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The process of expanding cell phone coverage in Carbon County began for Union Wireless on September 1 as four public hearings were held during a meeting of the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC). All four conditional use permits, which are the first of many, were approved on a 3-2 vote. Before holding the public hearings, Deputy Zoning Administrator Kristy Rowan informed the commissioners that Union Wireless had requested a four year period in which they could leave the existing towers...
The historic Hugus-Ferguson Building will not be home to the Carbon County Museum anytime in the near future. Nearly seven years after the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) and the Carbon County Museum purchased the building, built in 1895, Museum Board President Ken Klouda informed the commissioners it wasn’t feasible to pursue the project. “You asked us for an update of where we are on the Ferguson Hugus (Hugus Ferguson) Building. I got on the museum board because I felt that, yes...
Two weeks after the resignation of Mayor John Zeiger, the Saratoga Town Council is no closer to filling the now vacant position. During the September 1 meeting of the governing body, Mayor Pro-Tem Bob Keel read a letter from legal counsel Tom Thompson regarding the vacant position. Discussion among the council appeared to show the town council agreeing to wait on filling the position until after the general election. In his letter to the council, Thompson wrote that he had reached out to the...
At their September 1 meeting, the Saratoga Town Council began the process of moving excess revenues from Fiscal Year 2019/2020 into corresponding reserve funds. While the council appeared to agree that such an action needed to take place, the governing body disagreed on the how and the timeline. A four month period, proposed by Mayor Pro-Tem Keel at the guidance of third-party accountant James Childress, drew criticism from council members Jon Nelson and D’Ron Campbell. The enterprise funds a...
Despite the impact felt by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the Carbon County Library System (CCLS) ended the 2019/2020 fiscal year relatively well according to Jacob Mickelsen, CCLS director. Mickelsen provided an annual update to the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) during their rescheduled August 25 meeting at the Platte Valley Community Center. As part of that update, the director provided the BOCCC with information on multiple subjects including the economic impact of the...
Following two special meetings, one on Tuesday and one on Friday, between two counties and several municipalities, it appears that the entities have settled on a request to be presented to the Industrial Siting Council (ISC) for the Gateway South Wind Project totaling $6,097,769. The lion’s share of the request is easily Carbon County which put in a combined request of $4.5 million and accounts for approximately 74 percent of the total request. Of that, the Board of Carbon County Commissioners a...
Hanna Town Council held a special meeting on August 28. In attendance were Mayor Lois Buchanan, Council members Sammy Sikes, Linda Schisel and Bob Patton. Council member Tracy Fowler was absent. Before the meeting, Buchanan informed the council there was a bid to resurface the Hanna Recreation Center gym floor. “It has come in at $59,081,” Buchanan said. “Dynamic, a company from Texas, are the only company to have placed a bid.” The council quickly approved the agenda and the first topic t...
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will be hosting a series of virtual open houses for Carbon County residents in two weeks. The open houses, which will run for three consecutive days, will allow residents to learn about their flood risk and how to protect their property. The virtual open houses, which are being held over Zoom, follow the release of the preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM). The new FIRM was developed in cooperation between FEMA, Carbon County and local municipalities and is based on updated modeling and...
The Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) have amended their personnel and benefits manual, updating it from the 2016 version. The proposed amendments cover several issues and the BOCCC will be taking public comment until October 20. Cathy MacPherson, who worked with Carbon County Clerk Gwynn Bartlett and Carbon County Attorney Ashley Mayfield-Davis on the changes, appeared before the commissioners on August 25 to discuss some of the updates. “The notice of intended amendment described t...
*This article was updated on September 7 at 2:15 p.m. to reflect the most recent information available.* Approximately 67 families, including 200 individuals and 100 animals, are temporarily displaced following a massive fire on the outskirts of Hanna. The fire, which began on September 5 along Carbon County Road 316, spread quickly due to high winds and dry weather. According to Lenny Layman, Carbon County Emergency Manager, the 67 families forced to leave Hanna due to the massive blaze have be... Full story
The last time a mayor resigned in Saratoga was on August 5, 1996 when Mayor Brad Cary read a brief statement and then exited the council chambers leaving both his council and town hall staff stunned. A little more than 24 years later, Mayor John Zeiger announced his resignation as well. A distinct difference, however, is that Zeiger did not attend the August 18 meeting nor did he read a statement. The announcement, instead, was posted on social media and read at the meeting by Councilmember Bob...
The Carbon County Visitors’ Council (CCVC) had its monthly at 10 a.m. on Wednesday at the Cowboy Motel in Baggs. All representatives attended the meeting either by conference call or in person. The agenda and minutes from the July 15 regularly scheduled meeting were approved quickly. The next order of business was to approve the treasurer’s report. After the report was approved the council went over lodging tax revenue for August. The revenue actually comes from revenues during the latter par...
At the August 18 meeting of the Saratoga Town Council, the governing body took action on several items discussed at the workshop held on August 13 including declaring a number of enterprise funds restricted. As was reported previously (see “Finding a path forward” on page 1 of the August 19 Saratoga Sun), the town council had scheduled a workshop to discuss the findings from the audit of Fiscal Year 2018/2019 issued by Carver Florek and James. In what was one of the most agreeable workshops sin...
