To: Honorable Mayor and Members of Town Council
From: Lisa Anderson, Town Clerk
Title
Proclamation: Cornerstone Tribute Award to Dennis Carnahan
Body
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Approved by Town Council on January 21, 2020, by a vote of 7-0, for presentation at the February 4, 2020 Town Council Meeting.
Per Town Council policy, Proclamations first appear on the Consent Calendar and, if approved, are presented at a Town Council meeting.
Background and Outline of the Program
In 2007, Town Council approved the creation of the Cornerstone Tribute to give public recognition to individuals and organizations that help the Town reach the goals of the four Cornerstones established as part of the Vision 2020 Statement: Town Identity, Community Planning, Community Services and Local Economy.
Nominations are submitted to the Town Clerk; and a panel, chaired by the Mayor, reviews the nominations to determine if the nominee meets at least one of the Cornerstones. The panel is made up of residents from the areas of Education, Business, Youth and a Resident-at-Large.
If the nomination is approved, they are to be recognized with a formal Proclamation presented during a Town Council meeting, and a permanent Cornerstone Tribute sign will be placed in a location approved by the Parks and Recreation department.
Nomination for the Cornerstone Tribute
The POST Partners Program in the Town’s Parks and Recreation department submitted a nomination for Dennis Carnahan. The nominator feels that Dennis has met three of the four cornerstones: Town Identity, Community Services, and Local Economy. (Attachment B).
In summary, Dennis is a founding member of “Keepers of the Rock” dedicated to preserving and maintaining Rock Park. Over the past 16 years, Dennis has actively and physically led the volunteers that mainly consist of youth that are court ordered to provide community service. Through his leadership he has led this effort every month for 16 years, repairing retaining walls, closing and restoring social trails, removing trash and noxious weeds and performing erosion control for the 1.4 miles of trail and 62 acres of open space.
Dennis Carnahan leads teen crews and takes the time to teach them the importance that their trail building and restoration activities can have on the overall conservation efforts. Dennis’ upbeat attitude and enthusiasm for conservation and stewardship has had a positive effect on many individuals in the Teen Court program who respond with appreciation and hard work. This has contributed to a 90% decrease in recidivism in the youth and has saved the Town approximately $300,000 that would have had to be expended for staff to perform this level of work. Dennis regularly attends the Parks and Recreation Commission meetings and can be found at the Park daily tending to the Park and identifying needs and future projects.
Summary of Past Recipients
2007 - Lionel and Starr Oberlin
Grants to purchase the Santa Fe Depot
Establishment of Castle Rock Museum and provided stewardship
Establishment of Historic Preservation Board
Perseverance to Landmark 25 historic buildings
2009 - Kent Brandebery
Founder and Director of Castle Rock Band
School Band Director and Teacher
Member of Douglas County Historic Preservation Board
2013 - Ray Waterman
Council Member and Mayor
Long-Term Water Solutions
Establishment of the Rec Center
Teacher
2018 - Dan Burgess
Council Member
Chamber of Commerce
Volunteer Fire department
Family Business in Castle Rock
Raised funds to build Burgess Pool and Centennial Park
Youth Sports Coach, Football game announcer, School bus driver
2019 - Jerry Potter
Chamber of Commerce
Volunteer Fire department
Local Business Owner
Foster Family
Assisted with creation of Centennial Park
Panel Review and Recommendation
A panel was made up of four individuals: Business Owner of Flying Horse Catering: Jim DeLay, Retired Douglas County School District Superintendent: Rick O’Connell; Resident: Terry Wilson; Douglas County Youth Initiative: Marsha Alston.
The panel was provided with the nomination then met via conference call on January 14. The nominator was invited to provide an overview of the nomination and answered any questions. The panel then resumed for further discussion and took a vote based on the above criteria.
The panel unanimously agreed to award Dennis Carnahan the Cornerstone Tribute.
The Mayor would like to present Dennis Carnhan with a Proclamation recognizing him for his service to the community and recipient of the Cornerstone Tribute following Town Council approval of the Proclamation on the Consent Calendar (Attachment A).
A Dedication Ceremony of this Cornerstone Tribute Sign is planned at Rock Park on National Volunteer Week (April 20-24, 2020).
Attachments
Attachment A: Proclamation
Attachment B: Nomination