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FEBRUARY 18 / MARCH 18, 2015
B •R •I •E •F •S Pot taxes may have to be refunded DENVER – Due the TABOR Amendment all the taxes collected from marijuana sales may have to be refunded unless lawmakers can find a solution. Colorado voters voted by a wide majority to legalize marijuana, first medical marijuana and then recreational marijuana, because they wanted the state to benefit from the tax revenue. But now the Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR) a part of the state constitution, may mandate a refund of the taxes which would take away the money designated for schools and prevention programs. In Lyons voters approved an increase of 3.5 percent increase on the existing 3 percent excise tax on recreational marijuana last year. The Lyons Board of Trustees could increase the tax to as much as 10 percent. The money would fund training, enforcement, and administration of marijuana laws and regulations and support local drug and alcohol programs Continue Briefs on Page 5
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I •N •D •E •X LYONS
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Making valentines at Lyons Valley Preschool – at left is Natalie Bear, age 4 1/2, and on the right is Kira Hoyt, 3 1/2. PHOTO BY CATHY RIVERS
Lyons Town Board rethinks marijuana election, raises electric rates By Susan de Castro McCann Redstone Review Editor LYONS – On Monday, February 9 the Lyons Town Board held a special meeting where Tim Cox, Lyons town attorney, told the board that the election they intended to hold to ban retail marijuana was in fact illegal according to Amendment 64. Amendment 64 states clearly that any municipality that wants to vote to ban marijuana must do so at a general election (not a special election which Lyons was trying to do) and the vote can only be held in an even numbered year, which is not 2015. According to Roxanne Peyser, an attorney in Lyons, two attorneys who were among those who authored Amendment 64, Brian Vicente and Christian Sederberg, set those conditions in the amendment because they were thinking ahead and anticipated this possibility (municipalities holding a special election) when they wrote the amendment. Typically fewer people vote in special elections than in general elections which are always held in November. “They are following this (election in Lyons) closely,” she said. “In this case it appears that state law trumps municipal law.”
The election came about after about 200 people – roughly 10 percent of the town – petitioned to ban the sale of retail marijuana. The petition was led by former Trustee Kirk Udovich. The town set the question to the March 24 special election ballot: “Shall Lyons adopt an ordinance banning retail pot stores, as well as facilities meant for cultivation, product manufacturing and testing?” Lyons Mayor John O’Brien said that cancelling the election is the most logical outcome. Trustee Connie Sullivan said that a moratorium might be a possibility and Trustee Dan Greenberg said he wanted to see all the options. Attorney Cox apologized several times to the board, saying that this just flew under the radar and he took full responsibility for not catching it sooner. However, initiatives such as the one brought before the board to hold the election also have rules governed by the state which say that town boards or city councils must act within 90 days of receiving the petitions. “I did not even think about the even numbered year and when it came to light, we were caught between a rock and a hard place,” said Cox in a telephone interview. “The initiative is heavily protected (by law).” The board said that they did not blame Cox
and should have caught the law as well. The previous board had a moratorium in place until November of 2014 for the exact purpose of allowing the new board to hold an election. But the new board removed the moratorium and created a new ordinance to regulate both medical and recreational marijuana. Attorney Cox strongly advised the board to vote on the new ordinance he created to take the election to ban the sale of retail marijuana off the ballot. But the board seemed hesitant to make that decision, Trustee Dan Greenberg asked, “What if we do nothing?” Attorney Cox said, “I can’t as your attorney advise that.” He told the board that they would open themselves up to a legal challenge which could be very costly. The board can do several things such as allow the election to proceed, but that seems unreasonable and most likely the board will pull the election and create a place holder for question one on the ballot. Many of the issues that the board is dealing with lately seem quite contentious. The vote on whether to build plus or minus 60 housing units in Bohn Park had divided the town into several factions. The vote on park housing will be the second item on the mailin ballot. The ballots will be sent out on March 2 and finalized on March 24. Everyone is encouraged to vote. Continue Town on Page 18
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REDSTONE • REVIEW
FEBRUARY 18 / MARCH 18, 2015
LYONS L E T T E R S •T O •T H E •E D I T O R Dearest fellow Lyons-ites, I value open space as much as the next person, BUT: how can one think for more than 10 seconds about the hundred(s) of individuals and families who have been unable to return to their beloved home town of Lyons – this place that we all hold so dear – and oppose the building of replacement housing in a modest portion of Bohn Park. It is my understanding that it is the most reasonable and practical location. The loss of some of our invaluable open space is an unfortunate one. However, weigh that loss to us against those who first lost their homes, and continue to suffer their displacement from the town they love. If you have (or had) a yellow ribbon tied up at your home and / or business (and, in my opinion, we ALL should), you ought to support the Bohn Park replacement housing project with your voice – and YOUR VOTES. Lee Hall, Lyons resident I am your friend, I am your neighbor We are in the midst of a controversial (and sometimes painful and divisive) process of making an important decision together about the future of Lyons. By March 24, Lyons’ citizens will have chosen by vote whether we are willing to cede 5 to 7 acres in Bohn Park for the purpose of building affordable recovery housing. So much is at stake, I’m asking everyone to step back from their fears, personal judgments; reach deep and vote their consciences. My hope is, that whatever the outcome, we may participate in the process in such a way that is respectful, thoughtful, non-judgmental, and worthy of us as citizens of this very special place we (still want to) call home. It’s not a contest, like sports. Or even politics. There is no “enemy,” no dark, deceptive force at work. Many hours of earnest, hard work, careful research and thoughtful consideration have been put in by people of all opinions trying to find a solution. As Trustee Dan Greenberg has said, we have to live with
Why I changed my mind about building housing in Bohn Park LYONS – As a minor player in the Parks Master Plan and having been in negotiations with the County over the restrictive covenants on our park properties, perhaps I can offer some historical explanations as to why I’ve changed my mind about housing development in Bohn Park. If all the development that was proposed for Lyons in the 1970s and 1980s had come to pass, the population would now be more like 20,000 than 2,000. But that would have been contrary to the policy of preserving small town character stated in the Comprehensive Plans of those days. The Comp Plan of 1998 was adopted into the County Comp Plan and was used to justify the purchase of thousands of acres around Lyons to control its growth. It seemed reasonable at the time and I agreed. Bohn Park and the Dog Park, acquired by the town with lottery money, were overgrazed pasture with no clear town use and came with the protective covenants. The Parks Master Plan included extensive development
but no financial means to pull it off. The Dog Park, 10 acres with no access, went to the dogs because nobody could think of anything else to do with it. On a map it looks great, the town has more park land per capita than any other place in Colorado. But, in reality, It will be many years (if ever) before the town can afford to make the improvements called for in the Parks Master Plan. The money generated by parking in Bohn Park will continue to be generated by new park land which will be developed with flood-recovery money not available for the old parks. The new parks, mostly riverfront property, will make the old ones look like the barren wastes they really are. My first concern is, obviously, for those who were displaced by the flood. Replacement Housing in Bohn Park is a way to resolve their needs and vastly improve the park system for the town’s future benefit. So that’s why I’ve changed my mind.
each other (and ourselves), and how we treated one another, after the vote is in. I am one of the faces of this housing issue, having been displaced by the Sept. 2013 flood. I am your neighbor, your friend. Lyons has been my home for almost 17 years. I want to live in, and continue to make contributions to, this town I love. (I’m so fortunate to be sharing a wonderful Lyons home now.) I was talking the other day to a good friend who supports adding low income housing, but is vehemently against using park space for recovery housing. When I told them I was one of the displaced people hoping to live there, they said they still would probably not vote for it, but now felt differently about it. Let’s talk to each other about this. Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. I’m hoping enough people will be willing to consider all the issues in balance, this extraordinary opportunity and take the leap of faith. Be willing to change some of the spots on one of our sacred cows. For our friends and neighbors. We must all ask ourselves, what is it we want to cre-
ate for the future of our town? I am holding the vision of a beautiful, carefully designed and landscaped little neighborhood, blending in to its surroundings, which has ample parkland flowing all around it. Many of our displaced citizens have returned. What many feared to be a blighted intrusion, they now enjoy as a new connection, inviting pedestrian flow from town to Bohn Park. People are still playing, laughing, walking their dogs, riding their bikes, planting gardens; still enjoying views of Steamboat Mountain, trees and foothills. There is still plenty of room for events and parking. The quality of life, complexion and richness of Lyons has been immeasurably improved for many years to come as a result of this vote of confidence. All the birthing pains have been long forgotten. “Beyond the ideas of right and wrong there is a field. I will meet you there.” Rumi
Talking with myself – this time I listened By John Burke Redstone Review LYONS – Just had a conversation with myself. Listened carefully. Spoke rationally. And in the end I ended up agreeing Burke with me. We were both discussing the flood and its aftermath. The flood hit. Good folks jumped to protect, stabilize and restore. Their example was stunning. Their achievements are amazing. Today a good number of these people are still slogging through the flood. Many of the same folks! Today it’s no longer a flood of water. Now they wade in a flood of red tape, slow-moving bureaucracy, complex painful decisions and resistance by a few neighbors. A voice in my head reminds me that those who resist probably have different needs and / or expectations. And I reply to myself – “Yeah, but those Town Leaders – elected, appointed and volunteered – continue to slog, miss family meals, lose sleep and attend meetings until they are saddle sore. There’s a job to be done. They must be honored, But... must their work be supported?” The other voice is silent. The conversation stalls... So I continue to track the discussion on Facebook and elsewhere, arguing with myself until we get so pissed off at me that we finally stop speaking. Then, after much uncertainty and doubt, when the voices are no longer bickering at each other, I came down in favor of Proposition 2 – the housing plan in Bohn Park. And the establishment of a new River Park in town center. I have decided they are essential to the town we can become – a better town than we were.
I also remind me that those who are opposed to Proposition 2 have done a real service. They are surely energetic and sincere. And highly motivated. They raised some interesting points. Many of their concerns encouraged town decision-makers to clarify facts for all of us. When I point that out, I have to agree with me. Then I ask myself (after doing my best to track the issues for so long) why did I decide Proposition 2 is best for Lyons? And I hear my voice, louder now, saying “These those flood-sloggers who carried our freight for the past 18 months had no self-interest. There was no way they could benefit from the outcome of their work. But they sure did have an agenda. Their agenda was to objectively figure what is best for Lyons and then to find a way to accomplish it. The kept slogging, sometimes having to choose between realistic but unsatisfactory options. They kept slogging, aided by a government-funded posse of professional experts. Working together, now a small army of our neighbors and professional experts, 18 months they figured out what is best and how to get it done. On issue after issue – not just housing.” A pretty cool agenda. Expert advisors, a heavy burden of civic commitment. No self-interest or personal benefit involved. The voice in my head, now speaking confidently, says, “Stop arguing with yourself. Who could ask for more? Or better? Proposition 2 emerged through a responsible community process. The people we elected. The people they appointed. The volunteers who stepped forward. We’re all in this together. Support it, John. Then help make it succeed.” And if arguing with myself isn’t enough of a burden, a third voice pops into the conversation, a sweeter and less edgy voice. The voice of Kelsey Mai Deems. On
Marty Hine, Lyons resident
With respect and appreciation, Cathy Rivers, Lyons resident
Facebook she said supporting Proposition 2 is “...a YES to the people who give Lyons its character ... it’s a “YES, please come back home” to the people who lost theirs to forces beyond their control... This vote is handing Lyons back the very control that was taken away by the flood.” Kelsey speaks. I listen. The voices –
now three – begin to fuse. Now a chorus of agreement, a ray of insight, the single voice tells me we are in charge of our destiny, led by a damn good team executing an agenda kept simple with enormous commitment and no self-interest. The voice tells me that Proposition 2 Continue Burke on Page 3
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MAYOR’S CORNER Housing became a priority as soon as the lights went on By John O’Brien, Mayor Redstone Review LYONS – During the 16 months or so after the flood, a key goal and objective, once the utilities were connected and the general town safety was in place, was to regenO’Brien erate the housing stock that was damaged and lost and bring back the numbers of people who were displaced by the flood. Within a few months of the disaster, what began as a grassroots effort in the elementary school gym and later formed as an ad hoc committee by the Board of Trustees, the Housing Recovery Task Force (HRTF) was formed and was able to help define the goals, objectives and strategies in the Lyons Recovery Action Plan (LRAP). The HRTF spent countless hours and often multiple publicly held meetings per week to research, analyze and define possible sites for recovery housing in the Lyons area. It was never the task for the HRTF to make recommendations. Their task was to bring forth information that the Board could study in order for us to decide. As part of the process to make recovery housing possible, the Board was required to select a “parcel under control” in order to move forward. The Board of Trustees decided to select a place holder, which we referred to as “Bohn Park south of the river.” That designation was sufficient to move forward to the next step of selecting a master developer for the project.
