Lamar Council Discusses Weather, Water and Radar

The Lamar City Council had only a few board or committee appointments to approve on their Monday night meeting agenda, on January 28. 

The Pension Board approved the re-appointment of William Emick for a term ending December 31, 2016; Ms Kaye Hainer was re-appointed to a five year term on the Library Advisory Board, expiring, February 1, 2018; The Parks and Recreation Board recommended the appointment of George Vallejos for the term ending February 2016, which was approved by council and Brandon Adamson was also approved by the Recreation Board for a similar term; Robert Nickelson was re-appointed to a five year term on the city’s Water Advisory Board, expiring February 1, 2018. 

A contract agreement between the city and Tasha Shelton for use of facilities at the Lamar Community Board was approved. The agreement extends the current contract for Zumba exercise classes in the Aerobics Room through December 31, 2013. The rental amount is $1,728. 

City Administrator John Sutherland reminded council and the audience that the next informal monthly breakfast session with the Lamar City Council will be Wednesday, February 6, from 7am to 8am at Daylight Donut.  

City Administrator John Sutherland recapped a recent meeting various city and county emergency responders had with Jennifer Stark from the National Weather Service office in Pueblo.   Portions of southeast Colorado are literally off the radar grid for early warning and detection of several storms and tornados.  Officials are hoping to correct the matter and develop a system that covers this region for future warnings.  Radar tracking from Amarillo, Dodge City and Pueblo serves this area, but cannot detect any several storms below 10,000 feet.  Sutherland said we have signed up for private warning systems, employing website and telephone notifications and have been moved up the priority list at the National Weather Service.  The Holly tornado several years ago was a case in point in which that storm was not detected in time to provide warnings to the area residents.  The tornado from last spring damaged a local substation south of Lamar which supplied power to the siren system, so warning announcements were cut short. 

Lamar’s Water and Wastewater Superintendent, Joshua Cichocki briefed the council on a tight water situation in the city in light of the on-going drought.  Cichocki said the Water Board Advisory Committee recommended a delay in leasing the city’s water shares.  He also stated that the city’s 14 inch water main from the well field is not in good shape.  An upgrade had been planned by Honeywell Building Solutions, but a determination to scrape and clean the interior of the pipe, reline it or replace it will be done at a later time.

By Russ Baldwin