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LOOK FOR REDSTONE REVIEW AT ISSUU.COM / SDCMC VOLUME 18, NUMBER 11
LYONS, COLORADO
RESIDENT / OCCUPANT PRSRT STD ECRWSS US POSTAGE PAID LYONS, CO PERMIT No 2053 $.50
DECEMBER 13, 2017 / JANUARY 17, 2018
B •R •I •E •F •S Christmas Food Boxes LYONS – About 40 families will receive Christmas food boxes this year thanks to some help from Higher Ground Ministries and Sam Tallent, help also from the Lyons Leos, from Lyons Emergency Assistance Fund (LEAF) from the Lyons Elementary School, and from the Boulder County Sheriff’s Deputies and volunteers. The assembly line will begin around 2 p.m. at the Lyons Community Church on Fourth Ave. and Main, in the lower level, on Thursday, December 14. The Sheriff Deputies will help people carry the boxes out to their cars when they come in later in the afternoon. Higher Ground Ministries will accept donations to help with the cost of the boxes. For information, call the Stone Cup at 303-823-2345.
Christmas Eve Services LYONS – On Sunday, December 24 Lyons Communtiy Church will hold a Christmas Eve Candle Light Service at 5 p.m. The church is located at 350 Main Street. Everyone is welcome. The service will focus on Psalm 96 and Luke 2: 1-20. Pastor Emily Kintzel will conduct the service. For more information call the church at 303-823-6245.
Christmas Eve service at the Wildflower Pavilion LYONS – Everyone is invited to celebrate the 13th Annual Community Christmas Eve service at the Wildflower Pavilion at Planet Bluegrass on Sunday, December 24, at 5 p.m. There will be live music and lots of singing with favorite Christmas carols. A love offering will be taken for Continue Briefs on Page 5
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INTEREST
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OPPORTUNITY
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FOUNDATION
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CREATE
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Wesley Marks, 4, of Lyons, met with Santa at the annual Lyons Holiday Bazaar, held this year on December 2 and 3.
Board votes on 5-acre rule, Honeywell and town lawyers disagree on contract By Susan de Castro McCann Redstone Review Editor LYONS – The Lyons Town Board, after months of discussion and debate, passed a modification of the 5-acre rule. The rule originally stated that any parcel of land to be annexed to the town over 5 acres and not owned by the town had to go to a vote of the people. Since the rule became part of the building code about 20 years ago, only one parcel over 5 acres has been annexed to the town and that was the Planet Bluegrass Farm at the west end of Lyons. A vote was held last summer and the 25-acre farm was officially annexed. Ever since the flood in 2013, various members of the town board have spoken out against the 5-acre rule. Mayor Connie Sullivan pointed out that there were some large parcels on the eastern edge of town that could be annexed and used for replacing housing that was destroyed by the flood. She and some other board members said that the rule is an impediment to growth. Trustee Dan Greenberg said that he was hesitant about taking the vote away from the people.
Mayor Sullivan said, “We are the least diverse part of Boulder County. Our median income in Lyons is $93,844 (per person per year) and the median income for Boulder County is $58,620 (per person per year).” She added that Lyons had a very limited amount of land to develop and that affordable housing was a priority. A number of people spoke for and against the new ordinance. Former Mayor Nick Angelo had a change of heart and said in a letter that he believes the 5-acre rule is outdated and should be done away with. Others including former Trustee Dawn Weller said that the annexation of Planet Bluegrass Farm showed that voting for annexations works and that people want to keep the vote in place. The board voted for the new ordinance that allows parcels larger than 5-acres to be annexed without going to a vote, but only in the eastern corridor planning area. The board expanded the 5-acre rule to 10 acres in the eastern corridor for development without a vote. They stipulated that this did not apply to Apple Valley or to the Old South St. Vrain area. In other matters, the board listened to a
PHOTO BY CATHY RIVERS
financial report from Finance Director Anna Canada. The 2018 budget must be approved by the board and sent to the county by December 15. The expenditures in the proposed budget are $32,273,742 and the proposed revenues are $31,444,617. This is very similar to the budget from last year where expenditures were $32,410,762 and revenues were $32,694,659. The state requires all municipal budgets to be balanced. Canada explained that the budget is always changing with new revenues being added and subtracted throughout the year, since some of the figures are estimates and will change. Sales tax is difficult to predict since it is not known in advance how well each business will do or how much businesses will collect in sales taxes each year. New businesses may start up and some leave. Usually the budget is not reconciled until the end of the year. The board had a discussion about the ongoing issue with Honeywell International on the so-called cost over-runs with the new sewer/waste water treatment plant. It seems that the plant has not lived up to its promised level of operation capability. But Honeywell is asking for more money from the town for delays and cost over-runs. Honeywell is asking for over $500,000, saying that they were delayed in starting the Continue Town on Page 15