Kyle Jara New Granada Trustee

Kyle Jara, Granada Trustee

Kyle Jara was sworn in as the latest Granada Trustee member during the regular monthly meeting this past Wednesday, November 14^th.  The board had advertised for letters of interest from qualified citizens to fill the position.

Eric Depperschmidt, Prowers Economic Prosperity Executive Director, briefed the board on recent developments during his quarterly report to county communities. “We’ve set up a job board link on our website so municipalities can post their openings,” he explained, adding that the board has instituted three new committees to work on budget, policy and incentives for prospective businesses.  Depperschmidt said that the board will continue to develop contacts to push through legislation at the state capitol to alter current regulations pertaining to grain carriers that are now required to pass through the Port of Entry in Lamar.  He noted the next board meeting will be held at the community center in Wiley on Tuesday, December 4^th at noon.

Board members agreed to act as a pass-through body to help develop a GOCO grant for a new sports track for the Granada school. Ty Kemp explained that funds are being sought to develop an eight lane, all-weather track, but regulations prevent the school from actively participating in the grant application, so the Trustees were asked for assistance.  Kemp said, “If this comes to pass, we’ll have a first class track and Granada should be able to start hosting meets once it’s developed.”  No timetable for the application was mentioned.

The Trustees are continuing their efforts to disband the current Sanitation District and take over those duties for themselves. The initial paperwork will require them to proceed through the District Court and Mayor Glenn Otto said a sewer fund should be established, similar to the one now in place for utilities.

There was a clarification regarding a $20,000 DoLA grant recently awarded to the town. The funds will be used for a landfill study and not for a water storage tank as had been previously mentioned in earlier meeting minutes.  The Trustees also voted to establish a landfill fund, transferring $40,000 from the General Fund as seed money.  Prior to the action, the General Fund was used as the account for the landfill operation.  Mayor Otto told the board that because of a delay, the landfill wells are being retested more recent results.

Under New Business, the Trustees set Monday, December 3^rd at 6pm as the traditional visit from Santa Claus at the complex and the annual Christmas Lighting Contest would be conducted sometime between December 18^th and 19^th for judging.  Prize money is unchanged from last year at $60, $30 and $20 for winners.  Christmas bonuses for the six part time and full time employees were also approved, noting an increase from the year before.

John McMillan, Granada Maintenance Supervisor, said several water meters than had been leaking have been repaired and he has purchased all-new lights for the holidays for the trees at the town complex.

Granada Police Chief, David Dougherty, informed the board he will create an application form for persons wishing to hold a public dance. It will list the current ordinance the requirements needed to inform hosts of their legal and financial responsibilities.  The Trustees also discussed the need for the enforcement of alcoholic beverages in the town park.  Some latitude is given on 3.2 beer, but as the state will have only 6% beer sales beginning in 2019, this change will also impact consumption in the park in the future.  Chief Dougherty noted there are two positions open for the Granada VALE board that comes with three year terms.

The Trustees discussed a future workshop date for the 2019 budget. The next regularly scheduled Trustees meeting will be Wednesday, December 12^th.

By Russ Baldwin