R
EDSTONE R•E
•
V•I
•
E•W
LOOK FOR REDSTONE REVIEW AT ISSUU.COM
VOLUME 15, NUMBER 4
LYONS, COLORADO
RESIDENT / OCCUPANT PRSRT STD ECRWSS US POSTAGE PAID LYONS, CO PERMIT No 2053 $.50
MAY 14 / JUNE 18, 2014
B •R •I •E •F •S New library website LYONS – The Lyons Depot Library has a new website. From any computer, patrons can now search the library catalog, reserve books and other materials, locate and reserve items from other Colorado libraries, find out about library events, explore online resources for all ages, manage their accounts and much more. Take a look at: http: / / lyons. colibraries. org /. Planning team presents a plan for the Confluence Area LYONS – A national group of city planners, Community Planning Assistance Team (CPAT), is helping Lyons come up with a plan for the confluence area. The planners are from Boston, District of Columbia, North Carolina and University of Colorado Denver. The four planners will present their findings at 7 p.m., Thursday, May 15, at the Lyons Middle / High School Cafetorium. The planning team is here for a week. It has worked on disasters all over the U.S. US Highway 36 repairs LYONS – A section of US 36 (N. St. Vrain Drive) will be closed for a week sometime in July for road repairs. No traffic will be permitted 24 hours a day during this week. The highway will be closed between the two Apple Valley Road entrances (Apple Valley Bridge to C-DOT yard area). During this time, all resident traffic will be re-routed Continue Briefs on Page 4
I •N •D •E •X OBITUARIES
2
MAYOR’S CORNER
3
OPTIONS
4
CONTRAST
5
INTEREST
6
INSIGHT
7
LYONS HS GRADS
8
A&E
9
FOUNDATIONS
10
LYONS
11
OUTREACH
12
OUTCOME
13
CONTACT
14
NATURE
15
HOLISTIC HEALTH
16
IDEAS
17
A family of red foxes enjoys the spring sunshine at the Pinewood Springs home of Steve and Gerry Pearson
PHOTO BY GERRY PEARSON
Appraisals for confluence homes underway, deadlines for the buyouts approaching, more grants sought By Susan de Castro McCann Redstone Review Editor LYONS – Many homeowners are still undecided about whether they want to apply for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) 404 buyout program or will try to salvage their homes and repair flood damage. Rosi Dennett, Lyons planner, told homeowners at the confluence meeting in May that there was “some bad news. We found out that there are no federal dollars to be used for repairing or raising homes that are in the floodway.” Dennett said the town would look for funding to help those homeowners in the confluence area who want to repair and / or raise their houses. She also said that even if they repair their homes, this does not disqualify them from participating in the 404 buyout program – they can stay in the program right up to the time that checks are handed out. Some homeowners have signed up for a buyout but will decide whether to sell or not after they find out the appraised value of their home. “I’m just tired of filling out forms,” said one frustrated homeowner at the confluence homeowners meeting. “No one has gotten any FEMA money for renting while we are working on our homes. I feel like I’m getting ground into the dirt because I’m selfemployed. I’m so sick of being on the phone with FEMA.” Many others shared this sentiment. The group decided that it should prioritize the people who need help the most and direct help to them first. A planning group known as the Community Planning Assistance Team (CPAT) has been hired to help give planning assistance to the town for the confluence area. The team of four planners from Boston, District of Columbia, North Carolina and CU Denver are in Lyons for a week, working in the confluence area. They will give a presentation to the public at 7 p.m., Thursday, May
Appraisals must be done by June 6. 15, at the high school cafetorium. In discussing Lyons’ need to keep its popuDennett said that all applications for the buyout must be turned over to the consult- lation at the pre-flood level, Trustee Barney ants by May 31 to assure that the informa- Dreistadt noted that, “Lyons generates about tion is in place. Leidos Consultants from the $60 million in taxes per year and that money East Coast is writing the grant applications goes to the state and the county, and some for people who want the 404 buyout. July 14 comes back to Lyons. The people here are is the deadline for applications to be turned what make Lyons Lyons, and we want into the state for the first round of funding, (them) back,” he said. The board has designated three areas of and August 14 for the second round. The Foothills Mobile Home Park owner town-owned land where it would be possiJohn Baranway told Dennett that he plans to ble to build replacement housing: the dog rebuild the home park and is not seeking the park, the 10-acre parcel of land south of the buyout. Baranway plans to replace the 12 dog park and some areas of Bohn Park not mobile homes that were in the park and ele- in the flood zone. vate them to the FEMA flood standard. There are also two small, stick-built homes in the park. The number of homes on the buyout list changes daily. Dennett said, “People go on and off the list every day.” Currently, there are about 52 homes on the list, but Dennett thinks that about 30 owners are seriously considering the 404 buyout. There are about 21 homes considered to be in the floodway along the North St. Vrain. The floodway is the path of Homes in the confluence area of Lyons and at the Foothills the flood that carries the Mobile Home Park were among those hit hardest by the debris and causes the dam- September flood. age. The flood plain is the expanded area where the Trustee Dreistadt said, “The options (for water flows and spreads but is not the fastest housing) are more limited than I would want or most destructive water. Two appraisal firms, Tri-County Appraisal to see. We want to look at having places for and Rocky Mountain Appraisals, have been people to stay in Lyons if they choose the buyhired by the Board of Trustees (BOT) to out. There will be public hearings on this.” Town Administrator Victoria Simonson appraise the damaged homes in the confluence area that are being considered for the buyout. said that these were not the final decisions Two appraisals are required by FEMA. Both on building sites; tentative selections were firms will appraise each home independently. Continue Appraisals on Page 19