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At June 14’s Encampment Town Council meeting, the council discussed changes in water and sewer rates, a land dispute, a donation to the 4th of July Firework Display, and a request for use of town land with the Cheyenne Board of Public Utilities. Encampment sewer rates have increased from $23 a month to $26. According to Town Clerk Doreen Harvey, this was done due to the additional expenses and man labor caused by the upgraded lagoon system which is more resource intensive and requires more maintenance. The water rate has remained at $46 a m...
Authorities from across the county met to hear comments and concerns regarding combined dispatch during a public hearing hosted by the Town of Saratoga on June 12. The Saratoga Town Council was joined by Saratoga Chief of Police Mike Morris, Rawlins Chief of Police Michael Ward, Carbon County Sheriff Alex Bakken, Carbon County Dispatch Supervisor Tracy Newbrough, Saratoga Dispatch Supervisor Alex Munson and Rawlins Dispatch Center Supervisor Valeta Rodabaugh. The public hearing was held to hear...
With the filing deadline of May 31 now past, the ballots for the primary election are now set. In the local races, nearly all are contested with several people running for limited seats. Meanwhile, there’s some new faces in the statewide offices as one long-time congressman doesn’t appear to be running for re-election this cycle. United States Senator Beginning with United States Senator, John Barrasso will be seeking another term. Barrasso has served in the United States Senate since 2007, when he was appointed to finish the term of the lat...
With a deadline of May 31 for candidates to file for the primary election, some races will see some competition while others are either uncontested or without any candidates at all. This year, three seats are up for grabs on the Board of Carbon County Commissioners with five candidates having filed as of May 28. John Espy and Sue Jones both have filed to run for re-election. Joining them on the ballot will be Gwynn Bartlett, who has served as the Carbon County Clerk since 2010 and was re-elected in 2022, James “Jimmy” Hinkle and Garrett Ire...
Filings for the 2024 Primary Elections are currently underway. Many candidates have already applied, however there remain many positions across Carbon County without any filings. The deadline to file for candidacy in all partisan and nonpartisan races is May 31. Here are the current candidates for the 2024 Primary Election as of May 21. For the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCC), three seats are open to be filled. Sue Jones and John Espy will be running for reelection. Their most recent...
Today marks the opening of the 2024 Primary Election filing period with a deadline of May 31 for candidates in all partisan and nonpartisan primary races. A complete listing of all offices can be found in the 2024 Primary Proclamation on page B6 of this week’s Saratoga Sun. A few of those offices include three seats on the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC), three on the Saratoga Town Council, two on the Encampment Town Council and three on the Riverside Town Council. Board of Carbon C...
These days it may seem as if election cycles never end, but only bleed into one another. While it can be easy to get fatigued by the constant election rhetoric, the civic importance of elections shouldn’t be lost. This year is a presidential election and, in Wyoming, one senate seat and the lone congress seat are also on the ballot. Also on the ballot are a number of county and municipal offices. Three of the five seats on the Board of Carbon County Commissioners will be on the ballot this e...
Beginning in the spring/summer of 2028, there will be a new road through Encampment.well, at least new asphalt. At the March 14, 2024 Encampment Town Council Meeting, Aaron Spenny, WYDOT District 1 Resident Engineer in Rawlins, outlined a pavement preservation project for the town of Encampment beginning in 2028. The project would proceed in two phases with the second phase being contingent on lower costs in the initial phase and/or additional funding secured prior to construction. In the first phase, the pavement from the Highway 70 and...
On March 14, the Saratoga/Platte Valley Chamber of Commerce celebrated its 50th Anniversary at the Platte Valley Community Center. Local business owners came together to be recognized for their accomplishments both in business and the community. One of those top winners of recognition was Valley Foods & Liquor, which won 2023 Business of the Year. The local grocery store is owned and managed by Adam Clarke, a third-generation grocery store owner. Clarke said this Business of the Year Award...
The Town of Saratoga may be considering switching contracting with the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office for dispatch services following the January 16 meeting of the Saratoga Town Council. Currently, the Town operates its own dispatch services and contracts for the Town of Encampment. The City of Rawlins and the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office also have their own dispatch. All other municipalities such as Hanna, Medicine Bow and Baggs contract with the sheriff’s office. Some other parts of Wyoming have made the change to a joint dispatch syste...
The Saratoga Town Council has some tough decisions ahead of them regarding the Saratoga Police Department’s communication center. For years, decades even, Saratoga has maintained its own dispatch center. Not only has it dispatched for its own police department, but for the Encampment Police Department and the volunteer fire departments in Saratoga and Encampment. In the past, any suggestion of communications operating elsewhere was almost immediately rejected. Yet, what’s long felt like a necessity seems to have turned into a luxury, esp...
"If we were fully staffed and looking at equipment cost, that's one thing. We are truly one power bump or one illness away from not being able to keep the door's open 24/7." Supported by other law enforcement and first responders, Saratoga Police Chief Mike Morris laid out the case as to why a county-run centralized dispatch was likely a matter of when, not if. Morris, who was appointed to the position of chief last year by Mayor Chuck Davis, explained how staffing and infrastructure issues...
House District 47 Representative Bob Davis (R - Baggs) updated the Saratoga Town Council on some key legislative issues at its meeting January 2. The representative said a Bureau of Land Management Resource Management Plan is underway in Medicine Bow. “We need to keep our eye on what’s happening in Rock Springs,” Davis said. He said the Rock Springs Resource Management Plan controls 3.8 million acres of public land and the federal government is trying to conserve an additional 1.8 million acres it contends is of “critical environmental concern...
