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September 27, 2015 Leave a comment
An open house for the newly remodeled Community Center in Lyons is from 1:30-2:30 p.m. today. Everyone is invited to attend and see the beautifully redone Community Center! Refreshments will also be served.
July 29, 2015 Leave a comment
Happy Hot July everyone! I hope everyone is staying as cool as possible. I know if you’ve been going to the pool, you’ve been able to do that. It has been a great first season. Attendance is up and the smiles are large. I know there have been some hiccups this season but we are working through those. We expected some growing pains with all the new things to do down there. We have been working on being consistent with rules and regulations that are posted. We are figuring out the best practice with the life guard stands; balancing swimmer and life guard safety. It is all feedback we appreciate because we hadn’t been through it yet with this pool. The season is winding down and as we get closer to school starting our pool hours are going to be more limited. Lifeguards are also going back to school and their availability will dictate how long and how often the pool will remain open the last two weeks of August. Any changes to the schedule will be posted at the pool.
The community center is, for all intensive purpose, completed. We continue to wait on the exterior signage to be installed. The council will be setting an open house/dedication date. The council approved another building permit to Three Rivers Housing Development Corp for a new ranch house with a basement at the corner of 5th and Pearl. Three Rivers has been a fantastic community partner and we look forward to this property being developed along with future projects they are involved with. We also have a new house being built on the north side of town. People are investing in Lyons. It is good for our school system and good for the community. We continue to have issues with vehicles driving faster than the posted speed limit, especially on Diamond Street and Main Street. Main Street, particularly as you are coming into town from the west, is even a bigger concern now that we have the pool open and lots of kids out and about in that area. The council is looking at different options because the speed limit signs aren’t working very well. We are looking at possibly putting in speed bumps, writing more tickets for speeding or adding additional signage/signaling to those areas. We would prefer people just slow down and then we wouldn’t have to do any of these things but until that happens, we will need to do something.
It sounds like progress is being made on the byway outdoor theater art project on Main Street. It will really be a neat way to bring the community together for some fun. We have received all the information needed to submit our grant proposal for the Main Street lighting project. This is another big grant that if awarded, will allow us to improve and upgrade a much needed infrastructure issue. The railroad crossing on Main St. has also been upgraded. It makes going over the tracks there so much nicer. It is usually the little things that make the biggest difference in quality life and that certainly is one of those areas that you don’t really notice when it is nice but really notice with it’s not. Finally, I just have to say, as I do every year, how great the 4th of July was. The weather was great. All of the events were fun and the fireworks were absolutely terrific! I tend to forget the fire and rescue departments when thanking everyone involved with making the day a great one right before the fireworks show begins. Chalk it off to nerves and not writing down all I need to say I guess! That doesn’t mean however that all of their hard work isn’t appreciated. I am always so proud of our community when that first fireworks explosion lightens up the dark sky. To think our display rivals any other community around just make me proud to live in Lyons. That couldn’t pride wouldn’t be there if it weren’t for other volunteers who take the time to set them up and shoot them off. My hat is always off to Lyons Community Club and the Lyons Volunteer Fire Department for carrying the torch, year after year, for making the July 4th celebration one of Lyons’ crowning jewels. That’s all I got for now. Enjoy the rest of the summer. School is coming parents so hand in there! Stay cool and we’ll talk to you soon.
April 14, 2015 Leave a comment
Looks like spring has sprung! The days are nicer than not anymore, the grass has turned green and the buds on the trees are falling in droves with every thunderstorm we have. In my opinion, spring is the best time of the year; a time of renewal, new growth and a sense that life is going to just be better all around. The city feels the same way. The new pool will be opening its doors soon marking new beginnings for a new generation of swimmers in Lyons. There is going to be some touch-up work done down there between now and when it opens but it will be ready to go the end of May. We still need a few more lifeguards so if you are interested or know someone who is, please apply at the city office. We will be having a ribbon cutting ceremony in May. Be watching the papers for that!
As we talk about renewal of life that spring brings us, the community center is almost ready to come out of its cocoon and be the beautiful butterfly we all envisioned almost a year ago. It certainly is in a transformative state. We have experienced some delays but we continue to make progress. I’m not yet prepared to say when the project will be completed, but we are seeing light at the end of the tunnel. Please bear with us a little longer. As I’ve told you before – it will be worth the wait.
The last two meetings have been dominated by the community center project but others items of interest also came up. We have been finalizing the paperwork for receiving our new recycling baler for plastics we received from NDEQ. We received a grant in the amount of $75,670 towards the baler. Our out-of-pocket cost to the city is roughly $10,000 or less than one-eighth the cost of the $86,000 piece of equipment. You can’t go wrong doing that kind of math! This will really help us improve our capacity for taking in plastic. It’s a win-win all the way around. The new grinder for the sewer plant was ordered. The old one shelled out and needed to be replaced. We have resealed the water filters down at the water plant. We have also completed the campground electric project just in time for camping season. The RV parking has received an electrical up-grade to accommodate larger campers. The city has also sent out condemnation letters to properties around town to those property owners whose properties require major work or are no longer fit as dwelling places. The council also gave the go ahead to order parking stops for the east side of the community center in front of the big windows. Never can be too careful these days!
