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B •R •I •E •F •S Leaf Collection LYONS – A leaf collection will be held on Saturday, Nov. 16 between 9 a.m. and 12 noon, at the Wastewater Treatment Plant. Bring your leaf piles to the wastewater treatment plant at 198 Second Ave. for free drop-off. The leaves collected will be responsibly composted at a commercial site. This event is sponsored by the Sustainable Futures Commission.
No Chamber Social in November LYONS – There will be no LACC Social for the month of November. With the holidays in full swing we had some scheduling conflicts that could not be helped. Please let us know if you would be interested in hosting a future LACC Social, contact admin@lyonschamber.org. LACC Members, please make sure you have completed your profile in the website business directory and are letting us know of any important events! Erin is more than happy to assist you with any issues or questions you may have about this. Website analytics show that the new site is being used more and more for those looking to find area businesses and events in Lyons. Make sure your business is putting its best foot forward.
Business Profile Help LYONS – The Lyons Area Chamber of Commerce understands that as a small business owner, one may not have the time nor the desire to complete the business profile for the LACC Business Directory listing. If this is you, we have an option that may help! The Chamber is willing to complete your business profile for you with a one-time fee of $20. We will utilize your website and social media accounts to make Continue Briefs on Page 6
The Denver Art Museum presents the most comprehensive U.S. exhibition of Monet paintings in more than two decades. “Claude Monet: The Truth of Nature” features more than 120 paintings spanning Monet’s career and focus on the celebrated French impressionist artist’s enduring relationship with nature and his response to the varied and distinct places in which he worked. Now through February 2, 2020. Information and tickets at denverartmuseum.org. PHOTO BY JAMES FLORIO PHOTOGRAPHY
Town Board passes the budget for 2020 and flood recovery funding slows down
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LYONS – The Lyons Town Board passed two resolutions at their meeting in early November, one to approve the 2020 budget and one to approve the expenditures for 2020. The state regulations for General Accounting Principles, (GAP) require municipalities to approve a budget and then approve spending the funds. The total estimated expenditures approved for the 2020 budget are $13,731,771. Colorado law (GAP) requires that all municipal budgets are balanced, so the town’s revenues much match or exceed the expenditures. The expenditures are made up of seven funds which include: The Water/Sanitation Fund, Electric Fund, General Fund, Grant Fund, Storm Water Fund, Conservation Trust Fund and Parks and Recreation Fund. The largest is the Grant Fund with estimated expenditures of $5,796,677. The General Fund is next with
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an estimated $2,635,919 in expenditures. Lyons Finance Director, Jill Johnson said, “The 2020 expenditures for flood recovery are smaller than 2019. Our (flood) grant funded staff is getting smaller. I will lose one person that is grant funded from flood recovery this year.” She added that the budget is somewhat smaller in 2020 than this year as the 2013 flood recovery funding gets smaller. “We will need more money for park maintenance eventually, but not in 2020, that money is already appropriated,” she said. “One new part time person will be added for infrastructure in planning and zoning.” The board heard from the Sustainable Future Commission chair Dan Matsch, who spoke on the Environment Sustainablity Action Plan. The plan has 6 major categories: Buildings, Energy, Local food and Agriculture, Water Use and Wastewater, Transportation and Waste. Their target is to reduce energy use through energy efficient programs. They hope to achieve energy efficiency by increased reliance on clean renewable energy sources.
The goal is to transition to 60 percent renewable energy in about 15 years by 2035. Other municipalities across the country are trying to create a sustainable environment with renewable energy which could prove to be difficult if the Federal Government continues to relax all the regulations around coal and gas emissions and blocks information on scientific research that the government can use to determine public health regulations over the objections of scientists. On other issues, Town Planner Paul Glasgow, told the board that he met with Summit Housing Group and they want to submit a proposal for affordable housing soon. Summit Housing is building an affordable housing development on land purchased from Keith Bell in Lyons Valley Park. They plan to build 40 rental units consisting of 29 two-bedroom townhomes and 11 three bedroom single family homes. They plan to serve households earning 60 percent ($65,160 for a 4 person household) or less of the Area Median Income with on-site parking, a management office and a playground. Summit has pledged to work to identify and give priority to flood-impacted households. Summit has submitted funding applications Continue Town on Page 14
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LYONS There is assistance for those who need help to heat their homes this winter By Rebecca Major Redstone Review LYONS – Many of you who participated in the LEAP (Low Income Emergency Assistance Program) last year probably have already received your 2019-2020 LEAP application with your last bill. The LEAP application season runs from November 1, 2019 through April 30, 2020. Filling out the application gives you a head start in applying for Energy Outreach Colorado (EOC). This is a fund that ensures that all low-income families meet their home energy needs. Eligible locations are for Boulder County residents or the St. Vrain Valley school district. The two funds work together to help residents pay for the high cost of heating their homes. EOC provides assistance to households across
Colorado who are behind on their energy bills and are at risk of not having home energy. Payments are made directly to the local utility or fuel company. This is a one-time assistance per grant year that can assist with utility bills. Types of service covered are electricity, natural gas, coal, firewood, kerosene, propane, oil and pellets. Participants will need to provide verification of identification for all adults, current utility bill, a copy of their lease including the first page / signature page, income, minimum one month of income verification for all adults from one of the following sources: check stubs, bank state-
ments, or letter from employer are required when applying for LEAP and EOC funds. Rebecca Major is the Northern Mountain Resource Liaison with the OUR (Outreach Untied Resources) Center in Longmont, there to assess household situations and needs for either or both LEAP and EOC funds. She is available in Allenspark at the Old Gallery, 14863 CO-7, on the first and third Wednesday of each month or by appointment. On the second and fourth Wednesday of each month she is available at the Community Church, 350 Main St., Lyons, at the Walter Self Senior Center, 335 Railroad Ave., or by appointment. Please contact her directly at 303-525-3106, weekdays only, or email rebecca@ourcenter.org. For more information, go to EOC at www.energyoutreach.org or LEAPhttps://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdhs/leap. For additional information you can call 1-866-HEAT-HELP; 1-866-432-8435.
LEAF benefit, Rave To The Grave was a huge success By Lory Barton Redstone Review LYONS – The Lyons Emergency & Assistance Fund (LEAF) held its biggest and best fund raiser ever. Rave To The Barton Grave, was held on October 25 at the Wildflower Pavilion and brought in a huge crowd of party goers, wild creatures, dragons, ballet dancers, rock stars and celebrities. Rave To The Grave 2019 was the biggest and best ever. If you’re not one of the 730 people who attended, you missed a great party. So many thanks to all the volunteers who helped organize this
amazing fundraiser. Special thanks go to Kahlie Sue Pinella and her creative team of artists and to LEAF’s own troubadour, Arthur Lee Land, and his fantastic band of musicians who created a spooky venue and a spectacular show. Rave To The Grave is one of Lyons’ most celebrated events each year, and for good reason.” This year’s event raised $24,550 in individual donations and drink sales, making it the most successful ever. As the only human services agency serving exclusively in the greater Lyons area, our community’s support is critical to ensure LEAF is able to stand with your friends and neighbors in their times of need. When you support LEAF, you support people you know and care about. Lyons is a better place for
Page is an energetic and playful two-year-old who can be a bit shy when meeting new people, but she warms up quickly and is eager to show you her silly side. This young girl is very smart, has some basic obedience skills and is very treat motivated. Page loves to learn new tricks and gets extremely excited when she is praised for doing what she is asked. Come in for a visit and get to know this adorable young girl today. More than 200 animals are waiting for forever families at Longmont Humane Society. Visit them at www.longmonthumane.org, and then come meet them at the shelter at 9595 Nelson Road.
everyone because of LEAF’s work and our community’s support. Rave To The Grave 2019 might be behind us, but the needs around us continue, and LEAF’s calendar is full through the end of this year. If you’re able to support LEAF’s work this holiday season, thank you. If you could benefit from a bit of support this holiday season, please make use of LEAF’s services. We all have seasons of plenty and seasons of need. On behalf of LEAF’s volunteers and donors, it is our honor to serve in our community. Our annual Holiday Giving Tree kicks off on Saturday, November 16. LEAF participants are able to request a special holiday gift (up to $25 value), and LEAF com-
KISS were the costume winners at this year’s Rave to the Grave.
Continue Rave on Page 14
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MAYOR’S CORNER CDOT plans for traffic at the expense of Lyons economic resilience By Connie Sullivan, Mayor of Lyons Redstone Review LYONS – CDOT has been conducting a study to improve the flow of traffic on approximately Sullivan 20 miles of State Highway (SH) 66 between the Town of Lyons and Weld County Road 19 near Platteville, Colorado. Residential development along the corridor has resulted in an increase in traffic on SH 66, and traffic volumes are expected to increase in the range of 25 percent to 50 percent along the corridor by the year 2040. The goal of the study is to identify a strategic vision and purpose for SH 66 that addresses safety, mobility, and access needs. The result of this study is the Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) Report which can be reviewed on the Town of Lyons website. As part of the PEL process, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) concurrently completed an Access Control Plan (ACP) along the corridor to address the future access
needs. The ACP reviews the existing access points to private and public properties located along the corridor and the goal is to eliminate locations for vehicles to brake or turn onto or off the highway, resulting in more efficient travel for through traffic. CDOT is now asking every community along SH 66 to sign an Inter-governmental Agreement (IGA) that allows CDOT to adopt the plan. The plan classifies various sections of highway into one of four categories: 1) expressway, 2) rural/regional highway, 3) arterial, or 4) main street. As the classification goes from main street to expressway, the number of access points decreases, while the speed and number of lanes increase. For example, the speeds on stretches classified as a Main Street range from 25 to 35 miles per hour (mph), while speeds on the expressway and rural/regional highway range from 45 to 65 mph. Speeds on arterials range from 35 to 45 mph. Currently, most of SH 66 is classified as rural/regional highway, including the stretches located in Lyons. The PEL envisions a SH 66 where several sections are expanded to four lanes to accommodate expressway speeds while
other sections become arterials. The section from 87th Street to 3rd Avenue (just before the I-25 interchange) would become expressway, while the section in Lyons would become an arterial. At some point during the planning process, CDOT included the stretch of Highway 36 that runs from McConnell Drive to the intersection of 36/66. It is unclear why or how this stretch of highway was included in the SH 66 PEL. The Town of Lyons has requested information
from CDOT regarding this decision and the reasoning for it, but has not yet received a response. The inclusion of this stretch in the plan will have significant impacts on Lyons’ ability to capitalize future potential for commercial development. This section from McConnell to 36/66 would also be re-classified as an arterial according to the PEL and ACP. The Board of Trustees (BoT) has reviewed the proposed plan and agrees with Continue Mayor on Page 14
New voucher program will provide much-needed transportation option By Meg Waters Redstone Review LYONS – Living in a mountain town without a car is hard. Public transportation is a good option in Colorado’s cities, including Boulder and Longmont, but the Lyons bus route runs only to Boulder and Waters only during peak commuting hours. A couple of years ago, RTD eliminated the midday bus route between Lyons and Boulder due to low rider turnout. Ever since, many area residents who don’t own a private vehicle have been relying heavily on friends and family for rides to medical appointments, grocery shopping, and other errands outside of Lyons. This is a critical need. Lory Barton, executive director of the Lyons Emergency Assistance Fund (LEAF), says her organization sometimes sees people deferring vital healthcare because they can’t get to appointments. These folks may soon have additional options.
