Chip sealing and pump repair

The Saratoga Town Council met for its second meeting of the month Tuesday, and quickly disposed of agenda items.

During the 40-minute meeting, the council was briefed on the Wyoming Department of Transportation’s (WYDOT) upcoming chip seal project which will mean partial road closures for the town, and members of the council heard about the upcoming sewer lagoon improvements. The board also acted to reappoint Don Price, the current chairman of the Saratoga Water and Sewer Joint Powers Board (sewer board) as chair and set a special workshop to meet with hangar owners at the airport. The council also dealt with routine matters and heard reports from town departments. Representatives from WYDOT and its contractor, North Dakota-based Knife River Corporation, briefed town council members on the WYDOT’s plan to perform a chip sealing operation on WY-130/First Street.

The project will begin July 31 and is expected to result in road closures in town for about three days, the WYDOT representative said (See “Repairs to close First Street” on page 1). During that time, road will be closed and pilot cars will escort traffic through town.

The project is expected to be complete before the weekend.

The council also got an update on an upcoming sewage lagoon improvement project. The firm selected to manage the project, Colorado-based Element Engineering, was planning to submit initial engineering and design plans to the town by Aug. 21.

Jon Winter, Saratoga director of public works, updated members on other sewer issues, including the repair of blowers for the aeration system at the lagoon, items that will be addressed during the upcoming lagoon improvement station.

The Myrtle Street lift pump had to be repaired as well, Winter noted. The pump was clogged by flushable wipes, which Winter said are not as safe for sewer or septic systems as the manufacturers claim.

Because the pump is small, the flushable wipes are able to clog the pump, Winter said, adding that he would like residents to know the flushable wipes are not good for the sewer system, despite manufacturer claims.

Mayor Ed Glode read a letter from Don Price, chairman of the sewer board, who expressed interest in being reappointed as chair of the board.

“I thought I was stepping away for a while,” Glode read from Price’s letter. “But I hate to do that in the middle of a project.” The council acted unanimously to reappoint Price as chair of the sewer board.

Glode and councilman Richard Raymer discussed an upcoming workshop meeting between members of the town council, members of the airport board, the owner of the FBO, or Fixed Base Operator, at Shively field, and other interested parties, including those who hold hangar leases at the airport.

The workshop was scheduled to clarify certain issues, including who should handle certain maintenance issues at the airport, as well as address long-simmering problems about hangar space leases, including whether private hangar owners can sublease hangar space, an issue that was debated during the town council’s last meeting.

The airport workshop meeting is scheduled for 5 p.m. Aug. 2 at Saratoga town hall. The next meeting of the town council will be held 6 p.m., Aug. 1 at town hall.