Redstone March/April 2018

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MARCH 14 / APRIL 18, 2018

B •R •I •E •F •S Easter services at Lyons Community Church LYONS – A Messy Church Interactive Worship Experience will be held on Sunday, March 18 from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Lyons Community Church, 350 Main St. This will be multi-generational workshop and open to people of all ages. A free light dinner is included. A Messy Church is a form of church for children and adults that involves welcome, creativity, celebration and hospitality. It is often for people who don’t already belong to another church. It explores biblical themes such as Lent and includes stories, songs, games and a sit-down meal.

Palm Sunday service will be held on Sunday, March 25 at 10 a.m. at Lyons Community Church.

Maundy Thursday (Collaborative Service) will be held on Thursday, March 29 at 7 p.m. at Rinn United Methodist Church, 3783 WCR 20, Longmont 80504. Good Friday Services will be held at Lyons Community Church on Friday, March 30 at 6:30 p.m.

Easter Sunday Service will be held on Sunday, April 1 at 10 a.m.

There will be an Easter egg hunt and potluck brunch following worship service on Easter Sunday.

For more information, call Pastor Emily Kintzel at 303-823-6245.

Town Board awards a contract for affordable housing to Summit

Easter Service at Planet Bluegrass LYONS – Easter Service will be held at 11 a.m. on April 1 at the Wildflower Pavilion at Planet Bluegrass. The Rev. Sam Tallent will conduct the service. Music will be plentiful, provided by many local musicians. There will be an Easter egg hunt and potluck lunch following the service. Bring your own table service and beverages and a dish to share. There is a signup sheet for the potluck at the Stone Cup. You can bring donations of filled plastic Easter eggs (no chocolate please) to the Stone Cup on Fri. March 30 and Sat. Continue Briefs on Page 4

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I •N •D •E •X LYONS

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Sandhill Cranes migrate from their winter retreat in New Mexico to places farther north such as Nebraska, Idaho and Canada They stop along the way at theMonte Vista National Wildlife Refuge in Alamosa. As many as 27,000 Sandhill Cranes migrate biannually, in midMarch and mid-October, through the San Luis Valley.

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By Susan de Castro McCann Redstone Review Ediyor LYONS – At the Town Board meeting on March 12, the board heard presentations from two developers for affordable housing, Thistle/Evergreen/Pel-Ona, and Summit Housing Group Inc. After hearing both presentations for an affordable housing development in Lyons Valley Park, filing 8 tract A, the Lyons Town Board voted to accept the proposal from Summit Housing Group out of Missoula, MT. The Town of Lyons received a $4 million Community Development Block Grant, Disaster Relief (CDBG – DR) from the state for affordable housing to replace the housing it lost in the flood of 2013. The $4 million was set aside for Lyons to replace approximately 100 homes, including mobile homes, if the town can meet the time-sensitive deadlines. The two developers competing for the contract to build affordable housing were well aware of the deadlines.

The proposal from Summit won the approval of the board because Summit proposed to build some of the housing for residents at the lower end of the Area Median Income (AMI). Rusty Snow, president of Summit Housing Group, told the board that his company did a survey of the area and found that there was a great need for housing for residents at the lower end of the AMI spectrum, in the group of people who earned 30 and 40 percent of the AMI. He said that Summit will also build housing for people who make 50 and 60 percent of AMI. Thistle only proposed building housing for people making 50 and 60 percent of AMI.

The AMI in Lyons is an annual median household income of $90,603 for a household consisting of two adults and two children. The annual median household income in Boulder is $74,615. The median AMI in Lyons is the highest in Boulder County. The town board voted six to one in favor of the Summit proposal. Trustee Juli Waugh voted against using the Summit plan.

Lyons Town Administrator Victoria Simonsen said that Summit would not build any market-rate homes on the LVP parcel. In the proposal by Summit, Option 1 would consist of building two units at 30 percent of AMI, two units at 40 percent and the rest at 50 to 60 percent of the AMI. This was the persuading factor for the board in voting to give the contract to Summit over Thistle.

Snow said that he would pursue getting the 9 percent tax credit that is offered by the state to developers of affordable housing.

There are very few 9 percent tax credits offered by the state, so it is a very competitive process. The state also offers 4 percent tax credits which are given to more builders and are not as competitive. Snow said he would also pursue getting the 4 per cent tax credit option to use as a backup if he did not obtain the 9 percent option. If he gets the 9 percent tax credit he would not need to use the whole $4 million for the project and could use just half of the money, making it possible to use $2 million on another project.

Snow said that he will start working on the project immediately upon signing the memorandum of agreement this week. He will conduct his due diligence and then bring a zoning proposal back to the board.

Simonsen said that Summit will have to

do some blasting on that site. The building contract is contingent upon the feasibility of building on that parcel. There would be about 43 multi-family affordable units built at the LVP site.

Last week the town board tackled the BOD (Biochemical Oxygen Demand) issue at the wastewater treatment plant. The plant was built by contractors working for Honeywell International after the flood, in 2014.

The BODs are generally described as fats, oils and grease and to a lesser degree sugars and alcohol. The plant is designed to handle a flow of about 650 to 850 milligrams per liter, but according to Joe Kubala, the town engineer, the plant is currently trying to process over 1,100 milligrams per liter.

Kubala had been testing all the manholes all around Lyons and several tested very high. The Stone Canyon manhole and the Winter Plaza manhole, where Oskar Blues is located, came up the up over 1,800 and 2,550 respectively.

Victoria Simonsen said that the town is working with the merchants to lower the BODs by trying to find out what substances are causing the problems. The restaurants for the most part have grease traps, which they must clean out regularly. “We know that Oskar Blues does clean out the grease traps and we think that the high BOD numbers are from the amount of alcohol and sugars that go down the drains,” said Simonsen. “Sugars and alcohol also contribute to BODs.” Although the town is working with all the merchants in the area, Simonsen added, “We know we have a couple of businesses who are hesitant to comply.” The extra BODs cost Continue Town on Page 10

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REDSTONE • REVIEW

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LYONS Town Board candidates answer a question on housing and name a person who influenced them LYONS – The seven candidates running for the Lyons Town Board were asked: 1. How would affordable housing help Lyons and how do you envision it? 2. Who was a big influence in your life and why?

Barney Dreistadt, Trustee Dreistadt was elected to the town board as a trustee in 2014 and he is seeking a third term.

He moved to Lyons in 2009.

Dreistadt has worked with the Lyons Volunteers since the very first days of the flood and now serves on the Lyons Volunteers Board. He is also on the Board of Lyons Area Chamber of Commerce and the Tourism Grant Steering Committee.

1. Since even before the flood it has been difficult for Lyons-based businesses to attract and retain workers.

With the flood we lost many of the homes that workers could afford to live in, whether through rental or purchase. I believe we need to reach the level of population we would have had if the flood never happened. To date there has been some construction that has offered marketrate housing at levels above the median price in town. To establish a population more similar to the population here years ago and to increase the population that can fill the jobs at local businesses we must add some housing that more people can afford. This level of population will provide additional customers that help sustain businesses through the winter and help attract new investment to fill unused storefronts. I believe that new housing should include mixed-use settings and stand-alone settings and be distributed around the town to enable people at various income levels to enjoy our beautiful town.

2. My grandfather, Nicolas Dreistadt, influenced me from my earliest years, taking me for long walks that left me with a sense of wonder at the amazing world we live in.

Stories of his experiences as a miner and as a carpenter captured my imagination. I can only aspire to his easy and pleasant nature and I admired how he stood by his views while appreciating and understanding the views of others.

Wendy Miller, Trustee Miller was elected to the Lyons Town Board in 2016 and has served one term on the town board. She moved with her partner to Lyons 14 years ago from Colorado Springs.

They have one son. As a volunteer she served on a TenantLandlord Protections subcommittee for the Lyons Human Services and Aging Commission. Currently she is the liaison for the town board on the Human Services and Aging Commission.

1. I would like to see affordable housing around town in smaller plots mingled in with market-rate housing. I would like to see a neighborhood of smaller homes, as well as a new mobile home park. I would like to see apartments above the commercial spaces in the Eastern Corridor, as well as a second story built above the buildings downtown for apartments. All but perhaps the downtown second story could be permanently affordable.

2. A big influence in my life is my brother. He is able to communicate in such a profoundly gracious and infectious way. It creates a sense of peaceful reverence for all who come across him. He is brilliant, kind, and remarkably witty. Communication is incredibly important, and a real skill. He is my communications mentor!

Mark Browning, Trustee candidate Browning is a retired attorney who worked for the State of Texas. He is a Planning and Community Development Commission member and a Lyons Volunteers board member. He formerly chaired the Lyons Regional Library District board. He is does volunteer work with Lyons Volunteers, Habitat for Humanity and Lyons Emergency Assistance Fund (LEAF).

1. Lyons needs a mix of housing types. Housing for those meeting affordability indexes based on income and

family size is important, but so is housing for people who may not meet those guidelines, but still struggle to afford to live in Lyons – teachers and small business owners, for example.

At this point, 4.5 years after the flood, we need to look not only at housing needs of displaced residents and former residents, but also at needs of those who have managed to hang on here, but are struggling to stay due to the high cost of living.

We need more rental housing, both affordable and market rate. Accessory dwelling units and tiny homes on wheels should be part of rental housing stock, because we lack vacant land for more single family houses, and rental houses have been sold for top dollar.

Eastern Corridor development will be primarily commercial (important to Lyons’ future fiscal health), but mobile home or tiny home communities also need to be encouraged in that area.

2. I grew up in East Texas (part of the Deep South) during the Civil Rights era. My father Gus Browning, now 92, was a liberal Methodist preacher who fought, at considerable personal and professional risk, against prejudice and racism. He taught me some valuable lessons: 1. Equal rights and “liberty and justice for all” matter. 2. Stand up for what you believe in, whether that’s popular or convenient or not.

Gary McCrumb, Trustee candidate McCrumb was born in Pittsburgh, PA. He is the manager for Center for Media, Arts and Performance’s (CMAP) lighting designer, audio engineer, tech crew mentor and he is the events manager for the ATLAS Black Box Experimental Studio. He also schedules CMAP facilities and creates performance production schedules. Prior to ATLAS, he managed the Performing Arts Center at Naropa University.

1. Affordable housing would help Lyons by allowing for a diverse population to live in Lyons. Working people on the lower end of the economic scale need places to live and we need these people to perform the work that contributes to the economic health and vitality of the town.

Affordable housing can be achieved through increasing housing density in sites available for development such as the eastern corridor. Fixed costs for housing infrastructure can be reduced per unit by having more units built to share in these costs. Building several town homes or duplexes on one parcel can increase housing density.

