Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
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Mayor Ed Glode learned about his hometown from a new standpoint as mayor, and looks forward to another year. “I’ve enjoyed it. It’s been fun working with everybody and learning a lot of new things, and learning town finances. There’s certain challenges working with state and federal government. It’s entertaining,” Glode laughed. While he has known the town well through growing up in Saratoga and held governmental positions in the past, Glode said the position of mayor has given him a new perspec...
I’ve learned a lot about myself through cooking. Some of my fonder memories include sitting around while my dad made dinner, eating grapes and picking up on things through exposure while not really paying attention. When I got a little older, I started helping my mom make things too, which involved “recipe following,” or kind of vaguely throwing things together with the assumption of common sense about how things taste. By some kind of magic, it always seemed to work. When I was diagnosed with c...
The deadline for the second Saratoga master plan survey, conducted by Community Builders, Inc. (CBI) has been extended to Jan. 15. According to Bobbe Fitzhugh, of CBI, the deadline was extended because of a lack of participation during the holidays. “We want to make sure everyone that wants to fill out the survey has the opportunity to do that,” said Fitzhugh. Right now, CBI has gathered about 75 responses compared to approximately 150 total from the first survey. While the number itself doe...
Two new planning commissioners, Jim Beckmann and Chris Duke, were appointed at the Dec. 15 town council meeting. When councilpersons were asked about the reasoning for picking two new planning commissioners as opposed to re-appointing the current ones, Greg Cooksey and Chris Shannon, the resounding reasoning was a desire to add some new faces to the commission. They found the applicants well-suited for the positions, as well. “I think just rubber-stamping, re-appointing someone probably i...
The Carbon County School District No. 2 (CCSD#2) Board of Trustees appointments remain the same for the upcoming terms, as determined at the Dec. 16 meeting. The meeting was the last before the school holiday, and Mike Erickson, Encampment K-12 principal, gave his school improvement report, which is required of all the principals. Encampment had high test scores, with only two students from kindergarten through ninth grade performing at basic or below basic on the spring Measures of Academic Pro...
Saratoga Mayor Ed Glode is planning to head up a committee to clean up the town, with the focus more on the final product of beautified properties and less on ticketing for non-compliance. According to Glode, complaints about junk have been made for years and there had been a committee working to clean-up areas of the town, however it was temporarily disbanded. The Dec. 8 planning commission meeting brought ordinance enforcement to the attention of the town, and Glode has been considering...
The Saratoga speech team took home first place at their first meet of the season at the Bobcat Invitation in Thermopolis Dec. 12. According to head coach Jacob Mickelsen, the Panther Talk Jocks had more points than even the top 3A teams. "We didn't just win the 2A category," Mickelsen said. Mickelsen said the one-day, shorter meet was a good win to start off with. Roughly a dozen schools were in attendance, up through 3A competition. "We got some really good feedback at the Thermopolis...
The Saratoga wrestling team had a good tournament overall in Kremmling, Colo., despite some illnesses over the week. Bradley Bifano and Thatcher Spiering both took first place in their weight classes, 145 pounds and 160 pounds respectively. Jaxon King and Thomas Ingraham brought home second place each, at 120 and 152 pounds, respectively. Daynon Mowry was fourth in the 132 pounds category. Because of the illness circulating in the team, the grapplers were not pressured to cut weight, instead to...
The Saratoga/Carbon County Impact Joint Powers (water and sewer) Board met on Dec. 9, with the meeting causing a discussion about the wastewater lagoon and what dumping means to the lagoon system. This concern was brought to attention when Blackwater Septic Solutions, of Rawlins, had a representative present and Posey Wagon Portable Toilet Services LLC wrote a letter, both requesting to dump waste at the wastewater lagoons. Chairperson Don Price offered a background of dumping at the lagoon,...
“It’s a program to help in parenting, every day parenting. They kind of say, ‘No mom alone.’ It’s a mom support group,” said Jaci Schwerdt, coordinator of the Saratoga Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) charter. Schwerdt said the Saratoga group ranges from expectant mothers to mothers of children going into kindergarten. According to Schwerdt, MOPS is an international organization based out of Colorado Springs, Colo. According to Schwerdt, the bi-monthly meetings are supported with materials f...
The pronghorn population in Wyoming has seen a decline, and University of Wyoming graduate student Adele Reinking has been collaring females from various herds hoping to learn why. Part of her research takes place in the Carbon County area, and Reinking has been receiving help from the Rawlins Bureau of Land Management (BLM) field office to gather the dropped collars and data about the animals. The collared pronghorn are female, as is typical for studies about population, Reinking said. A...
The ExCel preschool in Saratoga has seen an increase in class sizes. In order to accomodate children, class frequency per student has been reduced to two days a week instead of four, according to Jaime Stine, executive director for Developmental Preschool and Daycare out of Laramie. Currently, this is the parent group for Saratoga’s preschool. The effort to bring a licensed daycare to Saratoga has brought several issues to the table about preschool services as well, since the decreased a...
