Castle Rock News-Press 1029

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October 29, 2015

A NN UA L

Voluntary Contribution PROGR A M

VOLUME 13 | ISSUE 30 | FREE

Look for the special insert inside this week’s paper CastleRockNewsPress.net D O U G L A S C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O

SCHOOL BOARD RACE

WHAT’S INSIDE

High voter turnout expected

Election: Students use forum to get involved. See Page 5

Election officials project at least 100,000 will cast ballots By Mike DiFerdinando mdiferdinando@coloradocommunitymedia.com

Sound ideas: New options exist for those with hearing loss. See Page 14

Volleyball: Rock Canyon squares off against Mountain Vista. See Page 22

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Castle Rock News-Press OFFICE: 9137 S. Ridgeline Blvd, Ste 210 Highlands Ranch, CO 80129 PHONE: 303-566-4100 WEBSITE: CastleRockNewsPress.net DEADLINES: Display: Fri. 11 a.m. Legal: Fri. 11 a.m. Classified: Mon. 5 p.m.

PL E ASE RECYCLE

The training, which took place at Castlewood Canyon State Park, included a rock-climbing rescue. Photos by Shanna Fortier

Search and Rescue team tackles real-life scenario All-volunteer squad trains twice a month By Shanna Fortier sfortier@coloradocommunitymedia.com When members of the Douglas County Search and Rescue team recently deployed to Castlewood Canyon State Park one morning, they found people who looked as if they’d been struck by lightning while hiking.

But the scenario wasn’t real. Instead, it was a true-to-life depiction — theatrical makeup created realistic-looking injuries and victims acted out their injuries to add to the realism of the mass casualty incident training. The all-volunteer rescue team responded, assessed the situation, treated the wounded and organized relief efforts, prioritizing and managing the crisis amid the chaos.

With three seats open on the Douglas County Board of Education, county officials are expecting the trend of high voter turnout for school district races to continue Nov. 3. There are 224,956 registered voters in Douglas County, and officials estimate more than 50 percent of voters will cast ballots. In District A, incumbent Craig Richardson will take on Wendy Vogel. Board President Kevin Larsen will face off with AnneMarie Lemieux in District C. Incumbent Richard Robbins and David Ray will vie for the District F seat. The county has already received more than 20,000 mail-in ballots, according to Douglas County Clerk and Recorder Merlin Klotz. According to Klotz, the county had received 29,000 ballots at the same point prior to the 2013 election. But there are several factors that could have accounted for the difference, Klotz said. “If you look at the sample ballot for 2013 vs. the sample ballot for 2015 you will note that Amendment 66 (taxes) and Proposition AA were on the 2013 ballot and drew a lot more interest than the current statewide ballot issue,” Klotz said. “Even the local city issues and races were more aggressive in 2013.” School board elections in 2009 and 2011 brought out 27 percent and 48 percent of registered voters, respectively. In 2013, more than 50 percent of Douglas County voters sent in their ballots. Douglas County election officials are estimating 100,000 to 130,000 ballots will be submitted for this year’s election. “Whichever side you’re on, I think there are a lot of strong feelings because it’s right there,” Larsen said. “Some of this national stuff, everybody has opinions, but its starts to feel a little removed.” Candidate David Ray said the large turnDCSD continues on Page 8

ONLINE: Go to the NewsPress’ website at Castlerocknewspress.net for election results the night of Nov. 3.

Rescue continues on Page 13

Town highlights six priorities in 2016 budget Castle Rock’s preliminary vote slated for Nov. 3 By Shanna Fortier sfortier@colorado communitymedia.com Castle Rock’s proposed $191.3 million budget for 2016, which calls for a decrease in the property tax rate, focuses on six core priorities: • Providing outstanding public health and safety services • Securing the community’s long-term renewable water future • Creating primary jobs and

expanding the tax base to improve the business climate • Providing a safe transportation system and minimizing traffic congestion • Providing an outstanding parks, recreation, trails and open space system • Maintaining community character and identity, with particular focus on downtown Castle Rock. The proposed budget, presented at the Oct. 20 Castle Rock Town Council meeting, is scheduled for a preliminary vote by council on Nov. 3 and a final vote Budget continues on Page 6

Image courtesy of the Town of Castle Rock


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