Snow removal and mosquitoes

The final meeting of the year for Riverside Town Council at 6 p.m. on Dec. 13 at Riverside Town Hall was a short one, coming in at just under 30 minutes. Riverside Mayor Leroy Stephenson provided an update to the rest of the council on the two most recent meeting of the Carbon County Council of Governments (CCCOG) and the council awarded the snow removal contract for the winter. The council also approved Riverside resident Helen Weiland as the new caretaker for the parks and to send Weiland to a class on identifying mosquitoes in preparation for mosquito control in the summer.

The council also approved closures for the town hall for Dec. 24, 26 and 31 for the observation of Christmas and New Year’s Eve.

As was reported previously (see “Cut, cut, cut” on page 1 of the Dec. 5, 2018 Saratoga Sun), CCCOG held a special meeting with the intention of paring down proposed projects tied to the 6th penny tax. The Town of Riverside, on behalf of the Sierra Madre Joint Powers Board, originally requested $1.6 million for improvements to their water system. That request was reduced by approximately 25 percent to $1.23 million. Stephenson added that it was not a 25 percent cut across the board, but that varying amounts were removed from specific line items.

In regards to the contract for snow removal for this winter, the council made the decision to award the contract to Encampment resident Brad Hebig. The council also approved Weiland for being the new parks director, a position that had been filled by council member Katie Cheesbrough. It was also decided by the council to send Weiland to a class later in the new year on mosquitoes for the purpose of better mosquito control.

As the council meeting came to an end, Fred Lorenz was thanked for his time on the council and was presented a plaque commemorating his time on the governing board. Lorenz had not run for re-election and Riverside resident Joe Lawson had received the minimum three votes to be on the council. Lawson, however, appeared to not accept the nomination.

Stephenson reached out to the Saratoga Sun on Friday morning stating that, following the council meeting, he had spoken with Lorenz about returning to the council due to the vacancy. Lorenz agreed and will resume his position on the council, pending approval from the other members.

The next meeting of the Riverside Town Council will be at 6 p.m. on Jan. 10, 2019 at the Riverside Town Hall.