RESIDENT / OCCUPANT PRSRT STD ECRWSS US POSTAGE PAID LYONS, CO PERMIT No 2053
VOLUME 25, NUMBER 9
LYONS, COLOR ADO
$.50
OCTOBER 25 / NOVEMBER 14, 2024
B •R •I •E •F •S Halloween Spooktacular schedule
LYONS – The Lyons Spooktacular parade and kids’ events are planned for Saturday, Oct 26, 2024 at the Lyons Elementary School and along Main Street. The schedule is: 4 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. Kids’ activities and games will start at 4 p.m. at the Lyons Elementary School; 5:45 p.m. - Line up for the parade; 6 p.m. - Parade along Main Street starts promptly; 6:30 to 7 p.m. - Trick or Treat at the businesses will be after the parade finishes; Don’t forget the Chili Cookoff at 4:30 p.m. at Main Stage Brewing, brought to you by the Lyons Garden Club. Trick-or-treating families are encouraged to follow these safety tips: Costumes should be highly visible with reflective materials. To prevent tripping, costumes should not drag on the ground. Props should not have sharp edges that could cause injury. Carry a flashlight after dark. Walk, don’t run. Remain bear aware
LYONS – During hyperphagia Black bears in Colorado are entering hyperphagia and will spend up to 20 hours a day trying to eat more than 20,000 calories to fatten up for winter. As bears start to prepare for hibernation and hunt for food, there might be increased bear activity in Lyons. Keep your trash in the garage or secure it until the morning of your trash pick up. Do not put it out the night before. Locking up trash and other potential food sources from bears is important to prevent them from becoming reliant on these sources for food. Bears become more of a risk when they associate humans with a food source. Garbage kills bears. Emergency, non-emergency and resource numbers
LYONS – The 911 dispatchers are equipped and well trained Continue Briefs on Page 5
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I •N •D •E •X LYONS MAYOR’S CORNER OPTIONS CONTRAST LOOKING UP INSIGHT CONSENSUS ART & ENT TALK OF THE TOWN NATURE CHOICES WHAT’S COOKIN’ COORDINATE
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This beautiful family from Greeley enjoying a perfect Colorado fall day at Rocky Mountain Pumpkin Ranch BY CATHY RIVERS der County, it is not done yet,” said Mayor Town board accepts IGA Task Force Hollie Rogin. “The board agreed on having a meeting on the IGA. It will be a public meeting and all discussions on the IGA recommendations; water plant up for sale special from here on out will be open to the public By Susan de Castro Redstone Review Editor
LYONS – The Lyons Town Board had a lengthy meeting in mid-October and waded through a myriad of issues. The board held a discussion on the Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) with Boulder County and unanimously agreed to accept the IGA Taskforce’s recommendation to remove the density component from the IGA. This is a major win for the townspeople who were concerned that the town would annex land surrounding Lyons for development thereby increasing the density. The IGA Task Force was formed to allow Lyons residents to participate in the process of
deciding which county land, if any, surrounding Lyons should be annexed to the town. Boulder County created a buffer zone surrounding all its municipalities to make an attempt to control and/or regulate the wild, out of control growth that some counties have experienced. Cities and towns in the county can apply to annex parcels of the county land through an IGA. Lyons was in the process of having discussions with BoCo about annexing certain parcels of land when residents became concerned about the lack of open discussions, and so the town board formed the IGA Task Force to create a plan to look at the properties that were under discussion and report back to the board. “We are still working on the IGA with Boul-
to attend.” This is another win for the people of Lyons who had concerns about the lack of getting all the information on proposed annexations. In other matters, the town board also decided to put the old Lyons water treatment plant up for sale. The property is located at 2186 Apple Valley Rd. It has not been used to treat the town’s water for many years and has been standing empty while the board discussed numerous options. The plant is in a rural residential district. It is owned by the town but it is in Boulder County. The board asked if the county wanted the property but the county said no. The board then voted to direct staff to list the property with a public access easement Continue Town on Page 9
initiated by Cemex, and their disCemex shutdown battle will last into regard for public health and safety.” Neighbors have documented “fugitive” dust events – dust 2025, as neighbors seek reclamation relief 70-plus storms sweeping off the property By Michael Booth Environmental writer for The Colorado Sun, Redstone Review
LYONS – Boulder County awaits the Lyons cement plant’s appeal of show-cause orders, as activists fight the industrial site on multiple fronts. Boulder County officials delivered a clear directive last spring on the future of the economically vital but highly polluting Cemex cement plant in Lyons: Shut it down. The county’s planning director Dale Case sent the Cemex plant an April
order to terminate its current operations or show cause, because the county believes Cemex is no longer following the conditions of its nonconforming use permit. Six months later, Cemex is still pumping out cement for buildings and roads, and neighbors claim the company is still pumping carbon dioxide into the skies at the rate of 300,000 tons a year and dust storms into surrounding communities on a regular basis. No resolution will come until 2025 at the earliest, those neighbors now add. The county is not expect-
ed to issue a decision on Cemex’s closure appeal until December. Cemex is likely to appeal any negative action in December, kicking it to the full county commission for an early 2025 hearing and vote. “Cemex is maximizing its cash flow by delaying as long as possible, while substantial fugitive dust events occur regularly,” said Sarah Lorang, one of the leaders of a community coalition that has won surprising victories in fighting the company’s operations. “Many community members are frustrated by the seemingly unnecessary delays
into nearby neighborhoods – since May, Lorang said. The neighborhood advocates, who are filing complaints and objections to Cemex operations on multiple fronts at various regulatory agencies, did manage to force a major increase in Cemex’s reclamation bond for the kiln property and a former quarry on the site. Lorang, who researches and files objections for the nonprofit Good Neighbors of Lyons, first complained about underfunded land reclamation bonds for Cemex to Continue Shutdown on Page 14