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RESIDENT / OCCUPANT PRSRT STD ECRWSS US POSTAGE PAID LYONS, CO PERMIT No 2053
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VOLUME 14, NUMBER 11
LYONS, COLORADO
$.50
DECEMBER 18, 2013 / JANUARY 15, 2014
B •R •I •E •F •S Lyons long-term recovery meeting LONGMONT – The Town of Lyons invites you, yes you, to participate in the Town of Lyons Long-Term Recovery Kick-off Meeting at 7 p.m. on December 18 at LifeBridge Christian Church, 10345 Ute Hwy. in Longmont. There will be a meet and greet at 6:30 p.m. This event will discuss the work that has been done thus far, and will also highlight the next steps in the recovery and rebuilding process of the town. We are asking for all residents to please attend and participate in this process, as your input is vital in the long-term recovery and planning of Lyons. Residents are asked to participate in the long-term recovery visioning. The meeting will be interactive. Specific recovery areas are housing, infrastructure, stream recovery, parks and recreation, human services, public facilities, arts, culture and historic preservation. For more information call the town hall at 303-823-6622.
Christmas Eve service at the Planet LYONS – There will be a Christmas Eve service at Planet Bluegrass at 7 p.m. Due to flood damage at the Wildflower Pavilion, Craig Ferguson, owner of Planet Bluegrass, is arranging for a big tent to be used for the service. There will be lots of music with local musicians. There will be a program for the children and the love offering will go toward the Lyons Relief Fund. (Checks should be made payable to Higher Ground Ministries.) Folks need to bring their camping chairs and dress for the cold. It Continue Briefs on Page 2
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I •N •D •E •X LYONS MAYOR’S CORNER CONTENT CONTRAST INSIGHT ARTS IMPACT FOUNDATIONS NATURE NOTES
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Santa and Mrs. Claus greet the crowd at the annual Lyons Holiday Parade of Lights on December 7.
PHOTO BY ED BRUDER
Lyons moves forward after flood and starts long range planning By Susan de Castro McCann Redstone Review Editor LYONS – The infrastructure in Lyons is largely repaired. A temporary water line now makes its way under Fifth Avenue, west across the bridge on Colorado Highway 66, and along the highway on Planet Bluegrass property. This is a temporary fix for residents in Eagle Canyon. It is supposed to be in place for about four months until the town can repair the underground water line. The town budget for 2014 is expected to be $5.4 million. It is similar to the 2013 budget of $5.7 million. The budget is not exactly balanced this year (a state requirement) due to the fact that the town owes about $25 million for flood damage repairs. However grants, FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) money, insurance money and other funds are expected to come in soon and will offset the $25 million, which is noted on the budget that the town will submit to the state. The assessed property values in the flood area in Lyons dropped for three months this year so the town will see a $7,000 drop in property tax income this year. This amount would have been higher but eight new homes were built in Lyons this year adding to the property tax coffers. The Lyons Board of Trustees, BOT, decided to go ahead with the new wastewater treatment at the same site as the current wastewater treatment plant. The town received a $1 million Energy/Mineral Impact Assistance grant to build the new wastewater plant, which will cost around $6 million.
“We are now down to $4.8 million and $2 million is interest-free EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) money,” town finance director Tony Cavalier said. “We still have to keep the old plant going while we build the new plant.” The town will also receive a portion of the $63 million Community Development Block Grant, CDBG, from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, which was presented to Colorado this month. “We will submit a proposal (for the work needed and the amount of money it will cost) in January,” said Cavalier. “We think we will get some money by April or May. It can be used for infrastructure, economic development, part of our matching funds from FEMA. It could be used for housing, the 404 program under the state government. This is a program whereby a municipality can buy totally devastated homes (in that municipality for pre-flood value). The property can’t be built on or developed again. This is a FEMA program and it turns the funds over to the state to manage.” FEMA will pay for 75 percent of the town’s infrastructure repairs. Last July the BOT made a wise move by paying off the final amount, about $100,000, owed on the Lyons Post Office building. The town will now collect rent on the building each month, about $98,600. The town is working with FEMA to designate which homes are 50 percent (value of the house) or more damaged; this is considered to be substantial damage. There are six homes in Lyons considered to have substantial damage.
This does not count the mobile homes in the trailer parks. Figuring out what is 50 percent damaged and what is less than 50 percent seems to be a very nebulous definition, but residents can appeal the rating. If a home is rated 50 percent or more damaged, then the homeowner is required to rebuild to FEMA flood standards, raising the house by at least one foot or more above the flood level on the FEMA maps. If the home is less than 50 percent damaged, then the homeowner can rebuild without using FEMA flood standards. The BOT is requiring homeowners who want to demolish their homes to obtain a permit from the Town Hall. The permit is $50 and also requires proof that there is no asbestos in the home, which could start flying around in the air during demolition. A fine and a stop-work order will be imposed if a homeowner attempts to demolish a home without a permit, for that is considered to be a public health hazard.
Payton, Anika and Evan Bolkovatz of Lyons visit with Santa. PHOTO BY CATHY RIVERS