There were some residents who were not satisfied that the board had completed enough due diligence up to that point and I was not convinced that there had been a sufficient level of total community involvement. So to go the extra mile, the town obtained a grant from the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG_DR) administered through the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) to contract with an independent, professional consulting firm with an expertise in housing and community engagement. The town chose Trestle Strategy Group, which put together a combined team whose expertise included housing, public sector financing, public engagement, and many other areas. The scope of work agreed upon included: • Comprehensive site evaluation with documented site criteria; • Initial financial modeling and strategy; • Cost estimates for infrastructure, utilities, construction, soft cost and others; • Land planning strategy and initial implementation schedule; • Public engagement and stakeholder outreach strategies; • Interim and final presentations to the Board. It was never the task for Trestle to make recommendations. Their task was to bring forth information that the Board could study in order for us to decide. Based on the work of Trestle, the ad hoc committee of representatives from town boards and commissions and the HRTF, the Board chose a 5 to 7 acre parcel in Bohn Park south of the riparian / picnic / swings area,
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in the parking lot area to build a neighborhood of 50 to 70 units of affordable housing. “Affordable” is defined as being affordable to people who earn 30 to 60 percent of Area Median Income (AMI). The amount of contiguous land in the area generally referred to as “Bohn Park,” plus the 10-acre dog park, and adding in the 10-acre undeveloped property to its south (where the cross-country track is), the 25.66 acres used for parking during festivals where the housing would go and the two tracts by the river where the ball
Boulder County; and the town will also acquire the Frye property just across the river which is 5 acres, and the lot formerly housing the mobile home park bordering the St. Vrain is another 1.26 acres, which would result in a net gain of useable, contiguous park space to Bohn Park. The parkland Lyons will acquire through the 404 and CDBG-DR buyout programs is nearing a decision point. The Board has committed to the voters of Lyons that with this housing initiative there will be NO NET LOSS OF PARKLAND. Contemplated replacement housing would afford the opportunity to all displaced residents to return home. We must
Red Oak Park at 2637 Valmont in Boulder. An example of Colorado style housing units developed and managed by Boulder County Housing Authority, a key player in the Lyons Housing Collaborative. fields, picnic area and playgrounds were (7.59 acres) all total almost 53 acres. To accomplish the project, the next step was to select a master developer. A Request for Proposal (RFP) was issued and two organizations replied: 1) Element Properties, with a team composed of Element Properties as the developer, Coburn Architecture as the designer and architect, JVA as the civil engineers, Trestle Strategy Group as the community engagement consultants, LSC Transportation Consultants as the traffic engineers, the Brendle Group as the sustainability and green building consultant, and RCH Jones Consulting as the affordable housing finance consultant and 2) Boulder County Housing Authority, with a team composed of Workshop8 as the designer and architect, JVA as the civil engineers, Trestle Strategy Group as the community engagement consultants, Milender White Construction building consultant, Habitat for Humanity as the builder of for sale housing and RCH Jones Consulting as the affordable housing finance consultant. The selection committee chose the BCHA team, which is now known as the Lyons Housing Collaborative. There will be some houses for sale mixed into the flood recovery housing complex. Those houses would be constructed by Habitat for Humanity. Although many of the housing units will be for rent, no apartments will be built in the replacement housing. The housing will be a mix of townhouses, duplexes, attached and detached housing with landscaping, recreation areas, walking paths, and connections to town and neighboring communities. The housing may look much like Red Oak Park housing in Boulder at Valmont or the Holiday Neighborhood at the former site of the drive-in theater. As we are in the planning stages, moving toward a vote, there is the possibility that a community area, music room, outdoor patio with fire pit or one of several other amenities would be added. These would be a benefit to the entire town. Selection as to what amenities will have to be made. We can’t have it all, but we can have some. The town expects to acquire the Martin Property to the west of the park but adjacent and connected to the park land. This is 8.8 acres which will be deeded over by
be prepared that individuals might have chosen to live elsewhere or welcome the opportunity to return home with enthusiasm. Sound town planning can never be conducted on the shoulders of individuals, but must be made with the welfare of the Town of Lyons in mind. To help restore economic diversity in Lyons this housing is vital. Communities without economic diversity do not have a viable workforce, and put existing and future businesses at risk. There would be fewer people to purchase our products and services. I, and many others, worked too diligently to save our local economy in the days following the flood to see it crumble now. There is, for many of us, the emotional issue and the promise we made to our people that we would get you home. I hope to be able to say to these folks that a promise made is a promise kept. The Board and I have insisted, and will continue to insist that the entire process be open to community input and engagement. The community has been able to submit ideas at every step of the process. The process has been and continues to be transparent, robust and inclusive. I firmly support this recovery housing initiative and plan to vote “YES” on ballot question #2. John O’Brien is the Mayor of Lyons elected in April, 2014. He was the chairman of the Lyons Economic Gardening Group, LEGG. He has worked in business and industry for many years and teaches classes at the University of Denver. He lives in Lyons.
Burke Continued from Page 2 hands back the very control that was taken away by the flood. I listen carefully. And agree. If you agree, feel free to mention my journey to others. Maybe they are traveling across the same terrain. Onward! John Burke along with his wife Janice Gavan own VisAbility in Lyons on Main Street. VisAbility is a product fulfillment company for Public Radio and Public TV stations all across the country.
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CONCEPTS Lyons native bicycles the world By Carol Devenir Redstone Review LYONS – It’s a small world. Recently at John’s Well Service on Highway 66 just east of Lyons, I studied a large world map Devenir on the wall. It was hung years ago by former owners John and Eileen Winans, who loved to sail. The map was decorated with picture postcards sent by one of the well technicians and his girlfriend, from their bicycle trips all over the world. Also, there was a newspaper article about a young man riding his bicycle titled, “Local Bike Commuter Undaunted by Winter.” The article was about Jim Hickman, who commuted by bicycle, even in the winter, nine miles from the hills west of Boulder to his job on East Arapahoe. In the heavy evening traffic, he rode the nine miles home, uphill all the way. The article was written by Carol Devenir. All these years, I thought I was the only person with that name. It took a while for me to realize I had written that article 28 years ago. The clincher was Hickman’s trick of putting cayenne pepper between his socks and his boots, to keep his feet warm. That interesting detail has always stuck with me. In 1987, I was working for the City of Boulder on transportation and air quality issues. The article was printed in The Boulder Freewheeler and in a national bicycling magazine. I remember that steep commute, too. As Hickman reminded me recently, he lived next door to me for a short while. The now-50-something Hickman said he
was cleaning out old papers recently and took them to work, where there is recycling collection. “Somebody found the article in the recycling bin,” he said, “and added it to the map.” Hickman is a Lyons native and went to Lyons schools all 12 years. He and his family lived up the North St. Vrain near Shelly’s Cottages. He rode his 10-speed bicycle four and a half miles to school, through old Apple Valley. “It wasn’t dangerous,” he said. “There was less traffic then, during the school year, and people were more courteous. Summer tourists were another thing.” Hickman doesn’t participate much in Lyons events these days. “I’ve always been a loner,” he said. “I did participate in the ride for Mr. Boland, though. I had him in sixth grade. He was a great guy.” While he was in college in Durango, Hickman came back to Lyons in the summertime and worked at John’s Well Service. Now he has worked at John’s full time for 22 years. According to Office Manager Denise Walker, “Jim’s the go-to guy here. He knows everything about wells. He’s a really good guy.” He learned by doing, from John Winans. Consistently humble, Hickman said, “Working at John’s is not glamorous, but I enjoy helping people.” Since the 2013 flood, work has been busy. “All our customers were affected,” he said. Hickman said all his world trips have been bicycle-related. He and Sue Yancik, his partner of nearly 20 years, bicycled almost around the world in 2000. Later they went back to New Zealand and Hawaii to complete the loop. Since then they’ve enjoyed many trips, including
Jim Hickman has taken bicycle tours all over the world. For 20 years his coworkers at John’s Well Service have pinned his picture postcards to a world map at the office. touring with retired, world-renowned bike racer Andy Hampsten, resident of Boulder and northern Italy. They appreciate the luxury of someone else making all the arrangements, and the reception. “Italians love everybody on a bicycle,” Hickman said. “Bicycling is engrained in the culture there. We’ve got football; the Italians have bicycling. Andy Hampsten is still a hero to them.” The future for Hickman and Yancik includes bicycling in Sicily with Hampsten this spring, December bike camp in Tucson, and possibly a fall Dolomites (Italian Alps) trip. They’ve ridden there two times and loved it. “Sue started biking in college, at CSU,” Hickman said. “She is super strong and a great climber.” Yancik returned the compliment: “He’s amazing with the tandem. We even rode it over Trail Ridge Road, spending the night in
Grand Lake and riding back the next day. He’s my Knight in Shining Lycra, carrying me away on his tandem!” Then-25-year-old Hickman encouraged winter biking: “Just do it. Don’t worry about how you look or what other people think of you. I really like to get outside and feel a part of nature more.” Now, he still bicycles to work in Lyons two or three times a week, from his home in Allenspark or Yancik’s in North Boulder. Looking back, he says, “I thought I would save the world by not driving a car. Now I know that all you can do is set an example with your actions.” I might add, “and keep some cayenne pepper handy.” Carol Devenir worked for 30 years in City Planning and Public Works. She is the author of Beyond Chemo Brain: Recovering after Surviving. She lives in Lyons.
ity,” plus the intensity of sexual tensions, lead to a complex intertwining of emotional and physical relationships that will have an effect on Annie’s life forever. tucked into his neck and his eyes fixed in the empty space And 20 years later, the photo brings questions, questions beyond as if something were suspended there, ripe fruit or that a trip back to London may help shed some light onto, a glimmer of light as if he were not quite brave enough, or questions that need some resolution. Without too much perhaps too polite, to look a person in the eye.” difficulty, Annie locates Patrick. They spend time together, A framed photograph sits on Malcolm’s desk – Malcolm, old passions must be explored and they fall into bed; Annie his blond wife Louise and their small daughter Daisy, short begins to unearth tiny details, incidents of timing, secrets of for Marguerite. The photo was taken by Patrick Ardghal the past, of her youth – and of A Small Indiscretion. with whom, as it turned out, Louise was having an affair. Back home in California and grappling with marital Annie meets Patrick with “ ...his lean body and long legs issues, a jarring telephone calls tells Annie that her son and long, thin hands... narrow green eyes and dark, curly Robert Jonathan Gunnlaugsson – Robbie, home from hair and marbled skin... full pink lips.” When all four of Northwestern – has been in a car accident and airlifted them are thrown together in a number of social situations, to the hospital south of San Francisco. Robbie’s injuries and Annie’s youth and “ ...sense of liberation and possibil- are bad, so bad that Annie and Jonathan leave the little girls with her mother, tensely drive to the hospital and rent a room in a nearby motel; they want to spend every possible moment with their 20 year old son. But Robbie was supposed to be at home asleep – what beckoned him away from his cozy room, the safety of his family? There was a young woman in the car with Robbie – what happened to her? Who was she really? Robbie’s injuries and his Author Jan Ellison tells the story of Annie Black and her journey of self-discovery in recovery and how the family hanher first novel, A Small Indiscretion. Continue Book Review on Page 19
A Small Indiscretion tells a woman’s powerful story A Small Indiscretion by Jan Ellison, Random House, 336 pp. Reviewed by Andi Pearson Redstone Review LYONS – Annie Black creates artistic lighting fixtures, unusual pieces that hang suspended over a dining room table or provide as much colorful creativity as light to Pearson a room. She is married to Jonathan, a good man with a solid heart, and they live in the bay area of California with a son and two daughters. Annie’s life may seem normal, almost humdrum, but as she tells the reader, “It’s not always wise to assume that just because the surface of the world appears undisturbed, life is where you left it.” A young woman appears out of nowhere and comes to work for Annie. Emme – pronounced as a single syllable, like the letter – has a bohemian personality and doesn’t want to discuss her life but she is interested in Annie’s life, especially son Robbie. Annie isn’t quite sure what to make of it but she needs help in the store and she ignores her unease. A white envelope arrives in the mail. When Annie opens it, a photograph flutters onto the kitchen counter. Annie is instantly transported back in time to a cold London winter when she was 20, escaping a nowhere future in a bleak town “ ...that had not yet been connected to a sewer,” and took a job working for Malcolm Church who “had a strange way of talking, his head
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REDSTONE • REVIEW
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INTEREST Youth-led Leo Club roars into life By Katherine Weadley Redstone Review News Editor LYONS – As of late January the youth of Lyons now have a volunteer organization of their own – the Lyons Leo Club. The goal of the Leo Club is to bring youth volunteers together to brainstorm what can be done to help the community and be ready to launch projects as ideas or requests present themselves, according to their members. Sierra Tucker, a junior at Lyons High School, was inspired by her mother, Jonelle Tucker, to help organize the Leos. “For as long as I can remember my mom has been involved in and leading various projects and always encouraging us to help as well. Over the summer some friends and I volunteered with flood clean-up and repair crews and decided it would be fun to start our own organization run by the Lyons youth,” she said. Although over 20 kids have signed up for the Leos, four kids initially met with the Lyons Lions community organization as they looked for adult support. These kids were Faith Myers, Kate Berreman, Sierra Tucker and Mikayla Roth. Tucker, who is now Secretary of the Leos, is the only Lyons High School junior and the rest of the four are seniors. Faith Myers, a resident of Longmont and president of the Leos, explains how she was inspired. “The spirit of servitude in Lyons definitely had an impact on me; we wouldn’t have been able to found this club without the support and guidance of the Lions Lyons Club, and members of the community have sparked the idea along every stage of the way. Community projects I did with my friends was what opened my eyes to the need there was for such an outlet,” she said. Despite all the inspiration provided by the community, and parents and adults, the soon-to-be Leos felt there were two existing main challenges for teen volun-
teers, which have now been addressed. According to Myers, volunteering as a teen always required a paid adult supervisor for insurance purposes. Second, the projects were not focused for youth and as a result they couldn’t be as useful or efficient as they wanted. Teaming up with the Lyons Lions allows them to be “a youth-run group, chose projects that we are most interested in and that can use our strengths, and we have a more flexible schedule without adult supervisors.” Lions International sponsors the local adult group, the Lyons Lions Club, which in turns sponsors the Leos. According to their website Lions Clubs International are the largest service organization in the world with 1.37 million members providing services in 210 countries. Locally, adults Jerry Tabor and Ron Gosnell are Leo Club advisors. Besides providing mentoring the Lyons Lions had more to offer. “They had the youth-led structure we were looking for, with the benefit of having a pre-existing structure for things such as insurance, and community connections through the Lyons Lions Club,” said Myers. Although many Leos will graduate soon Myers doesn’t see that as a problem. “I am a senior, along with two other officers and quite a few other founding members, but I’m not worried in the least about the club as the majority of the people aren’t seniors and I’ve already seen great initiative by underclassmen who will continue the club.” “We hope that by planting the seed and encouraging and promoting it for as long as possible, others will want to keep it going,” Tucker says. Myers hopes to attend Baylor University this fall, although she won’t know for sure what her plans are until March. Tucker says she’s not sure exactly what she wants to major in or where she wants to go to college. “I’m interested in pursuing biology, particularly in the medical field,” she said.
