The summer of COVID-19

Summer 2020 is officially over and Carbon County, like the state of Wyoming, had to make adjustments as the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) was still impacting life for many residents.

It was hoped back in April, and then May, that the virus would be under control with warm weather. That didn't happen. Cases started spiking in the West and South.

The summer of COVID-19 started in June and people anxious to get out of lockdowns started to travel but not by public transportation such as planes, busses and trains. Recreational Vehicles and vehicles with campers were taking over the roads.

Elk Mountain Conoco and Walcott Junction Shell on Interstate 80 both said, after Memorial Day, sales were up compared to last year (See "People are moving again" on page 8 of the June 10 Saratoga Sun).

Town by Town

For some municipalities in Carbon County, COVID-19 had little effect on how town halls were run and others it cost money.

"After having to put up window shields, getting cleaning supplies–which were hard to find–paying employees who had to stay home by doctor's orders, I would estimate the cost to have run the town about $10,000," Hanna Treasurer Pam Paulson said. "Our hours were shortened to the public although our work days were busy as ever. The summer had the town face difficult moments (as) far as meetings go because of the social distancing. For me, I do everything to protect myself and others, but I still live my life. I go places, but I am safe wearing a mask when needed. "

Hanna mayor Lois Buchanan agreed with Paulson that the virus changed the town and life.

"We had to close our recreation center for a good part of the summer," Buchanan said. "When we opened, it had to be limited hours, reservations required and strong cleaning procedures set up after every person using the facility. We had to cancel King Coal Days. Masking up was common as you went out to places with groups of people. Then, personally, not getting to go to the movies and visit people like before made it the strangest summer ever."

Doreen Harvey, Encampment Town Clerk and Treasurer, said her town had to face adjustments with not only getting the town hall safe, but had to cancel events that brought people to the town every year,

"Woodchoppers was canceled and it was going to be the 65th one," Harvey said. "Our opera house had to cancel wedding receptions because it couldn't safely do social distancing for the crowds. Our bathrooms in the park had to be locked because we had no way to keep them sanitized."

Harvey had come off an operation that kept her less mobile so she didn't get out much to begin with during the summer. She kept her interactions with groups to a minimum

Not all towns felt the changes of the COVID-19 summer as bad as other municipalities,

Melodie Seilaff, mayor of Dixon, and Anna Marie Waldron, mayor of Baggs, said although tourism had been down compared to past summers–which affected the museum, hotels and restaurants–both town halls stayed open normal hours along with the protocols required by the state. They both felt their area in the county was safe if people were careful.

"In Little Snake River Valley, we are, by location, socially distant," Waldron said. "We don't have the volume of people coming through our office compared to many other towns."

"I ran the town hall as normal," Alex Foster, Baggs Town Clerk/Treasurer, said. "We had the cleaning protocols, but I never shut the doors like some town halls."

"Dixon stayed the same (as) far as hours went," Seilaff said. "We sanitized after every one, but the town hall stayed normal."

Lots of Vacancy

Bill Jones, co-owner of Bow River Convenience Store in Elk Mountain, said his business was the same as usual. He felt Elk Mountain in general had not been greatly changed by the virus. He knew the Elk Mountain Hotel had suffered just as a new owner took over in March. The museum was down in visitors, but the small town was mostly business as usual while following the state regulations.

He said Elk Mountain is a real contrast to Laramie, where he currently lives.

"There is so much more closed down," B. Jones said. "The two places couldn't be more different."

Hotels were struggling because after guests stayed, the cleanup and sanitizing required much more time. In March and April, as Covid-19 protocols were enacted, many places had to reduce to a skeleton staff.

"March to June it was terrible, then suddenly we took off," Casey Shinkle, General Manager at the Best Western in Rawlins said. "We couldn't get staffed fast enough and we felt the effects. It is now mid-September and last week was the first time we have gotten to full staff."

Shinkle said another difficulty was that hotel standards for sanitizing change almost daily. Getting supplies for the protocols was also difficult

"I can put in an order for masks and it can take three weeks to get them," Shinkle said. "I used to be able to put in an order and get it delivered the next day. It causes a lot stress."

Local Tourism

The tourism industry in Carbon County was hit hard in March, April and May. There was hope with the Carbon County Visitors Council (CCVC) the virus would have done its worst before summer.

"I really thought our industry would be back up and running in June," said Leslie Jefferson CEO of the CCVC. "And then when June came around, I realized that our market was going to be drivers coming from about 10 hours out."

"When we were shutdown, it seemed like we were working twice as hard trying to figure out how to navigate the COVID and the restrictions while still trying to get tourists to come in whatever capacity they could," said Kristy Kennedy, Office Manager for the CCVC. "It felt like we were working twice as hard for half the results. Once we opened the office back up in May, we wanted to encourage visitors to come here safely and discourage any reckless behavior. The tourists we got coming through the office were driving RVs and we didn't see as many bikers and hikers."

