County OKAYs Water Shares for Cemetery District, Monster Truck Show Gets Green Light

Rella Ann Steele and Joel Kalma, East Prowers Cemetery District Board members, had their request for 8 Prowers County LAWMA water shares for cemetery use approved by the commissioners.  The rate for the year was set at $100 per share.  Steele explained that the board and the new groundskeeper had made some real improvements at the cemetery, working with only three water shares last year, and they felt the additional water would help them stay on track with needed improvements.   The Board averaged water use for this past October, November and December and from that calculated the water usage for the nine months from April 2013 to March 2014 to be 630,000 gallons which would be covered by the LAWMA shares.   

A letter of explanation to the commissioners stated in part, “Since the new members were appointed to the Board in 2011, a lot of changes have been made.  Replacing and repairing the well at Hartman, flow meters on the wells, attorney fees, and filling fees to register the wells with LAMA.  This incurred a cost of $8,864.08  East Prowers Cemetery Board has made a lot of improvements over the last 18 months and we want to continue improving maintain and showing respect for the final resting place of our ancestors, family and friends.” 

The agreement between the county and Frog Productions for a July 20 monster truck show was approved this past Thursday.  Promoter Larry Coberly has fulfilled the commissioner’s requests to safeguard the fairgrounds arena from any potential damage during the event as well as a tough truck obstacle race.  Details call for the vehicles to be inspected one week prior to the event, tarps will be laid out to prevent oil drips, all glass and fluids will be removed from the vehicles and tow trucks will be on hand for the tough truck race.  An after-event, clean-up schedule was also approved.  Coberly said a pit party will start at 5:30pm and the show will start at 7pm on July 20. 

Lamar Community College has planned numerous activities to celebrate the college’s 75^th commencement activities this April.    LCC President, John Marrin, outlined a brief schedule of events for the Prowers County Commissioners during their meeting, Thursday, March 21.  Homecoming and recognition of the Alumnus of the Year will take place Friday, April 26, Marrin explained, along with Antelope Night festivities at the Lamar Community Building beginning at 6pm that evening.  Colorado Agriculture Secretary, John Salazar, will deliver the commencement address on Saturday, April 27 at 10am.  That day’s events include a lunch at the Lamar Community Building, the traditional graduating nurses pinning ceremonies at 3pm and a social evening scheduled for the Lamar Elks Lodge that night.  Sunday, Marrin said, will feature an indoor barrel race at the college’s equestrian center and a golf tournament that morning at Spreading Antlers Golf Course.  Tours of Bent’s New Fort and Camp Amache will be offered to students and the public on Friday as well.  Marrin added, “We need to provide our students with some historical background on the area while they’re attending college here.  It helps give them a perspective on this region they might not have acquired otherwise.”  The college will host the Lamar City Council’s monthly public breakfast meeting at the school cafeteria on Wednesday, April 3.  The informal breakfasts are open to the public between 7am and 8am and rotate among the city’s restaurants each month.

Justin Lee, County Public Health and Environment Director met with the commissioners to update them on monthly developments in his office.  Lee, and Commissioner Wendy Buxton-Andrade, outlined their trip with Granada Town Board Trustees to a meeting Tuesday, March 19 with representatives from the Colorado Department of Health and Environment.  The meeting was called by the health department to review mandated upgrades at the Granada landfill which were needed to bring it into compliance with health codes.  Almost two dozen deficiencies were noted, but some dealt only with record keeping practices and signage.  Lee said he believed the meeting went well and the CDPHE will allow the Granada landfill to remain open so long as the deficiencies are corrected within specified timelines.  In other matters Lee said the newly hired environment officer, Seth Odette, continues his job training and will begin routine health code checks at restaurants in Prowers and other surrounding counties.  He added that the number of pertussis cases in the county peaked at 10 and no new cases have been reported.  He told the commissioners he plans to have a community health status report completed for submission by the end of April.  The CHAPs report is usually updated every five years, but that timeline has been reduced to three.  The top two health priorities of the ten listed by a community assessment are obesity and teen pregnancy.  The search for a deputy director is his department will continue.  Lee said he has interviewed two candidates, but told the commissioners he wants to continue to advertise for position until mid April and hopes to have interviews conducted and a deputy selected by the end of next month. 

In other action, the commissioners approved a subdivision exemption for Angela and Roy Cue and Clover Meadow Farms, LLC as well as an exemption for Johnny and Marilyn Webber.  The commissioners met in executive session with Doug Thrall, owner of the Cow Palace Rodeway Inn regarding economic incentive negotiations.

By Russ Baldwin