Troy Manor Motel Eyed for Demolition

The City of Lamar will seek funds from the CDPHE 1306 Brownfields Cleanup Grant to tear down and remove the former Troy Manor Motel at 1101 South Main in Lamar.  The council believes tearing down the structure would be the first best step into developing the property for a potential commercial enterprise and rid the area of an eyesore adjacent to several other commercial properties in the southern section of Lamar.  One of the first steps will be to determine if any building materials contain asbestos or other hazardous materials.  The grant will be applied to a remediation and demolition plan and cost estimate of the project which was supplied to the City of Lamar.  City Administrator, John Sutherland, told the council the project has the full cooperation of the current owner.  The city’s match, 20% of the cost of the project can be through in-kind contributions.  Councilman Kirk Crespin asked if a lien on the property, if conducted, could be used to help the city with the associated costs of the project.

The Lamar City Council is open to funding to help manage skunks, feral cats, prairie dogs and pigeons within the city limits. Following a presentation to the council by Josh Emick, a Wildlife Specialist working for the USDA Wildlife Services Division, the council will wait for a formal contract to be presented to them for consideration.  Emick estimated $20,000 a year would be needed for his department’s services to either control or help eradicate the problems created by roaming animals and rodents.

“We can see a development of listeria, rabies, salmonella and general property damage from some of these animals in any community,” he explained, adding that he’s noticed a growth in prairie dog activity around the city’s industrial park east of the Pilot J construction site for the new truck stop. Other locations mentioned included cemeteries and North Gateway Park and an influx of pigeons around Colorado Mills and the city’s new Pocket Park.  Emick added, “Part of our process will be to help educate the public about ways they can help curtail on the control process, rather then just kill animals around your property.”  He said one way is to simply keep dog food controlled in a yard, as skunks or cats will go for the food when a pet or a human isn’t around.  Emick listed several means of curtailing growth through live trapping, pesticides, cage traps and pellet guns.  The council will consider the proposal after a formal presentation from Emick.

The council ratified an earlier phone poll to approve an annual security agreement between the City of Lamar and Wal-Mart for security officers while the store was closed for the Christmas holiday, from 6pm on the 24^th to 8pm on the 25^th of December.  The fee was $60 per hour per officer not to exceed $1,560.

A service agreement was approved for the library Bibliotheca gate which was purchased last year at $12,000. The annual agreement for maintenance is $1,499.  J & S Graphics was awarded the city’s bid for t-shirts for all of its recreational programs.  Three bids were reviewed prior to the presentation.  The council approved acceptance of the annual Victim’s Assistance and Law Enforcement Board grant for 2018.  The police department was awarded the full amount of $14,155.84.

A motion to purchase a new 2018 Ford Fusion through a state bid was approved, replacing the City Administrator’s 2006 Dodge Charger. Insurance money from the August hail storm will be applied to replacing the vehicle.

An engineering agreement between the city and JVA, Inc. was approved for the work and associated fees needed to provide engineering services for the design and replacement of the short road bridge located at Commercial Street and Avenida Colonia.  The cost for JVA is $60,000 and the city’s share of the payment will be $12,120.  The project is estimated at $490,600 to replace the bridge which as a sufficient rating of 22.7 which falls below the rating of 50 to be considered sufficient for truck weight loads.

By Russ Baldwin