Doubling down on Executive Sessions

The Saratoga Town Council had two separate executive sessions in their meeting at 6 p.m. on July 17, at the Saratoga Town Hall.

In the beginning it was business as usual, as the council approved the agenda, minutes from July 3 and the financials for $130,542.81.

Ed Glode, mayor of Saratoga, told the council Brad Bauer from the water and sewer department had resigned.

Bill Nation, Superintendent from Carbon County Road and Bridge Department (CCRBD) asked the town to approve an additional amount of millings from the airport. After discussion with Jon Winter, Public Works Director, the council approved 3,000 cubic units to CCRBD. There are still millings left for people who requested their allotment.

Nation offered to have his larger county trucks move the millings.

Jon Nelson, candidate for town council, suggested the county and airport board consider looking at ways the CCRBD and town could barter the millings for services.

Steve Wilcoxson, council member said he would attend the Carbon County Council of Governments on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. the Riverside Town Hall.

Wilcoxson said he felt it was time to address landing fees at the airport. Richard Raymer, town council and airport board member said research was being done and data collected to determine a competitive fee (See “Going Commercial” on page 3). He said those interested, should come to the airport board meeting at 1 p.m. on Aug. 8.

Susan Foley, nurse practitioner at the Platte Valley Medical Clinic (PVMC) told the council the management staff was available to help with discussions about the PVMC’s future.

“We’d like to be involved as much as we can with decisions being made because we are committed to the people of Platte Valley,” Foley said. “That is where our loyalty lies and our goal is to provide the best care we can to the people in the Valley, regardless of who owns what.”

Karl Rude, President of Health Management Services LLC, stood up and introduced himself to the council.

“We operate the Saratoga Care Center and we have been working on things through a pretty tense April and May,” Rude said. “It had been very difficult and I appreciate everybody that has come to the table, including the community members, and it really helped us solve many of the problems before us.”

Rude said the company had secured some short term funding that helped get the center through the rough months. He said the leadership of Mark Pesognelli, the relatively new administrator for the Saratoga Care Center, had been exceptional.

“We have started creating plans that look at the long-time future of the Valley,” Rude said.

“I do want to say, we are sitting at a pretty comfortable spot right now and we appreciate your help and interest.”

After Rude spoke, the town council went into executive session at 6:26 p.m.

The council returned at 6:46 p.m. to seal the minutes and declare no action taken.

Winters said the backhoe was being repaired and the loaner would be used for approximately two weeks. Streets were being patched up from winter and he said the drain at the kiddie pool had been plugged.

JennieLou Garland, council and recreation board member, said the kiddie pool had been losing water. She and Winter are hopeful the plug will work and hold water—otherwise it could be an expensive fix.

Winter asked for permission to advertise for Bauer’s water and sewer job. He said the crew went to a Wyoming Association of Rural Water Systems training session on Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality’s Chapter 5 and emergency preparedness.

Winter said a tech rep from Water Technology Group would be coming on Wednesday to look at and fix as necessary the problem between the Dissolved Oxygen to Program Logic Controller to Variable Frequency Drive system for the lagoon project. The fogging for mosquitoes is Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Councilman Will Faust said the memorandum of understanding between Carbon County and the town concerning the buffer zone was taking into account all involved (see “Looking to the Future” on page 9 of the July 18 Saratoga Sun). He said there was going to be a massive overhaul for flood plain management map. The council approved to do a workshop at 5:30 p.m. on July 31 on planning and zoning issues.

The town council went into executive session for a second time at 7:07 p.m. and came out at 8:08 p.m. with no action taken.

The next scheduled town council meeting is at 6 p.m. on Aug. 7 at the Saratoga Town Hall.