As discussion among the Saratoga Town Council became heated on how to fill the now vacant mayor seat during the August 18 meeting, a statement from legal counsel Tom Thompson appeared to show there’s a first time for everything. “Frankly, I’ve not seen a situation where the council couldn’t agree to filling a vacancy.” By the time the council adjourned the nearly three hour meeting, the seat once held by Mayor John Zeiger remained vacant. The Vacancy In Zeiger’s absence, Mayor Pro-Tem Bob...
Segments of Forest Road 261 (Cedar Pass Road) and Forest Road 443 (Jerry Accord Road) in the Sierra Madre and Snowy Ranges, Medicine Bow National Forest, will be temporarily closed for public safety during roadside hazard tree removal work into the fall. The closures will impact through traffic, overnight camping and parking. In order to accommodate use during late summer/early fall and hunting season, the following closure modifications have been set: Forest Road 261 (Cedar Pass Road)–The road is currently closed to through traffic 24/7 f...
Fire-prone fuel and weather conditions have prompted the need for Stage II fire restrictions on the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests and Thunder Basin National Grassland (MBRTB). Restrictions go into effect on Thursday, August 20, 2020 and include National Forest System lands located in Garfield, Grand, Jackson, Moffat, Rio Blanco, and Routt counties in northwest Colorado; Albany, Campbell, Carbon, Converse, Crook, Natrona, Niobrara, Platte, and Weston counties in Wyoming. Tightened restrictions are necessary due to persistent dry, windy...
After the August 24 workshop held at Saratoga Town Hall, the Town of Saratoga will submit an initial request of approximately $200,000 for expected impacts from the Gateway South Transmission Line. In an hour long workshop between the Saratoga Town Council, Saratoga-Carbon County Impact Joint Powers Board (SCCIJPB) and the Saratoga Volunteer Fire Department (SVFD) impact requests included a bulk water fill station, supplies for the SVFD and replacing or repairing the water system in the...
The town of Hanna normally has its voting at the Hanna Town Hall. But due to the social distance measures the town took to keep its residents safe, the voting took place at the Hanna Recreation Center in its gym. The recreation center building had it clearly marked on how close people could stand in line to be socially distant. Masks were not required, but some voters did wear them when they came into vote....
Less than two years after officially taking office for his fourth term, John Zeiger has resigned from his position as mayor of Saratoga “effective immediately”. In a post made on social media late Monday night, Zeiger cited familial reasons—the upcoming birth of his grandson—as his reason for resigning. The post announcing his resignation comes after multiple vague posts about an upcoming decision. At the August 4 meeting of the Saratoga Town Council, Zeiger had appointed Councilmember Bob Keel...
The Saratoga Town Council appears to be moving forward with plans to address findings from the audit of the 2018/2019 Fiscal Year following a workshop on August 13. As was reported previously (see “What’s the plan?” on page 3 of the August 12 Saratoga Sun), the workshop had been scheduled following questions from Councilmember Jon Nelson to Mayor John Zeiger and Councilmember Judy Welton, who serves as the liaison to Town Hall, about how they believed the findings should be addressed. The audit...
The Riverside Town Council gained another council member at the August 13, 2020 meeting. According to LeRoy Stephenson, Mayor of Riverside, Mark Helwick didn’t exactly submit a letter of interest for the open Town Council seats. Instead, he simply wrote “Yes, I am interested” on a Riverside public notice. Stephenson said, “as far as I am was concerned, that is better than any letter”. Although, Helwick is currently on the primary election ballot as the only person running for Riverside...
Though the agenda for the August 11 meeting of the Saratoga Planning Commission was sparse, the entire meeting surrounding Octagon Construction and the company’s development of a subdivision west of Saratoga. Bo and Kristen Stocks, co-owners of Octagon Construction, were joined by Craig Kopasz and Levi Wolfe of Engineering Associates to discuss the preliminary plat for phase two of the subdivision project as well as discuss signage for the development. In the case of Octagon Estates II, the larg...
Hanna Fire Chief Tracy Fowler was in her truck just a little outside of Hanna when the call came over her radio that there was a fire burning outside of town on August 11. She turned around and went to the fire station. The fire's smoke could be seen in town. The location was on a hill 2.7 miles from town heading on WY 291 near the old RAG mine site. RAG International, a German coal mining company, were the last owners of the mines in Hanna before they closed and the land went to BLM (Bureau of...
The August 11 wildfire that burned about two miles outside the town of Hanna did not only burn 106 acres, but was also responsible for the Hanna Town Council being unable to establish a quorum. Councilmember Traci Fowler, who is Hanna Fire Department Fire Chief, and Councilmember Sam Sikes, a volunteer for the fire department, were absent fighting the wildfire outside Hanna proper. Council member Bob Patton was on vacation. One councilmember, Linda Schisel, called in. Mayor Lois Buchanan told...
The High Country Joint Powers Board (HCJPB) convened their regularly scheduled meeting at 6 p.m. on Thursday at the Hanna Town Hall. All board representatives from the towns were present with the exception of Bob Patton of Hanna. All mayors of Elk Mountain, Hanna and Medicine Bow were present. The board quickly approved the agenda and the minutes from the regular scheduled meeting held on July 2. Toby Smith, chairman of the HCJPB, said the landfill closure was going well. “They got it all c...