Redstone July/August 2023

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VOLUME 24, NUMBER 5

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JULY 19 / AUGUST 16, 2023

B •R •I •E •F •S Lyons Fire District to hold pancake breakfast benefit LYONS –The Lyons Fire Protection District will host a pancake breakfast on July 23 from 9 to 11 a.m. We invite our whole community to come out and meet our members, tour the station, and see our newest fire engine.

Charlie Rose will provide live music. It’s good food, good people, and much more than merely fresh pancakes flipped by our own assistant chief and crew. The Lyons Fire Fund also will be present, and hold a silent auction for items donated to support purchases such as radios, heart monitors, and the LUCAS Device for CPR. Lyons Fire District needs local support. Their work benefits all of us. This event was a great success last year. We look forward to seeing everyone again.

As a reminder for the coming months in 2023, the Lyons Fire Fund is a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization that assists the Lyons Fire Protection District with larger purchases that would not normally be feasible with our budget. Donations are always welcome. See our website: lyonsfirefund.org.

Summer Concert Series LYONS – Join Lyons music lovers for the July 19 concert in the park featuring Lionel Young Band with Erica Brown. The concerts begin at 6:30 p.m. Bring your blanket or your chair; food and beverages are available and enjoy the evening.

Grazin’ in the grass is a gas, baby, can you dig it? John Gierach shared this photo he took of a bull elk in velvet chillin’ in the tall grass behind his house.

Safety news, alerts, and future community news LYONS – As we move further into summer and our temperatures climb, we ask that everyone tries to stay safe and healthy by making sure to limit outdoor activities during the peak heat of the day. Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water, and make sure to cover exposed skin with sunscreen. Lyons is such a beautiful place to be outside in the summer, we at Lyons Fire Protection want to make sure everyone enjoys our outdoor surroundings and is accident free.

Fire Chief Peter Zick announced that our river is back down to normal levels now, and the tubing ban has been lifted. “I want to apologize for having it closed over the 4th of Continue Briefs on Page 12

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Board hears information on the proposed new hotel and on a new town hall mural

By Susan de Castro McCann Redstone Review Editor LYONS – At a recent Lyons Town Board meeting, the board voted to approve Ordinance 1150 on second reading to rezone 109 County Rd. 69 from Rural Residential to Parks and Open Space zoning district. The property is a flood buyout property and will now be used as open space and no structures will be built on it. This property is also known as the Martin property. The Town of Lyons bought the property from Boulder County in 2016.

In other news Administrator Victoria Simonsen told the board that the town received an $11,000 Economic Vitality Grant from Boulder County to use towards the wayfinding plan for signage for walkways and trails. She went on to tell the board that Cemex has donated $5,000 to the Lyons Arts and Humanities Council (LAHC) for the possibility of a mural along the north side of town hall (Railroad Ave.) LAHC will give a presentation on that.

Simonsen talked about some upcoming events including the National Night Out, to be held on August 1, which is typically when the Perseid meteor shower is visible in the night sky. Lots of people will stake out their telescopes in the parks and some of the open space areas to see the spectacular night show.

The Perseid meteor shower will be active from July 17 to August 24, producing its peak rate of meteors around August 13.

The Venus De Miles Bike Ride will be held on August 26 and Lights Out Lyons, when the town goes dark, will be held on September 16.

The board listened to a presentation by the manager for Moss Rock Development LLC, Agnes Rey-Giraud, on the new hotel project in Lyons. She told the board that their next step is to get funding. She said they have and are taking into account all the feedback that they have received from the town residents and the town board and staff.

She said that they have had good feedback from the banks. They have been waiting for

the interest rates to stabilize or to go down and since the feds have continued to raise interest, they are off from a cost perspective by a few points, which makes raising capital difficult because the project is right on the edge.

She added that the good thing is they have a banker lined up and now it is a question of getting the right investors in the hospitality market and changing the debt-to-capital ratio to make the project more efficient. She added that the hospitality market is always the first one to freeze because it is a difficult market, and that they have good discussions going on.

Rey-Giraud said that if she knew the date when construction will start she would tell us.

But she added that they are committed to make this (hotel) happen saying that it is not a question of if, but when it is going to happen. She said that they are working diligently to make it happen adding that they have no control over the economy.

Mayor Hollie Rogin asked Rey-Giraud if she was open to the idea of having temporary art exhibits along the fence to add some beautification at the hotel construction site. ReyGiraud said that yes she was open to it and whatever they could do to make the town Continue Town on Page 15

Town of Lyons and Honeywell finally settle long-term dispute

By Mark Browning Redstone Review LYONS – After more than five years of costly disputes and litigation relating to its wastewater treatment facility, the Town of Lyons will Browning receive a $1.8 million settlement from Honeywell International, Inc. and its subcontractors. The Lyons Board of Trustees unanimously approved the settlement at its June 20 meeting.

Settlement terms were hammered out in a two-day June mediation session among the parties, who were involved in lawsuits and an arbitration proceeding scheduled to be heard in July. Despite confidentiality provisions in the settlement agreement, settlement terms were obtained through a Colorado Open Records Act request.

The now-settled disputes arose from Honeywell’s role as general contractor under a 2013 contract to build a new wastewater treatment facility for Lyons. The facility, put into service in December 2015 after delays caused by the

2013 flood, never achieved the energy cost savings Honeywell projected when the contract was executed. Further, the plant cost far more to operate than anticipated, putting the Town’s Wastewater Fund in financial straits.

Who was at fault for the higher energy costs, higher operating costs and some influent permit violations (and potential related fines) was the subject of long-pending, complex legal disputes.

The town kicked off legal action with an October 2018 demand letter to Honeywell. After settlement talks and a first mediation effort Continue Honeywell on Page 15

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REDSTONE • REVIEW

JULY 19 / AUGUST 16, 2023

LYONS A tribute to a fellow journalist and book lover Tom Schantz August 31, 1944 – June 6, 2023 Tom is survived by his daughter Sarah Elizabeth Schantz, his son-in-law Michael Fisher, and granddaughter Story Anangka Fisher.

Tom is from Fort Morgan and later he and his wife Enid Schantz where the founders of the Rue Morgue Bookshop and Press on Pearl Street in Boulder. They specialized in murder mysteries and eventually used books.

Tom had his hand in many endeavors. He was a former columnist at The Denver Post. He was a former history teacher at George Junior Republic School, a former English teacher in the Peace Corps. He studied creative writing at University of Iowa, studied English language and literature and history at University of Colorado Boulder. Enid married

Tom Schantz on August 8, 1969.

The couple was instrumental in the revival of the “Golden Age of Detective Fiction” and made friends all over the country.

They threw their hearts into their shop, Rue Morgue, in Boulder.

My friend Ann Ripley, who wrote 10 murder mysteries before she died this year, often held book signings at the Rue Morgue when one of her new books came out. I often went with her.

The couple moved in 1973 to Boulder, where they first

operated out of their home and, eventually, from Pearl Street, where their shop remained until they sold it in 2000. They retained the Rue Morgue name and continued reprints of classic mysteries from their home, which was by now in Spring Gulch outside of Lyons.

The couple met many new customers over the phone.

“Only about 5 percent of our orders are over the Internet,” Tom Schantz said. “Most are snail mail.” They described their company as “reprinting what we like to call mysteries for little old ladies of all ages and sexes.”

Enid Schantz won the Raven Award from the Mystery Writers of America for her dedication to the mystery-book world. “It is a very prestigious award,” said Mario Acevedo, president of the Rocky Mountain chapter. She died on August 10, 2011. She was 72.

The Rue Morgue will now be closing for good. “My father’s passing means the death of the Rue Morgue too.

The end of an era. The press and bookstore are no longer,” Tom’s daughter Sarah said.

Lyons Fire adds new life-saving equipment

By Chief Peter Zick, Lyons Fire Protection District Redstone Review LYONS – The Lyons Fire Protection District (LFPD) now has a new, much needed piece of critical life-saving equipment.

We took delivery, trained our staff, and Zick now have put into direct service a Stryker LUCAS Device, as of early July. This battery-powered and highly engineered device allows our fire department crews to perform more effective CPR during serious medical emergencies, for any critical patients who are in cardiac arrest.

The LUCAS Device performs a steady, continuous CPR, without the manual operation and assistance of a firefighter.

There are two main benefits to having this equipment.

First, the LUCAS CPR device gives more consistent chest compressions to a patient. Its use thus results in better patient outcomes during a major cardiac event. By taking the place of a firefighter team doing manual CPR, the necessary frequent rotation and changes of fresh personnel after every two to three minutes of doing manual CPR due to firefighter fatigue simply is eliminated. More consistent depth of CPR compressions happens, and very steady, repetitive CPR occurs for life-saving action that’s regulated and automated in the ratio of chest compressions to breaths given.

Second, as our department crews move towards transporting our critical patients in our own LFPD ambulance, the LUCAS Device allows continuous CPR to be admin-

istered, but without the dangers to everyone that are inherent in our firefighters standing up in the back of a moving ambulance that’s speeding towards the nearest possible hospital. All crew members can be seat-belted while traveling in the back of an ambulance, and the LUCAS Device frees them up a bit to administer aid for any accompanying injuries, and lets them attend to the patient while staying safe themselves.

This is a great addition to our emergency medical equipment and is beneficial to our patients as well as making lifesaving emergency situations much safer for our responding EMTs and firefighters.

Big, expensive equipment like a LUCAS device is usually prohibitive, at $18,000 and more, for any small fire department. Getting one without community donations would put undue strain on our budget, forcing us to make choices that would often lead to sacrifices in other areas of service. The only way that this new equipment was made possible now is due to all the combined community and individual donations that were made through our Lyons Fire Fund in 2022.

The Lyons Fire Fund has provided many opportunities for helping our fire district in the past – with donations that were used to fund grant matches for our Assistance to Firefighters Grant, i.e., the big major federal grant money that allowed us to purchase functional, updated new radios and new self-contained breathing apparatus for our firefighters. They also donated funds for our new heart monitors, things that will be crucial for our district as we

A firefighter performs CPR on a dummy victim using the department’s new battery-powered Stryker LUCAS Device. continue to move towards providing advanced life support (Paramedic Services) for our entire community.

As a reminder for the coming months in 2023, the Lyons Fire Fund is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that assists the Lyons Fire Protection District with larger purchases that would not normally be feasible with our budget. Donations are always welcome. See lyonsfirefund.org for more info go to the LFPD website.

Peter Zick is the Lyons Fire Protection District Chief.

of funding headed to Colorado’s connectivity. This funding will help us Improving Colorado’s infrastructure round communities – this time to improve low- make that a reality for every Coloradan. emission transit services. The nearly $2.7 For years, I’ve worked alongside my colBy Joe Neguse, Colorado 2nd District US Congressman Redstone Review BOULDER – Last year, I was proud to help lead the effort in Congress to Neguse successfully enact several significant pieces of legislation, including historic climate-action legislation, the first major gun violence prevention bill in nearly 30 years, and once-in-a-generation investments in American infrastructure. As these bills are now being implemented, it is clear our state will

benefit for years to come, and our community in particular will be the recipient of several exciting investments in the months ahead, from local infrastructure to broadband improvements.

First, late last month the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) awarded cities across Colorado’s Second Congressional District over $38 million in grant funding to better invest in our local transportation infrastructure. The projects in our district include improving Hwy. 119 in Boulder and Longmont, bolstering the transit network in Fort Collins, and supporting redevelopment in Idaho Springs.

Next up, the DOT announced another

million in grant funding made possible by historic investments enacted last year will work to provide more reliable and accessible public transportation options for Coloradans across the state.

And finally, I joined Gov. Jared Polis, Sen. Michael Bennet, and state leaders in announcing $827 million in federal funds for broadband deployment, helping to connect Coloradans across the state, including the hardworking folks in Lyons, with high-speed internet.

To fully participate in the modern era, small business owners, students, families, and especially workers in rural communities require consistent, reliable broadband

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MAYOR’S CORNER Good news on road repairs, and tubing ban is lifted

By Hollie Rogin, Mayor of Lyons Redstone Review LYONS – Happy summer, Lyons. I’m happy to say there is a lot of good news to report this month: Town Administrator Victoria Simonsen received the Sam Mamet Good Governance Award from Rogin the Colorado Municipal League; the Board of Trustees approved a settlement agreement regarding the wastewater treatment plant; the summer concert series is in full swing on a beautifully expanded stage; and we can finally tube the river.

In addition, you probably noticed some work on streets around town. There have been questions about how and why these streets were selected while others appear to be in worse condition. On the surface, it would seem like the most logical and best use of funds would be to “fix” the worst streets – such as 2nd Avenue – first. However, that was not the case.

March of 2020, Capital Asset and Paving Services (CAPS) performed a visual inspection of all town-maintained streets. The resulting report provided a pavement condition index (PCI) to help us identify street preservation and rehabilitation priorities. PCI measures pavement condition on a scale of 0 to 100, with 100 being a brand new street. Any street with a score of 25 or below is considered to be failed and in need of reconstruction.

We learned that streets in “good” condition with a PCI of over 70 can remain in good condition for longer if we apply relatively inexpensive preventative maintenance, such as crack sealing, and chip and slurry sealing. If a PCI falls below 70, far more expensive repairs such as mill and overlay are required, and if a PCI falls below 40, we must consider reclamation or complete reconstruction.

The Board decided to follow the Town Engineer’s recommendation of taking a “best-first” approach, extending the life cycles of our streets with preventative and preservative treatments. If we had decided to delay these treatments in order to set aside more funding, the streets would have further deteriorated and required even more expensive measures.

But what about streets that are in objectively worse condition than those repaired this month?

