The Haxtun-Fleming Herald - What can we reason but from what we know? -Alexander Pope

Lori Lundgren, Mayor Pro-Tem, presided over the first Haxtun Town Council meeting of the new year in absence of Haxtun Mayor Brandon Biesemeier. Council members met on Monday, Jan. 4 at the Haxtun Community Center to better practice social distancing, something they plan to do moving forward in 2021.

The meeting, which last just 32 minutes, opened with traditional beginning of the year business, by designating a public meeting posting location. As has been for years, members of the Haxtun Town Council voted to designate the front door of the Town Hall as the official posting location.

As previously discussed at the December meeting, council members looked at an ordinance to vacate a portion of Edmund Avenue where it intersects with Bryan Street. When the street was originally plotted, it was done so as a 60-foot street, however, when it was constructed it was built as a 30-foot street. Due to some recent construction in the 500 block of West Bryan Street by David Bickford, the Town Council voted to approve vacating the remaining ground to the property owner. The approved ordinance goes onto the books as the first for 2021.

Later in the meeting, council members learned of the receipt of a $1,000 donation from Colorado Highlands Wind, to be used at the Council’s discretion. After some discussion, members opted to give the money to the swimming pool fund, which now totals just over $82,500 in the bank. Since November, the Haxtun Swimming Pool Project committee has raised over $42,000 in a renewed effort to build a new pool in Haxtun.

To date, project fund has $82,500 in the bank with an additional $5,000 pledged for in-kind work. The Heginbotham Fund and the Phillips County Recreation District have also pledged money to the project, $50,000 and $90,000 respectively, to bring the total of pledged, donated and in-kind funds to $227,500.

Total, the pool project is excepted to cost $2.6 million and would include zero entry, four swim lanes, a drop slide, a one-meter diving board and a zero-entry splash pad with water features. The new pool would also include an ADA compliant bathhouse as well as site improvements.

Hopes are to build the new pool just west of where the existing pool sits now, where the tennis and basketball courts are. Hopes are to relocate the basketball court to another location once construction of the pool begins.

In other business, the Council:

• Received word that CVRF Funds available through Phillips County can be used throughout the year 2021 with a deadline of Dec. 31;

• Appointed Council Member Craig McCarty as a Town representative to attend a Phillips County Planning Commission meeting where water, both residential and agriculture, are expected to be topics;

• Entered into a contract with Vertical Strategies for grant writing services. The Town will pay based on grant funding and may exit the contract with 15 day’s notice. There is no upfront fee for the contract and the company will actively seek grants the Town of Haxtun may be eligible for;

• Superintendent Ron Carpenter said the trash truck engine is leaking oil and will need repairs. The truck’s engine was rebuilt last year and is still under warranty, which will cover parts but not labor. He plans to find a replacement while work is conducted;

• Police Chief Tanya Mayhew said four officers with the Logan County Sheriff’s Office are filling in for shift work while her department is staffed with just two officers. She also said she has one pending offer to an applicant pending a physical and other evaluations;

• Deputy Town Clerk Kelsey Harms reminded council members about upcoming deadlines including those for golf cart inspections, which is the end of February, and pet licenses, which is April 30;

• The following building permits were approved: Jeri Soens, 220 West Grant Street for dividing the garage with a wall; Val Contreras, 214 South Washington Avenue for installing a patio door; NE CO BOCES, 301 West Powell Street for a concrete pad and sidewalk; Steve Bahnsen, 305 West Strohm Street for a garage remodel; Casey and Megan Wolff, 3660 Highway 6 for adding a garage; and Zip Trip, 105 East Strohm Street, for adding a sign to the building.