Prowers County Board of Commissioners holds work session, hears concerns from Hartman resident

Meeting with the Prowers County Commissioners in their morning work session on Tuesday, February 10 were Brooke Matthew, CSU Extension SE Region Director, Michaela Mattes, Agronomist with CSU Extension Office, and Claudia Terrazas, Spanish Language Specialist with CSU Extension Office.  Ms. Matthew provided copies of the newest Prowers County 4-H newsletter, explaining that they have moved to a bi-monthly format rather than monthly.  Several upcoming events she wanted them to be aware of are an enrollment night on February 25 and also 4-H leader training that night as well.  The Market Beef weigh-in was February 1.  March 1 is when State 4-H scholarship applications are due, March 22 will have a Cloverbud meeting, Meat Quality Assurance meeting, and an Ambassador meeting and a Youth Fest will be held March 27-29.  State Fair beef nominations are due April 1, and April 15 is the deadline for project add/drops.  Interested youth can sign up for 4-H online or by contacting the local Extension office. Enrollment fee is $25 per youth with a deadline of March 2, 2026 to be able to participate in either fair.  4-H has more to offer than just livestock projects – information is available at https://co4h.colostate.edu/programs-projects/

Ms. Mattes presented information regarding the 2026 Pesticide Continued Education Workshops.  The workshop in Lamar will be held on March 10^th beginning at 8:30 am in the Home Ec building, 2208 Saddle Club Drive.  Also offered at the Lamar workshop will be a Category 103 (Agricultural Weed Control) workshop.  Cost for the Category 103 is $20.  Interested persons should contact Michaela Mattes at Michaela.mattes@colostate.edu or by calling 719-336-7734.  She also told Commissioners that the recent Garden Club meetings at the Lamar Library have been going well and that the Facebook page “CSU Southeast Area Agronomy” has a wealth of additional information.  Ms. Terrazas spoke to the Commissioners about the English as Second Language classes she teaches throughout the region, as well as Spanish for Kids classes at the Lamar Library.  She also teaches citizenship classes which she said are going great.  Currently, two students will be submitted this month, hoping to hear from Immigration within two months about their citizenship status.  All Commissioners thanked her for these classes, emphasizing how important the path to citizenship is.  She is looking for a larger venue for her ESL classes and asked if the Commissioners would ask the city to waive fees at the Community Building.  Another possibility suggested by the Commissioners would be using the County Annex building.  A decision will be made soon.

Also present and speaking at the morning session were Kathy McCorkle, Val Baldwin, and Brent Bates, all members of the SECCI board.  Bates gave a brief overview of SECCI, and said that this year will mark the group’s third annual “Fight Night”, a fundraiser/social event.  It has been held in the Pocket Park the past two years but has outgrown the space and there is a need for it to not only be held in a larger space, but also one that provides shelter from inclement weather, such as the severe rainstorm in 2025 that cut the event short soon after it had begun. The three were there today to ask the Commissioners to waive rental fees for the pavilion and the HomeEc building at the fairgrounds, explaining the need for shelter as well as a location that also could provide restrooms.  Bates said that this year’s event will emphasize the social/community aspect, since there will also be a golf tournament fundraiser as well (this wasn’t possible in 2025 due to unavailable dates at the golf course).  Ms. McCorkle said that when she and Bates took over SECCI in 2020, the organization served 12 clients.  In 2025 that number had grown to 46, during which time approximately $18,000 of money raised was spent on fuel reimbursement for cancer patients needing to travel for treatments and doctor appointments.  Another $6,500 was spent on emergency funding, something Bates said was distributed in $250 one-time payments to help persons newly diagnosed with cancer pay for the unexpected expenses associated with the diagnosis.  The Commissioners granted the request for the fee waiver and thanked the group for all the good that it does for the community.

At the afternoon meeting, one of Claudia Terrazas’s citizenship class students was present and led the group in saying the Pledge of Allegiance.  Wishing to speak during the “public appearance” portion of the meeting was Dawn Railsback of Hartman.  She addressed the Commissioners concerning the state of affairs in Hartman and more specifically, asking what Hartman residents can do about their water situation.  The County recently received resignation letters from all three Hartman trustees, leaving the town with no city government.  Ms. Railsback was respectful to the Commissioners and said she, like many other Hartman residents, is wondering where the town can go for help with the water situation.  BoCC Chairman Roger Stagner told her that the county is unable to do anything legally, saying that although Hartman is part of Prowers County, the county administration has no legal jurisdiction concerning its government.  County Attorney Rose Pugliese, also present at the meeting, reiterated this to Ms. Railsback, stating that it would be a state concern, possibly through CDPHE or DOLA and that the county is not legally allowed to interfere.  Asked if the Commissioners knew who had the well house keys, she was told that they had received boxes from the previous trustees to hold for safekeeping but were not legally allowed to open them or look through them.  They assured her that they understand the frustration she and other Hartman residents are feeling but that their hands are tied legally and are awaiting direction from the State for guidance and what to do with these boxes. They want Hartman residents to know they are aware of the situation and told Ms. Railsback that all they can do is provide contact information for people at the state level, which they said they would share with her. She thanked them for their honesty and for taking the time to listen to her and address her questions.

Among several agenda items approved were the reappointment of Dale McClave to the Bent/Prowers Cemetery Board, ratifying an email poll for approval of a subcontractor agreement between The Cornerstone Resource Center and the County Department of Human Services for the “Improved Payments and Child Success” grant, as well as one for the “Promoting Safe and Stable Families” grant.  Also approved was the County Assessor’s reimbursement request for Colorado Parks and Wildlife Impact Assistance Grant in the amount of $31,943.02 for Tax Year 2025.

By: Barbara Crimond