Repairs to the streets on the north side of town are more complex due to additional considerations such as necessary stormwater drainage upgrades and the potential for adding sidewalks. Were we to mill and overlay 2nd Avenue this year, for example, we would then need to repair this brand new street after completing stormwater drainage upgrades and potentially adding sidewalks. Town Staff is in the process of attaining robust grants that will substantially fund stormwater design, sidewalk assessments, and pedestrian and cyclist safety within Town limits.

I know these projects seem like they can’t come fast enough. Living in Old Town myself, I feel the effects of an outdated stormwater system, streets in disrepair, and no sidewalks for pedestrians. We all want the entire town to be as safe as possible, as quickly as possible. But we must also be deliberative in our decision-making so that we don’t unintentionally cost the Town (that is, taxpayers) even more in the future.

I hope this explanation answers the bulk of your questions about street paving; if not, you can always email me at hrogin@townoflyons.com and I’ll be happy to set up a time to talk.

Town Administrator Victoria Simonsen receives Sam Mamet Good Governance Award

By Kim Mitchell Redstone Review LYONS – Victoria Simonsen, Town Administrator of Lyons, Colorado, was awarded the 2023 Sam Mamet Good Governance Award by the Colorado Municipal League (CML) on June 26 during the league’s annual conference. Simonsen was nominated for the award by current Lyons Mayor Hollie Rogin.

“This award honors those individuals serving with distinction our state’s great cities and towns. They do so with

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vision, passion, and always guided by what is in their own community’s best interest,” said retired CML Executive Director Sam Mamet. “All of this represents good governance at its core, and I remain humbled to have this award named in my honor.”

Simonsen won the award along with Arvada Mayor Marc Williams. Both were named recipients of the Good Governance Award. This year there were 14 nominees.

Lyons Mayor Hollie Rogin said, “Administrator Simonsen has, for nearly 15 years, served the Town of Lyons. She brings an open mind, fairness, consummate professionalism, and transparency to everything she does. She engenders trust with the Board of Trustees and with our residents, and she leads by example with her staff.”

Mayor Rogin added, “In a resource-constrained Statutory Town like Lyons, it’s essential to find creative solutions to everyday and unusual challenges. Administrator Simonsen is exceptionally adept at this. The Board of Trustees finds working with her to be rewarding and often joyful, allowing us to make decisions that positively impact our community.”

Simonsen, who has been at the helm in Lyons since 2010, spearheaded Lyons flood recovery for a decade. She recognized her family, Town staff, and previous Mayors and Town Board members for challenging and supporting her to accomplish so much, when at times it seemed impossible.

“I am humbled and honored to receive this award, and I know I didn’t achieve this alone,” Simonsen said. “I thrive under pressure, and I credit the tremendous staff in Lyons for their dedication and hard work.”

Sam Mamet retired as CML executive director in March 2019. The award named in his honor recognizes individuals who exemplify and strive to promote the principles of good governance.

CML is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization established in 1923 and represents the interests of 270 cities and towns. Major policies of CML are established by the mem-

Lyons Town Administrator Victoria Simonsen, with Sam Mamet, accepting the 2023 Sam Mamet Good Governance Award on June 26. bership at the annual business meeting and by the CML Executive Board and various committees. Daily operations of the league are carried out by a 16-member staff. CML also has a variety of professional sections and 14 regional districts that give CML depth and breadth in its understanding of municipal needs. For 100 years, the Colorado Municipal League has served as a resource to Colorado’s cities and towns through advocacy, information, and training supporting exceptional municipal governance.

For additional information on the Colorado Municipal League, visit www.cml.org/.

Kim Mitchell is Director of Communications and Community Relations for the Town of Lyons.

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JULY 19 / AUGUST 16, 2023

CONTACT The news LEAF has been so eager to share

By Lory Barton Redstone Review LYONS – Greetings from LEAF, Lyons Emergency & Assistance Fund.

In case you’re not familiar with LEAF, we are the Barton human services and behavioral health organization that serves across the greater Lyons area. We offer the Food Pantry, Meals on Wheels, Mental Wellness and Addiction Recovery, Basic Needs and Resource Matching, and Lyons Volunteers programs. We have a small staff and an army of volunteer team members who make so much good happen across our community.

I come to you today with good news, big news, the news we’ve hoped for so long to share: LEAF has purchased a property in Lyons. It’s true, we have just closed on and taken possession of the property at 304 2nd Ave., formerly known as Planet Bluegrasses administrative offices, and before that known as Valley Bank. Many thanks to Zack Tucker and Craig Ferguson at

Planet Bluegrass, and Jonelle Tucker for helping make this good, big news possible.

This search for a home for LEAF started before I even joined the organization four and a half years ago. So many people – staff, board leaders, volunteers, and supporters – have worked so very hard to find a suitable property. Their years of dreams and work have finally come to fruition and this is such positive news for the whole Lyons community. If you are among the people who have invested in this effort, I say, “Thank you.” If you are someone who is ready to join our team, I say, “Welcome.”

But guess what? The work is only beginning. We are now going through the permitting process with our partners at the Town of Lyons. And soon we’ll begin equipping and finishing the space, creating a place that will be a benefit and asset to everyone who calls Lyons home.

On the main level, we’ll equip the food pantry and add some meeting space and public areas. The below-grade level is currently unfinished; our plan is to build out our Mental Wellness and Addiction Recovery center, complete with a warm reception

Share your flood stories as we reflect on the last 10 years

By Tanya Mercer-Daty Redstone Review LYONS – In September 2013, Lyons suffered its worst disaster in the town’s history. With more than 17 inches of rainfall over a two-day span, the St. Vrain Creek’s flow rose to 10 times its normal water volume, resulting in a 500-year flood that severely inundated the town. The water left Lyons in five figurative islands, cut off from power, telephone service, drinking water, roads, and other basic services. The widespread damage also led to an evacuation of

the town. It was more than six weeks after the flood before the first residents who had been evacuated returned to their homes in town.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of this historic event. We would like to remember the grit, the grace and the gratitude of our residents over the last 10 years. The grit reminds us of the three days immediately following the flood during which all town residents felt trapped on an island. The grace refers to the time period over the last 10 years during which the Town of Lyons has spent many resources and efforts on flood recovery projects

The future home of LEAF is at 304 2nd Ave. in Lyons. area, offices for our therapists, and a classroom. We’ll spruce up the exterior and create a lovely gathering and gardening area for everyone’s enjoyment, too. Imagine with me all of the community-building we will all share at LEAF’s new home.

Thanks to a significant grant of $575,000 procured for us by Congressman Joe Neguse, and a $400,000 investment from Boulder County’s Worthy Cause program, we were able to complete the building purchase and we can get started with

the finish work. But we still need to raise additional capital to complete the project.

Now that we have finally found just the right home for LEAF, we will begin raising funds locally to create our “We Are Here” home and community hub. On behalf of the hundreds of people LEAF serves and hundreds of committed volunteers, too, I ask you now to support this project with a generous donation. We’ll share more information in the days and weeks to come.

totaling over $70 million dollars, in addition to our residents’ output of time and money.

The gratitude is what we would like to remember today as we reflect how far we have come and how resilient we’ve become. Ultimately, this natural disaster is what brought our community together as a family, even though we were separated for a short time.

We invite everyone to join us on September 9, 10 and 11 as we commemorate 10 years of Grit, Grace and Gratitude: A Remembrance of the 2013 Flood. On Saturday, September 9 there will be an open mic, a residents community picnic, golf cart tours, flood exhibits with video, and more. On Sunday, September 10,

there will be an official Town of Lyons ceremony with local officials and speakers. A candlelight vigil on the evening of September 11 closes the weekend. There will be something for everyone; newer residents and older residents will all find some way to honor how this event has affected Lyons and one another.

In honor of the heroes who helped us to get through those trying days, we invite you to share your stories of the people or organizations you would like to recognize. Please email Lyons Board of Trustee Tanya Daty at tdaty@townoflyons.com before August 1 so that your stories might be included in our commemoration.

Continue LEAF on Page 15

New book by Lyons writer: Soaring Wolf Howling Eagle – A Story of Friendship

By Annyce Stone Redstone Review LYONS – What happens when you meet someone on social media by complete happenstance, and the intrigue of his language diversity is compelling? Well, if you are an English professor like me, Dr. Annyce Stone, who loves words and languages and has dipped a toe into Native American languages, you ask questions – lots and lots of questions.

That’s how a completely Dr. Annyce Stone, who unlikely friendship began writes under the name between Fares Kaze and me.

Rocklyn Grace He is a photographer and a Berber who lives in the beautiful mountains of Algeria. In a livestream, Kaze mentioned he spoke a tribal dialect of Berber, in addition to fluency in French, Arabic, and English.

From there, I was hooked. Who was this nature photographer? Where was he living? What was his background? What is the Berber language? What does “tribal” mean to him? That was a really compelling concept to me because many years ago, my toe-dip into native languages in the United States led me to a Cherokee chief. From him, I learned that Cherokee, along with many other tribal tongues, had no way of their own to speak a curse.

Any cursing or lying was not inherent to the language.

One night I sent this young Berber man a quick introduction and asked as graciously as I could, if he would mind answering some questions. For several nights afterwards, I’d send three or four questions and awaken to detailed responses. Sometimes, he’d send me a video for clarity or a

linked article to help me see the full picture. His tribal language, he said cheekily, “has magnificent curses.”

Fares Kaze described his life in Algeria. There, he works as an artist and a little bit of a farmer. He loves morning coffee, rainy winter days, and the interruption of a kittyfriend darting across his garden. He looks forward to his own family someday; but until then, he fills his house with all kinds of music, including Scandinavian metal. He hopes to come to the United States to meet me and his adopted family in person along with the many new friends he has waiting here.

Our first conversations set us upon a journey to learn more about each our distant worlds. Through many conversations in tiny text boxes, we created a friendship that crossed over several separations: nations, mountains, oceans, time zones, families, ages, cultures, and religions.

The ultimate result of that friendship is a book we created together: Soaring Wolf Howling Eagle – A Story of Friendship. Our book is a poetic story of forging our friendship and how much Fares Kaze changed me. I learned to seek out other friends and explore my writing as a gift to others. Fares Kaze’s beautiful photos convey a large part of our story, and you’ll find that his artistic eye for small moments of life are poetically picturesque.

If you would like to follow us on social media, my Insta is: @rocklyn_grace_remnant_writer. Fares Kaze is @freedarkwulf. He takes commissions for paintings or drawings – send him a DM. Our book can be found on

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Fares Kaze reads the Redstone Review, sent to him by Rocklyn Grace, at his home in the mountains of Algeria.

Amazon. Simply type into the search bar “Rocklyn Grace.”

If you purchase the book, you’ll walk in the mountains with Rocklyn Grace and Fares Kaze. If you listen, you’ll hear an eagle howl. If you watch, you’ll see a wolf soar.

Rocklyn Grace is the pen name for Annyce Stone. She and her family have enjoyed life in Lyons for 14 years. She loves the beauty and peace of her Western mountain home where life is wildly free. She also loves morning coffee, sunsets in the cool evenings, and the interruption of a moonbeam across the living room floor late at night. She’s raised two sons with her husband (both runners for Lyons a few years ago), and she and Thomas now substitute the boy-noise with rock music in the empty nest.

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REDSTONE • REVIEW

PAGE 5

CONTRAST All the Time in the World, a new book by John Gierach All the Time in the World by John Gierach Simon and Schuster, $27.99 Reviewed by Jim Ramsay Redstone Review P I N E W O O D SPRINGS – Before I picked up All the Time in the World, the only fly fishRamsay ing book I’d read was Trout Fishing in America by poet Richard Brautigan, a hippie classic that had little to do with fishing. John Gierach describes himself as “a writer who fly fishes,” and his latest book, like the 22 books before it, tells a simple truth of life through fishing tales.

Gierach studied English at a small liberal arts college in Ohio, but he spent most of his time with the less stuffy folk in the philosophy department, and his writing has a philosophical bent. He makes astute observations of human behavior in a poetic voice born of extensive reading of the classics, ancient Chinese texts, the Beats, Ernest Hemingway and Jim Harrison, among many others. And underneath it all beats the heart of a compassionate, almost homespun philosopher.

All the Time in the World is a collection of 21 essays about all aspects of fly fishing.

Gierach is remarkably well read, and he peppers his prose with quotes from everyone, from travel writer Paul Theroux to third century naturalist Claudius Aelianus.

He’s fond of similes, and here’s one of my favorites: “Fishing old water is like talking to an ex-wife: there’s always a second,

longer conversation in the shadow of the one you’re currently having.” And he has fun with words. It’s a good thing I live alone because I caught myself laughing out loud regularly reading this book.

The titles of his other books are often tongue-in-cheek homages to other authors. Still Life with Brook Trout and Even Brook Trout Get the Blues are clearly aimed at Tom Robbins, and Dances with Trout puts one in mind of a famous Kevin Costner film based on a novel by Michael Blake. The title of his current book plays on the timelessness of the act of fishing,

and the eponymous chapter touches on the often-postponed scattering of a friend’s ashes, twin themes that point to the irony of our assumptions of immortality in the face of death’s certainty.

Time plays an important role in these tales, whether it takes the form of nostalgia for the way things were or a cautionary mention of what climate change is doing to our world. An admitted old guy, Gierach doesn’t try to preach against the gentrification of his sport or the ravages of industrial society on what is left of his beloved wilderness.

Instead he paints a picture of the good things of the past and describes a way to live in the present without repeating some of our previous mistakes. As a conservationist, he participated in some local stream reclamation projects in the 1980s, and he discovered that a lot of what they did “blew out” five years later because “the river is going to do what it wants to do.”

After the 2013 flood in Lyons, he and his co-workers offered to share what they had learned with the engineers trying to restore the river, who turned out to be less than receptive to hearing about the mistakes of the past.

