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VOLUME 15, NUMBER 7
LYONS, COLORADO
RESIDENT / OCCUPANT PRSRT STD ECRWSS US POSTAGE PAID LYONS, CO PERMIT No 2053 $.50
AUGUST 13 / SEPTEMBER 17, 2014
B •R •I •E •F •S Gov. Hickenlooper scheduled to be in Lyons Saturday, 9/13 LYONS – Governor John Hickenlooper is scheduled to attend the Cyclists 4 Lyons and VIVA LYONS! fundraising events at Bohn Park in Lyons on Saturday, September 13. He will present awards to volunteers who helped rebuild the town. State Representative Jonathan Singer will join the governor, along with special musical guests to be announced. The Governor and Lieutenant Governor Joe Garcia will be attending various events throughout the day in recognition of Colorado United’s Day of Service. The day is a celebration of Colorado’s unyielding resilience, undeniable unity and unwavering commitment to service. The Colorado United Day of Service will culminate with a planned concert, food and drink at 5 p.m. in Lyons, at Bohn Park.
Upcoming Housing Recovery Task Force meetings
Eagle Canyon Sunset. Photo © 2014 Thomas F. Woods
Tuesday, Aug. 19: CU Denver College of Architecture and Planning graduate class presents both final plans (Public Engagement Plan and Site Alternatives Analysis) at HRTF meeting, 6 – 8 p.m. at Lyons Town Hall. Tuesday, Sept. 2: Presentation of Site Alternatives Analysis to the Lyons Board of Trustees Continue Briefs on Page 5
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Lyons passes recreational marijuana ordinances after hours of wrangling By Susan de Castro McCann Redstone Review Editor LYONS – The Board of Trustees, BOT, after hours of discussion, friendly amendments, public comments, and discussions with attorney Tim Cox, finally passed two recreational marijuana ordinances. The first ordinance will regulate the sale, production, cultivation, infused products and testing labs of marijuana and the second ordinance will create a separate sales tax specifically concerning recreational marijuana, starting out at 3.5 percent and allowing it to rise to 10 percent over time. This ordinance will go to a vote of the people in November. The BOT was concerned that the language on this ordinance for the ballot was not specific enough and some people might think that all sales taxes were going up. But Attorney Cox said that the attorney at his firm who writes the language for ballot questions sticks to a very specific formula that passes all the criteria required and he did not recommend tampering with it. Before the BOT arrived at the point of voting on the two ordinances, members of the audience spoke to several issues during the public hearing, among them the words of Trustee Jim Kerr, which came back to haunt him. At the board meeting on July 21, Kerr compared marijuana sales to a distillery’s sales in Lyons, saying that Spirit Hound Distillers did not pay sales tax to Lyons. The owners of Spirit Hound, Craig
Englehorn, Wayne Anderson, Neal Sullivan and Matt Rooney took offense at Kerr’s comments, and their objections are now part of the public record. Englehorn read a statement at the August 4 board meeting saying that the distillery and tasting room business pays what amounts to 20 percent in sales and excise taxes. He said that Spirit Hound is permitted, regulated and licensed by the fed-
eral, state, county, health department, the State of Georgia and local government. It pays sales tax on the items / drinks sold in the tasting room as well as paying county and state taxes on the items sold by the wholesale business. “Our customers have now been asking us why we don’t pay tax,” said Englehorn. “Furthermore, for Trustee Kerr to debate Lyons sales tax policies leveraging misinformation that Spirit Hound Distillers doesn’t pay tax is poor government in action. Spirit Hound Distillers is part of an industry tightly Continue Town on Page 19
Anniversary commemorative events are a chance to take a rest from recovery By Janaki Jane Redstone Review LYONS – The “Lyons One Year Strong” logo will soon be everywhere in Lyons. Stickers, flags, hats and a mural will all attest to the strength of this little town. Lyons One Year Strong is the umbrella name for all events commemorating the one-year anniversary of the September 2013 floods. (In the middle of this paper is a schedule of events for that entire weekend.) Reflecting on what the floods did to community of Lyons may not appeal to everyone. But just as we have wakes and funerals for loved ones, and continue to raise a glass in memory of those who have departed, a need is addressed when a community comes together to remember. The Lyons One Year
Strong events are to support the residents of Lyons through the days of what could be difficult time, and make it as much as possible a time of coming together and appreciating our strengths. The main events in Lyons kick off on Thursday evening and finish up Sunday evening at the Wildflower Pavilion at the resurrected Planet Bluegrass. The days in between are filled with something for everyone. September 12 in Lyons will be a great day to take off work at noon and come be in the community. Things start at 1:45 pm with the unveiling of the 3-D Lyons One Year Strong Continue Anniversary on Page 18