Creating a Community Land Trust is also something that could be explored whereby the cost of the land could then be shared among multiple units on a parcel and limits put in place on the price that units could be sold for in the future. Building housing that uses less energy for heating and cooling and generates some of the energy needed by the development also can make the housing more affordable in the long term.

2. My biggest influence was my late father Kenneth McCrumb who was a crane repairman for U.S. Steel in Homestead, PA. He taught me to be honest, always do

my best, learn from mistakes, and if I fail, to pick myself up and try again. Also, that it doesn’t matter what job you have, where you live, or how much money you make, but how generous and willing you are to help others that brings success.

Juli Waugh, Trustee Waugh and her husband own the Wee Casa tiny homes at River Bend at the west end of Lyons. They are the former owners of Lyons Dairy Bar on Main Street. She was elected to the town board as a trustee in 2008 and again in 2016.

She is seeking a second term.

Waugh worked as a human resources manager. Before she became a trustee, she was on the Depot Library Board.

1. Before the flood, Lyons socially and financially sustained its people, businesses and community with an adequate mix of affordable and market rate housing. Lyons was able to meet the housing and community needs of young families, artists, musicians, teachers, firemen, and service technicians; and businesses could capitalize on a steady stock of local employees. Lyons was a quirky unique place to live and thrive; a place where all members of the community socialized and worked together.

Since the flood, our lower income community has decreased significantly, changing the dynamic of our overall community and affecting our employment base. I would like to see our community shift back to its preflood environment which consisted of affordable housing on the same block as higher rate homes, and where affordable housing was available in all pockets of town.

In addition I envision the Eastern Corridor as a mixeduse area with housing built around retail and light industrial structures; a practical place to live, work and play.

2. My grandfather worked for the Forest Service and is known as the Man Who Put the Pants on Smokey Bear. I spent a lot of time in the woods and on the lake with my grandpa. He taught me to appreciate our natural environment, and he taught me joy. He always wore a smile, loved to tell silly jokes and stories, and was always appreciative of his surroundings. His joy keeps me strong and calm.

Michael Karavas, Trustee Karavas was elected to the town board in 2016 and has served one term. Currently he is a volunteer sitting on the Ecology Board and he serves as chairman of the Lyons Volunteers Board of Directors. He is the Town Board Trustee liaison to the Ecology Advisory Board.

Karavas is a semi-retired business owner, a family contracting business, 1. For a town to thrive and prosper in today’s environment it must be able to sustain its own economic engine; having those willing to invest / own, willing to work in Continue Candidates on Page 3

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MAYOR’S CORNER Update on the Boulder County Shooting Range proposal

By Connie Sullivan, Mayor of Lyons Redstone Review LYONS – Approximately six months ago, Boulder County consulted with the Board of Trustees Sullivan (BOT) about the possibility of locating a shooting range on a parcel within the Lyons Primary Planning Area.

The site is currently owned by Cemex and has been extensively mined for silica in recent years. The parcel is directly adjacent to the town boundary; situated

and others are trying to identify several new sites for recreational shooting in preparation for the forestland shooting closures. More information about this effort can be found at www.sportshootingpartners.org. Maps of the alternatives for the proposed closure areas are posted, as well as additional information about the sites being evaluated for ranges. You can also sign up to be notified via email of future meetings.

No official land use proposal has been made as of yet for a shooting range on this site. The project is in the exploratory phase and therefore few specifics about the proj-

between the Lyons Valley Park subdivision and the Loukonen stone yard that faces North Foothills Highway (36). A large hillside with steep slopes separates the Cemex parcel from the yet-to-be-built homes platted for Carter Drive of the Lyons Valley Park subdivision.

The proposal stems from a larger, coordinated effort between several counties and the forest service to reduce dispersed shooting on forestland. Boulder County

ect, such as types of guns, number of lanes, indoor vs. outdoor, etc., are available. To date, the BoT has indicated we are willing to remain open to discussions about the project, but has not taken any action indicating support; nor has the board discussed what conditions might be appropriate if an application moves forward.

In 2012, Lyons and Boulder County signed an amended Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) that defines the

Candidates Continued from Page 2 and willing to purchase at local businesses. Without those three things Lyons could be out of equilibrium with most marketing models. Having Lyonites with different educational backgrounds, work experiences, and socioeconomic status will not only help our current businesses but will drive the desire for others to participate in Lyons.

Such positive diverse participation will provide a broader tax collection for infrastructure, school revenues, and opportunities for those desiring to live, work and raise a family here. I envision this happening in a multitude of ways but we are at the mercy of current market factors of land availability, developers and whether incentives are available. My desires would see this occur in at least three different locations with varying styles based on location: 1. Mixed use with light industrial. 2. Stand alone, including tiny homes. 3. Community style.

2. My father, Adam was born to an immigrant railroad family in a shack between the tracks. His father passed when he was 16, not before advising him that he must go to college and not follow the old country ways, as this is America, the land of opportunity. Well, that is what my father did. He worked several jobs while putting himself

Lyons Primary Planning, Primary Interest, and Rural Preservation Areas.

While the IGA restricts the county from creating any new open space in the planning area without Lyon’s approval, the agreement is silent on other uses except to say that the county will not apply more intensive zoning on the properties that remain under their control. The IGA does provide Lyons with “referral agency” status that requires the town be formally notified whenever a land use proposal is being considered in the planning area. This means that Lyons receives special notification in advance of any public hearings and can submit comments on the proposal by passing a resolution to either approve, disapprove, or approve with conditions.

The county is not obligated to follow Lyon’s recommendations, but has stated that they will heavily consider Lyon’s input on this matter.

Boulder County approved new regulations (Article 4-510) for shooting ranges on May 2, 2017, which can be found by searching the Boulder County Land Use Code. Shooting ranges can be located in the agricultural, general industrial, light industrial and forestry zones after a special use review process. The Cemex site is currently zone agricultural.

As of now, there are more questions than answers about whether the site is viable for this use, whether the public supports the concept, or what the process for public input to the county will look like. The BOT is currently in listening mode, but will absolutely take a more active role if things progress. A presentation from Boulder County is currently on the March 19, 2018, agenda, and residents of Lyons are always welcome to attend meetings. A link to the live stream of the BOT meeting is also available on the Town of Lyons website.

through college, finding a career, and eventually starting a business, which has grown to employ hundreds today.

Jocelyn Farrell, Trustee candidate Farrell’s professional experience includes working for an IT magazine selling advertising to Fortune 500 companies, volunteer grant writing for Habitat for Humanity of Boulder, and volunteer fundraising for Longmont Community Hospital, now Centura Health.

In addition, she is a part of the local art community as a professional modern abstract painter.

1. Currently there are three properties being negotiated to build approximately 100 affordable homes in Lyons.

All three can help those who lost their homes in the flood and who have struggled to find economical ways to remain in Lyons.

I envision our affordable homes as a combination of

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O B I T U A RY Elaine Readmond December 11, 1938 – February 16, 2018 Longtime Lyons resident Elaine Readmond passed away peacefully in her home on February 16, 2018. Elaine was born in 1938 in Asotin, Washington and grew up in Boise, Idaho. Elaine and her husband Dean Readmond, who passed on December 2, 2016, moved to Lyons in 1968.

The pair met in 1963 while working for United Airlines; Elaine was a stewardess and Dean was a pilot. She later worked as a travel agent while raising their family in Lyons. Both Dean and Elaine were politically active in local and national issues and proved instrumental in stopping the Coffin Top Dam, proposed to be built on the South Saint Vrain Canyon a short distance above the Lyons Middle Senior High School in the 1970s.

Elaine enjoyed working with horses and competed in dressage for many years. She is survived by her two sons, Ronald and Stephen Readmond; six grandchildren, Allie, Curt, Roy, Henry, Thea and Rheya; and siblings Eldeane Keeler, Larraine Redondo, and Eldon “Bud" Sailor. Through the years, Elaine forged many lasting relationships with close friends in Lyons and Boulder County. She will be greatly missed. A memorial will be held later this summer.

stand alone, town homes, and apartments. The LVP homes should have the same architectural design as the original neighborhood and should complement the market-rate homes that will be built directly across the street. The Eastern Corridor is the ideal place for one-to two-bedroom apartments built in conjunction with light industrial businesses. Here we may have more flexibility on the architectural design but still complement our mountain town character. The last property next to Eagle Canyon would be a smaller community with a combination of stand-alone and multi unit town homes or apartments. Our goal should be to design affordable neighborhoods for people we see around town on a daily basis and who actively participate in creating our town’s charm and personality.

2. My mom, Cheryl Hymes Haun, as a single parent, taught me how to tackle life’s difficulties and challenges up front. She taught me perseverance, to work hard and never stop trying to overcome a problem. She also taught me that your first career is never your last. She went to college at the age of 45 and by 60 she had two degrees.

She influenced me to start my art career at 40 and now at age 47 to run for Lyons BOT. Thank you, mom.

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REDSTONE • REVIEW

MARCH 14 / APRIL 18, 2018

INTEREST Students research Dark Skies, which helps us all

By Sophia Stone Redstone Review LYONS – Did you happen to notice a group of students on a clear night in February standing on a dark corner with their hands reached to the sky? We weren’t doing sorcery, we were taking Stone measurements as part of a research project with Boulder County Parks and Open Space to protect our beautiful night skies as part of the Dark Skies Project.

Dark Skies is a movement to reduce light pollution from towns and cities. Having our skies free of light pollution helps wildlife and people alike. Our team’s project involves measuring the amount of light pollution going into the sky each night and helping people in our community to make the skies dark again.

The night sky is an important part of the ecosystems all over the planet. Many animals use the light from the stars and moon to navigate. Have you ever found moths swarming around the lights on your house? This is caused by the light pollution being put out from your porch lights. Moths use the brightest light in the sky (the moon) to navigate to their breeding and migration grounds. If the lights on your house are brighter than the moon, which they often are, the moths use their natural instincts to travel toward the brightest light. This gets them caught in your porch lights. Moths are important pollinators and a food source for birds and bats. Having dark-sky-compliant lights will help protect the ecosystem.

Moths aren’t the only living things disturbed by bright lights. Many birds use the moon and stars to navigate, and can become disoriented by artificial lighting. Plants rely on the length of the day to determine the season, and can be tricked by artificial lighting into budding too early or winterizing too late. Even human sleep patterns

B •R •I •E •F •S Continued from Page 1

March 31. A love offering will be taken for Higher Ground Ministries. For more information, call the Stone Cup at 303-823-2345.

