Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
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Carbon County Economic Development Corporation (CCEDC) Director Yvonne Johnson won't deny that 2020 has been challenging. Not only because she was newly hired as the year went into its third month, but because the United States was facing an uncertain time as a new virus started to challenge the way of life for many Americans. She was hired in February but, due to the COVID-19 virus, she found herself not able to start the job until the end of May. Johnson grew up in Carbon...
Just two weeks after former Councilmember Bob Keel announced his resignation, the Saratoga Town Council was able to make an appointment to the vacant position. On April 20, Saratoga resident Ron Hutchins was sworn in by Mayor Creed James. This, however, was not the first time that Hutchins had submitted a letter of interest. When Councilmember D'Ron Campbell was re-appointed to the governing body, Hutchins had been one of three applicants-including Campbell-who interviewed...
The Hanna Town Council met on April 12 at the Hanna Town Hall. The council members present were Sam Sikes and Bill Dys. Council members Tracy Fowler and Jayson Nordquist were absent. Mayor Lois Buchanan was present. The council heard reports from the different departments and boards and once they were completed, the council approved them all. The bills to be paid up to March 31, totaling $35,341.87, were ratified. The bills to be paid on April 14, totaling $19,194.03, were...
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...
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...
"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...
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...
It’s not easy serving the public. This was made clear on April 6, when Bob Keel resigned his position from the Saratoga Town Council. Keel, in his resignation letter, stated that he was choosing his family over the council. The Saratoga Sun applauds him for making such a difficult decision and wishes him well in his new venture. There may be many in the community who are disappointed that Keel did not finish out his four year term. A look into Saratoga’s past, however, shows that it is not at all uncommon for people to take t...
As the Saratoga-Carbon County Impact Joint Powers Board (SCCIJPB) continues its pursuit of extremely delinquent accounts, potential changes to the municipal code may help streamline that process. During the April 13 meeting of the joint powers board, Director of Public Works Jon Winter presented the board members with changes to Saratoga Municipal Code 13.60.010 and 13.60.020. These two sections of the code pertain to delinquent charges and termination of services. When the...
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...
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 W...
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...
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...
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'...
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...
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 munici...
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...
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 inclus...
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...
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...
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....
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. W...
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...
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 discovere...
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...