Police Chief Mike Morris made a presentation on staffing issues in dispatch services under reports from his department at the December 19 Saratoga Town Council meeting. Morris said his new full time dispatcher, Joshua Mathieu, has been hired and is in training. “So far he is doing very well,” Morris said. He said he got the two dispatch call takers, Tiffany Moore and Tana Davi, hired as well and they have worked “a couple of shifts.” “Lieutenant (John) Moore and I have worked in dispatch a bit from time-to-time,” he said. “We’re a li...
In the days since a shooting in Saratoga on December 16 in which a suspect fired approximately 40 rounds into a residence and vehicle, public response has been both swift and critical with concern over the response time by the Saratoga Police Department. According to Saratoga Police Chief Mike Morris, the response time to the shooting was a little over 10 minutes. “The call came in approximately 1:01 in the morning and from there until the first officer was notified, it was about five minutes b...
The United States Postal Service (USPS) is trying to revamp their antiquated service to help with customer service, saving money and bringing the service into the 21st century. The program they are using to do this is called the Mail Processing Facility Review (MPFR). This study determines the feasibility of changing mail processing operations to improve operational efficiency and/or service. An MPFR involves the consolidation of all originating and/or destinating distribution operations from one or more Post Offices /Facilities into other...
The Saratoga Police Department was a top subject for the Saratoga Town Council during their November 21 meeting. The governing body approved hiring three new employees and discussed raises for current dispatchers. Other matters discussed by the council included the fate of the wading pool at the municipal swimming pool and brownfield studies for the old police department. PD Staffing Issues Police Chief Mike Morris made a presentation on staffing issues at dispatch services under reports from his department. Chief Morris said he has two...
As the year draws to a close, the Saratoga Planning Commission is preparing for 2024. At their November 14 meeting, the planning commission discussed potential ordinances, a brownfield grant application and goals for next year. Processing Code Changes Emery Penner, zoning and planning director, raised the idea of a potential ordinance to the planning commission in regards to meat processing facilities. Currently, under section 18.39.020(B) of the Saratoga Municipal Code, a meat packing plant or...
The 7th Annual Hay Bale Sculpture Contest, sponsored by the Platte Valley Arts Council (PVAC), concluded on October 31 with the award going to the newest group to enter the annual contest: the Encampment Dirt Diggers Garden Club. The Annual Hay Bale Sculpture Contest began in 2016, when the PVAC challenged local ranches, businesses and families to get their creative juices flowing and make a “sculpture” with the predominant medium being hay bales. Other aspects could be incorporated such as woo...
William Craig, age 66 of Encampment, Wyoming passed away on November 5, 2023. Bill was born in Rawlins, Wyoming and grew up in the Saratoga area, between the Brush Creek and Pick Bridge Ranches. He worked for the Town of Encampment for 27 years in multiple roles as a Police Officer, Head of Maintenance and most recently on the Town Council. He also served in the volunteer fire department. Bill also worked as an operator for Sinclair for the past 12 years. Bill loved spending time outdoors in Wyo...
Platte Valley Arts Council announces 7th annual Hay Bale Sculpture Contest The Platte Valley Arts Council is sponsoring the 7th annual Hay Bale Sculpture Contest. Back in September, there was an initiation sent out to all local ranches, businesses or families to show off some good ole’ fashioned ranch ingenuity that could give their outfit creative bragging rights for a year. Six participants entered this years contest. Kelley Cattle Company who has participated in all seven years of the c...
Signs were a top topic of discussion for Encampment Town Council during their October 12 meeting. Bob Herring, an Encampment resident and business owner, brought the discussion forward under public comment. Herring, along with owning the Good Things second-hand store in Encampment, owns a short term rental on Macfarlane Avenue listed through VRBO. The property is near a local restaurant, 307 Pub & Grub, which sits at the corner of 6th Street and Macfarlane Avenue. According to Herring, visitors...
Union Telephone representatives visited with the Riverside Town Council at their monthly meeting on September 14, giving an update to a grant that would make it possible to bring fiber optic internet into Riverside and Encampment. Brian Woody, Chief Customer Relations Officer for Union Telephone told the Council that Union has applied for the Wyoming Capital Projects Fund (CPF) Grant for $1.5 million dollars. This grant is part of a program designed to provide internet service with speeds of...
Saratoga Town Hall may have a new town clerk, but she is likely a familiar face to many within the Valley. Jennifer “Jenn” Anderson was appointed as the new clerk and sworn in on September 5 during a meeting of the Saratoga Town Council. Anderson currently works as a dispatcher for the Saratoga Police Department. Prior to that, she worked for Carbon County School District No.2 for approximately 15 years. She is the mother of three children, two of whom are graduates of Encampment K-12 Sch...
District: Jackie Jones, HES/MBES Principal After 28 years in the classroom, I am starting my new role as principal of the North Carbon County Elementary Schools and couldn’t be more excited. I have spent most of my summer working on administration classes and working in Hanna and Medicine Bow Elementary Schools to prepare for the 2023-24 academic year. My husband, Clif, and I were able to take a couple of trips to Yellowstone to do some photography and escape cell phone and internet service. W...
