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With the highwater season all but a distant memory, flooding concerns may be the last thing on most people's minds. At the September 21 meeting of the Saratoga Town Council, however, a request to do river work was heard by the governing body. Ralph and Ann Hicks, who own a home behind the Saratoga Hot Springs Resort, wrote a letter to the council which was read by Councilmember Ron Hutchins. "We are lifelong summer residents of Saratoga and each year we are river watchers. This year has...
On September 14, the decades-old saga of Green Mountain took a significant step forward as the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) unanimously approved the Planned Use Development (PUD) for Green Mountain at Brush Creek Ranch. The approval of the PUD followed nearly two hours of public comment in the Great Hall of the Platte Valley Community Center in Saratoga. Along with testimony from representatives for Brush Creek Ranch, Valley residents spoke both in favor and against the PUD prese...
Meeting on September 15 at Elk Mountain Town Hall, the Carbon County Council of Governments (CCCOG) covered two major topics; the proposed fire district and recently released data from the United States Census Bureau. Representatives from Rawlins, Sinclair, Hanna, Elk Mountain, Saratoga and Carbon County were present. Fire District Travis Moore, Carbon County Commissioner and CCCOG chairman, began the meeting by informing the group Riverside and Dixon had sent him correspondence indicating they...
Now that the proverbial cat is out of the bag in regards to the presence of certtain drugs within Saratoga, it appears some community members are concerned about the Saratoga Police Department “going overboard”. During the September 7 meeting of the Saratoga Town Council, Councilmember Ron Hutchins told Chief Ken Lehr he had been approached by “a few people” about the increased citations and names in the police report published each week by the Saratoga Sun. “I think the fact that we started pub...
Encampment Town Council was in session September 9 and first on the agenda was Brush Creek Ranch and their planned unit development (PUD) on Green Mountain. The community and council hope to make it clear to involved protection agencies that it is a cumulative project and not an individual unit. The PUD is in the Encampment watershed protected area, which the town defends. Citing multiple red flags already in the process by the developer, as well as lack of inspections at the site, the Town of...
The Platte Valley Arts Council is sponsoring the 5th annual Hay Bale Sculpture Contest. All local ranches, businesses or families are invited to show off some good ole’ fashioned ranch ingenuity that could give their outfit creative bragging rights for a year. The rules state that sculptures must be made predominantly of hay, whether loose, round, square or rectangle bales but then are given artistic leeway to incorporate wood, metal, wire, paint, canvas damns, or anything other medium they could dream up. The council did want all of the v...
The Carbon County Visitors Council (CCVC) met on August 18 at the Cowboy Inn in Baggs. Newly elected Chairperson Danny Burau called the meeting to order. The agenda was quickly approved and the meeting went immediately into the financials. The board approved the distribution of 11 checks to municipalities and the county treasurer for a total of $17,222.37. The total collected from Lodging Tax revenue for the month of August was $172,223.68. This time frame is actually monies collected from...
It is often easy to forget how insulated our communities are in the Platte Valley until something happens which seems to shatter that peacefulness to which we’ve been so accustomed. I am reminded of the 1998 film “Pleasantville” in which two modern-era teenagers are transported into a 1950s sitcom. Everything in the world seems perfect, bathed in the neutralizing tones of black and white, but reality quickly invades the world of Pleasantville. Soon, that perfect but mundane world is chang...
by Micky Jones Passions ran high at the Encampment Town Council meeting on August 12 as the governing body heard two proposals regarding a lease for the Encampment Mill. First on the agenda at the council meeting was Meriwether Timber, represented by Lela Konecny who informed the council of her 25 years experience in the lumber industry. At the July 8 meeting, the Saratoga resident had appeared before the council but was asked by Councilmember Stas Banach to return with an actual proposal....
The old Wyoming adage “Whiskey is for drinking, water is for fighting” seemed especially true during the August 12 meeting of the Encampment Town Council. Both the Encampment Town Council and Encampment residents are preparing for the September 14 meeting of the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC), when the county commissioners will hold a public hearing on the highly debated Planned Unit Development (PUD) for Green Mountain at Brush Creek Ranch. It wasn’t just Encampment’s source...
Carbon County Fire Chief John Rutherford gave a presentation to the Carbon County Council of Governments (CCCOG) on July 21 at the Valley Community Center in Baggs on the need for a fire district in Carbon County. There were representatives from all municipalities with the exception of Encampment and Riverside. “Thank you for letting me address you about this topic for Carbon County,” Rutherford said. “This organization allows the municipalities to work together, yet have differences of opini...
While discussion of the Green Mountain zone change dominated the conversation at the July 8 Encampment Town Council meeting, it didn’t completely hog the spotlight. During the meeting, Saratoga resident Lela Konecny spoke to the council regarding a lease on the lumber mill at Grand Encampment Business Park. Konecny gave a presentation as a representative of Meriwether Timber. The lease on the mill is currently owned by TNT Forest Products. TNT currently has no business license, having been a...
