Events in Castle Rock. CRconserve.com helps residents understand water conservation at home

Transcription

1 Water conservation is something every resident needs to understand. It s simple. It s smart. Small, everyday decisions can add up to enormous water savings and allow our community to maintain its economic strength and quality of life. Castle Rock is located in Colorado s high-plains, semi-arid environment. The Town averages only 8 to 15 inches of precipitation a year. Because of this, every drop counts whether it s pumped fresh from a well and delivered to your home, or saved through reduced indoor and outdoor water use. Helping residents learn tips and techniques of water conservation was a primary goal when Castle Rock Water created CRconserve.com, a website geared at helping residents maximize water conservation habits around their homes. The Town received a nearly $32,000 water conservation grant from the State of Colorado Water Conservation Board to build a website that would include these goals and objectives: Events in Castle Rock C O N TA C T S Nov. 3: W e b s t e r U n i v e r s i t y We b s t e r. e d u / C a s t l e R o c k St. Jude Dream Home dreamhome.org H o l i d a y b a z a a r , ext. 14 Tu r k e y R o c k T r o t rocktrot.com Webster University open house, 6-7 p.m., Castle Rock Chamber of Commerce. Learn how to get your MBA or master s in management and leadership right in Castle Rock. Nov. 5-6: St. Jude Dream Home open house, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and noon5 p.m. Sunday, 4418 Fell Mist Way. See the house one last time before it is given away Nov. 11. Dreamhome.org. Nov. 6: Holiday bazaar, noon-4 p.m., Treasures on Park Street (Task Force). Holiday decor and wear for sale and auction. Door prizes and refreshments. Adults, $10; ages 3-15, $5. O C TO B E R Nov. 11: Town offices closed in observance of Veterans Day. Recreation Center open normal hours. Town offices, including the Recreation Center, closed in observance of Thanksgiving. Turkey Rock Trot 5k, 8:30 a.m., Douglas County Events Center. Ages 13 and up, $30 preregister at rocktrot.com Incorporate a technical design that enables the general website coding to be easily transferable to other communities or water providers. Some features of CRconserve.com include personalized profile, customizable plant list, weather stations, watering calendar, conservation tips and events. Additionally, it links the user back to the Town s flagship website, CRgov.com, for information on water billing, rebates, plans and regulations. Learn more about Castle Rock Water which provides water, long-term water, wastewater and stormwater services at CRgov.com/water. Questions? Contact Water Conservation Specialist Rick Schultz, or rschultz@crgov.com. S U R V E Y S AY S page3 Town survey confirms high quality of life ONE MONTH, ONE BILL extra! Changes coming to water bill cycle Good to know Thinking of adding a fourlegged family member to your household? Adopt a pet from the Dumb Friends League Buddy Center in Castle Rock. Adopting a homeless pet doesn t add to the pet population a green option. The center which has dogs, cats and small pets available for adoption is open seven days a week, and has a database of available pets on its website, ddfl.org. The site also has plenty of information about pet ownership and the adoption process, to ensure the decision is right for you. On the Web Residents can track crimes in their neighborhoods at CRgov.com/crimereports. There, crime data from the Castle Rock Police Department can be searched by address. Icons on the map represent crimes that have occurred, or offenders living in an area. The data also is available through the CrimeReports iphone app, available in the Apple itunes Store. Stay informed with this new tool. Town, neighbors cooperate during disasters Castle Rock best place per CNNMoney Moonlight Madness shopping event, 9 p.m.-9 p.m. Nov. 25, Outlets at Castle Rock. Special holiday savings. Visit outletsatcastlerock.com for the latest. Project Green tip WOR KI NG TOG ETH E R WE RE NO. 19! or $35 day of; under 12 free. Proceeds benefit the Task Force. Bring nonperishable food for a goodie bag. E ducate the public on the importance of water conservation, Castle Rock s conservation programs and provide detailed information on water-saving products and practices. P rovide an interactive interface where the user has the ability to navigate the site and catalog information in a customized database, based on individual interests. This database may be printed and used to assist the user in the purchase of xeric plant materials. From Around News the R oc k CRconserve.com helps residents understand water conservation at home There are two new ways in which Internet users can interact with CRgov.com. The first is a mobile version of the site. Mobile device users do not need to take any extra steps to access that version it should automatically display. An icon on the mobile site gives users the option of switching to the full website. The other new feature is my dashboard, which allows site visitors to personalize how they stay updated on news, events and more. A bar across the top of CRgov.com invites users to view my dashboard, which can be customized with favorite pages and features after logging in. Two annual events light the Town for the holidays Celebrate Santa s arrival at the Outlets at Castle Rock at the shopping center s annual tree-lighting ceremony Saturday, Nov. 12. Special sales will be offered all day from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Entertainment and activities will begin at in the afternoon, with the lighting occurring at 6 p.m. Photos with Santa will follow the lighting, until 10 p.m. Mention code TreeLight101 to recieve 25 percent off of photos that day. The outlets will offer specials and extended shopping hours throughout the holiday season. Visit outletsatcastlerock.com for the latest information. The following weekend brings a favorite holiday tradition to Castle Rock. The Castle Rock Chamber of Commerce and Fire Department have been illuminating the famous, giant star on top of Castle Rock for 76 years. The Starlighting ceremony takes place the Saturday before Thanksgiving which his year is Nov. 19 on Wilcox Square in Downtown Castle Rock. Festivities will run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Usher in the holiday season with carriage rides, hot chocolate and caroling, while children eagerly await Santa Claus annual visit. The annual chili supper will begin at Fire Headquarters at 3 p.m. Visit castlerock.org for additional event details.

