Week of October 20, 2022
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DOUGLAS COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
DouglasCountyNewsPress.net
VOLUME 120 | ISSUE 50
After failed Parker deal, Castle Pines takes on troubled waters
School district accused of ‘woke ideology’ Unvetted comments in TABOR book BY MCKENNA HARFORD MHARFORD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
signs of many years of neglect and a significant lack of investment in infrastructure. Last year, the state required the district to issue an advisory telling customers to boil their water before drinking it. But the reason it was able to get to this point appears to be unknown. Nathan Travis, the interim district manager appointed in August, is working to get the district back on track. “I don’t know why the treatment plant wasn’t maintained to the level it should have been maintained – why the wells weren’t taken care of on a level that they needed to be,” Travis said.
Douglas County’s superintendent is rebutting language published in the “TABOR book” that is meant to help voters weigh the pros and cons of tax issues on the ballot in the upcoming election. “The comments are to be printed as they are, they are not fact-checked and there’s no process (for fact-checking),” Douglas County School District Superintendent Erin Kane said. “I was astounded when I learned that.” Kane made those remarks on Oct. 11 at the county school board meeting in reference to what’s called the TABOR book, which addresses county and district tax measures before voters. It contains summaries of for-andagainst positions. The guide also includes a warning that the information in it is not verified or checked for accuracy or truth. Kane took issue with the comments in opposition to a $60 million mill levy override and $450 million bond that the district says it needs to make staff pay more competitive, to build new schools and to maintain buildings. Opponents of the mill levy override argue that voters should kill it on the basis that the district supports “woke ideology indoctrination.” Kane and every member of the board dismissed that claim as untrue. “We certainly do not have an agenda-driven, formalized ‘woke’ or whatever you want to call it — social
SEE WATER, P7
SEE TABOR, P13
The City of Castle Pines and the Castle Pines North Metro District continue to negotiate an intergovernmental agreement for SHUTTERSTOCK stormwater and parks.
Sewage spills a problem BY ELLIOTT WENZLER COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
Thousands of homes dot the hills of Castle Pines, a central Douglas County community about 20 miles from the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. But underneath those houses and their hills, a problem lurks. As residents flush their toilets, shower and rinse out their sinks, their untreated wastewater enters an aging system that’s struggling to do its job. For years, the Castle Pines North Metro District has logged thou-
sands of gallons of sewage that has spilled from their system. Now, the state has sent them an official warning to address the problem. As former city Mayor Tera Radloff, bluntly puts it: “Sh-t rolls downhill.” And that’s exactly the issue for the system’s lift stations, which have the role of pumping sewage from low elevation to the nearby wastewater treatment plant. “I think this system hasn’t been maintained for a very long time,” said Radloff, who is also one of the directors for the water district that manages the system. “Why? I’m not sure.” The district, which serves the west side of the city, is showing
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 14 | LIFE: PAGE 16 | CALENDAR: PAGE 19 | SPORTS: PAGE 40
Special CD Rate
3.07% APY* 10 Month Term
120 S Wilcox St. Castle Rock, CO 80104 | 303-660-4001 *Annual Percentage Yield (APY) and interest rate of Certificate of Deposit (CD) may change after account opening. Fees could reduce earnings on the CD. A penalty may be imposed for early withdrawal. *The CD is automatically renewed into a Standard 9 month CD with current rate at renewal. *The Annual Percentage Yield is current as of October 7, 2022.