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One is in the very early stages of development. For the past four months, a new Boulder County initiative has been gathering resident feedback on a potential volunteer-driver program that would serve Boulder County seniors and people with disabilities. “The goal is to come up with a way to connect residents in need of transportation with volunteer drivers who live in their area,” says Lisa Ramsey, recreation coordinator for the Town of Lyons and a member of the volunteer-driver program planning committee. “This service will be especially helpful in rural and mountain communities.” The group has been holding meetings in mountain towns to gauge residents’ needs and opinions. For more information, contact Tammy Whinston, tamara. whinston @ gmail. com. Even better news: A second transportation solution will be fully operational in the Town of Lyons on January 1, 2020. This program is more limited in scope than the countywide idea. but it will offer a transportation lifeline for Lyons-area residents.
To make up for the town’s lack of a midday bus route, Boulder County has agreed to fund a predetermined number of zTrip rides for Lyons-area residents in 2020. zTrip is a taxi-like business that operates in metropolitan areas across the United States. Its mission is to “use mobility to enhance the lives of our customers, driver partners, and employees.” Some of its vehicles are wheelchair-accessible. For residents with the ability to pay for the service, zTrip can pick up and drop off anywhere in Boulder, Weld, and Larimer Counties (visit www.ztrip.com). For residents who cannot afford commercial taxi rates, zTrip will accept payment vouchers that the Town of Lyons, LEAF, and other local organizations will begin distributing within the next month. Individuals can pick up four or six vouchers at a time, the equivalent of two or three round trips. The vouchers have no value until they’re used; a rider will simply hand a preprinted Town of Lyons voucher to the driver at pickup, and the voucher will serve as payment for the trip. Boulder County will pay zTrip after the fact for every successful trip. There are some important restrictions on the program. First, zTrip will take riders paying by voucher only from Continue Voucher on Page 15
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LOCAL Lyons area elk herds part of Colorado success story By Greg Lowell Redstone Review LYONS – The well worn copy of my 1959 Complete Field Guide to North American Wildlife has an entry for “Wapiti” with an accompanying map showing “American elk” occupying a narrow niche along the spine of the Rockies from Canada to Colorado. The guide notes that elk are extinct in the East. The book was published right about the time the Colorado elk population was rebounding from its own near-extinction. Like many of history’s wildlife success stories, the enaction of hunting restrictions and sound game management policies have turned the once rare elk into the state’s signature big game animal. In Colorado, forest service records from 1910 show that the native Colorado elk population was somewhere between 500 and 1,000, scattered in 10 small bands in wilderness areas in the mountains. Colorado game laws for elk were established from 1913 to 1929, and a system of refuges was set up. About 350 elk from Jackson Hole, Wyoming were reintroduced into the state during this time. From these transplants, the state is now home to the largest elk population in the world, numbering some 280,000 animals. Hunting is key to management Strictly managed hunting keeps the state’s elk population at sustainable levels. In 2018, Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) reported that elk hunters took 43,292 animals. Each year, the state conducts a post-hunt survey and adjusts the number of elk licenses for the next season. The result is a stable population of elk that matches the carrying capacity of their environment. A local example of what can happen when an elk population goes unchecked can be found in Rocky Mountain National Park. While the RMNP elk are a main attraction for millions of visitors, few realize that occasionally
the herd must be culled by staff or volunteer sharpshooters to maintain a healthy environment for not just elk but other species. Left unchecked, the park elk would intensively graze meadows, willows and aspen stands to the detriment of other species, such as birds and fish. Lyons’ own elk herds Here in the Lyons area, there are two distinct groups of elk. The Rabbit Mountain elk herd numbers around 300 to 400 animals. The herd is non-migratory; they stay in
and around Rabbit Mountain Open Space area yearround. Unfortunately, their stay-at-home attitude works to the detriment of local farmers and the Rabbit Mountain land they use as a safe haven. Boulder County Parks and Open Space has instituted a controlled hunt, now in its third season, to address the elk issue. The hunt is solely for resource management and seeks to disrupt the Rabbit Mountain herd to get them off
sensitive open space and prevent further environmental damage. The hope is to force the elk back into a more natural migration pattern that they have abandoned due to food availability and safe haven on the open space. The three-day weekly hunt takes place from September to January. Each week, three hunters are allowed to take one cow elk each during the period of September to January. The other, more-visible group is the 150 or more elk that winter along the Highway 36 corridor between Lyons and Boulder. Like most elk in Colorado, this herd is migratory and moves from higher elevations to lower elevations in the
winter. In the case of this herd, the elk spend the warm months up near the Continental Divide in the Camp Dick and Audubon areas, and then migrate down through Jamestown to Heil Valley Ranch when the snow gets deep. The Highway 36 herd typically appears in November and may stay until May. The elk are attracted to the area by the large farm fields which are mostly free of snow
Library calendar is full of new programs and events By Kara Bauman Redstone Review LYONS – New library hours are here! We will now open at 10 a.m. Monday through Saturday. We’re also excited to Bauman announce that we’ll stay open until 8 p.m. on Tuesday as well as Wednesday. Reminder that we will now close at 3 p.m. on Saturday afternoons. We sincerely appreciate everyone’s feedback and hope these expanded hours help get even more of you through our doors. Speaking of feedback, we recently launched an adult programming survey. There’s still plenty of time to visit our website (lyons.colibraries.org) or our Facebook page (facebook.com/LyonsRegionalLibary) and weigh in on what you would like to see us offer in terms of services for adults. We’re thrilled with how many of you have already shared your thoughts and we’re diligently working on the best possible ways to meet the many requests. Early vote-getters have been crafting for adults, Spanish language instruction, mindfulness and wellness, film viewings and discus-
Continue Elk on Page 15
There is still time to pick up a copy of Jane Harper’s debut novel, The Dry, the selection for our first library-hosted book club, the bimonthly Busy People’s Book Club. We will meet at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 20 to discuss the secrets kept by a drought-ridden Australian town in this atmospheric, page-turning mystery and choose the next title to be discussed in January. Remember, we want to hear from you. Visit us starting at 10 a.m. Monday through Saturday; until 5 p.m. Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays; until 8 p.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays; and until 3 p.m. on Saturday afternoons. We’re always open on the web for the placement of holds, renewals, and digital downloads at lyons.colibraries.org, and we’re happy to help over the phone during open hours at 303-823-5165.
sions, and travel programs. Nearly 20 local kiddos Our November programjoined us on Saturday, ming calendar is already the November 9 for another visit fullest we’ve ever offered. from our friends with Lyons and its artistic and crePlayWell TEKnologies. ative community of writers is PlayWell brought their giant our focus during National pallet of LEGO bricks and Novel Writing Month kids were taught the science (NaNoWriMo). We always behind stored energy and welcome writers of any flapropulsion before designing vor, not just those budding and building their own catanovelists. Writers looking to pults. We hosted our inauguget words on their pages and ral Bedtime Storytime on be surrounded by like-mindthe evening of November 12 ed individuals should join us The Dry by Jane Harper and will host another each Saturday for the is the selection for the Afterschool Drop-in Craft remainder of the month library’s first Busy on Tuesday, November 19. between 10 a.m. and noon People’s Book Club. Baby storytime is still each for Come Write In sessions. Tuesday morning at 10:30 Kara Bauman, MLIS, is the director of Writers are also encouraged to join us a.m. and All-Ages Storytime and Craft is the new Lyons Regional Library District at throughout the year on the first held Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m. 451 Fourth Avenue. Wednesday of each month for our popular Word Wednesday program facilitated by local author Kayann Short, PhD. Word Wednesday is an informal and free gather(from Lyons Historical Society, dba Lyons Redstone Museum) ing for anyone who has a writing project Great Gifts for Christmas! underway or an idea that needs nudging. Writers meet to discuss projects, share AREA BOOKS FLOOD BOOKS tips, and offer a listening ear.
Lyons Area & Flood Books
Chopin Through the Window by Franziska Stein............................................$25 Birth of the Quarry Town - 1800s ...............$24.95 Piecing the Town Together - Pioneers ........$24.95 Double Gateway to Rockies - 1900s...........$24.95 A Lady’s Life in the Rocky Mountains by Isabella Bird ................................................$15 History - Lyons Sandstone Quarries...........$14.95 The Welch Resort - Best Kept Secret .........$14.95 E. S. Lyons.......................................................$10 Billings Family..................................................$10 Blue Mountain..................................................$10 Old Stone Church.............................................$10 Lyons Graduates ..............................................$10 Lyons Cemetery ...............................................$10 History of Meadow Park - 1874-2017 ..............$10
Lyons High School Photography Class....$39 1,000 Year Rain/2013 Flood ...................$45 Flood newspapers (1 year) ......................$40 Flood Book - Lyons Elementary...............$25
DVDs Understanding the Fundamentals of Colorado Flood of 2013 - Lyons ..........$20 Lyons Sandstone Quarry History.............$20 Lyons Geology.........................................$10 TO ORDER: Call 303-823-5925; Send an email to: lavern921@aol.com; or Send check to: Lyons Redstone Museum, PO Box 9, Lyons, CO 80540 Please include $3 postage for each book
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OPTIONS Lyons chef opens Jacaranda kitchen in Rosetta Hall in Boulder By Sam Miller Redstone Review LYONS – Modou Jaiteh, who lives in Lyons, has opened his own kitchen at Rosetta Hall in Boulder. Many Lyons residents may remember Modou Jaiteh from his West African style food at the Stone Cup where each morning there was a varied menu of interesting selections. And for about a year Jaiteh also cooked dinners on Friday nights at the Stone Cup. “I was lucky enough to be raised in Gambia by my mom and she’s been cooking her whole life,” said Jaiteh. “Our food is dedicated to ingredients and flavors native to West Africa as well as North American ingredients that have become staples in West Africa. We’re also exploring the African influences on the food of New Orleans and the Carolinas. You’ll discover unique flavors in our peanut butter stew, yaji fried rice, the Ghana po’boy, and a constantly changing mix of West African dishes.” He is also the chef credited with bringing the concept of Farm to Market dinners to Lyons. These were held at the Farmette and other locations around town. That gave Modou Jaiteh the chance to develop relationships with local food growers and farmers who supplied much of the ingredients that he still uses. Now he is in his own restaurant kitchen space called Jacaranda, with his own staff, cooking
from his own unique West African inspired menu, and still delighting customers with his food and his personality. I sat down with Modou Jaiteh recently in Rosetta’s unique main hall to ask how this all came about. Clint Buckner, a friend of Jaiteh’s and owner of Buckner Family Farm at 75th and Nelson Road, knew the owners of the Rosetta Hall project. Buckner had been contacted by Rosetta’s planners who were looking for unique chefs. He suggested they contact Jaiteh and the local connection paid off. Many meetings, tastings and tweakings of menu followed and Jaiteh was offered a restaurant within the Hall. Now the new eatery, Jacaranda, is a taste sensation, exploring the amazing spices of the West African diaspora and the American South. Jacaranda is named after the beautiful South American tree with fern-like leaves and that blooms in the spring with lovely lavender flowers. Jacaranda’s menu has been developed through Jaiteh’s training at several restaurants locally, as well as New Orleans, and across the American South. The food is conceived using West African spices and other ingredients, with inspiration from southern American food, Gambian food, and popular recipes from across Africa. Jaiteh credits his success to having found good kitchens to work in and great chefs to learn from, including his mother, as he studied his craft.
