All Entries in the "Utilities" Category
Lamar Utilities Board meeting 11/12
Minutes from the October 29, 2024 were approved. Also approved were Purchase Orders 630384 through 630418 for a total amount of $215,448.81. Large items in these purchase orders were $57,113.46 for line hardware, and $817,322.94 for October power purchase from ARPA. The Board approved Bid #2055 for street lights, photocells and mounting arms. These are […]
Lamar Utilities Board welcomes new board member Elmer Grett at meeting October 29, 2024
Elmer Grett was sworn in as the newest member of the Utilities Board of the City of Lamar at the meeting on October 29, 2024. He was sworn in by The Honorable Curtis “Lane” Porter, County Court Judge. Mr. Grett is taking the place of previous board member Roger Stagner, who recently stepped down as […]
Lamar Utilities Board meeting of October 15, 2024
Board members Jay Brooke and Patrick Leonard were present in person, with Jill Bellomy attending via phone call. Absent was Doug Thrall who was out of town. Minutes were approved from the September 24 meeting. Purchase orders 630308 through 630358 totaling $1,120,916.36 were approved. The largest dollar amount in these was $1,084,516.24 to ARPA […]
Stampede Powerline Services from Wiley assisting with Hurricane Helene relief work in North Carolina
Our team providing support in North Carolina consists of: Shane Hawks (Wiley, CO), Keith Dennis (Holly, CO), Josh Batemon (Lamar, CO), Ezequeil Chenoweth (Idalia, CO), Gunner Hesse (Keenesburg, CO), Ryan Hause (Ulysses, KS), Victor Correa (Ulysses, KS), Levi Johnson (Haswell, CO), and Tony Anderson (Yoder, CO), pictured left to right. On September […]
Lamar City Council meeting September 23, 2024
NOTE: The print version of this article in our October 2, 2024 paper had incorrect information in the third paragraph regarding the $350,000 settlement money. This amount, in the past, was directed to Lamar Light and Power to lower electric rates for their customers. Council voted at this meeting to deposit this money into […]
Lamar Utilities Board meeting September 24, 2024
The board approved purchase orders 630269 through 630307 in the amount of $67,746.94. Large items in these purchase orders include $28,450.00 to Bell Lumber and Pole for wooden poles to replenish stock and $15,667.40 to Border States Industries for line material. Bills totaling $1,239,985.05 were approved to be paid as well. Some of the larger […]
Xcel gas bills to drop almost 12% for rest of 2024 as wholesale gas prices remain low
Colorado’s largest utility will pass on savings as it seeks a permanent rate increase starting in February A combination of growing natural gas production and mild weather, leading to a buildup of stored reserves, will help lower monthly bills for Xcel Energy residential and small commercial customers by as much as 12% for the last […]
Lamar Utilities Board meeting of Tuesday, September 10, 2024
All board members were present at the meeting. Roger Stagner’s open board position has yet to be filled. Minutes from the August 27 meeting were approved, as were purchase orders 630233 through 630268. Payment of bills totaling $103,317.66 was also approved. Bid #2050 for line materials and hardware in the amount of $15,671.24 was accepted […]
When are Colorado’s last coal-fired power plants closing?
Xcel Energy’s coal-fired Comanche Generating Station, located in Pueblo, is the largest power plant in the state of Colorado. (Mike Sweeney, Special to The Colorado Sun) About a third of Colorado’s electricity is still generated by 10 coal-fired power plants. That should drop to zero by the end of 2031. Coal may be on […]
Lamar Utilities Board meeting of August 27, 2024
Minutes from the August 13, 2024 meeting were approved. Purchase orders 630205 – 630232 were approved, which totaled $107,551.48. The largest of these was $79,507.78 to Basler Services, LLC for a distribution system upgrade. The payment of bills was also approved. Total payment was $1,219,121.74. Payment of $1,062,570.78 to ARPA was the largest. Other large […]
Lamar Utilities Board meets July 23, 2024 – power outages on July 15 explained by Superintendent
Ronny Farmer, CPA with RFarmer, LLC, presented to the Board the Audited Financial Report for 2023. Minutes from the July 9, 2024 meeting were approved unanimously. Also approved were purchase orders 630111 through 630147 in the amount of $55,800.77. Payment of bills totaling $1,131,166.10 was approved. Per usual, the largest bill presented was to […]
Lightning strike cause of Monday’s power outage – city explains how strikes can affect Lamar’s power
A North America Electric Reliability Council (NERC) contractual obligation between Tri-State Generation & Transmission and Excel Energy confirms that Tri-State and Excel will shed any load without warning due to any electrical transmission voltage collapse caused by a fault or overload conditions. This load includes all southeast Colorado: the City of Lamar and surrounding Lamar […]
ARPA June 2024 summary of business operations
BUSINESS OPERATIONS – June 2024 Seven Students Receive Scholarship Funding from ARPA and its Member Municipalities: In 2000, ARPA and its Member communities established a College Scholarship Program that awards a $1,400 scholarship to one high school senior in each of the high schools served by ARPA members. The Program is administered through the member municipalities […]
Lamar Utilities Board meeting of June 10, 2024
The Board approved minutes from the May 28, 2024 meeting. They then approved purchase orders 93090 to 93100 as well as 63000 through 630027 for a total of $761,687.25. Big ticket items in these purchase orders were $60,570 for wood poles to replenish stock, $29,498 for the office heater/AC upgrade as well as other large […]
The past, present and future of windmills converge in Lamar, Colorado
Kenneth Emick stands on his family’s ranch in Lamar, Colorado, which hosts one of the largest private collections of antique windmills in the country. Photo: Kyle Cooke, Rocky Mountain PBS LAMAR, Colo. — A legion of towering wind turbines punctuate the horizon outside of the Emick family’s barn. Inside the barn is a […]
