City and County Are Underway with Spring Construction

Wrangling the Boiler Section out of the Cellar

It’s been a busy couple of weeks on the sidewalks of Main Street in Lamar, and at the Prowers County Courthouse.  While some homeowners begin their seasonal upgrades around the house, municipal crews for the county and city have been engaging in some heavy-duty tasks.

Placing the Old Boiler Sections for Disposal

Motorists and pedestrians probably noticed the tall, blue crane from Southeast Colorado Builders, parked between the County Jail and Courthouse on Wednesday, April 15.  It was the most visible aspect of the removal of the defunct boiler/furnace under the courthouse.  Kirk Powers, Operations Manager for the County, had discussed the boiler problem with the commissioners several months ago, informing them that one of the fourteen heating sections was broken and given the age of the unit, it made more since to replace the whole boiler instead of just one or two sections.

Dropping the 400 lb Section into Place

Powers explained from the work site, “Each of these units weighs 400lbs and they have to be disassembled one piece at a time, brought over to the stairs leading up from the cellar, connected to the crane and hauled up.”  There were five men on the ground, one in the crane and probably more than two down below, hauling each part of the burner over to the opening.  “We won’t get the new unit for about eight weeks, probably around August,” Powers explained.  The sections are not bought off the shelf, but through a purchase/manufacture order, as needed.  The primary boiler was installed in 1998 and the backup boiler, currently being used, is dated back to 1955.  A four inch crack was found in one of the fourteen sections, plus a buildup of sludge and debris was noticed in a portion of the ventilation system.  The 5,600 pounds of old boiler will be sold for scrap metal, Powers said.

Solid Ramp is Added to East Side Entrance

While work was underway on the west side of the courthouse, another crew has been busy for the past two weeks, using jackhammer and backhoe to remove old and cracked slabs of concrete from the east entrance.  This project has also been on the county’s drawingboard.  Powers explained, “We got most of the work done last week, and we’re adding a ramp just to the north of the old sidewalk that runs from the parking curb to the front entrance.”  He said the weather will play a role in finishing that project, but he expected it to be completed by the week of April 20th.

Removing Concrete Debris from Site

City of Lamar crews have also been spotted around the city, installing 16 colorful two foot tall braces here and there.  “They’re bike racks,” one of the staff explained.  “We’ve been putting them up at spots around the city, here at the corner of Main and West Oak, in front of the new Healthy Places headquarters and at the Annex and out to High Plains Community Health Center.”

Now Your Bike Can Go Here

They said the new racks will hold two bikes each.  Health Places Initiative is moving into their new headquarters, occupying the former PCDI offices at the corner of South Main and East Olive Streets.

By Russ Baldwin