Gierach is a bit of a local celebrity in Lyons, but meeting him you’d never know it. He’s also well known in international fishing circles, but he prefers to stay away from sponsors offering lengthy overseas junkets because they seldom share his reverence for the truth. He’s more comfortable fishing locally or taking guided fishing trips to the Midwest, Mountain West, Alaska or Canada. He’s fished for salmon

in Scotland, but he attributes a lot of the gentrification of the fly fishing sport to the influence of the British class system, which keeps the good fishing in the private hands of upper-crust clubs, leaving the “rough fish” for commoners.

In 2000, Gierach was named Angler of the Year by Fly Rod & Reel Magazine; in 2005 he was inducted into the National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame for Outstanding Achievement in the Realm of Fresh Water Sport Fishing; he won the Penn New England Cerulli Award for Excellence in Sports Writing; he was the recipient of the Arnold Gingrich Angling Heritage Award from Theodore Gordon Flyfishers of New York; The Federation of Fly Fishers Roderick Haig-Brown Award and seven first place awards from the Colorado Press Association for his columns in the Redstone Review. Gierach is the only fly fishing writer to consistently be published by the one of the world’s premier publishing houses, Simon & Schuster.

And his literary achievements have earned him a place in the pantheon of established authors, but he doesn’t hang out in their social circles. We both greatly admire the poet Gary Snyder, whom I’ve never met, but to hear him described as “a bit pretentious” was a shock, until he elaborated about the coterie of followers surrounding this literary icon of three or more generations, all wanting him to “be the wise man.”

As a writer who fly fishes, John Gierach doesn’t concern himself with literary followers. Though he can hold his own in a literary discussion, I think he’d rather be sitting around a campfire in Labrador with a Canadian guide swapping tales about the one that got away.

Lyons an “Ideal Place to Live” said the Longmont Call newspaper in 1912

By Monique Sawyer-Lang Redstone Review LYONS – The April 12, 1912 Edition 2 of the Longmont Call newspaper featured a front-page artiSawyer-Lang cle titled “Boulder County Ideal Place to Live.” The article was a reprint from the Lyons Recorder and was accompanied with a photograph of the natural rock feature known as “The Maid of Meadow Park.”

Meadow Park, now known as LaVern Johnson Park, was originally larger than its current footprint and included the land that is the current home of River Bend Wedding Venue and Wee Casa Tiny House Resort. The footbridge in the photograph crosses the rock outcropping that is located at the swimming hole in the park.

The article extolled the virtues of living in Boulder County with at least half of the article focused on the charms and industry of Lyons. The following is an excerpt of the article that pertains to Lyons: “Lyons, the Gem of the Rockies, with a population of seven hundred, is located near the junction of the North and South forks of the St. Vrain River in the northern part of the county. It is 48 miles from

Denver, and is the terminus of a branch of the Burlington Railway. It is one of the most picturesque towns in the state, being situated at the very gateway to some of the most important mountain resorts and places of interest to the sight-seer and health seeker. The town has excellent schools, two churches, large general store, a bank, two hotels and no saloons.

“The industry around which Lyons has grown is that of quarrying, although its interests are becoming more and more diversified as the rich agricultural lands surrounding it are being utilized for orchards, small fruit and general farm products, and the tourist business is growing in volume. Approximately, $15,000,000 worth of stone has been shipped since Lyons quarries were opened. The two principal products are red sandstone and granite. The sandstone is used for flagging, curbing, paving, and building. It also makes the finest of crushed rock and is now used in this form in enormous quantities. It is dark red, extremely handsome when properly finished and very durable.

“Much land containing rock suitable for quarrying is still obtainable by purchase from the government. There are also many inviting opportunities in the way of undeveloped agricultural land.

“All that has been said, or that we could

so may another.”

The article is available to read in its entirety on the Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection (coloradohistoricnewspapers.org) website. This website is a fascinating and wonderful resource for exploring Colorado history. The Lyons Redstone Museum is fortunate to have an extensive collection of the Lyons Maid of Meadow Park. Howell Dieterich Collection, Recorder newspaper in our Lyons Redstone Museum archives. However, there are gaps in the collection say about Lyons, as an ideal location for a home can only be fully realized by a visit including the entire year of 1912, so finding this article was a pleasant surprise. to the town.

If you would like to learn more about “The beauty of scenery, the purity of water, the educational facilities, the splen- Lyons’ history stop by the Lyons Redstone did climate, the religious and fraternal spirit, Museum which is open daily through Octhe orderly character of the inhabitants, tober 1. Hours are Monday through Saturcombine in an almost irresistible argument. day 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Sunday New homemakers are gladly welcomed and 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. While at the munew friendships quickly made. In the great seum take the time to visit our gift shop West it does not take a lifetime to get a and used book store. Free admission, dofoothold. The newcomer of today becomes nations greatly appreciated. the old time resident tomorrow.

Monique Sawyer Lang is the Collections “We shall have more to say later, but space forbids it in this issue. Suffice to say. Manager of the Lyons Redstone Museum. She There is plenty of room here for the new is also a volunteer with the Lyons Food Pantry comer, and we invite you to come and be and a former member/chair of the Lyons one among us. Where one man has Community Foundation Board. She lives in gained health, wealth and a happy home, Spring Gulch.

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PAGE 6

REDSTONE • REVIEW

JULY 19 / AUGUST 16, 2023

OPPORTUNITY Confession of a turtle killer

By Greg Lowell Redstone Review Reporter’s Note: I rescued my first turtle here in Colorado the other day. It was bumping up against the curb on a main road, relentLowell less in its instinctive drive to go where its ancestors had traveled for thousands of years but now faced with modern obstacles. In New Hampshire, I often moved turtles off the roads during May and June, but in my 11 years living here, this was the first one I’d seen. I was reminded of this essay I wrote some years ago. While the subject is turtles, and two of the species mentioned here don’t live in Colorado, the theme resonates with anyone who strives to protect wildlife.

LYONS – People who run over turtles were to me nothing but cold-blooded killers. I took their inattention for indifference to the natural world around them.

Until I became one of them.

My hubris was brought up short one day.

I was driving a busy road when I was distracted by three children on bikes riding on the shoulder. I swung out to give them a wide berth, only at the last minute seeing the small black shape between the double yellow lines. The sickening pop under my tire sent a jolt through me.

Returning, I saw the crushed body and the woodland stream flowing under the road where the turtle had emerged. From then on, I held my anger at the operators of tur-

tle-killing cars, chastened in the knowledge that I had joined the criminal element.

Turtles, more than other wildlife, are most affected by our roads, our cars, our pets and our subdivisions. Low, slow and driven by ancient impulses and long-imprinted navigation cues, they follow the same routes year after year, regardless of the changes in the land around them. So

rivers, ponds and lakes of New Hampshire but I had never seen a spotted turtle until we moved there. Smaller than painted turtles, these black and yellow turtles are celebrated in New Hampshire naturalist David Carroll’s Year of the Turtle. The contrast of their yellow spots and orange skin patches on their ebony shells make them the most beautiful of all turtles. And that

precipitous has been certain turtle species’ demise that the state of New Hampshire recently upgraded the Blanding’s turtle status to “Endangered” and the spotted turtle to “Imperiled.”

For many years, I had a front row seat to the diminishment of these two turtle species.

Our house and small lot was bounded on two sides by a large marsh and a country road on the front. At the end of our property a small pond, a dip in the road and an active vernal pool on the opposite side made for a turtle superhighway as turtles began to wander to feed or lay eggs in May and June.

Painted and giant snapping turtles were the primary travelers, but the delicate and beautiful spotted turtles and the rare Blanding’s were also there in notable numbers. I was raised an outdoor kid on the

too is a curse, as poachers take them for the illegal pet trade.

The shy spotted turtles spend most of their time hidden among the vegetation and watery channels of marshes except in the spring when they come out of hibernation and make for the vernal pools to recharge their batteries with wood frog and salamander eggs. Later that spring, they emerge from the swamps to lay their eggs in dry upland areas.

It is during this time that they are most vulnerable to natural predators, and automobiles.

Fast and fluid in the water, most turtles are as slow and cumbersome on land as piano movers. Except for the spotted turtles. The little turtles seem to realize that their time on the asphalt is deadly and move quickly.

Musical instrument makers sharing ideas at their convention

By Peter Butler Redstone Review TACOMA, WA – “The Guild is great,” intones Tim Olsen, president of the Guild of American Luthiers (GAL), and obeButler diently 400 people, including me, chant “The Guild is great.”

We’re in a big theater and it sounds like some sort of masonic ritual but it’s just a bunch of creative people bonding. I don’t even do drugs but I’m tripping. We’re all at the Guild of American Luthiers triennial convention.

Luthier as an English word was borrowed from the French only a few decades ago. It refers to makers of stringed musical instruments: violins, cellos, mandolins, ukuleles, harps, zithers, lutes and of course, the elephant in the room, guitars.

Guild, however, is a word with a long history. It was an association of a particular type of craftsmen such as goldsmiths or saddle makers. They ensured high standards of production so that some upstart couldn’t turn up in town and put up a shingle without any real apprenticeship or master’s papers.

But over time, guilds expanded their power and dictated who could make what and who couldn’t. In the German city of Markneukirchen in the 19th century, the guild of violin makers tried to take control of early guitar making and their oppression was sufficient that, in 1833, young Christian Frederick Martin emigrated to the U.S., ending up in Nazareth, Pennsylvania and founding the company making some of our most beloved guitars.

The Guild of American Luthiers first as-

sembled in Tacoma, WA in 1973 when a and 1950s and whose legend is still revered bunch of guitar-making hippies wanted in hushed tones. some camaraderie. They were a rare bunch In the classical guitar thread, Federico of small makers outside of the industrial Shepherd has made a deep study into the system of big companies like Gibson and life of Antonio de Torres. He describes seeFender. Now we live in a time when cheap ing the inside of an original Torres instrumusical instrument of all types, and of ment from 1864, that was under repair, amazing quality and value, but heartless marveling at the perfect knife cuts industrial provenance, are flooding in from smoother that any modern blade or maChina. Small makers cannot compete on price, but they can compete, and triumph, on devotion and attention to detail.

The Guild helps keep everybody sane.

Every three years there is a convention at the green and leafy Pacific Lutheran University campus in Tacoma WA and I am writing this there, at my third time of attending. There was a time when Garrison Keillor had first refusal on all Lutheran jokes, but when the Luthiers turn up at Lutheran that’s fuel for any standup wannabee.

Each of the five days is packed with lectures about instrument Ron Fernandez playing a fado on a modern guitarra making history and methods. It’s Portuguese from Portugal. hard not to get immediate vicarious crafting skills. I just stood not three feet from Steve Klein, who made chine can achieve. He theorizes that this guitars for Joni Mitchell, and I’m con- type of early tool steel was made using iron vinced that’s enough to improve my neck- from meteorites which had fallen from carving prowess. Now here we are in a space, and had iron much purer that the small lecture space, packed with makers, modern stuff made from melted down cars. listening to Stephen Marchione talking The facts and the subject matter are hardly about how he prepares a jazz guitar neck. important but they represent something He apprenticed with Jimmy D’Aquisto, deep at the heart of all the participants, who apprenticed with John D’Angelico which is a combination of care and love. who was THE guy in New York in 1940s I’m wandering through the makers ex-

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I learned to recognize their sprints from my home and quickened my own step to try to save them.

Many were the times I ran down the road to help them complete their perilous crossings. I saved many. But as the number of houses on my road increased, so too did the traffic and the body count.

The final death sentence for the turtles was a new 60-home subdivision on the road. Construction vehicles first and then cars were a constant on the road. I was gladdened by those motorists who stopped to let the turtles pass, but they were far outnumbered by those who did not.

Short of quitting my job for two months and keeping constant vigil, there was little I could do to stop the slaughter.

But I persevered. I marked their nesting sites, mowed my lawn cautiously as I watched for them in the grass and tried to educate my neighbors on the turtles’ ways.

I even once attempted a clumsy Caesarean on a dead spotted turtle, thinking I could salvage her eggs and be a surrogate parent.

But every year the number of dead turtles increased, annually including two or three spotted turtles.

When we sold the home after nearly 30 years, I wondered who would watch out for the turtles. I left the new owner a carefully written instruction sheet on where the turtles nested in the yard, when the quartersize hatchlings emerged and the care to take when driving on the road. I hope they’re paying attention. I know I am.

More so than ever now when I drive roads near water, I take care – my eyes always on the road surface for the glint of sun off wet black domes or the dusty gray of a basking turtle. It is the most penance I can do. hibition. If you need a set of Spanish cypress back and sides for your next flamenco masterpiece or a book about mandolins, you’re in heaven. Middle-aged guys are staggering out with armfuls of wood that will make two guitars but cost as much as a houseful of furniture. But don’t discourage them, they have dreams to nurture.

And we’re all exhausted – campus could be an acronym for “car and motor-vehicles prohibited – use sauntering.” Exhausted but happy. Hey, I just spoke to Ralph Novak, he’s retiring, but he’s the guy that invented multiscale frets and had a 1951 Telecaster neck that he wanted to go to a good home. Should I offer him $1000 or $10? This is what dreams are made of.

Now we’re in the black box theater talking about guitar strings with Ron Fernandez who imported 3,000 master instruments from Spain. He shows me a whacky looking instrument and I gush “Wow is that a cittern?” and he says, without a pause, no it’s Portuguese, completely ignoring the fact that he and I are the only people in Washington state who know or care what a cittern is or was. This physical closeness and intimacy with a performer is intoxicating. I chat for 15 minutes with the world’s best (well, only) terz guitar player and then sit six feet away, listening to him make a small wooden box sound like an operatic orchestra. Ask any Taylor Swift fan if they can smell her perfume from row 245 in some mega stadium.

