All Entries in the "Utilities" Category
No Relief in Long Term S.E. Colorado Drought
Drought Information Statement from National Weather Service-Pueblo June saw a continuation of hot and dry weather across much of south central and southeast Colorado with most of the area receiving well above normal temperatures and well below normal precipitation. A portion of the southeast plains was an exception which saw near or slightly […]
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 […]
A By-pass or a Different Main Street
Either a By-pass or a Different Main Street. Those were the long-range options from the Colorado Department of Transportation, listed by Paul Westhoff, resident engineer for CDOT in southeast Colorado. He held an informational briefing for City of Lamar and Prowers County representatives, as well as interested citizens this past Wednesday, June 26, at […]
ARPA Resolves Years Long Legal Battle with WildEarth Guardians
ARPA, Arkansas River Power Authority and the Lamar Utilities Board have ended their legal battles dating back to 2009 with the environmental group, WildEarth Guardians, over the emissions levels from the Lamar Repowering Project. The agreement resolves two lawsuits filed against the utilities relating to air emissions levels. The utilities groups will pay $450,000 […]
PCDI Discusses Proposed Bypass Costs and Impact
Discussion on the proposed Lamar By-pass, or Reliever Route, is intensifying on what the cost of the project will mean to the City of Lamar and Prowers County, and will the new route around Lamar aid or injure the economic climate of businesses along Main Street and what changes would the state make to Main […]
County Fire Ban and Marijuana Prohibitions Enacted
The Prowers County Commissioners voted to reinstitute the 2006 Fire Ban Ordinance during their meeting this past Thursday, June 20 (correction from June 30). The fire ban was enacted due to the number of Red Flag Days and the persistent drought conditions being experienced throughout southeastern Colorado. The fire ban does not restrict agriculturally […]
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 […]
Swift Response Contains Arkansas River Bottom Fire
Arkansas River Bottom Fire June 14th, 2013- Fire Report Prowers County Rural Fire Department was called to a fire on the Arkansas River bottom Friday evening June 14th, the fire was fueled by high winds and the extremely dry vegetation. The department responded with 15 firefighters and 7 apparatus. Mutual aid was immediately called for […]
Lamar City Sales Tax–Down Monthly, Up Yearly
City of Lamar Sales Tax Revenue dropped slightly for April sales collected this past May, according to the City Clerk’s Office. There was a 3.93% difference, or $10,500.53 between revenues for 2013 compared to 2012. Current Total sales and Use Tax collections are at $256,961.36 compared to $267,461.89 in 2012. Year to Date tax revenues […]
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 […]
Declining Prison Populations Equals Difficult Financial Decisions
The Fort Lyon prison closing in Las Animas over two years ago was probably the tip of the iceberg for a trend being seen in the state’s dwindling prisoner population. Lack of prisoners at Fort Lyon meant layoffs for employees and the eventual closing of the facility. Several hundred jobs were lost, local purchase […]
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 […]
Lamar Bypass Offers Financial Concerns for City, County
The Lamar City Council devoted its work session this past Monday, June 10, to the pros or cons of creating a non-scientific City of Lamar website survey which could provide some local comments from concerned citizens about the project. The city was told by CDOT that the Highway 50/287 bypass, or Reliever Route as […]
Water Supply Outlook from NWS, Pueblo
As of June 1, the 2013 snowpack was almost gone over the Upper Rio Grande Basin. For the Arkansas Basin, a decent amount of snow remained over the headwaters portion of the basin, but the snowpack was nearly gone over the remainder. In the Arkansas basin, the snowpack was at 86% of median overall, […]
Chip Seal Work on Holly Streets to Begin this Month
The Holly Town Trustees received word of a setback in their long range efforts to secure certification for FEMA approved flood plain zoning and insurance certification in their community, based on improvements to the town’s levee system. City Administrator, Marsha Willhite, explained during their monthly meeting, Wednesday, June 5, that a study showed a […]
State Drought and Precipitation Update from NRCS, National Resources Conservation Service
Late April and early May storms brought increased precipitation in the northern portion of the state and continued cool temperatures helped to maintain snowpack. However, storms largely missed the southern half of the state, which is experiencing increasingly severe drought conditions. Storage remains below average throughout most of the state and water providers are […]
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 […]
We Use How Much Water Each Day!!
The City of Lamar is in Stage 2 Water Restrictions as of May 14 because of drought conditions in the city and throughout the southeast corner of the state. Residents to the east and west of Highway 287 have three separate days a week in which to water their yards in two time periods. […]
Electricity=1, Snake=0
Power was disrupted to the southern section of Lamar mid-morning this past Sunday, May 26, when a snake managed to gain access to the LAMFO substation of Lamar Light and Power. The unauthorized entry came at a price as the snake was zapped as it tripped the main transformer, causing an outage that […]