As summer progressed, tourism did start to come back.

"I did find it interesting that our county lodging properties are the ones that came back first," Jefferson said. "They are really strong but Rawlins, which is usually high, is way down."

Traveling by plane changed. In March, Jefferson remembered most of her flights were not full, but one from Las Vegas to Denver was packed.

"Back then you were only supposed to wear a mask if you were sick," Jefferson said. "It was crazy as everyone was squished together. I flew in July and every other seat was unoccupied and safety protocols were in place."

Leanna Jones, CEO of the Saratoga/Platte Valley Chamber of Commerce, said she was often the source for updated info about state regulations concerning COVID-19 and businesses.

The calls that came in the most were about the hot pools. She said there were about 50 a day.

"People would get irate when I told them they were closed," L. Jones said. "It was a good day when they opened again."

She said it was disappointing that many staple events were canceled.

"This would have been the 25th year for the Stienley Cup," L. Jones said. "I am glad to have pulled off the golf tournament."

L. Jones said she was impressed with how the community banded together to help each other.

"People were handing out checks to restaurants and businesses, to help workers and owners," L. Jones said. "It is good to see something like that happen in these uncertain times."

Like many businesses, museums took it on the chin as fewer visitors came and, with this downturn, fewer donations.

Tim Niklas, Grand Encampment Museum Director, said it was almost impossible to plan for the summer. Almost all his annual events had to be canceled.

"I couldn't even wrap my head around hiring people for the summer because I really didn't know what was happening," Niklas said. "We had to only open a few buildings because we couldn't safely social distance. It definitely changed the visitors' experience."

He said the numbers were down for the summer–in June as much as 50 percent–but what he found interesting was that retail sales were up in the months of July and August. Niklas said people were buying large items because they were traveling by RV.

"I have sold more of our large frame pictures this summer than I have ever seen," Niklas said. "This is a reflection of the travelers this summer."

He said the largest challenge for his summer is trying to anticipate each day.

"There was so much unknown," Niklas said. "I will say, without the PPP, we might not have made it through the summer. The RNB State Bank deserves tremendous credit for how they helped us. They made it so easy for us to get our loan. Seriously, that was huge."

Sunshine Solaas, Hanna Basin Museum Director, agreed with Niklas about how numbers were down. She said that last year people were coming to the museum from all over the country and, this year, there were few visitors from out-of-state.

"The visitors we had came from around the state," Solaas said. "We are a small museum compared to others in the county and donations in the summer help us a lot. This summer; less people, less donations."

Dining Out

Travis Winchell, a wine broker for Young's Market also felt the effect of Covid-19.

"It canceled about every exciting plan I had thought of as a wine broker, but it also made some time to organize," Winchell said. "So there were pros and cons, but mostly cons. It was sad to watch all these dates of events and festivals drop off the calendar."

He said his sales with restaurants took a hit, but retail sales were really strong.

"It was a mixed bag," Winchell said.

"Covid affected restaurants quickly in March and it very much effected Firewater as we found ourselves having to close," Danny Burau, owner of Firewater Pubic House in Saratoga, said. "We got back open just before Memorial Day and our sales have been about 75 percent to what they are last summer until now. We lucked out because we have outside seating. Weather was good this summer and we didn't have to bring people on the deck inside, which was a big fear of mine."

He said the lower capacity allowed his team to be more efficient and allowed tables to turn more often.

"We learned something about the kitchen capacity and the volume of the restaurant," Burau said. "This summer was a time to learn and a time to focus on what we were doing and what dish really made sense. With about 30 percent less capacity, we had to maximize those tables while guests were here."

Burau said a frustration he had at the end of the summer was when he was told by customers they didn't understand why he was following the protocols when other places were not.

"It made some people angry because we were following the rules still and I would even have people yell at my staff," Burau said. "It got worse as the summer went on because we follow the regulations. It definitely has a stressful and emotional summer."

Hiring was a problem. He said they have leaned down on hours because he doesn't have enough staff.

"I hate that we are closed two days out of the week," Burau said. "My model was to be open seven days a week but I can't put my team through it. Nobody is taking jobs. I can't hire someone to save my life. It crushes me but the community has been so supportive. The one thing I have learned; I am glad we opened our business in Saratoga."

Judd Campbell, manager of the Wolf Hotel in Saratoga, agrees with Burau on how difficult it has been to hire workers this summer after they reopened.

