2014 Year in Review-March/April

The close of 2014 will put us at the halfway mark for the decade.  Some use the passage of time as a measuring tool…how much have we done…how much time have we got left.  But the timetable for a city or county should probably be measured in accomplishments, not a calendar.  Some projects and programs come with a deadline, and although they can be met, the ramifications will be on-going.  We’ll take note of past events for 2014, some of which will continue to impact our lives as we measure out the years to come.

March:

Prowers Medical Center cancelled their Board of Director elections as there were not more candidates for positions than offices to be filled.  The election had been set for May 6 to find replacements for Chairman Candy Ruedeman who was moving from the area and for Marge Campbell who did not select to run for a new term.  Julie Branes was elected Chairman for a two year term, Kevin McGrath for a four year term and Matthew Snyder and Connie Brase were the newly elected board members.

Matt Snyder & Connie Brase

Skip Ruedeman announced his resignation from the Lamar City Council and as liaison to Prowers County Development Incorporated.  Marsha Willhite stepped down as PCDI President at the end of her one-year term and Rick Robbins, GM of Colorado Mills, became President.  The other new member to the board was Holly resident, Aaron Leiker for an at-large seat.  Deb Choat, John Marrin and Doug Thrall retained their seats on the board.  As there were no nominations from the floor and no additional nominations beyond the existing vacancies, no actual ballot was required.

Paul Westhoff

Paul Westhoff, CDOT Resident Engineer for southeast Colorado, retired from his service on Friday, March 28, with a gathering in his honor.  Westhoff began working for CDOT in 1979.  Westhoff said he’ll be employed by a Denver based firm, providing management and engineering expertise for various construction projects.

Dust Bowl Runner

Dozens of runners in the Dust Bowl Marathon Series lined up Tuesday morning, March 25 at the Lamar Municipal Pool parking lot.  The Dust Bowl Marathon is unique in that runners will do one marathon a day in a different town and Lamar was on the map for the 25^th of March.  The five day venture saw runners from Dalhart, TX, Guymon, OK, Ulysses, KS, Lamar, CO and Clayton, NM.  Some runners were from groups such as the Marathon Maniacs or the 50 States Club in which all the states in the country will be visited at one point by team members.

April:

The Granada Board of Trustees has sought various solutions to a revenue decline for the community, growing more pronounced each year.  One solution offered was the sale of city electric power to Southeast Colorado Power Association for $475,000 and creation of a franchise fee which would generate some monthly revenue for Granada.  A town vote on April 2 defeated the proposal by 53 to 30.  Outgoing Trustee Tom Grasmick said residents can expect to see their utility rates increase once the current contract with SECPA expires in 2015.

SECPA Chief Executive Officer Richard Wilson, Discusses Sale Options

The City of Lamar began a lengthy project with the acquisition of the former Valco Property, consisting of four ponds on 108 acres of land due south of the Arkansas River.  Although no swimming is allowed in the ponds, the primary one is well-stocked with fish and anglers from around the area have been testing their skills ever since.  David Miller, State Department of Parks and Wildlife Technician, said the city is the leading candidate to receive federal funds to augment amenities for visitors.  Rick Akers, Lamar Parks and Recreation Director explained some primary projects include an ADA compliant fishing pier and permanent restroom facilities as well as a shade structure as the acreage is barren of trees.  With that in mind, the city’s Tree Board and dozens of 5^th grade students planted 190 seedling trees in a narrow grove between the first and second ponds for Arbor Day, April 17.  The middle and third pond to the east had a 30 foot long canal dredged between the two to help improve fish breeding.

Lamar Tree Board President Jane Felter with 5th Grade Students

More recreational opportunities were discussed during the year.  The Lamar City Council and area residents had an opportunity to view the latest concept designs for the city’s Park’s, Recreation and Trails Master Plan during a council work session, Monday, April 28, at the Cultural Events Center.  Britina Design Group was commissioned by the council to develop a series of ideas for four main recreation areas in Lamar.  The designs were derived from suggestions provided by local residents during a series of community meetings.

The election race for Prowers County Sheriff began to narrow.  Lamar Police Officer David Reid, one of the four candidates who qualified to petition during the March 16 caucus, did not submit paperwork leaving Undersheriff Ron Trowbridge and Deputy Shawn Stone in the race so far.  Sam Zordel, Senior Deputy received 33% of the delegate votes in the caucus and automatically was placed on the ballot for the primary.  Trowbridge received 23.3% and Stone had 21.4%.  Reid had 18.4%, making it past the cut off mark of 10%.  Senior Deputy, Ron Manly, filed as an unaffiliated candidate and was not subject to caucus nomination procedures and would be on the General Election Ballot in November.  The primary election in June is the separating point for the current GOP candidates to advance only one of them to the ballot in the fall.  The race for Prowers County Commissioner for District Two was essentially between two candidates, incumbent Joe Marble and challenger Ron Cook, both represented on the local Republican ticket.  A June primary election would decide if one or both men would advance to the November election.

The May and June Year in Review articles will be available on December 28.
by Russ Baldwin