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Beginning in the spring/summer of 2028, there will be a new road through Encampment.well, at least new asphalt. At the March 14, 2024 Encampment Town Council Meeting, Aaron Spenny, WYDOT District 1 Resident Engineer in Rawlins, outlined a pavement preservation project for the town of Encampment beginning in 2028. The project would proceed in two phases with the second phase being contingent on lower costs in the initial phase and/or additional funding secured prior to construction. In the first phase, the pavement from the Highway 70 and...
On March 14, the Saratoga/Platte Valley Chamber of Commerce celebrated its 50th Anniversary at the Platte Valley Community Center. Local business owners came together to be recognized for their accomplishments both in business and the community. One of those top winners of recognition was Valley Foods & Liquor, which won 2023 Business of the Year. The local grocery store is owned and managed by Adam Clarke, a third-generation grocery store owner. Clarke said this Business of the Year Award...
The Town of Saratoga may be considering switching contracting with the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office for dispatch services following the January 16 meeting of the Saratoga Town Council. Currently, the Town operates its own dispatch services and contracts for the Town of Encampment. The City of Rawlins and the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office also have their own dispatch. All other municipalities such as Hanna, Medicine Bow and Baggs contract with the sheriff’s office. Some other parts of Wyoming have made the change to a joint dispatch syste...
The Saratoga Town Council has some tough decisions ahead of them regarding the Saratoga Police Department’s communication center. For years, decades even, Saratoga has maintained its own dispatch center. Not only has it dispatched for its own police department, but for the Encampment Police Department and the volunteer fire departments in Saratoga and Encampment. In the past, any suggestion of communications operating elsewhere was almost immediately rejected. Yet, what’s long felt like a necessity seems to have turned into a luxury, esp...
"If we were fully staffed and looking at equipment cost, that's one thing. We are truly one power bump or one illness away from not being able to keep the door's open 24/7." Supported by other law enforcement and first responders, Saratoga Police Chief Mike Morris laid out the case as to why a county-run centralized dispatch was likely a matter of when, not if. Morris, who was appointed to the position of chief last year by Mayor Chuck Davis, explained how staffing and infrastructure issues...
House District 47 Representative Bob Davis (R - Baggs) updated the Saratoga Town Council on some key legislative issues at its meeting January 2. The representative said a Bureau of Land Management Resource Management Plan is underway in Medicine Bow. “We need to keep our eye on what’s happening in Rock Springs,” Davis said. He said the Rock Springs Resource Management Plan controls 3.8 million acres of public land and the federal government is trying to conserve an additional 1.8 million acres it contends is of “critical environmental concern...
Police Chief Mike Morris made a presentation on staffing issues in dispatch services under reports from his department at the December 19 Saratoga Town Council meeting. Morris said his new full time dispatcher, Joshua Mathieu, has been hired and is in training. “So far he is doing very well,” Morris said. He said he got the two dispatch call takers, Tiffany Moore and Tana Davi, hired as well and they have worked “a couple of shifts.” “Lieutenant (John) Moore and I have worked in dispatch a bit from time-to-time,” he said. “We’re a li...
In the days since a shooting in Saratoga on December 16 in which a suspect fired approximately 40 rounds into a residence and vehicle, public response has been both swift and critical with concern over the response time by the Saratoga Police Department. According to Saratoga Police Chief Mike Morris, the response time to the shooting was a little over 10 minutes. “The call came in approximately 1:01 in the morning and from there until the first officer was notified, it was about five minutes b...
The United States Postal Service (USPS) is trying to revamp their antiquated service to help with customer service, saving money and bringing the service into the 21st century. The program they are using to do this is called the Mail Processing Facility Review (MPFR). This study determines the feasibility of changing mail processing operations to improve operational efficiency and/or service. An MPFR involves the consolidation of all originating and/or destinating distribution operations from one or more Post Offices /Facilities into other...
The Saratoga Police Department was a top subject for the Saratoga Town Council during their November 21 meeting. The governing body approved hiring three new employees and discussed raises for current dispatchers. Other matters discussed by the council included the fate of the wading pool at the municipal swimming pool and brownfield studies for the old police department. PD Staffing Issues Police Chief Mike Morris made a presentation on staffing issues at dispatch services under reports from his department. Chief Morris said he has two...
As the year draws to a close, the Saratoga Planning Commission is preparing for 2024. At their November 14 meeting, the planning commission discussed potential ordinances, a brownfield grant application and goals for next year. Processing Code Changes Emery Penner, zoning and planning director, raised the idea of a potential ordinance to the planning commission in regards to meat processing facilities. Currently, under section 18.39.020(B) of the Saratoga Municipal Code, a meat packing plant or...
The 7th Annual Hay Bale Sculpture Contest, sponsored by the Platte Valley Arts Council (PVAC), concluded on October 31 with the award going to the newest group to enter the annual contest: the Encampment Dirt Diggers Garden Club. The Annual Hay Bale Sculpture Contest began in 2016, when the PVAC challenged local ranches, businesses and families to get their creative juices flowing and make a “sculpture” with the predominant medium being hay bales. Other aspects could be incorporated such as woo...
