Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
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Jo Walliser had an unpleasant discovery as she opened a box containing clothes donated to Bridge Street Bargains. Mixed in with the clothing was a dead mouse. Walliser immediately threw the box out and did not touch the garments. This was a smart precaution. The threat posed by rodents to both our health and property is significant. Rodents invade an estimated 21 million homes in the U.S. every winter, and an infestation can cause more than just a headache for homeowners. The...
The Town of Saratoga is in search of a full-time recreation director following the resignation of Lisa Burton on August 3. Mayor Creed James read an email from Burton, who was not in attendance, announcing her resignation as recreation director at the August 3 meeting of the Saratoga Town Council. Burton’s resignation comes as the governing body continues its search for a treasurer and a planning and zoning officer. Burton bids farewell When James read the email from Burton a...
The Carbon County Council of Governments (CCCOG) met at 6:30 p.m. on July 21 at the Baggs Community Recreation Center. Encampment and Riverside did not have representatives attending. Jim Espy, who is a transportation commissioner who represents Commission District 2, serving Albany, Carbon and Sweetwater counties was present as was Larry S. Hicks who is a member of the Wyoming State Senate, representing District 11. The agenda was amended to allow time for Wyoming Department...
In the past two years, Saratoga has experienced three significant gas events which have required the presence of emergency responders. At the July 20 meeting of the Saratoga Town Council, representatives from Black Hills Energy were in attendance to explain their policy regarding emergency gas events. The most recent one was a gas meter strike in June of this year, which resulted in a shelter-in-place notification through Carbon County’s AlertSense program. In November 2019, t...
While the Planned Unit Development (PUD) for Green Mountain by Brush Creek Ranch (BCR) has faced much controversy, it successfully moved to the next stage of approval during a special meeting by Carbon County Planning Commission on July 26. The PUD will be sent to the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCC) for review and potential approval. The planning commission staff created a series of amendments for the PUD guide after the July 12 public hearing. Some amendments...
While discussion of the Green Mountain zone change dominated the conversation at the July 8 Encampment Town Council meeting, it didn’t completely hog the spotlight. During the meeting, Saratoga resident Lela Konecny spoke to the council regarding a lease on the lumber mill at Grand Encampment Business Park. Konecny gave a presentation as a representative of Meriwether Timber. The lease on the mill is currently owned by TNT Forest Products. TNT currently has no business l...
The Wyoming Department of Transportation urges caution to travelers on highways near wildfire burn scars this weekend out of concern for flash flooding and the potential for debris in the roadway. Heavy rains the night of July 29 caused mud, sand and debris from the Mullen Fire burn scar to fill the storm water ditch in a section of Wyoming Highway 230 near Woods Landing. Debris and mud then overflowed onto the travel lanes, causing the highway to close briefly while WYDOT maintenance crews cleared it with snow plows. The...
Less than a year after an ordinance to amend Saratoga Municipal Code regulating specially permitted events failed on first reading it appears changes may be coming yet again. At the July 20 meeting of the Saratoga Town Council, Councilmember Jon Nelson discussed potential minor changes to Chapter 5.30. The apparent catalyst for those changes is The Yard, a music venue owned by Saratoga residents Cindy Bloomquist and Chris Shannon. Shannon, in recent meetings of the Saratoga...
“We’re going to clean up this ordinance, we’re going to make everything abundantly clear as to what the rules are and you guys better follow them from now on. Got it? Agreed?” Apparent frustration from the Saratoga Town Council in regards to music events at The Yard was encapsulated by Councilmember Jon Nelson in a stern comment to Cindy Bloomquist and Chris Shannon, owners of the music venue. The comment came during discussion over a late-submitted special events application...
Carbon County Fire Chief John Rutherford gave a presentation to the Carbon County Council of Governments (CCCOG) on July 21 at the Valley Community Center in Baggs on the need for a fire district in Carbon County. There were representatives from all municipalities with the exception of Encampment and Riverside. “Thank you for letting me address you about this topic for Carbon County,” Rutherford said. “This organization allows the municipalities to work together, yet have...
Carbon County will have a new health officer as of August 1 following a split vote by the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) on July 20. Dr. Marvin Wayne Couch II, who served as the county health officer for two years, will be replaced by Dr. Duane Abels. The decision to enter into a contract with Abels comes after two meetings—one on June 1 and one on July 6—in which the county commissioners discussed the county health officer position. It also comes as Wyoming beg...
Saratoga may not be getting a new recreational vehicle (RV) park after all. Jimmy and Jamie Campbell, owners of JaJaCa Properties, have been attempting to build an RV park along Wyoming Highway 130 but have faced several roadblocks along the way. At the June Saratoga Planning Commission meeting, they were attempting to make RV parks a permitted use under Highway Business (see “Deal or no deal” on page 1 of the June 16 Saratoga Sun). After the July meeting, it seems JaJaCa Pro...