The Saratoga Airport Board has been supervising hangar inspections, performed by Kent Smith, in hopes that they will be completed at the end of the year. This is to maintain standards set by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that limit personal items interfering with aviation activities. While Smith said that most everyone has had something that did not belong, he did not consider anything to be a major issue and everyone is mostly in compliance. There are 10 hangars left to inspect,...
The Saratoga Panthers Boys Wrestling team fought hard, tense matches last weekend at Powell, with two Saratoga wrestlers placing. Thomas Ingraham and Thatcher Spiering, both at 152 lbs., each placed in third and second place, respectively. "Nothing to hang our heads about," said head coach Jared Mason, adding that Saratoga finished third as a team after Natrona and Powell, top 3A and 4A schools. "Hopefully our kids are excited and want to build on that." Thatcher Spiering took on a returning...
With the new transfer station imminent, the Upper Platte River Solid Waste District (UPRSWD) board members express concerns over funding at the state level. While Craig Kopasz, of Engineering Associates, reported that about 95 percent of the transfer station specs and plans are complete, board member and county commissioner Sue Jones discussed the state financial situation, saying that money is tight at the state level and UPRSWD should cover its bases to make up the difference in funds if it...
Saratoga Town Councilperson Will Faust brought an update on the oft-discussed issue of daycare in Saratoga at the Dec. 1 Saratoga Town Council Meeting. After meeting with the team of volunteers working to get a daycare in town as well as Jamie Stine, of Developmental Preschool and Daycare, the group identified a problem of staffing, square footage and minor repairs in the preschools. In order to move forward, the town needs to complete a feasibility study. According to Faust, the updated...
Carbon County Undersheriff Archie Roybal warned of holiday scams this season, saying that any unexpected requests that ask for credit card information or money orders and warn that “time is of the essence” should be regarded as suspicious. Suspicious activity should be reported to the Carbon County Sherriff’s Office. Scams that have been reported usually come by letter or phone call, Roybal said. According to a newsletter issued by the Sheriff’s office, scams identified so far include police...
I didn’t imagine that when I graduated college I would still be fighting and hoping for a decent minimum wage, but I am. I think about it daily, because I actually can’t imagine what life would be like without significant financial struggles. I’ll admit it: I’m one of America’s poor. I’m not one of America’s poorest, but I’m not in the position to save more than a few dollars every month, if any dollars at all. I have some light college debt, but those loan payments still eliminate poten...
Koyoty Sports moved their business to Bridge Avenue on Nov. 1. Warden Patzer, co-owner, said the business will focus on sales of guns, ammo and other sporting goods, potentially moving away from taxidermy services. Patzer said the new location has more space and a better location downtown with more walk-in traffic, however the taxidermy business cannot continue on Bridge Avenue. The inventory has changed along with the focus of the business, which will include more outdoor shoes and clothing, Pa...
The Saratoga Wrestling team saw a solid season in 2014–15, and wrestling head coach Jared Mason is looking forward to an even more improved year. With five wrestlers as state placers last year and four of them returning, Mason expects an exciting season with the team of seven. “We haven’t had an individual state champ in a while and hopefully we’ll get one this year, and I think it could happen,” Mason said. Right now, the team is working on basics and conditioning, drilling to get back up t...
Century21 in Saratoga is closing, but the franchise owners Will and Susan Speer said that all of their services will still be available to residents in the Platte Valley. They were not quite ready to close the doors yet, but problems with the franchise agreement ultimately led them to the decision move all business to the office in Rawlins. The Speers were hoping to have the Saratoga location as a satellite office in order not to renew a 10-year lease. When that agreement fell through, they had...
"It's the biggest little store in the country," said Mark Rauterkus, owner of the Trading Post in Encampment. At the Trading Post, Rauterkus holds his spot behind the counter, while regulars enjoy food and coffee, ready to help those that stop in for a variety of goods and services. Other employees take that same post, and the staff helps locals and residents as they come by. Rauterkus has owned the gas station, convenience store and sporting goods shop since 1985, and on Dec. 7 they will celebr...
“A master plan is a blueprint for the future of the community. It is just a plan. The plan itself has no legal basis other than when the planning commission adopts the master plan, which is their legal duty to do,” said Bobbe Fitzhugh, of Community Builders, Inc., the company responsible for developing the Saratoga Master Plan. The master plan shall be adopted by the planning commission according to their statutes, however once it is adopted, the town and the planning commission have con...
The second master plan survey has been discussed and deliberated by Community Builders, Inc. (CBI) as well as interested community members, and is available in hard copies or online as of last Friday. CBI met with the public on Nov. 18 at the Platte Valley Community Center (PVCC) to discuss the second survey and evaluate the survey questions. The second survey builds on responses from the first and collects demographic information in order to gain a better understanding of who is voicing...
Saratoga Mayor Ed Glode thinks that with the significant change of guard that occurred when he took office, it may be time for the boards and commissions to take a class in open meeting laws. Open meeting laws, determined by the state of Wyoming, consist of specific rules about adequate public notice and availability of information as well as outline penalties for those that violate the rules. The issue was brought to Glode’s attention two weeks ago as there was confusion about the method for r...