Holly Trustees Hire Two Employees, Plan for Parking Ordinance Discussion

Two new employees were added to the Holly Town roster recently.  Keith Dennis was hired after a series of candidate application interviews, as full time Field Services Supervisor and provided the board with a run down of crew services in Holly for August.  Town Administrator, Marsha Willhite, also introduced Claudia Parker who was hired as Deputy Clerk/Treasurer, assisting Town Clerk, Mary Rushton.  Willhite explained that Parker will train during a two week orientation program for her duties.  A high school senior who worked for the town this past summer at the municipal pool will begin a work study program.  The young man will be employed by the town on the work crew from 1-5pm weekdays and will have limited duties which exclude operating heavy equipment because of his age.

 John Golden, Holly businessman, addressed the town trustees regarding a drainage issue in the alley in back of his Main Street store.  Golden explained that the alley is higher than bordering properties by several inches and when it rains, water is pushed off into backyards and businesses.  Golden said there’s about six inches that needs to be taken off the alley surface to equalize the levels.  He added that a roto-mix topping covering the dirt prevents absorption of the alley water into the ground.  “This goes all the way to the post office in town where it doesn’t drain, and backs up starting with my property and other residents,” he stated.  Regarding cost of correcting the two year old problem, Golden said he’s discussed the issue with members of the East Prowers Soil Conservation District who would offer to conduct a free measurement survey for the town board’s assessment. 

Some progress was reported by Administrator Willhite regarding the FEMA flood mapping project.  She said she met with a CDOT representative this past August, to review the Arkansas River Bridge project for the Holly area.  Willhite added there’s been a two year wait on the updated land map for Holly and potential flood areas may be altered with the raising of the base of the bridge.   Willhite said the cost of the study has been incorporated into the town budget because of the project’s expense.

 An ordinance regulating parking of heavy duty vehicles on town streets may be an agenda item for next month’s board meeting.  Town trustee, Marty Campbell has contacted a half a dozen communities, requesting information on their regulations and has received one response so far.  Campbell said safety issues are his primary concern for youngsters and older drivers who may be intimidated by the large vehicles and lack of space on town streets.  Administrator Willhite added that another question to be considered is to what degree do you prohibit parking to the point that it may carry a negative impact on commercial businesses, versus the cost of continued road and street improvements.  Campbell wanted more time for review and accumulate data from other communities before bringing the information to board for consideration.  The trustees will contact their Granada counterparts as that community recently adopted parking ordinances for heavy duty vehicles.  The trustees decided to continue the discussion during street budget talks. 

Willhite provided the trustees with a semi annual survey of electric rates and customer bills from the Colorado Association of Municipal Utilities. Of the four classifications for residential, small commercial, large commercial and industrial operations, municipal utility systems, such as Holly’s had the lowest cost compared to Rural Electric Associations and Investor Owned Utilities.   Willhite also provided a diesel fuel cost analysis to the town the few times the generator provided power to the community.  Willhite said those expenses were reimbursed by ARPA, Arkansas River Power Authority. 

The town services crew report from Keith Dennis listed that the weeds at the Holly airport were mowed last month and dead trees were taken down at the RV Park.  The municipal pool was drained and the lane stripes have been repainted for next season.  Electrical services included having old transformers prepared to ship out for proper disposal and new transformers have been installed at the school’s ag shop.  Dennis explained the procedures for conducting a simple chemical test of the used transformers and the price difference of $25 for outside services, compared to $10 when the procedure was done by the town crew.   The new pad mount transformer was also completed for the school.  This unit will provide all power for the school.  A “No Parking” zone was painted by the fire hydrant and “No U-Turn” sign was installed north of Shanner School.  The town maintenance crew also attended a Hazardous Operation safety class conducted by CIRSA in Lamar.  Maintenance issues for Holly residents was also provided with the repair of a power line and tree trimming at Mike King’s residence and a new water tap was installed for Jack Watson. 

The Holly Bluegrass Festival Committee requested and received a special events permit for a fund-raiser which will be held in the Holly Gateway Park on Saturday, October 13.  Approximately 200 to 300 people are expected to attend the event featuring a live band, dancing and a baby-back rib dinner.  The Committee asked permission to block off the street dividing the north and south parks to accommodate a stage and street dance.  The event will run from 6pm to midnight.  The annual Holly Grand Old Opry event may be on hold for next year, pending the construction of the new Holly School.  Trusee Jerry Jones said the facilities used by the Opry in the past may not be incorporated into the new school plans, so this fundraiser for the Bluegrass Festival may replace the Opry as an annual event.

The trustees approved an October 9 trip for Willhite and Town Clerk Mary Rushton for the American Public Power Association, Financial Planning for Municipal Utilities Workshop.   Hosted by the Nebraska Municipal Power Pool in Lincoln, NE., Willhite said the information covered will help the trustees develop a plan for augmenting the Utilities’ Fund and assist in long range financial planning and help stabilize utility rates for the town during periods of rate changes.

By Russ Baldwin