PAGE 6
REDSTONE • REVIEW
SEPTEMBER 15 / OCTOBER 13, 2021
OPPORTUNITY Eagle Canyon homeowners object to a cell tower placement By Ken Singer Redstone Review LYONS – Eagle Canyon homeowners are in a dispute over the placement of a small cell tower “node” near the entrance of the Singer development. The dispute is with three entities: the Town of Lyons; the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT); and the largest installer of cell towers in the US, Crown Castle, a $100 billion company with 5,000 employees. Lyons, according to town administrator Victoria Simonsen, is not in a position to make changes to the project, which is to install fiber optic cable and 5-G cell towers and nodes (amplification units) between Lyons and Estes Park. CDOT owns a buffer between the highways and properties along the way. Linda McKinney-Pecone, president of the Eagle Canyon HOA, is objecting to the location of a node along CDOT’s right-of-way, stating that there are health and environmental reasons that it should not be sited near houses in the development. She reported that the HOA had the
Eagle Canyon homeowners are objecting to a cell tower node placed near their homes for health and environmental reasons. support from the majority of the residents of Eagle Canyon to possibly hire a lawyer to block the node from being activated.
However, Simonsen said, “The town pushed for local land use approval which was vehemently opposed to by both CDOT and Crown Castle.” As the node was going to be situated at the entrance to Eagle Canyon, Simonsen, town attorney Brandon Dittman, Utilities and Engineering Director Aaron Caplan and Interim Planner Philip Strom looked at the location for the node and were told that due to the allowable distance from the last node, CDOT and Crown Castle would have a 200-ft. window to place the node for the project. The node was moved from near the stop sign at the entrance to about 25 yards south. In an email, Glenn Kikel, a resident of Eagle Canyon, stated, “We and other neighbors may choose to move if the radiation from the tower makes it unwise to walk in the neighborhood. The enhanced AT&T tower on the nearby mountain raised radiation levels significantly, but studies have shown that it is unwise to live within 1,400 ft. of a cell tower (independent studies indicated).” However a review of 107 studies published in 2021 by the Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology found that “The review of experimental
studies provided no confirmed evidence that low-level MMWs (millimeter waves) are associated with biological effects relevant to human health.” As the project is running from east of Lyons, with the orange fiber-optic cable being dug in the CDOT right-of-way on Ute Highway in town and continuing onto U.S. Hwy. 36 west, the HOA has almost no chance of stopping the work. Health concerns are not allowed under Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulations as a means of stopping a project and McKinney-Pecone acknowledges that fact but is still considering a suit to halt the node by the entrance. She mentioned the possibility of contacting the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regarding the nearby nests of protected species such as eagles. Kikel contacted the state office of Karen McCormick (Representative of the 11th District), and her office indicated that the HOA could get the town to permit the project, which Simonsen stated was inaccurate. She noted that the town was not allowed to challenge the project and the best the town could do is ask Crown Castle and CDOT to relocate the node. Later Charlotte Kikel said that they are moving due Continue Tower on Page 13
Museum is still open and kids can still explore the history of Lyons By Monique Sawyer-Lang Redstone Review
Annette McFadden Power donated the 10th grade, ily display. 1926-1927, Lyons High School report card belonging to Also on display in the second floor hallway are two her great-great-grandfather Marley McFadden. Marley’s wooden chairs with upholstered seats and backs that grandparents, Thomas and Virginia McFadden, originally were donated by Reverend Emily Hagen of the Lyons settled in Lyons in 1899. The report card shows that Mar- Community Church. From what time period these chairs ley, a good student with grades in the 80s and 90s, took date to is unknown but it is known that they have been classes in Latin, English II, Physiology and Hygiene, Physical Geography, and American History. Marley’s parents Charles W. and Jeanette “Nettie” (Spaulding) McFadden owned a livery stable, supplying horses and wagons for trips to Estes Park. Marley McFadden is pictured in the 1926 panoramic school picture that hangs in the second floor exhibit room. Dolph Swift donated a walking stick belong- The museum received three very interesting additions to its collections this summer: a 1926-1927 ing to his mother’s Lyons High School report card for Marley McFadden; a walking stick, dated 1894, belonging to (Roberta Smith Swift) R.N. Smith; and two chairs from the Lyons Community Church. great-grandfather Rudolphus Nelson Smith. The brass top of the walking stick is engraved: in the church for at least 67 years. The Lyons CommuR.N. Smith from Court House Friends After 9 Years of nity Church, originally the Lyons Methodist Church, Faithful Service Jan. 8. 1894. Smith was one of the was dedicated on March 1, 1908. founding fathers of Black Hawk and Central City and Looking for more adventure and wanting to take advanbuilder of the famous Lace House in Black Hawk. The tage of the cooler fall weather? How about a cruise around walking stick is now part of the Swift, Bohn, Smith FamContinue Museum on Page 12
LYONS – Summer is coming to a close and children are back in school, but there is still time for you to visit the Lyons Redstone Museum before it closes for the season. The museum is open daily, Monday Sawyer-Lang through Saturday, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Sunday 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., through October 3. Admission is free and donations are greatly appreciated. This is a perfect time to bring the family and explore Lyons history. Grab a copy of the Forty Years/Forty Artifacts guide and challenge yourself or your children to locate all 40 items displayed throughout the museum. Learn about the town namesake Edward S. Lyon and how the arrival of the railroad in 1885 shaped the future of the Lyons community. View the bank teller cage from one of the first banks to operate in Lyons, read the first edition front pages of the various newspapers that operated in Lyons beginning in 1890 up to the present in the Lyons Newspaper: A History Exhibit, or sit in one of the wooden booths from the Lyons Soda Fountain dating to the early 1900s. In the second floor picture gallery you can view the many early photographs of Lyons, the school building, and its graduates over the 96 year history that it operated as a school. Even if you’ve visited the museum in the past there is always something new to see. The museum continually adds to its collection of objects, documents, and photographs through donations and we received three very interesting ones this summer: a 1926-1927 Lyons High school report card for Marley McFadden; a walking stick, dated 1894, belonging to R.N. Smith; and two chairs from the Lyons Community Church.
ther Desig B Lea ns HJ
We’ve Moved!
New Location Will Open In September! fin e, h LYONS • COLORADO oods g andcra fted leather
Retail Shop & Studio • Handcrafted Leather Goods • Custom Orders 400 Main St. Unit 2 (Old Lyons Soda Fountain) • hjbdesigns.com • 303-507-5781
Dan’s Quality Tree Care • Personalized Responsive Service from an Experienced & Dedicated Arborist
Servicing Lyons, Estes Park, Allenspark and surrounding areas
Full Service Plumbing & Heating Repair Residential & Commercial
• All Phases of Tree & Shrub Pruning & Removal • Licensed & Insured
Call Today for a Free Estimate!
303-823-6252
Sam Schwab
SchwabPlumbing@hotmail.com
Office: 303.586.2810 Mobile: 303.579.3146
