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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 8 IS ELECTION DAY
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Redstone stands with President Zelensky and the people in Ukraine
VOLUME 23, NUMBER 9
LYONS, COLORADO
RESIDENT / OCCUPANT PRSRT STD ECRWSS US POSTAGE PAID LYONS, CO PERMIT No 2053 $.50
OCTOBER 19 / NOVEMBER 16, 2022
B •R •I •E •F •S Spooktacular Halloween Parade LYONS – Saturday, October 29 Town staff is working to plan a fun, outdoor family-friendly Lyons Spooktacular Parade and events. The events will take place at 4 p.m. at the Lyons Elementary School, with the parade along Main Street beginning at 6 p.m. The Chili Cook-off returns for 2022 in a new location, at Main Stage Brewing at 4:30 pm.
November 2022 General Election information LYONS – This fall’s November 8 General Election will feature federal, state, and local level content. Here are some key details and dates to get you ready to vote in this year: Voting: All active, registered voters will automatically be mailed a ballot beginning October 17. Vote Centers will also operate for those who need or want to vote in person, to vote using accessible voting equipment, to get a replacement ballot, or to register or update their voter registration in person. Vote Centers and Ballot-to-Go service starts October 24. Find locations at www.BoulderCountyVotes.org Voter Registration: If you are not sure if you are registered or have moved in the last year, check your voter registration at www.GoVoteColorado.gov. Colorado does not have a registration deadline (you can register and vote on the same day), but early registration is encouraged in order to send your mail ballot in a timely fashion. October 31 is the last day the elections office can mail you a ballot. Know Your Voting Rights: Please see our website or contact us if you have any doubt about your ability to register or vote. We are here to help and support you. Additionally, language assistance is available in multiple languages, and we have a Spanish-language section on our website. Ballot Content: Do your research early and be ready to vote. Content found at www.BoulderCountyVotes.org. Election Security: Colorado is often held up as one of the best election models in the country due to how we balance voter accessibility with strong security protocols. To learn more, see our Election Security Community Briefing at www.BoCo.org/ElectionSecurityReport. Continue Briefs on Page 12
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The Salazar family from Longmont visited the Rocky Mountain Pumpkin Ranch for a beautiful sunny day of pumpkin picking. And the kids were happy to take a break to pose for this picture. PHOTO BY CATHY RIVERS
Town Board looks at fire mitigation, annexation, increasing density By Susan de Castro McCann Redstone Review Editor LYONS – The Lyons Town Board of Trustees had a lengthy discussion on fire mitigation and various projects that the board is engaged in as well as plans for the future at a recent town board meeting. Zack Bertges, the new code enforcement officer in Lyons, was the presenter for the discussion. He gave a report on the success of the new program the town tried out this year with the hiring two companies that use goats to chew up the noxious weeds, unwanted vegetation, shrubs, etc. that can create fire danger in areas around town. Bertges said that the goats ate a lot of vegetation that would otherwise be considered fuels for fire. Two companies were hired, Goat Mowers and Fire House Farm. Bertges said that the goats were around for about six days and ate all kinds of weeds and vegetation, eating through about 1 acre per day. Bertges said that the goats ate through cheat grass, some rabbit brush and mountain mahogany along with a wide variety of other plants. They did not like the myrtle spurge or knapweed. These plants are somewhat toxic to most animals. Nor did the goats like real hot weather. The goats were in town in July and there were a lot of days over 90 degrees. That’s when the goats like to go to shady areas and slow way down on eating. Bertges said that the goats do best in the spring, April is the best time to use the goats. He said that it would be a good idea to use the goats once a year on the buyout properties and in September or October do a limb/shrub/vegetation pickup. The goats were monitored and their pens were moved around as they ate through the vegetation. Goat Mowers provided 36 goats and their goats were larger than Fire House Farm goats. Dave Miller, a volunteer, kept the
goats moving by shifting their pens around. Bertges said he has been spending time establishing relationships with Boulder County. He said that the county is going to hire some new consultants and they plan to develop a new weed code. He added that the Wildfire Partnership is here to assist property owners. He told the board that the real concern for fire danger is not so much in the town of Lyons but rather in the surrounding areas, the areas that interface with Lyons. He said he is spending a lot of time trying to educate property owners on fire mitigation. Former trustee Mark Browning spoke to the board about a letter he and five former trustees wrote to the board expressing concern about the fire danger around the Martin property which borders Bohn Park in the south east part of town. It is a 10-acre parcel owned by the town of Lyons, but still in Boulder County. Browning told the board, during audience business, that the 2021 board approved $125,000 for fire mitigation and that the Martin parcel was part of that approved allocation because it was designated a high fire risk area. He said that the former board had asked the staff to work on annexing the Martin property and that the board’s requests were ignored. He said that they did receive excuses/reasons for the delays from staff. Browning added that he has walked the property and there are fallen trees, broken branches hanging off trees, wooden pallets lying around and other debris that would constitute a fire danger. Mayor Hollie Rogin addressed former Trustee Browning’s issues in a statement on Page 3 of this issue of the Redstone Review. The board did discuss the annexation of the Martin property, and Mayor Rogin and the board said that it needs to go to the Plan-
ning and Community Development Commission (PCDC). She said, “It is on their long list. We are going to get a new evaluation of the town as a whole for fire mitigation priorities from the Lyons Fire Protection District wildland fire mitigation professionals.” In other news, the board decided to move discussion of Ordinance 1133 to November 7. This ordinance would amend the municipal code by adopting the International Building Code, the International Residential Code, and various other international codes that are associated with building plumbing, maintenance, etc. The board moved the vote to a later date in order to get more input from boards and commissions, and more data from neighboring municipalities. The board also discussed youth mental health issues in the schools. The mental health discussion resulted in direction to staff to see about Lyons Emergency and Assistance Fund (LEAF) providing a drop-in space for all youth after school, perhaps at the library. Staff will also create a resource guide for parents and students regarding mental health assistance. To accommodate affordable housing the board was unanimously in favor of directing the PCDC to explore the possibility of increasing the housing density in Old Town Lyons and along with that to update the design guidelines for structures in town. Lyons is in line for some beautification projects. The Dr. Scholl Foundation gave Lyons $25,000 for beautification projects and is now giving Lyons $50,000 more, Town Administrator Victoria Simonsen told the board. Administrator Simonsen told the board that Martin Marietta asked for a Special Use Review: the Boulder County Board of Adjustments denied Martin Marietta’s request for overturning the special use review that was denied by Planning Director Case.