Chef Modou Jaiteh of Lyons, who was previously at the Stone Cup, has opened his own kitchen at Rosetta Hall in Boulder. Don’t ask him what the best plate on the menu is; he’s getting tired of that question. Instead, watch the plates being set up by the staff, read the descriptions on the menu, or take a suggestion from a customer. Everything is unique, well prepared, and a chance to try something new. Vegan and vegetarian selections are found, as well
as lamb, chicken, and pork dishes. Personally, I’d start with the Spiced Bennet Toast, a sweet potato bread and puree topped with pumpkin seeds, mascarpone, dukkah (an African blend of nuts, seeds, and spices), and lime zest. The Domoda, available after 11:30 a.m., is a peanut butter stew with lamb, rice, and vegetables. There is a NOLA-inspired Po’Ghana Boy sandwich with mushrooms, shito, cauliflower, arugula, pickled raisins, and cashew butter. The blue corn Jonny Cakes come with bacon, a farm fresh egg, and a side of scotch bonnet sauce. And, of course, finish with some Calas, rice-based beignets served with custard, chicory, golden raisins, and mint. There are eight regular dishes on the menu, but several daily preparations can be found as well. Jacaranda has a staff who have all worked with Modou Jaiteh in Lyons and Boulder. He employs seven people, including Michael Kim (who also worked at the Stone Cup), Ariel Powers, and Modou’s wife, Baylee Jaiteh. While the operation of a new restaurant takes all of his waking hours, Modou says he is happy, tired, thankful, and doing well. Stop by to say hello and enjoy some delicious food. Sam Miller is retired and lives with his wife Bonnie, just outside of Lyons. He and Bonnie both sing in choirs in Boulder. They have three dogs and they like West African food.
Lyons Community Foundation Announces 2019 Grant Recipients By Kristen Bruckner Redstone Review LYONS – The Lyons Community Foundation is thrilled to announce the 2019 Community Support Grant Awards. Each fall, Lyons-area non-profits apply for grants that will support the Bruckner work they will do in the coming year. As a community foundation, LCF’s job is to raise money that supports a diverse range of projects and populations. By offering a centralized source for fundraising, non-profits can focus on the projects they perform. The grant review committee, an anonymous group of area citizens, meets to analyze grant applications and award those whose intent aligns with LCF’s mission to improve the quality of life, build of culture of giving and encourage positive change in the greater Lyons area. This year, the committee approved more than $27,000 in grants to 14 separate projects. Grant applications received totaled several times over this amount. While LCF would like to provide funding for many more projects and scholarships, increased investment by local individuals is necessary. The following is a brief description of the projects awarded. For more information on these awards, see www.lyonscf.org. LEAF (Lyons Emergency and Assistance Fund) continues to be the largest single recipient of LCF funding. While important projects such as the Food Pantry and Meals on Wheels received renewed grants, there are two new projects that were awarded. There is a new Mental Wellness and Addiction Recovery program initiated by
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Work is in progress at the Rocky Mountain Botanic Gardens thanks to a grant from LCF. Building pathways, setting more than 60 fenceposts, weeding, and mulching will continue through the winter,weather permitting. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, 9 to 11 am.,volunteers are welcome. PHOTO BY CATHY RIVERS LEAF that will support the community’s overall wellbeing. There is also a Basic Needs and Resource Matching program that provides emergency grants or broader case management and / or resource referrals to clients in times of crisis. Help with things like housing or heat may provide the difference for a neighbor to stay in their home, further supporting those most vulnerable in our community. Habitat for Humanity of Saint Vrain Valley is another
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2019 grant recipient. Since the 2013 Floods, Habitat has brought volunteers and financial support to help repair 12 homes in Lyons, and rebuild another destroyed home. The Park Street development will allow six additional families to return to the Lyons community. The grant will help close the gap in funding for completion of the last two units in this project, allowing the last two families to be home for Christmas. The new Rocky Mountain Botanic Gardens, in the 504 buyout property in the confluence area of town, is blossoming as a post-flood highlight of community collaboration. Their mission is to create an educational native plant botanic garden for residents and visitors to Lyons. The grant will support a small free library on the site of the garden. Visitors may both borrow and donate books or guides on native plants and gardening, for sharing and learning from each other and the books. Groups already contributing to the gardens include the Lyons Volunteers, the Lyons Weed Posse, the Lyons Ecology Board, the Lyons Walking Arboretum, the Town of Lyons and Lyons’ school athletic and service organizations. The soil testing Safe Organic Sustainable Weeds Action Plan (SOSWAP) group received a grant to perform further testing of the soils in areas of our public parks that have shown elevated levels of pesticides, protecting public health and safety for our residents. A new mental health initiative started by the Lyons Regional Library will receive a grant to support their once-monthly “community dinner and arts” nights. The program is designed as an extension of a mental health initiative by offering a safe, social, sober environment for residents of all ages. This group has offered successful programming on issues of suicide awareness and other topics, and intends to provide access to more socialization and human connections, proven to increase mental wellbeing for individuals and within the community. The vision of this program is “Creating belonging and personal safety for everyone.” Two grants focused on the schools include one for the Lyons Elementary Garden Club that supports gardenbased curriculum and programs. The seed collection program provides an opportunity for plant-cycle learning with a bounty of food produced for the Lyons Food Pantry. A grant awarded to the Lyons High School After Prom program will go towards supporting a safe, sober, Continue LCF on Page 14
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But is it an impeachable offense? By Mark Browning Redstone Review LYONS – According to a November 1 Washington Post article, some Republican Senators may acknowledge that Browning President Trump offered a quid pro quo to Ukraine, but argue that doing so is not grounds for removal from office. Or as Peggy Noonan, Ronald Reagan’s speechwriter, put it in the next day’s Wall Street Journal, “the definitive question... will turn out not to be ‘Did he do it?’ but ‘Do the American people believe this is an impeachable offense’?” Let's look at that. Assuming President Trump asked a foreign government to investigate a U.S. political rival, and conditioned military aid on doing so, is that impeachable conduct? Both history and laws suggest an answer. History – In 1793, when the “Founding Fathers” were running things, French ambassador Edmond Charles Genet sought to have the United States aid France in a war with England. President Washington declined, opting for neutrality. In response, “Citizen Genet” threatened to take his case directly to the American people in elections. The response was outrage: some suggested declaring war on France. Washington asked France to recall Genet and the U.S. considered expelling him. The Genet affair was an early example of the seriousness with which the United States regarded foreign influence in domestic political affairs. That attitude has continued. In the 1930s, 1960s, 1970s and 2002, Congress passed increasingly stringent laws targeting foreign influence in U.S. elections. Foreign influence in U.S. elections has
sparked much notoriety and controversy. It played a role in Watergate, when the military government of Greece and others were accused of helping finance the Nixon campaign. In 1996, the Democratic National Committee returned millions of dollars of campaign contributions that Republicans alleged had been illegally funneled from Indonesian sources to support Bill Clinton. More recently, Russian attempts to influence the 2016 election have drawn great attention. So foreign involvement in U.S. elections has long been considered a serious matter. Laws – In 1966, responding to concerns about foreign agents donating money to U.S. political campaigns, Congress passed the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), making such conduct a felony. But the law had loopholes, and allegations followed that Richard Nixon’s re-election committee had received huge foreign donations, including $1.5 million from the Shah of Iran and more than $10 million from Arab interests. In 1976, Congress passed the Federal Election Campaign Act, strengthening a 1930s-vintage law. FECA included the “Bentsen Amendment,” named after sponsoring Texas Senator Lloyd Bentsen, who explained that he did “not think foreign nationals have any business in our political campaigns. They cannot vote in our elections so why should we allow them to finance our elections? Their loyalties lie elsewhere; they lie with their own countries and their own governments.” Again, in 2002, Congress toughened
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sure your profile is as complete and representative of your business as possible. Once completed a link to your profile will be sent to you to make sure we have included all important information, links, and pictures you desire. For information, go to admin@lyonschamber.org.
Art Class to make luminarias LYONS – Join the Lyons Recreation Department on Wednesday, Nov 20 from 3:30 to 5 p.m. at the Walter Self Senior Housing Center, 335 Railroad Ave., for another funfilled art class. Working with paint, markers, fabrics, assorted objects, and tissue paper, artists will use mixed media techniques to create beautiful mason jar luminarias. These candle holders make lovely holiday gifts. Trish Murtha returns with her fun and informative style to teach this class, for ages 8 to 14, bringing over 30 years experience teaching art to students of all ages. The fee is $12. Register at www.townoflyons.com/Recreation.
the law, passing the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act. Under it, large foreign contributions to influence U.S. elections are felonies. In particular, contributions received from foreign governments (not just individuals) were singled out as deserving enhanced sentences. What do the current statutes say? Most relevant is FECA section 441(e), which prohibits “foreign nationals” from contributing money “or other things of value” in connection with a U.S. election. Significantly, that section prohibits “any person to solicit, accept or receive any such contribution from a foreign national.” Who is a “foreign national”? Section 441(e) says a “foreign national” means “a
foreign principal.” Who is a “foreign principal?” That is defined to include not just individuals, but specifically “a government of a foreign country.” Putting all that together, if President Trump asked a government of a foreign country (Ukraine) to investigate a political opponent, did he solicit a “thing of value” in connection with a U.S. election? Investigating Burisma and the Bidens was obviously of great value to Trump. His personal attorney spent much time and effort to make it happen. Diplomats
Lyons Food Pantry LYONS – Lyons Community Food Pantry Report for November 2019 Lyons Emergency and Assistance Fund (LEAF) reported at the LEAF Board Meeting that in October the pantry had 145 client visits which comes out to 29 households per week. They welcomed five new households, and 2,720 pounds of food and non-food items were donated directly to the pantry by Lyons residents and businesses. The battery in the LEAF van needed to be replaced. The Town of Lyons had a drive for the pantry and they received 117 pounds of toiletries, shampoo and toothpaste. They received 1,200 pounds of food from the Boulder County Administrative Services food drive that was held in October. The Dairy Bar offered to provide eggs on a regular basis. Community Food Share is again providing eggs so the Dairy Bar offered to help with things like butter and cheese.
Planning and Community Development Commission opening LYONS – The Town of Lyons is seeking an applicant to join the Planning and Community Development Commission (PCDC). The PCDC advises the Board of Trustees and makes decisions pertaining to land use, zoning, development, planning, and
and a National Security Council general testified that Trump directed millions of dollars of aid to be withheld until Ukraine publicly agreed to investigate. And political campaigns often spend large sums on “oppo research,” which is what Trump essentially sought from Ukraine. That is a “thing of value”. Some Republicans say that even if Trump conditioned aid to Ukraine on an investigation of a political opponent, there is no proof of “criminal intent.” That’s wrong. Violations of section 441(e) do not require intent, only action that violates the section. Constitution – Even if President Trump committed a serious felony (note the sentencing enhancements when foreign governments are involved), does that warrant impeachment and removal under the Constitution’s “high crimes and misdemeanors” standard? Charles L. Black, a leading constitutional scholar, proposed during Watergate this oft-cited definition of “high crimes and misdemeanors,” based on Alexander Hamilton’s Federalist No. 65: “those offenses which are rather obviously wrong, whether or not ‘criminal,’ and which so seriously threaten the order of political society as to make pestilent and dangerous the continuance in power of their perpetrator.” In Noonan’s words, if the question isn’t “Did he do it?” but “Do the American people believe it is an impeachable offense?” the answer – based on history dating back to the Genet affair and Congress’ repeated strengthening of laws in response to foreign influence in U.S. elections – would seem to be, “They should.” Mark Browning is a resident of Lyons and a retired lawyer with experience both in private practice and as a former Assistant Attorney General for the State of Texas.
related matters. To learn more about PCDC and apply for a seat, visit the Lyons Boards and Commissions public awareness about the department. The panel is not a review board of any specific police action, whether internal or external, and will not provide input or discuss specific employee personnel.