B •R •I •E •F •S Continued from Page 1
and facilities. The TABOR amendment requires the state / municipalities to ask voters to approve any new taxes and the state / municipalities must estimate and present to voters the amount of money the tax would raise and estimate the overall tax collections without it. If the estimate is wrong on either of those things, they TABOR kicks in and the taxes must be refunded. That is what happened. State revenues came in higher than estimated because the economy is strong due to the oil and gas industry in Colorado. Ironically the marijuana taxes have been disappointing. Colorado estimated that marijuana sales would bring in $70 million in 2014 but only $58.7 million in taxes were collected. Lyons voted years ago to allow the town to keep the tax money it collects for the town. A portion of the taxes still goes to the state. The state could refund the taxes or stop collecting taxes for a while, but neither seems likely. State Sen.
The Lions Leo Club signed their Charter on February 4 with the Lyons Lions Club as sponsors. Left to Right, Front Row: Marissa Casey, Georgia Barone, Fia Finnoff; Makayla Roth; Savannah Drotar. Second Row: Maddie McGuire, Kate Berreman, Sierra Tucker, Molly Strauss, Cam Cross, Faith Myers, Emily Schneider, CeAnn Uvodich. Third Row: Mitchell Simms, Ashlynn Christiansen, Sydney Stevelinck, Cam Cross, Owen Grace. Fourth Row: Lars Basey, Maize Grace. Connor Weadley. The Leos welcome anyone to join their group. The only requirement to become a member is a completed application signed by a parent or guardian. Applications are available from any club officer. “By joining our Lyons Leo Club, you are establishing yourself in a group of driven, hard-working, and enthusiastic volunteers,” said Tucker. Myers says that homeschoolers are welcome in the Leos and there aren’t restrictions on where someone lives or goes to school. “It doesn’t matter what city you live in, there are plenty of people in the club, including me, from Longmont.” Donations are needed and checks may be written to “Lyons Lions Leo Club” and delivered to Clarks Hardware, 4100 Ute Hwy., Lyons (it’s where Leo Advisor Lon Clark works), or mailed to P.O. Box 824
Pat Steadman, D-Denver, said that would jeopardize drug prevention and treatment programs and money earmarked for schools. Instead Steadman is proposing a bill that would go to the voters asking them to allow the state to keep the pot tax money it collected.
Weekly walkabouts in Bohn Park LYONS – Every Monday at 3:30 p.m. Lyons Housing Collaborative members will take people on walkabouts in Bohn Park. Everyone is invited. You can walk and talk with the designers, developers and other team members of the Lyons Housing Collaborative. They meet near the tennis courts / parking area on the north end and walk the area for about an hour. Bring your kids, your dogs, and your neighbors. Rain or shine. Additional information, including the comprehensive list of FAQs, and the draft Preference Policy, can be found on the Town of Lyons Housing Recovery website. Due to snowy weather on Feb. 17 the next walk about will be held on Thursday Feb. 19 at 3:30 p.m. For more information go to Town of Lyons Housing Recovery danica @ trestle strategy. com.
Lyons, CO 80540 Attention: Leo Club. Founding members of the Lyons Leo Club are (in no particular order): Lars Basey, Maizie Grace, Mitchell Simms, Ashlyn Christiansen, Sydney Stevelinck, Cameron Cross, Owen Grace; Maddi Maguire, Kate Berreman, VP; Sierra Tucker, Secretary; Molly Gunhus, Faith Myers, President; Emily Schneider, CeAnn Udovich, Marissa Casey, Georgia Barone, Sofia Finoff, Mikayla Roth, Treasurer; Savannah Drotar. Landon Milbrath, Cole Berreman, Paul Roberts, Joel Such, Jenna Anderson, and Conor Weadley. Katherine Weadley is a librarian at Longmont Public Library. She also wrote for the Boulder Daily Camera. She lives in Lyons with her family, two dogs.
The Golden Gang is busy as usual. LYONS – The regular lunches are Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, serving at 11:30. Call to reserve the day before, 303-823-6771. The church dinners will be held at 5:30 p.m. at the Walter Self center; please call to reserve, 303-823-6771, on these dates: Feb. 24 at the LDS Church dinner March 2 at The River Church dinner March 16 at Lyons Community Church dinner March 31 at LDS Church dinner Seated fitness with Mary will be held at 10:30 a.m. on the last Wednesday of the month on Feb. 25 and March 25. Domino games will be held on Feb 25 after lunch at 12:30 p.m. Birthday party for the month will be held on Feb. 20 and March 20. Board meetings will be held on Feb. 18 and March 18 right after lunch at 12:30 p.m. Continue Briefs on Page 11
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REDSTONE • REVIEW
FEBRUARY 18 / MARCH 18, 2015
CONTEXT On being old By Don Moore Redstone Review LYONS – This is my tenth year of being a grandfather and I find myself reminiscing about my own grandparents, all Moore of whom have been dead for decades. I always knew them as old and their images to me are frozen old, even though I know intellectually they were once babies, teens, young adults, middle aged, and then, finally, old. Really old. With my own parents it was a bit different. They are both dead, and certainly I remember how they looked in the last months and years of their lives, but that’s not the only way I picture them. I knew and remember them in their late 30s and on into middle age, then old. It’s easier for me to picture them at those stages, because I have memories of them as they aged. Yet, I have always had a hard time picturing them as snotty-nosed, pull-yourhair-out, mischievous two-year-olds and hormonal teens with acne.
With my own two kids I’ve seen every stage from birth until now when they are in their late 30s. And, as I said, for nearly 10 years life has blessed me with the privilege of witnessing another generation below them come into the world and do the aging thing. When I look into the mirror, I don’t look any older than I did a couple weeks ago when I was a year younger at 66, and yet I know my three grand-girls see me now, always have, and always will witness me as old. Whether they see me in person or picture me in their minds when I’m not there, to them I will always be forever old. I may be wrong, but I’m thinking my sagging turkey neck, the crinkles in my face, as well as the liver spots and barnacles everywhere give it away. Of course I don’t feel or see myself as old as I am. I think that is a universal condition. When my mother was in her late 80s I asked her how old she felt inside, to which she replied without much thought, “About 42.” I’m very happy to be the age I am now and wouldn’t want to be any other age. I’m at a place when I can be satisfied just being here, wondering how the hell this happened.
Then there are cultural icons that are being replaced by people much too young to assume that status. In my mind Johnny Carson was old when he began hosting the Tonight Show. In fact he was 36 and Jimmy Fallon was 39 when he took over last year. Kids, both of them.
When my grand girls ask me to tell them what life was like in the olden days, I’m tempted to recite something about my grandparents’ lives, for indeed they lived in the olden days. Instead, I swallow hard and tell stories that happened in my yesterday mind, afraid I’ll disappoint them. Actually, they are astonished when I recall that just last week hamburgers cost 15 cents and ice cream cones were a nickel. I act much younger at my age than either of my parents or any of my grandparents
acted at the same age. Even so, I don’t think that will cut much mustard with my grandchildren. They will remember me as being active and leading a full life, but they will think that’s natural for old people, because, well, Papa is old. Longevity runs in the genes I inherited from both my parents and based upon that alone, I fully expect to be alive for more than a couple decades. When I look at my current age from that perspective I realize I will have watched my grand-girls grow out of childhood and into maturity. They will be in their late 20s, early 30s and will see me in just one more phase of being old. It will be fun to watch my great-grandchildren looking at my kids and seeing them as old. And when it’s time for me to pass on, my grand-girls will say, “He had a good run,” all the while thinking, damn he held on a long time, especially for someone so old. Don Moore is a retired lawyer and the author of Love is a Verb: Healing Yourself through Love, Gratitude and Compassion. He lives in Lyons.
Mountain communities form relationships through the InterMountain Alliance By Emily Gubler Redstone Review LYONS – In fall of 2010, over 200 residents of Gold Hill sat down to dinner outside the Gold Hill Inn. After evacuating for over a week because of the Fourmile Canyon Fire, they were returning home Gubler and being treated to dinner, complete with tablecloths, fresh bread, and flowers, by volunteers from their neighboring communities of Ward and Nederland. The gift of dinner to Gold Hill was an early action of the group that has grown into the InterMountain Alliance (IMA). Rebecca Lawrence founded the InterMountain Alliance (IMA). She is a long-time victim’s advocate for the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office. During the Fourmile Fire she worked with residents of Gold Hill. People in the surrounding communities knew Lawrence and called her to find out how they could help. “That kind of desire to help each other was the seed for this whole thing,” Lawrence said. After seeing what Gold Hill went through and how surrounding communities wanted to help, Lawrence brought together community leaders from mountain towns in western Boulder County, including Lyons. They expected to meet a few times over a three-month period to learn from Gold Hill’s experience of the Fourmile Canyon Fire. Once the group began meeting, they realized that although the mountain communities have unique personalities, they share similar issues. Four years later, representatives from Allenspark, Gold Hill, Jamestown, Lyons, Nederland, Ward, and other Boulder County communities are still meeting once a month. Gathering regularly provides a space to create relationships and share lessons learned about emergency preparedness and other issues faced by mountain communities. Amy Hardy was the mayor of Gold Hill during the Fourmile Fire and is now the chair of the IMA. She described the group this way: “The IMA provides a platform for folks to sit in the same room and realize that we have a lot in common,” she said.
