Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
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On November 4, for one day only, the hot springs at the Saratoga Hot Springs Resort weren’t the only things heating up. In the Saratoga Room, just past the Silver Saddle Room, five couples learned Argentinian Tango. The class, which was taught by Amy Beaudet and Ilya Lisenker, was sponsored by the Platte Valley Arts Council. “When I first got onto the Platte Valley Arts Council, it came up as a possibility of bringing tango to the Valley. I think one of the long-time mem...
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...
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...
The same struggle of employee shortages plaguing emergency call centers around the nation will also soon impact the Saratoga Police Department, which already has a small staff of dispatch workers. At the November 7 meeting of the Saratoga Town Council, Chief Mike Morris told the council that he would soon be down to only two full-time dispatchers. The typical amount of dispatch staff for his department is four full-time employees. Dispatch Shortage “We’re running into a lit...
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 t...
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 inc...
At a special meeting held on November 2, the Carbon County Republican Party Central Committee selected three candidates for the vacancy on the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) following the resignation of Commissioner Byron Barkhurst. As was previously reported, Barkhurst’s resignation was accepted by the commissioners on October 17. At the same meeting, the BOCCC also declared a vacancy and provided a written letter to the chairman of the Carbon County R...
It all started with some pumpkin seeds. “I found pumpkin seeds in Cheyenne. I grew pumpkins thinking they weren’t going to make it, I grew them in tiny medicine cups and they took off,” said Sophia Borg. “So, I had this big plan that we (StrongTower Designs and Palomino Hat Bar) were going to have a pumpkin patch. That grew from the pumpkin patch into the festival.” The festival is the inaugural Saratoga Fall Festival—or Saratoga FallFest—which was held on October 21 on...
In the past three years, the amount of short term rentals in the Saratoga area have grown from less than 25 to more than 70. In fact, they are now nearly 8% of the total housing in Saratoga. For the past year, the Saratoga Planning Commission has discussed short term rentals, whether they should be regulated and how they should be regulated. That discussion culminated in a special use permit for short term rentals, which was ultimately tabled last month. The tabling of the permit came following input from the Town of Saratoga...
After more than a decade, multiple blueprints and plans and a name change it seems there might be some progress for Never Forget Park. During the October 17 meeting of the Saratoga Town Council, the governing body was provided an update from Stacy Crimmins, a member of the working group formed more than two years ago for the memorial park. With that update came a request to go out for bid for phase one of the long-awaited project. “In phase one construction, we will be s...
Calling it "a battle we more than likely can't win" the Saratoga Town Council will not be challenging the updated flood insurance rate maps from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). That decision came at the October 17 meeting of the Saratoga Town Council following information from Nathan Werner of S20 Engineering. The firm had been engaged by the Town of Saratoga last month to review the preliminary maps released by FEMA. Werner, along with reviewing the maps,...
The subject of payroll, specifically relating to overtime for dispatchers, was discussed by the Saratoga Town Council during their October 17 meeting. The town council also passed a resolution approving the final plat for Octagon Estates Phase Three, with some conditions added which were recommended by the planning commission. Overtime Payout The discussion regarding overtime pay for dispatchers came under a report from the Saratoga Police Department. “Earlier in the year, s...
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 s...
It appears any progress on potential regulations for short term rentals, or STRS, in Saratoga is stalled for the foreseeable future. A decision to table a special use permit was made by the Saratoga Planning Commission on October 10. The decision came following suggestions from Kylie Waldrip, legal counsel for the Town of Saratoga, who advised the planning commission to let Jackson “have the fight.” Government Overreach The discussion over whether the Town of Saratoga sho...
The third phase of the Octagon Estates subdivision is on its way to being platted, following the September 12 meeting of the Saratoga Planning Commission. The seven member commission voted 6-1 to recommend approval of the final plat for phase three presented by Octagon Construction Group. That recommendation came with a lengthy discussion about the current code regulating subdivisions and whether the code would need to be amended for future developments. Building Towards...
Bridges and flooding were the main talking points for the Saratoga Town Council on September 19. The governing body will be following through with the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) on replacing the bridge at Texas Trail and have selected a group to help appeal the recently released Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Flood Insurance Rate Map. Bridging the Gap In March 2022, the Saratoga Town Council had received notification from WYDOT that the bridge...
Property development was the main topic of the September 5 meeting of the Saratoga Town Council as the governing body discussed Town-owned land and improvements of a subdivision. Mayor Chuck Davis informed council members of the public about additional interest in property owned by the municipality, leading to a discussion about people “cherry-picking” lots in town limits. The council and members of the public also discussed progress—or lack thereof—in improvements for Oct...
Saratoga may have another provider of high-speed internet in the near future, adding a fiber optic option provided to parts of the municipality by Union Wireless. At the September 5 meeting of the Saratoga Town Council, Mayor Chuck Davis informed the rest of the governing body he had signed a letter of support for Mountain West Technologies. The letter, which was included in the council packet, was dated August 22 and addressed to the Wyoming Business Council Connect Wyoming G...
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 Enc...
The Saratoga Planning Commission, now fully seated, discussed short-term rentals (STRs), affordable housing and subdivisions during their August 8 meeting. JoDell Hone, the most recently appointed board member, joins Matt Baker, Johnny Portillo, McCall Burau, Nancy Ford, Mayor Chuck Davis and Chia Valdez-Schwartz on the planning commission. The make-up of the commission appears quite diverse with members either being long-time locals or recent arrivals to Saratoga and includes retired individuals, local business owners and...
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 i...
Pickleball was again a center court issue for the Saratoga Town Council during their August 1 meeting as the council discussed the recreation commission's handling of the event. The discussion involved, at times, heated exchanges between Mayor Chuck Davis, Councilmember Kathy Beck and members of the public. The event itself didn't appear to be the issue. The issues, instead, seemed to be communication between commission members and businesses, the bidding process for food...
Different properties owned by the Town of Saratoga were major topics during the August 1 meeting of the Saratoga Town Council. While one piece of property may have potential buyers, another could obtain a Brownfields Assessment through the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Additional topics discussed by the governing body included a cyanobacterial bloom at Saratoga Lake and sheep owned by Scott Kerbs. Saratoga lake is experiencing a cyanobacteria bloom and the council...
The town of Saratoga, and the Saratoga Recreation Department, staged the 1st Annual Pickleball Tournament on Saturday, July 22, at Veterans Island. The event drew 20 players, competing in doubles, divided into two flights; beginners and intermediate level players. Most teams were local; from Saratoga and Rawlins, but a team from Cheyenne and one from Casper were also competing. It is notable that Saratoga staged this tournament of the popular sport since just six weeks ago...
The western water tower for the Town of Saratoga, which has long been a source of frustration for both the Saratoga Town Council and the water and sewer joint powers board, was finally demolished this week. The tower had been scheduled for demolition and isolated from the water system for over a year....