Business Consulting Group LYONS – In an effort to help grow the Lyons economy from within, and to help develop an entrepreneurial approach to economic development, the Lyons Area Chamber of Commerce is offering business consultations. Formerly known as the Lyons Economic Gardening Group (LEGG) the LACC Board is available to meet with Lyons’ current and prospective business owners to assist in growing and nurturing local business. The LACC Board is comprised of several long-time successful Lyons business owners with first-hand knowledge of unique community needs, available resources, as well as assets that can be leveraged outside of the community. If you are interested in meeting with the LACC Board for a business consultation contact Erin to schedule a meeting at admin@lyonschamber.org. Additionally if an individual is Continue Briefs on Page 7
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INSIGHT C O M M E N TA R Y
ident. Another egotistical billionaire with no experience in government. No thanks; already got one of those. As soon as Biden announced, he was my choice. He has 40-plus years of experience in national politics, culminating in two terms as vice president. In that time he’s had his an and appallingly expensive. Yang is also quick on his share of gaffes and hot mic moments, but I think he gets a feet and has a talent for seeming to tell the truth, which bum rap for that. The same people who complain that means he’s either an honest man or a damned good actor politicians never say what they mean will call Biden a (always a possibility with politicians). I can’t help but “loose cannon” when he slips up and says what he means. like the guy; I just don’t see him as president. Maybe he’s too old. At 76 he’s the second oldest candiBut I had to be reminded of Marianne Williamson, the date. Among the top three, Bernie Sanders is older at 78; “advice author” and “spiritual leader” who’s way too easy Elizabeth Warren is younger at 70. I have two conflicting to make fun of, so enough said. opinions on age. One is that I’m glad voters (Democrats, anyway) recognize that age can bring with it the depth of experience and perspective that we need in a national leader. The other is that at age 73 I don’t have the energy, stamina or intellectual capacity it would take to be president, although, that said, I never have. Most of us just aren’t cut out for it. These days I’m thinking more like a political strategist than like a voter, as they say many of us are now. I like Biden because he’s an electable status quo candidate. I actually prefer the bolder ideas coming out of the Sanders and Warren campaigns, but I think it’ll take a moderate to assemble the swing voters and disilTwenty hopefuls began the race for the Democratic Presidential nomination. lusioned Republicans it’ll take to get Three have dropped out, but several more are hinting they will jump in. elected in the first place and then to begin the job of reassembling what Steven Bullock is the Democratic governor of Trump has broken over the last three-plus years. Republican Montana (which is saying something) and It’ll be hard winning an election in the face of disinclaims to be able to craft workable compromises between formation campaigns, election hacking and attempts by the two parties. Maybe so, but in Montana they don’t have Republican state legislatures to disenfranchise to deal with Mitch McConnell (aka the Grim Reaper.) Democratic voters, and if a Democrat does win, Trump John Delaney? Never heard of ‘em. Turns out he’s a 56- will likely claim the election was rigged and refuse to year-old attorney and businessman who was Maryland’s leave office. By now we all understand how the man Sixth District Congressman from 2013 to 2019 and who operates. If he wins, it’ll be fair and square; if he loses, it’ll has written a book titled The Right Answer: How we can be because his opponent cheated. Unify our Divided Nation. Okay. Wayne Messam? 44-year-old mayor of Miramar, John Gierach is an outdoor and fly fishing writer who writes Florida. Used to be a football player. books and columns for magazines including a regular column Joe Sestak? Age 67; retired Navy Admiral; former for Trout Magazine. His books include Trout Bum, Sex congressman from Pennsylvania; published a book with Death and Fly fishing, and Still Life with Brook Trout. He awkward title Walking in Your Shoes to Restore the has won seven first place awards from the Colorado Press American Dream. Association for his columns in the Redstone Review. His latTom Steyer I knew. He’s the 62-year-old hedge fund guy est book, His latest book, Dumb Luck and the Kindness of who founded – and self-funded – the Need to Impeach Strangers will be available in April 2020 at book stores and movement. I forgot he was running for president because fly fishing shops everywhere including South Creek Ltd. on he spent so much time swearing he wouldn’t run for pres- Main Street in Lyons.
The 2020 primary season is coming up fast By John Gierach Redstone Review LYONS – Colorado’s presidential primary will be held in four months – on March 3, 2020 – and I’m already beginning to ponder who I want to vote for. I’m glad we finally dropped the old Gierach caucus system and went with a primary election. I always felt that caucuses were anti-democratic for the simple reason that you could arrive planning to vote for one candidate, only to have your first choice washed out in the early rounds and end up either voting for someone you really didn’t want or just leaving in disgust. Either way, you’d go home feeling that you’d been cheated out of the democratic process and you’d be right. In a real election, electioneering is prohibited at polling places for good reason, but a caucus is all about electioneering at polling places. Also, caucuses are long, loud, grueling, contentious, confusing affairs that are mostly dominated by wonks and activists, so participation tends to be low. Our statewide primary with mail-in ballots should encourage more of us to vote. When the time comes, all voters registered in Colorado will get a primary ballot in the mail – and there’s still plenty of time to register. If you’re affiliated with a party, you’ll get that party’s ballot. If you’re unaffiliated, you’ll get ballots from both parties, but you can only vote one. (Voting both means that neither ballot will be counted.) Unaffiliated voters can also go to govotecolorado.com and request the ballot of their choice. I’m unaffiliated myself, but plan to vote in the Democratic primary and there are plenty of choices. At last count, after Beto O’Rourke dropped out, there were still 17 Democratic candidates. Can you name all of them? I couldn’t. I easily got Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg because, as the polls stand now, they’re the front-runners, with everyone else trailing far behind. And I remembered our own mild-mannered senator Michael Bennet, Cory Booker, Tulsi Gabbard, Kamala Harris, Amy Klobuchar and Julian Castro, HUD Secretary under Obama and not to be confused with his twin brother Joaqin, the Congressman from Texas. And I remembered Andrew Yang, the entrepreneur whose platform includes giving every adult citizen a thousand dollars a month. I don’t know anyone who’d send back the check, but although the guaranteed minimum income isn’t a new idea, it still seems weirdly utopi-
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interested in becoming a resource partner with the LACC Board to provide valuable insight to established businesses, as well as those interested in the feasibility of a future business venture, please reach out to Erin for more information about joining.
Short-term rentals LYONS – Do you or does someone you know own a short-term rental in the Lyons area? We encourage owners to contact the LACC for Lyons promotional items to provide to your visiting guests. The Lyons Area Chamber is happy to provide caricature maps, several different post cards, "Love, Lyons" pens, and
more! Let the Chamber help make sure guests are aware of all that Lyons has to offer! Want to be included as a lodging option in the Lyons Area Chamber of Commerce Wedding Directory? Short-term rental owners can become a members of the Chamber with the rental as their business and select the $25 Wedding Directory add-on when joining. Becoming a Chamber member will showcase your short-term rental in our Business Directory; include the $25 add-on to be included in both directories!
A Wedding Directory For Lyons LYONS – With the creation of the new Lyons Area Chamber of Commerce Website we felt that it would be beneficial to our members, and those visiting our website for informational purposes, to create a Lyons Wedding Directory.
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With the wedding industry being such a prominent piece of the Lyons economy a directory seemed like a “no-brainer”. So far we have included any current members that we know to benefit from the wedding industry in Lyons. If you are a member and have not been included and wish to be, please email Erin to be added. To remain included in the LACC wedding directory, members will need to login and select the optional membership add-on at the introductory rate of $25/year. It is our hope that the LACC Wedding Directory will become a trusted directory for finding vendors and services in the greater Lyons area. Please note that when selecting a Membership Add-On your renewal date will be reset to the current date and the cost of your membership pro-rated from your original renewal date to the current date. At checkout
you will be charged for the add-on as well as the pro-rated amount to extend your membership to the current date.
Recruiting Cameron Pass Nordic Rangers for 2019/2020 Season FORT COLLINS – The Canyon Lakes Ranger District of the Roosevelt National Forest is looking for volunteers to ski or snow shoe in the busy Cameron Pass area, where 32 miles of trail can see over 300 skiers a day on a weekend. The kick-off meeting is Nov. 20 at 6:30 p.m. at 2150 Centre Ave., Building E, in Fort Collins. The required classroom training is Dec. 12 from 6 to 9 p.m. and the required field training is Dec. 14 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information or to RSVP, call Kristy Wumkes at 970-295-6721 or email kristy. wumkes @ usda. gov.
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CULTURE Art Pharm arts plan By Tamara Vega Haddad Redstone Review LYONS – Across the nation over the last few decades, artists-run galleries and co-ops have infiltrated and propped up empty city streets and blighted areas. Lyons is no different. In September Rocky Cohen and Sonny Smith joined forces to open The Art Pharm, A Gallery of Studios, at the old pharmacy building, 440 Main St., Lyons, Colorado. Art Pharm is a revolutionary program for Lyons that combines the highly successful model of business incubation and the creative talents of local artists to develop a community of accomplished artists and collectors. The Art Pharm program and facility provides unparalleled support for artists and designers for the creation of art and the development of art businesses. Becoming a professional artist requires space, equip-
Lyons’ Art Pharm makes art studio space affordble. ment, time and business acumen. For most artists, finding affordable studio space is nearly impossible in Boulder
It’s almost time for the Holiday Parade of lights LYONS – Winter is on the way and the holidays are near. On December 7, kids and adults will brave the cold weather to wait for Santa to appear and to watch the Holiday Parade of Lights which has the theme of Winter Wonderland this year. The Parade of Lights is an exciting community tradition that includes music, fireworks and a stunning parade through town with Santa riding in a fire truck. The parade kicks off at 6:30 p.m., routing down Main Street and back along Broadway. The fireworks display follows, starting at 7:40 p.m. Volunteers are always needed. To find out more about volunteering go to lyonscolorado.com/events/lyons-holiday-parade-of-lights and sign up to find out about the volunteer opportunities. If you or your group want to be in the parade, complete the Parade of Lights entry form and send the completed entry form to recreation@townoflyons.com or mail forms to Holiday Parade of Lights, Lyons Town Hall, PO Box 49, Lyons, 80540. Staging for the parade entries will take place on Second Ave. between Railroad and Park, on Evans between Second and Third and on State Highway 66 between Second Avenue and Park Street. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter! For more information, contact Lyons' Event Production, at 303-823-8250.
