Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
Sorted by date Results 51 - 72 of 72
The agenda, minutes, and bills were approved before moving on to a presentation on the Carbon County Prevention Network (CCPN) by Tracy Young. The presentation discussed issues such as drug abuse and suicide prevention, as well as summer events the CCPN will be hosting on June 21 and 22. Town Hall Departments Flooding is still a concern, with the town being on high alert. Residents of Saratoga can request sandbags by contacting Town Hall, but will have to place the bags themselves. There are...
Everything was business as usual at the Carbon County Commissioners Meeting. The commissioners met on May 16 in Riverside for their regular meeting. The meeting started with approval of the bills, then moved quickly into updates from Emergency Management. Flooding concerns were addressed with discussion of the current plans put in place. The commission thanked those who were able to attend during Governor Mark Gordon‘s visit to the Emergency Operation Center (EOC). Commissioner Travis Moore s...
Editor’s note: Kaitlyn is returning for the summer to help us out here at the Saratoga Sun. We are looking forward to her insight into the community and it’s happenings I’ve learned a lot after my first two years of college. Of course there are the obvious ones - the importance of studying and work and going to others for help. However, I’ve also learned to place a strong emphasis on having a social life, and spending time with friends. Hanging out is easy in the summer, but less so during the b...
While the Planned Unit Development (PUD) for Green Mountain by Brush Creek Ranch (BCR) has faced much controversy, it successfully moved to the next stage of approval during a special meeting by Carbon County Planning Commission on July 26. The PUD will be sent to the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCC) for review and potential approval. The planning commission staff created a series of amendments for the PUD guide after the July 12 public hearing. Some amendments were minor changes to...
The crowd gathered at the Bear Trap Cafe and Bar on July 24 was unusual, but not surprising given the event. Midget wrestling returned to Riverside for a Saturday night, giving the crowd a chance to see the wrestlers duke it out. The event was first introduced to Riverside in 2018, with MicroMania performing last year's show. This year's show by MicroMania proved to be popular, having sold over 100 tickets before the night even began. Laughter roared as jokes and insults were thrown, a...
The Planned Unit Development (PUD) for Green Mountain at Brush Creek will be moving on to the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) for review and potential approval following a special meeting of the Carbon Country Planning Commission on July 26. Brush Creek Ranch began the process for a zone change from Residential to PUD in order to develop a ski resort on Green Mountain. The commission was presented with an amended version of the PUD guide. Notable changes include the helipad usage...
Saratoga may not be getting a new recreational vehicle (RV) park after all. Jimmy and Jamie Campbell, owners of JaJaCa Properties, have been attempting to build an RV park along Wyoming Highway 130 but have faced several roadblocks along the way. At the June Saratoga Planning Commission meeting, they were attempting to make RV parks a permitted use under Highway Business (see “Deal or no deal” on page 1 of the June 16 Saratoga Sun). After the July meeting, it seems JaJaCa Properties has thr...
While discussion of the Green Mountain zone change dominated the conversation at the July 8 Encampment Town Council meeting, it didn’t completely hog the spotlight. During the meeting, Saratoga resident Lela Konecny spoke to the council regarding a lease on the lumber mill at Grand Encampment Business Park. Konecny gave a presentation as a representative of Meriwether Timber. The lease on the mill is currently owned by TNT Forest Products. TNT currently has no business license, having been a...
The July 12 public hearing for the Green Mountain ski area zone change was packed full of citizens voicing their concerns for the development. Representatives from Brush Creek Ranch presented their case to the Carbon County Planning Commission for a zone amendment from Residential to Planned Unit Development (PUD). While the majority of public comments were about water concerns, there also appeared to be an underlying culture war sentiment in regards to the application. The hearing began with...
Over a decade of history converged at the June 8 Saratoga Planning Commission meeting. Chris Shannon, co-owner of The Yard music venue, attended the meeting to voice his concerns about the definition of resort and the current zoning of The Yard. These issues have been expressed before (see “And the party never ends” on page 1 of the June 30 Saratoga Sun and “Resort definition questioned again” on page 3 of the June 30 Saratoga Sun). Shannon stated resort zoning comes with a list of accesso...
The history of a local music venue known as The Yard is long and fraught, and may be gaining a new chapter this summer. The Yard, owned by Chris Shannon and Cindy Bloomquist, is located across from the Angus England American Legion Post 54 on Southeast River Street in Saratoga. One of the first major incidents with music in the Valley occurred at the July 6, 2010 Saratoga Town Council meeting. In the meeting, members of the town came before the council to ask why a musical festival at Veterans...