nity,” Hardy said. “Knowing who your neighbors are and having a relationship with them before a disaster is key.” By connecting with each other and the Boulder County emergency officials, the Intermountain Alliance is constantly forming and renewing the connection between the mountain towns and emergency planners. Besides providing a place for community leaders to connect, the IMA has been involved in the creation of the Mountain Emergency Radio Network and the creation of the neighborhood pod systems in Gold Hill and Allenspark (which are now inspiring Lyons and Nederland). In addition to emergency preparedness issues, the IMA has worked on issues of the mountain communities such as firing ranges and interactions with bicyclists. Rebecca Hardy compared the IMA to a neighbor showing up at your door bearing a tuna casserole, while Hardy summed up the IMA this way: “The reason the IMA has continued to enthusiastically meet for four years is that it provides a common voice for all of our mountain communities that felt pretty isolated before that,” said Hardy. “We have voted not to vote. We don’t handle money; we don’t Left Hand Canyon above Rowena on Sept. 13, 2013. PHOTO BY FRED MORSE disperse money; we don’t take grants; everyone is pretty much there as a volunteer. Everyone is excited about the meetings, they leave feeling could see first hand from the community that was affected.” During and after the 2013 Flood, the IMA gave the connected and eager to go out and learn and bring information to the group.” mountain communities a voice. More information about the IMA can be found at their “The IMA has become an advocacy group. After the flood, the next two IMA meetings had over 70 people in website http://www.intermountainalliance.org. Thoughts attendance,” said Hardy. “Boulder County sent people from or questions about Lyons All-Risk Preparedness may be many of their departments, FEMA sent people, and the Red sent to Lyons. Preparedness @ gmail. com. Cross sent people. It was an opportunity for all of us to come Emily Gubler spent 10 years working as a wildland firetogether and identify our needs. The IMA provides a place where folks who are not from the mountains can come and fighter and five years working on an ambulance as an emermeet the mountain leaders in one place.” Hardy added that gency medical technician. She is currently working on emergency preparedness in Lyons as a volunteer with the Human state and federal legislators have attended meetings. “Disasters don’t care about fire district boundaries or Services and Aging Commission. She lives in Blue Mountain town boundaries, so they can affect more than one commu- Valley with her family. “For instance, the Allenspark residents are not unlike the Gold Hill residents. We are both unincorporated; we are both under the larger umbrella of Boulder County; we both have volunteer nonpaid fire departments. We have people that live in the outlying areas that we need to be able to communicate with. Gold Hill, motivated by the fire, stepped up to start creating a community-based emergency preparedness plan. Through the IMA meetings, Allenspark was able to see how important it was to start to plan because they
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REDSTONE • REVIEW
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CONNECTIONS Proposed new housing in Bohn Park: Crunching the numbers By Mark Browning and Ashley Ahrens Redstone Review LYONS – Much has been written on Facebook and in local newspapers about some emotional aspects of the new Lyons housing proposal for Bohn Park. Should we really try to bring back as many former residents as were displaced? If so, at what cost? Should we preserve 100 percent of pre-flood town park space, or will new “404” property make up for repurposing five to seven acres of Bohn Park? Will Lyons change for the better or worse if some housing goes to new residents with targeted income levels? Those are important questions, on which reasonable minds can reasonably differ. But we won’t try to answer these questions here. We’re “numbers guys” (geeks, perhaps), and we want to address different questions. While probably not decisive, we think this question is important: What are the estimable economic / fiscal impacts the Town may realize attributable to 50 to 70 units of new housing (mostly rental, partly Habitat homes)? Before a specific site or developer was proposed, the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) provided some quick, back-of-the-envelope estimates of replacement housing fiscal / economic impacts. Neither replacement housing supporters nor opponents were comfortable with its numbers, as they were seemingly not reflective of “on the ground” realities. Maybe this is “fools rush in where angels fear to tread,” but we’d like to take a shot at these numbers, looking at four areas: sales tax, property tax, utility fees and “front end” effects. Sales Tax This is the hardest area to estimate. The Town of Lyons collects revenues from many sources (e.g., traffic fines and permit fees). The Town receives sales tax revenue at the rate of 3.0 percent on retail sales of taxable items from both residents and non-residents. Retail sales are obviously seasonal – higher in summer and early fall due to, for example, tourist traffic and music and other festivals. The impacts described below are based on demographic data obtained from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs
(DOLA) and available at http://www.colorado.gov/cs/Satellite/DOLAMain/CBON/1251589672852. To estimate how 140 new residents (based on 2.36 persons per household and the 60-unit midpoint) would affect sales tax receipts, we did the following: We used town sales tax collections from November through April, omitting the “high season” months of the year with substantially more out-of-town visitors. We used 2011 and 2012 data from DOLA, since 2013 was the flood year and 2014 receipts were boosted by big reconstruction
Revenue Department data doesn’t split sales into local / non-local, so there’s no way to exactly measure “sales to locals.” We did the best we could. We asked several local merchants to estimate what percentages of their sales in off-peak months were to locals. Their average estimate was 75 percent. Using that, estimated per capita tax collections are $13.35 per month, or $160.2 per year. Multiply by 140 residents, that’s $22,428 per year in added sales tax revenue. Property Tax This is the easiest one, though a precise
At the Feb. 9 LHC Bohn Park “walkabout,” held weekly on Mondays for the purpose of furthering understanding of the scope and footprint of the project, and to answer public questions. At left is Darvin Ayre, with the Ayre group. On the right is Cody Humphrey, the town of Lyons housing recovery coordinator. PHOTO BY CATHY RIVERS projects in the area, many visiting flood recovery volunteers and “flood tourists.” The average sales tax collected in those months in 2011 and 2012 was $37,004. With 2080 residents (average of 2011 and 2012 population estimates), per capita receipts were $17.80 per month, or about $213.48 per year. On a per household basis, this equates to about $504 annually. But that doesn’t go quite far enough. Even in off-season months, some sales are to out-of-towners, and we’re looking for sales to local residents only. Colorado
figure isn’t currently available. Questions were raised about whether new housing would be tax free. It won’t be. Housing would be on town-owned land leased to a non-profit (Boulder County Housing Collaborative), which would normally make it tax-exempt. But the town and BCHA have agreed to annual “Payments in Lieu of Tax” (“PILOTs”), a common way municipalities get revenue from nonprofits like hospitals and universities that benefit from town services. The exact amount of PILOT payments
isn’t known yet. It’s still to be negotiated in the not-yet-final agreement between the town and the housing collaborative. We do know how much flood devaluations affected Lyons’ projected property tax revenues: a $28,971 drop. Total assessed value went from $28.7 million in 2013 to $26.9 million in 2014, a 6.3 percent decrease. Part of that should be recaptured as some damaged properties are restored. Others (404 properties) will never go back on tax rolls. So what can be said about property tax is that PILOTs will make up for at least some lost tax property revenue. When the development agreement is finalized, the exact amount will be public information. Utility Fees Although more paying utility customers (electric, water, wastewater) would obviously create more revenue for Lyons, it isn’t accurate to say all that revenue benefits the Town economically. Lyons buys electricity from MEAN, a Nebraska power cooperative. If Lyons buys, say, $100,000 more power per year to supply new housing, Lyons would seek to collect $100,000 in re-sales to new customers. Lyons’ additional net revenue would be zero. More residents buying more power doesn’t increase net revenue if Lyons has a goal (as it does) to break even in power sales. Where more customers do bring in more net revenue are base fees – amounts on our monthly bills that cover capital costs and debt service on utility infrastructure. Check your electric bill. Ours show about $49 per month ($29 water, $13 electric $17 sewer). As of August 2014, Lyons had lost 88 electric connections, 56 water connections and 88 sewer connections due to the flood. Total base fees for those connections are estimated at $55,000 to $69,000 per year. If none of those connections come back (due to 404 buyouts or residences simply not being rebuilt, like the mobile home parks), then remaining Lyons residents must make up the difference by paying higher base fees. Otherwise, Lyons can’t pay for needed capital improvements or meet debt service obligations. Having 50 to 70 new connections will go a long way to replacing the lost electric, water, and sewer connections. Using Continue Numbers on Page 19
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REDSTONE • REVIEW
FEBRUARY 18 / MARCH 18, 2015
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Art news and entertainment around the Lyons area
tunes and songs on Jayme Stone’s Lomax Project, due to release on March 3, 2015 on Borealis Records. Margaret Glasby on guitar and voice, Brittany Hass on fiddle, Eli West on voice and guitar, and Joe Phillips on bass seek understudied sounds, dust off old songs and reimagine them to create music left behind from Appalachia to Trinidad, from rural communities to juke joints. The show starts at 8 p.m. High Street Concerts take place at the historical Rogers Hall, on Fourth and High in Lyons. Tickets go on sale on February at the Stone Cup. For more information and advance tickets, please go to www.highstreetconcerts.com. The Renaissance Project presents Tongue in Cheek: The Flip Side of Renaissance Greats on Friday, February 21 at the Lyons Community Church. Wallow in the despair, humor, lovesickness, and passion of composers from long ago, including Monteverdi, Josquin des Prez, Dowland, and more! The Renaissance Project, led by Steven Aguiló-Arbues, is a Boulder, Coloradobased, small a cappella choir of skilled amateur and professional singers who focus on Renaissance motets, other Renaissance pieces, and music of a similar aesthetic. The program features secular hits of mostly the 16th century. Tongue in Cheek will be repeated on February 22 at 4 p.m.at 1237 Pine Street Church in Boulder. For information please go to www.renaissanceprojectboulder.org
By MinTze Wu Redstone Review LYONS The Stone Cup Café / Rise and Shine Bistro will continue Rachel Tallent’s Mixed Media Wu Art Show entitled “Instagram! Bam! Thank You, Ma’am!” through February. Abstract modern-style works by Jocelyn Farrell will be presented in March and April. Farrell favors acrylic on canvas to create a strong statement of her experiences and the world around her, such as the deep canyons of Colorado, New Mexico and Utah, or the turquoise waters of the Florida Keys. Her recent experimentation with charcoal and acrylic paint on handpressed paper and images of nude female body are an expression of her belief that all women have boundless beauty. Music in the Mornings continues each weekend. The upcoming shows include James Faulk’s Folk-Classic Rock on February 21, March 7 and 21, Aural Elixir’s Jazz-Rock-Folk on February 22, Glenn Colby’s Jazz Standards on February 28, David Coile on March 1, Jay Stott’s Americana on March 8, Chris Elliott’s Bluegrass-Pop on March 14, Ran Off the Rooster on March 15, and Tupelo Honey’s folk music on March 22. A trunk show featuring Stella Blu Bohemian Boutique will be hosted on March 8 from 2 to 4 p.m.. Stella Blu Re-Design is eclectic, one of a kind, upcycled clothing and handbags made from “rescued” materials. Upcycle is a practice that takes a disposable object and transforms it into something of greater value. The café is located on Fifth Avenue and High Street. For more information please call 303-823-2345 or visit www.thestonecup.com. High Street Concerts is thrilled to present Jayme Stone’s Lomax Project on March 7. Banjo innovator and musical instigator Jayme Stone and his collaborators took on a year-long journey to research and recast 19 carefully chosen songs collected by iconic American folklorist and field recording pioneer Alan Lomax. Rather than preserving, Stone’s approach is renewing the materials of sea shanties, cowboy ballads, ox-driving songs, and Southern spirituals. Stone and company have delved into the vast, worldwide trove of Lomax recordings and found a deeply emotional access to these
BOULDER The Boulder Bach Festival presents Bach’s great B Minor Mass “Dance of Continue A&E on Page 18
Abstract acrylic on canvas paintings by Jocelyn Farrell will be presented during March and April at The Stone Cup Café / Rise and Shine Bistro.
Fri 2/20 Bonnie & the Clydes Sat 2/21 A Night w/ Zach Deputy Sun 2/22 Hobo Nephews
of Uncle Frank Wed 2/25 Battle of the Bands 7PM Thurs 2/26 Lyons Jazz Band 7:30PM Fri 2/27 Kerry Prestine
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Jayme Stone’s Lomax Project, March 7 at 8 p.m. at the historical Rogers Hall, on Fourth and High in Lyons. Presented by High Street Concerts.
LYONS REPLACEMENT HOUSING – QUICK FACTS Funding for housing – Currently, Disaster Recovery funding for housing is earmarked by State and County officials for Lyons. The application date is March 2, 2015. There are currently no other known sources of funding for replacement housing. Site – After extensive reviews, the Board of Trustees determined that the proposed site is the only option for using the currently-available replacement housing grant funds. State, County and Town laws require new development to be annexed into a municipality. Annexation requires a process which can become lengthy. Density – The housing is planned to be medium density, of similar scale to Lyons Valley Village to the east of the site. Resident preference – The project team has prepared a preference policy for consideration by the Town. This policy gives first preference to residents displaced by the 2013 flood. Second preference goes to Lyons resi-
dents, employees of Lyons businesses, and those whose children attend Lyons schools. Willa Williford, Housing Division Director for Boulder County, said the housing preference policy is based on significant analysis, intended to ensure it is fair and consistent with the law. It may be refined further by additional community input. “I think the funding agencies will be sympathetic to what Lyons is trying to accomplish,” she said. Economic benefits to town – Residents in the housing development will increase sales tax revenue, spread utility fees over a larger population base, and add to Lyons’ workforce, making Lyons more economically diverse and stable. Parks funding – The Town has secured federal, state and local funding for repairing parks. FEMA alone has committed over $20 million. Answers to many frequently asked questions can be found at town of lyons. com / housing - recovery.
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FEBRUARY 18 / MARCH 18, 2015
REDSTONE • REVIEW
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INSIGHT Neighbors By John Gierach Redstone Review LYONS – It was in September of last year, on the anniversary of the 2013 flood, that Lyons threw a party in Bohn Gierach Park as part of a weekendlong commemoration. It was a perfect, crisp fall day; beers were drunk, dogs frolicked and the occasional festive whiff of marijuana wafted by on the breeze. Up on stage local volunteers were recognized, as they should have been. Governor Hickenlooper spoke, and so did Senator Mark Udall and Representative Cory Gardner as well as other officials. Everyone’s message was the same: Lyons was back, rebuilt “better and stronger than ever” as the Governor said. We were all proud survivors; an inspiration. And then a band played some real good music. Not a word was said about the 99 families – our neighbors – who’d lost their homes in the flood and who were then, and still are, without a permanent place to live in their own home town. If you were a stranger just wandering in to see the show that day, you’d have never known they existed.
