Appointments, electric and closures

The Carbon County Board of Commissioners appointed Garrett Irene to fill the seat vacated by former Commissioner Byron Barkhurst, who resigned. Irene’s term will expire in January 2025.

Irene will be sworn in December 5.

Prior to making their selection, the Board interviewed three candidates during their November 21 meeting. The other two candidates were Emilee Berger and Joey Correnti.

Commissioner John Johnson made the motion to appoint Irene saying a “demographic has been missing” on the Board that Irene will fill.

The Board approved the motion unanimously.

In other business, the Commission sent a letter to a group of landowners regarding proposed amendments to the Road and Bridge Policy and seasonal road designations.

Commissioner John Espy said, in a later interview, the letter was sent to the landowners along CR497 and CR499. The proposed amendment would make the roads seasonal, which means the county would not maintain the roads in the winter.

According to the county, the landowners may comment on the proposed amendment by sending a letter.

Espy said the county is holding a public hearing on the proposal in January, at which time residents can comment.

Also on the agenda, the Board of Commissioners approved a contract with Zumbrennen Electric Inc. to repair the overhead power line at the Rawlins Road and Bridge Shop and a second contract with Zumbrennen for LED lighting upgrades at various county buildings.

Jeff Askins, manager of the county Building and Grounds Department, said, in a later interview, a county contractor accidentally knocked down an overhead power line at the county facility on Rawlins Road between the barns.

Zumbrennen Electric Inc. has completed the work at a cost of about $2,400, Askins said. The company installed the power line underground “so it wouldn’t happen again.”

The second contract the Board approved with Zumbrennen Electric Inc. is to make LED upgrades to county buildings, he said.

The first upgrade will be to the Carbon County Courthouse Annex Building, he said. The lighting on the third floor only will be upgraded. The fluorescent lights will be changed to LEDs.

“LEDs last longer and are more efficient and we should see some cost savings on the county electric bill [as a result],” he said.

The Carbon County Museum, the basement at the Rawlins Senior Center and the county maintenance yard on Rodeo Street are also scheduled for LED upgrades, he said. The total cost of these upgrades is $31,000. The project is expected to be completed by the end of February.

In other business, the Commissioners approved a $50,000 expenditure for a the 2024 Polaris Ranger with tracks and trailer Sheriff Alex Bakken requested. The sheriff told the Board he will use the Ranger for search and rescue and work in emergency weather conditions.

Commissioner John Espy said, in a later interview, HF Sinclair Corporation made a donation towards the purchase.

Also on the agenda, the commission approved the application of Mac Chloride to a group of county roads to prevent dust pollution using some federal funds, Espy said. These are industrial roads within the county.

He said the county has a grant for $284,584 to perform the work. The total cost with a match from the county will be $312,000.

The roads are:

CR701-19 miles

CR608-7 miles

CR291-6 miles

CR121-11 miles

The work will be performed in 2024, according to the county.

Also, the county’s civil attorney Ashley Davis presented a Memorandum of Understanding for a resource management plan between the U.S. Department of the Interior and the County. The MOU is a Bureau of Land Management development of Section 368 Energy Corridor Resource Management Plan Amendment and Environmental Impact Statement.

The Board voted to approve the MOU.

Commissioners

The Commissioners voted to appoint Aron Anderson to the Carbon County Land Use Plan Steering Committee.

The Board also voted to support Gov. Mark Gordon’s Position on Energy Policy.

Emergency Management

County Emergency Manager Lenny Layman told the Board about a series of ongoing meetings being held at county senior centers to discuss emergency preparedness. The meetings will include information on the phone alert notification system and how seniors can get that set up on their phones.