Two New Officers Join Lamar Police Depart, Council Discusses Permit Fees

(L) Officer Corey Reamy and (R) Officer Thomas Campbell

(L) Officer Corey Reamy and (R) Officer Thomas Campbell

Rick Robbins, President of Prowers County Development Incorporated, invited the Lamar City Council to a March 2 meeting which will bring to the table, representatives from PCDI, Prowers County Commissioners, the City of Lamar as well as representatives from Wiley, Granada, Bristol and Holly.  “We’re going to review our goals and finances and have everyone’s input on what direction PCDI should take in the future for economic developments in the county,” he explained. Robbins added that before the board begins a search for a new executive director, every interested party and community should be able to share their interests and concerns and present them to the PCDI board.

The City of Lamar gained two police officers with the official swearing in of Thomas Campbell and Corey Reamy, conducted by Lamar Police Chief, Kyle Miller.  Miller told the council during Monday night’s meeting on February 24, “Our two new officers are recent graduates of the police academy, and I’m sure they’ll make a good addition to our current lineup.”

The council discussed the fee reduction request from Prowers Medical Center but took no action at this time.  The fee is determined by the financial scope of work and the estimated $7.6 Million price tag for hospital renovations brings the fee up to around $56,000. The council recommended that the waiver be put on hold pending more concrete figures from the city’s code inspection officer.  His scope of work will also translate into additional fees, plus the construction plan’s review, anticipated to be around $6,000.  Councilwoman Bev Haggard suggested that once that amount has been determined, the hospital could be asked to pay that figure while the city waives the $56,000 permit fee.  City Clerk, Linda Williams, was asked to review the last fees levied for renovations at the hospital for a comparable figure.  Mayor Roger Stagner stated that the council should also review any waivers that have been granted to High Plains Community Health Center to see if there is a dollar match.  The council discussed the proposed construction permit fees for Peter Patel, owner of the Days Inn Motel in Lamar.  Patel is planning to add 20 rooms to the current building at an estimated $1,085,000 and has requested the council waive his permit fees of just over $9,000.  Administrator John Sutherland told the council that Shawna Hodge, Executive Director of Lamar Partnerships Inc will be speaking with Patel regarding his request.

Doug Harbour from the 9/11 Tribute Foundation and secretary Carla Scranton detailed the Foundation’s plans for the next event, set for September 12 of this year.  Both members gave a general outline of the planned Memorial Park to be erected at the corner of Savage Avenue and Highway 287 on the ballfield side of the street.  New plans also call for a memorial mural along the western fairgrounds which will display a patriotic theme and be selected from entries in the Prowers County school districts.  Harbour requested a letter of support from the council for both enterprises.  “We’re already planning for the 4th event and some new items have been scheduled,” he said.  Those included a 5K run organized by Shane Dashner and the evening concert with Desert Reign will be moved to 2pm this year instead of 5pm.  Scranton and Harbour said they have approached the philanthropic group, El Pomar, with a funding request.  “We’ve made it through the first rung and your letters of support will help our grant request, ” Harbour stated.

The council agreed to pay $3,750 to Spreading Antlers Golf Club, based on a bill sent to the city.  For several years, the city has helped make payments on a loan to the golf club from Community State Bank.  However, the most recent agreement has not been found and as such, the $15,000 total annual payment to Spreading Antlers was not included in the 2015 council budget.  An original payment agreement dates back to 2007 which ended in 2011 and the city continued making payments through 2014.  City Clerk Linda Williams believed the loan payments were discussed in a council work session, but because no action can be taken officially in a session, no minutes were kept.   Mayor Roger Stagner said the council will set up a meeting with the golf club board to resolve the matter and initiate a new contract.

City Administrator, John Sutherland, set a date with the council of April 25th for their annual retreat, an opportunity to discuss future plans and let the council set their sights on projects such as, “Reviewing our mission statement and defining our goals for the remainder of the year,” Sutherland explained.  The retreat will run for about eight hours and will be conducted on the Lamar Community College campus.

Burt Heckman was reappointed to the Lamar Airport Advisory Board for a five year term, expiring in 2020.  Only one application, Heckman’s, was received for the position after the city conducted its standard three advertising cycles for the opening.  Jack Vanhook was reappointed to the Library Advisory Board until 2020.  He too, was the sole applicant for the opening on the Library Board.

The council approved renewing an online database for the Lamar Library.  The $262 fee is for the program, A to Z in the USA, which offers information on the 50 U.S. states as well as U.S. territories and the District of Columbia.  Lamar Librarian, Debbie Reynolds, told the council the information is useful for students and citizens and features a handy, comprehensive guideline to their country.

Building Material Supply was awarded a fertilizer contract for the City of Lamar, based on their low bid compared to two other companies.  BMS bid $10,091.  This covers the cost of two fertilizing cycles for city property, in the spring and fall.

The next monthly, informal breakfast with the city council will be Wednesday, March 4 from 7 to 8am at the Rodeway Cow Palace Inn.  Daylight Savings Time is approaching, clocks should be set ahead for Sunday, March 8.

By Russ Baldwin

Filed Under: BusinessCityCommissionerscommunityCountyEconomyEmploymentFeaturedGranadaHollyHot TopicsLamarMedia ReleasePoliticsProwers CountyTourismTransportationWiley

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