Snow season right around the corner
by Lisa Crockett
With leaves falling and a hint of cool in the air, snow season will soon come to the Castle Pines community. What can you expect when the flakes start to fall?
All communities follow similar protocols when prioritizing the order in which streets are plowed: main arterial roads first, then collector roads and school bus routes, local roads, and finally, cul-de-sacs. Snow removal services in Castle Pines North (CPN), Castle Pines Village, and Douglas County all have access to emergency services; if you have a life-threatening emergency, a call to 911 will divert snow plows to your home if necessary.
In all communities, residents are encouraged to keep roads clear of parked cars and other obstructions during and after a storm. Use extreme caution when passing snow plows, and remember that momentum is important to proper functioning of snow plows; don’t do anything to impede a plow’s progress.
Snow removal in Douglas County is handled by Douglas County Public Works and in Castle Pines Village by the Castle Pines Metro District. Snow removal in CPN is now handled by the City of Castle Pines North’s Public Works Department.
In CPN, the familiar mix of sand and salt used by the County in year’s past on most of CPN’s roads will now be replaced by ice-slicer, a mixture made mostly of salt. The ice slicer works at lower temperatures than the sand/salt mixture and requires less cleanup.
“The ice slicer will naturally dissolve,” said Eric Guth, CPN’s Director of Public Works. “It is a mined product that is naturally harder than regular road salt, yet softer than sand, and by not using sand the city significantly decreases the sediment loading on the side of the streets and in nearby streams.”
Where do I find more information on snow removal policies where I live?
Unincorporated Douglas County:
www.douglas.co.us; click on “Public Works”
Castle Pines Village:
www.castlepinesmetro.com; click “Snow Removal”
Castle Pines North:
www.cpngov.com; click “Public Works”
