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EDSTONE R •E •V•I •E •W
LOOK FOR REDSTONE REVIEW AT ISSUU.COM / SDCMC
VOLUME 22, NUMBER 2
LYONS, COLORADO
RESIDENT / OCCUPANT PRSRT STD ECRWSS US POSTAGE PAID LYONS, CO PERMIT No 2053 $.50
MARCH 17 / APRIL 14, 2021
B •R •I •E •F •S A few comments from our readers
Congratulations Redstone on 21 years, LYONS – From a reader in Maine: “Belated congratulations to Susan for 21 years of Redstone Review. It’s a minor miracle to keep a printed newspaper in business in these semi-literate times. A major miracle to keep one going that wins whole crowds of awards and is interesting to read even for someone who lives 1,793 miles east.” Jim Babb lives in Maine. He is the former editor of Gray’s Sporting Journal, now retired. From Don Hurst in Washington: “WTG... have enjoyed the Redstone from its inception to now... excellent creative effort of Susan McCann et al over the years and hopefully many more...” Patty Ayala in Lyons: “Thank you for always providing great news, our family loves you!”
Water Valve Replacement Postponed LYONS – The Town plans to replace one of its five large pressurereducing valves. The contractor has had to postpone this project. We will update those who will be impacted, when the work is rescheduled. As a reminder, any time there is maintenance work on any water system pipes or pressure, we recommend running your cold water if you have any discoloration, until the water runs clear.
COVID Vaccine New Eligibility LYONS – Starting Friday, March 19 there will be expanded opportunities to receive the COVID vaccine. Governor Polis shared more information last week on the next phase of Covid vaccinations. The state has begun to shift the focus toward vaccinating people in phase 1B.4, which includes the following and will be eligible starting this Friday, March 19: • People over 50 and people age 16 to 49 with one high-risk condition; • Various frontline essential worker groups and student-facing higher education employees; • Food/restaurant services and manufacturing and US postal service; • Public transit and specialized transportation; ContinueBriefson Page 11
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I •N •D •E •X LYONS MAYOR’S CORNER INTEREST OPTIONS EDUCATE INSIGHT OPPORTUNITY A&E CONSIDERS WHAT’S COOKIN’ STABILIZE LOOK AHEAD FORWARD
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Arapaho Encampment – This painting is a depiction of the life of the Arapaho, the last of the Native American tribes that called this valley home. It is my intention that this mural helps us to honor and remember those who came before us. May we learn from their ways of living in harmony with the land, the animals, birds, and a reverence for all life. Their peaceful life as Native Americans ended with the arrival of the settlers from the east who had little understanding or appreciation for different cultural ways of PHOTO BY CATHY RIVERS being. This is my memorial to their culture. Mary Magdalena
Town Board files law suit against Honeywell International, funding for the St. Vrain Trail and other issues By Susan de Castro McCann Redstone Review Editor After years of trying to get Honeywell International (the company that was hired to upgrade/refurbish the old Lyons wastewater treatment plant) to fix the problems at the plant, the Town of Lyons filed a lawsuit against Honeywell and its subcontractors for failure to properly install upgrades to the wastewater treatment plant in Lyons. The lawsuit was filed on February 26, 2021 in Boulder County District Court. Lyons hired Honeywell Inc. in 2010 to upgrade the wastewater plant for $5.86 million. The upgrades were supposed to improve the plants use of energy and save money. Honeywell worked with Lyons over the following three years on plans for the upgrades to the plant, then in Sept. 2013 the town was flooded along with many parts of Boulder County, and although the wastewater plant building was not damaged, all the connections to it were under water. Most of the town’s people evacuated, the town had no electricity, water or sewer for over a month and even then, only a portion of the town was able to return. The work on the upgrades to the plant began in 2014. On September 3, 2014, Honeywell added $443,041 to its original $5.9 million price to pay for some equipment damaged in the flood. On October 19, 2015, Lyons and Honeywell also approved Amendment 6 to the Contract (effective October 5, 2015). Amendment 6 increased the Maximum Contract Price by $290,846 from $6,778,378 to $7,069,224. Ultimately the plant produced more bio
solids that it was supposed to and was less energy efficient than it was supposed to be in the original plans. The plant was using more energy than before the upgrades were in place and creating more bio solids to be removed. In other matters, the board decided to direct staff to accept grant money from Denver Regional Council of Governments (DrCOG) for two trail projects and renovation to Broadway Street plus parking. DrCOG is offering Lyons $2.154 million for a trail project along U.S. Highway 36 and $1.045 million for the St. Vrain Corridor Regional Trail project. Both of these grants are considered to be 88 and 87 percent of the costs respectively and the town has to come up with the remaining 12 and 13 percent. According to Town Administrator Victoria Simonsen, the town has $300,000 set aside for street projects and she pointed out that the town could use these funds for the percentage needed to fill the gap for the trail projects. Trustee Kenyon Waugh voiced objection saying that some of the streets in Lyons that are in great need of repair are constantly passed over and that at some point that issue needs to be addressed. There was some contention over the St. Vrain Trail project by several Trustees who objected to a request from the Highland Ditch Co. members who proposed back in 2018 that Lyons pay Highland $85,000 for a tiny strip of land, 15 ft. wide by 105 ft. long, needed for the St. Vrain Trail project. Trustee Greg Lowell pointed out that the town deeded that same parcel over to High-
land Ditch for $10 several years ago and now that the town wants to buy it back, Highland wants to charge the town $85,000. “I hate having to pay $85,000 to Highland for using a piece of property that we deeded to them for $10. I think it is highway robbery. This is a trail to nowhere,” he said. Trustee Mark Browning said he agreed with Trustee Lowell. He said that the trail project would cost $1.2 million for a half-mile local trail system that will end up at a busy intersection, (US Highway 36 and Colorado Highway 66) with no way across. He said he supported the Highway 36 trail project but not the St. Vrain Trail project. Highland is currently requesting a $2,500 deposit to have its attorney review the St. Vrain Trail project. Earlier in the meeting Paul Tamburello, the developer for the Eastern Corridor project, said that the St. Vrain Trail was vital to his development. The trail would allow bicyclists all over the area access to businesses in the Eastern Corridor and Lyons proper, as well as recreation areas, without facing the severe traffic that infiltrates Lyons all summer. Administrator Simonsen told the board that the St. Vain Trail would benefit businesses along the trail such as Spirit Hound Distillers, Circle K gas station, Ace Hardware and others in town. The trails are considered to be a safety feature for bicyclists who ride in large numbers from Boulder to Lyons and all around Lyons in heavy traffic on weekends all summer. Trustee Hollie Rogin said that she fully supported the trail projects. She is the Lyons representative at the DrCOG meetings. In other news, Finance Director Jill Johnson is leaving her post for a new position in Casper, Wyo. The town staff is now looking to hire a new finance director. Administrator Simonsen said that five applications have been submitted, but so far no one has met the Continue Town on Page 13