Lyons Area Chamber of Commerce news LYONS – Save the date: the next chamber social Tuesday will be March 20 at 5:30 p.m. at the Festivarie Inn, 349 Main St. In local business news, Bank of the West, 303 Main St., is offering home equity lines of credit at 4.75 percent or even lower through the end of April. Contact Lorena Medina at lorena.medina@bankofthewest.com or 303823-9800 for details. WeeCasa Tiny House Resort, 501 West Main St., is seeking a resort ambassador to provide support for daily oper-

Dark-sky-compliant lights, available from most hardware stores, only point down, minimizing the light pollution. can be negatively affected by light pollution, making it difficult to get enough sleep.

Our research team used Sky Quality Meters to measure the light pollution in neighborhoods around Lyons. The higher the number, the lower the light pollution. It’s a logarithmic scale, so each unit change represents about 2.5 times brighter or dimmer. An excellent dark sky would measure about 22 on a new moon, while the center of a city like Boston or New York City would measure about 17.

The darkest neighborhood in Lyons was Apple Valley, at 20.75. That number indicates a neighborhood transitioning from the suburbs to a rural area. In order to reach the next category of rural area, the number would need to be above 21.3. Other areas that measured in this transitional range, from darkest to brightest, are Old St. Vrain at 20.69, Eagle Canyon at 20.59, Lyons Valley Park at 20.52, Old Town North at 20.46, and Steamboat Valley at 20.43.

The brightest neighborhood was Stone Canyon at 20.19.

This number indicates a suburban neighborhood. The Confluence / Corona Heights area also measured suburban at 20.26. In order to reach the next category of suburban-

ations including light grounds work, back-up to front desk and housekeeping teams, laundry, inventory, and guest service. Call 720460-0239 or contact info@weecasa.com/ www.weecasa.com. Lastly, remember that kids nine and under still eat for free at Mojo Taqueria, 216 Main St. in Lyons, on Tuesdays after 4 p.m. For information contact Mojo Taqueria at 303-823-2321.

Got something going on? Let us know, and we’ll include it on our website. For more information on Lyons Chamber of Commerce, contact Mike Porter, chamber administrator at admin@lyons-colorado.com.

Regional Library events and programs LYONS – The Lyons library has events for all ages. Please stop in for more information. Most programs are family programs but we do have some age-specific programs. Adult programs are for those ages 18 and up. Teen programs are

rural transition, the number would need to be above 20.4.

The team also measured municipal sites. From darkest to brightest, Lavern Johnson Park measured 19.63, the high school measured 19.46, Main Street measured 18.7, and Bohn Park measured 18.26. The brightest spot of all of Lyons was the parking lot of Bohn Park, which measured 16.96.

If we average all of Lyons, the town scores 20.05. This is right in the middle of the range that would be expected of a suburb of a big city. As a small town surrounded by open space, we can do better than that.

To help make our skies darker, you can do three specific things: 1. Purchase and install dark-sky-compliant lights, which are available from most hardware stores.

These lights only point down, minimizing the light pollution. You can’t always tell if a light is dark sky compliant by looking at it. The bulb needs to be shielded on both the top and sides. 2. Use dark-sky-friendly light bulbs in your outdoor lighting. Short wavelength blue light travels farther than long wavelenth red light.

Choose “warm” bulbs, which minimize the blue spectrum of light. This is especially important with LED lighting, which can broadcast very strong full-spectrum light.

3.Turn off your porch lights at night when it is unnecessary to have them on, or put them on a motion sensor.

If you want to know more, our student research team will be at the Lyons Regional Library on Saturday, March 24 at 3 p.m. We will present our project and have information from the International Dark-Sky Alliance. Please come to learn more about Dark Skies and what you can do. We will measure the skies of Lyons again in mid-April and look forward to seeing a reduction in light pollution.

Sophia Stone is a 14-year-old homeschooled high school freshman from Lyons. She dances on the Mayama Dance Team, and attends greenhouse management classes at the Career Development Center of the St. Vrain Valley School District. She aspires to be an engineer who creates innovative structures that are different from anything that has ever been built before.

for those entering sixth grade through those entering 12th grade. Kids are those entering kindergarten through those entering fifth grade. Babies are ages four and under.

Fun Chess with Aaron Caplan LYONS – Kids ages six to 14 can have fun learning chess with Aaron Kaplan every Monday that the St. Vrain Valley School District is in session, from 2:45 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Lyons Regional Library, 405 Main St. If the St. Vrain Valley School District is not in session, no chess session is held (this is true for holidays, snow days, etc.). There is no chess over the summer. Registration is not required. All levels of experience are welcomed; the library provides the chess sets, but you are free to bring your own as well.

A handmade wood teaching chess set was donated to the regional library in honor of Frank Adams, a library volunteer, who died Open Daily 10-5 Closed on Tuesdays Corner of 4th and Main

on December 19, 2017.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Susan McCafferty, who passed away just days earlier on December 16. Adams volunteered along side Kaplan teaching chess to kids. The library wanted to honor Frank Adams’ memory when an anonymous donor came up with the idea to donate the handmade wood chess set to the library in his honor. His memory is now honored at the Fun Chess Club when kids learn to play chess with the chess set.

Word Wednesdays with author Kayann Short LYONS – On the first Wednesday of every month Kayann Short facilitates a writers group Continue Briefs on Page 5

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MARCH 14 / APRIL 18, 2018

REDSTONE • REVIEW

PAGE 5

OPTIONS The care and feeding of your local sewage plant

By Greg Lowell Redstone Review LYONS – There are no secrets between us anymore. I’ve been to the Lyons wastewater treatment plant and I’ve seen what you flush.

The plant, built as a replacement in 2014 for the original plant lost in the 2013 flood, processes the town’s household and commercial wastewater and returns it clean to the St. Vrain River. But it only works efficiently if its users are responsible.

Too much BOD Currently, somewhere someone, or a few someones, are overloading the system with high loads of BOD (biochemical oxygen demand) material. BOD is the amount of dissolved oxygen needed by aerobic biological organisms (such as those the Lyons plant uses) to break down organic material in water over a specific time period. The plant is licensed to process 704 lbs. of BOD material daily, and the plant generally operates efficiently on about 80 percent of that figure. But in the past year, there have been daily BOD levels of 900 lbs. or more, said Joe Kubala, Director of Utilities / Town Engineer for Lyons.

An excess of BOD material causes the plant to run more often, generate more bio solids and use more chemicals (like magnesium hydroxide to balance pH). It also causes more energy usage (the treatment plant is the town’s largest electricity user). The extra BOD material means more than four thousand dollars in additional expense each month to the town.

“The plant’s working great; the problems we’re having aren’t in the plant,” said Kubala.

Rather, the problem is with what’s sent to the plant through the sewer lines. The town is currently sampling various points in its sewer system to pinpoint where the heavy load of BOD material is coming from in an effort to take care of the problem, said Kubala.

You flush it, we own it What you flush doesn’t somehow magically disappear; there’s a complex system of pipes, pumps and treatment that can fail or cost taxpayers if the wrong things are put

in the works. Whatever can be flushed down the sewers of Lyons residents is flushed and that’s a problem. The town’s wastewater system sees unwanted items like cloth rags and plastic bags and lots of fats, oil and grease (FOG). The former items gum up the sewage lift stations around town – a situation only resolved by having an employee physically remove the materials. Think about

that guy should you ever be tempted to flush underwear down the toilet (and, yes, that has happened).

FOG, besides fouling the lift stations, also ends up congealing in the sewer lines, requiring the lines to be periodically unclogged. Paper products other than toilet paper are another problem. Toilet paper breaks down quickly when wet, but products like disposable wipes and some cleaning products that carry the label of “flushable” do not. They don’t dissolve and can be as bad as rags or plastic.

Here are some basic guidelines on what not to put down your drains and how to otherwise properly dispose of it: Love bacon? Never pour grease, oils, meat fat, or dairy products down the drain (yogurt will not help the treat-

ment plant’s microbial digestive system). Dispose of fat or oils in an empty milk carton or can after they’ve cooled enough to handle, then put them in the trash.

Dry-wipe oily pots or pans with a paper towel before washing; washing in hot water and soap only momentarily thins the grease. It will solidify again in the sewer once it cools.

A garbage disposal may be convenient but it raises havoc with the wastewater system, adding accumulated pounds of solids. Scrape fats, grease and food from plates into the garbage, not down the drain, and use strainers in the sink to capture food scraps. Better yet, compost what you can.

Don’t flush any paper other than toilet paper: no sanitary items, no paper towels, not even tissues. And never, ever dispose of pills – prescription or otherwise – in your drains. Present treatment technology cannot filter out pharmaceuticals and they end up in the St. Vrain River.

A recent study conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey on 139 U.S. rivers found measurable amounts of antibiotics, antidepressants, blood thinners, heart medications, hormones and painkillers – many of which adversely affect river life, especially fish and amphibians. Throw your drugs away in the trash or check with your local officials for their prescription drug turn-in program.

Treatment Plant 101 – how it works The Lyons wastewater treatment plant is a combination of the old (aerobic bacteria) and the new (ultraviolet light) that work together to process raw sewage into clean water.

Wastewater enters the plant from the network of town sewer lines – some are gravity lines and others require lift station pumps. In the first stage, “grit,” like sand, rocks and plastic, is augured out and put in a dumpster for landfill disposal. Interestingly, there are no solids (if you get my drift) floating in the water at this point; the trip through the sewer lines and lift stations has reduced most of the waste to brown water.

The wastewater is then pumped to two lagoons where the solids suspended in the water sink to the bottom. The lagoons have bubblers that add oxygen to the water to support the bacteria that break down organics. While one lagoon is being aerated the other is quiet, allowing the solids to settle out.

After a prescribed time, water is drawn from the top of the lagoons and run under a bank of ultraviolet lights Continue Sewer on Page 10

Art-4-Art Trading Cards

B •R •I •E •F •S Continued from Page 4

at the Lyons Regional Library, 405 Main Street St., from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. The group is open to all ages and levels of writing experience. No registration is required. Join other local writers to discuss projects, share tips, and offer a listening ear. Facilitated by Dr. Kayann Short, award-winning teacher and author of A Bushel’s Worth: An Ecobiography, this informal and free monthly gathering is for anyone with an interest in writing.

LYONS – On March 17 (and the third Saturday of each month) the Art-4-Art Trading Cards meets at 12:30 p.m. at the Lyons Regional Library, 405 Main St., and is open to all ages. Join the Art-4-Art for some friendly trading of Art Trading Cards, swapping in a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere. Never been? Don’t know what it is? Come to the library and find out for yourself. All ages welcome; registration is not required.

Storytimes with Librarian McCourt Thomas

Librarian McCourt Thomas hosts story time with a craft following the story.

LYONS – Baby Storytime is held every Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. at the Lyons Regional Library, 405 Main St. Join librarian McCourt Thomas for music, fingerplays, stories and fun.

