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Rock Talk
Town of Castle Rock Employee Newsletter
December 2025
| | A new Rock Star recipient will be announced in January | |
Applause Award
"I’m proud to nominate the following individuals for the applause award for the completion of the first year of Public Works Traffic Engineering Safety Projects. These individuals include: Jenah Arsenault, Matt Seacat, Stephen Blanco, Jacob Schmachtenberger, Daniel Johnston, Doug Moon, Kevin Petro, Jason Hauser, Jacob Vargish, Jaclyn Blake and Anthony Beasley.
These individuals are being recognized for their exceptional performance, innovation, and teamwork on the successful completion of 15 various Traffic Safety Projects in 2025. A number of these projects had to be put on hold for various reasons leading up to 2025 but were given the green light to be completed within the year. The Traffic Engineering Division has never taken on safety projects in house like this nor this many and would not have been successful without the hard work, dedication and contributions of the individuals being recognized. Their efforts demonstrate an unwavering commitment to public service, safety, and operational excellence, while also embodying the Town’s core values of efficiency, sustainability, and community improvement.
This team was instrumental in the delivery of 15 safety projects with notable locations including: Black Feather & Front Street, Montaine Circle & Water Avens, Plum Creek Blvd, Castle Oaks Dr, Red Hawk Drive, Trail Boss Lane, Coachline Rd, Meadows Parkway, and Wolfensberger Road. These Safety Projects required the design and implementation of numerous infrastructure improvements, including medians, pedestrian refuges, bike lanes, Pedestrian Crosswalks, curb ramps, pavement markings, traffic signage and signal modifications. This effort encompassed over 1000 hours of design, coordination, inspection, installation and field support across complex intersections and corridors, resulting in measurable improvements to traffic flow, accessibility, and public safety.
This initiative not only improved safety and accessibility for residents and visitors but also demonstrated a deep understanding of Town values—service, collaboration, and stewardship. By efficiently managing complex design, field tasks, and in house installations the team reduced the need for outside consultant services and contractors, resulting in significant cost savings and streamlined project delivery. All Safety Project Locations: Black Feather & Front St, Montaine Cir & Water Avens, Red Hawk Bike Lanes, Trail Boss Lane/Drive, Coachline/Oleander, Meadows/N Meadows, Coachline/Wolfensberger Roundabout, Front/Oakwood, Front/Canyon, Avenida del Sol, Wilcox/Wolfersberger, Enderud/Mikelson, Park St, Auburn Drive/Plum Creek, and Foothills/Milwagon."
| | Jaclyn Blake, Jacob Vargish, Jenah Arsenault, Stephen Blanco, Doug Moon, Daniel Johnston, Kevin Petro, Jason Hauser (PW) | | |
"I would like to nominate Courtney Bakos, Jenny Nagel, Rebecca Erickson and Jeff Smullen for the Applause Award in recognition of their outstanding contribution
to advancing recreation programming and elevating the Town's professional presence both statewide and nationally.
Together, this team developed and presented an education session titled "Strategic Recreation Programming: Aligning Needs, Goals and Accreditation" which
provides a framework for building responsive, sustainable programs that meet community needs while aligning with CAPRA Accreditation standards. Their
proposal was selected for the National Recreation and Parks Association (NRPA) Annual Conference in Orlando in September 2025, where the session drew
more than 100 attendees and received highly positive feedback. The team will also present the session at the Colorado Parks and Recreation Association (CPRA)
Annual Conference in October 2025, further reinforcing Castle Rock's leadership role in advancing recreation excellence.
This accomplishment demonstrates creativity, innovation and initiative, transforming research and department experience into practical strategies that improve operational efficiency and program effectiveness. By sharing their work at both state and national levels, Courtney, Jenny, Rebecca and Jeff have increased visibility for Castle Rock, strengthened professional networks and contributed meaningfully to advancing best practices in the Parks and Recreation profession."
| | Dan Wahl, Logan Schecter, Mindy Fortin, Rebecca Erickson, Sam Olive, Jeff Smullen, Jenny Nagel, Brad Vanderberg, Lisa Sorbo, Erika Alsobrook, Courtney Bakos (PR) | |
Applause Award
"I’m honored to nominate Sonia Waugh for an Applause Award for her dedication to learning and service by attending all 10 MSF&W classes focused on digital accessibility and delivering accessible digital information.
Sonia truly embodies the Town’s motto of Excellence, Dedication, and Service, especially the value of Exceptional Public Service in the following ways:
• Her consistent participation in every training session demonstrates dedication to her professional growth and a commitment to representing the Town in the best way possible.
