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The newly-seated Saratoga Airport Advisory Board held a successful initial meeting on June 12. It has been two months since the dissolution of the Saratoga Airport Board, founded in 1978, and any airport updates came via Council member Jon Nelson during meetings of the Saratoga Town Council. As the advisory board met for the first time, Nelson was joined by former airport board members Lance Grubb and Arlen Hughes, who had been appointed to the advisory board during the June 4 town council meeti...
The Encampment Town Council met at 7 p.m. on Thursday at the Encampment Town Hall with two council members absent. Council members Kim Loftice and Gary Stull were present to make a quorum. Mayor Greg Salisbury was also present. The agenda and minutes from the May 2 regular monthly meeting were quickly approved as were the financials. May’s payroll and contracted liabilities amounted to $24,803.67 and regular bills amounted to $51,808.07. Karran Bedwell, the town’s South Central Wyoming Eme...
The Hanna Town Council met at 6 p.m. on Tuesday for their regularly scheduled meeting at the Hanna Town Hall. All council members and mayor were in attendance. The agenda and minutes from the May 14 meeting were approved in the first few minutes. Council member Bob Patton gave a report on May 15 meeting of the Carbon County Council of Governments (CCCOG). “There was a presentation on ICS (Incident Command System) and the guy knew his stuff,” Patton said. “I can tell you one thing, don’t have a...
A full three member Saratoga Planning Commission met for 33 minutes starting at 5:30 p.m. on June 11. Though there were three public hearings for variances, permits or amendments on the schedule, only one occurred. The first two on the agenda, a Special Use Permit and a Zoning Amendment for Seth “Turtle” Johnson, did not occur because, as interim zoning officer Kent Smith reported, Johnson had not obtained the proper signatures as of yet. The last public hearing on the agenda was to hear com...
Much like an eddying river, the discussion around proposed water rate structures returned to the Carbon County Impact Joint Powers Board (CCIJPB) during their June 12 meeting. Following a meeting of the CCIJPB in May, the changes were sent to the Saratoga Town Council to be put into ordinance form. Then, during the June 4 town council meeting, Old Baldy Club (OBC) Manager Bill Culbreath requested that the council not hold the first reading of Ordinance No. 855. At the urging of several members...
The Riverside Town Council met a 6 p.m. on June 13 at the Riverside Town Hall with council members Fred Lorenz and Ed Golden present. Mayor Leroy Stephenson was also in attendance. The meeting started with a public hearing on renewing the liquor license for Encampment Hospitality and special permits for 24 hours on the dates of June 20, 2020; Oct. 31, 2020; and Dec. 31, 2020. After the public hearing was adjourned, the license and days for special permits was approved. The approval for the...
Editor's note: Due to the length and breadth of discussion at the most recent Saratoga Town Council Meeting, that meeting coverage has been split into three stories. If it was the intent of Saratoga mayor John Zeiger to begin a conversation about Valley healthcare by inviting Memorial Hospital of Carbon County (MHCC) to the May 21 meeting of the Saratoga Town Council, then the over 90 people present at the June 4 meeting would make it appear he succeeded. Due to the expected increase in...
It wasn’t all healthcare and public comment during the marathon meeting of the Saratoga Town Council on June 4. The council also made decisions in regards to who will perform the next audit, requested—for a second time—that Town of Saratoga legal counsel Tom Thompson send a letter to the vendor for the Saratoga Police Department’s E911 system and made appointments to the Saratoga Airport Advisory Board. ACM not engaged Under reports from town hall, the council was presented with a letter...
As has been the norm for recent meetings of the Saratoga Town Council, the discussion of the Corbett Medical Building lease between the Town of Saratoga and Health Management Services, LLC (HMS) was a main topic on June 4. It wasn’t until after two hours of public comment, a 45 minute executive session and the bulk of the committee reports that any talk about the lease actually took place. The current lease between the town and HMS lists base obligations that include 24/7 on-call services and a...
Editor, I went to the Town Council meeting at the Community Center last week. I am appalled and frightened with the division in our community over the Clinic. If you are a pot stirrer please sign your name to your verbiage and argue with whoever in private. Many people in our valley do not read the paper or listen to the radio—they listen to the inconsistent and sometimes untruthful and sometimes ignorant Facebook or web pages. Find out all sides—talk to the people involved—before stirring the pot and spreading gossip. We need our clini...
During the May 21 meeting of the Saratoga Town Council, the governing body of Saratoga did more than listen to a presentation from Memorial Hospital of Carbon County. The council made an appointment to the vacant seat on the Recreation Commission and attempted to make appointments to the newly created Saratoga Airport Advisory Board, but were prevented from doing so by the recently passed airport board ordinances. As was reported previously, a vacancy was created on the Recreation Commission...
On Friday afternoon, a Facebook page popped up on social media called “Platte Valley Citizens.” The page, along with a website, claimed to represent citizens of the Platte Valley who are concerned with the recent actions of Saratoga mayor John Zeiger. As was reported previously (see “Presentation consternation” on page 3 of the May 29 Saratoga Sun), Zeiger invited Memorial Hospital of Carbon County to the May 21 meeting of the Saratoga Town Council but failed to inform two council members...
