New Zip Code?? - maybe?

No fireworks, please, please. Per the Douglas County Sheriff's Dept: fireworks displays are prohibited in Douglas County without a permit.

The governor issued a ban on the sale and use of personal fireworks. No backyard displays, no cul-de-sac exhibitions, the eyes of the community are on you.

County Bans Open Fires: In response to extremely dry conditions this year, Douglas County is prohibiting all open fires. Exceptions are professional fireworks displays, and outside fires that are portable gas or fuel-contained. Banned are all charcoal grills and campfires on our public lands.

CPN is in unicorporated Douglas County, not a part of Castle Rock. Even the Town of Castle Rock is periodically unclear about this.

Distance-charge on CPN phone lines: The group of residents who are working to eradicate the $12 per month “Distance Charge” on each phone line in CPN has gotten a hearing scheduled with the Colorado Public Utility Commission. The hearing is set for June 28, 2002. The group is now working on preparing for the hearing.

If you have expertise to contribute to this effort, and have not already contacted the group, please e-mail telecommunications@cpnhoa.org, call (303) 482-3078, or stop by Little Italy Pizzeria in the Safeway center and talk to Lisa or Mark Towne.

CPN area homes. Construction continues on all of the new homes in CPN. We currently have over 2,100 occupied homes, and eventually will have about 3,500. Writer has 2 single family homes left to sell in the HOA2 area, and will be finish up their development when they complete the Broadwick duplex area. The “spec home” builders in the Forest Park and Hidden Pointe areas are near completion. Most of the builders in the newer northwest areas of the community, such as Village Homes, D.R. Horton, and Richmond Homes, expect to complete sales by 2005. Custom home areas, such as Whisper Canyon, are likely to take longer to complete.

CPN Community Center building. This building will be expanded slightly to add more office space for CPN Metro District staff (currently the staffshares two small offices). The entire building will get a new roof, and other repairs will be also be done on the existing portion of the building. None of the construction activity is related to the potential Recreation Center.

Effective July 1, 2002, Castle Pines North, as well as all Castle Rock addresses north of the Outlet Mall, will have a new zip code: 80108. We will have one year to correct your address on all in-coming mail before the Post Office will stop delivering it to us.

A neighborhood fixture since the late '80s, the Country Market/Total Station closed its doors. Up the street, the BP Amoco opened. It is unknown what the Country Market space will be used for.

The Douglas Public Library District (DPLD) is starting to make plans for a library in Castle Pines North. The goal is to get started with a "bookmobile" in 2003, and then to open a full-time neighborhood library in one of the commercial-area spaces, perhaps as soon as 2004.

What has been done about getting a library here?

A library is frequently mentioned in our current web-site poll on the services that residents wish were available in the commercial areas. In fact, efforts to get a library date back to at least 1996, when homebuilding had started again in CPN, and residents identified a library as one of several types of governmental services that would enhance the community.

Until now, the goal to get a library in CPN had eluded us. In 1996, CPN was still a very small community, and the Douglas Public Library District committed funds to an expansion program in various other areas of the County. The expansion project that is most visible to CPN residents is the current project to move the Castle Rock library to a larger facility (in Castle Rock's old Safeway building); this is scheduled to open in the summer of 2003.

Now that the library district is nearing completion on their 1996 commitments, they're starting to plan for the next set of expansion needs. CPN's recent population boom has put us on the list of areas that can justify library services.

The trigger to get things started with CPN came with the Library District's recent announcement that they are finalizing plans to open a storefront library in Roxborough. This will free up the District's "bookmobile" that is currently located in that neighborhood, to be moved to CPN (as had been discussed in a news article last year) This will be the first step toward getting library services in our community.

What can we expect?

Library Director Jamie LaRue indicates that they would prefer to locate CPN's library in the commercial area, where "going to the library" can be "part of a trip" to do other things as well. LaRue indicates that if he can negotiate a location for the bookmobile, the "bookmobile branch" could open sometime during 2003.

