County Re-assumes Ownership of WPA Building, Discuss Child Abuse Hot Line

WPA Building, 2014

Prowers County has taken back ownership of the WPA buildings on East Maple Street in Lamar, and they need repairs.  Ownership was recently transferred back to the county from Lamar Community College, as LCC has not been able to fund an historic rehabilitation project that would have eventually renovated the buildings and would become the headquarters for the historic renovation department for the college.

Dead Trees on WPA Property

There are five buildings which form an ‘H’ pattern on the property located south of East Maple Street and north of the BNSF railroad tracks.  The buildings have had several uses over the decades; they were also known as Prowers Farm and were built during the National Depression in the 1930s under the Works Progress Administration which developed numerous jobs for the unemployed during that period.

Tree Leaning on Roof

The property is being overrun with shrubs and several dead trees, and according to Kirk Powers, County Building Operations Supervisor, one is leaning on one of the east buildings. That tree is one of several he recommended for removal.  “Fortunately there’s only minimum damage to the shake shingles, but that tree is among several that should be cleared from the lot,” he explained, during the commissioner’s meeting on Thursday, June 19.

Shake Shingles on WPA Roof

A rough cost estimate for removal is $15,000.  County Commissioner, Joe Marble, suggested Powers contact the county’s Road & Bridge Department to see how much work they could provide instead of using an outside contractor.  It may cost as much as $300,000 to replace all the shingles on the five buildings, money the county does not have in the budget.  And anything other than original replacement materials may negate the historical significance the WPA buildings have already attained.  Looking long-range, Commissioner Schnabel said one alternative to consider might be to just level the buildings if nothing can be done with them and clear the property for some form of future commercial development.

Powers and the commissioners also discussed some water damage to the district court ceiling on the third floor of the courthouse.  The problem is on-going, as Powers said clean up from flaking paint and plaster has become an almost daily task.  Repairs are needed by someone versed in repair and artwork at the same time, due to the re-painting involved.  The commissioners will look into an assessment of the project for grant funding, and some time will have to be set aside when the repair work won’t conflict with court proceedings.  The commissioners also gave Powers approval to purchase a skid loader for the fairgrounds, as the county only has one which is currently used by the Road & Bridge Department.

The commissioners approved filling two vacancies in the Department of Human Services, as requested by Lanie Mireles, DHS Supervisor.  She discussed initiating an RFP, Request for Proposal, for a state funded Hotline Help Desk to route Child Abuse phone calls.  The center would serve the state from Prowers County, adding as many as from six to eight jobs which would be reimbursed by the state.  The Help Desk budget would be based on data provided by the hotline system including the number of calls fielded and the services provided.  The RFP from the county would reflect the number of calls estimated per year within three tiers of increased calls, 45,000, 105,000 or 170,000 calls a year.  Mirales explained there are three potential sites for the Help Desk, the current E911 Center, a vacant office at the county annex and the Welcome Home Child Care Center.  The county could receive rent on the offices provided.  The RFP has to be submitted by July 14 of this year for consideration and the contract for whichever county is selected would be finalized by September 15.

Jeremy Miller, the Prowers County Veteran’s Service Officer was provided with a certificate of appreciation by the commissioners for his service.  Miller was one of six state service officers who were nominated for the Louis Nardini Award, “for sustained excellence in providing services to Military Veterans, 2014.”  The acknowledgement certificate was signed by Orlando Gallardo, President of the Colorado County Veterans Service Officers Association.  Miller is headquartered in the Prowers County Annex and has been the local VSO for just over a year.

By Russ Baldwin