By Teresa L. Benns
CENTER — At the May 8 Center Town Board meeting, town safety manager and building inspector Dave Mehaffie and utilities supervisor Duane Valdez briefed the board on a gas usage situation with Gourmet Potato that is costing the town money and straining gas availability.
For many years, commercial gas users in Center received a break on their gas rates. Commercial meters were installed and the town board voted to increase rates, but Gourmet Potato remains a primary gas consumer and at one point was regularly exceeding town limits with its supplier, Xcel. At that time the town’s limits were 600 decatherms, so they applied to Xcel for an increase to 900 decatherms. But the increase cost the town $1,500 extra a month.
Both Valdez and Mehaffie as well as Town Administrator Brian Lujan maintain Gourmet Potato should pay $1,000 of the $1,500 based on their usage history. Plus, the town must also pay monthly for Gourmet Potato’s overages and the company should be paying these as well.
“It doesn’t happen very often, but we still go over that 900 mark once in a while,” Lujan said in a phone interview Monday. At times, Valdez said, Gourmet Potato is using 90 percent and the town is using only 10 percent of the gas. Commercial operators pay 60.64 cents a decatherm and the town pays 74 cents for a decatherm, Lujan said.
Mahaffey estimated the company is using 75-80 percent of the town’s gas every month, “and then they want to put in another furnace,” he informed the board.  Attorney Mike Trujillo commented that the extra furnace would basically use all the gas, leaving the town with nothing. Lujan noted the last time Gourmet Potato was approached about the gas bill, they threatened to go elsewhere.
“Go ahead,” Mehaffie said, adding that gas rates are cheaper in the summer and their overages usually occur in the winter.
Trustee Bill McClure suggested the town rescind its present ordinance and return commercial users to earlier, higher rates. At the very least, Lujan said, any price difference should be paid directly by Colorado Gourmet. Trujillo said he would write up a proposal suggesting a solution to the problem.
Fourth of July
The town is planning a big Fourth of July celebration with five bands, water showers and jumpies at the park for the kids. A stage will be rented and placed on Worth Street between Fourth and Fifth Streets and the streets will be close to through traffic. A poker run is planned and citizens are asking for a parade, Lujan said.  

K-9 unit
Lujan asked the board to reconsider funding a K-9 unit for the town because board members and others are concerned about the drug problem in Center. “We can spend tons of money on undercover [investigations] but all the other counties are increasing their K-9 corps,” Lujan said.
“Right now we have the opportunity to get a dog very inexpensively,” he advised, and other agencies he contacted have affordable vehicles that would accommodate a dog. The matter was tables until further information becomes available.   

Other business
• The utility department continues to install transformers.
• The Tierra Nueva worker’s complex is on hold again and bids need to be reissued.
• Watering violations are piling up.
• The turf on the baseball field at Community Park has not been removed yet. A bid was received by the town for $12,300 to replace the turf.
• Grants to replace playground equipment at Community Park need to be sought by the town and the school. Casa Blanca Park also needs additional playground equipment.
• Chlorine tablets have been added to the ditch along Highway 112 to improve the smell.
• The south well at the Consaul property is probably dry and may need to be re-drilled and the north well needs work, “right away,” Trujillo said.
• Trustee McClure said the town needs to work on its comprehensive plan/master plan so the Consaul property can be annexed to the town.