Sorted by date Results 276 - 300 of 1180
Okay, Sun editor, you asked for it and I’m ready to give it to you. (see “Against the Grain” by Josh Wood on page 4 of April 15, 2021 issue of the Saratoga Sun) Right off, I want to compliment you on last week’s column, it’s the best you’ve written. Short, concise, to the point, informative and best of all you ask for reader input. Here are some suggestions if I—Dick Perue, former editor, publisher, printer and janitor of “The Saratoga Sun”—was once again running the award-winning weekly newspaper. Go to tab-size paper with four pages of color...
"I definitely feel that I'm supposed to be here doing this right now. It doesn't mean that I'm the best person or the most qualified, it just means that for some reason I was supposed to do this and I believe that. I know that to be true." Robert "Bob" Keel has taken on various roles in the community in recent years. He served on the Saratoga Town Council for two-and-a-half years, has coached youth and Saratoga Middle School basketball and is a physician assistant for Memorial Hospital of Carbon...
The Carbon County Council of Governments (CCCOG) met in person at on March 31 at the C4 headquarters building in Rawlins. The C4 (Carbon County Coordination Center) building was picked for the meeting to allow elected officials from the local municipalities to take in firsthand the Carbon County facility built to be the command center for emergencies. Chairman Morgan Irene started the meeting by welcoming all attendees. All Carbon County municipalities were represented with the exception of...
Of the three individuals elected to the Saratoga Town Council in 2018, only one remains following the resignation of Councilmember Bob Keel on April 6. Keel, who was elected alongside Councilmember Jon Nelson and former mayor John Zeiger, had been absent in recent meetings of the governing body but was in attendance to announce his resignation. The announcement came under the council comments section of the meeting, with Keel reading from a prepared letter. "My time as a town council representat...
Wood’s Fields may continue to be the home for Platte Valley Little League (PVLL) despite previous discussions to rehabilitate and use the ball fields owned by the Town of Saratoga south of the Saratoga Library. Discussion over the use of the field and a potential long-term lease came about during the April 6 meeting of the Saratoga Town Council. The governing body also discussed their Fiscal Year 2019/2020 audit and received an update from Director of Public Works Jon Winter about the ongoing b...
Carbon County Road 504 and Pic Pike Road continue to be a point of discussion, though no longer due to, now lifted, weight restrictions on a Wyoming Highway 130 bridge. At the April 6 meeting of the Saratoga Town Council, Carbon County Commissioner Sue Jones joined Kandis Fritz, Carbon County road and bridge administrator, to discuss several entities working together for a future chip seal project. Those entities include Carbon County, the Saratoga Cemetery Board and the Upper Platte River Solid...
For the past seven years, Marie Christen has been the sweet and smiling face behind Sweet Marie's Bakeshop in Saratoga but will now be showing her smile at Saratoga Town Hall as the new town clerk. Having first arrived in the Valley in 2010 as a sous chef for Brush Creek Ranch, Christen worked for the luxury ranch resort for more than three years before starting her first business. From custom cakes for any occasion to unique sweets and a la carte breakfast items, Sweet Marie's Bakeshop has beco...
Councilmember Bob Keel officially resigned from the Saratoga Town Council during the April 6 meeting of the governing body. Keel, who was elected to the council during the 2018 General Election, read his letter of resignation early in the meeting under council comments. Citing changes in his family life, Keel stated that he was choosing his family over the council. Keel was elected to a four year term along with Councilmember Jon Nelson and former mayor John Zeiger. Keel was appointed as mayor...
During their March 16 meeting, three members of the Saratoga Town Council and Mayor Creed James stated they would donate the 1st quarter of their governmental salaries to a local fundraising group. The commitment came while Dan Jones, a Saratoga resident and president of Prairie Dog Fundraising, approached the governing body about a continued financial commitment from the Town of Saratoga. Prairie Dog Fundraising, a non-profit corporation, annually holds the Prairie Dog Open at the Whistle Pig...
The Town of Saratoga has finally filled a vital position in town hall as Mayor Creed James appointed a new town clerk on March 16. Since the resignation of former town clerk Suzie Cox effective December 31, 2020, the Saratoga Town Council has contracted Pam Paulson, former Town of Hanna treasurer, to aid treasurer Sammy Flohr and assistant clerk/treasurer Brenda Mistelske. Along with appointing a new clerk, the Saratoga Town Council also discussed a new repeater for the Saratoga Police...
The Carbon County Visitors Council (CCVC) met in Rawlins on March 10 at the Best Western Hotel for their regularly scheduled meeting. All board members were present in person except the Baggs and Hanna representatives. Weather had prevented them coming in person, and they joined the meeting by Zoom. The Board approved 36 vouchers between February 21, 2020 and March 10, 2021 totaling $27,387.47 for payment. After the financial summary was approved, the board approved the municipality distribution...
It appears that Saratoga will not be getting a new recreational vehicle (RV) park in the near future. At least, if one is built, it will likely not be by JaJaCa Properties owners James (Jimmy) and Jamie Campbell. During a public hearing for a special use permit at the March 9 meeting of the Saratoga Planning Commission, the would-be developers announced they would not be applying for an RV park permit and requested to pull their special use permit application. The latest development in the saga...