Newspapers have a long history of being watchdogs for government, whether it is the White House or Town Hall. To be able to serve in that capacity, the readers of any newspaper should be able to trust what is being published. For a newspaper to do either of these things, it should not only ensure that there is a clear distinction between opinion and news, but report factually and objectively. When a newspaper fails to make clear the distinction between opinion and fact, it fails to meet the...
Editor, When issues surrounding the Platte Valley Medical Clinic began publicly last fall, I attended a Saratoga town meeting and I was dismayed to learn most all the discussions and possible solutions were being strictly discussed by the Saratoga council, not including the rest of the Platte Valley communities. I spoke after the meeting with, then, Councilman Faust, and impressed upon him the need for the rest of the valley towns to be included in working on a solution, as the Platte Valley...
“I just feel unprepared to have meaningful questions because we didn’t know you were going to be here tonight. At least, I didn’t.” This comment from council member Jon Nelson during the May 21 meeting of the Saratoga Town Council highlighted what appears to be a lack of communication within the Zeiger administration following an invitation several days earlier to representatives from Memorial Hospital of Carbon County (MHCC) to speak at the most recent town council meeting. Council members...
Since receiving the audit on March 5, and accepting it on April 2, the Saratoga Town Council has expressed a desire to speak with Dennis Tschacher of ACM, the company that performed the audit for Fiscal Year (FY) 2017/2018. As was reported previously (see “On the plus side” on page 3 of the May 8 Saratoga Sun), Tschacher was expected to be in attendance during the April 29 budget workshop, but was unable to attend due to scheduling conflicts. Despite the audit reporting several significant defic...
I want to apologize for the paper being late last week. Apparently the delivery driver felt it was unsafe for him to bring us our papers in a timely manner. Don’t worry. I let the organization we have contracted with to both print and deliver our papers know that this was unacceptable. Of course, this apology comes in a paper a day late by design. Hopefully, the Memorial Day photo spread on the front page spread is worth the delay to you, our readers. It has been said lately that I am ...
The Carbon County Impact Joint Powers Board (CCIJPB) voted to send their proposed water rate structure to Saratoga Town Council for approval during their meeting on May 8. As was reported previously (see “Paying for use” on page 10 of the April 17 Saratoga Sun), the CCIJPB held a public workshop before their April meeting where they tested the rate structure. Following the workshop, Jon Nelson, town council representative on the CCIJPB, was provided the full year of billing for multiple acc...
Betty Lou (Cerise) McIlvaine passed away peacefully in her sleep at her home in Saratoga Monday, May 13. The devoted mother, grandmother, businesswoman and civic leader was 78. Funeral Mass was scheduled for Tuesday, May 21, at 11 a.m. in St. Ann's Catholic Church with Father Jason Marco. Interment followed in the family plot at the Saratoga Cemetery, followed by a remembrance meal served by the Catholic Women in the Parish Hall. Betty was born July 28, 1940, in Leadville, Colo., to Alvi B. and... Full story
The Saratoga Planning Commission is officially down to three members following the resignation of Commissioner Chris Duke via email. Also, during the May 14 meeting, the commission held a public hearing for a variance at 306 N. River Street, heard from Seth “Turtle” Johnson about the property that is currently home to Mom’s Kitchen and discussed the still vacant zoning officer position. Duke Out It was during correspondence that acting Chairman Tom Westring announced Duke’s resignation from the...
“The past council can’t bind this council until 2022. I’m sorry.” This statement, from Mayor John Zeiger, came during the May 7 meeting of the Saratoga Town Council during a discussion of the current lease agreement between the Town of Saratoga and Platte Valley Clinic, LLC., a subsidiary company of Health Manage Services, LLC. (HMS). During their March 5 meeting, the council had made the motion to review the lease in May. Town attorney Tom Thompson was on hand to explain what he saw as deficie...
A common frustration, expressed from town to town, is the inconvenient scheduling of public meetings. Whether on social media, over lunch or in conversation at the post office, the complaint is almost always the same: I would make that meeting if it didn’t already have something going on. I get it. What’s more, my family gets it. At the Saratoga Sun, we cover six communities and five schools with only two reporters and one editor. Our schedules are filled with meetings. Just in Saratoga we hav... Full story
The largest turnout yet was seen at a Healthcare Sustainability Project Subcommittee (HSPS) meeting held Wednesday, May 8 at the Platte Valley Community Center to hear about a proposed Critical Access Hospital (CAH) and ask questions of the presenters. After introductions of the subcommittee and speakers present, the approximately 65 people present watched a video describing the present and possible future situation of healthcare in the Platte Valley. That video is available on...
Following their dissolution by the Saratoga Town Council, the members of the Saratoga Airport Board held their final meeting on May 8 to take care of unfinished business before the appointment of the Saratoga Airport Advisory Board. Financials, however, proved to be difficult to close the books on as the board did not have a proper financial report and had questions about the town audit. Suzie Cox, Saratoga Town Clerk, was at court and, so, was unable to provide a financial report or answers to...
Following four lengthy budget workshops, the fifth workshop for the Town of Saratoga saw council members and department heads end up with a budget putting them $3,000 in the black. Despite being advertised for 6 p.m., the workshop on April 29 began at 5:30 p.m. and lasted for three hours. As has happened with previous budget workshops, Mayor John Zeiger quickly handed the workshop over to Councilmember Jon Nelson. Nelson informed those gathered of the work he had done since the April 15 workshop...