2 Town, neighbors formally agree to cooperate during disasters The various government agencies in Douglas County long have worked together when faced with an emergency. Town Council formalized that arrangement in September, with the approval of an agreement to share resources with members of the Partnership of Douglas County Governments in the event of a declared disaster. The other agencies in the Partnership also approved the agreement, which was formally signed at the September Partnership meeting. Those agencies are the Town of Parker, the City of Lone Tree, the City of Castle Pines, the Town of Larkspur, the Douglas County School District, the Douglas County Public Library District, Douglas County and the Douglas County Sheriff s Office. In addition to setting the terms for mutual assistance, the agreement establishes a $2 million, County-administered fund that can be used for disaster management. Each partner must maintain a proportional emergency reserve in order to access the fund. The agreement makes County emergency management resources such as the Emergency Operations Center, Incident Management Team, County Policy Center, County Public Works equipment and training activities available to the partners. It also enhances the ability to improve safety by providing access to personnel, equipment, structures and land, according to a memo from Fire Chief Art Morales to Town Council. Sharing resources is not required under the agreement if an agency already is using those resources, Morales told Council. We think that this is of strong benefit to our community, Morales said. We need each other. Mayor Paul Donahue concurred. I think that this is a really good thing, he said. These are our neighbors. CNN Money ranks Castle Rock among country s best places to live in 2011 nationwide listing CNNMoney recently announced its 2011 Best Places to Live in America, with descriptions of the top 100 towns across the country. The Town of Castle Rock ranked No. 19! A team of seven Money reporters spent months combing through data and identifying small towns (with populations of less than 50,000) that stand out in the qualities they feel American families care about most. Selections were based on great job opportunities, top schools, safe streets, economic strength (even during this economy), good health care, cultural and outdoor activities and nice weather. We know Castle Rock is great place to live, work and raise a family, said Mayor Paul Donahue. Now, other parts of the country are starting to find out. Our residents work hard to maintain the small-town charm that we all enjoy, he went on to say. We re more fortunate than many other communities our hard work and tough decisions are starting to pay off. To read more about what makes Castle Rock great or to view the entire top 100 list, visit cnnmoney.com/bestplaces.

3 Survey confirms: Town a great place to live The nearly 1,500 responses received to the Town s 2011 community survey confirmed that Castle Rock is a great place to live. When asked how likely they would be to recommend Castle Rock as a place to live on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the strongest recommendation, 71 percent of residents said 9 or 10. This is the highest score for that question that research firm North Star Destination Strategies has seen in almost 10 years of administering community surveys. North Star conducted the statistically valid survey of Castle Rock residents and business owners online in May and June. The firm followed up the survey with detailed phone interviews of 70 respondents in order to understand the whys behind their answers. In addition to giving Castle Rock high marks as a place to live, residents and business owners also rated Town services, amenities and quality of life extraordinarily high. For those questions, a 1 to 5 scale was used. Virtually all services scored in the 1 to 3, or excellent to OK, range. A majority of residents surveyed said that they agreed with the Town s vision and current priorities, which Town Council recently affirmed as an early step in the Town s 2012 budget process. Council s goals and priorities include renewable water, outstanding public health and safety services, economic development, the North Meadows Extension and priority park projects namely, Philip S. Miller Park. The survey made clear that water is the respondents top priority. Other issues on residents minds were economic sustainability (including employment and entertainment opportunities) and public transit. (Most respondents supported the decision to eliminate the Town bus service last year and said they would not support a new tax to fund fixed-route, regional or on-demand transit service). Small-town feel and the central location were the reasons most frequently given for living in Castle Rock, along with the Town s scenic beauty. Local business owners reported being hopeful about the economy when surveyed in May and June. The survey revealed that additional public education is needed in areas such as the portion of property tax that supports Town services ($40 a year on a $300,000 home); development impact fees/developer contributions for water funding (each new home and business built pays significant fees for water and sewer systems); and how some services, such as the golf course and Recreation Center, are