Commissioners Appoint Board Members

Prowers County Courthouse

The Prowers County Commissioners made appointments to two boards during their regularly scheduled meeting, Tuesday, February 26^th, reappointing Clifford Boxley to the County Planning commission for a term that will end February 2020.  There were only three submissions for four seats on the County Fair Board and Lane Malone, Wynter Dorenkamp and Gerry Jenkins were appointed for terms which will expire in 2022.

In other action, the commissioners met with David Harbour of Southeast Developmental Services, proclaiming April 3^rd as SDS Awareness Day via proclamation.  They awarded a bid of $16,920 to Otto’s Cars and Trucks for a used Ford Focus (2019) for the Department of Human Services.  The commissioners also approved a letter of support on H.B. 18-1335 to the State Board of Human Services establishing eligibility requirements for all counties and creating a new formula to determine the amount of block grants to counties.  The Rolling Hills Cowboy Camp was granted permission for a waiver of fees for the Prowers County Fairgrounds for their annual get-together, set this year for May 30^th and June 1^st.

The commissioners met with Jay Brooks, former executive director of High Plains Community Health Center, who is conducting a study on opioid abuse for the University of Colorado. Brooke said the information from the survey will be an aid for training primary care clinics on opioid treatment.  Brooke noted that even though physicians have cut back on opioids through medical prescriptions, the abuse is still being felt.  Commissioner Wendy Buxton-Andrade said Prowers County is, on a percentage basis, one of the highest in the state for its mis-use.  When asked by Commissioner Tom Grasmick on how those numbers were derived, Brooke explained they aren’t from just one source, but a compilation of medical suppliers in Colorado as well as public information from emergency rooms across the state.

The commissioners met with Brian Lauritsen, an agronomist for Valley Ag Consulting, on his availability to work with the county on observing the effects of 1041 dry-up and revegetation procedures on approximately 800 acres of farmland around Alta Vista and another 600 acres east of the county. An amalgam of several entities including LAWMA, Colorado Springs Utilities, GP Ranches and Arkansas Valley River Farms are expected to be involved in the 1041 regulations through several water purchase plans in the near future.

The March 12^th regular commissioners meeting was moved up one day to Monday, the 11^th as the board will be attending a one-day Regional Economic Deployment Forum in Hugo, Colorado sponsored by the Economic Development Council of Colorado.  Some topics of discussion include:  Using Regionalism to Help Drive Economic Development, Opportunity Zones Update, Legacy Industry:  Precision Agriculture, Economic Impacts on Rural Healthcare, How Do We Build Our Communities with Skilled Labor and How Infrastructure Can Impact How We Do Economic Development.  The keynote speaker will be former state representative from the 4^th District, Betsy Markey, now Executive Director of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade.

By Russ Baldwin