2019 Lyons Holiday Craft Bazaar The Holiday Craft Bazaar will be Saturday December 7 at the Lyons Elementary School gym. Mark your calendar. Over 60 artisan crafters will sell
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typically resulting in an 11% jump in waste diversion from the landfill. Why recycle and compost? Isn’t recycling “dead?” Maybe you’ve seen headlines about China closing its doors to imports of materials for recycling and you’re wondering if recycling is still worth the effort. The answer is YES! Recycling is a critical component of a more sustainable, circular economy and is crucial to maximizing natural resources, saving water and energy, and creating more resilient communities. When you recycle, you: • Save energy, for manufacturing products from recycled materials saves 30 to 90 percent of the energy needed to manufacture those products from natural resources and avoids extraction of fossil fuels, trees, and metal ores while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. • Reduce demand for new resources, for aluminum cans and glass bottles can be recycled indefinitely, reducing the need to extract more bauxite ore or silica from the earth. • Save water, for producing paper from trees creates the largest industrial demand for water per ton of product in the US. Recycling one ton of paper saves 7,000 gallons of water. • Stop burying valuable resources, for Colorado throws away nearly $265 million worth of recyclable material each year. • Create more jobs, for recycling creates an average of ten times more jobs than landfilling per ton. Composting our food and yard waste avoids methane emissions from landfills, and regenerates lost topsoil. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas; it traps 84 times more heat in our atmosphere than carbon dioxide over the short term. When we compost our biodegradable materials and then apply that compost to soils, we create a carbon “sink” by increasing the soil’s ability to pull carbon from the atmosphere and store it safely in the
Benefits of Pay As You Throw single hauler trash removal Dear Lyons Residents, As you may have heard, the Lyons Board of Trustees is currently considering a “Pay as You Throw” single hauler contract for bundled trash, recycling, and composting curbside collection services for all single family residences and multi-family complexes with eight or fewer residences within town limits. This initiative was brought to the Board by the Lyons Sustainable Futures Commission. Town staff has scheduled two information-sharing meetings to learn more about this initiative. The first meeting will be held on Thursday, November 21, and the second will be on Tuesday, November 26. Both meetings will be from 6 to 7 p.m. at Town Hall. All are welcome and encouraged to attend. What is “Pay as You Throw?” Pay as You Throw (PAYT) is a concept that incentivizes diverting waste from the landfill by creating an incremental charge based on the size of the trash container selected by each resident, with recycling and composting containers provided at no additional cost. Standardized containers would be provided by the contracted hauler, in three sizes: 32-gallon, 64-gallon, and 96-gallon. The fee charged for a 64-gallon trash container would be twice the price of the 32-gallon container; the fee for the 96-gallon trash container would be three times the price of the 32-gallon container. Longmont, Lafayette, Louisville, and Boulder all have versions of PAYT. PAYT is well-documented to be the single most effective means for a municipality to increase diversion of resources to recycling and composting for residences,
County. If an affordable space is found, the task of earning enough money to pay for space and the most basic living expenses is exhausting and diminishes the artists' opportunities for creativity. Art Pharm is designed to mine the full potential of the arts for Lyons, Colorado as both amenities and an economic development resource. It builds upon a history of vision and leadership within Boulder County and sets out a new vision more inclusive of working artists in Lyons. Artist in residency includes Sonny Smith, John Jacobs, Daniel Strawn, Magali Fournier, and Rocky Cohen. The time is at hand for giving the arts a place at the table along with schools, parks, libraries, roads, and other public services if the county is to remain a national leader in providing amenities that will attract the best and the brightest people and the most progressive entrepreneurs in the 21st century. Join the Art Pharm for first Fridays and art workshops for all ages. For information, go to https://www.artpharm.org/ or Admin@artpharm.
their handmade wares at the 45th Annual Lyons Holiday Craft Bazaar on Saturday, December 7, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, December 8, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. A wide variety of quality crafts, jewelry, photography, pottery, glass, and textile arts will be available at this event. What’s more, it's a great opportunity to find unique holiday gifts and accessories. Last year, over 1,300 shoppers attended the bazaar. Each media type is represented by percentage, to ensure that no one category saturates the bazaar. We had such an amazing amount of interest from vendors the last few years, we added a jury review to provide our patrons with the absolute best and most unique handcrafted fair. This is a Lyons tradition not to be missed. Please note: 2019 vendor booths are SOLD OUT! If you would like to be placed on the wait list, please contact Lyons Parks and Recreation at 303-8238250, or lyonsbazaar@msn.com. Names on the waitlist will be contacted in chronological order, in the event that registered vendors withdraw their booth registration. For more information, contact Lyons’ Event Production, at 303-823-8250. ground, a natural solution for climate change if applied globally. Compost-amended soil also needs less water because compost reduces evaporation, and reduces water pollution when compost is substituted for synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. Will PAYT cost more? The intent is that you will get increased services – recycling and composting – for likely about the same price that you are currently paying for your trash subscription. There are numerous options provided by the two bidders for the Town Board to consider and for individual residents to select, but as an example, one bid prices weekly 32-gallon trash service and every-otherweek recycling (64-gallon) at $13/month, or $18/month if compost collection is included. There would likely also be a small monthly administrative fee as well to cover the town’s minimal staffing costs. Current subscribers to Western Disposal’s orange bag trash service who do not wish to have recycling and composting services would be given the option to continue with a similar service administered by the Town. Why a single-hauler contract? To minimize costs, the most efficient collection method is for a single hauler to stop at every residence rather than multiple haulers collecting only from their subscribers. This also reduces emissions, neighborhood truck traffic and road wear and tear from heavy compactor trucks. If you would like to learn more, please come to one of the informational meetings or contact your Board of Trustees. Respectfully, Dan Matsch Chair, Lyons Sustainable Futures Commission and Director, Eco-Cycle CHaRM and Compost Department
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Arts & Entertainment around the area By Redstone Staf Redstone Review LYONS Art and Music at the Stone Cup. The artist for November and December will be Brent Hollingsead. “I’ve spent most of my life learning to paint like a child again,” said Hollingsead, using the words of Pablo Picasso who said, “I've spent 80 years learning to paint like a child again.” Hollingsead is a Lyons, Colorado-based impressionist artist whose multitude of works play with texture, layering, abstraction and spontaneity. A graduate of Wittenberg University’s Fine Arts program, he has translated his lifelong passion for art into his professional career as a graphic designer, which is often reflected back in the dimensionality of each painting. From her serenity to her wrath, all expressions of nature inspire the core of Hollingsead’s work. His latest series reveals a belief in sacred geometry with the limitless repeating fractals that can be found within life’s landscapes. Today, he is emerging as a seasoned artist with a passion for expressing authenticity in each brushstroke. Music at the Cup: On Sat. Nov. 16 from 10 a.m. to noon The Aloha Sisters will perform Hawaiian/Original; on Sun. Nov. 17 from 10 a.m. to noon Billy Shaddox will perform American Folk Music; on Sat. Nov. 23 from 10 a.m. to noon Michelle Roderick will perform Country/Rock; on Sun. Nov. 24 from 10 a.m. to noon Young Pine will perform as a Singer/Songwriter; on Sat. Nov. 30 10 a.m. to noon Finally Sound will perform Folk Rock/Country/Jazz; on Sun. Dec. 1 from 10 a.m. to noon Ben Masterson will perform Singer/Songwriter; on Sat. Dec. 7 from 10 a.m. to noon 4tell (Mark Wridt) will perform Blues/Classic Rock/Country; on Sun. Dec. 8 from 10 a.m. to noon Sarah Caton will perform Americana/Soul/Blues; on Sat. Dec. 14 from 10 a.m. to noon Ethan Jones will perform Folk/Soul; on Sun. Dec.15 from 10 a.m. to noon Billy Shaddox will perform American Folk.
Hiking the Colorado Trail with Grissly On Aug. 18 through Sept. 22 Mickey and Kim Lohr, pastors of The River Church from Lyons, hiked the Colorado Trail with their dog Grissly. They completed the 486 mile hike on the Colorado Trail, from Denver to Durango Colorado. It took them 5 weeks. Lyons Arts & Humanities Commission. The Lyons Arts & Humanities Commission (LAHC) is preparing to install the new Bell of Renewal bronze sculpture sometime this November in the area of the new Bohn Park pedestrian bridge. Watch for details on the “reveal” coming soon. Also plans are in the making to support the new Lyons
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Works by Brent Hollingshead will be featured at the Stone Cup during November and December. Regional Library with a schedule of art shows for the coming 2020 season. The art shows at the Town Hall are now moving to the new library. LAHC Town Hall art show features holiday art by those 18 and younger. Artists of all mediums, younger ages, abilities, and artistic interpretations by those 18 and younger, are showing their wall-hangable holiday-inspired art at the Town Hall at 423 Fifth Ave. This is the fourth quarter art show the Lyons Arts & Humanities season. The theme is ‘Tis the Season: Kids present their own personal or historical meaning of holidays, Halloween, Veteran’s Day, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa and more. To learn more go to https://www.lyonscolorado.com/do/town-hall-art-show-tis-the-season. This show runs through Jan. 10. BOULDER Boulder Bach Festival. The Boulder Bach Festival will perform Secret Garden on Thursday, Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m. at eTown Hall, 1535 Spruce St. in Boulder, conducted by Zachary Carrettin. Compass Resonance Ensemble, the CoRE of resident musical artists perform work of extreme beauty composed by Schmelzer, Rosenmuller, Marini, Salome Rossi, Francesca Caccini and J.S. Bach. Bach Festival Music Director, Zachary Carrettin, collaborates with small and large ensembles in vocal and instrumental chamber music culminating in its 15-piece baroque orchestra with CoRE soloists. It’s a Wonderful Life Opera by CU College of Music. It's a Wonderful Life, an opera in two acts, is being presented by the Eklund Opera Program. CU College of Music faculty and students are joined by guest artists and bring spine-tingling musicianship to CU's stunning Macky Auditorium. With lavish scenery and costumes and the CU Symphony in the pit, this is opera of the highest order. It may be Christmas, but for George Bailey it is anything but the most wonderful time of the year. Based on the 1946 movie of the same name, Jake
Heggie and Gene Scheer's brand new opera adaptation of It's a Wonderful Life follows a young guardian angel named Clara as she attempts – with heart and just a bit of holiday magic – to prove to George what an incredible impact he's had on his small town. It’s a Wonderful Life will be presented on Friday, Nov. 15 and Saturday, Nov. 16 at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 17 at 2 p.m., at Macky Auditorium on the CU campus. Flame Broiled, or The Ugly Play at the Dairy Arts Center. From the Dairy Center, 2590 Walnut St., comes Flame Broiled, or the Ugly Play, playing from Nov. 13 to Nov. 17 from 7:30 until 9 p.m. Local Theater Company, the team that produced the Henry Awardwinning play Paper Cut, brings the world premiere of Rodney Hicks’ (Rent, original Broadway cast) new play. This searing satire examines race and identity in contemporary American society. Four actors portray more than 30 characters in a series of often-comedic snapshots that employ farcical stereotypes in order to shock, provoke, and ultimately highlight the corrosiveness of prejudice. When the characters finally cross the finish line, what’s revealed is the common denominator of humanity: a desire to know, to understand, to connect. For information, call 303-440-7826. The Frequent Flyers Aerial Dance Youth Student Company performs. Also at the Dairy Center, 2590 Walnut St., presented by the Frequent Flyers Aerial Dance Youth Student Company, comes a blast from the past with Musical Legends of the Air. In this performance, aerial dancers will demonstrate fantastic feats of funky moves and strength on trapeze, lyra, silks, rope and slings, performed to music ranging from Madonna to the Beatles. Shows are December 7 and 8 at 2 p.m. at the Dairy Arts Center. Call 303-440-7826 for details. Movie Light from Light at the Dairy Arts Center. Light from Light is showing at the Boedecker Theatre at the Dairy Arts Center, 2595 Walnut St., on Nov. 26 and Continue A&E on Page 13
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PAGE 10
REDSTONE • REVIEW
NOVEMBER 13 / DECEMBER 18, 2019
EXPRESSIONS C O M M E N TA R Y
It’s a good time to buy up land; climate change will make land scarce By Richard A. Joyce Redstone Review LYONS – I want to be clear from the start here. I am not, nor have I ever been a licensed realtor. Nor have I pretended to be Joyce one, even at Halloween. No, I’m just an aging curmudgeon with aches, pains and several ailments you wouldn’t want to know about. But I think I know a good real estate investment when I see it. The wealthy, of course, have been onto this for years. And if you have the money to buy millions or even thousands of acres of vacant land, this is the time to do it. Consider the following, published on the Forbes website on October 30 in a column by senior contributor Jim Dobson: “A new Climate Central research report released this week finds hundreds of millions more people than previously known live on land at risk from coastal flooding linked to climate change. The largest vulnerable populations are most heavily in Asia. “I ran a feature several years ago about billionaires already preparing for coastal flooding by purchasing mass amounts of farmland and inland properties to avoid this scenario. According to The Land Report, over 100 wealthy families own 42 million acres of land across the U.S. Each of the 20 individuals and families that own the most land hold over a half-million acres each. Among them: John
Malone, Ted Turner, Stan Kroenke, Brad Kelley, and Subway founder Peter Buck, with many more new acquisitions happening this year.” And you, or you and your friends in corporate communion, lottery winners,
Central called “CoastalDEM.” In his column, Dobson quotes from the Climate Central report: According to a Climate Central report this week, “Sea level rise is one of the best known of climate change’s many dangers. As humani-
