All Entries in the "Utilities" Category
Taco John’s Set for Early November Opening
Who gets taco #1 when the refurnished Taco John’s opens in Lamar the first week in November? According to Marnie Garcia, District Manager, Les Scriven’s name is at the top of the list. “Les has been following our progress since we started our renovations with the new owners,” she explained. Scriven was a former owner […]
Road Work Begins on Granada Safe Routes to School
Granada Police Chief David Dougherty informed the Trustees during their October 14th meeting, work on the CDOT, Safe Routes to School project, will begin the week of October 19th. The major cost will be paid for through grant funding and as of October 5th, the contractor, MonCor LLC had been brought on board for the […]
Lamar City Council Sets 2016 Budget
The Lamar City Council was joined by the Lamar Utility Board of Directors for the public hearing held regarding approval for the 2016 budget. Revenues for the City are projected for next year at $7,890,328, which is an increase of $233,035 compared to the 2015 budget. The Sales Tax Revenue of $1,357,206 is steady against […]
Sediment in Water Shuts off Holly Well
The south well used by the Town of Holly has been shut down due to sediment found in the water. The east well is supplying the town’s needs at this time, with the north well water supply as a backup. Jerry L’Estrange, Holly Town Administrator, told the Trustees, there’s no bacterial content in the south […]
Lamar Officials Briefed on Reliever Route Updates
The long anticipated Reliever Route or Lamar By-pass is still in the planning and financing stages, but some alternatives for three key points of the 9.7 mile, two lane road around Lamar were discussed by CDOT and AECOM engineering officials this past Wednesday, September 30th. City of Lamar, Prowers County officials and local and regional […]
Lamar’s Semi Parking Prohibition Coming Closer
Owners of semi trucks who park their vehicles on city streets for a lengthy time have had a grace period of several months to make arrangements to park their vehicles elsewhere besides city streets before the Lamar Police Department starts to issue tickets. This past spring, Police Chief Kyle Miller read a revised ordinance […]
U.S. Agriculture Production Cost Nearly $400 Billion in 2014
WASHINGTON, August 4, 2015 – U.S. farmers spent $397.6 billion on agricultural production in 2014, up 8.3 percent from 2013, the largest increase since 2008, according to the Farm Production Expenditures report, published today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). Feed, already the largest expenditure category for U.S. farmers, […]
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 […]
Crews Start Street Repair Projects for Lamar this Week
The City of Lamar Public Works Department has begun preparing several streets in town for milling and overlay work which is expected to start Tuesday, September 15th. Tree limbs must be trimmed that could interfere with paving equipment along with manholes and water valves that need to be lowered to accommodate the milling work. The […]
Granada Making Repairs from August Storms
The August 16th storm that swept through portions of Prowers County hit Granada with 90mph winds, causing some damage to trees, power poles and an electrical transformer at the elevator took what is believed to be a direct lightning hit. That’s according to the report given the Trustees by Town Maintenance Supervisor, John McMillan during […]
Arkansas Valley Conduit Project is Updated
The alignment of the Arkansas Valley Conduit project was updated for Prowers County Commissioners and interested citizens during an informational meeting on Wednesday, September 2. The $400M project, to move 15 million gallons of water per day to 39 entities between Pueblo and Lamar, was proposed in the early 1960s. Because of lack of funding, […]
ARPA Lighting Project Completed in Lamar Library
Improved and lower cost LED lighting fixtures are now evident in the libraries of Arkansas River Power Authority member communities. The year long conversion project is coming to a close after the court-mandated project was announced last year. A dedication ceremony was held at the Cultural Events Center in Lamar, adjacent to the Lamar […]
New LCC Dorm One Year Out
By this time next year, the first of three proposed dorm pods will be open to students at Lamar Community College. LCC President, John Marrin, told the Prowers County Commissioners the college is about $300,000 shy from the target price of $1,250,000 needed for construction. Marrin added, “We’re working with the city and the […]
Storm Repair Efforts Recapped at LUB Meeting
Rick Beard assumed the duties of the interim chairman of the Lamar Utilities Board during the regular meeting held on Tuesday, August 25. Beard moved into that position when former chairman, Michael Bryant, said he would not serve another four year term due to time constraints. Beard will act as interim chairman until a […]
Costly Swimming Pool Repairs Considered by Lamar City Council
The Lamar City Council discussed a proposal to hire a consulting firm to determine what has caused pieces of the pool’s finish lining to peel off, sometimes by as much as two foot strips. The Lamar Municipal Swimming Pool was resurfaced in 2013 by Pacific Western Coatings, but the results on the finish have not been […]
USDA Corn Crop Report
Corn crop maturity continues catching up while condition remains strong Wet weather across the U.S. this past spring delayed corn planting, and as a result the maturity of the crop for weeks has lagged compared to previous years. But warm weather recently has helped the crop catch up, and the combination of good soil moisture at […]
Lamar Council Approves Grants and Funding for Police, Fire, Computer Software
The Lamar City Council approved requests for grant applications and city equipment during their Monday, August 24th meeting, including the GOCO grant needed to finish the two remaining ball fields at the Four Plex. Rick Akers, Lamar Parks and Rec Director, outlined the final work to be done by the lowest bidder, Timberline Landscaping of […]
ARPA Considers a New Rate Structure
Municipal member communities of ARPA, Arkansas River Power Authority, may see a change in their electric rate structure pending the outcome of a cost of service electric rate study commissioned by the organization. During the group’s monthly meeting held in Las Animas last month, members hired JK Energy Consulting to conduct a study which provided […]
Bryant Honored for Service to LUB, Board Member Faces ARPA Suit
A vacancy for a position on the Lamar Utilities Board is currently open with the end of the four-year term for Michael Bryant. Bryant had served as board chair for his final year and has been replaced in that capacity by Rick Beard. Bryant’s departure leaves one spot open which is currently being advertised in […]
Council Approves Water Infrastructure Agreement
Almost 20,000 linear feet of water main which runs north/south along U.S. 287 is owned and maintained by the City of Lamar. That water distribution system will be impacted by CDOT’s highway reconstruction project, set to begin next spring. The City of Lamar is working with CDOT to replace all the affected water infrastructure connections […]