After five days we all drift back to our own corners of the world from Canada to Australia, and several back to Colorado, each of us with our batteries charged, and in my case a nagging urge to tweak my French polishing method.

We all have interests, but what turns interest into magic is sharing with people who understand.

JULY 19 / AUGUST 16, 2023

REDSTONE • REVIEW

PAGE 7

INSIGHT is every mother’s favorite.”

Cafés, diners, and hot roast beef sandwiches with brown gravy this Of course I don’t eat like this all the time, which is the main reason why I don’t

By John Gierach Redstone Review LYONS – I stopped for lunch at the Walnut Café in Boulder recently, a place that’s been around for over 30 years, but Gierach where I hadn’t eaten in recent memory. I used to have lunch there with my old publisher – the kind of lunch meetings where food isn’t the point – but I vaguely remembered it being plain old café fare; bacon and eggs, burgers and fries; recognizable to any American who grew up in the mid-20th century.

The menu was more or less as I remembered and I was happy to see a sloppy joe until I noticed it was vegetarian. I gave that a moment’s thought. Sloppy joes were my favorite lunch in high school and the description on the menu promised, “You won’t miss the meat.” so I shrugged and took the plunge. (If nothing else, I’ve been half-heartedly allowing myself to be dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century.) The vegetarian sloppy joe really wasn’t that bad, but from the first bite I did miss the meat.

Usually when I eat in Boulder I go to Dot’s Diner (“Where the folks get their yolks”) which has also been around for decades. It’s on 28th Street now, but it used to be way out on east Pearl St. – a block and a half past where the mall is now – in an old gas station that was finally bulldozed in one of Boulder’s many waves of gentrification. I once lived in Boulder before that same gentrification scraped the cheap rentals where many of my friends I and lived, scattering us into the county and beyond searching for rent we could afford.

At Dot’s I like the pancakes and sausage or the southern breakfast: ham, eggs, grits, gravy, and a buttermilk biscuit the size of a softball. I could eat like that every morning when I worked long days at physical labor. Now it’s a nostalgic treat.

I don’t know how long the Village Coffee Shop has been on Folsom Street, but I swear I remember it from the late 1960s or 70s. It was – and probably still is – a place where the food was good and cheap and there was plenty of it, so hippies, students and working stiffs rubbed shoulders there with no apparent friction. I haven’t eaten there in a while, but the last time I drove past I felt the old tug of sentimental gravity.

I doubt it’s still true, but there was a time

ing lot. At mealtimes they’ll be crowded with old sedans and pickups with muddy tires, tools in their beds and company names painted on the doors.

Some places come close, but give themselves away with excessive cuteness. Once, somewhere outside Bozeman, Montana, I stopped at a place called the “Kountry Korner.” The substitution of Ks for Cs raised a red flag, as did all the miscellaneous antique junk hung on the walls, but I was hungry

when if you asked for a vegan or gluten-free alternative, you’d have been asked to leave.

There are some good café’s in Longmont – Janie’s on Main Street comes to mind – but my first choice is Aunt Alice’s Kitchen. You can get a hot turkey sandwich with mashed potatoes and gravy that’s to die for and if you don’t want to injure yourself you can do what I do and order the smaller “senior size.” So far, no one has asked to see my I.D. If you have a good eye, you can spot these places. Their names and the buildings they’re housed in are usually plain as dirt, but the real giveaway will be the park-

and didn’t have a lot of choices. The food actually wasn’t too bad, but the place had the too-contrived quality of a chain.

Not that a chain is necessarily bad.

Cracker Barrel was founded in Tennessee in 1969 and, although they’re not as ubiquitous as Starbucks or McDonalds, they’re now in 45 states, including Colorado.

They’re a little too kitschy for my taste, but the food is excellent. (I don’t always order biscuits and gravy, but I always want to.) My mother introduced me to Cracker Barrel in Missouri and when I went into one in Nebraska I told the waitress it was my mother’s favorite. She said, “Sweetie,

Lyons Library hosts a Pokémon Party, focuses on goals, hosts Teen Advisory Group and more

By Kara Bauman Redstone Review LYONS – The Lyons Community Library extends thanks to the Lyons Arts and Humanities Commission for coordinating another successful tandem art show opening reception on WednesBauman day, July 12 for Kristine (Birdi) Smock’s solo show, Birdi-Eye Views.

Visitors enjoyed the music stylings of the Fair and Square String Band and snacks courtesy of Diner Bar. Visitors also took in the locals’ show at Town Hall, Funky, Whimsy Town, before many ventured to Sandstone Park for K.C. Groves and the Solar Sisters. All Together Now – the library’s Summer Reading Program theme – indeed.

Even though it’s just now starting to feel like a typical Lyons summer, our Summer Reading Program is drawing quickly to a close. There are several programs on the calendar for each age group, though; make sure you don’t miss them.

Teens, those entering grades 6 through 12, who are interested in joining our Teen Advisory Group (TAG) for the upcoming school year are invited to an information session to learn more about TAG and its mission on Thursday, July 27 at 6 p.m. Teens will then relax and enjoy a movie with friends; snacks and entertainment provided.

Our youngest patrons, ages 3 to 6, are invited to a session of preschool yoga and mindfulness on Saturday, July 29 at 10:30 a.m. Participants will practice kid-friendly

centering, breathing, yoga, stories, and songs to stretch their bodies and calm their minds.

Please bring a yoga mat if possible, though there will be a few to borrow.

Calling all Pokémon fans to a Pokémon Party. Between 3 and 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, August 1, come and enjoy Pokémon activities, crafts, snacks, trivia, and even a scavenger hunt in the library. Feel free to bring cards for our swapping station or just join in the fun. This is a drop-in program, so no registration required.

Help us celebrate the end of summer reading with Lyons-own children’s hip-hop performer, Mr. Kneel, at an outdoor concert and party in Sandstone Park on Saturday, August 5 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. In addition to music, there will be games, crafts, bubbles, and face painting – fun for the whole family.

Readers of all ages are encouraged to finish their bingo cards for prizes, books, and grand prize entries. All logging should be completed by August 5. Grand prizes for the various age groups include LEGO sets, tickets to Elitch Gardens, assorted plush toys, and various local gift cards.

This year’s nationally chosen Summer Reading Program

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weigh 300 pounds and my heart still works. At home we make simple, mostly nutritious meals and when we go out we avoid assembly line joints in favor of places where at least part of your meal comes from a stove instead of a microwave. But most restaurants fail, either by going for speed and quantity over quality, or by bending over so far in the direction of “healthy eating” that they serve food that’s expensive and politically correct in every way, but weirdly tasteless.

That’s why I have a soft spot for the food of my youth and for the cafés that still serve it. Heavy on meat, fat, starch, salt and taste, it’s the food that fed the hardworking folks that made America great.

It’s also why, when farming became mechanized after World War Two, implement manufacturers had to start making their tractor seats wider.

I once found a great place in Wisconsin.

I can’t remember its name or what town in was in – all I know is that I was north of I90 on a maze of county roads leading to Hayward. It was in a storefront that had obviously once been something else; maybe a beauty parlor or a gun shop. The floor was linoleum, the counter and tables were Formica, and the walls were bare except for a clock, a calendar and the mounted head of a white-tailed deer. I slid into a booth with a vinyl bench that had been patched with duct tape, and studied the menu. I half expected to see my father and my uncle at the counter wearing their fishing hats and drinking coffee.

By the time the waitress came over and said, “Hey, hon, what can I get ya,” I’d become helplessly sentimental and ordered the hot beef sandwich: two pieces of white bread covered with slices of roast beef and two big ice cream size scoops of mashed potatoes, all smothered in the kind of industrial-strength brown gravy that Jim Harrison once said comes in a 55-gallon drum. No salad, no vegetables on the theory that green stuff is rabbit food.

theme was quite fitting for us as we really do consider ourselves all together in service to, for and with our great community. What better time than now to highlight the library district’s recently adopted strategic plan?

Your library plans services and generally conducts business under the mission that together, we provide equitable access to resources, education, and experiences to empower individuals and enrich the Lyons community. Additionally, our vision statement promises we serve as a hub and catalyst for a vibrant, informed, connected, and engaged community in which everyone thrives.

After careful consideration, the Board of Trustees chose to focus on four main strategic goals to guide the next three years of growth, keeping in mind that we are a relatively young district in what is still a new facility and considering the impacts of a global pandemic. From outer reaching to more internal operations, those goals are: • Make the library a valued resource for all community members; • Offer legendary customer service; • Make the library a great place to work; • Advance alignment among the library, library board, and the community.

As the Library Director, I will encourage users and nonusers alike to view the entire plan, including more specific goals nested under each point, on the library’s website.

Chats and emails with your thoughts are invited.

Your Lyons Community Library opens Monday through Saturday at 10 a.m. We close at 5 p.m. on Mondays and Fridays; 7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays; and 2 p.m. on Saturdays. Our online catalog is available 24/7 at lyons.colibraries.org and we’re always open for digital downloads on both the Libby and CloudLibrary apps.

Give us a call at 303-823-5165 or email info@lyonslibrary.com with any questions.

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PAGE 8

REDSTONE • REVIEW

JULY 19 / AUGUST 16, 2023

CREATIVES Celebrating creativity

Pele’s Poem

By Pele Wroblewski

By Sally King Redstone Review LYONS – It was a celebration of our creativity, Sunday July 9 at Moxie. The topic was “What the Body Knows” with poems shared by three poets, Erin Jones, Katherine Kaufman and Sally King.

Then we were given a writing prompt where King words jump into your writing by other people shouting out a word from what they have just written. Pele’s poem, age eleven, is an example for this process.

And what a surprise when the breast prayer flags showed up and became a sudden performance piece as we all gladly held our portion of multicolored prints bringing with them the wild edge they represent, Our Bodies Ourselves.

The right to exist as the body you are in, relates to our right to bring forward our gifts. One thing leads to another.

Bread and Poetry is Elizabeth Marglin’s vision. She knows that poetry can be a doorway to our new becomings, a view into our deepest essence, bringing in the real news, the news of the soul.

She suggests these guidelines for your poem. Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it specifically. Be concrete. You have to

earn abstraction through the personal.

Watch for posters about the Bread and Poetry event in August.

Bread and Poetry is a collaboration with the launch of the Lyons Creative District. And you can find an online writing class by visiting Katherinekaufman.com, small stories and writing through the summer.

Sally King is a local artist who believes it's imperative that each of us pop our head up out of the collective trance, to bring through our creative gifts. You can find her on her blog and website, hersoupot.net and sallywhiteking.com or e mail sallywhiteking@live.com.

Today I finally made it I felt free and spirited I had the strength in my bones Gasping for air I realized I had my feet on the earth and my fingers in the vegetation I felt joy lifting me The response of my body had spice I carried my luggage across far lands and found yarrow Three trees standing strong like my family I exhaled The leaves were turning yellow I had been healed today by nature and Mother Earth

Webb celebrates first year of science with close-up on birth of Sun-like stars From the NASA website Redstone Review JWST is 1,740,045 kilometers from Earth, or 0.011631 Astronomical Units – From our cosmic backyard in the solar system to distant galaxies near the dawn of time, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has delivered on its promise of revealing the universe like never before. To celebrate the completion of a successful first year, NASA has released Webb’s image of a small star-forming region in the Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex.

“In just one year, the James Webb Space Telescope has transformed humanity’s view of the cosmos, peering into dust clouds and seeing light from faraway corners of the universe for the very first time. Every new image is a new discovery, empowering scientists around the globe to ask and answer questions they once could never dream of,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “Webb is an investment in American innovation but also a scientific feat made possible with NASA’s international partners that share a can-do spirit to push the boundaries of what is known to be possible.

Thousands of engineers, scientists, and leaders poured their life’s passion into this mission, and their efforts will continue to improve our understanding of the origins of the universe – and our place in it.”

The new Webb image features the nearest starforming region to us. Its proximity at 390 light-years allows for a highly detailed close-up, with no fore-

ground stars in the intervening space. Using its infrared telescope, the JWST observatory will examine objects over 13.6 billion light-years away.

“On its first anniversary, the James Webb Space Telescope has already delivered upon its promise to unfold the universe, giving humanity a breathtaking treasure trove of images and science that will last for decades,” said Nicola Fox, associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington.

Webb’s image shows a region containing approximately 50 young stars, all of them similar in mass to the Sun, or smaller. The darkest areas are the densest, where thick dust cocoons still-forming protostars.

Huge bipolar jets of molecular hydrogen, represented in red, dominate the image, appearing horizontally across the upper third and vertically on the right.

These occur when a star first bursts through its natal envelope of cosmic dust, shooting out a pair of opposing jets into space like a newborn first stretching her arms out into the world. In contrast, the star S1 has carved out a glowing cave of dust in the lower half of the image. It is the only star in the image that is significantly more massive than the Sun. The James Webb Space Telescope is the world’s premier space science observatory. Webb is solving mysteries in our solar system, looking beyond to distant worlds around other stars, and probing the mysterious structures and origins of our universe and our place in it. Webb is an international program led by NASA with its partners, ESA (European Space Agency) and the Canadian Space Agency.

The first anniversary image from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope displays star birth like it’s never been seen before, full of detailed, impressionistic texture. The subject is the Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex, the closest starforming region to Earth. It is a relatively small, quiet stellar nursery, but you’d never know it from Webb’s chaotic close-up. Jets bursting from young stars crisscross the image, impacting the surrounding interstellar gas and lighting up molecular hydrogen, shown in red. Some stars display the telltale shadow of a circumstellar disk, the makings of future planetary systems.

CREDITS: NASA, ESA, CSA, STSCI, KLAUS PONTOPPIDAN (STSCI)

Working for Town of Lyons in Parks and Public Works .By Kim Mitchell Redstone Review LYONS – The Town of Lyons wants to introduce you to several team members of our local Lyons staff who work for the town in the Parks and Public Works Dept.

