Castle Pines earns community award
In October, Castle Pines was one of ten communities honored by Communities of Excellence 2026 (COE26), a nonprofit organization that hosts a learning collaborative of communities across the country.
COE26 trains communities in the Baldrige-based Communities of Excellence framework, which provides opportunities for communities to work together, share successes, challenges, ideas and best practices. This includes social impact, collaborative strategic goal setting and resident engagement.
More than 60 COE26 volunteers carefully reviewed applications, providing thoughtful and detailed feedback about strengths and opportunities for improvement in each community. Castle Pines was recognized as a Level 3 Community of Excellence.
“This recognition celebrates Castle Pines’ commitment to improving the quality of life for residents through collaborative leadership and community-wide initiatives,” shared Camden Bender, communications director for the City of Castle Pines. He added that the ultimate goal is to strengthen the community and build upon an already great place to live, work and play.
The efforts for COE26 here in Castle Pines are led and coordinated by City staff; however, members across the community are involved, including community groups and organizations committed to investing time to better the community.
“The entire group involved is truly what makes the work impactful,” concluded Camden.
To learn more about COE26, visit communitiesofexcellence2026.org.
By Elean Gersack
