by Terri Wiebold

This is the time of year that, many say, is Colorado’s finest. There is a crisp feeling in the air, the mountains are snow capped, and the scenery is like that of a setting in a novel. Unfortunately, for residents in the suburban parts of Colorado, the snowfall brings with it logistical challenges.

Castle Pines North (CPN) rests at a cozy 6,210 feet above sea level, and experiences these challenges in the winter months.

Snow removal in CPN is a community-wide effort with responsibility shared by many parties:

• The Douglas County Public Works Department plows most public streets in CPN. Due to specialized equipment, logistics, timing, available funding and manpower concerns, a snow removal priority has been assigned to each street. For more information, please contact Douglas County Public Works Operations at 303-660-7480.
  
  
• The Castle Pines North Metro District is responsible for plowing sidewalks and trails along major streets and in parks in the community. For questions regarding snow removal on CPN’s open spaces and trails, please contact the Metro District Parks & Open Space Manager, Charlie Fagan, at 303-688-8550, ext. 20.
  
  
• Neighborhood HOAs are responsible for snow removal on any private streets, sidewalks and trails along designated HOA common areas, as well as driveways and sidewalks of town homes and patio homes.
  
  
• For single-family homes, individual homeowners are responsible for removing snow and ice along sidewalks adjacent to homes.

Because snow removal responsibilities in CPN vary by neighborhood, the Master Association has established a neighborhood-specific directory on its website for homeowners to reference. Go to www.cpnhoa.org and click on the “contacts/services” link, and then click on the “snow removal” link. If all else fails, snuggle up under a blanket with a good book and wait a few hours for the snow to melt – it is Colorado afterall!