• By learning the tools and methods for creating accessible digital content, Sonia shows an openness to change and continuous improvement.
• Sonia’s (new) knowledge of digital accessibility strengthens the Town’s ability to communicate effectively and inclusively, both internally and externally.
• Sonia upholds the Town’s commitment to providing equitable access to services for all.
Through her commitment to learning digital accessibility, Sonia has enhanced her skills while advancing the Town’s mission to serve every resident and staff member equitably. Her dedication is a shining example of what it means to deliver exceptional public service."
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Applause Award
"In regard to the Traffic control rack recently built by the Streets Division, three members of the Signs and Marking Team should also be recognized for their significant contribution to the project. Without them, their contribution, this project would not have been successful.
Daniel Johnston was the lead on this with about 4 hours of designing, matching the exact color James was looking for and making sure the diagonal lines lined up between the two 48X48 signs. This is more intricate and detailed work than the average sign design as its over two pieces of aluminum with angles that need to match up.
Jacob Smachtenberger and Stephen Blanco contributed about 2 hours each with the printing and fabrication of the signs. When signs are bigger than the 36X36 size more effort is required to transfer the media, cut it and apply it to the aluminum blank as it moves and has a high tendency to get air bubbles. Those things cause issues when trying to match up angled lines on separate signs and requires extra attention to the application process to ensure the media transfers over correctly and securely. These are highly customized requests and these guys stepped up to the plate in order to create specialized one-of-a-kind signage, specifically designed for the device being made. This dedication to safety and teamwork is deserving of recognition."
| | Stephen Blanco and Daniel Johnston (PW) | |
Customer Service Champions
This award recognizes exceptional internal and external customer service. Employees may be recognized by any other Town employee or team for going the extra mile in providing outstanding customer service. Remember to watch for someone being a Customer Service Champion. To redeem, submit ten “Caught You…” cards to HR within 60 days of receiving the most recent card.
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Congratulations to our Customer Service Champions who redeemed
“Caught You Doing Something Great” Cards:
$25 gift card:
- Ricci Buckingham (TMO)
- Sonia Waugh (PW)
- Cory Miller (TMO)
- Sherri Budge (PR)
- Jamie Authier (TMO)
- Anita Devis (PR)
- Scott Seubert (DS)
- Cameron Davis (TMO)
- John White (TMO)
- Darla McDowell (PR)
- Kyla Klabon (PR)
- Jenn Denecouer (PR)
- Audrey Phillips (PR)
- Grace Kerr (PR)
$50 gift card:
- Shannon Eklund (TMO)
- Missy Gold (PR)
- Robert Ortiz (TMO)
- Drew Anderson (TMO)
- Sharon Chavez (DS)
$75 gift card:
$125 gift card:
On the Move
Congratulations to the following employees:
- Don Knuesel on his progression form Sales Tax / PIF Specialist to Senior Sales Tax / PIF Specialist
- Jack Naperola on his promotion form OT Systems Administrator to OT Network Infrastructure Engineer
- Matthew Harris on his progression from Streets Maintenance Technician I to Streets Maintenance Technician II
- Nathan Fulks on his promotion from Early Water Professional to Water Plant Operator I
Welcome
Please welcome our December new hires:
- Danielle Silchenmyer, Police Officer
- Nicole Carpenter, Police Officer
- Alexander Wright, Police Officer
- Chad Barber, Police Officer
- Troy Cotto, Police Officer
- Justin Willyard, Police Officer
- Justin Carbaugh, Police Officer
- Joseph Carbaugh, Combo Building Inspector
- Shawn Valenzuela, Combination Building Inspector- Electrical
To view current and future job openings, please visit our careers page through the View Opportunities link in your UKG Dashboard.
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Technology Tips and Tricks
#1 Use Outlook Mobile on iPhone to Set Out-of-Office Replies
In Outlook Mobile, tap the gear icon > Automatic Replies > toggle it on, set dates, customize internal/external replies, and optionally add an out-of-office calendar event and cancel/decline existing meetings.
#2 Share an Email to Microsoft Teams from Outlook Desktop
In Outlook Desktop, highlight an email and click Share to Teams in the ribbon’s top menu to send it to a person or group chat in Microsoft Teams.
#3 Find Emails from a Sender in Outlook
In Outlook Desktop, right-click an email, select Find Related > Messages from Sender to quickly search for all emails from that contact.
For more tips and tricks, visit the Town’s Helpdesk Page under Town Apps on CastleRockDepot.com. Then, use the Instant Answers search bar in the bottom left corner and type "Tips" to find helpful resources.
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