While the Town of Saratoga has yet to start on their audit of Fiscal Year 2020/2021, the Saratoga-Carbon County Impact Joint Powers Board (SCCIJPB) is nearing the completion of their financial review. During their March 9 meeting, the SCCIJPB was informed by Chairman Richard Raymer that Binder Dijker Otte (BDO)—Anton Collins Mitchell (ACM), the auditing firm historically used by the joint powers board merged with BDO in 2020—had asked for direction from the board on the inclusion of a disclosure...
Over the past few months, the Saratoga-Carbon County Impact Joint Powers Board (SCCIJPB) has discussed collecting on delinquent water and sewer accounts and terminating the services of those in arrears. Following their March 9 meeting, however, it appears that the joint powers board and the Town of Saratoga must first review and revise portions of their ordinance relating to water and sewer billing. In January, Director of Public Works Jon Winter asked both the SCCIJPB and the Saratoga Town...
More than a month after Blakeman Propane appeared before the Saratoga Town Council, the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) approved a conditional use permit for the Wyoming-based company during their March 2 meeting on a 4-1 vote. As was previously reported (see “But does it look nice?” on page 1 of the January 27 Saratoga Sun), Will Zilka of Blakeman Propane had appeared before the Town of Saratoga’s governing body to address any concerns the council may have had. While the bulk propa...
The first recreational vehicle (RV) park to be constructed since the passage of the Town of Saratoga's RV park ordinance may be in the ditches, quite literally, following the March 2 meeting of the Saratoga Town Council. Over the past year, Saratoga residents James (Jimmy) and Jamie Campbell have sought to construct a new RV park along Wyoming Highway 130. Under the name JaJaCa Properties, the couple have sought a zone amendment, a special use permit and an RV park permit. While confusion over...
The importance of tourism to Carbon County is everywhere if one knows where to look. The iconic hotels and good restaurants are not the only places that serve visitors. Gas stations, retail establishments, law enforcement agencies, museums and even town halls benefit from tourists. Almost all Carbon County residents of benefit from tourism to varying degrees and it is in the county's best interest visitors leave with a positive impression of the area. The Carbon County Visitors Council (CCVC)...
Stop me if you’ve heard this one. Saratoga needs traffic lights. I’ll wait for you to calm down from that statement before I continue. Take a couple deep breaths, maybe look at this week’s editorial cartoon and take a sip of coffee. Better? Ok. Saratoga needs traffic lights. Look, I hate writing that probably as much as you hate reading it, but I think it’s a hard truth that needs to be heard. Since moving back into town limits a little over a year ago, I’ve discovered that our sleepy little to...
While the Saratoga Planning Commission recommended approval of a zone amendment for the Octagon Construction Group (Octagon) during their February 9 meeting, that recommendation did not come without some discussion. That discussion mainly centered around whether the proposed zone was appropriate for the proposed use as well as the process for zone amendments. The piece of property that Bo Stocks, owner of Octagon, is looking to rezone is currently zoned RD 9000, sits along Sierra Madre Avenue...
The Carbon County Visitors Council (CCVC) met on February 17 via Zoom. It would be a short meeting compared to most CCVC board meetings. As it lasted exactly one hour. After all board members were identified, the agenda and minutes from the regularly scheduled meeting January 20 were approved. CCVC Director Leslie Jefferson went over the lodging tax collected and Carbon County had a major uptick from last month and last year. For the month of February, which included the latter part of January,...
The Saratoga Town Council just barely had a quorum as it met on February 17. With Councilmember Bob Keel and Mayor Creed James both absent and Councilmember D’Ron Campbell joining by phone, the meeting lasted less than 45 minutes. With Mayor Pro-Tem Ben Spaulding chairing the meeting, the governing body covered a variety of subjects in a short amount of time compared to past meetings. Town Hall Since the first meeting in January, the subject of town hall has taken up a fair amount of d...
Joel James, Brierly Associates, gave a presentation on the status of the Abandoned Mines Land (AML) program in Hanna on February 9. He explained the purpose of the program was to mitigate hazards to public health and safety posed by abandoned mines, which Hanna has in abundance. The program is funded by federal fees on current coal mining. He said final disbursement of AML funds ends in 2022, but that reclamation work will continue past 2022. James said, in 2020, the completed mitigation...
When the Wyoming Legislature reconvenes in March, the perennial battle to keep public notices in Wyoming newspapers will return as well. On February 4, the Senate Corporation Committee voted 4-1 to advance to the Wyoming Senate legislation that would remove the requirement for counties and municipalities to publish minutes and salary information in newspapers. Senate File 17 was crafted under the guise of saving the counties and municipalities money during much needed budget crunches. During the nearly two hour meeting, which be found at...
The Saratoga Town Council is preparing to move forward with an audit of Fiscal Year 2019/2020 after making the decision to contract with a retired University of Wyoming professor. During their February 2 meeting, the governing body also discussed moving the pay period date for Town of Saratoga employees. Audit Preparation As the Saratoga Town Council moves ever closer to the end of the current fiscal year, it does so without an audit of the previous fiscal year. While an audit was conducted by...
When the One Percent Specific Purpose Sales and Use Tax (6th penny tax) appeared before voters on May 7, 2019 one of the projects listed for the Town of Saratoga included the rehabilitation of one of the municipality's water storage tanks. The need to either rehabilitate or replace one of two water storage tanks southwest of Saratoga is likely more evident now that winter has arrived. Due to the leaking of one water storage tank, a large amount of ice has formed on the side which was brought to...