sitting there with their shotguns next to their chairs … and then when they come up to the witness stand they come up with their assault weapons. That would just bother me. It might be intimidating,” he said, and laughed. But Hammelman and the rest of the council, except Councilmember Chip Wil-
son who was absent, agreed to direct staff to research the possible repeal as well as two other Donahue requests. Donahue asked and got consensus to consider raising the fine for a minor in possession of marijuana from a maximum of $100 to $1,000, along with imposing mandatory community service. He also wants to “have our national motto put up here in council chambers.” Donahue said he’d like “In God We Trust” put “where people can see it, where it’s visible.” That item, which would just be a policy
June 27, 2013
Free
A Colorado Community Media Publication
And the winners are ... Look inside to find out who made Colorado Community Media’s list.
decision, will be on the agenda later this summer. Donahue said he wants to get feedback from residents. Regarding the concerns Hammelman expressed June 4 about possible weapons in the hearing room, Donahue said he understands, but that people have a right to do it. “The Constitution grants them that Weapons continues on Page 31
Town is one happy place, survey shows
Castle Rock gets higher satisfaction level than 2011 By Virginia Grantier
vgrantier@ourcoloradonews.com
Country singer Walker Williams sang June 19 to about 4,500 people at The Meadows subdivision’s first concert of its annual summer series in Castle Rock.
Meadows music draws thousands First show in free summer series attracts about 4,500 By Virginia Grantier
vgrantier@ourcolorado.com The scene was pretty sweet at the The Meadows subdivision’s kick-off concert for its free summer concert series in Castle Rock. Sweet music wasn’t all that filled the air at Butterfield Crossing Park. Downwind from the cotton-candy machine, wisps of the stuff took flight frequently as the breeze blustered, and scads of kids would open their baby-bird mouths and leap and grab. The grass far beyond, and around tents and chairs, got a coating of the light-blue sugar hair. It was just another thing that seemed to spark smiles of those nearby in the crowd of several thousand, in this scene of people-watching and picnics, and of alert dogs wanting some of the picnic, and kids running and dancing around like they had never known this kind of freedom before. And then there was the music: Denver area Meadows continues on Page 31
Quincy Brown, 19, of Castle Rock, shares a drink of water with her canine pal Wrigley.
Castle Rock residents seem to be even happier about living in their town than they were a couple years ago — and they were quite happy then, according to findings in a town survey. Castle Rock Town Manager Mark Stevens said at the June 18 town council meeting that the 2013 survey had even higher scores than the 2011 survey. And the 2011 scores, the town was told at the time by the survey research firm, were among the highest, if not the highest, of any community survey in the United States. “The fact that 2013 comes in and (the numbers) are higher is just remarkable,” Stevens said. The survey cost about $35,000 and was conducted by Georgia-based Pioneer Market Research. About 1,300 residents and business-license holders responded to the survey. “Overall … residents are very satisfied with life and living in Castle Rock,” Charles Montgomery, Pioneer’s director of research, said at the council meeting. “The perception is the town is doing a very solid job.” There is still concern about traffic congestion and long-term water solutions, but a smaller percentage expressed concern about the water issue in this recent survey. Montgomery presented some of the survey’s main findings. A full report on the survey results will be posted online in July, at CRgov.com/2013survey. Small-town character is the main reason that 60 percent chose to live in Castle Rock. And 91 percent said the reason they chose to live in Castle Rock worked out as expected. Town services, amenities and quality of life generally ranked near or above good, on a scale where 3 was “average,” 4 was “good” and 5 was “excellent,” according to a news release. As a place to live, the survey score averaged out to be 4.32; and as a place to raise children, 4.30. When asked about a sense of community or cohesiveness, the survey result was 3.87. Of the 77 items that could be compared to 2011 survey, 81 percent, or 62 items, showed an improvement.