This summer, the seasonal staff at the Town of Lyons has expanded for a few months with four local high school students who joined the Parks and Public Works team after the school year ended in

For summer 2023, the seasonal staff includes Jack Johann, Henry Johnson, and brothers Lochlan Osborn and Eamon Osborn. The entire crew has been involved in many facets of the parks, especially with maintenance, including irrigation, field prep, mowing and trimming. If we have a road or utility issue, they are also willing to step up to help and lend a hand.

Our year-round staff has noticed their gracious and energetic style, willingness to pitch in and their overall contributions

Left to right: Jack Johann, Henry Johnson, Joe McCain, Lochlan Osborn, Eamon Osborn late May. It has been a terrific opportunity for the Town to be able to employ local residents who know Lyons so well and for the recent graduates to have a chance to work in the town and learn about working in the public sector.

Joe McCain has worked for the town as a year-round, full-time employee, for the past two years and can often be found leading the crew of this summer’s seasonal staff.

and efforts to keep Lyons ticking all summer long on a daily basis.

“We like to hire dependable and passionate people that work to make our community a better place,” noted Victoria Simonsen, the Town Administrator. “During the summer months when projects, construction and our parks are in full swing, seasonal staff are an essential part of our team.”

We’ve been lucky to have this talented crew to help keep the dog park in good shape with mowing and trimming, as well as prepping Bohn Park and Sandstone Park for the weekly Summer Concert Series.

They are getting a daily perspective of some of our larger infrastructure projects, as well as meeting campers and visitors to our parks. At the end of each day, they can see the fruits of their labor and the impact their work has on our community.

“Our local parks attract many visitors throughout the busy summer months,” said Dave Cosgrove, Parks and Public Works Director. “Our seasonal positions offer a lot of variety, and you get to interact daily with both residents and visitors, while gaining first-hand experience performing many different tasks.”

The town was also lucky to have additional local help to staff the Visitor’s Center this summer, with Ollie Nunez who has also joined town staff, part-time. Nunez grew up in Lyons and graduated from Longmont High School in May. The Town of Lyons welcomes summer staff who already know a lot about Lyons.

Perhaps their recent work experience in local government will encourage some of the seasonal staff to consider public sector careers where they can make an impact improving their future community, whether that may be in Lyons or beyond.

Either way, it has been great to have each of them working in Lyons, making an impact, right here in their own backyard.

Kim Mitchell is Director of Communications and Community Relations for the Town of Lyons. She has called Lyons home since 2009.

Travels with Redstone Three friends from Colorado took a bike trip with a stopover in Spain.

From left, Gail Frankfort and Kathie Holm from Lyons, and Kim Freymiller from Boulder. They are at the Sagrada Familia Cathedral in Barcelona.

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.

JULY 19 / AUGUST 16, 2023

REDSTONE • REVIEW

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT some time to look closely.

Kristine Birdi Smock’s show titled; LAHC: New art in and around town Take I guess this is a little memory lane for Birdi’s Eye View is on view at the library those Boulder days. Lyons has the pleasure until October 13, 2023. Make sure you

By Priscilla Cohan Redstone Review LYONS –I returned to Lyons after a very busy spring. The rain was busy, the flowers were busy, and the Lyons Arts and Humanities Commission (LAHC) was busy.

It has been a delight to see new sculptures around town that were not there before.

These sculptures are part of the heArts of Lyons program that is supported by the Lyons Community Foundation, the Town of Lyons and by private donations.

It was fun to see Charlotte and Ben Zink’s sculpture Abundance on Main Street. It is perfectly framed by the plants.

I was also a little sad to see Future City gone. It was one of my favorites.

There are new sculptures all over town.

Make sure you visit Jon CorsonRikert’s High Desert Kelp across from Western Stars on Hwy. 66. This is a glimpse of what Corson-Rikert has to say about High Desert Kelp: “My sculptures and two-dimensional works engage users through blends of organic, geometric, and architectural forms.

Positive and negative spaces interact via cutouts, layered curved profiles, projected shadows, and transitions of light and color.

My sculptures are approachable at human scale, inviting the viewer to move around the work to explore planes, edges and volumes accentuated by bold color,” he said.

He goes on to say that one of his artistic references is Matisse’s cutouts. This piece is a beautiful tribute to Matisse.

There is a new work in the triangle where you enter downtown: Kevin Shaffer’s Transitional Piece. Schaffer described his work,“Transitional Piece is a transitional piece between my Native Grass Series and a new series, The Nugget Series. The Native Grass Series is all oversized abstracted steel sculptures inspired by native grasses to the regions of Colorado. From afar the sculptures celebrate native plant material and upon closer observation the details reveal a familiar human vernacular. Transitional Piece is spaced enough for people to walk amongst towering organic-like steel creations with copper highlights.”

Jodie Bliss’s Muse of Art now has a home in front of Smokin’ Dave’s, which sponsored the piece. We love it when the community can step up and help bring these

fantastic art pieces to town. Thank you, Smokin’ Dave’s. Bliss is the owner of Bliss Studio Custom Metalwork in Monument.

She has been an artist, blacksmith, and metal fabricator for over 20 years. She creates everything from custom architectural ironworks to private and fine art commissions, to large scale public sculptures for

of having a Birdi Smock retrospective at the Lyons Regional Library. I have known her and appreciated her artwork for many years. When I first moved to Boulder in the 1980s her work was featured at a gallery where I worked on the Pearl Street Mall, the Lodestone Gallery.

The images I have in my mind are of

give yourself some time or a couple of visits, because there is a lot to see.

Also on view until October 13 at the Town Hall is Funky Whimsy Town with Flood Related Work. There is work from all age groups and has a mixture of funky and whimsy and some work that was made in response to the 2013 flood. This

Left to right: Jon Corson-Rickert and Robert Miller with High Desert Kelp; Jodie Bliss with Muse of Art; Bill Vielehr’s son, Caylon Vielehr, and Kitty Nicolson with Bill Vielher’s Time Storage System. ALL PHOTOS BY MELINDA WUNDER municipalities. We are lucky to have another of Bliss’s creations. We said goodbye this month to her Muse of Nature, that was across the highway.

Thanks to the town maintenance parks and public works crew whose help we depend on to install and de-install these pieces.

Two other pieces that showed up while I was away, both by the now deceased artist Bill Vielehr. I remember Bill Vielehr from the time before time when I lived in Boulder. His work has interested me over the years. It is large and impressive, but also subtle. He made many marks in them that like an ancient text. It makes me happy to see not one but two of his pieces in town. Time Storage System has found a temporary home in the Town Hall Garden. As you come into town on the south side of the highway is another of his pieces. It is titled 3-D Glyph Series, II.

these lovely little tables with tiled tops, and not just any tiled tops, the tiles flowed over the edges of the tables like cloths.

Brightly painted, with marks in the clay drawn through the wet layers to make lovely expressive lines. They danced.

Through the years I have seen her work always vibrant and alive, concrete masks, terracotta goddesses, welded steel public art and paintings. Always alive with form, color, and humor.

Smock said on considering why to make art, “Three thoughts have continually inspired and propelled my work. First, if I don’t do my work, no one will. Second, art is the question and not the answer. Lastly, to imagine and create beauty in a world that seems flawed and broken is a positive political statement.” I am impressed by the way she dives in and explores new media seemingly without fear.

show will be on display through the flood commemoration activities happening the weekend of September 9, 10, and 11, 2023. During the weekend events more flood-related material will be added to the exhibit.

The next LAHC Town Hall Art Show’s theme is, What All is Out/Up /Flood-related.

These quarterly shows are open to all ages and abilities. Make something inspired by the theme or not. Please pick up work in the current show and drop off new work ready to hang, two-dimensional work on Friday October 13, from 5 to 7 p.m.

Thank you LAHC for making Lyons more beautiful.

Priscilla Cohan is a local artist who works in multimedia. She works for the Town of Lyons and is a liaison to the Lyons Arts and Humanities Commission.

Agricultural Heritage Center on Hwy. 66 offers history, culture, and contemporary art

By Deborah Huth Price Redstone Review LYONS – Although farming may not be on the radar for many people’s daily thoughts, agriculture is a huge part of Boulder County’s history. The nearby Agriculture Heritage Center (AHC) on Price Colorado Hwy. 66 east of Lyons serves as a reminder of some of the region’s agricultural history, and gives children a taste of life on the farm. The big red barn seen when driving past the site is a notable landmark.

Operated by Boulder County Parks and Open Space, the site is open Fridays through Sundays from April through October, and also hosts a few special events during the year. In addition, the AHC is the destination for many elementary school field trips in the St. Vrain Valley and Boulder Valley School districts. A group of dedicated volunteers, many of whom grew up on farms or have agricultural history in their backgrounds, helps provide information and activities on the school tours.

The site itself is often called the Lohr/McIntosh farm, named after two early settlers to the region. George McIntosh arrived here in the mid-to-late 1800s, according to a brief history on the website. He raised his family at the site, and then later sold the property to George Lohr, an early Hygiene postmaster, who married McIntosh’s daughter Minnie. Their son Neil “Shorty” Lohr continued to live on and work the property for the remainder of his life. In his later years, he sold the family farm to Boulder County, and also donated $250,000 to establish an educational center. The AHC has been open to the public since 2001.

While most of the buildings on site are original to the farm, the Stroh-Dickens Barn (the big red barn) has an interesting backstory. According to Jim Drew, Volunteer Coordinator for the AHC, the barn was moved from a property east of the intersection of Hover Street and 17th Avenue in Longmont in the late 1990s. “Hwy. 66 was shut down and power lines raised up in order to move the barn

The Stroh-Dickens Barn (aka the big red barn) at the Agriculture Heritage Center on Hwy. 66 east of Lyons. on a truck,” said Drew. The barn’s old location was at the current site of the Federal Aviation Administration and moving the barn to its new location helped preserve this piece of Longmont’s history.

The Stroh-Dickens barn now hosts a variety of handson exhibits inside, including a children’s play farmers market, a life-size fake cow that can be “milked,” exhibits on how food is produced and how farm machinery works, and history about some of the early settlers and tenants on the property, including stories from Latino families that traveled here and helped ensure the success of the farm. One of the most popular exhibits in the barn is the life-size demonstration tractor that allows children the first-hand experience of driving a tractor.

The other large barn onsite is referred to as the McIntosh barn, originally built by George McIntosh in 1881.

The barn has remained mostly in its original condition, complete with livestock stalls, a milking parlor, and a large hay mow. The barn’s slats have gaps that let the light shine through. Drew explains that “George McIntosh told his grandson, Neil Lohr, that he intentionally left gaps in the wood plank walls so that strong winds would blow

through the barn instead of pushing against the barn, helping with stability and keeping hay dry.”

While this barn offers a glimpse into a preserved structure from the time, it is also host to a brand new exhibit in partnership with the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art and the Longmont Museum. The exhibit titled agriCULTURE has been created by more than 15 local and national artists and farmers throughout Boulder County. According to their promotional information, “The exhibition has served as an incubator to generate new work related to land, food, water rights, sustainability, climate change, technology, and cultural heritage. The works that emerged from the collaborations inspire visitors to think about their own connections with the natural world in new ways.”

The exhibit at AHC was created by Toronto-based artist Amanda McCavour. The indirect light streaming in from the barn’s open slats illuminates gossamer panels suspended from the ceiling, stitched with flowers based on Colorado plants. Most plants included are native to Colorado, but the display also includes crested wheatgrass, a non-native plant used in agriculture in the local area. The artist’s exhibit website notes, “This dream-like environment shifts the perspective of a traditional landscape, rending the plants monumental and inverting them.”

Other buildings and features on site include a 1910 farmhouse, equipped with furniture and exhibits from the era, a smokehouse, a vegetable garden, live horses, cows, mules, goats, and chickens, and a whole lot of fun.

The AHC is open Fridays through Sundays, April through October, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the first Saturday of the month the rest of the year. Admission is free.

Pets are not allowed on site so that farm animals will not be disturbed.

Deborah Huth Price is a retired environmental educator, with interests in wildlife education, astronomy, and preserving dark skies. You can follow her wildlife blog at www.walk-thewild-side.blog. Email her at dhprice@comcast.net.

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REDSTONE • REVIEW

JULY 19 / AUGUST 16, 2023

INTEREST LCF Annual Granting Season is open

By Ella Levy Redstone Review LYONS – All of us at Lyons Community Foundation (LCF) are pleased to announce our 16th Annual Community Support granting season. Each year in August and early September, Lyons-area organizations apply for grants that will support the work they plan to do in the year to come. This year, more than $45,000 will be made available to deserving recipients.

As the Grants Committee chair for LCF, the beginning of our granting season is an exciting and busy time for me. Recently, I volunteered at a Wednesday night Sandstone Park concert. I spent the evening popping and serving popcorn, collecting donations, chatting with fellow community members, and listening to some amazing live music. I felt proud knowing that an LCF grant to the Town of Lyons had helped make that concert possible. It was a good reminder of why our Community Support Grants are so important to our community, and of how they

bring people together.

Simply put, these grants make life in Lyons better. From the public art we all enjoy as we walk through town, to the work of LEAF and the Lyons food pantry, to the beauty of the Rocky Mountain Botanical Gardens, it’s hard to find a corner of our town that hasn’t been touched by the funding from these grants.

Applications for Community Support Grants are open to government agencies, schools, local nonprofit organizations, and groups/projects that do not have 501(c)3 status but do have a nonprofit sponsoring organization.

You can apply online starting August 1.

Submissions are due on September 9, 2023.

These grants are typically available only once per year and must be applied for at this time. Electronic submissions are required. Granting information and applications are available at lyonscf.org.