The event is open to ages 0 to two, and pregnant women are always welcome.

Registration is not required.

All Ages Storytime + Craft is held every Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. at the Lyons Regional Library, 405 Main St. All ages are welcome. Registration is not required.

Tech Assistance for all your tech devices LYONS – If you have a smartphone, tablet, computer, or other tech device you need help with, or questions about Facebook, E-mail, or finding something on the internet, Ian Hawley at the Lyons Regional Library is available to help you. Assistance is available any time of the week by appointment. If you have a group and would like to have group instruction the Continue Briefs on Page 7

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PAGE 6

REDSTONE • REVIEW

MARCH 14 / APRIL 18, 2018

OPPORTUNITY Home schooled students study the Dark Sky

By Don Moore Redstone Review LYONS – Lyons is a sleepy, quaint, breathtakingly picturesque village of less than 2,000 residents nestled in a bowl of Moore foothills of the Rockies.

And it has a parking lot adjacent the newly restored Bohn Park, which at night is as bright as the city center of New York.

Nighttime light pollution on Main Street is so bad it rivals that of a typical city / suburban transition area found across metro U.S.A. These findings were recently discovered by a group of Lyons homeschooled students.

Through a Dark Sky initiative, 13 homeschool students, ages nine to 14, and their six parent-teachers in Lyons have been studying the town’s light pollution – the brightening of the night caused by artificial lights. This program is happening in cooperation with and under the supervision of Boulder County Parks and Open Space.

As a part of their science curriculum the students and teachers have partnered with that department on other projects such as studying prairie dogs and monitoring the PH levels of water along intermittent streams. A good part of their daily home schooling is taught by individual parentteachers, but for these projects, six parents over the last three years have banded together in seeking out hands-on-learning opportunities for all their students.

Recently, ten of the students and four of their teacher-parents got together to discuss how the project has gone and

Through a Dark Sky initiative, these Lyons homeschooled students and their parent-teachers have been studying the town’s light pollution. Left to right: On top of swingset: Kian Stone, 9; Nico Stone, 9; Sofia Cadenas, 13. In clubhouse: Lindsey Walker, 13; Harley Parsons,13; Quinn Martin,11. Standing / swinging: Christi Walker, mom; Sophia Stone,14; Pam Stone, mom; Luna Cadenas, 10; Jenn Parsons, mom; Sedona Parsons, 10; Janine Martin, mom; Gavin Martin, 14. Not pictured: Tess Renaud, mom; Olive Renaud, 10; Boston Renaud, 9; Ali Zeljo, mom; Will, 14. where it is heading.

“We took readings in eight different neighborhoods using sky quality meters that were loaned to us by BC Open Space,” said student Harley Parsons, 14. “We held up a meter to the sky for five seconds, took three readings, and kept middle reading.

We did that in three different locations within a neighborhood and averaged them all for a single reading for a neighborhood.”

The devices used by the students are

known as Sky Quality Meters and are designed to measure skyglow, light shining in the sky regardless of its source. The meters read out the magnitude per square arcsecond which is shown as a numeric reading. For instance, on the high end a reading of 22.0 mpss is the average sky brightness on a moonless night sky free of artificial light, 21.0 mpss is typical for a rural area, and 17.00 is what’s found in a city center such as New York or Boston. Lower readings trans-

late into greater artificial light pollution in the sky. Bohn Park’s reading was 16.96 mpss and Main Street’s was 18.70.

The students were shocked with their findings.

“I had no idea. I thought we’d find readings that showed Lyons’ light pollution would be in the rural area readings, not like downtown New York,” said Sophia Stone, 13.

“I was totally surprised how bright Bohn Park is,” said Gavin Martin, 14. His brother Quinn, 11, couldn’t believe a park could be as bright as New York City with all its lights “I was surprised that some streets were lots brighter than others,” Sofia Cadenas, 13, said. “The amount of light coming from just one house made a huge difference on how bright the entire street measured.”

The students went to great lengths to describe the negative impact nighttime light pollution has on our world.

“Artificial lighting on skyscrapers at night will call birds them, and then they crash into them and die,” said Lindsey Walker, 13. “Ninety eight million birds die this way each year.”

Migrating birds using starlight for navigation are confused and adversely impacted by light pollution. “It creates a light dome over towns and cities, and the birds can’t see stars to guide them,” Luna Cadenas, 10 said.

Other wildlife like sea turtles, birds of prey, moths, raccoons, dung beetles, and fireflies are negatively impacted by light pollution.

“Dark skies are important to us because they help us sleep better, allow us to see the skies, and connect us with universe,” said Sophia. “And, they’re important for animals, our safety, and Continue Dark Sky on Page 9

Lunch vouchers help volunteers working in Lyons

By Mark Browning Redstone Review LYONS – Could you get by on a $4.75 per day meal stipend in Lyons? That is what National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) workers helping with Habitat for Humanity of the St. Vrain Valley’s Park Browning Street townhomes project receive.

The ten-member teams of 18-to-24-year-old NCCC workers are providing, along with Lyons area volunteers, much of the labor for Habitat’s Park Street project. The townhomes will house Lyons residents displaced by the 2013 flood. For their year of service, NCCC workers get a $4,000 annual stipend, room and board, and some group support, but their individual daily meals stipend is $4.75.

To make ends meet, the team of workers generally pools their individual stipends, buys food in bulk at grocery stores for some meals and cooks dinners. “Breakfast and lunch are what we call ‘fend’ – fix your own,” said Devon Jordan, an NCCC volunteer from Atlanta.

When Lyons Volunteers members working one day at a time on the Habitat Park Street project learned of the limitations the NCCC workers were working under, they decided assistance was in order. Lyons Volunteers Director Edward Kean asked Habitat volunteer coordinator Nicole Stanek how the local volunteer group could

best help. Financial help to feed the young, active NCCC workers was her answer.

Lyons Volunteers knew of a way to do that. For several years after the 2013 flood, volunteers working in Lyons were given $7.00 lunch vouchers that could be used at participating local restaurants and markets. Lyons Board of Trustees and Lyons Volunteer Board member Barney Dreistadt came up with the idea.

“It encouraged people from outside Lyons to come work with us,” Kean explained. “And it kept the money in the community by directing it to local businesses that had lost some customers in the post-flood period.”

The lunch voucher program was funded, in part, with grants from the Lyons Community Foundation. With most volunteer flood recovery work completed in Lyons, Lyons Volunteers ended its own voucher program some time ago.

But when informed of the needs of NCCC workers, the answer seemed obvious: reinstate the program.

That was done beginning March 6, with the voucher amount increased to $8.00. Local businesses – Lyons Dairy Bar, St. Vrain Market, Steamboat Natural Foods, and Snack – immediately said “yes” when Dreistadt asked them to participate.

“It was quite gratifying to get such an enthusiastic response from the local restaurants and delis,” said Dreistadt. “I’m really proud of our local business owners.”

Asked what the reaction of NCCC workers has been

National Civilian Community Corps workers Taylor Klinkel, Shannon Connolly, Devon Jordan and Alicia Cron assemble wall frames for the St. Vrain Valley Habitat for Humanity Park Street townhomes project in Lyons. to the program, Jordan replied simply, “Yes! We love restaurants.” Jordan added that he had been dipping into personal savings and relying on care packages from home to meet some special dietary needs. The lunch vouchers, he said, give him much more flexibility in finding things he can eat.

SVV Habitat Outreach and Volunteer Manager Rebecca Shannon explained the importance of Americorps NCCC volunteers to Habitat’s Lyons townhome project. “We try to use them to inspire, not replace, local volunteers,” Shannon said. “By having the Americorps workers here for multiple days in a row, in addition to daily local volunteers, we can maintain continuity and accelerate our construction pace.”

Continue Volunteers on Page 14

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MARCH 14 / APRIL 18, 2018

REDSTONE • REVIEW

PAGE 7

INSIGHT All Trump all the time

articulate, and better organized than I ever was. It’s also possible that they realize more clearly than I did that their cause is a long haul and that even hard-won progress will seem less like an outright victory and more like ten percent containment of a formerly out of control wildfire.

Years from now they may have to stop and remind themselves that they actually made a difference, however much is still left to accomplish.

Citizenship is a right and a privilege and sometimes it’s just one of those lousy jobs that someone has to do.

And as with any hard job the trick is not to heroically work yourself to death in a matter of days or weeks, but to find a pace you can keep up indefinitely. That is to say, God bless those who put on their pink pussy hats and take to the streets or occupy their representatives’ offices – the more of them there are the better – but not everyone has that in them.

What we do all have in us is the ability to contact our representatives from time to time to keep the pressure on. Calling is good, but emailing is best. A few simple declarative sentences are all you need: I’m for this; I’m against that, period. Drone on much longer than that and no one will read it. If you think your senators and congressmen never see this stuff you’re probably right, but staffers compile it and let their bosses know which way the wind is blowing. The implication is clear: If enough of us don’t like the way you’re voting, we have it in our power to replace you.

Don’t send letters. Ever since the anthrax scares, phys-

By John Gierach Redstone Review LYONS – Lately I’ve been falling asleep during the evening news, not from disinterest, but from emotional exhaustion.

For at least two years now the news has been about nothing but Donald Trump: Gierach Trump the cheesy reality show host, Trump the birther, Trump the preposterous windbag who couldn’t possibly beat Hillary Clinton, Trump the bully, Trump the admitted serial molester of women, Trump the willfully ignorant president with no idea how government works, Trump the apologist for racists, Trump the darling of comedians, Trump the conspiracy theorist, Trump the compulsive liar, Trump the Russians’ useful idiot, Trump the subject of multiple investigations, Trump the unindicted coconspirator, you name it. All Trump all the time with no end in sight.

Granted, there’s plenty to think and worry about, but it’s impossible to maintain outrage for long periods of time without either getting despondent or just shrugging it off as the new normal. In the meantime, the sun comes up every morning, the bills arrive predictably and life must go on. Or as a woman who was once married to an alcoholic told me, “Eventually you have to save yourself.”

I got politicized in the late 1960s over civil rights and the Vietnam War, became a liberal, and never “grew out of it” as some smug adults assumed I would. I was a lowlevel, part time activist, sometimes adding one more body to already large demonstrations, occasionally stuffing envelopes or making phone calls, and of course voting. I was what the organizers called a “foot soldier,” with more condescension in their tone than I liked.

I was in my late teens and early 20s then – young, outraged, and impatient, not unlike the high school students who are now so effectively demonstrating for more reasonable gun laws. I’d like to say I see my young self in their faces, but the fact is they seem more mature, more

B •R •I •E •F •S Continued from Page 5

library does that too! All ages are welcome and instruction is without charge. E-mail info@lyonsregionalibrary.com or call 303-823-5165 for more details or to make an appointment.

