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VOLUME 16, NUMBER 6
LYONS, COLORADO
RESIDENT / OCCUPANT PRSRT STD ECRWSS US POSTAGE PAID LYONS, CO PERMIT No 2053 $.50
JULY 15 / AUGUST 19, 2015
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CU-Boulder students, faculty primed for July 14 Pluto encounter BOULDER – After a nine-year journey of 3 billion miles, a pianosized, power-packed NASA spacecraft has an upcoming date with history that some University of Colorado Boulder students, faculty and alumni wouldn’t miss for the world. Tuesday, July 14, is the day the New Horizons spacecraft whips by Pluto and become the first ever spacecraft to visit perhaps the most enchanting planet. A team of CUBoulder students designed, built and tested the Student Dust Counter (SDC) for the mission to measure dust particles along the way. These particles are remnants of collisions between solar system bodies, and this is the first student-built and operated instrument ever to fly on a NASA planetary mission. “I’m thrilled to be a be a part of this mission,” said doctoral student Jamey Szalay. “Since launch we have been flying through the disk of the solar system, learning about its structure and how planets push dust around.” The dust counter is a thin plastic film resting on a honeycombed aluminum structure the size of a cake pan mounted on the spacecraft’s exterior. CU-Boulder Professor Fran Bagenal, a mission co-investigator, leads the New Horizons Particles and Plasma Team. Bagenal was a member of the original “Pluto Underground” – a small, dogged Continue Briefs on Page 6
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I •N •D •E •X LYONS
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MAYOR’S CORNER
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OPTIONS
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OPPORTUNITY
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INTENTION
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INSIGHT
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CONTEXT
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A&E
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FOUNDATION
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INTEREST
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CONNECTIONS
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ELEMENTS
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NATURE
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Denali is a male Grevy’s zebra, born in the early hours of New Year’s Day, 2015. This is the second foal born to parents Crestone and Punda. Denver Zoo currently houses eight zebras, including four adult females, one adult male, and three foals. The Denver Zoo is located in Denver’s City Park and is open every day of the year. Go to www.denverzoo.org for more information. PHOTO BY DAVE PARSONS, DENVER ZOO
Town board looks at increasing sales tax, building new public works building By Susan de Castro McCann Redstone Review Editor LYONS – At a workshop late in June, the Lyons Board of Trustees, BOT, discussed ways to increase revenue for the general fund for capital improvements. It looked at many types of fees and taxes focusing on sales tax revenue because these revenues have not been raised since 1988 and Lyons rates are low compared to other towns in the county. At the July 6 BOT meeting the board passed an ordinance on first reading to ask voters at an election to be held on November 3 to approve a 0.5 percent sales tax increase. If the voters approve the increase in sales tax, it would increase the local sales and use tax rate from 3 percent to 3.5 percent. There will be a public hearing and second reading on July 20, 2015. If passed on second reading, the question will be placed on the November 3, 2015 ballot. The BOT held an election to raise sales taxes in November 2009. Voters were asked to approve a 0.75 percent increase in sales taxes at that time. The vote failed by 16 votes. A few people in town organized a campaign against the sales tax. But since the flood devastated the town in September 2013 and now needs funding for capital improvements, the BOT hopes that this election will be more successful. The BOT is anticipating that the 0.5 percent increase would bring in about $100,000 annually. Sales tax revenues have not been able to keep up with inflation or the cost of services even though they have remained steady over the last few years. In other matters the town has been
searching for a new site for the public works building. The old site was destroyed in the flood. The building was temporarily relocated on Colorado Highway 66 next to the Blue Mountain Stone business where a motel was located until a flood destroyed it. On June 18, Lyons Valley Village, the Parks and Rec commission, several staff members and other stakeholders were invited to a meeting at Town Hall. Victoria Simonsen, Lyons town administrator, facilitated the meeting and representatives from Trestle (consulting firm) explained the process for looking for sites to construct a new Public Works and Parks building. The favored sites from the perspective of Trestle and the town administration were Second Ave., options 1 and 2. The town administration and Trestle listened to concerns, ideas and suggestions. No conclusions were reached, but attendees were promised to be kept up to date as plans and ideas developed. One suggestion from the audience was to put the facility on the north end of the Mormon Church property; staff said it would investigate. Rebuilding on the original site was okay by FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency), but the town’s insurer had more stipulations such as higher premiums and larger deductibles. The board approved three ordinances, one to modify minimum lot sizes provided lot area remains conforming; one for businesses transporting discarded materials within the town of Lyons; and an ordinance approving a lease of town property to Spirit Hound Distillers at 4196 Ute Highway on second reading. The Housing Committee is down to four members and would like to have more mem-
bers on the committee. Craig Ferguson, formerly on the committee, closed on the Valley Bank property and transferred it to Planet Bluegrass as the developer. Habitat for Humanity plans to purchase six parcels of Valley Bank property to build six homes or units for affordable housing. The bank building would be used for commercial businesses. A request for proposals is out to do repairs on the Second Avenue Bridge and the McConnell Bridge. The McConnell Bridge will be repaired first. And Simonsen said that construction is ready to begin on the new stop light at US Highway 36 and Stone Canyon where the U Pump It gas station is located. Now we know that even if all the money is in place for a new stop light, it will still take CDOT (Colorado Department of Transportation) about 4 to 5 years to get it installed.
Jantzen Baumler, 5 years old, eats a cookie while standing near the little railroad train at the home of Ann and Steve Haskew. Every year on the 4th of July the Haskews set up an elaborate village in the gardens around their house and invite anyone who wants to see their model trains set up on tracks that go though the miniature village, over a pond with a waterfall, through a tunnel and back again. The little trains delight both children and adults. Baumler was fascinated with a car that carried rubber animals. Each time the car came by he loaded a new animal into the car.