MAYOR’S CORNER

Addressing fire mitigation concerns

By Hollie Rogin, Mayor of Lyons Redstone Review

LYONS – The previous Board of Trustees has submitted concerns regarding fire mitigation efforts within Town limits. I appreciate the opportunity to address them.

Regarding the Martin parcel: While the previous fire mitigation task force identified this parcel as the highest priority, in May of this year, after the current board was seated, Wildland Fire Coordinator Emily Gubner submitted new information that indicated it was not. The area had recently been mowed by town staff, and vegetation and nearby firebreaks to the east and an irrigated park and river to the west made it a lower priority than areas near Ewald Street, Horizon Drive, Longs Peak and Park Street, where more dense dwellings are located.

The Lyons Fire Protection District is currently hiring Wildland Coordinators, Wildland Staff, and Wildland Management personnel. Two new Wildland Coordinators will be conducting a new assessment of the Martin parcel this spring, based on recent activity in the area. Confluence buyout tree removal and fire mitigation activities are ongoing.

As you are probably aware, the town successfully mitigated two areas identified as high priority this fall. These town-owned properties were susceptible to wildfire activities and invasive weeds, and this effort was supported by the Lyons Fire Protection District. These properties are commonly known as the Stacy parcel and the Horizon Drive parcel. Our Parks and Public Works department conducts ongoing mowing of other critical buyout parcels in the Summer, Fall, and (depending on conditions) Winter.

Regarding limb pickup and drop-off, $9,500 budgeted in the general fund for limb pick up events in 2022. Because the spring event was so successful, (thank you) it cost $7,500. There is a fall pickup event scheduled for the week of November 14, and assuming costs will be similar, the board will need to approve an additional $5,500 from the fire mitigation funding. Another limb drop-off event is scheduled for the weekend of November 5. Additional costs for that will likewise need to be approved by the board.

Moving forward, the town is collaborating with the Lyons Fire Protection District to further assess our parcels and to create town-wide evacuation plans and educational and preparedness campaigns. We are also discussing adoption of the 2021 International Fire Code and standing by for state-level action on the Wildland-Urban Interface Code. Finally, with Federal and State funding opportunities to assist our efforts coming online, staff is researching and applying for grants so we can mitigate town-owned parcels and work with our county partners to leverage as much funding and activity as possible.

This public information is available online in the packet for the Monday, October 17 Board of Trustees meeting. As always, the Board of Trustees welcomes your questions and wants to hear your concerns. While the board has not regularly publicly discussed the shifting wildfire priorities during public meetings, we commit to doing so in the future. And in the future, I hope the previous Board of Trustees will feel comfortable contacting us directly to inquire about any issue of concern.

Hollie Rogin was sworn in as Mayor of Lyons on April 18, 2022. Before that she was elected to serve on the Board of Trustees for the term of 2020 to 2022. In 2015, Rogin created the foundation for what is now the City of Boulder’s Commercial Affordability program on a pro bono basis. While serving as a trustee, she was the Board liaison to the Economic Vitality Commission and the Historic Preservation Commission.

Town Board updates goals, sets two ballot measures and more

By Hollie Rogin, Mayor of Lyons Redstone Review

LYONS – When the current Board of Trustees was seated late last spring, we decided to create a list of goals to tackle during our two-year term. Many of them may take more than two years, but we wanted to be proactive in establishing a way to measure our progress as a board. Each of these goals has multiple tactics and activities assigned to them. You can view the full document at: http://townoflyons.com/BOTGoals. We welcome and encourage your feedback.

Our stated goals are:

Economic Vitality: Strengthen economic sustainability, increase overall town revenue, buildout of Eastern Corridor, provide essential services locally, and consider additional parking options;

Wildfire Mitigation: Mitigation strategies, educational opportunities, emergency planning;

Improve Walkability: Improve safety, improve sidewalks, and improve trail connections;

Affordable Housing: Policy considerations, funding, other (including ADUs).

Other goals include optimizing Boards and Commissions, making improvements to infrastructure, and ongoing sustainability and renewable energy exploration and projects. As you can see, we have a full plate and are look-

ing forward to a busy and productive term. Two ballot measures: The Town of Lyons has two measures on the ballot this November, so be sure to vote both the front and the back of your ballot. Question 2G would change the lodging occupation tax. Currently, the town collects a flat fee of $2 per room or campsite. If approved by the voters, this measure would instead authorize the collection of 5 percent of the cost of each room or campsite, and this or future boards of Trustees could raise that amount to up to 8 percent. This change would go into effect for any reservations made after January 1, 2023, and the taxes collected would address visitor impacts and help fund infrastructure improvement projects. Question 2H proposes that arts and cultural facilities be an approved use in the Parks and Open Space zoningRogin districts (such as Sandstone Park) and that non-profits be a conditional use. Conditional uses must go through the Planning and Community Development Commission, (PCDC) and Board review processes; approved uses do not require PCDC or board review. Currently, neither of these uses are permitted in Parks and Open Space zones. Speed limit: Did you know that the speed limit within town limits is only 20 miles per hour? This excludes school zones (15 miles per hour) and federal highways such as Main Street, Broadway and Colorado Hwy. 7. The speed limit on Hwy. 36 between Lyons and the Apple Valley Bridge has recently been lowered to 40 miles per hour. The Colorado Department of Transportation sets the speed limits for highways. Especially with school back in session, we all need to keep our speeds slow and our eyes open as we go about our busy days. Please watch for flashing crosswalk lights and stay alert for pedestrians and cyclists at signed crosswalks and intersections. Now go forth and have a festive and happy Halloween.

It’s time now for Cemex to step up and become a responsible global citizen

By Ed Kean Redstone Review

LYONS – Cemex USA, a Global 2000 cement company, has lately been trying to shift from industrial capitalism to global corporate citizenry. For the fourth consecutive year, Cemex has been named Energy Star Partner of the Year, earning the Sustained Excellence Award from the EPA and DOE for their ongoing efforts in energy management and sustainability. Cemex announced recently they’re working with the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi) to validate a 2050 net-zero CO2 roadmap and 2030 decarbonization goal of 1.5 degrees C. This is ambitious decarbonization in concert with sober science based guidance.

In the late 60s a cement plant and mine was built on the St. Vrain River at Lyons. The 60s and even the 90s were times when apparently only a very few worried about climate change on a daily basis. I was busy marching to Rocky Flats and didn’t consider the effects of Cemex’s burning trainloads of coal emitting 357,000 tons of CO2 each year, and the EPA’s findings of “significant” sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter which may explain my, and my son’s, “allergies.”

What is the spirit of open space? In the 1990s Cemex bought the plant and played-out mine and in the spirit of that time Boulder County helped them buy a bunch of land and gave them an extremely valuable non-conforming special land use to dig up raw materials with the promise of a definite 25-year conversion to open space. At the time the Dowe Flats quarry was promoted as a good idea/devil’s bargain to avoid “urban sprawl.”

We all use concrete, part of which is cement. Cement is like milk, once it leaves the farm it’s hard to trace back to a specific cow. Over those 25 years much concrete has been poured including most of the building foundations and sidewalks in Lyons. None of that concrete came from Lyons but some of the cement may have. A few weeks ago

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