Senior Book Club at Walter Self Senior Housing Center LYONS – The Town of Lyons is sponsoring a Senior Book Club at 12 noon Thursday, March 15 (and the third Thursday of every month) at the Walter Self Senior Housing Center, 355 Railroad Ave. The club is open to seniors; registration is not required

Anyone who has read or wishes to discuss the current book is welcome. This event is ongoing and is sponsored by the Town of Lyons Parks and Recreation Department. The library can help find books for the book club in a variety of formats, just let the library know. This program is free and open to the public.

For more information contact: 303-823-8250 or e-mail llegault@townoflyons.com.

Lyons lunches celebrate one year LYONS – The Lyons senior lunch program, Lyons Bistro, will celebrate its one-year anniversary in April. It took a village to make this happen. Kathleen Spring, Loving Lyons Seniors, pursued the renewal of a lunch program and senior fun activities after the Lyons Golden Gang senior group closed its doors Continue Briefs on Page 10

ical mail goes through such a time-consuming security procedure that mail may arrive months late – if ever.

Something else we can all do is patronize businesses that conduct themselves in ways we approve of – by, say, paying men and women equally, or voluntarily raising the age to buy an assault rifle from 18 to 21 – and boycotting businesses that don’t. You can tell them about it if you want, but it’s the numbers that they’ll eventually pay attention to. It’s easy to forget how much power we have as consumers.

Of course we should all vote in every election where we’re eligible to cast a ballot and we should do it responsibly. That means being well informed and that, in turn, means choosing our sources of information wisely. Stick with established publications that use reliable sources, verify their facts, and print corrections when they get something wrong. Stay away from hysterical blogs and tweets. You can’t vote intelligently if you’re living in a fictional universe.

I know that with foreign hacking, unlimited dark campaign money, the gerrymandering of congressional districts, an Electoral College that can nullify the popular vote, and Republican efforts at voter suppression, you can make an argument that our elections are no longer entirely on the level. You might be right, but, paradoxically, the only way to turn that around is by voting.

Speaking of which, some Democrats are now predicting a blue wave in the midterm election this November that could flip the majority in the House of Representatives and possibly even the Senate. That could finally stop the Republicans from impeding the two Congressional investigations into Trump’s apparent collusion with the Russians during and after the last election and free us to finally do something about it.

Is this blue wave real or just a Democratic fantasy?

Their evidence consists of some polls that show the generic vote leaning left, the president’s historically low approval ratings, and a few special elections in which Democrats won in surprising places. They’re guessing that the Democrats who stayed home in 2016 will turn out in record numbers, while disillusioned Republicans will change their minds or just not turn out.

It sounds plausible enough, although if there’s one thing I’ve learned from watching politics for 50 years it’s that the Democrats can fuck up a free lunch. But luckily it’s not up to them, it’s up to us.

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REDSTONE • REVIEW

MARCH 14 / APRIL 18, 2018

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Arts and entertainment in the greater Lyons area Staff Reports Redstone Review LYONS Music and art at the Stone Cup – At the Stone Cup, 442 High St., in March and April, Vicki Taylor will be displaying her work. Vicki Taylor is a lifelong musician who started painting at the age of 58. She is inspired by the beauty and the light of the landscapes she has walked through in Colorado and the desert Southwest. She is an untrained painter who works exclusively in oil, and is transforming her style from intricate brushwork to using a palette knife. Taylor lives in Lyons. She will continue showing her work through the end of April.

Music lineup at the Stone Cup – On Saturday, March 17 from 10 a.m. to noon, Harmony and Brad will perform acoustic pop / rock; on Sunday, March 18 from 10 a.m. to noon, the Wildwoods will perform indie / folk / rock; on Saturday, March 24 from 10 a.m. to noon Ashtyn Barbaree will perform folksinger / songwriter music; on Sunday, March 25 from 10 a.m. to noon the Wildwoods will perform indie / folk / rock; on Saturday, March 31 from 10 a.m. to noon Erik Yates / Emily Yates will perform progressive bluegrass; on Sunday, April 1 we will be closed for Easter; on Saturday, April 7 from 10 a.m. to noon Antonio Lopez will perform modern folk / acoustic soul; on Sunday, April 8 from 10 a.m. to noon Andrew Sturtz will perform folk / jazz / soul; on Saturday, April 14 from 10 a.m. to noon Bob Barrick will perform Americana / folk; on Sunday, April 15 from 10 a.m. to noon Lisa Mac will perform blues; on Saturday, April 21 from 10 a.m. to noon Tim Ostdiek will perform folk / singer / songwriter; on Sunday, April 22 from 10 a.m. to noon Aural Elixir will perform jazz / rock / folk fusion.

High Street Concerts announces season finale – Mile Twelve with special guest Flatt Five will perform on Saturday, April 14 at Rogers Hall, 400 High St. in Lyons at the season finale for the 16th annual High Street Concert series.

Winners of the 2017 International Bluegrass Music Association’s Momentum Award, Mile Twelve is a fresh, hard-driving young band beautifully walking the line between original and traditional bluegrass. Evan Murphy, Bronwyn Keith-Hynes, Nate Sabat, BB Bowness and David Benedict write captivating songs and daring instrumental pieces from diverse influences. Since their formation in the fall of 2014, Mile Twelve has performed extensively throughout the U.S., Canada, Ireland, New Zealand and Australia.

Opening the show will be a newly formed Front Range quintet, Flatt Five. With a focus on original songwriting and strong three-part harmonies as well as hot picking,

Boston-based Mile Twelve will wrap up the 16th season of High Street Concerts on April 14 at Rogers Hall.

Flatt Five combines the diverse musical experiences of its players to create a unique sound that evokes classic artists like Flatt and Scruggs in an entirely new context that reflects the landscape of their Colorado home.

The doors open at 7 p.m. and the show starts at 8 p.m.

Tickets are $20 in advance and are available at www.highstreetconcerts.com.

Call for entries for the heARTS of Lyons, an outdoor arts collection – We at the Lyons Arts and Humanities Commission (LAHC) and the Town of Lyons are thrilled to announce our Call for Artists for entries in a public art collection now known as the “heARTS of LYONS – an outdoor arts collection all over town.” Our plan is to expand this current outdoor collection of art and sculpture through the careful selection of an additional 24 pieces.

To be considered for this two-year commitment, which carries with it a $750 honorarium, artists may submit online up to three pieces for juried consideration for a one-time $30 submission fee. Submissions are now open

Works by Vicki Taylor will be featured at the Stone Cup during March and April. and run through May 15, 2018.

The Town of Lyons and the LAHC have devised a map identifying where placement of art is permissible and will assist with the installation of mounting blocks and placards for each piece that’s selected for this outstanding, high-visibility opportunity.

Artists may choose to sell their work, showcased in this main high-traffic corridor to Rocky Mountain National Park, if the existing work is replaced by another piece in a timely fashion for the duration of the 2-year contract.

For more information, contact Melinda Wunder at melinda @ creativeconvs.com or go to http : / / bit. ly / 2GjUjHS. Alternatively, search townoflyons.com for “outdoor arts collection.”

Prepare spring art and comedy schticks now – Comedians, monologuers, jokesters – your comic relief is needed. There’s a springy open mic event for you and your chums Saturday April 7 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Town Art, served up with the new Spring Town Hall Art Show opening reception and community tapas (finger foods only) potluck. The Lyons Arts and Humanities Commission will have wine by the glass for sale to benefit local arts. All wall-hangable Spring-themed art (any interpretation, all media, all ages and stages of artists) should be delivered to Town Hall (up to three pieces with information placards) between 4 and 7 p.m. on Friday April 6. All pieces from the current winter-themed Art Show at Town Hall get picked up at this same time.

Change is in the air at Western Stars – Western Stars Gallery and Studio is changing things up to welcome in a brand new neighbor (details to come). In the meantime, in-house Sip n’ Paints are on hold but special painting celebrations can possibly be brought to you.

Some artists and consignors have swapped in new items to replace things sold, new artisans have been sought out and added in, and an eclectic bounty of cards, beautiful gift and decor offerings awaits return shoppers and firsttimers of all ages and wages. Stop by 160 East Main St. from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and keep Western Stars posted about what locals would like to see available in town.

The gallery is currently closed Mondays and Tuesdays.

Call 303-747-3818 for special appointments, new interested area artists, ideas for speakers / presentations, and info about consignment and appraisal services.

BOULDER CU Art Museum acquires notable Sharkive print collection – A world renowned and historically important collection of artistic prints that has captured the imagination of artists and art lovers worldwide has officially found a home at the University of Colorado Art Museum at the CU campus in Boulder.

The Sharkive is a distinguished collection comprising more than 40 years of printmaking collaborations between renowned artists and Shark’s Ink, owned by print

maker Bud Shark of Lyons. The nearly $1.35 million acquisition is made possible by donations from many arts patrons, the College of Arts and Sciences, and $750,000 from the Kemper Family Foundations, UMB Bank.

“The Sharkive embodies the strength and vitality of the arts today and is a treasure for the entire community,” said University of Colorado Chancellor Philip DiStefano.

The Martyr, 2001, lithograph and collage, part of the Sharkive collection.

“Through this significant acquisition, we are ensuring the long-term preservation of Shark Ink’s innovative legacy and providing a learning resource for our students.”

The Sharkive adds to more than 8,500 objects in the museum’s collection, and represents the wide range of materials used in the creation of art. While a full-scale exhibition of the Sharkive isn’t scheduled until 2021, a few limited-edition prints are on view this month, and patrons, students and staff will be able to make an appointment to view works in the museum’s collection study center, or online, in coming months.

Draw Me In: The Art of Drawing at the CU Art Museum – Drawings from CU Art Museum made from the 1200s to today are featured in this exhibition, curated by a team of graduate students in CU’s museum practicum seminar. Draw Me In encourages close looking and conversation. As viewers study techniques employed by artists working in a variety of media, they are asked to engage with traditional conceptions about the art of drawing in order to come to a deeper understanding of the practice. How has drawing been defined and valued Continue A&E on Page 14

MARCH 14 / APRIL 18, 2018

REDSTONE • REVIEW

PAGE 9

CREATE LY O N S R E G I O N A L L I B R A RY D I S T R I C T N E W S

children’s garden, quiet reading room, business hub, and one bathroom have already been snapped up. There is an active Challenge Grant for “the Apple Valley Children’s Room.” This challenge is open to all those who love Apple Valley – not just residents – and is already twothe Friends continue to be stalwart supporters of pro- thirds funded! Also two-thirds funded are rights to the gramming. Only $415K more is needed to reach our goal East Porch, which faces Sandstone Park. Additional of $3.4 million (hard and soft costs). The Foundation is opportunities are available for individuals, neighborhood a non-profit, tax-deductible, 501(c)3 organization, tax groups, businesses, clubs, or families. Corporate and workplace matching funds do count towards your own ID number 46-2506771. naming rights. You can check current status on the Library website. For more info please contact Connie Eyster: 303817-6137, cteyster@gmail.com.

