All Entries in the "Energy" Category
New Member Joins the Lamar Utility Board
Howard Hobbs was sworn in as the newest member of the Lamar Utility Board, Tuesday, September 24, by District Court Judge Stan Brinkley. He is filling in the vacancy left when Don Steerman’s term expired. The board membership is currently at full capacity, but the membership will be subject to a future change when member […]
City Council Approves Amended Weed Ordinance
The City of Lamar’s agreement with Honeywell Building Solutions for energy and utility upgrades in municipal buildings is ending as work on the contract is being finalized. $288,973 in contingency funds was included in the contract and $67,015 was spent on some contingencies leaving a balance of $228,043. Other work termed ‘change orders’ was performed […]
Granada Residents Discuss SECPA Utility Sale
Granada residents will decide in a special election next April, whether they wish to sell their electric utility system to SECPA, Southeast Colorado Power Association. Currently, the town purchases its power from SECPA and resells it to local customers. Selling the system back to SECPA would eliminate the town as a middle man. Richard Wilson, […]
Granada Hosting Discussion on Electric Utility Sale at Town Meeting
The Granada Board of Trustees have scheduled a public hearing for community residents to discuss the sale of Granada’s electric utility system. The meeting will be held in the Granada Complex on Wednesday, September 18 at 6:30pm. Representatives from Southeast Colorado Power Authority will be on hand to discuss the proposal and answer questions […]
Utility Board Accepts Wind Turbine Bond Refinance Offer
A resolution to refund the City of Lamar’s Wind Turbine revenue bonds was approved by the Lamar Utilities Board during their September 10 meeting. The unanimous vote must still be approved by the Lamar City Council. When finalized, $3.8 million in outstanding debt on the bonds will be refinanced at a lower interest rate […]
PMC Foundation Receiving Grant Funding
Mike Bryant, Prowers Medical Center Foundation Director shared some good news with the PMC board during their August meeting. A $260,189 grant has been awarded to the PMC Clinic for care of indigent patients. That was coupled with the news that Prowers Medical Center had been awarded a Colorado DOLA grant for $350,000 to help […]
Anderson Voted to Chair Lamar Utililties Board
The Lamar Utility Board voted to appoint David Anderson as chairman and Ron Cook as vice-chairman during a brief meeting this past Tuesday, August 27. Don Steerman, the former board chairman declined to run for an additional term once his seat in office had expired. That leaves a vacancy on the Lamar Utility Board […]
Monsoon Rains Bring Some Relief to Drought
The Drought Information statement from the National Weather Service in Pueblo states the southwest monsoon came alive across Colorado in July, continuing to be active into the middle of August. The precipitation has brought some short and long term relief to the severe to extreme drought conditions which has had its grip on […]
Hickenlooper Plans 12 Stops in Two Days in S.E. Colorado
DENVER — Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2013 — Gov. John Hickenlooper will make 12 stops over two days next week during community forums on the Eastern Plains and in Southern Colorado. These meetings will be similar to community forums held last month in Grand Junction and Glenwood Springs. The two-day tour will begin Tuesday, Aug. 13, […]
Construction Projects Nearing Completion in Holly
Two significant construction projects are nearing completion in Holly this summer. Reyman’s Grocery Store at 100 South Main is almost ready to open its doors in September, according to Jess Kalma, store owner. The other construction project is the new Holly School, which is receiving some finishing touches before classes begin for pre-kindergarten through grade […]
Repairs for Light Plant Turbine, LUB Discusses ARPA Contract
An original wind turbine gearbox owned by Lamar Light and Power needs to be replaced, according to Superintendent, Houssin Hourieh. The turbines, located several miles east of Lamar, are now a decade old. The T-1 turbine is offline because of an abnormal amount of metal shavings found in the unit’s oil filter. The estimated […]
Irrigation Decline Could Impact Light Plant Revenue
Houssin Hourieh, Lamar Light Plant Superintendent, outlined the recent sales of electricity report for this past May during board members bi-monthly meeting on Tuesday, July 9. Year to date sales of electricity were 3.4% lower than this same time last year. Residential customers were approximately 0.5% higher and Commercial and Industrial sales had decreased 5.7% […]
Lamar Council Begins Budget Work, Delays Airport Upgrades
Summertime means the Lamar City Council starts picking dates for budget deadlines. A work session focusing on general guidance for the 2014 budget was held Monday, July 8. Topics of discussion included: Revenue Projections, Taxation, Capital Investment, Performance based Salary Increases, Contingency Set-Aside and other Funding Priorities. City Clerk, Linda Williams, recapped the May […]
Congressman Gardner Main Speaker for Local GOP Independence Day Dinner
U.S. Congressman Cory Gardner was the featured speaker at the annual Prowers County GOP, Lincoln Day Dinner this past Monday evening, July 1. Gardner is making his second swing through southeast Colorado in the past month, conducting a series of town hall meetings which included Las Animas and Otero Counties. The welcome was delivered […]
Water Systems Back to Normal in Granada
Granada residents can return to normal water use as of today, June 21. Repairs on the pumping and chlorination system were made last night and the wells and holding tank are back to normal levels, according to Granada Town Clerk, Jackie Malone. The system went off-line the night before last because of electric problems […]
Granada Water System Damaged by Lightning? Residents Asked to Boil Drinking Water
Officials in Granada are recommending that residents boil their drinking water until further notice as the electrical system controlling the water pumps and purifier in the community is off line. Town Clerk Jackie Malone said the problem was discovered this morning, June 20, when Public Works Manager, John McMillan, went to take a reading […]
Maintain Alarm System Peak Performance with New Power Supplies
Residents check the power supplies on their cell phones, ipods, digital cameras and lap top computers. They can save a lot of time and trouble for area First Responders when they also check out the battery life of their smoke or carbon monoxide detectors in their home or business. The Lamar Fire Department has been responding […]
Granada Trustees Cover Levees, Safe Sidewalks Project and Street Survey
The Granada Town Trustees were informed that repairs to the town’s dike system for certification may be on hold for a while. Trustee Jerene DeBono said she was informed by Thuy Patton, Flood Mapping Coordinator for the Colorado Water Conservancy Board, that some communities are having difficulty finding funding for the needed upgrades. “They’re […]
Fire Department Incident Reports June 12, 2013
Saturday, June 8 At 10:37 am on Saturday, June 8, Lamar Fire personnel were dispatched to a CO detector activation at 1208 S. 8th Street in Lamar. On arrival at the scene, CO was not found and after inspection it was determined that the CO alarm had malfunctioned and needed to be replaced. The home […]
We Can’t Continue with These Electric Rates
Arkansas River Power Authority directors heard from three business owner/operators and a Prowers County Commissioner on how electric rates tied to the Lamar Repowering Project will stifle business growth. The director’s monthly meeting was held in Springfield this past Thursday, May 30. The meetings rotate among six ARPA community members. Jim Miller, owner of […]