As a community foundation, LCF’s work consists of raising money to support a diverse range of projects and populations

in the greater Lyons area. By offering a centralized source for fundraising, nonprofits are able to focus on their projects and programs, instead of on raising funds.

Since LCF’s inception in 2008, over half a million dollars has been distributed in grants to support local initiatives that either build community connectivity, provide human services, invest in our youth, or support local ecology initiatives.

In 2022, Community Support Grants totaled over $50,000 and were awarded to 17 projects including LEAF (Lyons Emergency Assistance Fund) and the Lyons food pantry, the Town of Lyons Parks and Recreation (Sandstone Concert Series and Parade of Lights), Lyons Arts and Humanities Commission, Lyons Historical Society (Redstone Museum), Lyons Booster Club, Lyons Regional Library, Lyons Creates, St. Vrain Valley Schools, and Rocky Mountain Botanical Gardens.

LCF welcomes the participation of community members who wish to serve on the Grants Review Committee, which is separate from LCF’s Advisory Board. Grant applications to LCF are reviewed by a committee whose members represent the

Mountain Blooms Garden Tour attracted a big crowd

By Sara Erickson Redstone Review LYONS – The Lyons Garden Club’s Third Annual Mountain Blooms Garden Tour took place on Saturday, June 17, 2023 and was a grand success. The Lyons Garden Club thanks all who visited the exquisite gardens on the tour. We had over 230 participants this year, an increase of 20 percent over last year. Visitors were enthusiastic, inquisitive and appreciative of our efforts.

We owe a huge thank you to the garden hosts who graciously opened their gardens so that visitors could enjoy beautiful landscaping/hardscaping, flowerbeds, container gardens, garden art, fountains, ponds, a worm farm, fabulous views and much more. There are so many hidden garden gems in Lyons and LGC is delighted for the opportunity to share them with residents and out-of-towners.

Hosts shared gardening information on attracting butterflies and bees and using methods such as permaculture, xeric planting and lawn replacement. And, despite all the previous downpours, it was a gorgeous day.

PHOTO BY GAUTAM BHAN

We also thank our sponsors: Laura Levy Group, Cemex, McCann Real Estate, St. Vrain Market, Tucker Real Estate Group, Flower Bin, Wild by Design, Bent Heirlooms and Sunflower Shade Umbrellas. We also extend grateful thanks to photographer

Gautam Bhan, who took fantastic pictures of the tour and can be viewed on our website and on Bhan’s website: www.gbhanphoto.com.

The garden club owes a debt of gratitude to the Redstone Review where we have

51st Annual RockyGrass Festival begins soon

By Jim Ramsay Redstone Review PINEWOOD SPRINGS – The 2023 RockyGrass Festival taking place July 23 through 30 will be the 51st bluegrass festival held on the Planet Bluegrass grounds at the north end of Lyons.

What started out as the Telluride Bluegrass Festival in the 1970s extended to the Front Range with the purchase of what is now the Planet Bluegrass Ranch. It’s the perfect venue for a music festival, with the North St. Vrain River flowing through the festival grounds below a wall of red stone cliffs on one side and tall cottonwood trees on the other. One of my favorite memories of Planet Bluegrass is watching colorfully dressed festivarians floating by on inner tubes while domesticated goats picked their way along the tops of the cliffs, silhouetted against the deep blue of a Rocky Mountain sky.

The RockyGrass Festival consists of a week of camping fun, informal jamming, workshops, contests, and informal performances, followed by a three-day weekend of big-name performances.

The RockyGrass Academy, the instructional program that takes place during the first week, offers bluegrass instrument classes in banjo, bass, dobro, fiddle, guitar and mandolin; songwriting and vocal classes; and even a luthier workshop in building mandolins. In addition to formal classes, informal jam sessions and performances take place in the campgrounds, along the river and in the Wildflower Pavilion.

Banjo legend Béla Fleck kicks off the Main Stage performances at 11 am on Friday, July 28. A New York kid named after Hungarian classical music composer Béla Bartók, Fleck was inspired to take up the banjo after hearing Earl Scruggs playing the theme for the Beverly Hillbillies TV show. He went on to become a virtuoso, and has performed with a variety of bluegrass and jazz musicians all over the world, including his wife Abigail Washburn, with whom he performed at the Lyons Folks Festival at Planet Bluegrass a few years ago.

Tickets are all sold out for the RockyGrass Academy and RockyGrass Festival, and all but one of the town campgrounds were fully booked as of this writing, so Lyons will be busy the last week of July. If you don’t have tickets and wonder what that music you’re

hearing in town is, here’s a list of performers from the Main Stage Schedule: Friday July 28 Béla Fleck 11a.m. to Noon Larry and Joe 12: 15 to 1:30 p.m.

Danny Paisley and the Southern Grass 1:45 to 3 p.m.

The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys 3:30 to 4:45 p.m.

Bush, Marshall, Meyer, Meyer 5:15 to 6:30 p.m.

Sierra Hull 7 to 8:30 p.m.

The Lil Smokies 9 to 10:30 p.m.

Saturday July 29 Instrument Contest Finals 9:15 to 11:15 a.m.

Pick and Howl 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

The Slocan Ramblers 12:45 to 1:45 p.m.

Hawktail 2 to 3:15 p.m.

Laurie Lewis 3:45 to 5 p.m.

Mighty Poplar 5:30 to 6:45 p.m.

Big Richard 7:15 to 8:30 p.m.

Lyons community. Being a grant reviewer is a fun way to learn about some of the exciting efforts going on in Lyons, and aid in the LCF granting. If you wish to be considered for the Grants Review Committee, please submit the application form that can be accessed on the LCF website, www.lyonscf.org. The commitment for this volunteer opportunity is two evenings in September. Applications to serve on the Grants Review Committee must be submitted by September 4, 2023.

I, for one, am looking forward to reviewing grant applications this year, and to learning about the innovative programs and projects that local organizations are hoping to have funded.

We will announce the grant recipients for 2023 in November.

Ella Levy is an Advisory Board member and Grants Committee Chair of the Lyons Community Foundation. She specializes professionally as a leader in the SaaS Technology sector and is a former non-profit fundraising professional. She has been a Boulder County resident for over 20 years and loves living in Lyons with her husband and new baby girl.

been able to publicize this event over the past three years. The publicity provided by the Redstone Review has added greatly to our exposure, which was reflected in increased ticket sales and interest in the tour.

Garden Club members include: Teresa Pennington, Beth Smith, Jeanne Moore, Sue Wratten, Debbie Simms, Patty McNichol, Robin Cowdery-Corvan, Janet Corson-Rikert, Sandy Spellman, Alison Jennings, myself Sara Erickson, Sharon Lynn, and Jane Carlough-Meline. LCG members can be seen on most Tuesdays working in our beds where the bears reside, across from Moxie. Drop by and say hello if you’re in the neighborhood.

If a kind reader knows of a garden they think is interesting, unique and/or noteworthy, go to the Contacts link at our website www.lyonsgardenclub.com and send a message. Also email us if you are interested in the club and want to attend our meetings and join in our activities.

We will put you on our mailing list. We welcome new members.

We hope to see you again for the next tour. Thanks to all.

Sara Erickson is a member of the Lyons Garden Club.

Sam Bush Bluegrass Band 9 to 10:30 p.m.

Sunday July 30 Gospel Set 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.

Stillhouse Junkies Noon to 1:15 p.m.

Jeremy Garrett to River Wild 1:30 to 2:45 p.m.

Fireside Collective 3:15 to 4:30 p.m.

AJ Lee and Blue Summit 5 to 6:15 p.m.

Peter Rowan’s Bluegrass Band 6:45 to 8 p.m.

Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway 8:30 to 10 p.m.

Planet Bluegrass also hosts a Song School devoted to songwriting and a Folks Festival centered on folk music in August, and hosts a Wildflower Concert Series with performances in September and October.

The 2023 Song School is sold out and the Folks Festival only had tickets available for the Sunday show as of this writing. So if you’d like to attend any of these very popular events, get on the stick. And watch out for the festivarians as you’re driving through town during the festival season.

JULY 19 / AUGUST 16, 2023

REDSTONE • REVIEW

SEASONS In your own words: A rant by a recovering teacher

By Jim Ramsay Redstone Review PINEWOOD SPRINGS – As a teacher of English as a second language to foreign college students, I spent a lot of time explaining why you can’t just copy words out of the books and articles you’ve read Ramsay and stick them into the papers you’re assigned in college courses.

Instead you need to read the information, absorb it and spit it out in your papers “in your own words.” By rewriting the information in different words, you demonstrate to your professors that you have understood the underlying meaning of what you have read, but more importantly you protect yourself from accusations of plagiarism, that most heinous of crimes in academia.

With the advent of “chat bots” like Microsoft’s ChatGPT and Google’s Bard, the concept of plagiarism may need reexamination. When copying meant painstakingly transcribing an author’s words from a book or a photocopy onto notebook paper and then reproducing those words onto a neatly typed page, it was easy to see how copying could be considered an act of theft.

I mean, the author had been published, accepted by a renowned editor and presumably paid, so the words were clearly his. Or hers. Or theirs. Today, however, copying is a simple swipe of the mouse or finger on a virtual page served up by a search engine, followed by a word processing command that takes ownership of the author’s words and allows them to be pasted anywhere you choose. At this point, whose words are they anyway?

Writing in a language not their own, my students were quick to point out that the words of the native speakers they were quoting seemed far better than their own, so why not use them? Why all this emphasis on synonyms and rephrasing when their own words can’t express these ideas as accurately and elegantly as the original?

Quoting an author directly is permitted, of course, so long as you enclose the text in quotation marks and slavishly follow the arcane rules for crediting the source you are quoting, but no professor is willing to accept a research paper that contains nothing but quotes. You might as well staple together photocopies from the books and articles you read and submit them. The teacher wants proof that you have not only found the authors’ words but also understood them, and to prove that you have understood them you need to restate them “in your own words.” For foreign students, a better test of comprehension would be translation into their own language, but the chance of finding a professor who speaks their language is so small that it would be unrealistic.

So how is this different in the era of Generative Pretrained Transformers (the GPT of ChatGPT)? Well, it seems the chat bots have mechanized the research and reporting process. In response to a well formed question, these bots will descend on the massive library that is the internet like a swarm of graduate students in search of answers, organize the answers into a report, and spit them out in well-formed sentences “in their own words.” This would seem to be the perfect tool for my foreign students.

Not only would it do the research for them, but it would also write the paper in their own words, or at least in the words of the bot. But would an AI-(Artificial Intelligence) generated research paper get past the discerning eye of a

college professor, many of whom are now armed with AI detection tools?

Early generative bots were designed to write computer programs based on the millions of lines of code on which they’d been trained, and they were very successful. Early chat bots were not quite as successful at generating English sentences, partially because the rules of human language are far more complex than those of computer language, but mainly because human expression reflects a socio-cultural experience that machines lack. Chat bots are getting better at passing for human through extensive training, but they still have a long ways to go, particularly in regard to distinguishing truth from falsehood.

“It must be true – I read it on the internet” would be a chat bot’s defense, but we all know how weak that argument is. Bots get their facts from the vast array of information, good and bad, available online. So if my imaginary foreign students are going to use chat bots to write their research papers, they'd better check them for truth before turning them in. And they’d better check their sources; an extensive bibliography listing books and articles by credible authors you have read is an essential part of a good research paper. But chat bots are coy about

Jonelle Tucker

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revealing their sources, and even their credibility is in question because chat bots have been accused of writing fake magazine and newspaper articles themselves so you never know when one chat bot might be quoting another.

There has been a lot of discussion lately about chat bots invading education, journalism, literature, poetry, songwriting and even screenwriting. Many of us feel threatened at the prospect that chat bots may take away our jobs, and we worry that strikebreaking networks may replace their human writers with an army of generative AI bots. But these bots are just tools, and in the hands of a talented writer these tools could take some of the drudgery out of routine writing tasks.

In my opinion, the real danger to society is the possibility that people will take these bots seriously and accept the mediocre output of generated AI as the standard for good writing. Hollywood writers went on strike to prevent studios from using bots to generate plots and dialog for TV shows, but from what I see (and I see a lot) it’s already happening. Take the TV series generated from the movie Fatal Attraction for example, a bot-generated plotline if I’ve ever seen one. And, because AI bots are so good at writing code, what’s to keep them from spawning more bots just like themselves, creating a closed system that generates content for us and other bots, and feeds upon that content to learn how to create more content?

Geoffrey Hinton, widely known as “the Godfather of A.I.,” recently reported that he plans to leave Google so he can speak out about the risks of A.I. (according to Cade Metz in The New York Times). I used to write user guides for a living, a lost art that has largely been taken over by automation and You Tube videos. If user guides were still being written today, that tedious and expensive task would have been the first to be taken over by bots. Instead we’ve learned to get along without them, relying instead on colleagues, wizards and online tutorials to learn how to use the tools of our trades.

So instead of trying to catch my imaginary foreign students at “cheating” with chat bots, maybe our time would be better spent teaching them how to put these bots to good use, and how to distinguish fact from fiction in the papers these bots generate.

Jim Ramsay was raised in Iowa, Iran, Nigeria and Afghanistan. He studied English at CU in Boulder and taught English as a Second Language in Tanzania, Botswana, the University of Illinois and the Economics Institute at CU. An affinity for computers led him to technical writing, and he wrote manuals for tech companies up and down the Front Range. He moved from Boulder to Pinewood Springs in the early 1990s to follow a dream of mountain living, and he’s still up there.

