February 26, 2015 VOLU M E 1 1 3 | I S S UE 1 7 | 7 5 ¢
DouglasCountyNewsPress.net D O U G L A S C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O
A publication of
WHAT’S INSIDE
Town at your fingertips: Castle Rock launches an app to help you stay informed. See Page 3
It’s a tween thing: Author has some tips on how to raise daughters between the ages of 9 and 12. See Page 15
A prairie dog pokes its head out of its burrow at the construction site of the new Promenade at Castle Rock. Photos by Mike DeFerdinando
Activists fight to save prairie dogs
Contending for a crown: Douglas County High wrestler finishes second at state tournament. See Page 21
Wildlife battle reflects Castle Rock’s growing pains
‘The councilmembers didn’t hear a word of it and they didn’t care at all or take our concerns into account.’
By Mike DiFerdinando
Deanna Meyer,
mdiferdinando @coloradocommunitymedia.com
POSTAL ADDRESS
NEWS-PRESS
(ISSN 1067-425X) (USPS 567-060) OFFICE: 9137 S. Ridgeline Blvd., Suite 210 Highlands Ranch, CO 80129 PHONE: 303-566-4100 A legal newspaper of general circulation in Englewood, Colorado, and the towns of Castle Rock, Parker and Larkspur, the NewsPress is published weekly on Thursday by Colorado Community Media and additional mailing offices. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT ENGLEWOOD, COLORADO and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address change to: 9137 S. Ridgeline Blvd., Suite 210 Highlands Ranch, CO 80129 DEADLINES: Display: Fri. 11 a.m. Legal: Fri. 11 a.m. | Classified: Mon. 5 p.m. G E T SO CIAL WITH U S
One recent morning, Deanna Meyer gazed across the soon-tobe construction site on the north end of town between I-25 and U.S. Highway 85, near the Outlets at Castle Rock, and saw hundreds of prairie dogs scurrying and standing sentinel at the openings of their burrows. “I drove by there this morning and it’s heartbreaking,” said Meyer, a leader of the Save the Castle Rock Prairie Dogs group, “…seeing hundreds of them and knowing they’re about to be murdered.” The previous evening, activists had flooded the Castle Rock Town Council meeting to speak for the more than 1,000 prairie dogs living under the future Promenade at Castle Rock — a 900,000-squarefoot shopping mall with about 350 apartments on some 200 acres. In emotional testimony reflective of issues created by growth, more than 20 residents lobbied to preserve one of the Front Range’s largest colonies of prairie dogs. They urged Alberta Development Partners to delay construction of the $177 million mall until June when pregnant prairie dogs who
Save the Castle Rock Prairie Dogs
‘The wildlife and the preservation of wildlife in our community is a big deal ... But, also a big deal for us here is to make sure that the residents of Castle Rock have an opportunity for jobs.’ Paul Donahue, Mayor of Castle Rock conceived in early winter would have given birth. They wanted time to find a suitable place to relocate them and to raise money and awareness. But after 1 ½ hours of public comment, council voted 6-0 to approve revisions to the contract between Alberta Development and the town. The approval clears the way for grading of the site to begin soon. No date has been set yet. Councilmember George Teal was
endangered by the state, she added. Prairie dogs were not part of the Feb. 17 council agenda and the discussion was prompted by residents and activists. Town officials said they will not comment further on the issue.
The right decision?
According to Castle Rock Town Attorney Bob Slentz, the only Prairie dogs continues on Page 11
Castle Rock jobless rate falls to 3.3 percent EDC chief expects wages to rise in area By Mike DiFerdinando
mdiferdinando @coloradocommunitymedia.com
P L EA SE RECYC L E T H I S C OPY
absent from the Feb. 17 meeting. “I thought it was awful,” Meyer said. “The councilmembers didn’t hear a word of it and they didn’t care at all or take our concerns into account.” The prairie dog issue is a matter of a private company developing private land and the town has no authority to stop or delay the project, a town spokeswoman said. That would be different in the case of a species deemed protected or
The unemployment rate in Castle Rock fell to 3.3 percent by the end of 2014, according to new numbers released by the Economic Development Council. The job growth is just one of several indicators signaling the economic health of the town.
In 2013, the unemployment rate for the year came in at 5.4 percent. “We have a very low unemployment rate, which is going to put a lot of pressure on wages. That means as we see the unemployment rate (drop), competition for good employees is going to get harder and harder and put pressure on wages, moving wages up,” Economic Development Council president Frank Gray said. “Depending who you are and how you look at things, that could be a really good thing for Castle Rock as well.” Sales-tax revenues are up 6.9 percent. Downtown has had an exceptionally good year, with a
13 percent increase in tax revenues. The town added 173 new primary jobs (non-retail) and saw the biggest portion of that growth in manufacturing. In the retail space, 139 new jobs were added in 2014. Commercial development in Castle Rock was strong in 2014, with major projects like the ACME Water Tower Center, Caprice Commerce Center and Meadows Town Center coming online. “We’re seeing a 92 percent lease rate as we’re bringing those buildings to market, which is Jobless continues on Page 9