City Council to Discuss Water Upgrades and Health Improvement Issues

The Lamar City Council will hear a presentation from Emily Nieschburg of LiveWell this Monday evening on the Health Place Grant. The city could realize up to $1M in grant funding depending on the health needs of the community, as compliled through earlier community assessment meetings. Nieschburg will outline the scheduled April visit by representatives of the Urban Land Institute and Progressive Urban Management Associates, who will meet with local citizens and organizations to determine how much money will be appropriated to Lamar for a health improvement program.

A public hearing on a request for a temporary modification of use permit for the Buzzard’s Roost will be conducted by the council. Proprietor Jay Gruber has asked for the permit to hold two annual music concerts at his establishment at 101 North Main Street in Lamar. One event, the Country Jam, is planned for June 22-23 and the Road Jam for September 21-22. The permit is required to allow the majority of the concerts to be held outdoors, adjacent to the Buzzard’s Roost.

The council will deal with water issues regarding an agreement for assignment of tributary ground water in the Arkansas River Basin. The City of Lamar has several hundred acre feet of of excess accretions that will accrue to the Arkansas River, the council will determine if those will be transferred to LAWMA in exchange for the City’s use of LAWMA’s augmentation station on the Fort Bent Ditch through the irrigation seasons from this year to 2016.

The council will consider two appointments to the Airport Advisory Board. One term became vacant when a member moved away and the other term expired. The terms on the board usually run for five years. One appointee will fill out the unexpired term. On another airport matter, the council will consider approval of an amendment to the contract between the City of Lamar and Jviation Engineering firm regardidng terms of payment for their work redesigning and managing replacement of the airport’s runway end indicator lights.

Various city departments are conducted a general housecleaning of excess and obsolete small equipment and will hold a silent auction on these items to coincide with the spring, city-wide, clean-up day set for Saturday, April 20. The items for the silent auction will be on display at the Lamar Cultural Events Center. The bidding time has a short window, only from 9am to 11am on that day.

Following a five month study on city employee’s compensation begun this past October, the consultant employed to conduct the survey and plan will make his recommendations to the council for approval. The report will include time for questions on his findings.

The council received information regarding an application for a grant from the Department of Local Affairs to finance a portion of the costs involved for replacement of a water transmission pipeline in the city’s south well field. The line, about 80 years old, is in poor condition and in need of replacement. The council will go into executive session for personnel discussions regarding the completion of the trial period of City Administrator, John Sutherland. The work session is set to begin this evening at 6:30, followed by the regular meeting at 7pm.

by Russ Baldwin