Lamar City Council meeting July 28, 2025

Mayor Kirk Crespin and Council member Gerry Jenkins were absent from the July 28, 2025 meeting.  Mayor pro tem Manuel Tamez conducted the meeting in the mayor’s absence.  The evening’s consent agent was approved.  There were no persons wishing to speak to council during the audience participation portion of the meeting.

City Treasurer Kristin Schwartz gave updates on several grants.  The wastewater treatment plant grant is moving along and a meeting has been scheduled with JVA Consulting Engineers regarding the engineering portion.  The Fishing is Fun grant is being utilized to construct a fish cleaning station at the ponds in Gateway Park.  The archery range ran into delays due to prairie dogs but should be finished soon.  She said the Tyler Technologies software update is going well and will be going live with financials August 11-22.  She joked that they are “pulling the bandaid off” by going live but credits department employees for the diligent training involved in switching systems.  Next to go live will be payroll and utility billing by the end of the year.  “It’s really exciting” she said in reference to the new software that should make the city run more smoothly.

Tamez gave the City Administrator’s report.  He announced that Corporate Cup begins Wednesday, July 30 with the opening ceremony at 6 pm at the yellow softball field.  Grace Family Worship Center at 110 W. Lee Avenue in Lamar will be holding their “Back 2 School Bash” on Saturday, Aug. 2 from 9 am to 1 pm to distribute free school supplies for Lamar, Wiley, McClave, Holly and Granada schools.  The next Common Grounds with City Council will be at 7 am on August 6 and will feature the Lamar Police Department.  The Sand and Sage Roundup begins August 2.  Rides open Wednesday, August 6 and run through Saturday, August 9.  There will be a concert on August 8 following the rodeo.  More information can be found at www.sandandsageroundup.com or in the insert in last week’s Prowers Journal.  Councilman Brent Bates said the SECCI Fight Night event is August 2 in the Pocket Park downtown.  Doors and vendors open at 5:30 pm with the ceremony starting at 6 pm.  There will be “tons of giveaways” he said, for both adults and kids as well as glowsticks and face painting for the kids.  Several food vendors will be available as well as live music by JUDI from 8-10 pm.

Councilman Joe Gonzales reported that there have been several successful golf tournaments recently, with the most recent being the club championship, in which Brad Stonerock was named the champion.  The course superintendent has sprayed the fairways with a fungicide and insecticide due to some diseases in the grass but Gonzales said “they’re starting to come back” in reference to the fairways.  The golf board donated an older tractor to the city to be used for Escondido Park.  In PEP news, Gonzales said the last meeting featured Rosie Gomez, Executive Director of Cornerstone Resources.  Gomez makes monthly trips to Denver to pick up diapers that Cornerstone distributes locally and Gonzales said “that really touched me to hear about”.  He also said that on October 8, PEP, Workforce, LCC, Cornerstone Resource Center and the Lamar Chamber of Commerce will be hosting a career fair.

Present at the meeting and speaking to Council was Teale Hemphill, Program Director for the Southeast Colorado Regional Housing Authority (SECRHA). She was there to give information to Council regarding an application submitted for a grant for CHFA Land Banking Funding to help with future housing development in the city of Lamar. The group services Baca, Bent, Crowley, Kiowa, Otero and Prowers County and aims to increase the availability of affordable housing.  SECRHA is aiming to purchase property located at 700 E. Parmenter in hopes of developing it for affordable housing within the city.  The current owner is in the process of removing mobile homes from the site. She said they have been working with Wilson Realty and Anne-Marie Crampton on its purchase and wants to have more meetings with Council regarding making a “plan for what we’d like that to look like”.  They have submitted a Letter of Intent to purchase the property and would appreciate a letter of support from City Council regarding same.  The group is working with SECED for the project.

Appointments for several board positions were made.  Council voted to appoint Jean Reifschneider to the Lamar Housing Authority Board for a term ending June 1, 2029.  Roy Cue was appointed to the Water Board for a term ending on February 1, 2030.  Galan Burnett and Gabrielle Nieschburg were both appointed to the Historic Preservation Advisory Board.

Approved was a Planning Grant Agreement with Colorado Water Resources and Power Development Authority for the wastewater treatment plant.  The City of Lamar completed the State Revolving Fund prequalification process in June and was offered a $10,000 planning grant.

The next meeting of the Lamar City Council is Monday, August 11, 2025 at 7 pm.

By: Barbara Crimond