funded (mostly by user fees, and residents pay less than nonresidents). Town Council and staff will work to implement these and other survey follow-up efforts. View the full report on the survey results at CRgov.com/2011survey. Community garden could come to Town The Town has received inquiries from time to time in recent years regarding establishing a community garden in Castle Rock. One Town resident is taking the idea a step further by holding a meeting to gauge the community s interest in starting a garden. The American Community Garden Association defines a community garden as Any piece of land gardened by a group of people. Among the benefits of community gardens that the organization cites are: Improves quality of life Stimulates social interaction and creates opportunity for recreation, exercise, therapy and education Beautifies neighborhoods Produces nutritious food and reduces food budgets A couple of community gardens have been established nearby, including on the Lowell Ranch south of Town and in Castle Pines North, but there are none within Town limits. Jacqueline Searle hopes creating a garden in Castle Rock will bring the community even closer together. She s holding a meeting from 7:30 to 8:45 p.m. Nov. 15 in the Castle Rock Bank Room East at the Philip S. Miller Library to gauge whether sufficient interest and expertise exists to take the project forward. Those who cannot make the meeting but would like to provide input can do so via a survey posted at CRgov.com/commgarden.

4 Water conservation is something every resident needs to understand. It s simple. It s smart. Small, everyday decisions can add up to enormous water savings and allow our community to maintain its economic strength and quality of life. Castle Rock is located in Colorado s high-plains, semi-arid environment. The Town averages only 8 to 15 inches of precipitation a year. Because of this, every drop counts whether it s pumped fresh from a well and delivered to your home, or saved through reduced indoor and outdoor water use. Helping residents learn tips and techniques of water conservation was a primary goal when Castle Rock Water created CRconserve.com, a website geared at helping residents maximize water conservation habits around their homes. The Town received a nearly $32,000 water conservation grant from the State of Colorado Water Conservation Board to build a website that would include these goals and objectives: Events in Castle Rock C O N TA C T S Nov. 3: W e b s t e r U n i v e r s i t y We b s t e r. e d u / C a s t l e R o c k St. Jude Dream Home dreamhome.org H o l i d a y b a z a a r , ext. 14 Tu r k e y R o c k T r o t rocktrot.com Webster University open house, 6-7 p.m., Castle Rock Chamber of Commerce. Learn how to get your MBA or master s in management and leadership right in Castle Rock. Nov. 5-6: St. Jude Dream Home open house, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and noon5 p.m. Sunday, 4418 Fell Mist Way. See the house one last time before it is given away Nov. 11. Dreamhome.org. Nov. 6: Holiday bazaar, noon-4 p.m., Treasures on Park Street (Task Force). Holiday decor and wear for sale and auction. Door prizes and refreshments. Adults, $10; ages 3-15, $5. O C TO B E R Nov. 11: Town offices closed in observance of Veterans Day. Recreation Center open normal hours. Town offices, including the Recreation Center, closed in observance of Thanksgiving. Turkey Rock Trot 5k, 8:30 a.m., Douglas County Events Center. Ages 13 and up, $30 preregister at rocktrot.com Incorporate a technical design that enables the general website coding to be easily transferable to other communities or water providers. Some features of CRconserve.com include personalized profile, customizable plant list, weather stations, watering calendar, conservation tips and events. Additionally, it links the user back to the Town s flagship website, CRgov.com, for information on water billing, rebates, plans and regulations. Learn more about Castle Rock Water which provides water, long-term water, wastewater and stormwater services at CRgov.com/water. Questions? Contact Water Conservation Specialist Rick Schultz, or rschultz@crgov.com. S U R V E Y S AY S page3 Town survey confirms high quality of life ONE MONTH, ONE BILL extra! Changes coming to water bill cycle Good to know Thinking of adding a fourlegged family member to your household? Adopt a pet from the Dumb Friends League Buddy Center in Castle Rock. Adopting a homeless pet doesn t add to the pet population a green option. The center which has dogs, cats and small pets available for adoption is open seven days a week, and has a database of available pets on its website, ddfl.org. The site also has plenty of information about pet ownership and the adoption process, to ensure the decision is right for you. On the Web Residents can track crimes in their neighborhoods at CRgov.com/crimereports. There, crime data from the Castle Rock Police Department can be searched by address. Icons on the map represent crimes that have occurred, or offenders living in an area. The data also is available through the CrimeReports iphone app, available in the Apple itunes Store. Stay informed with this new tool. Town, neighbors cooperate during disasters Castle Rock best place per CNNMoney Moonlight Madness shopping event, 9 p.m.