At the flood anniversary parade, September 2014. PHOTO BY CATHY RIVERS As we all remember, the flood itself was horrifying and the recovery amounted to barely controlled chaos. Still, although it took longer than some expected and longer than anyone wanted, the lights eventually came back on, taps ran, toilets flushed and land-line telephones began to ring. In time those of us who stayed could come and go freely without passing through a checkpoint and those who’d evacuated began to trickle back – at least those who had a place to come back to. Through it all the Town Board did its best to cobble a small town of 2,000 back together after a natural disaster by negotiating an absolute shit-storm of conflicting government regulations and Byzantine funding sources while simultaneously avoiding bankruptcy. It hasn’t all gone smoothly by a long shot, but it may well have gone as smoothly as possible under
the circumstances. So now – 17 months out – most of the town looks like it did before the flood and any disaster tourists who show up late will be disappointed. The river through town is a mess, but there’s a plan and funding in place to rebuild the trout habitat; we recently voted to build a new library; there’s handsome new landscaping in front of Town Hall and so on. These are all signs of progress that make some of us uncomfortable because they leave the impression that we’re more concerned with trout fishing, libraries and landscaping than we are with the people who have nowhere to live. But that’s not entirely true. In fact, the town board has been steadily working on housing all this time and has now, finally, voted to use several acres of Bohn Park to create between 50 and 70 units of flood replacement housing. This plan may be less than ideal in some ways, but given the time restraints and the labyrinth of bureaucracy involved in projects like these, it’s the best and only possible alternative. Boulder County Housing Authority was chosen to be the builder for the proposed replacement housing project, but this will not be section 8 housing with a huge waiting list. The housing will be a mix of housing designs with town homes and units for rent and some stand-alone homes for sale. A preference will be given to Lyons residents who were displaced by the flood as well as local residents including artists, musicians, and writers, workers, and students. The preference for displaced residents will be in place for three years. The Williams property across Highway 36 from Eagle Canyon was suggested as an alternative site, but there are at least two problems with it. For one, the town would have to buy it, cutting into the limited funds for housing, and for another, in the time it would take for the property to be appraised and purchased, the deadline for the grant in March will have expired and the town will lose the money. Federal funds have been set aside to use a Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery Funds, CDBG-DR of $4 million to build replacement housing if Lyons can submit a comprehensive housing plan before the March deadline. The goal is to get the proposal in this March before the money is given away to other communities. Those who say we’ll lose 5 to 7 acres of the park to housing are simply mistaken. In fact, once the HUD 404 buyout properties are added to Bohn Park, it will be larger than it is now. And just to be clear, this federal grant is the town’s only chance to build replacement housing for those who were displaced
Gov. Hickenlooper and Mary Chapin Carpenter sang together at the flood anniversary party last September in Bohn Park. PHOTO BY CATHY RIVERS by the flood. So says the Town Board and so say the two consulting outfits (Trestle and Boulder County Housing Authority) who have been working on the project. There might be another round of CDBGDR funding, but it seems unlikely. A few have suggested that the town could raise the $4 million some other way, but they haven’t bothered to say how. I was surprised at the opposition to this project if only because it seemed misinformed. For starters, they collected enough signatures on a petition to require a special election, apparently not realizing that the state already requires a vote of the people before park land can be used for any other purpose besides park land. So as it stands now, residents will vote on the question in a special mail in ballot election due on March 24 and then again in a second special election on April 21 to satisfy the citizen initiative, thereby costing the town extra work it doesn’t have time for and extra money it doesn’t have. But what really surprises me about the opposition is its nastiness. I don’t mean the nit-picking criticisms, the slick, cam-
paign-style mailer that arrived recently or the usual shouting and fist pounding, but the anonymous threats to public officials. Really? You’re threatening citizen legislators for trying to build replacement housing for the victims of a natural disaster? What the hell are you thinking? Maybe these people didn’t understand that threatening public officials is not only a crime, but the kind of crime we take rather seriously these days. The police are looking into it and with any luck these folks will have the opportunity to explain their peculiar reasoning to a judge. In the meantime, we have a simple question before us in next month’s election: Do we want to try and bring our neighbors home after a natural disaster or not? It will be a sad day for Lyons if we say no. John Gierach is an outdoor and fly fishing writer who writes a column for Flyrod & Reel magazine. His books include Trout Bum, Sex Death and Fly fishing, and Still Life with Brook Trout. His new book, All Fishermen are Liars is available at book stores and fly fishing shops everywhere including South Creek Ltd. on Main Street.
FACTS ON LYONS PARKLAND TO PONDER • Lyons has at least 33 acres of parkland per 1000 population, which is over 3.5 times the national average, in addition to 100 additional acres of Open Space. • If Lyons had 10 fewer acres of park land, it would still have over 3 times the national average. • Boulder, for comparison, has 15 acres per 1000 population, including the large open areas of Boulder Reservoir and Valmont Park. • Lyons is surrounded by County Open Space Parks. And is within 25 miles of Rocky Mountain National Park. • At national average rates, Lyons has
Th e
L i t t l e
over a million dollars of operating costs every year for its parkland (2.5 times the Lyons Parks and Recreation Department’s 2014 budget of $407,152). • The average operating expenditures per acre of park land in jurisdictions with fewer than 250 acres is $16,525. Sources: The National Parks and Recreation Association’s 2014 National Database Report, http : / / www. nrpa. org / PRORAGIS / Reports / and 2014 Boulder Parks and Recreation Master Plan. Answers to many Frequently Asked Questions can be found at town of lyons. com / housing - recovery.
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ANNIVERSARY Redstone Review celebrates 15 years: “A grand adventure” By Carol Devenir Redstone Review LYONS – “Water is very elementary,” was the first headline in the first issue of the Redstone Review, published 15 years ago in Devenir February, 2000. As if to connect with readers in 2015, the article by Editor Susan de Castro McCann began, “For the past 110 years the town of Lyons has been struggling with the issue of water.” Now it’s been 125 years. In 2000, the struggle ensued not from a recent overabundance of water, but from water quality issues. In 2000, the town was facing two major needs – a new water treatment plant, and a new elementary school. The town’s water treatment plant had had many violations and was unlikely to meet impending new water quality standards. The state had granted $60,000 for development of a master plan for the water system. The issue was complicated and sometimes divisive. The elementary school issue was also complicated. Mayor Nick Angelo pointed out that the town had land on which to build a school, next to the high school, but a public vote was needed to transfer 10 acres of park land to the School District. The Fire District worried about the difficulty of evacuating elementary school children in case of flooding. Also in that first issue, John Burke commented in a letter to the editor that town discussions had changed. “Now people are more likely to bang heads,” he wrote. “Differences in opinion are more likely to become personal.” Welcoming the Redstone Review, he said “With more people and more viewpoints come a greater need for more information and discussion. And hopefully, a greater desire to understand different viewpoints. Maybe you can help us all learn to treat town issues and each other with a bit more understanding and a little less heat.” About 18 Lyons area writers contributed to the Redstone’s first issue. Topics were varied, as they have been ever since: civic issues, arts and music, schools, gardening, natural health, high school sports, and local businesses from sandstone quarrying to new restaurants. Mrs. LaVern was running for Town Trustee, and noted author John Gierach didn’t think computers were an improvement over pencil and paper. The paper was replete with photographs and illustrations. The newspaper has maintained its character over 15 years – involving many in the community, covering a wide vari-
ety of issues, and not shrinking from the inevitable controversies, while maintaining its artistic beauty, consistent with Lyons’ culture and environment. Redstone Review founder, publisher and editor, Susan de Castro McCann said, in looking back over the past 15 years, that the paper has changed as the town has changed. “The issues are different, and the people are different, more numerous and more diverse. The paper is a reflection of the community and what it’s dealing with.” In the Redstone’s first issue McCann wrote, “People of complex and diverse interest, ideas and concerns are making their home in the greater Lyons area...
B •R •I •E •F •S Continued from Page 5
Website aims to help reunite owners with their pets after natural disasters BOULDER – When evacuees and pets become separated while fleeing hurricanes, wildfires or other natural disasters, they’re often difficult to reunite. Computer scientists at the University of Colorado Boulder hope to change that with a new online tool designed to leverage the work of crowds to reconnect pets with their human families. The EmergencyPetMatcher website, which recently received its final approvals, is ready to be deployed during the next disaster. The tool lets anyone go online and create reports of lost and found pets as well as propose matches between the pictures of lost pets and found ones. Keeping pets and owners together has not always been a priority. During Hurricane Katrina, 70,000 pets were displaced from their owners and only 3 percent
Our intent is to further awareness of the such as the printer, who called himself possibilities and opportunities for cooper- Snake showing off the tattoos of large ation as our community grows.” knives on his back while Burke commented in the describing his real job was Quote of the Day: paper’s 12th anniversary helping parents find “We must be willing to get rid issue, “It (the Redstone their lost children. Review) was born out of of the life we planned, so as to have McCann described love for that community the life that is waiting for us. The old the early stories (Lyons). When the first skin has to be shed before the new one and won the can come.” edition hit the streets, Colorado Press Joseph Campbell, American that fledgling newspaper Association’s “Best writer and mythologist was a stunning success... the Feature Story” award Redstone Review (is) an institufor monthly newspapers in tion worthy of the community it covers.” 2013. Currently, things run more Getting the first few editions printed smoothly. Last year, 2014, was the first year turned into slapstick-funny challenges, the paper entered the Press Association’s annual awards contest. The paper won 31 awards, including the “Sweepstakes award,” for winning the most awards in its class: monthly newspapers. “The highest honor is recognition from your colleagues,” McCann said. “I’m especially pleased we have such great people writing for the paper.” Before starting the Redstone Review, McCann earned a BA in English Literature from the University of Denver and an MA in Journalism from CU, where she was the acting art and architecture librarian at Norlin Library. She worked for the Longmont Times-Call for 12 years, including six years as the business editor. She wrote for the Boulder County and Northern Colorado Business Reports for five years and freelanced for business and architectural magazines. Her first Redstone Review business partner was Ardelle Gifford, who lived in Spring Gulch and printed a newsletter. When Gifford moved, the position went to Richard Joyce, a CU journalism cohort, friend and now journalism professor at CSU-Pueblo. Looking back, McCann said, “Our idea was to bring things to people’s attention that might be under the radar, giving people a different perspective, so they can make informed opinions. The paper has attracted lots of great writers. People enjoy writing about subjects that interest them. That’s what makes the paper kind of unique. It has been exciting to get to know so many diverse and interesting people, through interviews and through their stories.” As for the future, she said, “It’s a grand adventure. I have no idea where it will end up. I’m like the little carving in the book Paddle to the Sea by Holling C. Holling; I’m paddling to sea. I’m happy and grateful to have this adventure.” Carol Devenir worked for 30 years in City Planning and Public Works. She is the author of Beyond Chemo Brain: Recovering after Surviving. She lives in Lyons.
were reunited. In the wake of the storm, new legislation – called the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards (PETS) act – passed that requires states wanting access to federal emergency disaster funds to accommodate pets in their evacuation plans. While the law is designed to keep pets and their owners together, it does not address pets if they become displaced. The new EmergencyPetMatcher tool hopes to help fill that hole. Already, pet owners are using the Internet in natural disasters to find information about displaced animals. During Hurricane Sandy, for example, lost and found pets were posted on Facebook and Craigslist. EmergencyPetMatcher is part of a larger effort within Project EPIC (Empowering the Public with Information in Crisis) – an initiative to leverage social media during disasters that is based in CU-Boulder’s College of Engineering and Applied Science – to address challenges associated with animals during disasters. The goal is to make it easier to keep track of animals and their care, and to have instant access to the number and kind of animals being sheltered at any given
center. EmergencyPetMatcher, when it goes live during an emergency, will be online at www.emergencypetmatcher.com.
Low-income energy assistance helps stabilize wintertime budgets BOULDER COUNTY – As cold temperatures continue across Colorado, help is available for Boulder County residents who struggle to pay their winter heating bills. LEAP, the Low-income Energy Assistance Program, is accepting applications now through April 30. LEAP assists low-income residents with covering the costs of heating their homes. The program is designed to pay the highest benefit to households with the highest heating costs. Income criteria apply, including a limit of 150 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), which equates to a gross annual income of $17,508 for a family of one or $35,784 for a family of four. Other eligibility factors apply, and residents are encouraged to contact Continue Briefs on Page 13
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REDSTONE • REVIEW
FEBRUARY 18 / MARCH 18, 2015
FOUNDATIONS ISIS cannot be reasoned with or even negotiated with By Richard A. Joyce Redstone Review VP PUEBLO – This month, it is incredibly tempting to weigh in on NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams’ tainted Joyce reporting, which at last count among stories reported nationally, may have embellished as many as eight stories over the years with first-person recollections that inaccurately portrayed situations with which he was associated as a reporter / participant. My take is simple: If he did it deliberately, his career as a journalist should be over. Period. If, as he asserts, his memories of the recalled events gelled in such a way as to enhance his status during those events, and that this inaccurate gelling is something of a mental flaw, then he is not responsible for the recollections – but neither can he then ever be a responsible field journalist, for how could we ever be sure that what he says he observed isn’t as tainted as the recollections of what he personally experienced? And so, as in case one, his career as a journalist should be over. Whether he could then parlay this setback into a successful career as a highly paid entertainer – something he’s been working on for several years now – remains to be seen, but that’s probably his best shot at what he seeks: celebrity status without the need to submit to an ethics standard to match. In any case, I don’t want to spend more space on Williams than that, and so I’d like to talk about the story NBC foreign correspondent Richard Engel filed on Feb. 13. It contains no personal recollections, but it does offer a personal judgment. It is the story of two women – Farida, 19, and Hweida, 12 – who escaped separately from ISIS sexual slavery after they were taken captive when ISIS invaded their city, Kuchu, in northern Iraq, and then sold as concubines. For now, Farida’s story is my focus. As Engel reports: “Farida was captured in August when ISIS fighters took over Kuchu, a Yazidi village with a pop-
ulation of less than 2,000 near the Sinjar Mountains in northern Iraq. Kuchu was already surrounded by ISIS fighters when the U.S. started bombing last summer. “Survivors tell NBC News that ISIS fighters entered Kuchu on August 3, stayed for several days, and eventually separated the men from their families. The men were then driven to the groves outside of the village, lined up and shot. Villagers estimate that around 500 men were executed. ISIS militants dragged away hundreds of
and was raped by several men over the course of the following two months. “We said we are human beings. They said, ‘You are our property,’” she said. “They said, ‘You are infidels. We will do what we want with you.’” One night, when the militants were sexually gratifying themselves with two of their captives, Farida and five others slipped out of the camp and walked for two days, hiding in abandoned homes. But the illness of one in their group, a 12year-old, compelled them to knock on a
Kuchu’s girls, women and children. Farida ended up in Raqqa, where she was sold as a concubine. Over the course of the next several months she was raped, beaten and starved. She says more than half of the 80 girls in the slave market in that ‘hall’ in Raqqa were from Kuchu.” Farida, who fought her situation by attempting suicide three times and refusing to have sex, and being severely punished for it each time, was sold several times, ending up at a desert location with several other women, all sex slaves to a group of Libyan ISIS militants. Engel reports: “The Libyans were brutal. Farida says she was unable to hold out
door and ask for help. The man inside refused them, Engel’s story says, but then his son thought maybe they could make some money by helping the women. The women’s families paid, and the women were taken by truck to Dohok in Kurdistan, where they remain in safety. In addition to writing the story, Engel delivered it on NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt, and at the end of his report, he did something journalists rarely do. He labelled ISIS, in his own words, evil. And we who watched him do that, we who have been following all the stories of ISIS atrocities, the beheadings, the mass
killings, the burning of the Jordanian pilot, and the now revealed full extent of this beast’s sexually depraved heart, we now know for certain the true nature of radical Islamists. “You are infidels. We will do what we want with you.” ISIS, despite its rhetorical insistence that it is the true Islam, obedient to Allah and to the words and deeds of the Prophet, is in fact the great deceiver, the great enemy of that which it claims to uphold. ISIS is evil incarnate. Submit to our will or die, often horribly, its members say. And that is why it cannot be reasoned with, negotiated with, or even brought to a standstill or any form of
peaceful coexistence. And that is why ISIS must be utterly destroyed, whatever it takes. Richard A. Joyce is an associate professor in the mass communications department at Colorado State University-Pueblo. He is an award-winning journalist who served as managing editor, and subsequently editor and general manager of the Cañon City Daily Record from 1988 to 1994. The opinions he expresses in this column are strictly his own, and do not represent in any way the views of anyone else at the Redstone Review or at Colorado State University-Pueblo. He can be reached at phase15@mac.com.
