Light Plant Okays Equipment Replacements

The Lamar Utility Board approved four bids totaling $78,709 for various replacement stock items ranging from 40 and 45 foot wooden power poles, pole mount transformers, wooden crossarms and 40 foot iron ductile poles.

Lamar Light Plant Superintendent, Houssin Hourieh, has explained this past summer that the plant will need to continue to purchase replacement items which are destroyed in storms that sweep over the high plains in southeast Colorado. The area was hit back to back with two such storms on August 16^th and 17^th when winds reached above 70 miles per hour.

Hourieh also explained the need for an equipment upgrade for a SCADA system radio unit. The radios have been in service since 1995, relaying data between the master station and field devices and the manufacturer, Motorola has discontinued support for the data radios. New data radios were purchased for $30,861 and will be included in the distribution system upgrade budget. The Light plant renewed an insurance contract to cover the 29 miles of natural gas pipeline owned and operated by LUB. The coverage, $13,433 remains the same from 2014. On another financial matter, the board was provided with a total of outstanding accounts receivable invoices from ARPA totaling $413,479.50.

The Lamar Utility Board continues to advertise for a new member to replace Mike Bryant whose term expired earlier this summer. Applications are available from the Light Plant office. Candidates must reside in the Lamar area.

By Russ Baldwin