Also, we are now using PayPal for safe and secure online donations. Just click the yellow PayPal button anywhere on the Library website.

New faces at the Foundation: Foundation President Dr. Liz Early and Treasurer Connie Eyster are delighted to welcome new members Janet Corson-Rikert and Glynnis Robbins to the Board. Corson-Rikert and her husband moved to Lyons last year to be near family. Having served as a library trustee in her prior home town, she is pleased to invest in Lyons’ Library as Site plan / floor plan of the new Lyons Regional Library the heart of her new community. A little over a year ago, the Farmwald family sold their Major commitments as of 2/26/18 belongings in South Carolina, packed their camper, and District revenue saved (Capital Fund): $500,000 headed west. They landed in Lyons and liked it so much DOLA (Department of Local Affairs): $500,000 they decided to stay. Robbins home-schools her three Katechis Family: $500,000 children and enjoys family, cooking, remodeling, garDrew Biel and Lynn Gregory: $100,000 dening, singing, and writing.

Sandy Banta and Lloyd Banta: $45,000 Friends plant sale coming up: Be on the lookout for In memory of Kathy Ralston: $18,500 the ever-popular Friends Tomato Plant Sale. In 2017 the Brett Family Foundation: $25,000 Friends provided over $3,000 of much appreciated supPam Browning and Mark Browning: $10,000 port for Library programming.

Dr. Liz Erley and Brian Erley: $10,000 Please “like” the Lyons Regional Library on Facebook, There has been a lot of interest in naming rights and sponsorships, as these opportunities do not come along visit our website at www.lyonsregionallibrary.org or come very often. The building itself, the large meeting room, into the Library for more information.

Important milestones met; call for subcontractors

By Darcie Sanders, LRLD Board Trustee Redstone Review LYONS – The year 2018 started off strong for the new Library project, with three important milestones met.

First, we entered the Planning and Community Development Commission (PCDC) review process, which will eventually lead to building permits. Second, we signed our Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) grant contract, which means we can start subcontracting.

And finally, we locked in our Certificates of Participation(COPs) financing. More details below: Progress: Much has happened since the last Open House. We now show a 7,000 sq.ft. footprint, located on the NW corner of Railroad Avenue and Fourth Street.

Current elements on that site, such as the long-term RTD parking lot, recycling dumpsters, and skate park, are scheduled for relocation. As noted above, we have entered the PCDC process, which typically takes several months. Looking ahead, we hope to break ground in the second half of 2018.

Interested in subcontracting? We are planning for a Locals Jobs Fair later this spring. Those interested in subcontracting can contact Rich Everett of Fransen Pittman right away at: reverett@fransenpittman.com, or call: 303-902-2515.

Latest designs: The community’s most requested amenities are included: meeting spaces, children’s room, teen area, quiet reading room, business hub, outdoor spaces, and a multi-purpose community room. View sketches on the library website. We welcome comments at: Board@LyonsRegionalLibrary.com.

Fundraising update: On March 6 the District locked in a 30-year interest rate of 3.889% for our $1.25 million COPs financing. This excellent rate is due to our bond’s strong credit rating of “A” from Standard and Poor’s. The District and the Foundation are working hard on additional fundraising projects and grant opportunities, and

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savings of energy and cost.”

With the gathered information, the students’ next steps will be to conduct an awareness and education campaign for the town. Sophia has written an article for the Redstone Review, published elsewhere in this edition. The students have scheduled an informational meeting for the public to attend at the Lyons Library on Saturday, March 24 at 3:00 p.m. They also plan to meet with town leaders including the Parks and Rec board to talk about their findings, especially at Bohn Park.

Information they obtained dispels the notion that greater light at night improves public safety. The group intends to discuss those findings with the Sheriff’s Department in Lyons.

Part of the education process is to encourage the public only to turn on lights at night that are absolutely needed, and make sure outdoor lights are pointed down. Much of night polluted skies are the direct result of lights shining out and upward. Where possible, the students recommend installing hoods on lights to minimize light escaping into the sky. The students have made many such improvements in their homes.

After the education campaign is complete, the students will take a second set of readings in April to see if their work has had an

impact on the habits of the town. It’s possible they will repeat their study in future years, and long term it’s a dream of theirs that one day Lyons might receive the designation as an International Dark Sky Community awarded by the International Dark-Sky Association. Only one other community in Colorado, the adjacent towns of Westcliffe and Silver Cliff, has received such award,.

For more information about the students’ project, call Pam Stone at 720545-6077 and for more information about dark skies, see darksky.org, and skyandtelescope.com.

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.

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PAGE 10

REDSTONE • REVIEW

MARCH 14 / APRIL 18, 2018

FOUNDATION Changing to Daylight Savings Time takes an adjustment

By Richard A. Joyce Redstone Review PUEBLO – Well, we’ve done it again. We’ve lost an hour of sleep in order to save daylight for work and play at the end of the day.

Joyce When the annual change came at 2 a.m. on March 11, I watched all my digital clocks jump forward as I yawned with anticipation of the jagged adjustment my body / mind would face from that one-hour change in sleep pattern that was now upon me. Since I had stayed up so late, and since it was already 3 a.m., I figured I’d just grab some coffee and keep awake until, from sheer exhaustion, I would eventually crash for at least 12 hours. That would have no effect on easing the symptoms of the DST switch, but at least I’d get to indulge in one of my favorite activities, even though only vaguely aware of doing so.

By my third cup of coffee, I decided to check my DST bank account to see how I was doing. That was a real eye-opener. In the course of my life, I’ve saved so much daylight, I could illuminate quite a few Friday night football games, thus saving a lot of electricity, and I could extend my life by at least a few days if it weren’t for those pesky mandatory nighttime hours.

Each autumn, of course, we give the daylight back, but since the DST season lasts longer than the standard-time period, there is a net savings. The very thought of all that daylight saved gave me a rush such as only old people can feel when counting their remaining assets. I had to wonder if I could pass that saved daylight on to my heirs. Should I put it in my will, or should I give each a share while I still breathe, in case there’s a tax

on the stuff of which I’m unaware?

As I pondered the possibilities, it occurred to me that daylight savings are like bitcoin, apparently real but in reality only apparently valuable – and subject to evaporation in the blink of a computer screen refresh.

seem ideal) as the zero time point, zero being the beginning time on a 24-hour clock. At that moment, all clocks around the world would read 0001, and all would then move together in unison through 24 hours. So when it’s 5 p.m. in London, it’s

In reality, nothing changes in switching to DST except the time on our clock faces, and that change forces a subsequent change in our behavior, in particular our willingness to use the new clock numbers to regulate our activities by starting them earlier in the morning. Then I realized we could do that without changing anything on the clocks in our lives, which would save some real energy, at least.

We could start by agreeing globally to use a meridian (which to use would be a matter of negotiation, but one in the middle of the Atlantic or Pacific ocean would

the same time in New York, Denver, L.A. Honolulu, Tokyo, Beijing, Sydney, etc.

If people in Denver want to know what time it is anywhere in the world, they just have to look at Denver clocks, and they will know it’s the same time everywhere else. Obviously, people must make an adjustment to this time-locking system.

They must be willing to adjust their activities to whatever time the clock face shows. For example, when it’s 0001 at the chosen meridian, it will be midnight there. But at the same 0001 time at any other meridian it could be sunrise, sunset,

posted on Facebook and local newspapers as well as in the senior center. To get on the Senior Newsletter email list, write LovingLyonsSeniorGroup@gmail.com

B •R •I •E •F •S Continued from Page 7

more than two years ago, working with multiple concerned senior and government groups. Annie Mannering was the key person in starting up Lyons Longevity approximately one and a half years ago to pursue a more aesthetically pleasing senior center and more young-at-heart senior activities. Lori LeGault, Recreation Program Coordinator for the Town of Lyons, was given the directive to add more senior activities, including speakers and crafts after lunch. Teresa DeAnni, Healthy Aging Programs Manager for Boulder County Area Agency on Aging, attended early meetings with these key Lyons people and strongly pursued a grant to pay for lunches in Lyons. Volunteers joined to design a logo, do publicity, mount decorations, serve meals, and more. Once the program was rolling, the county hired Helen Vanderwerken as Lyons Meal Program Coordinator.

Meals are prepared by Word of Mouth Catering in Boulder and delivered to the Walt Self Senior Center. They are served at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays (with the exception of the first Wednesday of the month). The cost is $3 for Lyons seniors 60 years or older (or what the senior can afford); and a flat $7.50 for those under 60. Lyons seniors can reserve a meal by calling 303-441-1415 the day before by noon. The menu is

Town Continued from Page 1 the town several thousand dollars to process each month.

On a separate issue, Honeywell will come before the board again on March 19 to explain what repairs and improvements have made to the plant. Several months ago the town staff complained to Honeywell that there were several problems with the way the plant was working.

Shortly before that, Honeywell had told the town board that there were cost overruns that the town had to pay for to the tune of over $500,000. The town made a good faith payment of $100,000, but told

Lyons Elementary School Parent Teacher Organization Calendar 3/12 to 3/16: Eco Cycle Waste Free Lunch Contest 3/15: Second and Fourth Grade Concert 3/20: PTO General Meeting after school 3/22: Talent Show 3/23 to 3/30: Spring Break, no school 4/3: Eco Club field trip to CU Recycling Center 4/17: PTO General Meeting – Board Elections 4/9-4/19: State Testing 4/22: District Art Show 4/28: Spring Fundraiser Casino Night

Lyons Old Time Square Dance LYONS – Join Lyons Old Time Squares for old-time reels, mixers, squares, waltzes and flatfooting to live fiddle / banjo music. All dances are taught and are beginner / family-friendly. Come alone, bring family / friends / kids and join our mix of beginner and welcoming seasoned dancers. No experience, partner or special shoes required.

On April 7 the dance marks the end of the spring season and the group will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the dance

Honeywell that the problems at the plant had to be fixed. Honeywell then sent a crew to go over the problems with the town staff and saw that there were numerous things that were not working correctly. At the last meeting with the town board, Honeywell said that the company would both refund the $100,000 that the town paid to Honeywell, and would forgive the remaining $400,000 that Honeywell claimed the town owed them.

