Lamar Utilities Board meeting of January 28, 2025

Board members Jay Brooke, Jill Bellomy, Patrick Leonard and Elmer Grett were present for the January 28, 2025 meeting of the Lamar Utilities Board. Chairman Doug Thrall was not in attendance but participated via phone call.  After approving the minutes from the January 14 meeting, Purchase Orders 630564 through 630597 were approved.  Of the $314,388.08 total amount for purchase orders, $296,709.19 required board approval.  The largest dollar amount for these was $215,170.00 from Sunbelt Solomon Services, LLC for transformers.  Purchase orders not requiring board approval included $646,103.32 to ARPA, $113,465 to Sunbelt Solomon Services, LLC, $17,975.35 to PERA and $15,998 to the City of Lamar.

The board approved a renewal of a 69 KC Line Easement Renewal with the U.S. Corps of Engineers.  The easement was obtained on August 6, 1964 and was for 50 years.  It was for installation, maintenance, and removal of an electric transmission power line.  Lamar Light and Power is in the process of filing the application for renewal.  This transmission line runs from the Lamar substation to the Las Animas substation through Fort Lyon and is an alternate source and back up feed for Las Animas and Fort Lyon.  The easement for right of way is located on John Martin Reservoir land.  The administrative fee for this application is $26,538.00 with a 50/50 shared cost with Las Animas.

Superintendent Houssein Hourieh’s system operating report states that sales of electricity through December 2024 are up approximately 10.85% when compared to the same time period in 2023.  Residential sales were up approximately 10.36%, irrigation sales were up approximately 40.12%, and commercial/industrial sales were up approximately 8.51%.  These three customer classes represent an estimated 96% of total system sales.  Applications are being accepted for the 2025/2026 scholarship program.  This scholarship is available to Lamar, Wiley, and McClave high school seniors.  This year’s topic is “The cost of electrical power from renewable sources like wind and solar have been steadily decreasing.  Some people believe the United States could eventually get all of its electrical power from renewable sources; others think there are challenges and limitations that would never allow this to happen.  In your opinion, discuss how much of the United States’ electrical power could realistically come from renewable sources in the next ten years, the obstacles and limitations to renewable energy, and how local utilities like Lamar Light and Power would be affected”.  The scholarship applications is available online and has been forwarded to each school’s guidance counselor.  The deadline for the applications to be returned is April 11, 2025, and winners will be announced on May 2, 2025.

The next meeting of the Lamar Utilities Board will be Tuesday, February 11, 2025.

By Barbara Crimond