The "bookmobile" isn't a little van that drives into the neighborhood on occasion - it is more like a large trailer, that would have a permanent location and regularly scheduled hours (probably 2 or 3 days a week). The bookmobile would have a relatively small collection of popular books and tapes, and residents could also use the bookmobile for pickup and dropoff of other books, tapes, etc. that they have ordered via the Internet. LaRue also indicated that once the Library has staff assigned to our area, they could offer a regular "story time" for kids, in one of the area business locations.

LaRue is targeting sometime in 2004 for opening a full-time neighborhood branch library, contingent on getting budget approval to operate the branch, and ability to negotiate a lease with one of the commercial centers in our area. The library would be in a "storefront" in one of our retail areas, similar to the 1,500-sq. ft. facility that is being planned for Roxborough. How big is this type of space? It would be similar to other "retail" storefront spaces in our area, such as the local coffee shop. This type of library is aimed at providing neighborhoods with a collection of popular items.

We would still rely on DPLD Regional Libraries, such as the one in Castle Rock, for a more extensive collection of books and other materials, and for research activities. Eventually, there may also be another DPLD Regional Library a few miles north of us, in the new urbanized area that has been planned along both sides of I-25, south of Lincoln Ave.

The CPN Master Association is forming a Library Committee to keep in touch with the Library District as the plans progress. The committee chair will be Jan Derks, a CPN Resident and professional librarian who has been talking with the District over the past year about the need for a library in our community.

If you have questions or wish to participate, you can contact her at library@cpnhoa.org. Or Contact DPLD Director Jamie LaRue by email, or call (720) 733-8624. Visit the library web site.

And I wish it was me...
One of the winning tickets for the $13 million Lotto drawing on March 3 was sold at our neighborhood Safeway Store at 560 Castle Pines Parkway. A group of six people purchased ten Quick Pick tickets, and chose the cash option. It is unknown if any of the group are CPN residents. (But just in case, be nice to EVERONE you meet!)

The Dumb Friends Leagues' new "Buddy Center" will open on April 13 at 4556 Castleton Court in Castle Rock. Named for a dog that belonged to donors Dob and Debbie Bennett, the $3.5 million facility will provide shelter for up to 5,000 stray and abandoned animals a year. In addition, the center will facilitate the adoptions of dogs, puppies, cats, kittens, small mammals and birds; as well as provide education programs and pet-behavior classes; host seven-day lost and found services, and construct animal neglect and cruelty investigations.

To assist in the ongoing fundraising efforts of the shelter, commemorative tiles are for sale for $500 to $1,000. For more information, call Donna Mlinek at 303-696-4941, ext. 367.

Read more about the CPN efforts to raise funds for the shelter.

4-18 Update:
We recieved a letter from the PUC - PUC has canceled our hearing for the 16th with Qwest. We had to submitt a list of documents in order to have another hearing reassigned. We have 30 days in which to submit this information.

Next meeting is on Saturday, April 20th 9:00am at Coffee Cravings to get our game plan together.

Article:
Residents weary of paying the $12 "Distance Charge" to Qwest every month are encouraged to join a group of CPN residents who are working to eradicate it.

Lisa Towne, who lives in HOA#1, is leading the effort. She arranged for Qwest's Regulatory Affairs Manager Matthew Kruzick, and Public Affairs Manager Edie Ortega, to attend February's Master Association meeting. They explained that the Distance Charges are part of the rate structure mandated by the Colorado Public Utility Commission (PUC), the governing body that oversees Qwest's rate structure.

In the early 1990s, the PUC established Zones, based on the distance from the central office that provides the phone service, to offset the cost of providing services to sparsely populated areas. Based on our distance from the central office in Castle Rock, Castle Pines North is in the zone that has a $12 per month Distance Charge.

At the time the zones were established, CPN had a few hundred homes. Residents at the February meeting argued that since that time, the number of homes has increased, with an even greater increase in the number of phone lines. Also, they said, technology has improved so that the neighborhood could now be serviced by a hub without the need for construction of a complete central office switching station. Towne asserted that the PUC allows for a distance charge without actually requiring it, and that an exception to the formula should be made for urban-density areas such as CPN.

