Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
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Though tensions seem to have eased between the Saratoga Town Council and the Saratoga-Carbon County Impact Joint Powers Board (SCCIJPB) compared to where they were over a year ago, the joint powers board is still keeping an eye on proceedings with the Town of Saratoga. During the August 11 meeting of the SCCIJPB, Chairman Richard Raymer led discussion in regards to the administrative fee charged by the Town to the joint powers board. Board members also discussed the ongoing...
The old Wyoming adage “Whiskey is for drinking, water is for fighting” seemed especially true during the August 12 meeting of the Encampment Town Council. Both the Encampment Town Council and Encampment residents are preparing for the September 14 meeting of the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC), when the county commissioners will hold a public hearing on the highly debated Planned Unit Development (PUD) for Green Mountain at Brush Creek Ranch. It wasn’t just Encam...
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...
Carbon County Fire Chief John Rutherford gave a presentation to the Carbon County Council of Governments (CCCOG) on July 21 at the Valley Community Center in Baggs on the need for a fire district in Carbon County. There were representatives from all municipalities with the exception of Encampment and Riverside. “Thank you for letting me address you about this topic for Carbon County,” Rutherford said. “This organization allows the municipalities to work together, yet have...
Carbon County will have a new health officer as of August 1 following a split vote by the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) on July 20. Dr. Marvin Wayne Couch II, who served as the county health officer for two years, will be replaced by Dr. Duane Abels. The decision to enter into a contract with Abels comes after two meetings—one on June 1 and one on July 6—in which the county commissioners discussed the county health officer position. It also comes as Wyoming beg...
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...
Senate File 60 and the collection of ad valorem taxes were, again, heavily discussed by the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) during their July 6 meeting. A continuation of concerns and frustrations expressed by Carbon County Treasurer Patty Bentsen in May and June, the discussion was primarily led by Jeremiah Reinman, executive director of the Wyoming County Commissioners Association (WCCA). The root of the concerns for the county commissioners and treasurer...
Despite having three candidates, the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) appears to be in a holding pattern in regards to the county health officer following their July 6 meeting. For nearly two years, Dr. Wayne Couch has served as the Carbon County Health Officer. In August 2019, Couch was appointed by the BOCCC and was, according to Nurse Manager Amanda Brown, was the only applicant interested in the position. When the contract came up for renewal in June...
Editor’s Note: This is the second in a series of articles on the Green Mountain ski area. On July 12, representatives from Brush Creek Ranch will appear before the Carbon County Planning Commission in regards to a zone amendment for the Green Mountain ski area from Residential to Planned United Development (PUD). The public hearing comes almost 20 years to the day after the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) approved a previous zone amendment for all of Section 36 o...
Editor’s note: This is the first in a series on the Green Mountain ski area. When Brush Creek Ranch purchased the Green Mountain Ski Area in June 2019, many residents in Encampment and Riverside assumed, or perhaps feared, the luxury resort would develop the 620-acre property. A public notice in the June 16 Saratoga Sun seemed to confirm those assumptions with the announcement of a public hearing on July 12 for a zone change from residential to a planned unit development (...
County level fire restrictions will be coming sooner rather than later according to interim Fire Warden John Rutherford. During the June 15 meeting of the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC), Rutherford informed the commissioners of fire restrictions he had been made aware of that morning including from the United States Forest Service (USFS) and from Moffat County and Routt County in Colorado. Indeed, on the afternoon of June 15, Stage 1 fire restrictions were announ...
With Independence Day just around the corner, the desire to light off fireworks is likely increasing for individuals and commercial entities alike. Each year, businesses such as Brush Creek Ranch, Old Baldy Club and the Seminoe Boat Club put on shows for guests. Though fireworks are technically banned in Carbon County, a process is established in which residents can enjoy a light show by submitting an application to the county fire warden. While the application stipulates a...
The headache of Senate File 60 and ad valorem taxes is continuing for county treasurers and will likely turn into one for county assessors as well. At the June 1 meeting of the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC), Treasurer Patty Bentsen gave an update on the progress, or lack thereof, the Wyoming County Treasurers Association (WCTA) had made in speaking with the Wyoming Department of Revenue. According to Bentsen, the WCTA had met with both the Wyoming County...