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REDSTONE • REVIEW
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IDEAS Two conversations: reactions to trauma By Janaki Jane Redstone Review LYONS – I keep thinking about two of the many conversations I have had in the last few weeks about the housing issue with current and former residents of Lyons. One was with a person who Jane does not want Bohn Park used for housing. This person said to me, with tears in their eyes, “I am being traumatized by the flood all over again! Now the flood is threatening to take away even more from me – it is threatening to take away my parkland!” The words we use sometimes tell a truth far deeper than the one we meant to tell. What I heard from this person is that they are still in flood trauma. They haven’t processed the shock and grief of the 2 a.m. sirens and driving through water and being evacuated for over a month, and whatever other piece of the last year and a half triggers them. Trauma can be sneaky. Our culture tells us that we should just go ahead and live our lives and not talk about how off balance we feel, and time will heal all wounds. For some, this works. For many, it doesn’t.
It’s hard to admit that we are hurt, that we feel unsafe in our world. Traumatic experiences do that to us: when everything is suddenly out of our control, the normal reaction of feeling insecure can make us grasp for reassurance in places where it cannot be found, and react with fear to that which is uncertain. This is natural, and human, and it deserves to be respected, in ourselves and in all of our many neighbors. It doesn’t necessarily mean that good decisions come out of feeling this way. The other conversation was with someone who had lived in one of the mobile home parks for several decades, and lost everything. This person had come into town to meet a friend at a coffee shop. While there, they heard someone say something like “ ...and I don’t see why I should give up my park so that trailer trash can live there.” This remark came like a hammer. “I thought I wanted to come back,” this former resident said, “but why would I want to come back to a town that sees me as trailer trash?” This former resident is not over their flood trauma, and
they, too, are being triggered by words used in this debate. They feel personally attacked, and are generalizing from something one person said to the entire town. They don’t know the person they overheard, and that person obviously doesn’t know them. They feel unsafe from having lost their home in a disaster. They want the certainty of feeling welcome before they make the decision to come back. These are understandable feelings, but they aren’t necessarily ones that good decisions come out of. We have the choice to react to the surface content of what others say, or to hear the pain underneath. We have the choice to make decisions about our own lives based on what we hear others say, or based on what we want for ourselves. We have the choice to admit what emotions are driving our opinions and decisions, or to ignore the ways in which we might be being irrational, and cling to our reactivity. Whatever choices we make affect not just our own lives, but can also impact the lives of our families, friends, and neighbors. I am not comparing and contrasting anything about these two conversations. It is the emotions in them that keeps them coming back to mind. I was truly touched by the distress of both (actually, all three) of these people. Their pain hit me in the heart. I don’t want any of my neighbors to feel what any of them are feeling, but I can’t change that. What I can do is try to understand all of them, and try to hear their pain. I hear pain in people’s words (and Facebook posts) all over town these days, as 17 months after the disaster we grapple with the consequences of the flood. We can choose to use our words to understand each other, or to hurt each other and push each other apart. Whichever way we choose, we have to live together today, tomorrow, and next year. Just this week, I received an email from someone apologizing for something pretty minor that they had said in a group the previous day. That person chose to look at their own emotional reactions, to rethink their response, and to own it by apologizing. I am not always that mature, myself. I bring it up because it shows that sometimes all of us say things that on reflection we regret. Very few of us are able to watch every word that comes out of our mouths. But we can try, and when we fail, we can own up to it. We can respect ourselves and each other by being open and forgiving about the failings that we all have. We can remember that decisions made based on emotional reactions are often not the best. Maybe if we try to do these things, we can treat each other with a little more kindness and a little more friendship. Everyone can use that. Janaki Jane lives off the utilities grid in the mountains west of Lyons with her husband and her cat. Many deer, foxes, chipmunks, bobcats, elk, coyotes, ground squirrels, rabbits, moose, birds and the occasional marmot and mountain lion are residents of her property, too, although they cannot be convinced to share in the property taxes.
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Travels with Redstone Claudia Kean and her son Eric travelled to Laos for Claudia’s American School of Vientiane 1969 – 1971 Reunion. They shown here at Luang Prabang, in front of the Wat Haw Pha Bang, the temple which houses the sacred Phabang Buddha. Take the Redstone with you on your next trip and send us your photos showing where the Redstone has traveled. Send your photos to sdcmc@infionline.net.
B •R •I •E •F •S Continued from Page 11
the LEAP office for more information. In addition, BCDHHS continues to oversee a local expansion of the Heating Assistance Program and can provide help for households with a higher income limit than the LEAP Program. This expansion has gross monthly income limits of 185 percent of FPL, which is $21,600 for a family of one or $44,124 for a family of four. “Our neighbors deserve to be able to stay warm in the winter and not have to make big cuts to spending on other essentials,” said BCDHHS Director Frank Alexander. “This is just one of the many kinds of help we can offer, but it’s an important one.” For more details or to obtain an application, residents should contact the State of Colorado LEAP Information Line at 866-HEAT-HELP (866-4328435). The Boulder County LEAP office is located at 1921 Corporate Center Circle, Suite 3-F, in Longmont, and can be reached at 303-678-6097. Continue Briefs on Page 18
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REDSTONE • REVIEW
FEBRUARY 18 / MARCH 18, 2015
INTENTION Watershed coalitions to hire full-time coordinators By Denise Coté Redstone Review LYONS – You’ve probably heard that the Chinese word for crisis translates, literally, as “dangerous opportunity.” A little-known state agency – the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) – is Coté using a crisis of epic proportions as an opportunity to transform the way watershed planning decisions are made. When the flood waters of September 2013 receded, they revealed a new landscape. Besides the debris and costly property damage, the rivers had moved. Ponds were erased; meadows had turned into cliffs. Everyone wondered, “Who decides where the river should go?” “Are we going to put all this back the way it was?” and “When will that happen?” It turns out that owners of river property have a great deal of say in the matter. However, few private individuals have the means, on their own, to push a river around and produce a result that is sustainable and safe for all concerned. Even with the best intentions, the decisions of neighboring landowners could be at odds with each other and with the natural properties of the river itself. Most Front Range rivers flow through at least two counties, several municipalities, and numerous fire districts, and some also flow through federally managed lands and parks. In addition, the water itself is allocated for irrigation of crops and pastures, fire protection, and domestic
water use, and the public depends on a web of roads and bridges that use the river corridors. With so many parties having a critical stake in these decisions, yet no single entity able to control all the outcomes, the natural solution and opportunity was to form a coalition in each watershed and encourage a collaborative process among all participants. Ten coalitions have formed in the watersheds most affected by the 2013 floods. Some include a high level of involvement of local government agents, while others are directed almost entirely by private citizen volunteers. All 10 received grants in 2014 for creating a master plan, and the final or draft versions of these plans can now be seen at https : / / sites. google. com / a / state. co. us / stream recovery / coalitions - communities. These master plans describe prioritized projects that the coalitions hope to implement in the near future, as well as an overall vision for each watershed. However, carrying out large-scale, complicated restoration projects costing thousands, even millions, of dollars is a nearly impossible task for groups comprised mainly of volunteers. The next step is what the CWCB calls “capacity building,” which means hiring a full-time coordinator for each watershed and, where needed, a program assistant. According to Chris Sturm, Stream Restoration Coordinator with the CWCB, “We want to help give the coalitions the ability to manage what the state and the federal government have to offer.” Earlier this month, the flood-affected watershed applied for grants to hire professional watershed coordinators. The job openings will be announced as soon as the CWCB
approves the applications, hopefully by the last week of February. The positions can be filled when the funds are released, most likely in early April. The Watershed Coordinators and Program Coordinators will have plenty to do from their very first days on the job. The CWCB developed a partnership with the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA), which is administering $199 million of Phase II Community Development Block Grants – Disaster Recovery (CDBG- DR) from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). This funding will be used for all aspects of flood recovery, including infrastructure, housing, economic development, planning, agriculture, private roads / bridges, and watershed resilience, which is a pilot program that sets aside $25 million specifically for project implementation and capacity building within the coalitions. The needs far exceed the funds available, but even if these grants aren’t all approved, the coordinators will be picking up the reins of ongoing river clean-up, as well as searching for other sources of funding and assistance with restoration. Most importantly, the watershed coordinators will lead an inclusive, collaborative process for deciding which projects will be implemented, when, and how. “A river system connects everyone in the watershed,” said Sturm, “and that means that watershed planning and decisionmaking is a social process as much as a physical and scientific one.” Denise Coté is a member of the Coordinating Committee of the Little Thompson Watershed Restoration Coalition and a property owner on the Little Thompson River.
Lyons Community Foundation 2015 scholarships available Staff Reports Redstone Review Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere. ~ Chinese Proverb
Travels with Redstone Brian, Amy, Alli and Forrest Donnell took their Redstone Review to Costa Rica. Take the Redstone with you on your next trip and send us your photos showing where the Redstone has traveled. Send your photos to sdcmc@infionline.net.
N N M PE -SU6 P O ES TUAM 11
LYONS – The Lyons Community Foundation (LCF) is pleased to announce seven college scholarships available to graduating high school students from the greater Lyons area. Applications are available online at www.lyonscf.org, under the Receive tab or from the front office of Lyons High School. Below is a brief description of each scholarship; please refer to individual applications for complete information about eligibility and submission requirements. Lyons Community Foundation Scholarships in Memory of Steve Ralston. Created in 2009 to honor the memory of Lyons resident, businessman, and community supporter Steve Ralston. Two $1000 scholarships will be awarded to students who best express their passion for learning and sharing one’s interests, skills and joyful life experiences with their community. Eligible students include graduating Lyons High students, greater Lyons area students who attend
school in a neighboring community and home-schooled students. Lyons Community Foundation Joel Mack Memorial Scholarships. Honoring the memory of Joel Mack, a Lyons High School athlete and alumni who was killed in 1983 when he stopped to render aid to stranded motorists. Two $1000 scholarships awarded to one female and one male athlete. Students applying for this scholarship must be a graduating Lyons High School senior who participates in sports either at Lyons High School or a neighboring community high school. Lyons area home schooled students who participate in sports at Lyons High School are eligible. Gerald Boland Memorial Scholarships. Honoring the memory of Gerald Boland, a 54-year resident of Lyons who taught in Lyons schools for 31 years. He was a coach, Boy Scout leader, and mentor who had a passion for learning and the outdoors. Two $1000 scholarships will be awarded to students who share these passions. Eligible students must attend Lyons High School and have at least a 3.0 GPA. 2015 Lyons Community Foundation Scholarship. The newest
scholarship offered by the Lyons Community Foundation, this $1000 scholarship will recognize any graduating senior, or home-schooled student from the greater Lyons area who has successfully served in a leadership role, earned at least a 3.5 GPA (or equivalent) and has demonstrated community mindedness. This scholarship is renewable for the recipient for up to three years. All applications must be received or postmarked by March 10, 2015. Applications may be returned to the front office of Lyons High School or mailed to the Lyons Community Foundation, PO Box 546, Lyons CO, 80540. The scholarships may be used at any accredited postsecondary education program in the country. Students must be accepted to or have acceptance pending at their prospective school(s) when they submit their applications. If you have any questions about the scholarships, inquiries can be directed by email to scholarship@lyonscf.org or by phone to 720-295-9667. All applications are reviewed and kept confidential by a committee consisting of Lyons area community members.