Waste Connections has increased its monthly garbage fee by $105 per month. This increase will more than likely be passed on to all of us. The city also renewed our contract with Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) for some of our electric service through 2050. They deal in 30 year chunks. They’ve always provided us safe, reliable electric power so it was easy to renew the contract. NPPD supplies the bulk of our electric power but WAPA pulls a lot of their electric supply from hydro-electric sources. As the city wraps up the community center project,
Mayor Andy Fuston
we are turning our attention to another big project. This is the street lighting for downtown. We have contracted with Engineering Professional Services out of West Point to help us determine exactly what we need to do with our outdated street lights and electrical service to those lights. The scope of the project will also extend to the sidewalks and some sewer concerns. We need this information to apply for another grant that would help cover some of the cost of the project. This project and its scope may or may not happen depending on the grant outcome. We just know it is an issue that needs to be addressed. There will be more to come as we get further along into this process.
Okay, I think that’s all the updates I have to tell you about. Graduation and the end of the school year are just around the corner. Get those flowers and gardens planted. Just enjoy the nice weather. Have a great rest of the month and we’ll talk again soon.
February 2, 2015 Leave a comment
The Lyons Community Center is coming along, with hope of it being completed this spring. All photos credit of Denise Gilliland, Editor and Chief, Kat Country Hub.
September 22, 2014 Leave a comment
Hey, it’s me Andy, the mayor! I wasn’t sure if you would remember me since it has been so long since I’ve written to you. I apologize for my absence from the paper. I hadn’t felt like I had anything new to talk about and I didn’t want to bore you with the same old thing but we are seeing enough progress in some ongoing projects that I felt it was time for an up-date.
The pool has water in it and new sod around it if you haven’t noticed. Although a full pool is only for a short time it is a significant milestone. They are testing all the pumps and chemical equipment this week to make sure everything works properly and waiting for the Department of Health to come and conduct their inspection. If all goes well, we will be able to wrap up the construction and be ready for next pool season. It has been a long, arduous journey but it seems like we are finally nearing the end of the line. I can’t wait for next summer!
I understand there have been lots of questions about the auditorium/community center, especially when it is going to be ready. If the pool project has taught us anything, it is to not give hard deadlines about when projects of this magnitude are going to be completed. I would love to tell you a specific date or a specific month but that wouldn’t be fair to those looking to utilize the community center. The best I can tell you right now is spring (beginning, mid or late, I don’t know!) What I do know is that the rest of the project is going out for bid this month. Once the bids are received we will have a much better idea of a time frame for all the remodeling. Just know that the end product will be transformative in nature. If we are able to accomplish all that we wish too, the new and improved Lyons community center will have been worth the wait. So if you are someone who is chomping at the bit to reserve the community center next year, have patience please. If you were hoping to have some event in it this winter, we can’t make any promises. I will however let you know the minute it
Mayor Andy Fuston
is open for business! We want to show it off as much as you want to be able to use it!
The 2015 budget has been submitted to the state for the start of the October 1st fiscal year. The budget process is becoming more and more complex year after year as we apply for and receive grants in one year but spend them in the following year due to how projects ebb and flow across multiple years. We have applied for a street light grant for Main Street and will be applying for other grants as they come up throughout the year. They are great to receive but the play havoc on the budget process as I said. But overall the budget is sound and conscientious. Your city council will continue to spend your tax dollars and utility dollars wisely.
Have you noticed (it’s hard not to have!) the new house going up at 3rd and Diamond. We are seeing the fruits of our partnership with Three Rivers Housing happening there. It is going to be a nice addition to that area of town. Speaking of new construction isn’t Steiny’s General Store looking great! What a wonderful addition to downtown. The same can be said of Dolezal’s Hunting Depot. Both are just another sign that Lyons is moving in the right direction. The company that built the water tower is going to begin doing some warranty maintenance on it beginning late September or early October. During that time the water system will be operating on the high service pumps at the water plant to provide the water pressure the town requires. Not sure how long the maintenance work will last but if you notice any water pressure fluctuation, which hopefully you won’t, it will be for this reason. Lastly the city is looking into updating its blight study to help us capture some tax increment financing to help with future city projects. The city has been working with Burt County Economic Development to better understand what and how T.I.F. monies are used.
Well, I think that is all I have for now. November 4th is quickly approaching so it is time to be thinking about exercising your obligation to vote. You will have plenty of decisions to make this election-new U.S. senator, Governor, school board and city council. It is amazing what can happen when the right people for the job are elected to those positions. That’s it for now. Hope life for you is going well. We’ll talk soon. Take care.
Kat Country Hub 
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