Following a request for entries from county residents to design an official seal for Carbon County, the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) have selected their official seal. Bobbie Herman submitted the winning entry, which was selected on June 1 by the BOCCC. Herman, a rancher and artist from the Elk Mountain area, combined several elements of Carbon County's past and present into the seal. The seal will be professional reproduced and used in a variety of ways by...
It appears nuclear energy will be coming to Wyoming in the near future. In a press release from the Office of Governor Mark Gordon, it was announced TerraPower and PacificCorp would be undergoing efforts to advance a Natrium reactor demonstration project at a retiring coal plant in Wyoming. No site was announced by the companies but it was stated they were evaluating several potential locations. “I am thrilled to see Wyoming selected for this demonstration pilot project as o...
Carbon County Commissioner John Espy was recently elected as the 2nd Vice President of the Western Interstate Region (WIR) according to a press release from the Wyoming County Commissioners Association (WCCA). WIR is a regional affiliate of the National Association of Counties (NACo) and the election occurred during the WIR spring board of directors meeting in Hamilton, Montana. "I am excited for this new role with the Western Interstate Region," said Espy. "The work this...
Newly passed legislation appears to be causing headaches for county treasurers throughout Wyoming before it has even taken effect. Senate File 60, which was introduced and passed during the 2021 General Session, is supposed to provide a process for monthly ad valorem taxation of mineral production instead of biannual payments. During the May 18 meeting of the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC), County Treasurer Patty Bentsen requested a letter of support from the...
Though Carbon County has received some much needed moisture in the past few days, fire departments throughout the county have been dealing with an increasing number of wildland fires due to a dryer-than-normal spring. During the May 4 meeting of the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC), interim Carbon County Fire Warden John Rutherford informed the board none of the fires were what he considered accidental. “Unfortunately we’re having fires already. Little Snake Riv...
As the 2022 election cycle seems to be heating up early, election precincts and municipal boundaries were a point of discussion during the May 4 meeting of the Board of Carbon County Commissioners. The discussion stemmed from concerns raised by Joey Correnti IV, Carbon County Republican Chairman, to Carbon County Clerk Gwynn Bartlett. In addition to the discussion of election precincts, Bartlett also briefly talked to the commissioners about the voter identification law...
Just one day after Paul Zamora's effective retirement as the Carbon County Coroner, the Carbon County Republican Party Central Committee unanimously selected a candidate to fill the vacancy. Brittany Nyman, who served as chief deputy coroner under Zamora, will be presented to the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) during their May 4 meeting in Rawlins. As was previously reported (see "No finer professional" on page 1 of the April 28 Saratoga Sun), Zamora's...
Carbon County Road 351, also known as Seminoe Road, may be seeing far more traffic than normal. It also may be seeing more attention than normal. During the April 20 meeting of the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC), Kandis Fritz discussed a potential road use agreement for County Road 351 as well as potential grants for repairing the deteriorating road. Sand mines Fritz informed the commissioners that she had received a call the day before the meeting about...
With budget sessions beginning this week for the Saratoga Town Council, the search continues for an accounting firm to audit Fiscal Year 2019/2020. At the April 20 meeting of the governing body, Mayor Creed James stated he had been in contact with several firms since being informed by Carver Florek and James that they would not engage with the Town of Saratoga for a second year. In similar financial business, the town council discussed two different State Homeland Security...
It was difficult to find a dry eye in the Medicine Bow Senior Center on April 20 as Carbon County Coroner Paul Zamora announced his resignation via letter to the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC). “It is with great sorrow and trepidation that I inform you of my decision to retire at the end of this month. This decision stems from the current treading of my illness,” wrote Zamora. “It is time to focus all my energy on treatment and a little fun.” The letter, read by...
As Carbon County receives national, and international, attention for its embrace of wind energy, the influx of wind energy projects shows no sign of stopping. On April 6, Michael Svedeman, Senior Manager of Development for Invenergy, appeared before the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) to discuss yet another upcoming wind project. Inevergy’s appearance before the county commissioners comes nearly two years since the Illinois-based company transferred ownership o...
While the arrival of spring may have more people thinking about floods rather than fires, four recent events that began as controlled burns are showing just how dry things are before the spring runoff. During the April 6 meeting of the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC), the commissioners were informed about the recent events by Lenny Layman, Carbon County Emergency Manager, which took place on April 3. “We had three to four controlled burns that got out of control,...