Clean-Up Castle Pines Days

Recap of Saturday, July 16, 2022 Clean-Up Castle Pines Day

Amid the divisions, strife, and uncertainty plaguing our nation and world, we cherish all our residents ― especially those who came together in the positive, uplifting spirit of comradery and community service for our Clean-Up Castle Pines Day at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 16th at Coyote Ridge Park. We can’t thank our volunteers enough.

Though sun-bleached, the first photo below features many of our four-dozen volunteers before they headed out to remove trash from community parks, trails, open spaces, and rights-of-way adjacent to Castle Pines Parkway and Monarch Boulevard.

Special thanks to:

• The Castle Pines and Lone Tree Wards of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for mobilizing their members to join us. Both congregations continue to be fantastic supporters of this event, and we are most grateful;
• Buffalo Ridge homeowner Anna Spitzer for recruiting members of Young Life for Middle Schoolers (WyldLife) and their parents to join us;
• Stonecroft homeowners Marilyn Marsden and her husband, Blair, whose unsolicited early morning altruism in hand-scrubbing graffiti off playground equipment in Coyote Ridge Park two years ago sparked the launch of Clean-Up Castle Pines Days; and
• Amber & Skyler, at the Castle Pines Starbucks on the SW corner of Castle Pines Parkway and Debbie Lane, for generously supplying a 50-cup tote of extra-hot, half-coffee/half-decaf, plus cups, sweeteners, and half-n-half ― all unsolicited and all at no charge. Wow! What fantastic corporate/civic partners.

Equipped with disposable gloves, safety vests, and heavy-duty trash bags, when all was said and done, volunteers filled two pick-up trucks overflowing with trash bags of rubbish, which our own Ty Breach hauled to the dumpster.

Recap of Saturday, June 5, 2021 Clean-Up Castle Pines Day

A whopping sixty-seven residents (some pictured below) representing neighborhoods throughout Castle Pines came together at 7:30 a.m., Saturday, June 5, 2021, for Castle Pines North Metro District’s Clean-Up Castle Pines Day.

“The words, thank you, seem somehow inadequate to express our appreciation,” said Director Robert Merritt, who brought his family. “Mother Nature had been less than cooperative for our two most recent events, so we weren’t sure what to expect. Turns out so many residents came on Saturday, we picked up trash throughout the entire Coyote Ridge Park area, a big swath of our wetlands and trail system, and large stretches of the rights-of-way adjacent to Monarch Blvd and Castle Pines Parkway,” Merritt continued. “In fact, so many volunteers showed up we dispatched a delegation of eleven volunteers to clean up the city’s Elk Ridge Park!”

Having just returned from a six-month deployment on active military duty in Kuwait, Saturday’s Clean-Up Castle Pines Day was Christopher Lewis’ first official function as CPNMD director. “On behalf of the entire board of directors and staff, I sincerely thank each of those sixty-seven residents,” said Director Christopher Lewis. “The camaraderie, the people, including young people, all coming together in community service. We acknowledge and thank each one of the people and families who might easily have spent their Saturday morning elsewhere. We are truly grateful.”

“Imagine sixty-seven neighbors coming together to help us pick up trash,” chuckled Director Chuck Lowen. “We all had a fantastic time catching up with those we represent and serve and were able to collect several dozen of debris-filled trash bags in the process.”

The outpouring of support moved President David McEntire. “Any time we have the opportunity to connect with constituents like we did Saturday while enhancing the beauty and serenity of the community we all call home — it’s a blessing,” said an elated McEntire. “Though not Morman myself, I am honored to extend a special thank you to members of the Castle Pines & Lone Tree Wards of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for mobilizing and generously contributing their time and energy. What a truly fantastic group of people — genuine, well-spoken, thoughtful, and hard-working.

Our next quarterly Clean-Up Castle Pines Days will be held the morning of Saturday, June 5, 2021 at 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Please click the button above to register.

Recap of October 21, 2020 Clean-Up Castle Pines Day

A few weeks ago, Stonecroft residents, Marilyn & Blair Marsden, urged us to mobilize volunteers against the insidious invasion of trash and graffiti plaguing the community. We extend a warm and sincere ‘thank you’ to the Marsdens and the fourteen other residents who joined us in Coyote Ridge Park for our first Clean-Up Castle Pines Day at 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, October 21st.

Altruism, neighborly companionship, and clarity of purpose collaborated with coffee, hot chocolate, and mini-Bundts to take the edge of the brisk air that fall morning. As Knightsbridge resident Dave Celecki wrestled an armload of heavy-gauge industrial wire and a mangled bike from the swamp, a team of volunteers cleaned out rotting furniture and debris vagrant campers had abandoned. Others fanned out in groups of two or three throughout the park and adjacent areas.

From decomposing sports balls and clothing, to countless cigarette butts, cans, bottles, plastic wrappers, Styrofoam, and shards of broken glass — after the glorious band of insurgent volunteers finished their ninety-minute task, our own Natalio Maldonado schlepped four truckloads of trash from Coyote Ridge Park and a stretch of Monarch Boulevard to CPNMD dumpsters.

Special shout out to two-year-old Castle Valley resident Haisley, who joined her mom, Melissa Kastenek, filling a garbage bag with debris they found near the gazebos.

Our next Clean-Up Castle Pines Day will occur 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. this Saturday, June 5^th at Coyote Ridge Park.