Lamar Utilities Board meeting of June 10, 2025

The Lamar Utilities board met for a regularly-scheduled meeting on Tuesday, June 10.  All board members were present for the meeting.  Minutes from the May 27 meeting were approved as were Purchase orders 630909 through 630940 and payment of bills.  The purchase orders totaled $716,151.13, including three large items –  $567,658.17 for May electricity (estimate) to ARPA, $113,242.69 for ductile iron poles to McWane, Inc. and $16,678.33 for miscellaneous line materials to Western United Electric Supply.  Bills for this period totaled $148,530.17.  In addition to the usual large payments to PERA of Colorado and the City of Lamar, payment of $52,425.00 was made to Bell Lumber and Pole Co.

Superintendent Houssin Hourieh’s System Operating Report stated that sales of electricity through May 2025 are down approximately 3.54% when compared to the same period of time in 2024.  Residential sales were up approximately 1.21%, irrigation sales were down approximately 16.25% and commercial/industrial sales were down 5.40%.  These three customer classes represent an estimated 96% of system sales.  He also reported that the line crew replaced five 35-foot wooden poles that failed testing with 35-foot class II wooden poles on the east end 25kv circuit to the north of Highway 196 and Road 20.5.  The crew also has been performing general line maintenance and tree trimming.

In a power outage update, Hourieh reported that at about 3:00 pm on Monday, June 2, a single-phase voltage regulator at the college substation failed, causing one of the substation’s power transformer fuses and L2 breaker at the LAMSO substation to fail to operate.  On Wednesday, June 4, a brief 3-minute outgage was necessary so that the failed voltage regulator could be bypassed.  About 11:30 am on  Wednesday, June 4 a lightning arrester at the 6 Mill. Substation failed, causing a partial power outage to the Quail Ridge, Ridges, and S. Memorial Drive service area.  Once the arrester was replaced along with the power fuse, power was restored to normal feed at about 12:15 pm.

By: Barbara Crimond