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EDSTONE
RESIDENT / OCCUPANT PRSRT STD ECRWSS US POSTAGE PAID LYONS, CO PERMIT No 2053
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Redstone stands with President Zelensky and the people in Ukraine
VOLUME 24, NUMBER 5
LYONS, COLORADO
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JUNE 14 / JULY 19, 2023
B •R •I •E •F •S Tubing ban on St Vrain Creek LYONS – Sheriff Curtis Johnson, after consultation with the Town of Lyons and the Lyons Fire Protection District, has concluded that, in the interest of public safety, the North and Saint Vrain creeks and river will be closed to tubing and single chamber flotation devices. The closure took effect on June 8, 2023 at 8 a.m. and encompass the North Saint Vrain and Saint Vrain Creek from Apple Valley Road to North Foothills Highway. The closure includes watercraft such as single-chamber rafts, single-chamber belly boats, and inner tubes from floating in the creek. There is a specific exemption for kayaks and white-water canoes, which are permitted. Nonetheless, kayakers are strongly encouraged to exercise caution and wear personal protection equipment, including a life jacket. The tubing ban/closure will remain in effect until rescinded by the Sheriff.
History Day at the Lyons Redstone Museum, June 24 LYONS – Join us at 1p.m. on June 24 on the lawn of the Lyons Redstone Museum for History Day. Events include an update on museum activities, remarks from the Town of Lyons and the Historic Preservation Commission. We will present certificates to graduating Seniors of Lyons Pioneer Families and a Certificate of Appreciation to Kathleen Spring for 25 years of service to the Redstone Museum. Activities include a selection of Pioneer Games that visitors can try their hand at and experiencing a Camera Obscura. The Camera Obscura predates photography and was a way of projecting images onto a white background. It was used to view eclipses and by the 16th century was an aid to artists. We look forward to seeing you for an afternoon of history, fun, and refreshments.
Spring run off – learn how much water is in the river LYONS – The Colorado Department of Natural Resources has a measurement and observation station for the St Vrain in Lyons. Continue Briefs on Page 3
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Helena Yardley of Lyons caught this spectacular morning rainbow on June 2.
Town Board drops monthly bulk water fee, learns first tenants will move into Summit Housing this June By Susan de Castro McCann Redstone Review Editor LYONS – At a recent Lyons Town Board meeting in June, Sgt. Cody Sears, the BoCo Sheriff’s Department substation manager, told the board that 45,000 cars came though town on Memorial Day weekend. Summer has arrived and the tourists are on their way through Lyons to Rocky Mountain National Park in force. He went on to talk about the tubing ban on the St. Vrain. He said that the sheriff’s departmen is the department that gives out the warnings on the safety of the river. Town Administrator Victoria Simonsen said that typically the sheriff’s department puts the tubing ban in place when the river is running at about 600 cubic feet per second (cfs) and only the sheriff’s departmen can lift the tubing ban. Kayakers have more leeway to navigate the river in high water than tubers. Residents on the outskirts of Lyons might be pleased to learn that the town board passed Ordinance 1147 on first reading, to remove the required monthly base fee of $29 for the purchase of bulk water from the town’s bulk water station. Since many residents in Spring Gulch, Blue Mountain Road area, Red Gulch, Old South St. Vrain Road, and other outlying areas, haul water from the Hygiene water station to fill their cisterns for household use, this might come as a pleasant surprise. However, the board also decided that in lieu of dropping the monthly bulk rate for water, the board would raise the rates of bulk water per 1,000 gallons. The new rate for water was not part of Ordinance 1147 and the board did not establish a new rate at that time. The town recently purchased a new bulk
water station that will allow people to purchase water with a credit or debit card. But the new system does not allow for charging a monthly fee, so this led the board to drop the monthly bulk fee, which some water users might find more convenient. During the trustee reports, Trustee Tanya Daty told the board that she attended a recent Housing and Human Services Commission meeting where Sarah Triebold, the property manager from Highland Management Company which is the rental agency for the affordable Summit Housing Development, assured everyone there that “All Priority 1 and 2 applications (including anyone in the greater Lyons area impacted by the flood in 2013) have been assigned a unit. Those residents will hear from Triebold directly once all background checks have been processed, hopefully, by the end of the month,” said Trustee Daty. Trustee Daty went on to say, “At a meeting with Paul Capps of Summit Housing this morning, Capps shared his confidence with Sarah Triebold regarding the original timeline: • 4 families will be able to move in to singlefamily homes by end of June. • 8 families will be able to move in to singlefamily homes by end of July • 16 families will be able to move in to Lyons Valley Townhomes in August (8 townhomes will be ready in buildings A/B and 8 single family homes will be ready.) • 12 families will be able to move in to Lyons Valley Townhomes in September (four in single family homes and eight in townhomes in Buildings C/D).” As a reminder, Daty pointed out that there are 29 two-bedroom homes (16 townhomes plus 13 single family homes) which will be rented at $1,692/month and 11 three-bed-
room homes (all single family) which will be rented at $1,945/month. Aaron Caplan, Director of Utilities pointed out at the BOT meeting that there was still a lot of finishing work that needed to be done at the Summit building site which might delay issuing the occupancy permit and he questioned the proposed move in date of late June. However, Trustee Daty said that she was reassured at the recent housing meeting she mentioned earlier that the housing and the site would be ready. On another note, Daty told the board that Amber Deere, a resident of the mobile home park at 224 Seward Avenue joined the HHSC meeting to share that she will be holding a meeting with her neighbors next Tuesday, June 20 at 7 p.m. for residents who are interested in finding out more about buying the property and running it as a cooperative. The board heard from Administrator Simonsen who announced that Code Compliance/Hazard Mitigation Coordinator, Zack Burges turned in his resignation after just over 2 months. No reason was given for his resignation. Administrator Simonsen announced news about the park hosts. David and Terri Long are the second set of park hosts at LaVern Johnson Park in addition to Carey and Karen Ragland who are serving their second year. Also, she introduced John and Diane Jump, as the new hosts at Bohn Park. Simonsen requested permission from the board to close the town hall on Friday afternoon during the summer months since very few people come in during that time period. “We will be offering more flexible and virtual options to town hall staff over the summer Continue Town on Page 12