The July 12 public hearing for the Green Mountain ski area zone change was packed full of citizens voicing their concerns for the development. Representatives from Brush Creek Ranch presented their case to the Carbon County Planning Commission for a zone amendment from Residential to Planned Unit Development (PUD). While the majority of public comments were about water concerns, there also appeared to be an underlying culture war sentiment in regards to the application. The hearing began with...
Editor’s Note: This is the second in a series of articles on the Green Mountain ski area. On July 12, representatives from Brush Creek Ranch will appear before the Carbon County Planning Commission in regards to a zone amendment for the Green Mountain ski area from Residential to Planned United Development (PUD). The public hearing comes almost 20 years to the day after the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) approved a previous zone amendment for all of Section 36 of Township 14 N...
Editor’s note: This is the first in a series on the Green Mountain ski area. When Brush Creek Ranch purchased the Green Mountain Ski Area in June 2019, many residents in Encampment and Riverside assumed, or perhaps feared, the luxury resort would develop the 620-acre property. A public notice in the June 16 Saratoga Sun seemed to confirm those assumptions with the announcement of a public hearing on July 12 for a zone change from residential to a planned unit development (PUD). Along with the z...
With budget sessions beginning this week for the Saratoga Town Council, the search continues for an accounting firm to audit Fiscal Year 2019/2020. At the April 20 meeting of the governing body, Mayor Creed James stated he had been in contact with several firms since being informed by Carver Florek and James that they would not engage with the Town of Saratoga for a second year. In similar financial business, the town council discussed two different State Homeland Security Program (SHSP) grants...
"I definitely feel that I'm supposed to be here doing this right now. It doesn't mean that I'm the best person or the most qualified, it just means that for some reason I was supposed to do this and I believe that. I know that to be true." Robert "Bob" Keel has taken on various roles in the community in recent years. He served on the Saratoga Town Council for two-and-a-half years, has coached youth and Saratoga Middle School basketball and is a physician assistant for Memorial Hospital of Carbon...
The Carbon County Visitors Council (CCVC) met in Rawlins on March 10 at the Best Western Hotel for their regularly scheduled meeting. All board members were present in person except the Baggs and Hanna representatives. Weather had prevented them coming in person, and they joined the meeting by Zoom. The Board approved 36 vouchers between February 21, 2020 and March 10, 2021 totaling $27,387.47 for payment. After the financial summary was approved, the board approved the municipality distribution...
The Encampment Town Council meeting of March 11, 2021 began with Josh Saier of the Sierra Madre Muzzle Loaders Club requesting permission to use the Grand Encampment Museum grounds for the annual Rendezvous to be held July 23-25. The council was happy to approve the request and look forward to getting back to normal as last year’s event was not held due to the COVID pandemic. There will be some changes for this year’s event, however. The traditional pig roast dinner will not be held due to con...
The importance of tourism to Carbon County is everywhere if one knows where to look. The iconic hotels and good restaurants are not the only places that serve visitors. Gas stations, retail establishments, law enforcement agencies, museums and even town halls benefit from tourists. Almost all Carbon County residents of benefit from tourism to varying degrees and it is in the county's best interest visitors leave with a positive impression of the area. The Carbon County Visitors Council (CCVC)...
When the Wyoming Legislature reconvenes in March, the perennial battle to keep public notices in Wyoming newspapers will return as well. On February 4, the Senate Corporation Committee voted 4-1 to advance to the Wyoming Senate legislation that would remove the requirement for counties and municipalities to publish minutes and salary information in newspapers. Senate File 17 was crafted under the guise of saving the counties and municipalities money during much needed budget crunches. During the nearly two hour meeting, which be found at...
The Encampment Town Council meeting on February 11, 2021 began with public guest John Farr who requested permission to use the park and the area behind the Grand Encampment Museum for the Colorado Grand, which comes through the area every three years. This year the group will be in Encampment on September 19. According to Farr, an $8,000 scholarship is provided along with some funding for the highway department. Farr also said that any COVID-19 restrictions that are in place at that time will...
It has been several months since the Carbon County Visitors Council (CCVC) has met in person but, on January 20, the board met at Firewater Public House in Saratoga. In addition to the board members meeting face-to-face, the city of Rawlins sent Mary-Pat Whitfield to be their representative. The city has not had a representative since June 30, 2018. Whitfield has been a resident of Rawlins for 42 years and has worked with museums in the city. CCVC Medicine Bow representative Sharon Kahl resigned from the board because she was elected to the...
Albert Einstein once said “Time is an illusion” and I don’t think those words have ever been truer than in 2020. With only one week left in the year, I’m still having trouble wrapping my head around the fact that it isn’t March or April. Indeed, after March 13–a Friday–it seems as if all time just became a little more fluid. Time has passed so quickly, yet so slowly, this year that I almost forgot that next week will be my three year anniversary with the Saratoga Sun. That’s right, January 2 wil...
The bulk of the Encampment Town Council meeting on December 10, 2020 was once again centered around the discussion of Union Wireless upgrading their tower is located in the town of Encampment, one block from the school and directly across the street from a daycare facility. Mayor Greg Salisbury told the Union Wireless Representative that he wants to err on the side of caution and make “dang sure” that the public will not be affected by radio waves. There were many questions about the amount rad...