(PROWERS COUNTY, Colo.) — The City of Lamar has joined Governor Polis and other Colorado legislators in asking Buc-ee’s CEO not to build in Palmer Lake, and suggested that the travel center set its sights on Lamar instead.
The Mayor of Lamar Kirk Crispin posted his own letter to Buc-ee’s CEO Arch H. “Beaver” Aplin III, asking him to consider Lamar for the next Colorado location.
“We deeply appreciate Buc-ee’s commitment to direct employment, competitive pay, and the indirect economic opportunities your stores bring to the communities you serve,” the mayor’s letter reads. “Lamar is a community hungry for economic growth, increased tax revenue, and the infrastructure development that comes with it. We would welcome the opportunity to host a Buc-ee’s travel center.”
Recently, grocery chain Safeway announced it would close its store in Lamar, and many commenters on social media were quick to point out that Lamar is in need of a new grocer for fresh produce, not another gas station. Crispin updated his post, and said the City was already in the process of exploring grocery options, with the invitation to Buc-ee’s being a separate venture to bring economic growth to Lamar.
“[The letter to Buc-ee’s] is about more than one business. It’s about our resilience and our commitment to growth,” Crispin said. “While the chances of Buc-ee’s coming to Lamar may be slim, we will continue to welcome any business—large or small—that wants to invest in our community and create jobs.”
Crispin pointed out in his own letter that Lamar offers a strategic and highly traveled intersection at U.S. Highway 50 and 287, which connects Garden City, Kansas; Pueblo; Amarillo, Texas; and Denver. The mayor also highlighted a sentence from Governor Polis’ letter, which reads “We are not asking Buc-ee’s to bypass Colorado. We welcome your investment and are simply asking you to choose a site outside of the Greenland open-space landscape.”
“We respectfully ask Buc-ee’s to do just that–by choosing Lamar, Colorado,” the letter concludes.
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