All Entries in the "Economy" Category
Need a Charge? Give Your Car a Boost in Lamar
Electric powered car owners will be able to charge up in Lamar in the near future, according to Stephanie Gonzales, Executive Director of SECED, Southeast Colorado Enterprise Development. She told the Prowers County Commissioners recently, a grant application to Colorado Charge Ahead from November has been approved. “We don’t have any charge units for electric […]
Commissioners Focus on Annex & Courthouse Upgrades
Kirk Powers, Prowers County Building Operations Supervisor, reviewed some current and future upgrades planned for the Annex on East Cedar Street in Lamar. The building now features new stairs to the rear as Powers explained, “We’re very pleased with the way they turned out. We made them flatter and longer and added an extra step […]
Republicans Pay Tribute to Veterans with Senate Bill One
DENVER – As a combat veteran, Colorado State Senator Larry Crowder (R-Alamosa) knows all too well the challenges facing his fellow military veterans. That’s why the first bill he offered in the 2016 legislative session, SB-001 — which is also the first bill being introduced by the Senate — aims at eliminating current caps on […]
Annual Crop Summary– 2015 – Colorado Highlights
The 2015 corn for grain crop was estimated at 134.90 million bushels, 9 percent below last year’s production of 147.46 million bushels, according to the Mountain Regional Field Office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service, USDA. The average yield of 142.0 bushels per acre was 4.0 bushel per acre below the yield realized last […]
Lamar Will Host State High School and Jr. High Finals Rodeos
The Lamar City Council voted unanimously to have the city host the May 2016/2017 Colorado State High School Rodeo Association and Junior High School State Finals at the Prowers County Fairgrounds. The Prowers County Lodging Tax Panel approved a $32,000 commitment to support the bid to become the host city for two years during their […]
Lamar Light and Power Continues to Upgrade Equipment for 2016
Houssin Hourieh, Lamar Light and Power Superintendent, told the Utility Board members that some expenditures have been budgeted for 2016 to update aging and outdated equipment. The plant will focus on power station relays for the 25 & 69 kilovolt substation equipment. He noted, “The relays were manufactured in the 1960s and we can’t […]
Slow November for Tax Collections
Lamar City Sales Tax and Total Sales and Use Tax Collections were off for November 2015 with City Sales Tax at -8.72% for a drop of $22,304 compared to last year. Total Sales and Use Tax Collections were also off at -6.89% for a drop of $18,595 for that same period. Total Collections for November […]
The Lamar City Council Gets in the Game, Helps Fund PUMA Study
While the city council did not allocate $50,000 in funding to Prowers County Development Incorporated for 2016, a request was made to the city late last year by Ron Cook, Chairman of the Board of County Commissioners, to help fund a county-wide economic study priced at $50,000. PCDI pledged $25,000 to develop strategies and the […]
Water Lamar Fee Schedule for 2016
Customers of the City of Lamar will soon be paying higher water use fees, as the council approved a new schedule to help offset increased loan costs to pay off past infrastructure improvements and help accrue additional finances for future improvements. The council has deliberated at length this year, including holding several work sessions, to […]
Forum on State Land Board Leases Hosted by Bent-Prowers Cattlemen
Thirty ranchers from southeast Colorado attended the open forum at the Rodeway Cow Palace Inn on January 9th, sponsored by the Bent-Prowers Cattle and Horse Growers Association. Association President, Pat Ptolemy of Swink introduced Beverly Rave, the featured speaker who provided the audience with information on future Colorado State Land Board lease changes and also […]
Holly Trustees Focus on Water Issues
The state health department and the Environmental Protection Agency are requiring commercial and industrial water lines to be equipped with backflow devices which prevent the spread of contaminated water into a community’s drinking water system. The Holly Trustees were briefed on the development during their monthly January meeting by Mark Hartman, a water circuit […]
State Water Plan Reviewed at Crop Production Clinic
John Stulp, former State Agriculture Secretary, Prowers County Commissioner and current Special Policy Advisor to Governor Hickenlooper for Water issues, was one of eight speakers at the January 6th Crop Production Clinic held at Lamar Community College. Stulp provided an update on the Governor’s State Water Plan which was presented to Hickenlooper last month. […]
Council Reviews Final Water Rate Increases
Water rates will increase early this year for City of Lamar customers as the council is expected to approve the resolution at the next city council meeting on January 11th. The council held a multi-purpose work session on the 4th to provide a final review of the rate increases for residential and commercial customers. The […]
Bent-Prowers Cattle & Horse Growers Assoc. Host Meeting on State Lease Changes
A former State Land Board official will offer local cattlemen a glimpse of upcoming state lease changes of during a special Bent-Prowers Cattle & Horse Growers meeting on Saturday, Jan. 9 in Lamar. The featured speaker is Beverly Rave, who has more than 40 years of experience in ranch management, lease management, private […]
Holly Commercial Club Retains Officers for 2016
The Holly Commercial Club Met Wednesday, December 2nd . Full time membership is at 18 and there are five associate members as the year draws to a close. John Golden proposed that the 2015 officers of the Club be retained as the 2016 officers and the motion was carried and approved by the Club […]
Council Wraps Up 2015, Discusses Funding for Economic Development Study
The City of Lamar is receiving funding to improve the deficiency rating for the short bridge crossing the Lamar Canal and linking the city’s industrial park to Commercial Street. The State Special Highway Committee recommended the funding for $392,480. City Administrator, John Sutherland, told the council the bridge has a 20 rating which […]
Bent’s Fort to Waive Fees for 2016 National Park Service Centennial
La Junta, CO – Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site is waiving its admission fees for all of 2016 in recognition of the 100th Anniversary of the National Park Service. Admission to the fort will be free to all beginning on January 2, 2016. “We think of this as a gift to both the […]
Toys for Tots Wraps Up the Holiday
By 10am this past Thursday, December 24th, the Toys for Tots volunteers had wrapped up most of their deliveries throughout the community and were ready to stand down for the year. Only a few cars were in the parking lot of the former Car Palace on North Main Street, this year’s temporary headquarters for […]
Steady Growth Predicted for Colorado’s Revenue Forecast
DENVER — Monday, Dec. 21, 2015 — The Governor’s Office of State Planning and Budgeting (OSPB) today released its quarterly economic forecast. As with prior forecasts, the state’s economy is projected to continue to steadily grow, though not at the robust level experienced in 2014. At the present time, the contraction in the oil and […]
2015 News Highlights from the Past Year-January/February
Although the lawsuit between ARPA and City of Lamar continued through most of the year, it took a back seat to recurring news themes focusing on different aspects of economic development within the community and the manner and amount of financial support that would be offered by the City of Lamar and Prowers County. As […]