This Climate Central map of the Lousiania Gulf Coast shows areas where homes and home values will be at risk from annual flooding, or worse, by 2050 if pollution remains unchecked and ice in Antartica becomes unstable earlier than expected. etc. can be among them. Why? Because as climate change marches on and thousands, then millions of Americans find themselves displaced from their land in Florida, Texas, California, New York and many more places by rising tides and storm surges, they will need places to go, and those places won’t come cheap. The Climate Central research report used a new and greatly improved digital elevation model developed by Climate
ty pollutes the atmosphere with greenhouse gases, the planet warms. And as it does so, ice sheets and glaciers melt, and warming seawater expands, increasing the volume of the world’s oceans. The consequences range from near-term increases in coastal flooding that can damage infrastructure and crops to the permanent displacement of coastal communities. Over the course of the twenty-first century, global sea levels are projected to rise between about two to seven feet, and pos-
sibly more. The key variables will be how much warming pollution humanity dumps into the atmosphere and how quickly the land-based ice sheets in Greenland and especially Antarctica.” At the Climate Central website, they offer detailed maps that show accurate risk zone areas worldwide and in the U.S. as well as detail on the disaster zones and locations. Maps are based on a ten-foot waterlevel rise plus a high tide flood possibility. Many of the coastal areas include some of the most expensive properties in the world, including Miami Beach, the Hamptons, and Malibu Beach. More than 99 percent of today’s population in 252 American coastal towns and cities would have their homes submerged. Horace Greeley once supposedly told a young man to “go West” to find opportunities for wealth and success. Today, my big real estate advice uses a few more words: Head inland and invest in lots of vacant land. It will soar in value as 2050 approaches and beyond. My second piece of real estate advice is for those who own the land in the path of climate-change flooding. Each day brings closer the worthlessness your property may soon have. My advice: If it’s been devastated already by storm, flood or both, don’t rebuild. Sell, sell, sell, if you can, within the next five years. If the water keeps rising as predicted, that’s about as long as it might tempt someone to buy, but those Continue Land on Page 14
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NOVEMBER 13 / DECEMBER 18, 2019
REDSTONE • REVIEW
PAGE 11
COMMUNITY Squeezed Out conference examines Colorado challenges for affordable housing COMMENTARY: AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN LYONS
By Amy Reinholds Redstone Review
LYONS – Many factors contributed to our affordable housing dilemma in Colorado, and a collaborative effort between individuals, local and regional governments, industry, and researchers is the best way to improve the situation. I came home from the Reinholds Out: “Squeezed Challenges of Diversity and Affordability in Colorado Communities” conference with that message. The day-long conference, held Oct 25 at the Community Engagement Design and Research Center (CEDaR) at the University of Colorado, focused on “innovations in design and policy to create places for affordable and permanentlyaffordable housing, immigrant and refugee populations, residents of mobile and manufactured home communities, artists and creatives, students, working families, and others.” How did we get here? Speakers from around the Denver metro area, participating in six different sessions I attended, described our current situation in Colorado. A booming economy and high demand has drawn investors to make money off of housing, driving up prices for rentals and homes for sale. Irene Aguilar of the City of Denver
Neighborhood Equity & Stabilization Team, said developers in Denver are building more to the higher-income market. Areas vulnerable to gentrification are where there are lower median incomes, where fewer people own homes, and where there are few people with bachelor’s degrees. “The root cause is basically income inequality,” she said. “Look at who has money and who doesn’t.” Adams County has seen “the suburbanization of poverty” as housing in Denver becomes more expensive, according to Drew O'Connor of the Adams County housing authority. The number of students needing the free/reduced lunch program in Adams County has increased. “We need to build more service networks out in Adams County,” he said. Korkut Onaran of Pel Ona Architects and Urbanists, who told his own story of moving from Boulder to Longmont, said “Since rents went so high in Boulder, the return is best for investors, which pushes out people even in the middle income. There is a housing supply, but it is above the area median income.” According to the Home Wanted initiative in Boulder County, “More than 50,000 people in Boulder County live in severely cost-burdened households, meaning they spend more than half their income on their rent or mortgage, plus utilities and other housing expenses. Right now, our region does not have enough affordable housing to support families in our region, many of whom have been here for decades.”
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“A real problem is wages haven’t risen at the rate of housing,” said Tony Chacon, Redevelopment & Revitalization Manager at the City of Longmont. Chacon’s slide presentation was blunt about contributions to the housing dilemma, citing at least eight factors. Supply did not keep up with demand, and costs of commodities, land, and labor continue to rise, he said. Also, people move within cities and neighborhoods, driving up costs
in other neighborhoods. Then, when the housing market becomes really high, he said, people are less likely to move, so fewer homes are available. The economy is naturally cyclical, but governments don’t take advantage of opportunity in economic down cycles (for example to buy land when it is lower cost), Chacon said. He also cited “neglecting housing as an integral component of economic development planning and policy” as a factor. Gentrification and welcoming everyone to the table “When neighborhoods change, the community history gets sanitized,” said Nita Mosby Tyler of The Equity Project, LLC. She advised that communities should define their assets: the people who were in the community before the community changed. “Newcomers don’t know the history. We can’t sanitize history, lived experiences, in the process of being inclusive,” she said. A panel discussion about equity and community building defined a responsibility for individuals to look at who participates in community planning and who isn’t at the table. Tyler advised communities develop tools to invite everyone, and individuals and community groups should ask directly what people need to feel welcome. Dan Carmody, based on his work revitalizing the Eastern Market Corporation, a food market in Detroit, said, “Sometimes it’s OK not to be cool if we continue to welcome everybody.” Tyler also said that newcomers, espeContinue Housing on Page 15
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PAGE 12
REDSTONE • REVIEW
NOVEMBER 13 / DECEMBER 18, 2019
ISSUES Coal ash for the holidays: coal regulations pushed way back By Kati Gosnell Redstone Review LYONS – December always brings a pleasant crispness and composure to the dry mountain air. As snow falls from the sky and blankets the brown Colorado lawns, it is easy to recall being a child and the excitement that strikes when looking out the window and seeing feet of frozen white water just waiting to be tromped through or hand-sculpted into ammunition for an unsuspecting sibling or oblivious dog walker. It is early enough in winter that shoveling snow could be met with minor glee. And looming holiday festivities light up the night... or at least Sandstone park. Winter wonderlands provide a tranquility and serenity to even the most mundane landscapes. Now imagine waking up on December 22 and instead looking out your window to 300 acres of black, putrid, coal ash slurry strewn throughout your town and valley. You would be looking at six feet of sludge, mud filled with mercury, arsenic, lead, and decaying radionucleotides (uranium, thorium, radium), among other pollutants. Some houses would be completely covered in noxious mud. This coal ash sludge torrent would have emerged sooner than a blizzard, with the pileup oozing in over the course of a couple of hours after its containment corral broke in the wee hours after midnight. Apparently no one made Santa’s “good” list. This is what greeted residents along the Clinch and Emory Rivers outside the city of Kingston, Tennessee 11 years ago in 2008. About 1.1 billion gallons of coal fly ash slurry breached the Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) Fossil Plant containment ponds holding it at bay, and gushed free. This mess was ten times larger than the Deepwater Horizon spill. Coal fly ash is the resulting fine-grained particulate waste created when coal is burnt for energy. This ash is mixed with water to dampen and store it. An optimistic view is that collecting fly ash into sludgy retaining ponds helps keep it from invading the atmosphere. Unfortunately, storage ponds are not known for their stability, with leaks occurring frequently. This allows heavy metals and impurities to seep directly into nearby aquifers. In fact, the Kingston ash ponds had several leaks and spills prodding the security limits prior to its great escape. That spill was the largest fly ash release and worst coal ashrelated disaster in U.S. history. Though the spill did not account for immediate human deaths (though extraordinary amounts of fish and wildlife died), by its “Tin Anniversary” in 2018 it has been legally held accountable for over 250 cases of cancers and illnesses. Over 40 of the people who had been hired to clean up the mess have died (so far). The company that hired cleanup workers misled them about the dangers of coal ash. They claimed that protective equipment, including masks and shielding clothing, was unnecessary. They were even told they could eat coal ash every day with no harm. They were told that coal ash is just dirtier dirt. In truth coal and coal ash impact human health at every stage of use, from the initial extraction to the waste disposal at the end. Residents living adjacent to coal plants have higher rates of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, including heart disease, asthma, and cancer. Children have higher rates of emotional and learning disorders. More radiation emanates out of coal power
plants than from nuclear power plants. The predominant solid waste stream in the U.S. is coal ash, with 100 million tons generated per year. As an added bonus, rules governing coal ash safety are so lax that fly ash gathered out of the retaining ponds or from cleanups can be mixed in with asphalt, dirt and cement, then used under housing developments, roadbeds, as agriculture fertilizer or in golf courses or parks throughout the U.S.
people born more recently and actual scientists, including EPA scientists, might disagree. Previously the EPA estimated that putting these regulations into effect would halt the release of 1.4 billion pounds of heavy metals and effluents from leaching into waterways. Kicking these new rules to the curb will have an added bonus of keeping old coal plants (the top source of US climate change emissions) open longer. Who needs snow anyway?
The Kingston Fossil Plant coal fly ash slurry spill was an environmental and industrial disaster that occurred on December 22, 2008. A dike ruptured at a coal ash pond at the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Kingston Fossil Plant in Roane County, Tennessee, releasing 1.1 billion gallons of coal fly ash slurry, covereing up to 300 acres of the surrounding land. It was the largest fly ash release and worst coal ash-related disaster in United States history. The initial spill cost TVA more than $1 billion to clean up, and was declared complete in 2015. PHOTO BY NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC Approximately 60 percent of coal ash is “recycled” this way. Now you are probably asking yourself why I decided to spread holiday cheer with this story. Well, there is a point. Earlier the Good-Ole-Boy-Quid-Pro-Quo Trump administration decided it was necessary to get rid of recent coal plant regulations (from 2015) enacted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). These regulations had the audacity to try to limit seepage of toxic pollution into water supplies from coal burning power plants. The Kingston spill was a major inspiration for these actions. The coal industry itself noted that over 95 percent of tested coal ash ponds are unlined, thus have no barrier between waste discharge and groundwater. Under the regulation reversal coal companies would now have until 2028 before they are prodded to actually reinforce ponds and protect ground water, and limit pollution release. Coal ash waste would be allowed to brew and percolate longer. Clearly, it is totally silly to require coal plants to have technology that protects rivers, aquifers, and other water supplies from lead, arsenic, radium, chromium and mercury. As anyone born in the 1800s knows, mercury is a great cure for syphilis, as long as it didn’t kill you first, and radium makes you look better (maybe by giving you a pleasant glow?) So having extra mercury and radionuclides leak into groundwater should be totally fine. Even though
This isn’t only a District 12 Appalachia problem. There are 33 coal-fired power plants suppling energy in Colorado, including just outside of Boulder. Yup, million-dollar single bedroom homes and the sweet smell of sulfur dioxide. Colorado gets 70 percent of its energy from coal, although trends are shifting. Coal plants are closing down at an increasing clip in these modern times. Over 42 percent of coal plants are unprofitable, and that amount is expected to climb to 72 percent by 2040 as wind and solar costs continue tumbling. The Boulder Valmont sta-
tion has already switched to natural gas. However, holding ponds outside of that plant still have fly ash brewing. They are supposed to be remediated. But the old regulations are still in place governing how satisfactory ground water and rivers will be protected for Front Range residents, where water is the source of most longstanding crazy neighbor feuds in the West. Andrew Wheeler currently leads the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Andrew Wheeler was once a coal lobbyist. This is the usual at this at this point in the Trump presidency. Wheeler is just jubilant that reducing regulations might save his precious coal industry $175 million annually. For comparison, it cost TVA rate payers over $1.2 billion dollars just to clean up the Kingston spill. And that doesn’t include amounts which will be added to pay for ongoing dying cleanup workers litigation. It has been estimated that the U.S. could save $78 billion dollars just by closing coal plants. Math is not a strong suit for Andrew Wheeler apparently, nor for his environmental science. The EPA will be holding an Online Only public hearing on the proposed rule reversal on December 19. So close to the Kingston spill anniversary. How thoughtful. Kati Gosnell received a double Bachelor of Science in oceanography and chemistry from Humboldt State University in Arcata, CA. She received a Masters degree in oceanography from Florida State University in Tallahassee, FL and her Ph.D. in Oceanography is from the University of Connecticut. Currently she is working in on a ship for the GEOMAR Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research near the town of Kiel, Germany.
