Council Seeking Crime Prevention Grant/Duffy New Councilmember

Mike Duffy became the city’s newest councilmember, receiving his oath of office from Judge Lane Porter during the October 10^th council meeting.  Duffy is replacing former councilman Oscar Riley in Ward 2.  Riley passed away earlier this autumn.  The council also approved a new hotel/motel license application from Josie Kilgore of Lamar for Lamar Hospitality, LLC dba Cobblestone Hotel and Suites at 1215 North Main Street.  The new facility will provide 54 rooms on three floors to future customers.

Lamar Police Chief, Kyle Miller, outlined the 2023 grant application for the Victims Assistance and Law Enforcement Board. The department is requesting $19,628 for the approaching year and had received the full amount of the 2022 request of $16,660.

Chief Miller also addressed an available grant called the Crime Prevention through Safer Streets which will allow cities and towns to design safer streets and neighborhood models that discourage crime, revitalize community image and create place-specific crime prevention strategies that account for geographic, cultural, economic and social characteristics of target areas.  Miller noted that there have been problems with vandals at Lamar’s public parks.  The grant will ask for additional lighting at Willow Creek Park bathrooms, the skate park, Escondido Park, North Gateway Park, Northside Park and the downtown Pocket Park.  There is no match for the grant which is due Wednesday, October 19th.  City Administrator Evans and City Treasurer Schwartz will review the application which will be approved by the council.  The size of the grant application has yet to be determined.

Each year, the council discusses appointments to various boards in commissions.  There are 19 different organizations which council members will review and determine who will be represented by the council for the remainder of the year and into 2023.  Councilman Riley served as liaison to the Planning and Zoning Commission, Airport Advisory Board as well as the Golf Board for Spreading Antlers Golf Course.  Mike Duffy will take his seat on the board for the time being.

The 2023 budget for the City of Lamar was passed by the council on first reading.  Some highlights include funding that will be appropriated out of the revenue through 2023.  The Charter Appropriation, supplied by the Lamar Utilities Board is $1,685,806.

Joyce Reedy, Karen Voepel and Lori Peterson presented an outline to establish four pickelball courts west of the current tennis courts by the municipal swimming pool.  “We’ve been in contact with two construction firms who build these courts, which could run from between $135,000 or $58,000 depending on the firm,” she explained to the council.  Councilmembers were open to the suggestion, but were made aware of the need for a bid process before any contract is handed out.  The game, similar to tennis, is played with a racquet and a hollow wiffleball on a smaller sized court.  Reedy and her associates estimate up to four such courts could be incorporated into the 120 by 155-foot area of concrete that used to be a skateboard park adjacent to Parkview School.

City Administrator, Rob Evans, noted several future events including the Prowers Economic Prosperity VIP social, set for October 25^th from 6-8pm at the LCC student union in the Betz Technology Center.  Evans will host morning coffee meetings for Lamar residents at 7am at the Hickory House on October 19^th and at McDonalds on October 26^th.  Regarding the renovation work on the steam engine at the Lamar Chamber offices and Welcome Center, Evans said this is only the first stage of restoration that is taking place, pending grant approval.  Some work will also be done on signage for area attractions, including the Escondido Park soccer fields.

The council went into executive session to conduct a city administrator work review as well as possible partnership agreements.
By Russ Baldwin