The Qwest representatives replied that the PUC does not allow them to vary from the rate structure, nor does it address the number of phone lines in our specific area, or the technology changes. They indicated that any changes to the rate formula would need to be made state-wide after evaluating the entire system, and that our recourse is to file a complaint with the Colorado Public Utilities Commission.

Lisa Towne has filed the complaint with the PUC, and a hearing has been scheduled for April 16. There is a committee working to prepare for the hearing that would welcome additional residents who have legal or telecommunications expertise, or anyone else with the time to pursue some research items.

To become involved in this issue, please send an e-mail to telecommunications@cpnhoa.org, or call (303) 482-3078. Or, stop by Little Italy Pizzeria in the Safeway center and talk to Lisa directly.

It's only a paved road with beautiful views now, but by September six builders will have constructed custom residences at Amber Ridge. This year's Parade of Homes will be held at the gated community located within the Daniel's Ridge community off of Monarch Blvd. Amber Ridge will eventually have 34 homes on lots that range in price from the upper $100s to the mid-$300s.

The 2002 Parade of Homes will open on Monday, Sept. 2, and run through October 6. Participating builders are Dorian Homes, DR Horton, Infinity Communities, Laureate Homes, Miller Burton Homes, and New Homes Inc.

The Douglas Public Library District, in conjunction with TheatreWorks, is excited to announce the first annual Shakespeare at the Rock, a free week-long event for the entire family, scheduled for July 22-28, 2002.

Commuinity support is needed in order to raise $10,000 more in private donations to make the festival a reality. There are many levels of sponsorship available. For more information, contact the DPLD Community Relations Manager, Katie Klossner, via e-mail: kklossner@mail.dpld.org, or phone 720-733-8624. Or pick up a brochure with more information at your local Douglas County Library.

New Zip Code??

The Castle Rock post office is maxing out on capacity for the 80104 zip code, so they have requested that new zip codes be added for the "Castle Pines area" and another one added for Meadows area.

They have to get approval from the U.S. Postal Service headquarters, and they should have an answer in a month or so.

Once they know, they'll start doing public notice; the new zip codes could be used starting June 1 of this year, and we would all have 1 year to switch over. They have requested that the new zip codes would be 80108 and 80109 - we won't know if those are the real numbers, or which number is ours, until the new zip code structure is approved.

Barbara Mullen has just received great news that HOA1 has received a $2500 AWARD from the County for the native area restoration efforts! This reflects fabulous volunteer effort on Barbara's part, and the other folks on her committee too - Marlene Littel, and Steve Tkach and Ray Sperger.

Barbara has offered to write-up a piece for the 3/15 CPN Connection Newsletter. Look for the full article there.

"It's really fabulous that an HOA has taken this sort of stance regarding its' Open Spaces, and we want to trumpet this great news far and wide." said Mark Shively. "Thank you very much Barbara. This is just great!"

A resident reports "A stolen car was abandoned in front of our home in Knights Bridge. A car was also stolen on our block the same day.

We are our own worst enemies (we can be lax, according to the DC Sheriff's department) and we can also be our best allies - EYES WIDE OPEN for comings and goings in our neighborhoods.

Read the Sheriff's article on prevention

Due to improving financial circumstances, The Metro District Board was able this year to reduce the debt service mill levy for 2002 from 46 mills to 30 mills. The Operations and Maintenance mill levy stayed the same at 18 mills.

What does this mean for you as a homeowner? An illustration of your tax savings follows, using "Home A" as an example:

Home A is worth $300,000 and has a taxable value of $28,200. (Value x 9.4%-an amount set by the state).

The old mill levy of 64 mills would tax that at 6.4%. (28,200 x .064) Home A's owner last year paid $1805.00 in taxes.

Under the new levy, the taxable value of $28,200 would be taxed at only 4.8% (30 mills plus 18 mills= 48 mills) - 28,200 X 4.8% = $1353.00 The difference between paid taxes last year and the new levy is a tax savings of $452.00.

A "luxury" apartment complex will open this spring in the commercial area near I-25, south of the Village Square and Safeway. The "Alexan Castle Pines" complex will be similar to other garden style apartment communities like The Estates at Park Meadows and Windsor at Meridian. There will 356 units, with a mix of 1, 2 and 3 bedroom floor plans, ranging from 749 to 1,355 square feet, with rents from $875 to $1,625.

