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LOOK FOR REDSTONE REVIEW AT ISSUU.COM / SDCMC VOLUME 20, NUMBER 7
LYONS, COLORADO
RESIDENT / OCCUPANT PRSRT STD ECRWSS US POSTAGE PAID LYONS, CO PERMIT No 2053 $.50
AUGUST 14 / SEPTEMBER 18, 2019
B •R •I •E •F •S Lyons Folks Festival starts August 16 LYONS – The 29th Annual Folks Festival at Planet Blue Grass will take place on August 16, 17 and 18. Gates open at 10 a.m. Three day passes and single tickets are still available. The festival has an all star line up with performances by Ben Folds, Josh Ritter & the Royal City Band, Ani Difranco and Mandolin Orange. Traffic on Highway 36 will be very heavy between the Planet Bluegrass Farm and Planet Bluegrass Ranch. Be aware of pedestrians crossing everywhere. For information go to bluegrass.com/folks.
Last Call for Cups LYONS – Miss your chance at a Lyons pint cup last week? We got you. Cups will be available at Thursday’s August 15 Sandstone Summer Concert: Bonnie & the Clydes. All cup proceeds benefit the Lyons Community Foundation (LCF), who will have a limited supply of cups available. Find them at the popcorn stand. For information go to lyonscolorado . com / Summer Concerts.
Hygiene Hay Days HYGIENE – Please plan on joining us for Hygiene Hay Days on Saturday August 24, the 5th annual celebration of the myriad of wonderful things about the community. The day will start bright and early at 8:30 p.m. with a tour of the beautiful Pella Ponds Open Space right down the road from the Rabbit Brush Gallery at the corner of N. 75th Street and Hygiene Rd. There will be additional parking at some of the businesses in town. Later in the day the pie contest will get going (great cash prizes!), Pella Corner Animal Clinic and other businesses in town will have open houses, and a BBQ will start at 5:30 next to the Mountain Fountain Market, featuring local foods, and beer from Oskar Blues. Continue Briefs on Page 8
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Kids explore and enjoy the sand pit in the Brett Family Children’s Garden at the newly opened Lyons Regional Library. There is also a dedicated children’s department with a wealth of books, games, and media. Story on Page 4. PHOTO BY CATHY RIVERS
The BOT heard more about noise, new cell tower and other items By Susan de Castro McCann Redstone Review Editor LYONS – At the Town Board meeting in early August Sgt. Bill Crist said that a representative from the Colorado Parks & Wildlife Division will be hosting a Beers & Bears informational talk and answering questions on bears on Monday Aug. 19 from 6 to 9 p.m. at Oskar Blues Grill & Brew on 303 Main St. At that board meeting, the Town Board listened to a small group of people who spoke both for and against the noise factor at the Lyons Den Restaurant and Tap House at 160 E. Main St. The volume levels of the music at the Lyons Den have been an ongoing issue for the restaurant since it opened this summer. Randall Yarbrough from Thornton, the owner of Lyons Den, told the board, “We have heard the complaints. The vast majority of residents do not have any complaints. We are trying to make a living; we have done quite a bit here in the last few weeks.” He went on to say that they have made efforts to keep the music volume down and said that sometimes it was so low it was almost inaudible. Yarbrough said he wanted the restaurant to be “a positive presence in the community.” He added that he will work towards a solution. Lyons Resident Peter Baumgartner said that he lives 6 blocks away and he can hear all the lyrics to the music. He said that he went over to the Lyons Den to hear how loud it was up close and said it was pretty loud. He offered some suggestions such as putting up fencing and sound barriers.
Another resident said that the sound was “willfully disrespectful” and an “assault.” Other residents said that people are happy at the restaurant and some people said that they loved the music and the dancing. One person said that Lyons is a bluegrass community and rock n roll may not be what people are used to hearing. Some residents suggested finding a compromise. When a commercial district buts up against a residential neighborhood noise and traffic are frequently issues. In towns the size of Lyons there is no buffer zone to separate a commercial district from a residential district. Trustee Caleb Roberts who is a mandolin player and has been in several bands, spoke to the issue saying that he is a musician and is used to being around loud music. He also lives near the Lyons Den and added that he does not mind the music but understands the concerns of others. Sgt. Bill Crist, with the Boulder County Sheriff’s Dept. stationed in Lyons said that Lyons has very vague and not well defined wording in their noise ordinance. The ordinance does not have a decibel noise limit, but does say that music must end at 10 p.m. Crist said that he has told all his officers that they are no longer issuing warnings, they are now issuing tickets if the music does not stop at 10 a.m. Town Administrator Victoria Simonsen said that residents living near commercial areas often have issues with noise when a new business moves in or expands. She said that they have been able to work out a compromise by getting the participants together to work
out the issues. A workshop is scheduled for the September 3 board meeting. The beat goes on. In other matters Administrator Simonsen said that there is lots of algae in ponds around River Park. Algae can be dangerous for dogs and fish. She said that they are on schedule for Bohn Park phase II renovation. The River Park is working on landscaping. The Apple Valley water line relocation is underway and expected to be completed sometime in October. Work is underway on the new lift station at the site of the new public works building. The pedestrian bridge for Third Ave. and Park is in design phase. She also added that there are some problems with the centrifuge at the waste water treatment plant on Second Avenue. The centrifuge basically died and needs to be replaced. “We saw a doubling of waste water during the festival,” she said. The board approved Ordinance 1064 to approve an application by Circular Wireless PCS LLC (AT&T Mobility) for a use by special review for a wireless telecommunications facility. Susan Lombardi spoke for Circular Wireless saying the new tower, designed as a tree, would be on Indian Lookout Road. Lyons residents have long complained about their cell and wireless service so residents and visitors will be pleased that Lyons will now have a new cell phone tower. The new Tower will improve the reliability of the AT&T wireless network while preserving the intrinsic aesthetic character of the community, Lombardi told the board. Continue Town on Page 14