Heginbotham Trust funds 13 new AEDs for Phillips County

Following a generous contribution from the Heginbotham Trust, Phillips County is in the process of purchasing 13 automated external defibrillators and seven wall-mounted AED cabinets with alarms.

As reported by the Phillips County Board of Commissioners at its Oct. 31 meeting, the AEDs will be spread throughout County facilities. One will be located at the fairgrounds pavilion, two at the courthouse, three in road and bridge shops, one at the communications center and one at the landfill office.

The remaining devices will be kept in County vehicles. The sheriff’s office will have four, and the road and bridge manager will have one in his vehicle.

 

Ongoing complaints addressed

For months, the topics of a trash complaint in Amherst and an odor complaint at Omimex Petroleum compressor station have remained on the county commissioner meeting agendas.

The trash complaint was an ongoing issue throughout the summer, and deadlines to resolve it were repeatedly extended. As of Oct. 31, the most recent deadline, commissioners reported that the trash pit was almost entirely cleared out. Given the weather leading up to the deadline and the owner’s efforts to meet it, the board was content to offer an additional grace period for it to be completely resolved.

Complaints about the odor from Omimex’s Smoky Hills Compressor Station are nothing new to the County, either. The station, located southwest of Holyoke, is operated under a conditional use permit granted by the County.

One of the conditions, laid out in 2015, is that “odor from the dehydrator shall be controlled with best management practices” and that commissioners “reserve the right to require additional odor controls should complaints be so numerous to require further action.”

Complaints about the odor were addressed in 2018, but they came up again this year. On Sept. 9, a letter was sent to Jeremy Fisher at Omimex. On Sept. 30, when no response had been received, the board agreed that the next step would be legal action. As of Oct. 31, commissioners had still not heard from Fisher.

 

Purchases made; services contracted

Last month, the County had a new heating and cooling system installed at the Department of Human Services building at 127 E. Denver St. Reese Mechanical did the job at a cost of $8,401.

The County’s road and bridge department purchased a 2019 Ram 2500 pickup truck from Korf Motors in Sterling for $35,723. The landfill purchased a 2019 Chevrolet 1500 from Trans­west in Sterling. The half-ton, two-door pickup truck has a towing capacity of 1,900 pounds. With trade-in, the total price was $27,402.20.

After contracting with Logan County for several years for the boarding of prisoners, Phillips County Sheriff Thom Elliott presented commissioners with a new contract to house prisoners in Yuma County at a cost of $50 per day.

Denise Smith was awarded the Bank of Colorado Pavilion donation wall contract, not to exceed $2,300. The design will mirror the brand wall, which Smith also completed.

 

Preliminary budget approved

For several weeks, the board of commissioners met with individuals and departments to discuss their budget needs.

On Oct. 15, the board held a preliminary budget hearing and approved the preliminary budget for 2020. A copy of the budget is available to the public for inspections at the Phillips County administration office in the courthouse.

Any interested Phillips County elector may file an objection to the preliminary budget at any time prior to the final adoption by the commissioners Monday, Dec. 9, at 10 a.m.

 

Other business

In other business, county commissioners:

— Approved the Food Bank of the Rockies yearly contract.

— Continued negotiation with Joe Bellm regarding 2020 races at the fairgrounds.

— Rescheduled the next meeting to Nov. 7 and the Nov. 27 meeting to Nov. 26.

— Approved Shannon Schlachter’s 2020 barrel racing events, charging $5 per run and waiving the damage deposit.

­— Agreed to support the Holyoke Community Childcare Initiative with an in-kind donation such as dirt work.

—Approved an ad listing all County employees to run in the Holyoke Enterprise Workforce Salute.

— Met with Bob Heldenbrand, who discussed the purchase of additional Salamander tracking units.

— Approved the signing of a wildfire protection agreement between PCSO and the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control.

—Met with Kim Killin and Tammy Kelley of Cline Williams, who presented a legal services business proposal.

— Asked the fair board to provide quarterly financial reports.

— Heard from landfill manager Bill Andrews that customers have been bringing in hemp stems, buds and leaves, which have been accepted, baled and buried.

— Approved the sale of alcohol at the Melissa Memorial Hospital employee Christmas event.

— Met with Kayla Kafka, who discussed the installation of an awning or building under the grandstands at the fairgrounds.

—Discussed fees and damage deposit rates for fairgrounds facilities.

Holyoke Enterprise

970-854-2811 (Phone)

130 N Interocean Ave
PO Box 297
Holyoke CO 80734