Anthony Moldenhauer Newest Holly Board Trustee

Anthony Moldenhauer Receiving Trustee Oath of Office from Mary Rushton

The Holly Board of Trustees became complete during the monthly meeting, Wednesday, July 11, with the approval of Anthony Moldenhauer’s letter of interest to serve on the town board.  The board meeting was postponed a week due to the July 4 holiday, and Moldenhauer was administered his oath of office at the outset of the meeting. 

PJ Wilson is opening an extension of his Lamar operation in Holly, at 127 South Main Street.  The businessman provided an overview of his operation which will combine his insurance services with Kactus Furniture.  “We expect to be open for insurance services by early August,” he said, adding that former Holly resident, Ty Rushton, will work out of the new office, and an employee from his Lamar store will transfer to the Holly area.  Wilson said furniture will be available at the Holly store another 60 days from the opening.  Wilson made a request for consideration for potential abatements or incentives, such as dump abatements during renovations or utility fees.  “We’re putting a new stucco store front on the location and we are happy to comply with any covenants or historic requirements to make sure we fit in with your downtown plans,” he added. 

The Town of Holly, 2011 Audit report was summarized for board members by CPA Amanda Brown.  She remarked that there were no issues or findings for the Trustees to be concerned about, but cautioned that the Utilities Fund could be show better reserves.  She also noted the landfill is continuing to come into CDPHE compliance, and on the whole Brown said, it was good to see the town’s General Fund continue to grow for another year.  The board authorized her 2013 audit contract so funding would be included in next year’s budget. 

Administrator Marsha Willhite covered several areas of concern in her monthly report to the board.  Willhite said a recent hydrology engineering study recommended additional storage capacity for the town’s water supply, as much as 450,000 gallons.  State funding for such projects, she explained, is prioritized on water usage, in this case, for fire control purposes and some potability uses.  A new tank would be required and would be located on land in the northern part of town.  CDOT requested permission to use a portion of land off Highway 89 as a storage site for chip seal materials.  Use of the city’s website showed a period of growth between May 2010 and this past May.  Willhite said the city can fine-tune what online areas of interest are most and least used and tailor the site to future demands.  She said May was selected for comparisons because it is usually the most viewed month, just prior to the annual Blue Grass Festival.    The administrator briefly recapped the awards ceremony she attended with members of the Simon family for Gateway Products, Inc.  as they were honored by the State Office of Economic Development as one of the 50 Small Businesses to Watch in Colorado.  She stated the town’s population, as noted by the Department of Local Affairs, is 801.  The population count is used for consideration of funding allocation by the state’s Conservation Trust Fund. 

In other action, the trustees voted against granting a lower rate tariff for waste material hauled to the Holly Dump by a commercial outfit that routinely uses the Lamar landfill.  The request was denied because of the infrequent use of the Holly dump by the hauler and it could set a precedent for similar, future discount requests.  The approval of the liquor license for Toni’s Lounge was put off until the August meeting.  A request for use of the city complex for a July 20 birthday party for young teens was approved, making sure all the user stipulations will be followed.  The trustees adjourned the regular meeting for several executive sessions.

By Russ Baldwin