Pickleball tops the agenda once again in Encampment Town Council Meeting

The community push for pickle-ball is slowly gaining ground in Encampment.  The Encampment Town Council met on June 8 at 7:00 p.m. for their regular meeting, where they discussed ordinances and the pickle-ball court.  

The pickle-ball discussion in this month’s meeting focused on the acquisition of nets for the courts.  Peggy Huntley brought the request for funding before the council in order to buy two nets.  She stated that the nets could be placed in the ground, and have the potential to be removable.  She further continued that the council would not have to worry about providing storage.  

Mayor Shannon Fagan expressed some concerns with the nets being left up all year long, stating she was “worried about critters and weather”.  She advised that the nets be taken down after every time someone plays to help preserve them.  Huntley expressed that the nets can be taken down during the winter, but taking down after every play may not be ideal.  

After more discussion, Fagan stated that the council won’t replace the nets if they are destroyed, but it will provide the funding for the initial buying.  The council passed a motion to provide $1000 dollars to buy nets for the pickle-ball courts.  

Next, the council received an update on the Sewer Lagoon Improvement project before moving on to the third and final reading of the budget.  The council passed the budget after a public hearing, where no comments were provided.  

Josh Craig was appointed to the Carbon County Visitors Council, after discussion from the council.  During discussion, applicant Le Ann Stephenson stated that “the bylaws of the visitors council say that you have to be in the tourism/lodging industry”.  In response, Fagan stated that the bylaws use the word “preferred”.  The Amendment to the Joint Powers Agreement under section 1.02 states that the appointment “shall be a representative of the travel and tourism industry”.

Following this, the council breezed through reports from town committees.  

Under new business, large discussion ensued over the amendment to Ordinance #2023-01- Title 06.08.070-Dogs- ‘Running At Large Prohibited”.  This was the second reading of the amendment.  Concerns were raised from the public over some of the language used in the ordinance, under the idea that words like “vicious” and “at large” would provide legal loopholes. The idea that no person would believe their dog to be vicious was emphasized.

Back and forth over this ordinance ensued, with police chief Kevin Shue stating that in order to address the concerns of  trespassing dogs, the nuisance ordinance would have to be amended.  

The reading of the amendment passed, with the option to change the verbiage for the third and final reading.  

The next Encampment Town Council Meeting will be on July 13, 2023 at 7:00 p.m.