“The plant is working very well right now,” said Simonsen. “They have taken ownership for some of the problems at the plant and made corrections.”

midday, etc. throughout the 24 meridians.

Now, this certainly would be a difficult adjustment, because we’d have to learn, say, to begin the business day at 0600 in London, but at 1100 in New York. The day would then proceed to quitting time, 1500 in London and 2000 in New York.

The rotation of the Earth would put the sun in the same relative position to the planet at those times in those places.

Tough even to contemplate, isn’t it?

But those alive now would have to make only one clock adjustment and then no more. Young people will learn quickly the various day / night conditions around the world for any particular clock time; older folks will struggle for awhile to comprehend it all, but they’ll get it eventually.

Those born into the new system will just use it. They will know that you set your alarm for 0600 in Denver, but you’ll be starting work at that time in New York because the clocks around the world all read 0600 at the same time. This system could work, if we wanted it. After all, clock time once replaced reckoning the time from the position of the sun in the sky and from dawn-todusk, eat-when-you’re-hungry time.

Instead of complaining each year about the switch, we could eliminate it completely. It’s like getting rid of the middleman. Your behavior has to change regardless, but with DST, the clock face is the master, whereas in a fixed-clock system, we get to decide what behavior will occur at our location when the world shows it’s 2200 hours at all locations.

I contemplated all of that between cup one and cup five of coffee between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. on March 11. Then I passed into a caffeineinduced wildly fitful sleep that lasted until 6 p.m. You should have seen the dreams – unreal. At that point, I went to my ledger and subtracted the daylight I lost sleeping from the daylight I had saved at the time change. I think I’m still in the red.

with a dessert potluck dinner. The dance begins at 7 p.m. on Saturday April 7 at Oskar Blues Event Room, 303 Main St. Chris Kermiet calls with music by Poultry in Motion. The cost is $10 for adults, $5 for kids and $25 for families. For more information, go to oldtimedances@musicinlyons.com or call 303-827-6322 or go to Facebook.

Boulder County Parks and Open Space seeks volunteers BOULDER COUNTY – Boulder County Parks and Open Space is looking for Cultural Program Educator volunteers to help lead hands-on and story-time activities at our popular Fun on the Farm programs. The deadline for applications is March 16.

This volunteer opportunity offers a variety of ways to contribute to the cultural history program, including developing and presenting story-time activity sessions and leading hands-on and craft activities for young children. Children must be 14 years old; volunteers under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult during training and volunteer shifts. They must be comfortable speaking to a range of ages and audiences and must have personal transportation and be able to pass a criminal background check. The application deadline is March 16. Volunteers will attend one training class on March 23. For more information and to apply please visit www.BoulderCountyOpenSpace.org/volunteer and click on Cultural Program Educator or contact Sheryl Kippen at skippen@bouldercounty.org or 303-776-8848.

Sewer Continued from Page 9 that kill bacteria and microbes. The resulting water, which is remarkably clear, is then piped out of the plant through a pipe and into the St. Vrain River. The outfall pipe was temporarily situated after the flood to just above the Black Bear Hole. In 2018, the outfall will be moved some half mile downstream to below the Highland Dam. The organic material that settles in the lagoons is drawn off from the bottom and pumped to a centrifuge where water is spun out, leaving semi-dry bio solids that are hauled away by a private contractor at

the rate of 15 cubic yards per week. The water from the centrifuge process is then reintroduced into the plant to be processed again. All in all, the Lyons wastewater treatment plant is up to the task of treating the stuff we politely don’t talk about at parties but only if we all pay attention to what we flush.

Greg Lowell is a member of Lyons Ecology Advisory Board and has been involved with land conservation issues for more than 25 years. He graduated from the University of New Hampshire and now lives in Lyons.

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PAGE 12

REDSTONE • REVIEW

CONCEPTS Small town collaboration at its best

By Kristen Bruckner Redstone Review LYONS – The Lyons Community Foundation (LCF) has been a go-to resource for locally based community philanthropy Bruckner for the last ten years. As other non-profits and public based groups are established and gain momentum in Lyons, the best of small town cooperation and collaboration is continuing to flourish.

At a recent reception for LCF Annual Grant award winners, it was evident just how small and interconnected our town really is. Almost every single non-profit’s work in some way benefits or overlaps with another. Small or large LCF grants are able to be leveraged in really effective ways through the synergy of complementary missions and the hard work of volunteers.

There are now quite a few non-profits that one might think compete with each other, but instead all tend to work together to get important work done in Lyons. This may be aided by the fact that many of the active citizens who engage in civic-minded work tend to volunteer for a variety of causes and may span several different projects, but it is also clear that philanthropy and volunteerism tend to be contagious.

An excellent example of a continuous loop of work is the “garden to table” program that was initially funded through an LCF grant in 2016. Kim and Andy Doering, longstanding crusaders in many environmental and school-based pro-

grams, started the school plantings with an LCF grant for irrigation in 2016. This grant paved the way to reignite a gardening-based curriculum at Lyons Elementary that was started with an LCF-funded

MARCH 14 / APRIL 18, 2018

tual bounty delivered to the Lyons Food Pantry. LEAF and the Food Pantry are the largest beneficiaries of LCF grant funding.

Students in classroom projects, the Lyons Elementary Eco Club, and the Pathfinders after school program all have a hand in cultivation, harvest and delivery to the food bank.

PHOTO BY CATHY RIVERS

The recent Lyons Chill Fest on February 24 was sponsored by the Lyons Chamber of Commerce and was made possible by the hard work of the Lyons Volunteers and the Lyons Leos. salad cart initiative in the early days of the foundation.

The extension of that work didn’t stop there. The curriculum allows for students to study botany and ecology all the way through a plant’s life cycle with its even-

As vegetables grow, the students continue their hands-on work during Lyons Elementary’s Science Leadership curriculum. This trail-blazing program, also supported through LES Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) funding, is in its

pilot year, focusing on leadership and team building skills with a science and ecology focus during a once-per-month all-day outdoor curriculum.

The possibilities for providing leadership opportunities for Lyons High School students along with mentoring and outdoor curriculum expansions at the elementary school appear endless. Lyons High School students who are members of a study group called River Watch have been folded into the program, leading elementary school students in measuring local river health. The goal is to eventually build even more pathways between the two local schools, creating more opportunities for leadership and collaboration.

Lyons Elementary School Principal Andrew Moore, a champion of this program, comments, “We are so fortunate to have engaged parents, teachers, area environmental groups, and local citizens who are all working together to see this program succeed. We’ve been able to initiate a school-wide initiative that has touched so many facets of outdoor-based study by leveraging our community resources, the great people of Lyons.”

The Lyons Historical Society, another long-time LCF grant beneficiary, has also combined forces with the elementary school. School groups are brought to the Redstone Museum on regular basis to study museum science and learn about local history.

The Lyons Arts and Humanities Commission is another organization that also benefits from LCF granting and collaboration with area artists and the Town of Lyons. The art installations you see on Continue LCF on Page 15

MARCH 14 / APRIL 18, 2018

REDSTONE • REVIEW

PAGE 13

CONTEXT What’s happening with Habitat for Humanity homes in Lyons?

COMMENTARY: AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN LYONS

By Amy Reinholds Redstone Review

LYONS – The Lyons community can see the rapid construction progress of Habitat for Humanity duplexes on Park Street, east of Second Ave. The six homes in three duplexes will be the first new affordable housing in town since the 2013 flood. David Emerson, Executive Director of Habitat for Reinholds Humanity of the St. Vrain Valley, expressed gratitude this past week for all the volunteers.

“We are thrilled to see the houses progress so quickly since volunteers began working on them in January,” Emerson said. On March 9, the construction crew rolled roof trusses on the first duplex and now a second duplex has been completely framed. The third duplex, in the middle of the other two buildings, is still going through a final permit process, because the homes in that building have a slightly different design (larger, four-bedroom homes, which will also be accessible for people with disabilities).

Emerson said that more than 400 volunteers, as many as 35 a day, have worked on the site since the project started with volunteers in late January. He said there are many repeat volunteers, including some retired individuals who return weekly or twice a week. Habitat construction crews with volunteers are currently working four days a week, Wednesdays through Saturdays. Volunteers include local Lyons residents and other volunteers from Boulder, an AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps group, and a Habitat for Humanity Collegiate Challenge team of college students, most recently from Widener University near Philadelphia.

The first three applicants for Lyons homes were selected in a previous round in summer 2017, and all are currently working on their volunteering “sweat equity” and educational requirements as they prepare to become homeowners, Emerson said. It’s likely they will be cele-

brating the 2018 end-of-year holidays in their new homes. In January Habitat for Humanity started the next round of applications with the hope of filling the other three openings.

Emerson highlighted three features that are important to understanding how Habitat for Humanity home own-

$150,000, with no interest, and monthly mortgage payments, including escrow, are set at 27 percent of the household gross monthly income at the mortgage origination.

Household incomes of applicants eligible to apply to purchase Habitat for Humanity homes range from about $22,200 up to about $61,000 (for a household of five that earns 60 percent of the area median income). Based on the 27 percent of the household gross monthly income formula, a monthly mortgage for the bottom of the eligible income range is about $500, and a monthly mortgage for a household of five that earns 60 percent of the area median income is about $1,382.

Also, Habitat for Humanity of the St. Vrain Valley got approval from the Lyons Board of Trustees last year to raise the upper threshold to 80 percent of the area median income, which is as much as $81,912 for a household of five – if the applicants meet all the other criteria. Based on Rapid progress is being made on the Habitat for Humanity Lyons duplexes at Park Street the 27% of the household east of Second Avenue. PHOTO BY AMY REINHOLDS gross monthly income formula, a monthly mortgage for a ership works. First, Habitat homes are built at a cost that household of five that earns 80 percent of the area mediis the lowest in the area by far. “Our price point is conser- an income is about $1,800. vatively one third to a half of what it would cost to purOf the three applicants already selected, no household chase a home of similar size in the Lyons area,” he said. earns more than 60 percent of the area median income, Secondly, Emerson said that Habitat for Humanity’s basic Emerson said. As previously described, that means their mortgage terms are unmatched in their ability to provide an mortgages, based on family size and specific income, will affordable payment: a 30-year mortgage at 0 percent inter- be lower than $1,300 a month. est, with little or no down payment. Habitat for Humanity Finally, Habitat for Humanity has underwriting criteof the St. Vrain Valley mortgages are usually about Continue Habitat on Page 15

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Volunteers Continued from Page 6 A ten-member team of NCCC workers arrived in Lyons in early March after having done clean up and “muck out” work in Texas in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. “Being involved in the building phase here in Lyons is great for them,” Shannon said. “It lets them see that their initial recovery work can lead to rebuilding homes for people four years later.”

