A Minute With the Mayor

Happy St. Patty’s Day!  Hope the luck of the Irish was with you.  I tell you it sure feels like Lyons is being blessed with a little Irish luck these days.  We are a busy little community with lots of wonderful things going on.  The pool is coming along.  They are still a little behind schedule but with the warm weather they should be able to kick it into high gear.  The roof line is taking shape on both the bath and pump house.  It is going to be a very different looking skyline down that way that will really make the pool and park a public draw.

We’ve made it to the second round for the auditorium grant from the Department of Economic Development.  We will be submitting a grant proposal for $375,000.00 to help with the auditorium renovation.  If we were to be awarded the full amount, it would effectively allow us to complete all phases of the remodel right away.  We have the matching funds, the architectural and engineering designs and the numbers to make for a compelling application.  The application has to be in by March 29^th and a final decision will be made by the 30^th of April.  Because this is such a big financial opportunity, we decided to delay the remodeling until after the award date.  Any money spent on the project before the award date couldn’t be used as matching funds for the DED grant.  I know this has put some kinks into renting out the auditorium for spring and summer events but we felt it was the financially prudent thing to do with such a large sum of money on the line.  The one thing that will be started before the award date is the asbestos removal around some pipes and that found in the glue holding the tile floors down.  We wanted all that done before the May 1^st so the general contractor, Faust Construction, could get started right after the award date.  I would ask everyone to draw on their “Irish” luck so this pot at the end of the rainbow comes true for us the end of April!

We are also feeling quite lucky these days as Steiny’s General Store is expanding by building a new building on Main Street.  It will be on the two empty lots at 2^nd and Main.  Steiny and Kay Steinmeyer have owned the lot next to the street for some time and has recently acquired the lot of the old accountant building from the city that was demolished last year.  Construction on that new building will be taking place in the near future.  Folks, this is such exciting news for our downtown Main Street!  This is a huge shot in the arm for building up our downtown corridor.  We are also expecting some additional new businesses that will soon be coming to downtown.  Keeping our commercial buildings occupied helps keep our buildings in good repair.  A full downtown also keeps people full of hope for our future.  I know we recently learned that the L&M dress shop is closing its doors but I am confident that that building will attract a new business to take its place.  Lyons is moving in the right direction and the private and public investment that is going on is proving that.

Mayor Andy Fuston

We are even seeing the positive momentum from the county wide housing survey that was recently completed.  Lyons is the place folks want to live.  By the way, I want to thank you as community members for taking the time to fill these types of surveys out when we need you to.  Lyons consistently has the highest return rate.  That says to folks in town and outside of town that Lyons as a community is committed to participating in the process.  You get it and understand that providing your feedback is a vital step in the process of continually trying to improve ourselves.  So thank you for taking the time to fill those out when you are asked to do so.  Anyway, the housing study results show we could really benefit from rental houses and moderate income affordable housing.  This isn’t really new for us but it again tells us that our partnership with Three Rivers Housing is on the right track for providing this type of housing as is our program for giving city owned lots free and clear to folks who plan to build new construction on them.  We are all in this together and together we make good things happen.  This all makes me think that we should be looking into building a new school instead of talking about consolidation.  I think we should be dreaming big.  What about you?

We can talk about the other less exciting things happening around the city but the list is kind of short these days.  We will be filling cracks in some of the streets shortly.  We donated the old auditorium chairs (the metal ones) to the fire department.  We are in the process of a water, sewer and natural gas study.  All will require some adjustments to keep up with rising costs and infrastructure improvements and up-keep.  The Center for Rural Affairs is working on their own grant that will involve Lyons and a few surrounding towns.  It will place public works of art in each community that is designed and constructed in that community.  Should be a fun project to participate in.  All of these things are resulting in making Lyons a better place to live.  I know this doesn’t happening without a lot of hard work by a lot of good and dedicated people.  Some would even say you make your own luck by putting effort into whatever you are trying to accomplish.  I would say those folks are right.  You shouldn’t depend on the lottery for your retirement savings, right!  However, I do think good luck makes more good luck and minimizes any bad luck you might have along the way.  So we’ll continue to work hard making Lyons a strong community but we’ll also take a little “luck of the Irish” along the way as well!  Every little bit helps!  That’s it for now.  We’ll talk to you soon.  Enjoy the warmer weather!