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PAGE 12

REDSTONE • REVIEW

WHAT’S COOKIN’ Cool summer bean salad for hot days

By Barbara Shark Redstone Review LYONS – After our cool, rainy June, my cooking is taking on the flavor of summer on these hot July days. The stands at the Longmont Farmers Market are laden with lettuces and other Shark greens, radishes, asparagus, peas, and apricots. So salad is on the menu for lunch and supper, especially when it’s just too hot to cook. As we eat less meat, I use beans, lentils, nuts and seeds, cheese, and yogurt to provide protein.

Here is a delicious summer salad easily put together. I use cooked Rancho Gordo beans (cook on a cool day and store in the freezer for fast, delicious home-cooked beans)

JULY 19 / AUGUST 16, 2023

but canned beans will do. Just be sure to rinse them and go easy on the salt. Use any variety – pinto, black, cannellini, or your favorite.

Warm in water one and one half, up to two, cups cooked beans in a saucepan. Drain and then dress them with one or two tablespoons olive oil, the juice and zest of a small lemon, and about a half teaspoon of hot red pepper flakes. Stir in a minced clove or two of garlic (or a chopped shallot) and add salt to taste.

At mealtime, stir in a handful of parsley and/or dill, roughly chopped.

Serve over salad greens and arugula, halved cherry tomatoes, and avocado chunks, all lightly dressed with olive oil. Top with crumbled feta or goat cheese. With a baguette from St. Vrain Market or a sourdough loaf from Moxie, it’s enough for two or three servings.

Barbara Shark is an artist and author of How I Learned to Cook, an Artist’s Life. She lives near Lyons, Colorado.

For more recipes, read her blog at www.howilearnedtocookanartistslife.blog.

Frances Kitching’s Bean Salad and Fresh Peach Salad – taste the Chesapeake Bay summer

By Catherine Metzger Redstone Review LYONS – I found a couple of delicious American-style salads in Frances Kitching’s Mrs. Kitching’s Smith Island Cookbook. This cookbook, first published in 1981, springs from the tiny Chesapeake Bay’s Smith Island that has been home to watermen since the 1600s.

Frances Kitching was a waterman’s wife and longtime boarding house operator on Smith Island who passed away in 2003, but her reputation for delicious, simple food remains. Her crab cake recipe is light and fluffy and is made without breadcrumbs. And although not attributable to her, Kitching and her cookbook eventually helped popularize the Smith Island Ten Layer Cake, which is still produced on the island and in 2008 became the State Dessert of Maryland.

These two recipes for Bean Salad and for Fresh Peach Salad might become new favorites for you. As an alternative, you might substitute some of the peaches for fresh blueberries and enjoy even more deliciousness.

Bean Salad Preparation time 10 minutes; chilling time 2 hours 1 15-ounce can French cut green beans 1 15-ounce can yellow beans 1 15-ounce can kidney beans 1 16-ounce can lima beans (optional) 1/2 cup diced celery 2 ounces jarred pimentos, chopped 1 large red onion sliced thinly into rings 3/4 cup vinegar 3/4 cup sugar (or 1/4 cup stevia-monk fruit mixture) 1/4 cup water 1/3 cup vegetable oil 1/2 teaspoon salt • Drain all beans and rinse well in colander with cold water; combine drained beans in large bowl.

• Add drained, chopped pimento and onion and celery to beans.

Mix together sugar, mayonnaise and sour cream. Pour over peaches. Chill. Serve on bed of lettuce. Or substitute half of the peaches for a quart of blueberries.

• Combine vinegar, sugar, oil, water and salt to beans and lightly toss.

• Refrigerate for at least two hours and serve.

Catherine Ripley Metzger has been cooking professionally and privately since 1979. She was a French cuisine journeyman at the celebrated Henri d’Afrique restaurant in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia. Today she is the proprietor of the food blog www.foodfortheages.com and cooks with curiosity from the ground up in her log cabin home on the Western slope of Colorado.

Fresh Peach Salad 9 fresh peaches, peeled and sliced (I left the skins on.)

1/4 cup sugar (or 1 tablespoon stevia-monk fruit) 1 tablespoon mayonnaise 1 cup sour cream

Lyons Lions & LEO Lions Service Clubs

B •R •I •E •F •S

A Call For New Active Lions Club Members

Continued from Page 1

July – but we did want to make sure that we were being safe during the peak runoff water levels. We’ve reduced our number of water rescue calls by taking this type of proactive approach to monitoring the river levels. Remember, if you do use the river for tubing, please make sure that everyone on the river has an approved life vest on, before you enter the water,” said Chief Zick.

455 Main Street, downtown Lyons 303-823-5225 • www.StVrainMarket.com

Time to do fire mitigation LYONS – Fire Chief Peter Zick said, “I know we’ve been overwhelmed with the amount of rain we’ve had over the past month. Although county-wide our wildland fire danger in low, as the temperatures continue to climb and dry out our landscape, the danger of wildfires will continually rise. Now is the perfect time to do as much proactive fire mitigation around your home as you can, to prepare for when we get into our red flag days, and for when our risk of wildfires increases.”

Lyons Fire will hold three community meetings LYONS – In the immediate future, the LFPD, with Chief Peter Zick as the main contact speaker, will hold three separate community meetings in August. The meetings will be open and informal and are an excellent chance for everyone in the community to come meet our crews in person, get to meet the newer LFPD staff, and ask questions about our service, or just come see all our equipment.

Chief Peter Zick plans to give a brief presentation of the increase in service capability that the LFPD has achieved recently Continue Briefs on Page 13

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The Lyons Leos youth club helps other organizations, individuals and groups in need.

Leos choose and manage service projects.

The Leos have organization validity: Lyons Lions Club sponsorship, an International Lions issued Charter, liability coverage.

Help preserve Leo Club by keeping Lions strong.

Interested is serving your community? Join Lyon’s oldest and longest serving organization, the Lyons Lions Club. Chartered by Lions International in 1946.

Our Lions and Leo Clubs’ goal is to preserve and foster our service in action for the Lyons area. Please help make that happen, join the club!

Contact us today to learn how we make a difference together!

Jerry Tabor, President gtabor6710@gmail.com Scott Leiding, Secretary scottleiding929@gmail.com Abby Wynja, LEO Club Mentor Abby@fitismed.com

JULY 19 / AUGUST 16, 2023

REDSTONE • REVIEW

PAGE 13

CROSSROADS Four Western spotted skunks found in a Lyons garage

By Mysti Tatro Redstone Review LONGMONT – Four Western spotted skunks found their way to Greenwood Wildlife after they were discovered hiding in Tatro a Lyons garage.

In the spring and summer, it is not uncommon for rehabilitation centers to receive calls about animals that have nested inside attics, chimneys, garages, and RVs. In most cases, the humane solution for unwanted critters squatting is to use harassment tactics. This deters the new family from sticking around and gives the wild mom a chance to move her babies.

Greenwood recommends three main tools to evict unwanted guests on your property: sight, sound, and smell harass-

ment. Placing bright lights in the area where you think the animal is denning will make it hard for them to sleep and feel properly hidden. Floodlights or motion-activated lights are great options. In addition to lights, you’ll want to play loud talk radio. The sound of human voices is threatening to most wild animals. Strong scents can annoy even skunks.

Placing apple cider vinegarsoaked tennis balls in the area will help. Deploy all three of these tools for several consecutive nights, and the animal is likely to leave on its own. After the animal has gone, it’s essential to seal the entryway they came in by capping chimneys, reinforcing vents with mesh, or patching holes. Over the years, experts have found this animal removal method even more effective than relocation. What stops the next animal from moving in if one critter finds your attic or chimney suitable for denning?

In the case of the four skunks from Lyons, unfortunately, exclusion tactics were not an option. The quartet of orphaned spotted stinkers arrived in a woven basket at Greenwood’s facility, each curled into a tennis ball-sized orb. Licensed rehabilitators thoroughly evaluated the little ones for signs of injury or disease before tucking them into a cozy crocheted nest. Soon after, each skunk was vaccinated and marked for easy differentiation.

A week later, the spotted mammals each weighed in at 100 grams, which is roughly as heavy as one medium-sized tomato. Each day, these young omnivores get a burst of energy as they nibble on their specially-formulated slurry, live crickets, chicken feet, and scrambled eggs. Luckily for Greenwood’s animal care staff, they do not yet have the ability to spray their malodorous scent, but they do whip their little behinds around to show us if they could, they would.

Western spotted skunks are known not only for their stinky defense mechanisms but also for their instinctive acrobatics.

When a predator corners a lone individ-

B •R •I •E •F •S Continued from Page 12

– as a result of our recent mill levy increase – and he also will outline plans for the future. We hope there will be some very interactive discussions, and welcome your participation!

The dates for these meetings are: Tuesday August 15 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.; Sunday August 20 from 9 to 11 a.m.; and Tuesday August 29 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

All meetings will be held at Fire Station # 1 at 251 Broadway. We look forward to seeing everyone there, and sure hope you can make it. Stay safe.

ual, it will balance on its front two paws, making it look larger and assisting the accuracy of its aim. Strong odor may be a well-known defense for skunks, but they try to avoid spraying, especially near their den, because the scent bothers even their noses.

After some time growing stronger in our intensive care unit, the siblings were moved into an outdoor enclosure where they could explore the sights and smells of the open air. Their space is stuffed with branches, hammocks, and tubes that help them round out their climbing abilities and give them a chance to explore. As the young ones get older and the days hotter, they become closer aligned with their nocturnal lifestyle. The skunks’ natural instincts are strong, but Greenwood still provides various enrichment activities that help them practice the skills they will use in the wild one day.

Rehabilitating striped skunks is illegal in Colorado due to their high incidence of rabies. However, under Colorado Parks and Wildlife regulations, Greenwood can care for these Western spotted skunk orphans. We hope to return the native Colorado species to their natural habitat by the end of the summer.

Mysti Tatro is the Communications and Marketing Coordinator at Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. For information, call 303-823-8455 or www.greenwoodwildlife.org.

BoCo Sheriff seeking volunteer victim advocates BOULDER COUNTY – The Boulder County Sheriff’s Office is seeking volunteers to serve as Victim Advocates for our onscene victim assistance program. Deadline to apply is August 18.

Victim Advocates provide assistance to victims of crime, accidents, trauma, and other critical events. Working as a Victim Advocate offers the volunteer the opportuContinue Briefs on Page 14

Travels with Redstone Noah Wratten traveled to Italy in June with his cousins, and grandparents Sue and Steve Wratten. They visited Venice, the Ligurian coast, Tuscany and Rome. Noah is shown here at the Rialto Bridge in Venice. Noah is 9 years old and is going into 5th grade at Lyons Elementary.

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.

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REDSTONE • REVIEW

JULY 19 / AUGUST 16, 2023

NATURE Not all wasps are the same when it comes to fighting one of agriculture’s most invasive pests

By Stacy Nick Redstone Review FORT COLLINS – For Enakshi Ghosh it was love at first sight.

“I was taking a tour at the National Bureau of Agricultural Research Insect Resources Museum in India, and the director showed me the tiny egg parasitoid under the microscope, and I cannot tell you how cute that wasp was,” said Ghosh, a Fulbright-Nehru Postdoctoral Researcher at Colorado State University’s Natural Enemy Ecology Lab in the College of Agricultural Sciences.

After that, Ghosh was hooked and knew her research would focus on parasitoid wasps and their invaluable service to agriculture.

“Everybody loves bees because they’re

Ghosh, along with CSU agricultural biology professor Paul Ode and postdoctoral researcher Ryan Paul, recently published a study analyzing how host plant chemistry enhances herbivore cellular immunity with differential effectiveness against two parasitoid species in the journal Functional Ecology.

Insect herbivores must simultaneously balance the effects of plant defensive chemistry with the top-down effects of natural enemies. At the intersection of these effects are herbivore immune systems, a trait that has been overlooked in studies of plant-insect interactions, Ghosh said.

Cruciferous plants such as cabbage, rapeseed, horseradish and mustard have a special defense strategy against insects called the “mustard oil bomb.”

Cotesia rubecula is a parasitoid wasp from the large wasp family Braconidae pollinators and cute, and they fear wasps because they think all they do is sting,” Ghosh said. “But wasps are very important, too.”

In addition to also being excellent pollinators, parasitoid wasps – think the microscopic variety rather than the big yellowjacket kind – are excellent at pest control, particularly against some of agriculture’s greatest enemies.

While it sounds nefarious, it’s actually where the plant stores glucosinolates, chemical defenses that react with an enzyme when caterpillars feed on it and damage the plant tissue. The higher the amount of glucosinolates, the more toxic the plant is to the caterpillar.

Selecting plant varieties based on how much of a “mustard oil bomb” can be pro-

Meet Bailey This sweet, 7.5 year old lady is always happy to see you. She loves getting out on adventures and going for walks, where her favorite thing to do is stop and sunbathe for a bit. Bailey is super playful, affectionate, and the sweetest girl ever. She loves lots of snuggles. Bailey knows “sit” and is ready to learn new skills. She would be a great fit for a home with children of any age.

Come in today and set up a visit. For more information visit www.longmonthumane.org, or call 303-772-1232.

The Longmont Humane Society. is located at 9595 Nelson Road.

Travels with Redstone Molly and Gordon Hardman traveled to Longyearbyen, Svalbard, 78 degrees north latitude and 1300 km from the North Pole.

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.

B •R •I •E •F •S Continued from Page 13

nity to touch the lives of others by providing a valuable source of support and information to those who have had their lives altered by traumatic events. Volunteers are needed for all shifts.

• Day shift is Monday through Thursday, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

• Night shift is Monday through Thursday, 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.

• Weekend shift is Friday 6 p.m. to Monday 6 a.m.

No prior experience is necessary, training

will be provided. The deadline to apply is at 5 p.m. on August 18, 2023. If accepted into the training program, volunteers attend 40 hours of free training in crisis intervention, grief response, legal procedures, law enforcement, and resource information. Trainings will be held on Tuesday evenings, Thursday evenings, and Saturdays, October 10 to 28. Ideal volunteers are at least 21 years old, calm, compassionate, emotionally mature, and non-judgmental.

For more details about the program, a volunteer description or an application, please visit the Boulder County Sheriff's Office website or contact Kris at 303-441-4737 or kroberts@bouldercounty.gov.

identity and the concentration of plant toxin will play a critical role in the success or failure of those agents, Ghosh said.

One example she gave compared mustards (which have a high toxicity) and collards (which have a low toxicity). While both types of parasitoid wasps would be effective in fighting an invasion of cabbage white butterflies in a collard field, that same invasion in a mustard field would re-

duced by them has been a key strategy for growers in keeping away pest insects in agro-ecosystems, Ghosh said. But while this is effective against most pests, the cabbage white butterfly, which is one of the world’s most invasive and costly pests to commercial growers of cruciferous plants, is immune.

Ghosh likens it to the way a specific diet can improve or worsen the human immune system.

“Caterpillar immunity depends on the plants they eat,” she said.

“We found that the cabbage white butterfly caterpillar has a cool evolutionary mechanism in which they actually utilize the toxin from plants to improve their immune system. This enhanced immunity can give them better protection against many natural enemies.”

Among those enemies are parasitic wasps, minute insects that lay their eggs inside or on the caterpillar. The wasp acquires all the nutrients from the caterpillar’s A cabbage white butterfly (Pieris rapae) body as it develops, eventually killing the caterpillar.

Not all parasitic wasps are successful quire the release of a specialist parasitoid biocontrol agents, Ghosh said. One reason wasp because the generalist’s defense is because the caterpillar’s immune system mechanisms would be rendered useless by is composed of blood cells called hemo- the caterpillar. This type of fundamental cytes. These immune cells form hardened research allows growers to take ecoimcapsules around the parasitoid eggs, ulti- munology into consideration when determining the best biocontrol agents, while mately asphyxiating the parasitoid.

But wasps can lay single eggs (solitary) also reducing the need for pesticides, or multiple eggs (gregarious) and attack a Ghosh said.

Taking the research out of the lab and specific caterpillar group (specialist) or multiple caterpillar groups (generalist). In greenhouse into the field is a critical next the case of the cabbage white butterfly step to the study, Ghosh said.

“In the field we have many other concaterpillar, researchers have identified that its immunity does not protect it from spe- tributing factors,” she said. “So doing the cialist or solitary parasitoids, Ghosh said. field work will be crucial. This way, holisThese particular parasitic wasps can inject tically, we can develop integrated pest venom or viruses with their eggs that are management.”

In addition, Ghosh said she hopes to capable of dismantling the caterpillar’s imimprove the acceptance of the much mamune system.

As biocontrol agents are used to control ligned wasp, at least the parasitic kind, as pest insects, knowing both the parasitoid a natural form of pest control.

JULY 19 / AUGUST 16, 2023

Honeywell Continued from Page 1 failed, the town sued Honeywell and its subcontractors in state court in 2021, seeking damages of up to $7 million. Honeywell exercised a contractual right to arbitrate, and arbitration before a three-member panel was pending at the time of the settlement.

Town wastewater rates were raised several times since the treatment facility went on line, in part to pay debt service for lowinterest loans taken out to build the new plant, but also to pay high operating costs and litigation expenses, estimated at $300,000 to $400,000. The town will bear its own legal expenses under the settlement.

In 2020, with operating problems and influent permit violations at the wastewater plant, Lyons obtained a new operating permit from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE). The new permit limits allowed more flexibility, but CHPHE required plant upgrades as a condition of re-permitting.

It should be noted that the treatment facility’s effluent – what is discharged into the St. Vrain River – has complied with state and federal limits. Problems were experienced from 2015 to 2020, however, in exceeding permitted influent limits for biological oxygen demand (BOD) and total suspended solids (TSS). Those problems contributed to higher operating and disposal costs and led to the re-permitting,

REDSTONE • REVIEW which itself cost around $100,000.

Much of the $1.8 million in settlement proceeds (less legal costs) is expected to be used to pay for CDPHE-required plant upgrades. Town Administrator Victoria Simonsen said the amount and scope of upgrades remains to be determined, but will be reviewed by Town staff, the plant operator, engineering consultants and the Utilities and Engineering Board (UEB).

The parties’ legal positions in the recently settled proceedings were far apart.

The town claimed Honeywell and its subcontractors (designer Tetra Tech, Inc., construction contractor J.R. Filanc, Inc. and FEI Engineers, Inc.) were responsible for as much as $7 million in damages arising from defective design, below-standard construction, and failure to meet energy savings and operating costs projections.

Honeywell, in turn, alleged the town failed to heed warnings that the new treatment facility was designed only to handle Lyons’ residential wastewater load, not industrial load or excessive fats, oil and grease from restaurants and other sources. Honeywell pointed to Spirit Hounds Distillery’s operations and Oskar Blues’ brewing as likely sources of BOD- and TSS-laden influent in excess of permitted and designed load capacity.

Upon plant completion in December 2015, Honeywell urged the town to adopt pretreatment and testing port ordinances to deal with non-residential wastewater. It

LEAF Continued from Page 8 In the meantime, check out our website at leaflyons.org to learn more about LEAF and this critical project.

The timing for our upcoming move couldn’t be better, because Megan Kram LCSW LAC officially joined our staff last week as a therapist with our Mental Wellness and Addiction Recovery program, thanks to ARPA funding through our partner Boulder County. Now she needs a place from which to work. With a successful conclusion to our capital campaign, the Mental Wellness space we create in our new location will be perfect: welcoming, confidential, professional, and unduplicated.

Our entire team is eager to get started with additional therapy, growing groups, classes, services for youth, and more.

Please take a few minutes to learn more about Megan Kram and Program Director Cherie Maureaux, and the investments they are making in our community’s mental health and wellbeing. You can do so at our website (leaflyons.org).

Or better yet, attend an upcoming “Share and Tell Summer Listening Tour” sessions. Join Maureaux and Kram (and certified therapy dog, Callie) for a light and interactive opportunity to learn a bit about substance abuse/addiction and the mental health services we offer.

PAGE 15

also urged inspection and strict monitoring of grease traps at local restaurants.

Although the Town’s UEB citizen board recommended in 2016 that the Board of Trustees adopt a pretreatment ordinance, the BOT did not enact one until 2020. A UEB report in 2016 stated that at least four local food businesses did not have grease traps in place and others were not cleaning them regularly. The town subsequently increased grease trap compliance efforts.

In the litigation, Honeywell had also sought payment for an additional $430,000 of contract “extras” approved by the Lyons BOT during the 2014-15 construction process. The town had already paid $100,000 in “extras,” but ceased payments after disputes arose with Honeywell.

The town also faced other legal risks in the suits and arbitration. Part of the damages sought were unrealized energy cost savings promised by Honeywell. Honeywell, however, pointed to a provision in the contract, approved by the BOT in 2015 with advice from former counsel, stating the cost savings were deemed satisfied upon execution of the contract by the town.

Additionally, the town’s claims of defective design suggested professional negligence, but Honeywell asserted that the two-year statute of limitations for negligence suits had expired by the time suit was filed, creating problems for the town’s legal case. The town also alleged breaches

We invite you to share what kinds of services and supports you want and need from us, too.

Our team is passionately invested and committed to this community’s mental health and wellbeing. Won’t you partner with us by communicating your experiences, observations, and needs? In other words, help us help you. The “Share and Tell Summer Listening Tour” sessions are set for Thursday, July 27 from 1 to 2:30 p.m. and Thursday, August 3 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Both sessions will be in the Lyons Library Community Room.

Teens and adults are welcome, and we’ll provide light snacks (and a dog to pet).

I hope our gratitude and excitement for all the good things that are happening at LEAF shine through in these written words. I hope you share in our gratitude and excitement, too. Please consider supporting our headquarters project, and our daily operating needs, too. We recognize that your financial support is a serious and often sacrificial decision. We promise to take good care of your financial gifts and to deliver well run and thoughtful services that lead to improved lives, growing relationships, and greater independence. We Are Here, and we’re building healthy community in Lyons together with you.

of contract, but Honeywell contested the contractual nature of some claims.

Finally, had disputes with Honeywell and its subcontractors not been settled through mediation, the town faced potential liability for the three-member arbitration panel’s fees and expenses, which could have been substantial. More legal and expert witness fees would also have been incurred.

Full disclosure and analysis: The writer served on the Lyons Board of Trustees from 2018 to 2022. Many discussions about the wastewater facility and the strengths and weaknesses of the town’s legal position took place in BOT executive sessions before, during and after that period of service.

While I remain ethically and legally obligated not to divulge confidential and privileged executive session discussions, I can say that, under the circumstances and background summarized above, receiving $1.8 million is as good an outcome for the town as could reasonably be expected and ample reasons support the current BOT’s approval of the settlement.

The information and analysis in this column is based on information that is available to the public and this is my own interpretation and analysis.

Mark Browning is a Lyons resident and retired attorney. He is active with the Lyons Volunteers and Lyon Emergency & Assistance Fund.

Town Continued from Page 1 more beautiful. Rogin said she would contact LAHC to reach out.

At the July 5 town board meeting, there was an amendment to Ordinance 1148 to amend hours of operation for the town parks. The amendment allows for Town Administrator approval for use of a town park after dusk. Ordinance 1148 and the amendment passed unanimously.

At that same meeting the BOT, which also serves as the Lyons Liquor Licensing Authority, approved the transfer of a liquor license from the Stone Cup to FARRA, which is located at 442 High St., Unit 2. The BOT voted to transfer the liquor license. During general business, the BOT received an update from staff that Boulder County approved $600,000 from the town’s transportation and open space budgets to support the St. Vrain Trail Extension project. The trail extension originally had a $622,000 shortfall. With the additional county funding, design may continue.

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Dot Fears

associate broker associate broker

FABULOUS RANCH-STYLE HOME IN THE SALE PENDING BEAUTIFUL STONE CANYON SUBDIVISION! This spacious home features one-level living with a large open kitchen/great room, master bedroom and 2 secondary bedrooms. Gorgeous views of the foothills from the large back deck, or inside via an entire wall of west-facing windows! Newly-finished walk-out basement featuring large family room, 2 more large bedrooms, full bath and kitchenette. Main level boasts an oversized 3-car garage, new stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, eat-in kitchen, hardwood flooring, gas fireplace and master bath with jacuzzi tub. Outside you will find a welcoming front porch seating area, downstairs patio, and a remote wireless irrigation system.

139 Stone Canyon Drive, Lyons / $1,120,000

WELCOME TO THIS CHARMING MOUNTAIN SOLD RETREAT IN RAYMOND, CO! Step onto the spacious covered porch and be captivated by the gentle roar of the Middle Saint Vrain River, creating a tranquil ambiance. This well-built 11⁄ 2 story cabin boasts a cozy yet spacious living room, perfect for relaxing or entertaining friends and family. The main floor features a fully equipped kitchen, a comfortable bedroom, and a beautifully renovated full bath. Upstairs, you’ll find an open loft area that serves as a versatile study or office space, along with a second bedroom for additional privacy. A recent addition is the custom sandstone patio in the backyard, complete with a welcoming fire pit.

2786 Riverside Drive, Lyons / $520,000

YOUR FUTURE HOME IN NIWOT, COLORADO IS HERE! This beautiful ranch style home has been meticulously cared for and allows movein ready, low maintenance living. With a lush, but hardscape backyard, targeted sprinkler system, and tidy front yard, the new owner can focus on enjoying their new home instead of working on it constantly. Walk to downtown Niwot for shops, market, a brewery and restaurants or one of the 3 parks by this home. The 4th bedroom in the basement is non-conforming but could also be an office or activity space. LISTED BY IAN PHILLIPS 6802 Camelia Court, Niwot / $810,000

SPECTACULAR 64 ACRE PRIVATE PARADISE WITH STUNNING BACK RANGE VIEWS AND EASY ACCESS JUST MINUTES FROM THE TOWN OF LYONS ADJACENT TO NATIONAL FOREST LAND! Heavily forested with pine and aspen groves, along with two gorgeous wildflower-filled mountain meadows. Abundant southern exposure for your solar projects, and plenty of usable terrain. Former Boy Scout camp. Numerous rock outcroppings. Hike or bike right from your front door!!

948 Spruce Drive, Lyons / $524,000

SOLD

SWEET LITTLE LOT 17 MINUTES FROM LYONS FOR YOUR MOUNTAIN RETREAT! 2/3 acre size makes for affordability, rare these days! In the middle of a forest , so plenty of tree energy! Features of this lot include fairly easy road and driveway access, good sun, and mostly usable terrain, gently sloping to the south. A magnificent backrange view would most likely be accessible from a second story. Enjoy unlimited access to Roosevelt National Forest right across the road! Owner financing a possibility with a minimum of 25% down payment...

49 Pine Drive, Lyons / $75,000

SALE PENDING

GORGEOUS VIEWS, EASY ACCESS, AND EXCELLENT SOLD SOUTHERN EXPOSURE ARE THE MAIN FEATURES OF THIS 1.36 ACRE LOT ADJOINING 99 ACRES OF PRIVATE OPEN SPACE WITH HIKING TRAILS AND LITTLE THOMPSON RIVER FRONTAGE! Just 10 minutes from Town of Lyons with all of its highly rated schools, music & art festivals, restaurants, parks & trails. Electricity and shared well at the lot—no water tap fees! Amazing geological features, river valley, and abundant wildlife!

Sunship is a small community sharing a vision of peaceful & sustainable living. Minimum square footage is 1,000sf. Covenants prohibit manufactured and tiny homes.

1115 Vision Way, Lyons / $185,000