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FEBRUARY 18 / MARCH 18, 2015
REDSTONE • REVIEW
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CULTURE Tough choices on park land will have lasting impact By Dawn Weller Redstone Review LYONS – With the vote approaching on the proposed 50 to 70 unit housing development in Bohn Park, which will consume Weller 5 to 7 acres of the park, citizens are faced with some tough choices that will have lasting impact on the town for years to come. I would like to share with you some questions to consider as you make your decision and cast your vote. Almost 100 percent of the displaced homes were single family, including 43 mobile homes. In a survey conducted by the town in 2014, almost 100 percent of the responding displaced residents said they wanted to return to single family homes. How many of these folks will come back to proposed housing type units? There has been no data presented by the town, Trestle or Boulder County that clearly shows the number of displaced Lyons families committed to return to the proposed housing project. Will the proposed project of 50 to 70 units actually benefit any of the displaced residents, based on cost and type of units (almost entirely rental)? Given that the proposed housing, if approved, will not be available to lease until mid to late 2016 at the earliest, three years after the flood, who actually will be “coming back”? It is very possible, even likely, that some, many or most of the residents of the affordable housing JUST LISTED!
will not be our former residents. From a big picture perspective, it appears that there is minimal housing “emergency” that did not exist before the flood. To me the proposed housing project looks more like Boulder County affordable housing, and less like bringing back our floodimpacted families. Another consideration is that the proposed housing development will be much larger than any other single compact development in our town. Lyons Glen and Lyons Valley Village pale in comparison to the 50 to 70 unit development being proposed. This development will be totally out of character to adjacent neighborhoods, prior development, and the town. In the town’s most recent comprehensive plan (2010) consider Land Use and Growth Objective 1.1.3 which states: “Ensure that new development is compatible with the neighborhood in which it is located by evaluating projects with respect to magnitude, scale and diversity of product type so that no single project or combination of projects overtakes the character of the community.” Perhaps you are aware that Boulder County Housing Authority has partnered with the town in the past to fund and build the Walt Self Senior Housing, Bloomfield Place, and Mountain Gate townhouses, providing a total of 26 affordable housing units. These three projects were planned and funded without disaster monies, 404, FEMA, etc. and fit in nicely in their respective neighborhoods. Does the proposed single 50 to 70
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unit development (plus its two road accesses, sidewalks, street lights, traffic, etc.) provide a Lyons compatible housing solution or address Boulder County needs for affordable housing? The 5 to 7 acres being considered for the housing development in Bohn Park was purchased in 1996 with a GOCO grant and town funds. Per their 2013
with Planet Bluegrass and be considered for other special events. Further, the revenue generation is a key contributor to the Parks and Recreation budget and to town sales tax revenue. As one considers the options and implications, it becomes clear that the question of giving up 5 to 7 acres for up to 70 housing units is a complex, political, and emotional issue. The results of this vote will have a permanent impact Lyons, perhaps as much as the flood did.
Swimming at Bohn Park, Labor Day 2013, 9 days before the flood. PHOTO BY CATHY RIVERS Annual Report, “GOCO was created specifically to preserve, protect and enhance Colorado’s parks, rivers, trails, open spaces and wildlife...” Since the town acquired the 25-acre “Olson property” there have been multiple master plans drawn up for the new Bohn Park acreage. The most recent Parks, Open Space and Trails Plan (2008 POST Plan) shows new soccer, baseball, and multi-purpose fields on the 10 acres under consideration for housing. The skate park is shown there, as well as the expanded community gardens. Clearly, amenities and improvements in the park have been actively planned and implemented since its purchase. In a 2007 park planning survey (with exceptionally high response rates), 77 percent of respondents viewed Bohn Park as a “quiet and peaceful” location and best used for passive recreation. In 2008, there was significant citizen opposition to the placement of a 3-to-5-acre Boulder County trailhead within Bohn Park. Because of that opposition, the Heil Ranch trailhead was ultimately built on Red Gulch Road. Some have pointed out that Bohn Park is just a parking lot piled with debris and rocks. Why hasn’t it been developed yet? Actually, many amenities from the master plans have been completed, including the multipurpose field and restroom, the dog park (fences, water, picnic tables, shade structure, trees), the newly refurbished tennis / basketball court, the dirt jump park and its covered table, the community garden, and trails connecting those amenities. Many other projects and upgrades were in the planning stage when the flood interrupted. In the meantime, the Bohn Park acreage under consideration brings hundreds of visitors annually, many campers, and year-round revenue generating events. Being able to offer and flexibly accommodate these events allows the town to maintain a strong partnership
Citizens had no control over the catastrophic changes brought about by the flood. But we as a town do have control over whether we should use 5 to 7 acres of Bohn Park to build up to 70 housing units, on park land which is already being used, planned, and actively contributes to the town’s bottom line. Every citizen in Lyons is encouraged to get educated on the proposal and vote when the question is put to the community in March. Since moving to Lyons in 1994, Dawn Weller has been an active member of many town boards, commissions, and other community projects, including the Parks and Recreation Commission (PRC) (20002012) and the Sustainable Futures Commission (SCF). In 2008, her family moved to Lyons Valley Park. Weller remains very committed to the achievement of the PRC and SFC goals.
Carol Devenir visited Rocky Mountain National Park on her birthday. It just so happened that Rocky was celebrating its 100th birthday the same day. Carol is much younger.
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FEBRUARY 18 / MARCH 18, 2015
VALUES Housing Recovery Task Force ends with a job well done By Amy Reinholds Redstone Review LYONS – In December 2013, I was appointed to the Housing Recovery Task Force (HRTF), a volunteer, non-voting, 10Reinholds member, ad-hoc committee for the Town of Lyons. The HRTF purpose was to consolidate and identify possible housing recovery solutions, to support the town’s applications for grant money associated with providing replacement housing that was affordable for residents displaced by the September 2013 flood. Our responsibility was to present options to the Lyons Board of Trustees, which was the responsible party to make all final decisions. On January 5, 2015, the board voted on a parcel of land to pursue federal funding for 50 to 70 units of housing that are affordable to the segment of the Lyons population that lost their homes in the flood. The parcel selected by the board is 5 to 7 acres of Bohn Park. That now goes to the public in a special mail ballot election on March 24, 2015. The HRTF achieved its purpose: We identified and evaluated a spreadsheet of sites, held regular open meetings, and presented a special public open house workshop. We called on housing experts from the state, the county, the University of Colorado Denver, the private sector, and the nonprofit sector. We helped create and distribute a Lyons Housing Needs Assessment survey and communicated the results. We completed our work from the Recovery Action Plan items that we were
assigned. We asked the board to apply for flood recovery funds to hire consultants who could delve into details about site issues, financing, and other costs. We also asked the board to hire public engagement specialists who could make sure all voices were heard. The board hired Trestle
spoke during public comments: “In the past year that I’ve been interested in the affordable housing issue in Lyons postflood, I’ve often heard people ask questions like ‘Who will live there?’ or ‘How could I even afford to live in new housing that the town is considering?’”
A Lyons Housing collaborative workshop was held on Jan 31 at Rogers Hall. Development styles, orientation, and amenities were discussed and the attendees were surveyed for responses to the Bohn Park recovery plan. PHOTO BY CAROL DEVENIR Strategy Group in October 2014 for both those roles. We asked the board to apply for flood recovery funds to hire a housing project manager position who would work directly for the town, and Cody Humphrey was hired at the end of 2014. At the January 5 board meeting, I
I explained that in order to be considered “affordable,” housing should not cost more than one third of a household’s monthly income. I relayed information on Area Median Income (AMI): Someone who makes 30 percent of AMI is a single person earning about $9 an hour or a four-
person household earning about $28,850 a year. Maximum rents for someone making 30 percent of AMI are approximately $540 a month for a one bedroom or $750 for a three bedroom. Someone who makes 50 percent of AMI is a single person earning about $33,650 a year or a family of four earning about $48,050 a year. Maximum rents for households making 50 percent of AMI are approximately $900 for a one bedroom or $1,300 for a three bedroom. Habitat for Humanity uses similar measurements for what affordable housing payments are for home ownership. “So I ask the Lyons community to think about who the people are in our community who fall into these income categories,” I continued. “We’re talking about people who have lived here for years, for decades, and their families have lived here for generations... people who are living somewhere else after the flood, or who are living here but paying much more than a third of their income to rent in Lyons. These are our friends, our family members, or we might even be surprised to find out that we ourselves qualify. These are the people behind the bar, behind the espresso counter, behind the cash registers in town... the people who are self-employed, who bring us food, take care of children in our community, sell us groceries, or who create the food or the music for Lyons restaurants, farm dinners, and weddings. Shouldn’t they have this opportunity to keep their housing expenses affordable and still live in Lyons? The 50 to 70 units that the board is voting on today is just a portion of the total housing lost in the flood, but it’s better than nothing. Let’s not miss this opportunity for funding.” Continue Task Force on Page 18
FEBRUARY 18 / MARCH 18, 2015
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NATURE Prepare your home now to prevent springtime wildlife nurseries By Cathy Dennerline Redstone Review LYONS – As sure as Valentine’s Day brings expectations of love and romance, it’s also the time of year for wildlife “romance” which brings the next generation of wildlife babies. Greenwood Dennerline Wildlife Rehabilitation Center recently fielded a call about a raccoon snooping around a hole underneath a shed. Like it or not, wildlife offspring will be here before we know it. If you don’t mind co-mingling the short time wildlife raise their little ones, leave them be and observe from a distance. If this isn’t an appealing option, simple changes and advanced planning can make your property, garden and structures less appealing homes to wildlife families. Spaces under houses or sheds are ideal dens for foxes and raccoons, as are attics, chimneys and window wells. One simple way to keep mammals from denning is to fix the problem before it happens. Plug up any holes with items bought at a local hardware store – chimney covers, hardware cloth or welded netting work well for sealing off potential entrances. Keep all food sources secured and / or put away. It’s a smorgasbord of easy pickings with easy-open trash cans and open pet food laying around.
Make your home or yard less attractive to the animals you don’t want there. Landscaping choices and habitat modification can encourage or discourage certain species. Deter snakes, skunks or other animals by removing potential hiding places, such as rock and wood piles. Another humane way to evict unwanted wildlife is to use light sources (motion-detection light), items that move (shiny streamers) or make noise (wind chimes). Be cautious of chemical repellents. Use only ones labeled for the species you want to discourage from nesting around your home. Ammonia-soaked rags are a great, pungent deterrent. A radio, set to an all talk station, gives the feel of human activity thus, not a good place to set up a nursery. Greenwood encourages you to try humane solutions to restrict wildlife nesting attempts. To find more suggestions on ways to persuade wildlife to nest elsewhere, visit our website, www.greenwoodwildlife.org. The website also offers ideas on what to do if you find a nest of babies where you don’t want them. We welcome volunteers to help feed and care for the wildlife we serve. Our volunteer application is on our website. Another way to help is to donate food or money to help feed Greenwood’s influx of wildlife offspring. You can find the list of items needed on the website under the “Donate” tab and then “Wish List.” Or, you can call us at 303-823-8455. With a little advanced planning and preparation, the
Raw dough is dangerous for pets By Jan Mladonicky, DVM Redstone Review LONGMONT – What is the difference between uncooked and cooked bread dough? Besides the obvious of cooked dough being, well, cooked, the yeast in uncooked dough is alive! Yeast, a singlecelled living small organism, is a common
G DIN EN P LE SA
ingredient in dough for pizzas, rolls, or bread (biscuits normally do not contain yeast). When these foods are placed in the oven at high temperature, the yeast cells breathe just like you and I by consuming oxygen and producing carbon dioxide and water. As the cooking process proceeds, oxygen is depleted and the yeast converts sugar into ethanol and carbon dioxide. After a few
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minutes in the hot oven, the yeast cells die and the ethanol evaporates. After all of this, cooked bread is left soft and fluffy, and is not hazardous to your pet’s health since the yeast is no longer active. A really surprising fact is the temperature in a dog’s or cat’s stomach is high enough to activate the yeast, so, in the stomach as in the oven, the yeast produces carbon dioxide and harmful ethanol. The ethanol is rapidly absorbed from the stomach and intestines into the bloodstream causing intoxication, just as if the dog or cat had drunk a beer or liquor. Clinical signs related to the ethanol intoxication include depression, rapid or deep breathing, diarrhea, wobbly gait, collapse, tremors, urinary incontinence, seizure, coma and / or death. The expanding dough in the stomach can also be hazardous. While the ethanol
of active yeast, producing more alcohol. If you suspect your pet has ingested raw dough, please seek immediate veterinary care – even if your pet is not exhibiting any clinical signs or he / she ate a small amount of dough. While on the way to your local veterinary clinic, offer your pet ice chips or small amounts of cold water as this may help inactivate the ingested yeast and will slow the production of carbon dioxide and ethanol. If ingestion occurred within one hour and your pet is not showing any clinical signs, your veterinarian may induce vomiting. Activated charcoal is not usually recommended because it does not bind to ethanol and adding additional volume to the stomach may further increase the risk of GDV. Unfortunately, the induction of vomiting may be unsuccessful due to the gelatinous consistency of dough; surgery may be
can cause intoxication, the carbon dioxide causes the dough to enlarge. Carbon dioxide creates air pockets, which create the fluffy and spongy texture of the bread. The dough can enlarge to such degree that it impairs the stomach’s blood supply. The expanding dough can even result in an obstruction or cause the stomach to distend and rotate within the abdomen, known as gastric dilation and volvulus (GDV). The distended stomach may push into the lungs, making breathing very difficult for your pet. Some signs include vocalization, abdominal distension, vomiting or attempting to vomit, and / or inability to lie down comfortably. How much uncooked / raw dough is harmful? The answer to this question can be difficult to determine. Size may not matter; it is not necessarily the amount of dough but rather the amount of yeast in the dough that causes the problem. A large amount of bread dough may have a small amount of active yeast, producing a low amount of alcohol, while a small amount of dough may have a large amount
required to remove the dough. If clinical signs are consistent with ethanol intoxication or if your pet is retching but not actively vomiting, induction of vomiting is not recommended. At this time, surgery and / or intravenous fluids with hospitalization will likely be recommended. A full recovery is very likely with prompt treatment. The next time you need to thaw frozen dough or are waiting for dough to rise, place the pan in a safe location, perhaps on top of the refrigerator, instead of on the counter where your dog can reach it. Your pet does not know about the dangers of raw dough like you now do.
