Castle Rock
News-Press
Douglas County, Colorado • Volume 10, Issue 35
GREETING THE SEASON
November 22, 2012
Free
A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourcastlerocknews.com
Pot vote leaves questions in county Local leaders await guidance By Rhonda Moore
rmoore@ourcoloradonews.com
Connor Niles, 4, carefully picks out an ornament from one of the trees in Festival Park. Niles and his family are recent transplants to Castle Rock and celebrated their first Starlighting Nov. 17. Other activities leading up to the Starlighting ceremony included live entertainment, carolers, puppet shows, a live Nativity scene, carriage rides, free giveaways and a chili dinner at the fire station. For more Starlighting photos, see page 4. Photo by Courtney Kuhlen | ckuhlen@ourcoloradonews.com
No stranger to homelessness Douglas County offers feeling of safety By Rhonda Moore
rmoore@ourcoloradonews.com
Marijuana continues on Page 10
HOW AMENDMENT 64 FARED
A look at the vote in metro-area counties: Arapahoe County No: 54 percent Yes: 53 percent Jefferson County No: 47 percent Yes: 54 percent Douglas County No: 46 percent Yes: 44.5 percent Statewide No: 55.5 percent Yes: 55 percent Elbert County No: 45 percent Yes: 46 percent
Judge unyielding on Sterling Ranch
Mike Chumbley has been homeless in Castle Rock for eight years, and he picked the area for the same reasons as so many others. He likes the wide-open space. He likes the small-town feel. He feels safe in Castle Rock. To put it simply, he likes it here. Never mind that some mornings he wakes up in 2 feet of snow or that he has learned to live below the radar. No matter that he doesn’t care that much for most of the people who live in Castle Rock. They’re a little too “yuppie” for his liking. Instead, Chumbley is drawn to a different kind of people. The kind who make up his small world of humble exchanges.
Developer also holds firm in water-adequacy dispute By Rhonda Moore
rmoore@ourcoloradonews.com
The ‘Godfather’ of Castle Rock
At 60 years old, Chumbley lives within walking distance of everything he needs to survive. It is a raw existence on the side of a creek, just outside of town. He calls himself “the Goldfather of Castle Rock” and says he is one of about 10 homeless people who live along the town’s outer limits. “There aren’t many of us,” he said. “We just have to stay below the radar. People like us will give back to other people. You step up when other people don’t.” He moved to Castle Rock in 2001, about six years after a divorce left him emptyhanded, he said. He has learned to read the sky and the weather and has developed a taste for secondhand clothes, belongings and food. As a homeless person in Castle Rock, he
In the wake of Colorado voters’ approval of legalized marijuana, Douglas County and Castle Rock leaders are awaiting direction from the Colorado Municipal League and Colorado Counties Inc. The amendment allows local jurisdictions to ban retail sales. If the summary from the municipal league, combined with the county’s history with medical marijuana, are any indication, those in favor of the amendment could be in for a disappointment if they are hoping for a pot shop anytime soon. The municipal league issued a summary analysis of the amendment to its members the day after the election. The league reported retail stores will be allowed to sell marijuana in a system of licensed establishments regulated by the state and local governments. While Amendment 64 does not change existing medical marijuana laws, local governments may choose to prohibit or license retail marijuana operations, the league says.
Mike Chumbley has been homeless in Castle Rock for eight years, living primarily in a tent on the side of a creek within walking distance of downtown. He calls himself “the Goldfather of Castle Rock” and survives by staying “below the radar,” he said. Photo by Rhonda Moore. has little to fear besides bears, bobcats and police, he said. He has come to understand the network of assistance in Castle Rock, including the food bank at the Douglas/Elbert Task Force, and the helping hand of the local restaurant owner who feeds him in exchange for a clean bathroom. “I’m a survivor,” Chumbley said. “She helps me out, I help her.” Where does his luck fail? When it comes to women and alcohol. Chumbley, who was an electrician by trade, dreams of be-
ing able to start his own business. But every move forward seems to be met with two steps backward. His story is not out of the ordinary for those who work with the county’s at-risk population.
A caring network
Rand Clark was hired by Douglas County as the community of care navigator to help connect the nonprofit agencies that pro Homeless continues on Page 10
A Douglas County District Court judge has denied a request by Sterling Ranch, which asked him to reconsider his decision to put the brakes on the development. Judge Paul King on Nov. 9 held to his August decision on the subdivision. The judge had reversed the Douglas County commissioners’ 2011 approval of the Sterling Ranch Development and denied the developer’s request to send the matter back to the board for a water supply adequacy determination. King’s decision comes as a disappointment to the developer, who says it ignores the legal briefs filed. “It is unfortunate that the appellate briefs weren’t acknowledged. There seems to be a total misinterpretation of the statutes,” said Diane Smethills, Sterling Ranch partner. “That came forward in the briefs, especially the amicus briefs filed on behalf of the business community. They stepped forward out of concern for ramifications statewide.” King ruled that Sterling Ranch, with its plan to develop 3,500 acres to create 12,000 Ranch continues on Page 10