-9 p.m. Nov. 25, Outlets at Castle Rock. Special holiday savings. Visit outletsatcastlerock.com for the latest. Project Green tip WOR KI NG TOG ETH E R WE RE NO. 19! or $35 day of; under 12 free. Proceeds benefit the Task Force. Bring nonperishable food for a goodie bag. E ducate the public on the importance of water conservation, Castle Rock s conservation programs and provide detailed information on water-saving products and practices. P rovide an interactive interface where the user has the ability to navigate the site and catalog information in a customized database, based on individual interests. This database may be printed and used to assist the user in the purchase of xeric plant materials. From Around News the R oc k CRconserve.com helps residents understand water conservation at home There are two new ways in which Internet users can interact with CRgov.com. The first is a mobile version of the site. Mobile device users do not need to take any extra steps to access that version it should automatically display. An icon on the mobile site gives users the option of switching to the full website. The other new feature is my dashboard, which allows site visitors to personalize how they stay updated on news, events and more. A bar across the top of CRgov.com invites users to view my dashboard, which can be customized with favorite pages and features after logging in. Two annual events light the Town for the holidays Celebrate Santa s arrival at the Outlets at Castle Rock at the shopping center s annual tree-lighting ceremony Saturday, Nov. 12. Special sales will be offered all day from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Entertainment and activities will begin at in the afternoon, with the lighting occurring at 6 p.m. Photos with Santa will follow the lighting, until 10 p.m. Mention code TreeLight101 to recieve 25 percent off of photos that day. The outlets will offer specials and extended shopping hours throughout the holiday season. Visit outletsatcastlerock.com for the latest information. The following weekend brings a favorite holiday tradition to Castle Rock. The Castle Rock Chamber of Commerce and Fire Department have been illuminating the famous, giant star on top of Castle Rock for 76 years. The Starlighting ceremony takes place the Saturday before Thanksgiving which his year is Nov. 19 on Wilcox Square in Downtown Castle Rock. Festivities will run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Usher in the holiday season with carriage rides, hot chocolate and caroling, while children eagerly await Santa Claus annual visit. The annual chili supper will begin at Fire Headquarters at 3 p.m. Visit castlerock.org for additional event details.

5 Water conservation is something every resident needs to understand. It s simple. It s smart. Small, everyday decisions can add up to enormous water savings and allow our community to maintain its economic strength and quality of life. Castle Rock is located in Colorado s high-plains, semi-arid environment. The Town averages only 8 to 15 inches of precipitation a year. Because of this, every drop counts whether it s pumped fresh from a well and delivered to your home, or saved through reduced indoor and outdoor water use. Helping residents learn tips and techniques of water conservation was a primary goal when Castle Rock Water created CRconserve.com, a website geared at helping residents maximize water conservation habits around their homes. The Town received a nearly $32,000 water conservation grant from the State of Colorado Water Conservation Board to build a website that would include these goals and objectives: Events in Castle Rock C O N TA C T S Nov. 3: W e b s t e r U n i v e r s i t y We b s t e r. e d u / C a s t l e R o c k St. Jude Dream Home dreamhome.org H o l i d a y b a z a a r , ext. 14 Tu r k e y R o c k T r o t rocktrot.com Webster University open house, 6-7 p.m., Castle Rock Chamber of Commerce. Learn how to get your MBA or master s in management and leadership right in Castle Rock. Nov. 5-6: St. Jude Dream Home open house, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and noon5 p.m. Sunday, 4418 Fell Mist Way. See the house one last time before it is given away Nov. 11. Dreamhome.org. Nov. 6: Holiday bazaar, noon-4 p.m., Treasures on Park Street (Task Force). Holiday decor and wear for sale and auction. Door prizes and refreshments. Adults, $10; ages 3-15, $5. O C TO B E R Nov. 11: Town offices closed in observance of Veterans Day. Recreation Center open normal hours. Town offices, including the Recreation Center, closed in observance of Thanksgiving. Turkey Rock Trot 5k, 8:30 a.m., Douglas County Events Center. Ages 13 and up, $30 preregister at rocktrot.com Incorporate a technical design that enables the general website coding to be easily transferable to other communities or water providers. Some features of CRconserve.com include personalized profile, customizable plant list, weather stations, watering calendar, conservation tips and events. Additionally, it links the user back to the Town s flagship website, CRgov.com, for information on water billing, rebates, plans and regulations. Learn more about Castle Rock Water which provides water, long-term water, wastewater and stormwater services at CRgov.com/water. Questions? Contact Water Conservation Specialist Rick Schultz, or rschultz@crgov.com. S