William Craig, age 66 of Encampment, Wyoming passed away on November 5, 2023. Bill was born in Rawlins, Wyoming and grew up in the Saratoga area, between the Brush Creek and Pick Bridge Ranches. He worked for the Town of Encampment for 27 years in multiple roles as a Police Officer, Head of Maintenance and most recently on the Town Council. He also served in the volunteer fire department. Bill also worked as an operator for Sinclair for the past 12 years. Bill loved spending time outdoors in Wyo...
Platte Valley Arts Council announces 7th annual Hay Bale Sculpture Contest The Platte Valley Arts Council is sponsoring the 7th annual Hay Bale Sculpture Contest. Back in September, there was an initiation sent out to all local ranches, businesses or families to show off some good ole’ fashioned ranch ingenuity that could give their outfit creative bragging rights for a year. Six participants entered this years contest. Kelley Cattle Company who has participated in all seven years of the c...
Signs were a top topic of discussion for Encampment Town Council during their October 12 meeting. Bob Herring, an Encampment resident and business owner, brought the discussion forward under public comment. Herring, along with owning the Good Things second-hand store in Encampment, owns a short term rental on Macfarlane Avenue listed through VRBO. The property is near a local restaurant, 307 Pub & Grub, which sits at the corner of 6th Street and Macfarlane Avenue. According to Herring, visitors...
Union Telephone representatives visited with the Riverside Town Council at their monthly meeting on September 14, giving an update to a grant that would make it possible to bring fiber optic internet into Riverside and Encampment. Brian Woody, Chief Customer Relations Officer for Union Telephone told the Council that Union has applied for the Wyoming Capital Projects Fund (CPF) Grant for $1.5 million dollars. This grant is part of a program designed to provide internet service with speeds of...
Saratoga Town Hall may have a new town clerk, but she is likely a familiar face to many within the Valley. Jennifer “Jenn” Anderson was appointed as the new clerk and sworn in on September 5 during a meeting of the Saratoga Town Council. Anderson currently works as a dispatcher for the Saratoga Police Department. Prior to that, she worked for Carbon County School District No.2 for approximately 15 years. She is the mother of three children, two of whom are graduates of Encampment K-12 Sch...
District: Jackie Jones, HES/MBES Principal After 28 years in the classroom, I am starting my new role as principal of the North Carbon County Elementary Schools and couldn’t be more excited. I have spent most of my summer working on administration classes and working in Hanna and Medicine Bow Elementary Schools to prepare for the 2023-24 academic year. My husband, Clif, and I were able to take a couple of trips to Yellowstone to do some photography and escape cell phone and internet service. W...
Jon Nelson, of North Fork Engineering told the Encampment Town Council that the project has been mobilized. the contractor began excavation, compaction and backfill with testing to be completed. He said pipe removal is 90% complete and the old structures will be removed. Concrete forms, rebar and road base will be delivered in anticipation of the first footer and the forms in place. Weekly progress meetings will be 2 p.m. each Wednesday at the town hall. Nelson told the Council that the...
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 r...
Rural issues lined the docket as the Riverside Town Council discussed matters ranging from water lines to broadband accessibility. The council met on June 8 for a regular meeting. Liquor license renewal started off the meeting, with both the Bear Trap and the Mangy Moose being successful in their renewal. Flooding was discussed with Councilman Mark Helwick discussing the water levels in the Encampment River Basin. He said that he believed the high point of the water was reached the previous...
Pickle ball was once again on the agenda at Encampment's town council meeting on May 11. Peggy Huntley had brought it to the council at the last meeting, asking if they could clean up the tennis court at the Encampment School in order to make them useable for a pickle ball court. Councilman Steve Reichert voiced his concern about storing equipment in town council lobby. The town council agreed to clean up the tennis courts once the summer help is established, but they want more information...
With the green grass, and the meadowlark song our thoughts turn to landscaping. First on the April 18 town council agenda was the Saratoga Museum Director Dana Davis addressed the town council concerning the landscaping care at the museum. Davis said that “Ty Brinar volunteered over 30 hours last year to fix the sprinkler system and get the grass looking nice for the community’s use of the pavilion for events”. Ty Brinar is a member of Wyoming Grounds Keeper and Grower Association (WGGA). Davis...
Encampment Town Council proclaimed April as Child Abuse Prevention Month. Sewer Lagoon Project Jon Nelson, Northfork Engineering presented the Council with contracts for the mayor’s signature from American West Construction for the sewer lagoon project. Approved by the council. A notice to proceed was also approved by Council. Nelson also told the council that there may be up to $100,000.00 presented in a change order at the next Council meeting from the contractor. This will help cut the c...
With winter snows piled high in the mountains, and rain and warmer temperatures in the forecast, flooding is a concern for local residents living near the Saratoga and Encampment Rivers. This concern was addressed at the Carbon County Flood Summit hosted by Lenny Layman, Carbon County Emergency Manager at the Carbon County Flood Summit of 2023 Friday, March 31. Tony Anderson, Senior Service Hydrologist from the National Weather Service (NWS) in Cheyenne said that the drought conditions have...