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LOOK FOR REDSTONE REVIEW AT ISSUU.COM / SDCMC VOLUME 20, NUMBER 2
LYONS, COLORADO
RESIDENT / OCCUPANT PRSRT STD ECRWSS US POSTAGE PAID LYONS, CO PERMIT No 2053 $.50
MARCH 13 / APRIL 17, 2019
B •R •I •E •F •S Earth Day celebration LYONS –“Procession of the Species Parade,” an Earth Day Celebration, is gearing up for April 22. March 16 from 1 to 3 p.m. will be a costume creation workshop, using all recycled materials, at Western Stars Gallery for this evolving local non-profit Earth Guardians-like group focused on teaching and empowering youth to engage in political action and activism for environmental concerns. The group has also been instrumental in establishing new responsible pesticide use policies for the town. Earth Day weekend is the kick-off for the “Workout and Weed” series in the park, a way to bring community together and support our town staff in organic, integrated park management. Contact dandylyonsbrigade@gmail.com for more information.
Seicento Baroque Concert in Longmont and Boulder LONGMONT – Seicento Baroque Ensemble will perform In Your Court, a royal tour, on March 24 at 2:30 p.m. at the Stewart Auditorium in the Longmont Museum, 400 Quail Rd. There will be a pre-concert mixer at 1:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 for adults and $20 for seniors. Seicento Baroque will perform the same concert in Boulder on March 22 at 7:30 p.m. at First United Methodist Church, 1421 Spruce St.
Public input for single hauler model LYONS – At 7 p.m. at the March 18 Board of Trustees meeting at the Lyons Town Hall, 432 Fifth Ave., the Board will consider a single waste hauler model in Lyons, per the recommendation of the Sustainable Futures Commission (SFC). The proposed model would convert residential waste collection to curbContinue Briefs on Page 2
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A bull moose out for a stroll at Rocky Mountain National Park.
PHOTO BY VERONICA LANDIN
Town Board seeks new finance director, affordable housing arrives, Eastern Corridor sale approved and other issues By Susan de Castro McCann Redstone Review Editor LYONS –Town Administrator Victoria Simonsen told the town board at a March board meeting that Finance Director / Town Treasurer, Ana Canada, has resigned. “She is taking the Assistant Finance Director position for Brighton,” Simonsen said. “Ana has been a tremendous asset for the town over the past two years and we wish her the best. The position is being advertised on CGFOA, CML, Government Jobs, Indeed and the town website.” Brighton is a larger community and can offer more benefits. Simonsen said she hopes to fill the position by the time the town has its next audit in June. It is now five and a half years after the flood and affordable housing is finally coming to Lyons. Last month the State Housing Board approved a funding application for Summit Housing Group to build 40 affordable rental units in Lyons Valley Park Subdivision on about 4 acres. The plan is for 11 single family homes and 29 multifamily homes for rent to people who make 60 percent or less of the Area Median Income (AMI). Please see Amy Reinholds story on this topic on Page 11. On another note at a March meeting the town board approved an ordinance to buy and sell real estate for the sale of town property to Paul Tamburello who will develop the land in the Eastern Corridor along Colorado Highway 66 now called Lyons Village East. The property is located on both sides of Highway 66 and includes two decommissioned water treatment buildings formerly owned and operated by the City of
Longmont. The town purchased the land from Longmont to build a new Public Works building. The old Public Works building was destroyed in the flood and the Eastern Corridor site was the only site approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in or near Lyons. The public works building project now has all the permits required and construction will begin soon. The development plans for Lyons Village East are discussed by Mayor Connie Sullivan in her column on Page 3. On other issues the town board discussed holding a workshop, at the request of Mike Whipp, a partner in Lyons Properties also known as River Bend, to discuss the ongoing dispute over water and sewer taps. The partners in Lyons Properties signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) which included how much was owed for certain taps. The board claims that Lyons Properties owners are not honoring the MOA and have not made their required payments for the taps. Lyons Properties is disputing the number of taps. The board members had different opinions over whether holding a workshop would have any benefit, but they were in agreement that negotiations over the disputed taps was over. Trustee Mark Browning said that the time for workshops was over. Trustee Mike Karavas agreed and said he did not see the point in a workshop. Trustee Jocelyn Farrell said that she could agree to a short workshop to listen to grievances but not to negotiate. The mayor agreed and said that everyone should have the same information to work from. She wanted everyone to be on the same page. Trustees Juli Waugh and Wendy Miller both recused themselves sighting a conflict of interest. Waugh is married to one
of the Lyons Properties’ partners and Miller conducts business with Lyons Properties. Browning and Karavas voted no on holding the workshop and the mayor, Farrell, and Mayor Pro Tem Barney Dreistadt voted to hold the workshop. The date was not set for the workshop. Mayor Connie Sullivan announced that April 19 is Arbor Day and she invited everyone to attend the ceremony at the Lyons Elementary School and watch the grade school kids plant their trees. Former Trustee Dan Greenberg spoke during audience business to ask the board to put a moratorium on issuing building permits after a natural disaster such as a flood or fire. “There needs to be something in the code to prevent building after a flood,” he said. “It is hard to do after a flood so it should be done now. Please consider doing this.” Trustee Juli Waugh said she thought that the board should take up this issue. Lyons resident Larry Quinn, who lives along the South Fork of the St. Vrain River, also spoke out during audience business saying that the St. Vrain River project did improve the stream, but the vegetation project was a failure. He added that the proposed trail along Highway 7 and the river would have a negative impact on his neighborhood and he and his neighbors opposed the trail. Administrator Simonsen said that lodging taxes were due on February 20 for January’s revenues. She said they received seven completed forms by the deadline. Some are still outstanding. The town also received 159 new or renewed 2019 Business Licenses. There are 42 unlicensed businesses to date. She said that staff will continue to seek compliance and issue late fees.