County Fire Ban to be Re-instituted this Month

Sheriff Faull Discusses Fire Ban and Posse Building with Commissioners

The Prowers County Commissioners held their Tuesday, June 11 meeting at the Wiley Community Center this week and from there, attended an afternoon meeting in Las Animas focusing on future choices that will be made for the state’s prisons in southeast Colorado.  A declining prisoner population may force some closures or alteration of prison operations across the state. 

The county’s fire ban ordinance will be re-instituted following the commissioner’s next meeting, set for June 20.  The on-going drought, coupled with the continued seasonal heat, brought the matter before the commissioners, County Attorney John Lefferdink, Rural Fire Chief Staffon Warn and Sheriff Jim Faull.  All agreed that the ban is needed and will take effect as an action item on the next meeting’s agenda.  The fire ban does exempt all agricultural burns, as Commission Chairman Joe Marble, pointed out.  There will not be a ban on the sale of fireworks in the county this year, as there was for 2012.  Lefferdink pointed out that any such ban needed annual renewal and the timeline for such action to be effective for the July 4^th holiday had already passed.   

The commissioners gave approval for a Sheriff’s Posse building to be set up at the fairgrounds, pending notification of the fair board and county operations manager, Kirk Powers.  Faull said the Posse will pay for the pre-fab building as their out-of-pocket expense, and it will serve as a small operations center for Posse members whenever they offer their services to activities at the fairgrounds. 

A temporary intergovernmental agreement with Bent County was approved by the commissioners to provide health services to Prowers County.  With the absence of a Director or Deputy Director of Public Health and Environment, the commissioners agreed to a limited contract for services from the Bent County Health Department.  A contract with the Winterset entertainment group was signed to provide an opening act for the Sand and Sage Concert.  Damsel, an acoustic guitar duo will perform in August.  Two requests for re-appointment to the 9-1-1 Authority Board were approved.  Lamar Fire Chief Marshall Cook and County Rural Fire Chief Staffon Warn had indicated their willingness to serve an additional term.  The commissioners approved a chip seal request for CR5 west off Highway 196 and the cemetery road between Wiley and McClave.

By Russ Baldwin