The Saratoga Hot Springs Resort (previously known as the Saratoga Resort and Spa) has had a convoluted history with zoning. Additionally, the history of retail business zoning seemingly goes hand in hand with the history of the resort. When the retail business zone was first established, there was no language for many types of businesses under retail business. This included resorts, as the business was established before zoning districts were introduced in the 1980s. For much of its lifespan,...
It appears the recreational vehicle (RV) park saga might not be over yet. Over the past year, JaJaCa Properties owners James (Jimmy) Campbell and Jamie Campbell have attempted to construct a new RV park along Wyoming Highway 130. The project was brought to a halt in March, when the couple pulled their special use permit application (see "RV park hits the brakes" on page 1 of the March 17 Saratoga Sun). At the June 8 Saratoga Planning Commission meeting, a letter was received from the Campbells....
The Upper Platte River Solid Waste Disposal District (UPRSWDD) held their first meeting of the year in Riverside on January 6. The meeting began with site reports and talk of grinding instead of burning trash. It was determined that the issues with burning and the cost involved made grinding the better option, but they will get a burn permit as a backup. In billing reports, the gate fee was brought up in regards to the monthly rate. It was stated that it is $25 a month compared to $50 a trip....
The Upper Platte River Solid Waste Disposal District (UPRSWDD) met on December 2 at the Platte Valley Community Center to discuss ongoing matters involving the landfill. After site reports and discussion of ongoing billing issues, the board met with Mayor Pro-Tem Bob Keel to address the James Childress report. The report was criticized in the town council meeting the day before, and this trend continued to the landfill board meeting. Keel started by discussing Childress’s overview of the r...
The Upper Platte River Solid Waste Disposal District (UPRSWDD) met on December 2 at the Platte Valley Community Center in order to discuss ongoing matters involving the landfill. Following the site reports, the board decided to talk and finalize what they were going to do about the past due accounts. Over the past few months, the district has been struggling with people failing to pay their dues on time, with some not paying for over four months. To begin, Ellie Dana-Raymer gave a report to the...
The Upper Platte River Solid Waste Disposal District (UPRSWDD) met at 7 p.m. on November 4 to hold their regularly scheduled meeting. Following the trend of the previous meeting, the major focus became that of the past due accounts and what should be done. The meeting began with site reports and discussion of waste management, however it quickly moved on to the previously established billing issues. Ellie Dana-Raymer stated that the district has been working on increasing communication with...
On October 28 the Upper Platte River Solid Waste Disposal District (UPRSWDD) held a special meeting with Saratoga mayor pro-tem Bob Keel to discuss the fund balance previously held by the town. This meeting was originally going to be held after the November 4 town council meeting, but was moved up in order to ensure there was a recording of the district’s concerns if a mayor were to be chosen after the election. Randy Raymer called the meeting to order, then allowed Keel to present the f...
In creative writing, one of the most common pieces of advice given is to "show not tell". This can be difficult to follow, but the general premise is to use descriptors to build a scene rather than using one sentence to tell the audience what is happening. After attending last Thursday's political forum, I can firmly say that this rule should apply to political candidates as well. There were a wide range of candidates from both sides of the aisle who participated in the forum in Riverside. With...
Due to the COVID-19 epidemic, many events around the state were cancelled. On the high school level, many sports seasons were unable to finish and competitors were left without a true ending. This was not the case for speech and debate. Starting on April 22, participants in Wyoming speech and debate were able to attend the state tournament online. Interpretation events were recorded prior to the tournament while debates were held via Zoom. The University of Wyoming was able to step in and provid...
The sun was shining down in Encampment on this past Memorial Day as friends and family came together to honor the fallen. Since 1984, VFW Post 1625 has held the Memorial Day Ceremony at the Encampment cemetery. This tradition is a constant reminder to the community to give thanks for veterans and fallen soldiers alike, and it was continued this year through the hardships the public has faced due to COVID-19. Along with the ceremony, the post places American flags on the graves of all veterans....
The Constitution of the United States makes this nation truly great. Created in order to revise the Articles of Confederation, and ratified in 1788, the Constitution has withstood the test of time. As the oldest surviving national constitution, this document has become a true beacon to the glories of our great country. The United States Constitution is one of our nation’s greatest achievements. It not only guarantees several rights, it also provides room to grow and change, while still p...