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A&E Continued from Page 8
O B I T U A RY William “Tony” Wilkins September 24, 1945 – January 18, 2015 William Anthony “Tony” Wilkins, 69, of Lyons was fatally injured while working at his home on January 18, 2015 when his ATV rolled over. He was survived by Deborah O’Connor, his loving and devoted wife of 25 years, his three sons John, Steven, and Eric Wilkins, and his daughter Amanda Cole. After graduating Tulsa Central High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1963, Mr. Wilkins faithfully served his country with distinction as a Chief Warrant Officer in the U.S. Army Signal Corps for 26 years before retiring and moving to Colorado. He was active in his community and was an avid SCUBA enthusiast. His zest for life and appreciation for nature were contagious. His presence will be greatly missed by all including his cats and his beloved Dobermans, Shelby and Spencer. A Celebration of Mr. Wilkins life took place at the Pinewood Springs Community Church on January 28. Donations may be made to the Wounded Warriors Project, St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital or the Pinewood Springs Fire Protection District in care of Allnutt Funeral Service, 1302 Graves Ave., Estes Park, CO 80517.
Life” on February 27 and 28, first at Montview Blvd. Presbyterian Church in Denver and then on February 28 at First United Methodist Church, 1421 Spruce St. in Boulder. Directed by Baroque expert Zachary Carrettin with Josefien Stoppelenburg as soprano, Abigail Nims as mezzo-soprano, Boulder favorite Julie Simson as alto, John Grau as tenor, Michael Dean as bass-baritone, and the Boulder Bach Chorus and Players (including five Lyons residents) this monumental piece of work conveys powerful intensity, magnificent joy, and profound introspection all at the same time. Featuring a foundation of rhythms based on all the great dance music of the earlyto-mid 18 century, the Mass in B Minor presents layer upon layer of history. Tickets are available on line at the Dairy Box Office 303-444-7328, on line or at the door. For the extensive musical offerings by Boulder Bach Festival, ticket and detailed information, please go to wwwboulderbachfestival.org or call 303-776-9666. The Boulder International Film Festival will take place March 5 to 8. Named one of the “25 Coolest Film Festivals” in the world by Movie Maker Magazine, the Boulder International Film Festival brings films and filmmakers from around the world to Boulder for a four-day celebration of the art of cinema. BIFF has developed a reputation as one of the most influential new film festivals in the U.S., with an extraordinary number of newbut-unknown feature films, documentaries, and shorts that have gone on from early screenings at BIFF to significant box-office success and multiple Oscar nominations. The Red Carpet Gala on March 5 will host two parties at two venues at Hotel Boulderado and Rembrandt Yard Event Center, with the 8 p.m. showing of documentary The Wrecking Crew. For detailed event schedule and
FEBRUARY 18 / MARCH 18, 2015 ticketing information please go to www.biff1.com or call 303-449-2283. The Boulder Chamber Orchestra presents a program titled Charm on March 6 and 7 at 7:30 p.m. The program includes Hebrides Overture by Mendelssohn, Flute Concerto by Nielsen featuring soloist Cobus Du Toit, and Mozart’s Prague Symphony no. 38 in D major. The March 6 concert will take place at First United Methodist Church in Boulder, and the March 7 concert will take place at the Broomfield Auditorium. A Red Carpet Gala Fundraiser will take place on March 12 at Agora at the Riverside, at 1724 Broadway in Boulder. For more information and tickets please call 303-583-1278 or visit www.boulderchamberorchestra.org. CU Presents brings to stage Mozart’s witty opera buffa, Cosi fan Tutte (Women Are Like That) March 13, 14, and 15. Following 24 hours in the lives of two beautiful sisters whose scandalous infidelities make for a comic romp that was considered too hot for audiences even at the standard of the early 20th century, this opera features some of the composer’s most sumptuous arias, duets, and ensemble pieces; it’sung in Italian with English subtitles. A special event on February 19 will feature Brazil’s most celebrated classical guitarists, the Assad Brothers, joined by jazz guitar virtuoso Romero Lubambo for Samba Exotico, an exploration of Samba and Choros, a popular 19th century genre that blossomed in Rio de Janeiro. The shows take place at Macky Auditorium at CU. For information, please call 303-4928008 or visit www.cupresents.org. MinTze Wu is the musical director of the Sounds of Lyons. She lives in Taipai, Taiwan with her husband Jem and two daughters. She can be reached at mintzewu@hotmail.com. Lyons Valley Preschool opened its doors on August 18, 2014, after extensive renovation. At left: Imogen Hart makes a Valentine for a friend. Center: LVP Director Jenelle Green and Emira Kishiyama share an activity. Right: Andrew Kepler dives into every kid’s favorite craft material, shaped pasta. LVP is a Montessori-based early childhood learning program committed to supporting your child’s unique potential. For more information and to contact us, visit Lyonsvalleypreschool.org. PHOTOS BY CATHY RIVERS
Town Continued from Page 1 Raising electric rates, another thorny issue that has never been popular with voters, has put the town once again between a rock and a hard place. The town is raising rates because its energy supplier, Municipal Energy Agency of Nebraska (MEAN) is raising its rates to the town, so the town has little choice but to pass the higher rates along to the consumers. Lyons requires that residents get their electricity from the town. Summer and winter rates will be combined to get rid of the spikes that occur during the year. The base rates will stay the same at 13 percent for residential customers but the usage rate will go up to 14.5 percent. The flood surcharge of $5 per month is now over (the debt service was paid off in December so the surcharge was dropped) which means that the rate increase will amount to about 8.92 percent if you buy the theory that the added flood tax which was set to end and is now dropped saves you money. The folks at MEAN do not seem to have a definitive method of evaluating the cost of energy for municipalities and at discussions at town board meetings and workshops in Lyons suggestions popped up that raised the question of looking for other energy providers. However no action was taken along that line at this time. To add to the thorny issue, the board passed an ordi-
Task Force Continued from Page 16 In the weeks that followed that Jan. 5 vote, I thanked the trustees personally and in email for voting to select a parcel and pursue funding. I didn’t ask them to pick a particular parcel, but I did ask them to make a decision and move forward. They all voted based on the research and data
nance on first reading to allow the board to pass future electric rate increases by resolution rather than by ordinance. This would bypass the public hearing on second reading process and avoid the 30-day waiting period, so the rate increase would go into effect immediately. This would save the town money; when MEAN raises its rates, the town could act more quickly rather than the month or two month delay between when the town has to pay the higher rate and when it could pass the increase on to the consumers. Some board members said that the public would still be notified of the resolutions and allowed to comment on rate increases. On other issues, not related to the town board, the Longmont Public Works Department said that the road to Button Rock Dam will not be open until this summer, either June or July. They are working hard to repair the road, repair the stream banks, remove debris and make other improvements including raising the road in some places. Summer is not far off and residents will soon be able to enjoy the beautiful hike up to the dam. After a year and nine months, we will have our recreation area back again. Many have said they can’t wait. This was the information available as of the Redstone Review press time on Tuesday, Feb. 17.
from Trestle Strategy Group. The majority determined that Bohn Park was the most viable option that will work for our town and be affordable. Many people have been devoted to seeking solutions to new affordable housing in the year since the flood. The work of the HRTF is now done, but now the work is in the hands of all the citizens of
B •R •I •E •F •S Continued from Page 13
New Boulder County Sales and Use Tax Rate for 2015 BOULDER COUNTY – With the addition of County Ballot Issue 1A – the Flood Recovery Tax – which was approved by voters in November, the county portion of sales and use taxes collected in unincorporated Boulder County will increase from 0.80 percent to 0.985 percent for 2015. A breakdown of sales taxes in Boulder County is available online at: www. boulder county. org / gov / budget / pages / sales use tax. aspx. The county has also published a brochure to explain sales and use tax collections in Boulder County. Please note: Cities and other localities have additional sales taxes which are added to the total sales tax rate in Boulder County for purchases made within municipal districts. County taxes are collected by the State of Colorado. All payments of County tax should be reported and remitted directly to the Colorado Department of Revenue on its form. Forms are available on the State of Colorado web site: www.colorado.gov/revenue.
Lyons. It’s your turn to vote in the March 24 special election mail ballot. Get informed by going to http : / / www. town of lyons. com / housing - recovery, by visiting Trestle’s storefront hours at 443 Main St. on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays and by joining a weekly walkabout in Bohn Park on Mondays.
Amy Reinholds is a member of the Lyons Housing Recovery Task Force. She and her husband, Caleb Roberts, have lived in Lyons for 11 years and in the surrounding Lyons area since 1995. She is a technical writer for IBM and a former reporter and freelance writer for the Colorado Daily and the Boulder Daily Camera.
FEBRUARY 18 / MARCH 18, 2015
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John Gierach signs books at the flyfishing show at the Raintree Hotel and Conference Center in Somerset, New Jersey, Jan. 23, 24, 25, 2015.
Book Review Continued from Page 4 dles it weigh on Annie’s heart – but they are not the only things on her mind. As Robbie regains strength and Annie and Jonathan separate but still comfort each other and the little girls, Annie tells the story, the story of those young days, of crossed wires, of lustful love and loss, with the tenderness of a mother, the understanding of a middle aged woman and, in an effort to save her marriage, a wife’s request for forgiveness of early explorations and transgressions. “Has the memory been shaped by the waves of time, and by the history that has rushed against it since? Of course it has. What memories haven’t?” A Small Indiscretion moves back and forth in time and is a woman’s journey
Numbers Continued from Page 7 the 60-unit midpoint, estimated annual base fee revenue is $35,280 (at $49 per unit monthly). It will keep base rates from going up as much for the rest of us. “Up Front” Revenues For years, Lyons has relied on “tap fees” for revenue. Those fees are paid when new properties hook up to town utilities. As Lyons nears build-out, there is concern about how to replace dwindling tap fee receipts. If voters approve the new housing, it will pay tap fees, “up-front” income to the Town. The exact number of units and exact mix between rental and for sale units isn’t known yet, but tap fees are known. For a single-family house, they are $4,500 for electric, $8,500 for sewer, and $29,500 for water (including one Colorado-Big Thompson water share) – about $43,000 total. For multi-unit structures, the first unit pays full price and the rest pay about 70 percent. Assuming 60 rental and five singlefamily units in new housing, the town’s tap fee revenues would amount to roughly $1.8 million. Tap fees would be part of the new housing’s $14.4 million estimated cost. The $14.4 million comes from federal grants, state and federal tax credits, borrowed funds (not by the town), and some “owner equity.” None of that is from local tax money. There is no local tax increase for the housing.
of self-discovery and of identifying – and fighting for – what is most important in her life. It is Jan Ellison’s first novel and is available from Random House. The author lives with her family in northern California. To check on availability, go to http : / / aspencat. info. The novel is available on Amazon.com and can be ordered through your local independent bookstore. Andi Gregory Pearson wrote her first short story at the age of seven and despite requests to do so, she has not quit writing since then. She spends a great deal of time reading and writes a monthly book review for the Denver Post YourHub. Her website is www.andipearson.com. She and her husband have a cabin in the greater Lyons area.
A “capital infusion” of $14.4 million into Lyons’ economy is nothing to sneeze at. Harder to estimate, but still very real, is the “multiplier effect” of bringing more contractors and workers into town. Ask local merchants if their sales during the flood recovery period got a big boost from road workers, visiting relief volunteers and “Looky Lou” flood tourists. We asked, and were told “Yes, definitely,” though the amount isn't readily quantifiable. Summary We can’t say for sure how much Lyons would benefit economically from the new housing. There certainly would be benefits from more sales taxes, PILOT payments, spreading utility fees over a wider base, and up-front effects. Our figures are estimates, but not “WAGs” (wild-ass guesses). The benefits are real, though amounts can be (and doubtless will be) debated. We don’t believe economic benefits should be the deciding factor in voting “Yes” or “No” on Lyons housing Issue 2. But we do believe voters should be able to weigh as much information as possible. That’s the purpose of this article. Mark Browning is a retired lawyer, spending much of his legal career with the Texas Attorney General’s Office collecting state and local taxes. Ashley Ahrens has a doctoral degree in economics and is a self-employed consulting economist. The authors frequently work together on Lyons Volunteers projects and invite other community members to join them.
Jolie Rossing photographed a visiting bear in her yard on Rowell Drive in Spring Gulch.