303 Main St, Lyons • 303-823-6685 FRI, NOVEMBER 15 • 8 :30-11:30PM • $5 COVER
BUNCH OF STRANGERS SAT, NOVEMBER 16 • 8:30-11:30PM • $5 COVER
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JOE KUCKLA & IRONS IN THE FIRE SAT, NOVEMBER 23 • 8:30-11:30PM • $5 COVER
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DOWN IN THE SWAMP SAT, NOVEMBER 30 • 8:30-11:30PM • $5 COVER
GOOD MANNERS THURS, DECEMBER 5 • 7- 8PM
LYONS HIGH SCHOOL JAZZ FRI, DECEMBER 6 • 8:30-11:30PM • $5 COVER
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GOGO LAB FRI, DECEMBER 13 • 8:30-11:30PM • $5 COVER
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NOVEMBER 13 / DECEMBER 18, 2019
Happy Thanksgiving!
Senior events around the Lyons area
FABULOUS CUSTOM-BUILT LOG HOME SITUATED ON NEARLY 20 ACRES WITH SPECTACULAR VIEWS OF BLUE MOUNTAIN VALLEY JUST 5 MINUTES FROM THE LOVELY TOWN OF LYONS! This unbelievably solid home features an open floor plan w/ soaring ceilings, huge windows framing the amazing views, spacious gourmet kitchen w/ antique & eclectic cabinetry, + huge luxury master suite. Basement includes family & exercise rooms, 2 brs + bath, ample storage. Fab 60 x 40 barn/shop, 24 x12 loafing shed/tack room, cross-fenced pastures, corral. 294 County Road 37E, Lyons / $1,349,000
BEAUTIFUL HOME WITH A DESIRABLE FLOORPLAN W/ 4 BEDROOMS + LAUNDRY UPSTAIRS. Hardwood floors throughout main level with vaulted ceilings & 2-sided fireplace in the great room. Maple cabinets in kitchen including built-in desk area, full tile back splash & granite counter on the island. Huge master suite with vaulted ceilings and 5-pc bath. 3-car garage, full unfinished basement with bath rough-in. Extensive custom landscaping features including a water feature and spacious deck! 319 McConnell Drive, Lyons / $725,000
ENJOY SPECTACULAR BACK-RANGE VIEWS + TOWN AND VALLEY VIEWS FROM THE DREAM HOME YOU CAN BUILD ON ONE OF THE LAST LOTS AVAILABLE IN THE TOWN OF LYONS! Quiet cul-de-sac location surrounded by upscale homes; plenty of level ground to build on + walkout basement possible. Lot next door to the south is also available for $225K (618 Overlook Dr., Lot 20). Approx. $27k for water & sewer tap + approx. $55k for required water share. 620 Overlook Drive, Lyons / $235,000
ENJOY SPECTACULAR TOP-OF-THE-WORLD VIEWS OF THE FOOTHILLS FROM THE FABULOUS DECK OF THIS PROPERTY ON 15 ACRES! Beautifully updated, gourmet kitchen that shines with natural light from the abundance of large windows in the great room. Enjoy the soaring ceilings, hardwood floors, and the energy efficiency of the passive solar design. Huge potential for expansion with the unfinished but permitted addition above the oversized garage. This home is a MUST SEE! 947 Silver Sage Lane, Lyons / $598,000
BEAUTIFUL, GENTLY SLOPING, SOUTH FACING LOT IN PINEWOOD SPRINGS! Easily buildable with lovely mountain views! A lot of improvements have already been completed including the water tap paid, water meter installed, soils test & septic design completed for a 3 bedroom home, and new roof on the loafing shed. Electric is close by. Build your dream home in this desirable community! 148 Makah Lane, Lyons / $180,000
SA
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EP SWEET LITTLE COTTAGE WITHIN WALKING EN DIN DISTANCE TO DOWNTOWN! This home G has several improvements made after the 2013 flood including a new kitchen and bathroom, furnace, water heater, and floor coverings. It also features a newer aluminum roof, screened-in patio, and a huge backyard — great for gardening, entertaining, or storage. There are two sheds on the property, one large and one small, for all of your storage needs. Home and yard are in Town of Lyons 100 year flood plain. 225 Park Street, Lyons / $330,000
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PAGE 13
By Kathleen Spring Redstone Review LYONS – All seniors in Lyons are invited to come to the Walter Self Senior Housing Center to celebrate their birthSpring day each month. The day has been changed from the last Friday to the second Wednesday of each month. Seniors who want to also enjoy lunch at noon should call 303-441-1415 the day before to reserve a lunch provided by Boulder County Area Agency on Aging (BCAAA). After lunch at 12:45 p.m. is the celebration, including cake, songs and hearing birthday stories. The four local churches provide homemade, hot suppers on most Mondays at 5:30 p.m. at the Self Center, free to all seniors and to the handicapped. The Lyons Community Church will be serving on November 18 and December 16. The River Church will serve supper on Monday December 2; and the Lyons Catholic Church will serve on December 9. The BCAAA serves pre-ordered meals on Wednesdays and Fridays at noon. It will be serving holiday-appropriate meals on Wednesdays, November 20, and December 18; reservations required. There will be no lunch on November 29
A&E Continued from Page 9 27. Gifted with sometimes-prophetic dreams and a lifelong interest in the paranormal, Shelia (Marin Ireland) is asked to investigate a potential haunting at a Tennessee farmhouse. For information, call 303-440-7826. Boulder Symphony presents Fire, Firebird, Fire and Glass. The Boulder Symphony, conducted by Devin Patrick Hughes, will be presenting a program of fiery works, entitled, appropriately, Fire. Hear Stravinsky’s The Firebird, de Falla’s Ritual Fire Dance. The first concert will be held on Friday, Dec. 6 at 7:30 at the First Presbyterian Church, 1820 15th St., in Boulder. The concert will be repeated at 6:30 on Sunday, Dec. 8 at the Boulder Jewish Community Center, 6007 Oreg Ave., Boulder. Navidad performed in Spanish. Ariel Ramirez’s lovely Navidad Nuestra will be performed in Spanish during the 10:30 a.m. service at the First United Methodist Church, 1421 Spruce St. The performance is free. Directed by Gerald Holbrook and performed by the Chancel Choir plus Guests, and orchestra, this is a musical folk drama of the Nativity, based on the rhythms and traditions of Hispanic America. All are invited. For information, call 303-442-3770. Boulder Philharmonic presents a celebration of the holidays. Join your Boulder Philharmonic for a musical celebration of the holidays. Highlights include concertmaster Charles Wetherbee, violin, as soloist for sections
or December 25. Also cancelled for the holiday weeks are: the bi-weekly Tuesday and Thursday exercise classes (9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.); the two monthly movie programs; and the December 24 church supper. More news to come on the Christmas pot luck, with the White Elephant gift exchange. People interested in doing the annual Christmas caroling can write lavern921@aol.com or speak to Cheri Hoffer. The free senior watercolor class will take place in the basement of the Walter Self Senior Housing Center on Wednesdays, November 20 and December 18, from 9:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. Call the Town 303-823-6622, ext. 30, and ask for Lisa Ramsey, or email lramsey@townoflyons.com to reserve a spot. The Town of Lyons will again be doing the very successful Longmont bus trip to see the best of the Christmas lights, followed by a dinner at the casual Roost Restaurant. Contact Lisa Ramsey to reserve a spot. There is also a tentative trip to see the Monet exhibit at the Denver Art Museum in mid-January. Lisa Ramsey has more details on days, time and cost. Kathleen Spring is a local historian and writer who works with and plans events for seniors. She lives in Pinewood Springs. of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, the Christmas portion of Handel’s Messiah with soloists and choir, and other music of the season. The performance will take place at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 22, at Mountain View United Methodist Church, 355 Ponca Place, in Boulder. Call 303-4491343 for details. BOULDER and LONGMONT The Renaissance Project presents Saints and Sinners. The Renaissance Project will present Saints and Sinners this coming weekend. The Renaissance Project, based in Boulder, Colorado, and led by Jeremy Reger, is a small a cappella choir of skilled amateur and professional singers that focuses on Renaissance motets, other Renaissance pieces, and music of a similar aesthetic. The show plays at 7 p.m. on Nov. 16 at the First Evangelical Lutheran Church, 803 Third Ave., in Longmont, and at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 17, at Grace Lutheran Church, 1001 13th St., in Boulder. Visit renaissanceprojectboulder.org for details. LONGMONT The Nutcracker Ballet at Vance Brand Auditorium. The Longmont Symphony and the Boulder Ballet will present a sensory-friendly abridged version of Tchaikovsky’s beloved Nutcracker Ballet for individuals with special needs and their families. The performance is on Dec. 7 at 1 p.m. at the Vance Brand Civic Auditorium, 600 E. Mt. View Ave., Longmont. Call 303-651-0401 for details.
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REDSTONE • REVIEW
NOVEMBER 13 / DECEMBER 18, 2019
Land Continued from Page 10
Travels with Redstone Here are Ken Singer, Sandy Spellman, Bonnie and Rick DiSalvo at the Alhambra in Grenada, Spain. Take the Redstone with you on your next trip and send us your photos showing where the Redstone has traveled. Send your photos to redstarnews5@gmail.com.
Town Continued from Page 1 to the Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) and received Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG – DR) funds for 4 percent low-income Housing Tax Credits for the housing project. Trustee Mark Browning said, “This board is up for reelection in April.” He pointed out to the board that that they need to get the proposal for affordable housing finalized before this board leaves office so that they don’t have a lot of issues hanging without resolution. Summit closed on the land purchase in late October
Rave Continued from Page 2 munity members choose, purchase, and wrap a gift to give. Please visit Western Stars Gallery, Barking Dog Cafe, Lyons Community Church, Lyons Library, or the Stone Cup to select an ornament that contains a gift request. Wrapped gifts can be dropped off at the library or Pizza Bar 66, and LEAF volunteers will deliver gifts on Saturday, December 14. We expect to have 150 gift requests this year. The Holiday Giving Tree is a special way to “give back;” I hope you will take part in this meaningful and special event. Lyons Community Food Pantry will be open the day before Thanksgiving on
the primary objectives of the proposal which aim to improve safety, incorporate multi-modal access, and increase the efficiency of traffic flow. However, the board has grave concerns about the impact the plan would have on Lyon’s economic development opportunities for the eastern corridor. Additionally, the plan fails to address how traffic congestion within the Town of Lyons (which is out of the scope of this plan) would be relieved or mitigated. The plan will increase traffic coming into the town and potentially increase the speed of traffic within the town limits, while also reducing access points to existing and future businesses. The plan does not take into account the town’s goals for increased development on the eastern corridor because it aims to eliminate access points for existing and future businesses located along this stretch. The town’s primary plan-
LCF Continued from Page 5 supervised activity for high school students. Other 2019 grants include the Town of Lyons for the ever-popular Sandstone Summer Concert Series, and the Holiday Parade of Lights. The Lyons Arts and
and is now allowing for 90 days of engagement with the public and town processes such as the development plan with the Planning and Community Development Commission (PCDC) for the multifamily homes. According to what they told the Town Planner Glasgow, Summit plans to begin construction in February 2020 and take about 12-14 months to complete, with the single family homes completed much sooner than the 29 multifamily homes. Browning added that the town has some big ticket budget issues that would create a fiscal deficit in the future and the board has to decide how to address those issues.
