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VOLUME 22, NUMBER 6
LYONS, COLORADO
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JULY 14 / AUGUST 18, 2021
B •R •I •E •F •S Forty Ninth Annual Rockygrass Festival is almost here LYONS – After a year without any rhythm the music is back with the 49th Rockygrass Bluegrass Festival at Planet Bluegrass. Rockygrass this year will take place on July 23, 24, and 25; single day passes are sold out but three-day passes are available. Friday July 23 on the Main Stage the Infamous Stringdusters, Tony Rice Tribute, the Tim O’Brien Band, Special Consensus and others will perform. Saturday July 24 Sam Bush, Bela Fleck and Abigail Washburn, the Lil Smokies, Sierra Hull and Justin Moses, Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper and others will perform. Sunday July 25 Bela Fleck: My Bluegrass Heart, the Del McCoury Band, Della Mae, Twisted Pine, the Old Gospel Ship featuring Greg Blake, KC Groves and Jake Simpson and others will perform. For more information go to the Planet website planet@bluegrass.com or call 1-800-624-2422.
Sandstone Summer Concert Series LYONS – The Sandstone Concerts is back for the season. The concerts are free, thanks to the support of the Lyons Community Foundation. Summer in Lyons means the air is warm, the creek is flowing and music is playing at Sandstone Park. The concerts take place on Thursdays through August 26 at the Raul Vasquez Community Stage in Sandstone Park beginning at 6:30 p.m. Usually several food trucks show up with great food and drinks. So bring your chairs and blankets, your friends and family and enjoy the music. The next concert will feature Joe Kuckla and Irons in the Fire on July 15. Billy Shaddox Band will perform on July 22; Arthur Lee Land Band will perform on July 29; the 89s will perform on Aug. 5; Blue Canyon Boys will perform on August 12; the Dechen Hawk Band will perform on August 26.
Senior Lunch Program LYONS – The Senior Lunch Program is opening up for seniors age 60 plus. The lunch program will reopen for lunches, beginning on Continue A&E on Page 7
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Steve and Anne Haskew have spent 30 years creating one of the finest narrow gauge model train gardens in northern Colorado. Located behind their sloped Spring Gulch home, the Haskews invite the public to enjoy the model trains several times a year, usually around the 4th of July and Labor Day. PHOTO BY CATHY RIVERS
Town board updated on gas tanker spill, St. Vrain Trail project, Bald Eagle sends off a fallen officer By Susan de Castro McCann Redstone Review Editor LYONS – The Lyons Town Board worked its way through a busy agenda at its regular meeting just after the fourth of July. Town Administrator Victoria Simonsen gave an update on the gas tanker spill. On April 27, 2021, a tanker truck carrying 8,500 gallons of gasoline rolled over on U.S. Highway 36 near mile marker 18, just north of the Apple Valley neighborhood and adjacent to the North St. Vrain Creek in Lyons. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) led the investigation and reported up to 1,600 gallons of spilled gasoline. The impacts to the creek were reported by local residents and monitored by the EPA and local partners, including the Left Hand Watershed Center (the Watershed Center). On April 27 and 28, EPA measured water quality impacts of toxic organic components of gasoline: Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, and Xylene (BTEX) and Gasoline Range Organics (GRO). The EPA concluded that there were no long-lasting impacts to water quality, and that any negative impacts were in the immediate pulse of gasoline after the rollover. On April 30, the Left Hand Watershed Center collected benthic macroinvertebrate (BMI) samples throughout the impacted area to further assess the magnitude and spatial extent of impacts to the biological community. The EPA said, “We found that the upstream Button Rock site showed no impairments, as expected. Downstream of the rollover, we found that communities were most impaired (compared to past years) immediately downstream at Apple Valley North site, and impairments were evident at Bohn Park. At Apple Valley North, MMI and percent intolerant taxa scores after the postrollover gasoline spill decreased nearly 22 points and 46 percent, respectively. This is a clear indication of impairment. These effects were also evident as far downstream as Bohn Park, with an on-site decrease in nearly 12
points for MMI and 29 percent for percent intolerant taxa. Spatially, there were slight improvements the farther downstream the site.” The EPA plans to continue monitoring the site and meeting with officials regarding the water quality, vegetation, wildlife habitat, etc. In other news the new chair of Planning and Community Development Commission (PCDC) was installed. Long-time PCDC member and Chair Gregg Oetting said goodbye at this meeting, and the PCDC elected David Hamrick as the new chair. At the June 28, workshop, the PCDC heard from the committee on design guidelines (Commissioner Dreistadt and Chair Hamrick) and discussed the work being done around site / development plan review code revisions. On another front, the Highland Ditch Company Board met with town staff to discuss the St. Vrain Corridor trail project that is being considered. Highland and the Town Board have had a somewhat bumpy relationship ever since Highland rebuilt its diversion structure on the St. Vrain River and ignored all the Federal Emergency Management Agency requirements and the permits after the flood destroyed the original diversion structure. Highland eventually came to an agreement with the Town of Lyons and FEMA after making some modifications to the structure. On the trail project the Highland Ditch Board did express an interest in working with the Town on making the project successful, but also expressed disappointment with comments made by specific individuals previously that did not encourage a positive partnership. Specifically, Highland feels that the property that was quit claim deeded was a land swap, not a straight purchase for $10. Staff has been researching the issue; it appears that the railroad right of way was split between the Town and Highland Ditch in this area. The $10 charge was a filing fee. Both sides hope to move forward with the trail project. On a positive note, Sheriff’s Deputy Sgt. Bill Crist told the board an emotional story about
the funeral that he took part in for a fallen officer recently. Sgt. Crist said he was a part of the funeral parade ceremony in full uniform and when the family of the fallen officer passed by all the officers saluted the family entourage as is the custom. He said that he happened to glance up at a telephone pole lining the highway. “I saw the largest bald eagle I have ever seen watching the whole procession and I thought what a wonderful sendoff for our fellow officer to have this bald eagle, our American symbol, watching the whole procession.” In other matters the board passed on first reading Ordinance 1102 amending Condominiumization Regulations. The board had asked Attorney Brandon Dittman to create this ordinance due to concern that ADUs (Accessory Dwelling Units) might be turned into condos and sold, thereby allowing the owner to escape paying water / sewer tap fees and potential water share fees. Attorney Dittman told the board that he patterned the ordinance after a similar ordinances in some other cities. After accepting several amendments, the board passed the ordinance 1102 by 7 to 0 on first reading. The board also passed by 7 to 0 ordinance 1103, creating a change in the policy for net metering. Utilities Director Aaron Caplan said that a problem had been revealed when the town’s electric rate structure had been reviewed. The review had shown that customers that do not produce their own electricity are subsidizing customers who do produce their own electricity. The problem is that the customers who produce electricity are compensated for the electricity they deliver to the town at the town’s retail rate when the Town could alternatively purchase renewable electric energy from the Municipal Energy Agency of Nebraska (“MEAN”), the town’s wholesale supplier of electricity, at a lesser rate. As a result of this discovery, the board desires to amend Section 13- 3-90 to adjust the Continue Town on Page 14