Workers complete the new sidewalk on Monarch Boulevard between Oxford Drive and Shoreham Circle, making the route to school safer for children. (photo by Terri Wiebold)

by Terri Wiebold

Last December, The Connection reported on efforts to improve safety at the crosswalks near Buffalo Ridge Elementary (BRE) School. Now, eight months later, the vision has become a reality, thanks to a long-lost contract with Writer Homes (now Standard Pacific) and the persistence of a few community advocates.

Resident Kerri Norris has been pushing for safety changes at the crosswalk on the corner of Monarch Boulevard and Oxford Drive for several years. Norris has spoken with, and met with, countless county, city, and school representatives, with little progress until now.

Enter HOA 2 Property Manager Ron Valiga, the HOA 2 board of directors, and developer Darwin Horan. At the direction of the HOA 2 board of directors, and unaware of Norris’ efforts, Valiga tracked down the original contract from Writer Homes to follow up on the completion of several trails in the HOA 2 area. The contract indicated that a sidewalk was to be built on the west side of Monarch Boulevard, connecting Oxford Drive to Shoreham Circle.

Apparently, Douglas County approved the permits several years ago, but the big concrete shortage a few years back caused the delay. “We didn’t know there were other entities working on this,” said Valiga. “The permits were due to expire this fall, so we decided to get the tough parts [the sidewalk] done, and the rest would follow.”

Castle Pines North resident and local developer, Darwin Horan, has a long-standing relationship with HOA 2 and with Standard Pacific Homes. Horan met with Valiga to review the plans and walk the property. A few phone calls later, Horan had construction of the sidewalk underway. Less than one month after that, the children at BRE were safely traveling to and from school each day on the new sidewalk.

“Fortunately for the Castle Pines North community, Standard Pacific Homes – particularly Vice President Rip Reid – stands by their commitments,” said Horan. “They want the community to be happy with the end result of a project, and if there is ever a question, they do what it takes to make things right.”

Special thanks to Kerri Norris, the entire HOA 2 board of directors - particularly Todd Schuster, Ron Valiga of Hallmark Management, Rip Reid at Standard Pacific Homes, and Darwin Horan for bringing this long-awaited project to completion.

“After all these years, I was happy to see this all come together so quickly,” said Norris. “I’m glad for the sake of the children.”

Norris said she would continue to work with the school to help educate parents and students of the changes, and she would help coordinate the new crosswalks and flashing lights as well.