U R V E Y S AY S page3 Town survey confirms high quality of life ONE MONTH, ONE BILL extra! Changes coming to water bill cycle Good to know Thinking of adding a fourlegged family member to your household? Adopt a pet from the Dumb Friends League Buddy Center in Castle Rock. Adopting a homeless pet doesn t add to the pet population a green option. The center which has dogs, cats and small pets available for adoption is open seven days a week, and has a database of available pets on its website, ddfl.org. The site also has plenty of information about pet ownership and the adoption process, to ensure the decision is right for you. On the Web Residents can track crimes in their neighborhoods at CRgov.com/crimereports. There, crime data from the Castle Rock Police Department can be searched by address. Icons on the map represent crimes that have occurred, or offenders living in an area. The data also is available through the CrimeReports iphone app, available in the Apple itunes Store. Stay informed with this new tool. Town, neighbors cooperate during disasters Castle Rock best place per CNNMoney Moonlight Madness shopping event, 9 p.m.-9 p.m. Nov. 25, Outlets at Castle Rock. Special holiday savings. Visit outletsatcastlerock.com for the latest. Project Green tip WOR KI NG TOG ETH E R WE RE NO. 19! or $35 day of; under 12 free. Proceeds benefit the Task Force. Bring nonperishable food for a goodie bag. E ducate the public on the importance of water conservation, Castle Rock s conservation programs and provide detailed information on water-saving products and practices. P rovide an interactive interface where the user has the ability to navigate the site and catalog information in a customized database, based on individual interests. This database may be printed and used to assist the user in the purchase of xeric plant materials. From Around News the R oc k CRconserve.com helps residents understand water conservation at home There are two new ways in which Internet users can interact with CRgov.com. The first is a mobile version of the site. Mobile device users do not need to take any extra steps to access that version it should automatically display. An icon on the mobile site gives users the option of switching to the full website. The other new feature is my dashboard, which allows site visitors to personalize how they stay updated on news, events and more. A bar across the top of CRgov.com invites users to view my dashboard, which can be customized with favorite pages and features after logging in. Two annual events light the Town for the holidays Celebrate Santa s arrival at the Outlets at Castle Rock at the shopping center s annual tree-lighting ceremony Saturday, Nov. 12. Special sales will be offered all day from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Entertainment and activities will begin at in the afternoon, with the lighting occurring at 6 p.m. Photos with Santa will follow the lighting, until 10 p.m. Mention code TreeLight101 to recieve 25 percent off of photos that day. The outlets will offer specials and extended shopping hours throughout the holiday season. Visit outletsatcastlerock.com for the latest information. The following weekend brings a favorite holiday tradition to Castle Rock. The Castle Rock Chamber of Commerce and Fire Department have been illuminating the famous, giant star on top of Castle Rock for 76 years. The Starlighting ceremony takes place the Saturday before Thanksgiving which his year is Nov. 19 on Wilcox Square in Downtown Castle Rock. Festivities will run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Usher in the holiday season with carriage rides, hot chocolate and caroling, while children eagerly await Santa Claus annual visit. The annual chili supper will begin at Fire Headquarters at 3 p.m. Visit castlerock.org for additional event details.

6 Reading your water bill just got a little bit easier We ve heard what you ve said. Reading your Water bill can sometimes be confusing. Now, instead of billing you for water use from portions of two separate months, you ll be billed for the month of water use just prior to receiving your bill. One month. One bill. Beginning in December, Castle Rock Water customers will see bills which reflect the previous month s water use instead of usage spanning two calendar months. Previously, the process for meter reading, billing and payment could take up to three months. Now, we have the capability to gather and read water usage during the first three days of the month. That enables us to shorten the billing process. We need you to plan ahead for the change Although the change is a small one, we know this might affect how you budget and when you pay your bill. For this reason, we re asking you to plan ahead. In January, some customers water bills will come within two weeks of their previous bills. This is a one-time scheduling adjustment to set the bill cycles in place. We realize this may not be convenient and we are happy to work with you on your payment schedule. We will work with you to make this process as seamless as possible. If you are a customer who uses utilities automatic bill pay, watch for our correspondence with further instructions or go to CRgov.com/onemonth for more information. If you prefer to speak with a Water representative, contact customer service at