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L OOK FOR REDSTONE REVIEW AT ISSUU.COM / SDCMC VOLUME 21, NUMBER 4
LYONS, COLORADO
MAY 13 / JUNE 17, 2020
B •R •I •E •F •S Take a moment to offer a thank you to those who work for us LYONS – If everyone would thank the people that work for us each day, it would go a long way. Those people that we encounter day in and day out, working in grocery stores, the post office, hardware stores, plant nurseries, gas stations, the truck drivers loading and unloading trucks, delivery workers, garbage collectors, the police, sheriff deputies, firefighters and all the others. Those people who have gone unnoticed before the virus hit are now our everyday heroes, restaurant workers, food delivery services, auto mechanics, farm workers, those who work in senior living facilities. We don’t always see our health care workers, but we can think of them and send good thoughts their way, hope they have the strength to make it through each day as we wait for the scientists and lab techs to find a vaccine. It may be a longer wait than we want, but it will be easier if we are grateful to those around us and for what we have rather than dwelling on what we think we need – the time will go faster. Perhaps when this is over, we won’t take anyone for granted anymore. We will realize how valuable everyone is. We might be able to change the world.
Rolf Hertenstein took this photo of two fuzzy baby Great Horned Owls near Lyons.
Some shops open slowly LYONS – The Stone Cup will remain closed through May and open up for curbside service only in June. It plans to open on June 4 for online ordering and pickup and take out only. The Cup plans to do this for the month of June or even longer. Music at the Cup is cancelled for May and probably in June. Stay tuned for more information. Oskar Blues Grill & Brew is open for carryout service only.
Milling and paving grant funded work is underway LYONS – Beginning next week, several flood-impacted local streets will undergo important milling and paving along with curb and gutter work in some areas. This large, grant-funded flood recovery project started May 11 and runs through July 31. The first phase of milling and repaving will start next week along Second Avenue and McConnell Drive. Other streets to be completed over the next three months inContinue Briefs on Page 4
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New town board settles in and discusses prioritizing issues By Susan de Castro McCann Redstone Review Editor LYONS – Covid-19 issues dominated the recent town board meeting in May. Lyons, just like cities and towns all over America, is trying to figure out how to open up businesses safely and how to follow the state and county requirements to open businesses and how and when they can open while trying to follow safe practices guidelines. Trustee Kenyon Waugh said that he has been speaking with people in businesses in Lyons, many of whom are saying, “I got this.” Meaning that they are already used to dealing with adversity from their experience with the 2013 flood that ravaged Lyons. “Businesses have all stepped up to make their businesses safe. They are being creative and keeping employees safe,” he said. Trustee Waugh volunteered to work with businesses to help create a pandemic response and plan for reopening safely. Mayor Nick Angelo seemed to like the idea and appointed Trustee Waugh and Trustee Hollie Rogin to a committee of two to work with businesses. Trustee Rogin was formerly on the Planning and Community Development Commission (PCDC). This Covid-19 subcommittee did an initial survey of businesses in town to see how to both keep everyone safe and support businesses as they reopen. The information that was collected from the businesses will be used by the town board to help make decisions. The needs of businesses will change as the regulations change over the next few weeks and months. Some federal government officials are saying that large groups won’t be able to gather until there is a vaccine available to everyone and a major portion of the population has been vaccinated. The timetable on when a vaccine will be available to all varies widely. Businesses in Lyons have a variety of options. The Lyons Community Foundation (LCF) has announced that $22,500 in economic aid grants was awarded to 34 local Lyons businesses last week. Grantees are
Lyons businesses currently closed due to the Covid-19 restrictions. Round 2 applications for the Lyons Share grants are now being accepted. See Kristen Bruckner’s column on page 2. Boulder County and the State of Colorado are both offering various grants and low-interest loans to businesses. You can see a list of resources in Tamara Haddad’s column on small businesses on page 13. In other news the board discussed new Covid-19 developments. The Stay at Home requirement has now been lifted with both the state and Boulder County. The new rule is Safer at Home meaning that it is recommended that people who are at risk, people over age 60, and people with pre-existing conditions should still try to stay at home. Everyone should maintain a six-ft.-wide distance from people, no groups over 10 should gather. Restaurants are still on carryout-only orders from the governor and he has shut down places that tried to open to full service without any guidelines in place. Boulder and some other counties have instructed all residents to wear masks when out in public. Children under 12 are not required to wear masks. The Covid-19 requirements change rapidly as the Governor eases more restrictions. Check the town website for new Covid-19 information. Mayor Nick Angelo gave out the Board Liaison assignments to the Trustees. Mayor Angelo assigned himself to the Board of Adjustments, Student Advisory Commission and Sustainable Futures Commission. Mayor Pro Tem Mark Browning was assigned to the Parks and Rec Commission. Trustee Greg Lowell was assigned to the Ecology Board and the Audit Committee. Trustee Hollie Rogin was assigned to the Economic Vitality Commission and the Historic Preservation Commission. Trustee Kenyon Waugh was assigned to the Planning and Community Development Commission. Trustee Mike Karavas was assigned to the Utilities and Engineering Board. Trustee Wendy Miller was assigned to the Housing and Human Services Commission and Lyons Arts and Humanities Commission.
Flood Recovery Director Tracey Sanders told the board that the staff is working on finishing the Second Avenue Bridge design and working on securing funding for work on the bridge that is not covered by Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The design completion is estimated to be this spring and construction is estimated to begin this July. In other matters Aaron Caplan, Utility Director, gave a report on the wastewater treatment plant. He said he did not see or anticipate any changes at the wastewater plant due to the Covid stay-at-home order. Caplan said, “The wastewater treatment facility cannot have more than 2.8 micrograms of copper per liter of wastewater in its effluent going out into the stream. The copper levels in our samples have been February 5 micrograms, January 3.8 mcg, December 4.0 mcg. November 4.4 mcg. The facility that the town has concerns with regarding their copper levels has started sidestreaming the portion of their wastewater suspected to have high levels of copper. We are having tests done weekly for copper at the wastewater treatment facility (WWTF), a location near this facility and a separate location in another part of town, to try and get as clear a picture as possible of how the copper level at the WWTF is.” He went on to say, “Concerning the WWTF Rerating Project: I did just receive confirmation that the contractor working to have the wastewater treatment facility (WWTF) rerated to allow it to accept higher levels of Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) has submitted the final construction plans to the Colorado Dept. of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE). Unless this department of CDPHE is faster than usual or something unexpected happens. I would estimate it taking many months to get a response from CDPHE.” The board heard from Finance Director Jill Johnson on a plan to figure out what items/projects can be cut from the 2020 budget which was approved by the former board last December, but now needs some revisions due to Covid-19 shutting down so many businesses Continue Town on Page 14