News from Neighbors
Serendipity brings housing opportunity
STERLING JOURNAL-ADVOCATE, March 17 — A South Park contractor may hold the key to low-income housing in rural Logan County.
Ray Lyons was in Fleming Tuesday evening to ask the Fleming Town Council whether he could build a small house on a lot owned by his friend Ron Knifer, a long-time Fleming resident. Many municipalities, Lyons explained, have minimum sizes for houses, usually around 900 square feet. Knifer wanted to build one smaller, just a two-bedroom, around 500 square feet or less.
As it happened, Logan County Commissioner Byron Pelton was at that meeting to ask whether Fleming would consider becoming something of a “bedroom community” to help people working in the county find low-cost housing. The Fleming Town Board said they’d be amenable to having low-cost housing built in their town. Mayor Sue Einspahr said there are already 120 lots platted in Fleming ready for development. A developer would have to install sewer and water lines, but the town would provide electrical service.
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We’re in it together ... or are we?
JULESBURG ADVOCATE, March 16 — Last month, the Julesburg Advocate released a story that contained information on the Town of Sedgwick’s decision to forgive $46,232.95 worth of past-due water bills that had gathered in arrears over the last three years, a figure that is not only available to the board but a matter of public record for any party that should choose to inquire.
During Monday’s board meeting, the board rose to quite the controversial state over this decision, with the majority of the board stating that they had no idea the actual amount to be forgiven was that large.
Trustee Gena Kinoshita moved that the board reverse their decision to forgive these water bills based on a lack of information provided during the previous meeting, while trustee Peggy Owens stated that she was strongly opposed to reversing the decision.
That was the start of a loud and chaotic discussion between trustees and community members in regard to the original ordinances and town policies in regard to late bills.
In a request to figure out where the problem started, trustee Jennie Tarver exclaimed, “None of us knew this was even a problem for the last three years!”
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