In a 6-2 vote Tuesday, the Loveland City Council decided to offer Crop Production Services $300,000 for executing a lease for office space at Centerra. Crop Production Services is currently located in Greeley and employs 250 people.

The money comes out of the City Council Economic Development Incentive Fund. The fund, allocated $350,000 annually, is meant for primary employers — those that export more than 50 percent of their goods and services outside of Larimer County — that pay average wages 150 percent higher than the county average. CPS’ average annual wage is 160 percent of the county’s average annual wage.

Colorado State University professor and regional economist Martin Shields indicated the company would bring Loveland a net fiscal impact of up to $600,000 during the next five years, assuming the company adds 100 new positions. The number of positions was determined using information from the site selector, the company, CSU and the Northern Colorado Economic Development Corp.

Greely City Council Application for Ward IV is now available on the city’s website. This is an application to be appointed to the seat resigned by Pam Shaddock.

To be eligible for the seat, based on the application, the following critera must be met.

• Citizen of the United States
• At least 21 years of age
• Hold no other elective office
• Resident of the City of Greeley for 1 year or more
• Resident of Ward IV for at least 90 days
• No felony convictions

Don’t know if you live in Ward IV. A map of the city voting wards is available here. Ward IV is roughly north of 10th st and west of 23rd Ave.

After 5 years on the Greeley City Council, Pam Shaddock is leaving to work for Senator Mark Udall.

Shaddock will be Udall’s northeastern Colorado regional representative. Her resignation will be effective Friday.

The City Council will be accepting applications for a replacement, which will be available at City Hall and from the city’s website www.greeleygov.com.

For only the 3rd time in 20 years a Greeley Judge has denied a liquor license.

Cheba Hut “Toasted” Subs shop, a marajuana themed sandwich shop, has been denied a liquor license by Greeley Judge Robert Frick.

Frick’s major concern seems to be wuth the theme of the restaurant, as well as 2 DUI convictions of a manager that won’t be working in Greeley.

“While mere suspicion that there might be future problems with illegal activity is not reason alone to deny a liquor license, allowing a business of this nature to sell and/or serve alcoholic beverages is not a reasonable requirement of the neighborhood,” Frick wrote. “This restaurant is founded upon the principles and theme of the illegal drug marijuana and incorporates other illegal controlled substance related themes.”

In an interview on KFKA, Greeley Mayor Ed Clark blasted the Greeley Tribune.

“I love this town, and I only want the best for Greeley, and, uh, I only want the worst for the Tribune. I hope they fold,” Clark said

Greeley Mayor Ed Clark seems to still be dealing with his actions on June 23. Tim Stitt, the father of the teen who was involved in a citizen arrest with the mayor has sent a letter with a claim notice to Clark and the City indicating he intends to sue and wants $500,000 in damages.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out. Greeley residents won’t be happy if Clark’s rash actions cost the city half a million dollars.

Mayor Ed Clark, has caused more controversy by showing a fake $3 bill with Barack Obama’s picture on it to kids in the school where he works.

There has been some ongoing drama in the last few days between JB Swift and over 150 Somalian Muslim refugees that the company has hired.’

The situation has to do with Muslim observance of Ramadan, a month where fasting is done from sunrise to sunset. The Swift workers want a break scheduled at sunset so they can break their fast and pray, Non-Muslim workers don’t think there should be special treatment, and the company is trying to find the right balance.

I would love to hear any thoughts you have on this situation…

Greeley Mayor, Ed Clark, is facing a restraining order after a citizen’s arrest gone wrong.

The boy, 15, told police that Clark stopped him as he was riding his motorbike in the Eagle Ridge subdivision park at about 9:30 p.m. near 71st Avenue and 22nd Street and told him to get off the bike, according to the boy’s father, Tim Stitt.

When the boy refused, Stitt said Clark, an ex-police officer, picked up his son and threw him to the ground, holding the boy on the ground with his hands behind his back before police arrived.

When police arrived, they ticketed the boy for driving without a license, according to police.

Stitt took his son to Weld County Court on Tuesday morning to get a restraining order. Stitt said Clark and his wife, Erin, have been harassing his son for weeks. Stitt said Ed Clark confronted his son on a neighborhood basketball court two weeks ago after his son levied an expletive at Erin Clark. Stitt said Ed Clark told the boy that “bad things are going to happen” if he didn’t stop disrespecting his wife.

Joe Barnes, a nearby neighbor, said his son saw Clark “attack” the boy Monday, throw him to the ground and hold him down. He said kids in the neighborhood were just acting like kids and that none of them has ever gotten into any serious trouble.

Feel free to leave comments and give your thoughts about the Mayor’s behavior.

The impact report on the new Glade Reservoir is out from the Army Corps of Engineers. The report is allegedly on their website, http://www.usace.army.mil, but if you can find it, you are better than I.

Guess we will just have to take what the local papers said about it as fact. NoCoPolitics.com has links to the local articles.

While I personally support the reservoir, and understand the need for more water in Northern Colorado, I can certainly respect the position of the people who want to preserve the river. What I cannot understand, or condone, are the individuals complaining about the population growth. If you think there are too many people in Northern Colorado, MOVE. If you live here, you are part of the problem. This is America, new people have as much right to move in here as you did a year ago, your family did twenty years ago, or my family did 150 years ago. Water conservation and stemming population growth are nice ideas, but none of us would live here now if our forefathers hadn’t had the foresight to build reservoirs.