The developer reports that the unit designs incorporate the luxury features required by upper-end rental clients in this market. Approximately 83% of the units will have either a 1 or 2 car-attached garage. The apartments will feature private entries, garden tubs, computer desks gas fireplaces and built-in entertainment centers. Residents will be able to choose an upgraded interior package.

Pre-leasing is scheduled to begin February 1, 2002, with initial move-ins scheduled for March 2002.

There are currently about 2,000 homes in the CPN area, including Hidden Pointe and the new Daniels Gate area. Eventually, there will be about 3,500, located in the areas where you can now see construction activity. This is a reduction from the approximately 4,000 homes that were envisioned in earlier master plans for our area.

As noted in a recent article in the Douglas County News-Press, there will eventually be a total of about 5,500 homes in the entire "Castle Pines" area, which includes both CPN and Castle Pines Village. Expect to see continued housing construction in CPN over the next several years. Soon, we will also start to see construction of new homes in the northern tier of Castle Pines Village.

While the northern portion of the Lagae Ranch is zoned for commercial development, the remainder of the Ranch is zoned agricultural. The family that owns the Ranch has been considering developing the land but they have not submitted specific plans or indicated when they intend to do so. News will be posted when the status changes.

If the number of building permits Douglas County issues to developers is any clue, overall growth is officially slowing to levels experienced four or more years ago, according to a recent story in the Douglas County News-Press.

Unincorporated Douglas County issued 12 percent fewer permits overall in 2001 than in 2000. The number of permits dropped from 9,800 to 8,700 in 2001.

Douglas County experienced a 16 percent drop in building permit revenues in 2001, down to $3.8 million from $4.5 million the previous year. The construction valuation built last year was $807 million, compared with $980 million in 2000.

The biggest drop was in permit issuance for single-family houses. While nearly 3,000 single-family permits were issued in 2000, fewer than 2,300 were issued in 2001. This marked a 22 percent drop in permit issuance for single-family units in the past year.

Commercial permits dropped 5 percent, from 372 in 2000 to 353 permits last year.

The only increase Douglas County saw in 2001 was in multi-family permit issuance. Developers last year received 270 permits to build 1,000 units, versus 170 permits to build 943 multifamily units in 2000. Multi-family permits were issued for building in Stonegate, Highlands Ranch and Castle Pines North.

Remodels and additions were down 10 percent in 2001.

The Town of Castle Rock also issued fewer building permits in 2001 than it did in 2000. Multi-family dwelling permits, however, increased in 2001. No permits for multi-family housing were issued in 2000, and 15 were issued in 2001, which will result in an additional 200 multi-family units in town.

Excerpted from the DC News-Press 1-2-02:

The Castle Pines area is halfway built out to its anticipated 6,000 houses, said Douglas County planner James VanHemert.

The Castle Pines area was overzoned decades ago, VanHemert said, meaning there is no way all the zoned units could be built. As Castle Pines builds out in stages, the final number of houses will be determined, VanHemert said.

The county is planning to build a road between Castle Pines Village and Castle Pines North. Lagae Road is planned from Country Club Drive in northeastern Castle Pines Village up to Castle Pines Parkway in Castle Pines North. The one-mile road will be built by the end of this year, road engineers said, at a cost of $1.05 million.

The county is securing land for a frontage road along Interstate 25 between Castle Pines Parkway and Lone Tree. Some Castle Pines Village residents have said they want gated access up to Castle Pines Parkway, I-25 and Monarch Boulevard. Monarch Boulevard from Castle Pines North to Highlands Ranch opened last year.

December estimates showed that Castle Pines could be built out by 2012. Development in the area requires serious infrastructure investments. County commissioners and planners support the buildout of these areas to retire bond indebtedness, thereby keeping tax levels lower for area residents, says the master plan. The Castle Pines North Metro District flexed its way back from serious financial troubles more than a decade ago.

Read the entire News-Press article. (1-2-2002)