LYONS – Although it is not as high-profile as other issues, one of the main responsibilities of local government is keeping public infrastructure in good working order. Most folks don’t spend much time thinking about the condition of our water pipes (unless one breaks on your property) or the roads (unless there are big potholes on the street where you live). With keen competition for budget resources, maintenance is often neglected in favor of other budget priorities. The problem is that skimping on maintenance now ends up costing you more over the long term.

LYONS – An enthusiastic group consisting of members of the Lyons Board of Trustees, Economic Development Commission, and town staff assembled at the Lyons Valley Village Common House on Second Avenue on Saturday, September 10 to discuss the economic vision for the Town of Lyons. Having reviewed the Lyons Comprehensive Plan as well as other recent planning and directional documents for the town and the region, the majority of the activities on Saturday were focused on discussing a vision for the future that would support and retain the quality of life that we have come to expect in this small town.

LYONS – In responding to emergencies, preparation is everything. After watching footage of the Japanese tsunami, I was struck by how relatively low the death toll was compared to the 2004 tsunami that devastated countries around the Indian Ocean.

The news reported that in Japan they had an extensive early warning system and households practiced drills on what to do if disaster struck. While we are not in such a high-risk zone, the fires in Four Mile Canyon last year and closer fires this year on Coffintop and Blue Mountain Road as well as the threats of flooding in the St. Vrain bring to focus that in fact our community needs emergency preparedness.

LYONS – The next big issue looming on the Board of Trustee’s agenda is the renegotiation of our Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) with Boulder County. The IGA is a legal agreement that sets the framework for cooperation between Lyons and Boulder County in terms of land use issues and a range of other areas of common objectives. It also defines how far Lyons will be able to expand its town limits over the next decade and it stipulates what both parties can do in the land that surrounds Lyons, defined as the Lyons Planning Area or LPA.

LYONS – Every once in a while, a book that you are reading seems to be a perfect fit for what you are experiencing. This month the book club I belong to is reading Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner, which recounts one man’s journey through the most happy and least happy places on our planet in search of the answer: what are the elements that make for a happy place?

LYONS – This Board of Trustees is halfway through its two-year term. The BOT recently held a workshop to assess what has been achieved in the last year and our priorities for the remaining 12 months. With so many issues that come up on a weekly basis, it’s easy to get distracted from some of the big-picture goals. Last summer, the BOT held a strategic planning retreat and set a number of priority areas. Last week’s workshop included reviewing progress over the last year on the top four goals that were prioritized: