All Entries in the "Employment" Category
Marshall Cook Resigns from Lamar Fire Department
Lamar Fire Chief Marshall Cook has submitted his resignation to the City of Lamar. Chief Cook has been with the department for 30 years. Chief Cook has accepted a fire chief position at the Rio Blanco Fire Protection District in Meeker, Colorado. His last day as Lamar Fire Chief will be February 6, […]
County Oaths of Office Ceremony Held
Seven elected officials took their various oaths of office with Judge Stanley Brinkley at the Prowers County Courthouse Courtroom, Tuesday, January 13 before an almost capacity audience. Only two of the seven, Ron Cook and Sam Zordell actually faced a challenge for election to their respective offices, Prowers County Commissioner and Prowers County Sheriff. Cook […]
Council Interviews Candidates for Ron Cook’s Seat
The Lamar City Council interviewed two candidates, Felix Dias and Jim Faull as a replacement for Councilman Ron Cook for representation of District 3 in the city during the January 12 meeting. The council had 30 days to advertise for the open seat since Cook tendered a resignation letter as he is moving from […]
Changing of the Guard at the County Sheriff’s Office
Jim Faull will become a regular private citizen following the Tuesday, January 13, swearing-in ceremonies at the Prowers County Courthouse. An appreciation gathering was held for Faull Monday afternoon at the sheriff’s department meeting room as he shared some memories with friends and colleagues. “I was sworn in to this job on January 13, 1999, […]
Interim Administrator Appointed for Town of Holly
Jerry L’Estrange attended his first trustee’s monthly meeting for the Town of Holly as interim administrator Wednesday, January 7. L’Estrange has been hired by the town to fill the vacancy left by Marsha Willhite following her resignation in November. He will serve in that capacity while the search for a permanent administrator continues. The […]
Verhoeff Takes Municipal Judge Oath
Attorney Kim Verhoeff was sworn into office as the Lamar Municipal Court Judge on Monday, January 5 at the Prowers County Courthouse with Judge Larry Stutler delivering her oath of office. Verhoeff replaces Stutler who resigned from the Municipal Judgeship late last year. He will retain his county duties. Verhoeff will have a two year […]
New CDOT Director Appointed by Gov. Hickenlooper
DENVER — Monday, Jan. 5, 2015 — Gov. John Hickenlooper announced today Shailen Bhatt will be the next executive director for the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT). He will assume this role in mid-February. Bhatt most recently served as cabinet secretary for the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) where he directed nearly a billion dollar […]
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 […]
Colorado’s Revenue Projections and Economy Continue to Grow
DENVER — Monday, Dec. 22, 2014 — The latest projections for the state’s General Fund revenue for FY 2014-15 are 1.3 percent, or $127.0 million, higher compared with the September 2014 forecast. Projections for FY 2015-16 are 0.5 percent, or $53.6 million, higher compared with September. Strong growth in income taxes from wage withholdings and […]
New Floodplain Management Codes Approved by City
The Lamar City Council conducted a public hearing on the adoption of an amendment for the Lamar Municipal Code regarding Floodplain Management. The amendment change will bring the Lamar code into compliance with the rules and regulations issued by the Colorado Water Conservation Board in 2011. Communities were given three years to make the needed […]
Colorado Employment Situation – November 2014
Nonfarm payroll jobs decreased 2,500 over the month from October to November to 2,457,300 jobs, according to the survey of business establishments. Private sector payroll jobs decreased 3,700 and government increased 1,200 over the month. According to the survey of households, the unemployment rate decreased two tenths of a percentage point in November to 4.1 […]
Colorado Receives $65M Health Care Innovation Grant
DENVER — Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2014 — Gov. John Hickenlooper today announced Colorado has been awarded $65 million in State Innovation Model (SIM) funding to create a coordinated, accountable system of care that gives Coloradans access to integrated primary care and behavioral health. Colorado will use the funding over the next four years to […]
Restaurants and Hardware for South Main Street Development
The southern end of Lamar’s Main Street has witnessed recent economic development and business growth. A long-awaited project is the Delicioso Restaurant which occupies the former short-lived Bamboo Grove restaurant on South Main Street, and prior to that, a KFC restaurant that closed several years ago. Delicioso is owned and operated by Lamar businessman Jim […]
Hotline Center Officially Dedicated in Prowers County
The statewide toll-free hotline for reporting suspected child abuse and neglect was officially dedicated at the Prowers County Annex Tuesday, December 16. The Hotline County Connection Center will employ 12 persons to direct the calls to proper authorities throughout Colorado. The Lamar call center will serve the entire state and the hotline is a component […]
Domestic Safety Resource Center Has New Director
Kathy McCorkle, the new Executive Director for the regional Domestic Safety Resource Center, provided the Prowers County Commissioners with a general outline of her duties last Thursday, December 11. McCorkle is a former substance abuse counselor at RESADA in Las Animas and currently serves on the local Substance Abuse Task Force and started her new […]
Child Hot Line Center is in Limited Operation
Phone operators for the H3C Child Hot Line in Lamar have been running tests on the phone systems recently installed at the Prowers County Annex. Although the emergency/information call numbers have not yet been publicly released, the system will be operational as of Monday, December 15. H3C manager, Ron Trowbridge, told the Prowers County Commissioners […]
Lamar Redevelopment Authority Discussing New Funding Guidelines
The Urban Renewal Authority is four years old. The Tax Increment Funding levied on capital improvements within the Authority District generates about $100,000 a year. The Authority has voiced some concerns about the quality and types of investments on improvements the grants have funded. The Lamar City Council, sitting as the Redevelopment Authority Board, met […]
Holly Trustees Lease New Landfill Loader, Appoint ARPA Representative
Some slight modifications were made to the Holly administrative line-up during the Trustee’s monthly meeting in light of former Administrator, Marsha Willhite’s resignation. Mary Rushton, Town Clerk and Treasurer assumed the administrator’s duties on an interim basis and Megan Jara was sworn in as the new Clerk and Treasurer for Holly. Rushton told the Trustees […]
High Plains Expanding with Pediatric Center
High Plains Community Health Center is planning to develop a pediatric center next to the Chronic Care Adult Center. Although a construction date hasn’t been mentioned at this time, Center Executive Director, Jay Brooke, briefed the Prowers County Commissioners during a recent meeting. “Dr. Figlio needs some additional space as he’s given up his office […]
Lamar Utility Board Discusses Collection Write-Offs
The Lamar Utility Board voted to accept the annual collection write-offs for unpaid customer bills for the year. The uncollectible accounts for 2013 amounted to $49,997.99, which is only a hair shy of the $50,000, budgeted for that year. That sum represents 0.38% of the Light Plant’s 2013 revenues of $13,145,197. A collection agency […]