The Americorps NCCC program, loosely based on the Civilian Conservation Corps program implemented in the 1930s Great Depression years, was created in 1993 through bipartisan efforts in Congress. President Bill Clinton

REDSTONE • REVIEW signed the legislation, and the program has remained mostly intact since, though funding is at constant risk, Shannon said.

NCCC volunteers devote one year of service, working five days per week. At the end of their service year, workers receive an educational stipend of $5,920 to be used toward college education expenses. But even that benefit is now taxable, Jordan said.

Workers are housed in churches, school gyms or other non-luxurious accommodations. “In Texas, we were in a dis-used old school gym,” Jordan said. “It was very disused, like having sat there for ten years.”

For the Lyons project, the NCCC workers are housed at Bethany Lutheran

A&E Continued from Page 8 by different makers, collectors and scholars? And what is drawing today? The exhibition will run through March 24. Contact the CU Art Museum, University of Colorado Boulder for more information.

On Tuesday, March 20 at 5:30 p.m. Richard Neer will speak at Norlin Library in the British and Irish Study Room, fifth floor, Norlin Library at the University of Colorado Boulder campus.

Dr. Richard Neer is William B. Ogden Distinguished Service Professor of Art History, Cinema and Media Studies at the University of Chicago and the Executive Editor of Critical Inquiry. He works at the intersection of aesthetics, archaeology and history, with particular emphasis on the role of phenomenology and theories of style in multiple fields: Classical Greek sculpture, neoclassical French painting, and mid-20th century cinema.

Lynn Baker Quartet performs at Caffè Sole – On Saturday, March 31, from 7 to 10 p.m. the Lynn Baker Quartet will be joined by Boulder vocalist Elena Camerin Young at Caffè Sole at 637R South Broadway in Boulder. Joining them will be David Hanson on piano, Ron Bland on bass, and Todd Reid on drums. The quartet will be playing Lynn Baker’s original jazz compositions and Camerin Young will sing original lyrics by

MARCH 14 / APRIL 18, 2018

Church in Longmont. They travel back and forth to Lyons in Americorps vans and are supervised by both Habitat staff members and more senior Americorps workers.

“Not only do they get some construction skills that prepare them for going out into the real world,” said Shannon, “but they also get leadership and team-building skills.” Habitat also provides personal budgeting and financial management training.

Given the meager financial rewards and hard work, why do the young NCCC volunteers do it?

“For me,” said Jordan, “it’s about sharing with nine other people in serving underserved communities that need help.”

The NCCC team currently working in

Donna Wickham. In addition, the band will perform several of Camerin Young’s songs. Because Caffè Sole is an intimate (small) venue and doesn’t take reservations, it is recommended to come early before the show to get a good table and enjoy an excellent dinner with a selection of craft beer and international wines by the glass.

Dinner is 6 to 8:30 p.m. and show time is 7 to 10 p.m.; $10 suggested cover charge. CDs will be available for purchase – after all, Christmas is always right around the corner. For more information, call 303-499-2985 or go to www.caffesole.com or lynnbakerjazz.com.

Boulder seeking submissions for an art show – City of Boulder announces new data-inspired art show and seeks concept submissions by May 31.The City of Boulder is seeking submissions for the inaugural Art of Data exhibition. The show will be held in the Boulder Public Library Canyon Gallery from Dec. 14, 2018 to Feb. 3, 2019. The art show is a collaboration between the City of Boulder City Manager’s Office, Information Technology Department and Boulder Public Library.

The deadline for submitting concepts and examples of previous work is May 31, 2018, and early submissions are encouraged. Community members whose concepts are selected will receive $250 honorariums to complete their art pieces by mid-December.

Visit www.boulderlibrary.org/exhibits/art-of-data-open-call for

Lyons, which includes volunteers from Georgia, Virginia, New Hampshire, and Washington, is here through March 31.

Another team is due to arrive mid-April, and Shannon said food and housing are always big needs for the program. Lyons Volunteers has enough funds to provide vouchers for the current team, but contributions from the community are needed to do the same for the April NCCC group.

Mark Browning is a Lyons resident and retired attorney. He serves on the Lyons Planning and Community Development Commission (PCDC) and he is active with the Lyons Volunteers organization. He is a current candidate for the Lyons Town Board.

more information about the exhibition open call, including details on accepted mediums and ways to get inspired by data in the city’s Open Data Catalog.

Interested artists are also encouraged to attend community engagement events on April 2 and 30 to ask exhibition organizers questions about using city data for inspiration.

Additional information about the events can be found at www.boulderlibrary.org/exhibits/art-of-data-open-call.

For questions about the Canyon Gallery space and/or artwork specifications, contact Jaime Kopke at KopkeJ@boulderlibrary.org or 303-441-3193. For questions about using the Open Data Catalog or other city data for artwork inspiration, contact Nicolia Eldred-Skemp at EldredSkempN@bouldercolorado.gov or 303-441-4945 A Lyons newsworthy tidbit – Betsy Hubner and Chrystal DeCoster, owners of Western Stars Gallery, were at the Rocky Mountain Gift Show where they met a woman from Central City Opera, 124 Eureka St. in Central City, named Wanda Larson. They talked about the 2018 Opera Festival (July 7 to Aug 5) in Central City and she mentioned that one of their singers, Michael Mayes, resides in Lyons and will be performing in Il Trovatore by Verdi, opening night July 14. Mayes’ wife, Meg Marino, is also an opera singer. They’re both on FB. Get your tickets early. For information and tickets, call 303-692-6700 or 303-692-6500.

MARCH 14 / APRIL 18, 2018

LCF Continued from Page 12 Main Street are a result of LCF grants along with LAHC funding and the dedication of the commission whose mission is to support and enhance the artistic community. LAHC also sponsors such community-wide efforts at the art shows in town hall, the Lyons Film Festival and the annual Art Walk. LCF granting that funds the Sandstone Summer Concert Series also gives back directly in supporting local musicians and providing amazing, free entertainment for residents.

REDSTONE • REVIEW Other service groups that have been supported by LCF continue to show up just about everywhere in town. Lyons Volunteers, started initially for flood response and recovery, now lends itself to a variety of community needs. The recent success of the Lyons Chill Fest, sponsored by the Lyons Chamber of Commerce, was made possible by the work of these volunteers along with Lyons Leos, a youth-based service organization. The Leos and Lyons Volunteers have also poured many hours into the Habitat for Humanity construction of affordable housing currently underway.

Habitat Continued from Page 13 ria (requirements of an applicant to qualify) that are more forgiving than any other mortgage program that they are aware of. However, they are still subject to federal law. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has protections that have strengthened over the years to protect homeowners from predatory lenders. Applicants for mortgages are required to demonstrate they have a required level of income to pay the mortgage and provide documentation to prove it.

“As we get ready to select the last several applicants, there will undoubtedly be good families and individuals in need who are left without one of these homes,” Emerson said. “Some of that has to do with the number of those in need versus the number of houses we are building. The other reason may be that an applicant does not meet our lending qualifications.”

Emerson said that when it comes to requirements, those mortgage underwriting obligations are in place to ensure an appropriate degree of projected success in a homeownership program, and to prevent foreclosures.

“This is a requirement of federal law and is not flexible, and this is also a core value of Habitat for Humanity,” he said. “Homeowners assume an affordable mortgage and are held accountable to the obligations of that mortgage so that they can stay in their homes and also so their payments can be paid forward to help others in need.”

Documented income and debt are two areas of the

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Interested in working with the Lyons Lions Leo Club on the Habitat for Humanity homes being built in town?

Contact me for more information!

Jonelle Tucker 303-902-6250 jtucker@realtor.com www.tuckergroupinc.com

This is the beauty of living and working in a small town. Residents feel empowered to make an impact. By supporting community-based philanthropy either through financial support, hard work and dedication or just providing the inspiration for projects that will positively impact our community, we are all brought closer and make our local world just a bit brighter.

If you aren’t yet involved in any community based work, go ahead and jump in.

With a small town, you have the opportunity to really impact things that you care about. Volunteer at the school, join a

requirements that often require the most work for applicants.

The Habitat project is subsidized by a wide variety of sources, and Emerson said that income of homeowners is required to be very accurately accounted for. “There are a variety of ways we do that and that often means a great deal of documentation,” he said. “We do not do this to create a barrier but to be appropriately thorough and good stewards of the community’s resources. Often it takes several different pieces of documentation to create a full and accurate picture. This is an area where Habitat is consistent with what other lenders ask for.”

Emerson said that lending additional credit for a mortgage to applicants with existing loans requires a debt formula for lenders that is very rigid. “Federal housing officials – in particular the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau – take a very hard line,” he said “Lenders need to make sure that the amount being paid in a monthly mortgage when combined with the amount of other debt payments is an affordable percentage of an applicant’s income.

We use the most liberal of those formulas.” Habitat for Humanity takes what the mortgage payment would be (which is much lower than other mortgages) and adds all other debt. Then they divide those payments by the applicant’s income. If the percentage of these obligations is too high, then it is not appropriate to extend a mortgage.

Emerson described the Habitat for Humanity selection process, which involves dozens of people who are trained

BACK RANGE VIEWS!

PAGE 15 Town of Lyons commission or board, or just show up at the next community event. Here in Lyons we have a festival, a music concert, an outdoor event or race, or a school event just about every week.

For more information on the Lyons Community Foundation, its board or its granting work, please visit www.lyonscf.org.

Kristen Bruckner is on the Lyons Community Foundation Communications Committee and writes columns for the LCF. She lives in Lyons. She plays the fiddle.

and have experience with successful lending practices.

Habitat staff work with a selection committee, and then a final decision is made by the Board of Directors of Habitat for Humanity of the St. Vrain Valley. The selection committee includes mortgage originators and bankers, and the Board of Directors has a banker, a tax attorney, and realtors, to name a few. “Decisions are not made in a vacuum, and we routinely take feedback with the goal of making our program better,” he said.

He encouraged anyone who has questions about the program or requirements to reach out to the Habitat for Humanity of the St. Vrain Valley office. More information is available at www.stvrainhabitat.org.

This column is a monthly commentary (opinion column) in the Redstone Review about affordable housing after the 2013 flood disaster in Lyons. If you have any questions, comments, or complaints, contact me directly at areinholds@hotmail.com. For history of post-flood efforts for affordable housing in Lyons, see previous columns at lyonscoloradonews.wordpress.com.

Amy Reinholds served on the Lyons Housing Recovery Task Force from December 2013 through its end in February 2015. She is currently a member of the Lyons Human Services and Aging Commission and served as a liaison to the Special Housing Committee during its existence from April 2015 to April 2016. She has lived in Lyons since 2003 and in the surrounding Lyons area since 1995.