Former U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi died late Monday after being seriously injured in a bicycle accident in Gillette on Friday. A post on Enzi's Facebook page said the former Wyoming legislator died Monday at the UCHealth Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland, Colorado, where he was flown for treatment after the accident. "Former Wyoming U.S. Senator Mike Enzi passed away peacefully (Monday) surrounded by his family," the post said. "His family expressed their deep appreciation for...
The Planned Unit Development (PUD) for Green Mountain at Brush Creek will be moving on to the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) for review and potential approval following a special meeting of the Carbon Country Planning Commission on July 26. Brush Creek Ranch began the process for a zone change from Residential to PUD in order to develop a ski resort on Green Mountain. The commission was presented with an amended version of the PUD guide. Notable changes include...
UPDATE: The tagged bear seen recently around Saratoga was tranquilized at a residence at the corner of 2nd Street and Saratoga Avenue Monday night and relocated. Overturned trash cans may be a common sight for the near future in Saratoga. In recent days, at least one black bear has been seen behind the Saratoga Hot Springs Resort. Another bear, or possibly the same bear, has also been spotted in the area of Hugus Avenue and 2nd street. The bear spotted behind the Saratoga Hot...
The July 12 public hearing for the Green Mountain ski area zone change was packed full of citizens voicing their concerns for the development. Representatives from Brush Creek Ranch presented their case to the Carbon County Planning Commission for a zone amendment from Residential to Planned Unit Development (PUD). While the majority of public comments were about water concerns, there also appeared to be an underlying culture war sentiment in regards to the application. The...
Maintenance crews with the Wyoming Department of Transportation will begin seasonal paving operations in Carbon County on Monday, weather permitting. Work will begin on U.S. Highway 30/287 near Medicine Bow, between mile markers 263.8-264.2. This operation is expected to take about two days. Once that section is complete, crews will focus on portions of Interstate 80, including the eastbound lanes near Elk Mountain from mile markers 261.2-261.5 and westbound at mile markers 245 and 247.8. Other routes scheduled for paving...
Senate File 60 and the collection of ad valorem taxes were, again, heavily discussed by the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) during their July 6 meeting. A continuation of concerns and frustrations expressed by Carbon County Treasurer Patty Bentsen in May and June, the discussion was primarily led by Jeremiah Reinman, executive director of the Wyoming County Commissioners Association (WCCA). The root of the concerns for the county commissioners and treasurer...
The Hanna Town Council met on July 13 at the Hanna Town Hall. Mayor Lois Buchanan, Council members Jayson Nordquist, Sammy Sikes, and William Dys were in attendance. Council member Tracy Fowler was absent. The minutes of June 8 and special meetings on June 14 and June 21 were approved along with the agenda. Buchanan said board and department reports would be gone over if there were any questions from the council members. Sikes asked if there was a representative from SCWEMS...
The Medicine Bow Town Council met at on July 12 at the Community Hall with all council members and mayor in attendance. The council quickly approved routine matters before listening to town clerk/treasurer Karen Heath go over the bills. The total expenditures came to $79,035.27. The Council ratified the financials. Mayor Sharon Biamon opened up the meeting to a public hearing on the rodeo grounds. Council member Sharon Kahl asked about the idea of trading the land which a resi...
WHATFest, an annual Wyoming music festival, will be returning to the Platte Valley, albeit in a limited form. During the July 6 meeting of the Saratoga Town Council, The Yard co-owner Chris Shannon appeared before the governing body to inform them of a music event which would take place at his venue on July 24. “I thought, since there was a meeting I should just run down here and let you guys know because the last time we were together, Councilman (Ron) Hutchins thought d...
Little more than a year after being told the Town of Saratoga was “in a pickle”, the Saratoga Town Council made three motions at their July 6 meeting to correct years of miscoded expenditures. The most recent action by the governing body—at the recommendation of third-party accountant Stuart Webster—appears to conclude more than two years of questions surrounding the Town of Saratoga’s finances originally asked by Councilmember Jon Nelson. In June 2020, those questions...
Despite having three candidates, the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) appears to be in a holding pattern in regards to the county health officer following their July 6 meeting. For nearly two years, Dr. Wayne Couch has served as the Carbon County Health Officer. In August 2019, Couch was appointed by the BOCCC and was, according to Nurse Manager Amanda Brown, was the only applicant interested in the position. When the contract came up for renewal in June...
Editor’s Note: This is the second in a series of articles on the Green Mountain ski area. On July 12, representatives from Brush Creek Ranch will appear before the Carbon County Planning Commission in regards to a zone amendment for the Green Mountain ski area from Residential to Planned United Development (PUD). The public hearing comes almost 20 years to the day after the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) approved a previous zone amendment for all of Section 36 o...
Over a decade of history converged at the June 8 Saratoga Planning Commission meeting. Chris Shannon, co-owner of The Yard music venue, attended the meeting to voice his concerns about the definition of resort and the current zoning of The Yard. These issues have been expressed before (see “And the party never ends” on page 1 of the June 30 Saratoga Sun and “Resort definition questioned again” on page 3 of the June 30 Saratoga Sun). Shannon stated resort zoning comes with a...