Wednesday, November 27 from 3:30 to 5 p.m. In addition to the typical food and community, we will have some “extra” Thanksgiving items to share. If food support would help you this Thanksgiving, please visit the Food Pantry. Find us in the lower level of Lyons Community Church at 350 Main St. The 2019 Super Duper Holiday Food Pantry is Wednesday, December 18 from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. in the lower level of Lyons Community Church. Partners including Lyons Elementary, Lyons Middle/Senior High School, and Higher Ground Ministries International will provide an extra-special Food Pantry experience. Please note, the Food Pantry will
Mayor Continued from Page 3
buyers, if that stupid, will pay an awful price in the end. If even now, no one, not even newly declared Florida citizen and absolute climate change denier Donald Trump, will risk buying it, keep watching the prediction models and see if you can repurpose it somehow to maintain value. There are various ocean-based businesses that might do well, at least until the super hurricanes come. Back to the positive. Here in Colorado, rising waters seem far, far away. But when that water invades Florida, California, etc. many of those displaced people will head here, straining infrastructure, drinking water that’s already been appropriated, destroying animal habitat to build people developments, and causing the costs of and taxes on everything to rise. No Western state will escape the displaced millions and their effects on the way of life we have enjoyed. That’s
Humanities Commission received an award to continue their work in securing the public art sculptures around town, supporting Lyons’ identity as an art-loving and artist-enriched town. Funding for the Lyons Historical Society will go towards a 2020 exhibit celebrating Lyons’ rich history in the quarry industry.
Richard A. Joyce is a retired professor in the mass communications department at Colorado State University-Pueblo. He is an award-winning journalist who served as managing editor, and subsequently editor and general manager of the Cañon City Daily Record from 1988 to 1994. The opinions he expresses in this column are strictly his own, and do not represent in any way the views of anyone else at the Redstone Review or at Colorado State University-Pueblo. He can be reached at phase15@mac.com.
He handed out a list of some of those future big ticket items. “For example, repairs to the sewer plant,” he said. “We don’t have the money in our budget to do some of these things that are coming up.” In other news, Administrator Victoria Simonsen told the board that new preliminary flood maps will be adopted between September and December of 2020. “All of Park Street between the 300 and 500 blocks will be in the flood way. This will restrict land owners (as to future building or expansion plans.)” She said that the town staff will host several workshops for the public to learn about the restrictions and to ask questions.
not be open December 25 and January 1. The Super Duper Holiday Food Pantry is the best opportunity for friends and neighbors to gather all the food support they might need until the pantry re-opens on January 7. Colorado Gives Day is December 10. If you wait for this day to make a yearly donation to LEAF, please mark your calendar and make plans to give as generously as you can. And on behalf of the people you will encourage, thank you. Everyone experiences the holiday season differently: Happy busy-ness, grief, anxiety, joy, good times with family, stressful times with family, cheerful times with loved ones, loneliness, and wonder-
ning area extends out to Highland Drive on SH 66, representing Lyon’s growth area. Additionally, the board has serious concerns this plan will exacerbate the traffic bottlenecks that already occur in Lyons, and will encourage more vehicles to use residential side streets as cut-throughs. An initial discussion at the November 4, 2019, workshop resulted in a unanimous opinion by the board that this plan is unworkable for Lyons. The BoT has instructed staff to reach out to CDOT and schedule a meeting with the Executive Director to provide feedback regarding the plan. The board feels strongly that the plan does not take into account the fact that the section of highway through Lyons is significantly different in character than the other sections which transverse mostly rural, private properties and open space. The needs of Lyons are unique and must be viewed holistically with a plan for moving traffic safely through the entire town, not just up to the McConnell
already happening, for many reasons, including climate change. But by 2050, and certainly by 2100, when all this science has become the physical reality of daily life on Earth, our children, grandchildren and beyond, may be cursing us and our selfish decisions. And the term real estate may have no more meaning than as an archaic term that once referred to land even working class people could own.
ful memories. If we at LEAF can support you, please reach out. In addition to “extra” end-of-the-year activities, we offer Lyons Meals on Wheels, the weekly Food Pantry, Basic Needs support, and Mental Wellness & Addiction Recovery services year-round. Check out our website to learn more about all we do in the Greater Lyons area. I wish everyone peace and joy as we approach the holidays this year. Lory Barton is the Executive Director at LEAF. Please check LEAF’s website at leaflyons.org or send email to lory@leaflyons.org if you need information or want to learn more about LEAF’s work in the greater Lyons area.
intersection. The board made the initial recommendation that Lyons be removed (including the section in our primary planning area) from the plan in order to conduct a separate planning process that better addresses the goals of our community. Citizens are encouraged to review the proposed plan and provide comments to the trustees. The BoT stands ready to work with CDOT on a plan that addresses current safety and congestion issues while supporting Lyons’ existing and future economic opportunities. Connie Sullivan was elected Mayor on April 5, 2016. Prior to becoming Mayor, she served two terms on the Town Board of Trustees beginning in 2012. Connie and her husband Neil are the owners of the St. Vrain Market located in downtown Lyons on Main Street. For comments or questions, Mayor Sullivan can be reached by email at csullivan@townoflyons.com.
The Lyons Community Foundation traditionally raises funding for all future grants and student scholarships with an annual gala held in November. In order to provide a more inclusive opportunity for residents, we have decided not to hold the gala this year and are planning a different focus in 2020. We are asking all residents
to consider LCF in their year-end giving by donating to the foundation at www.lyonscf.org. Kristen Bruckner is the communications specialist for the Lyons Community Foundation. She lives in Lyons with her husband and three children.
NOVEMBER 13 / DECEMBER 18, 2019
Voucher Continued from Page 3 Lyons to locations in either Longmont or Boulder, and then back to Lyons. Individuals who live outside of Lyons will have to find a separate ride into town. Those who need to travel farther than Longmont or Boulder (even those who need to go to far south Boulder) will have to take zTrip into one of those towns and
then ride RTD buses to their final destination. Second, because the goal is to replace the canceled midday bus service, the vouchers between Lyons and Boulder will be valid only from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on weekdays. This helps ensure that rides are happening only at times when bus service is not available; the county will monitor the program to make sure that it
Elk Continued from Page 4 cover all winter and provide food, and the protected open space areas like Heil Valley Ranch. Be alert on Route 36 Anyone who drives Route 36 regularly has likely seen the elk at dawn or dusk as they cross the highway. The elk will typically spend the daylight hours on the ridges on the west side of the highway, taking advantage of the warmth of the south-facing slopes, then cross the highway at dusk or later to feed in the fields on the east side of the road. At dawn, they’ll reverse the trip to return to the ridges. During these twice-daily road crossings elk are
Housing Continued from Page 11 cially those with more wealth or social status, who are told “you don’t belong here” by neighbors shouldn’t be afraid to ask questions. “There’s nothing wrong with saying ‘I really want to be here. Help me understand what you mean,’” she said. What can we do? Chacon said governments and organizations should ask questions: 1) What type of affordability challenges does your community have: ownership, rental, or both? 2) Are you talking about “dedicated” (subsidized) affordable units or “market-provid-
REDSTONE • REVIEW
does not reduce ridership on the remaining commuter buses to and from Boulder. For travel to and from Longmont, the vouchers will be valid from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays. The vouchers will not pay for weekend rides or for travel between Longmont and Boulder. The zTrip voucher program is designed to fill the town’s pressing need for midday transportation. It will be available to any
vulnerable to being hit, with the results usually ending badly for the elk and causing injury to motorists and damage to their vehicles. CPW District Wildlife Manager Jason Duetsch said that as the Lyons elk herd has increased over the years so too has the number of auto-elk collisions along Route 36. The controlled hunting on Rabbit Mountain Open Space adds to the number of elk on the local highways. The disruption has been driving the herd out of Rabbit Mountain and onto adjacent lands, unfortunately also increasing the risk of elk-automobile incidents. Although there are no accurate figures, Duetsch estimates that while six or seven elk are documented as road-
ed” affordable housing? Demographics can be skewed if you don't consider both. 3) Is affordability geographically uniform? Some examples of tools that municipalities include affordable housing funds, land acquisitions, and regulatory incentives. Inclusionary housing ordinances require a percentage of new housing built to be permanently affordable, or for the developer to pay money that will be used for affordable housing somewhere else in town. O’Connor mentioned a Denver ADU pilot where federal Housing Choice Voucher recipients are the tenants. New, lower-cost forms of construction specifi-
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resident who would have used the midday bus service, with priority given to those who do not have alternative transportation. Please help spread the word to ensure that everyone who needs this service knows about it. Meg Waters is a commissioner on the Town of Lyons Health and Human Services Commission.
kill annually, the number may actually be greater as some elk struck by cars go off to die undiscovered. As a general rule, if you drive Route 36 to Boulder and back watch for elk crossing an hour before and after dawn and dusk, said Duetsch. The stretch between Lyons and Nelson Road is where the elk cross, and where there’s one elk, there are going to be many more following. deer and elk hunter and a fly fisherman. Lyons resident Greg Lowell serves on the town’s Ecology Advisory Board and Parks and Recreation Commission. He is a deer and elk hunter and a fly fisherman.
cally for affordable housing developers are available, such as Indie Dwell, a company that is opening a manufacturing facility for modular homes in Pueblo. The Home Wanted initiative in Boulder County says that communities are healthier when people can live where they work and that affordable housing helps businesses attract and retain workers. Individuals, organizations, and businesses who want to help adopt new strategies, implement policies, and secure funding for sustainable affordable housing are encouraged to sign up at homewanted.org.
Amy Reinholds served on the Lyons Housing Recovery Task Force from December 2013 through its end in February 2015. She is currently a member of the Lyons Housing and Human Services Commission. She has lived in Lyons since 2003 and in the surrounding Lyons area since 1995. She writes a monthly commentary (opinion column) in the Redstone Review about affordable housing after the 2013 flood disaster in Lyons. For a history, see previous columns on her blog at lyonscoloradonews.wordpress.com.
SOSVV Gears-Up for CO Court of Appeals 10/21/2019 District Court Judge, Issued verdict in support of Defendants, Boulder County Board of Adjustment, and against Plaintiffs, Save Our Saint Vrain Valley, Inc. SOSVV’s legal team expected that this case would be heard before the CO Appeals Court’s three judge panel, regardless of District Court’s ruling. HELP our efforts to PRE-SERVE & PROTECT the St. Vrain Valley from spot zoning of ~ 800 acres of agri-cultural land to industrial mining: Pledge NOW for CO Gives Day and Donate to Save Our St Vrain Valley, Inc.