CPN road projects to focus on repairs, not replacement
Director of Public Works, Eric Guth
by Lisa Crockett
Construction, general wear, and a long, snowy spring have left some of Castle Pines North’s (CPN) roads in need of attention to fix potholes and cracks. Eric Guth, CPN’s Director of Public Works, said that for the foreseeable future, road work will focus on maintenance and repair rather than replacement.
“The city assumed responsibility for the roads from Douglas County in February,” said Guth. “As such, some of our roads have ‘pre-existing conditions’ that we now have to deal with. We have an operating budget that provides for repairs, but replacement of any roads would come from a capital improvement budget and with a new city, funds aren’t yet available for that kind of project.”
City Council member Kim Hoffman, who serves as a representative from CPN’s Ward 2, met with Guth and Douglas County representatives last fall to discuss the state of the roads in CPN.
“I had collected a list of problems from all over the city,” said Hoffman. “We drove the streets that needed repairs with a county representative and the county did pothole patching and crack repair in response. The county looks at all the streets in the county and prioritizes which roads need repair the most. Many other communities in the county had much worse problems than we did.”
Director of Public Works
Eric Guth
In addition to last fall’s repairs, the county also completed road construction and a traffic circle at CPN’s Daniel’s Park Entrance.
“With proper maintenance, our roads will last us for a very long time,” said Hoffman. “The two greatest maintenance repairs are the unsightly curb repairs on Castle Pines Parkway and the Monarch cement lifting to the east of the CC-20 development.”
With regard to a capital improvement fund, Hoffman said a fund like that takes time to establish and is often bolstered by annexation. Additionally, the city receives Highway User Tax Funds (HUTF) which must be used for roads, but can be allocated to either a capital improvement budget or to meet routine maintenance expenses.
As of press time, the particulars of this summer’s maintenance schedule had not been determined by Guth and his staff, but will include crack filling and pothole patching, as well as general cleanup and sign repair. It is also likely that some “bigger patches” of roads in CPN could see replacement, pending sufficient revenue from city sales taxes.
“The city council has been firm in their decision not to raise taxes for citizens,” said Guth. “So until we know what the actual revenue from sales taxes will be, we don’t know for sure what will be on our schedule.”
