Hanna honors town employees

The Hanna Town Council met at 6:30 p.m. on December 14 at Hanna Town Hall. The mayor and three council members were present. Council member Jayson Nordquist was absent.

The Council in a matter of moments approved the agenda and the minutes from the regularly scheduled meeting on November 9 and the special meeting on November 29.

Public Works director Larry Korkow reported the snow that had fallen in the past few weeks had been removed as quickly as possible, but due to the strong winds that shifted the snow constantly, it had been hard to get the streets clear the first couple days of the snow.

Marshal Ted Kranenberg said he was still looking for deputies. He said there were two dogs in the animal shelter and he was trying to find out they belonged to.

Mayor Lois Buchanan complimented Kranenberg on his efforts to be out in the community, whether it was visiting schools or events that residents were gathered. She also said he had done an excellent job of repairing relations with other law enforcement agencies in the county that had suffered in recent times before he took over.

The Hanna Recreation Center is offering a discount for memberships during the month of December. It also has a new janitor. The center is also seeking to hire a yoga instructor. A Sip and Paint party was scheduled on December 17.

Council member Tracy Fowler who is supervisor for the South Central Wyoming Emergency Medical Services (SCWEMS) told the Council a new director had started on December 1.

"His name is Stayton Moseby and he is doing a really good job and is very helpful," Fowler said. "We have been busy this month too. Lots of calls."

The Carbon County Visitors Council rep informed the Council that there is a RV park in Hanna contributing money to the lodging tax. The meetings of November and December were combined. The next meeting will be in Medicine Bow.

After the board reports were approved the Council went on to approve the financials.

The Council tabled a collection permit application by Dirty Boyz Sanitation Services until more legal information was gathered. Rose Cain, owner/operator was present. Currently Dirty Boyz serves Saratoga, Ryan Park and besides Rawlins. The company charges $20 a month for their services and doesn't use the local landfill of Saratoga when taking the trash.

The Council discussed the Old Town Water System Rehabilitation in its Phase 2. Korkow said there is more information needed before any decisions can be made. Craig Kopasz from Engineering Associates agreed with Korkow's assessment.

The Council approved Engineering Associates Task Order 1 for Old Town Water Line Project Phase 2.

Viper Underground's application for Pay App 5 on Old Town Water System Rehab project was approved.

The Council approved Resolution 2021-541, which prohibited the town of Hanna from requiring any person to present evidence of Covid-19 immunization as a condition for providing access, service or employment.

A workshop for updating the employee handbook was scheduled for December 6 at 6 p.m.

The Hanna Parks and Recreation board and the Planning and Zoning board are to continue being suspended.

"The director of the rec board said that it is working better for her to come straight to the Council instead of going to a board first," Buchanan said.

$200 for an employee appreciation day lunch on December 17 was approved.

The Bank of Commerce was approved as a designated depository for the town of Hanna.

The Council approved Resolution 2021-540 which changed an open container permit for the Hanna Recreation Center from December 10 to December 17. The party on the 10th had been canceled due to weather.

Carbon County Economic Development Corporation (CCEDC) director Yvonne Johnson spoke during public participation. She said there were several good projects going on in the county. She said the Sand and Sage Motel was under new ownership and she expected a transformation to the property. Wyoming Recycle and Recovery Corporation, project manager Pat Gonzales was at the meeting said the planned plant is not a recycling plant, but rather a zero waste energy plant.

"The purpose behind it is to take municipal solid waste and convert all the organics into reusable energy and capture natural gas or compost, so all the solid waste that is going into this plant will be made into something that will be useful to communities near and far," Gonzalez said. "There will be some recycling that will take place, but everything that will processed through that plant will be reused in other forms."

The next regular scheduled Town Council meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. on January 11 at the Hanna Town Hall.