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VOLUME 22, NUMBER 10
LYONS, COLORADO
RESIDENT / OCCUPANT PRSRT STD ECRWSS US POSTAGE PAID LYONS, CO PERMIT No 2053 $.50
NOVEMBER 17 / DECEMBER 15, 2021
L E T T E R •T O T H E •E D I T O R Letter concerning CO Supreme Court decision on Martin Marietta Materials’ permit to mine the Lyons / Hygiene area Dear Friends of SOSVV, Granting another stunning victory for Save Our St. Vrain Valley (SOSVV), the Colorado Supreme Court has denied Martin Marietta Materials’ petition seeking further review. Thus, the Court of Appeals’ Opinion holding that Martin Marietta Materials’ permit lapsed due to non-use will remain undisturbed and the law of the land. As per direction of the Court of Appeals, the matter is now remanded to the Boulder County Board of Adjustment and returned to Dale Case, (Boulder County Land Use Director) to revisit his decision given the correct understanding of “special use permit.” Dale Case may consider “equitable arguments” that Martin Marietta Materials has in this matter. At this joyful five-year milestone in our mission, I wish to acknowledge and commend our attorney, our chairperson, our Steering Committee, donors, sponsors, friends and volunteers for their unwavering commitment to SOSVV’s vision and values: “We advocate for the environmental protection and conservation of the geologically unique and historic St. Vrain valley, and its healthy development for residents, wildlife, visitors, and future generations.” Thank you so much for serving this community to that end. Sincerely, Richard Cargill President, Board of Directors
B •R •I •E •F •S Full closure of CO Hwy. 7 through May 2022 LYONS – On Monday, September 20 CDOT closed Colorado Hwy. 7 between mile points 23 and 29.5 for permanent flood repairs. The closure of CO Hwy. 7 (Lower) Canyon will remain in place through Memorial Day 2022. There will be scheduled openings for all traffic from 6 to 8 a.m. and 4 to 7 p.m. daily, including weekends. During these timeframes, pilot cars will lead alternating one-way Continue Briefs on Page 10
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Harvest Time by the Hornos. Harvest time at El Rancho de las Golondrinas, a living-history museum near Santa Fe, New Mexico, is different but still similar to our own Thanksgiving harvest. The smooth skins of the squash, pumpkin, and chiles contrast with the rough texture of the adobe hornos (ovens). Photo by Jane Selverstone, a retired geologist living in New Mexico. She currently finds joy via hiking, photography, playing the violin, knitting, and not having to write or review grant proposals.
Town board hears report on new redistricting maps, sales tax revenues and other issues By Susan de Castro McCann Redstone Review Editor LYONS – At a recent Lyons Town Board meeting, Boulder County Commissioner Marta Loachamin joined the board’s Zoom meeting to discuss Colorado’s new redistricting maps and to discuss Boulder County’s representation. Loachamin said that she was disappointed that not all of Boulder County remained intact in the new Colorado Senate redistricting map, although most of the county did remain intact in the Colorado Congressional District 2 map. District 2 is represented by Congressman Joe Neguse and Lyons is in his district. Commissioner Loachamin expressed disappointment with the new State Senate redistricting map which now has Lyons, Ward, Nederland and Jamestown carved out of District 15 (which has most of Boulder County) and placed in a district with Larimer County. Rachel Zenzinger, a Democrat, is the current Senator representing District 19, Larimer County. Commissioner Loachamin said that the commissioners wanted to keep Boulder County from being split up and to keep it in a whole political subdivision. She said, “We share schools, we share watersheds, health care, transportation.” However, the commissioners decided after consulting their legal council that it would be difficult to challenge the commission’s new redistricting map and “was not a good use of voters’ resources.” She went on to say that the Boulder County Commissioners still represent all the people in Boulder County. Colorado will receive one new Congressional Representative, one new State Senator and some new State Representatives. The new districts will go into effect in the 2022 November election for 2023.
It looks like Democrats will still have the political advantage in both the Colorado House and Senate. On November 1, the Colorado Supreme Court upheld the Redistricting Commissions Congressional redistricting plans and on November 15 the court will rule on the State Legislative Redistricting Maps. It is likely that the court will approve the new maps for both the State House and Senate redistricting maps created by the newly formed State Redistricting Commission. This is the first time that the commission has created redistricting maps for Colorado. The commission was formed after the 2020 election when voters approved the new commission. The new U.S. Congressional districts do not please everyone, although the court said that they were fair. Colorado has one new congressional district (District 8), giving the state one new Representative in the U.S. House. Some Democrats complained that the new district, which includes largely north Denver suburbs and stretches into Greeley, does not fairly represent the Latino voters and dilutes their power. But the court said that the current plan was the best of the proposed alternatives. The court found that the commission had acted within its authority to balance the requirements and did not abuse its discretion. The maps, which will be used in the 2022 election, create three safe seats for Democrats, three safe seats for Republicans and two seats, including one that’s home to Democratic U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter, of Arvada, that could go either way, according to results from the last two elections. These are new congressional districts: The 1st District will be most of central Denver and it will still be a safe district for Democratic U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette.
The 2nd District is still a safe district for Rep. Joe Neguse, a Democrat, which will make many Lyons residents happy. It will cover the counties of Routt, Jackson, Larimer, Grand, Clear Creek, Gilpin, and Summit, and also include most of Boulder and Eagle counties as well as parts of Weld County and Jefferson County. The 3rd District will include most of the Western Slope and southern Colorado, including Pueblo. U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, a Republican, will still have the lead. The 4th District covers Douglas County, including Castle Rock as well as Loveland and other parts of Larimer County, the Eastern Plains, and also Weld County and eastern Adams and Arapahoe counties. Republican Rep. Ken Buck of Windsor will still hold the lead. The 5th District will be Colorado Springs, and include military bases in El Paso County. It will still be a safe seat for U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn, a Republican. The 6th District will be Aurora and include much of Arapahoe County as well as parts of Adams, Jefferson and Douglas counties. It will remain a safe Democratic district for U.S. Rep. Jason Crow of Centennial. The 7th District will be a little different and include much of Jefferson County, Lake, Park, Teller, Chaffee, Custer and Fremont counties in the central mountains. Democratic U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter of Arvada represents the district. It will favor Democrats and lean in the Democratic party’s favor, but is more competitive than before. The newest 8th District will include the north Denver suburbs of Thornton, Commerce City, Brighton and Northglenn as well as most of Westminster and all of Greeley. Some Democratic candidates are lining up to run for election in this district and Republican candidates are not far behind. In other news, Trustee Greg Lowell told the board about a recent Cemex meeting that he Continue Town on Page 13