"Since we re-opened after being closed for two months, we are doing as much business as we have ever done. We have less tables but we are having more seatings. Last year there might be two an evening but this summer it will be three or four," Campbell said. "Our rooms are booked almost solid every week. From a sales standpoint, I don't feel like we have been that effected."

Getting workers for the summer has been the challenge for the Wolf Hotel.

"The people we hired were worthless and those are the ones who showed up to work," Campbell said. "We had ads everywhere and reached as far as the east coast but we can't get the help."

Campbell said he has no idea why it was like this. He said it was difficult for him to man the shifts and that the Wolf might have to consider closing on Mondays.

"It has been a little difficult in summers before to find help, but its never been like this before," Campbell said.

Changes

Joshua Wood, editor and publisher of the Saratoga Sun has been watching the pandemic unfold and by summer knew it was not going to disappear.

"No one was sure how long it was going to last when it first hit and it has effected every aspect of life," J. Wood said. "We as a newspaper are still doing what we do, but there are changes to how we do it. Summertime is a big time for revenue for advertising because of events. Our summer guide got changed entirely because we had to acknowledge there was less advertising by businesses."

J. Wood said as meetings limited attendance the Sun started to livestream the Saratoga Town Council meetings.

"I think that is here to stay because it has engaged people that normally wouldn't have time to attend the meeting in person," J. Wood said. "Much like restaurants and other businesses found out, we were forced to rethink how we do things. We increased interviews that we did by phone."

He said that the advertising person for the Sun was encouraged to talk to the businesses that advertised, not to only make sales but to make sure they were okay. J. Wood said the Sun is a community paper in the fullest sense of the word and that its staff genuinely cares about all the places and people it reports on.

J. Wood said the weirdest thing for him about the summer was in the midst of a global pandemic, life was going on as usual for the most part for the Sun.

Personally, he and his family stayed home this summer instead of going out. He said the risk to his parents and grandparents wasn't worth taking chances. J. Wood said it was stressful not knowing if there was going to be in person school for his young son once summer was over.

Dr. Jim Copeland, Carbon County School District No 2 Superintendent shared J. Wood's concern.

"In my position as superintendent of a school district, it was a one of a kind ever summer in my career and I have had over 40 years in education and a number of those years as a superintendent," Copeland said. "Never experienced anything like this before."

He said the school year ended with kids not going back to classes after March. Copeland was not sure, as the summer started, what the fall would bring.

"It was the summer of writing plans," Copeland said. "We had to write so many plans and get so many approvals from so many entities on how we were going to open school."

A plan for virtual had to be done. A plan for activities. A plan for in person classrooms.

"A lot of writing things out for all those entities," Copeland said. "My administrative staff, who were great, and myself spent a ton of time this summer, revising, revising and making submissions."

He said it caused a lot of stress, not only formulating all the plans but also to make sure all the sanitizing guidelines were going to be met.

"It was a pretty much a non-relaxing summer for a superintendent for a school system," Copeland said. "Even now that we are open, everything could change in a day. But this is the times we're in and we have to cope."

On a personal note, Copeland said when he went and visited his sons in Texas, the family stayed home and didn't go out to eat. A regular family get together at his 92 year old mother-in-law's was canceled because the risk was too great.

"The world is a different place for the moment," Copeland said.

Logan Wright, PE teacher and football coach for Saratoga High School, reinforced Copeland's assessment on how uncertain it has been for students coming back to school.

"I have a good group of guys who came in the summer for workouts but I know, in their minds, some were thinking, 'is this even going to happen,'" Wright said. "It caused some anxiety and maybe some kids didn't even show up because they didn't believe there would be a season."

He said keeping the social distance protocols in place and all the cleaning was an adjustment.

Wright said his time stuck at home had its upside because he has a young family. His children are one and three, so he didn't mind being around to help.

"Still, because it was not bad for me, I don't want to diminish how hard it has been on so many," Wright said. "I was fortunate, that it was actually a good time for me to be at home."

Being Cautious

Telitha Wood, library assistant at the Saratoga Branch Library, said the summer was toughest on how there was no in person programing. All activities were curtailed. She said there was a take home craft bag sent home with kids.

"We always implemented disinfection in this library," T. Wood said "We go through a serious 72 hour quarantine on all books."

She said that people can browse books but, if they don't check it out, it is deposited on a cart to go through a quarantine, also.

T. Wood said the library shuts down for an hour during the day for cleaning of high touching areas.

"We have always been clean, but we have intensified it all," T. Wood said.

Rose Vaughn, branch manager of the RNB State Bank in Hanna, said the bank has strong protocols for disinfecting money as it comes in. She said the shields at the teller windows are there to stay. She said when the lobby reopened in the summer, many residents were happy.

"Many customers just didn't want to use the use the drive-thru," Vaughn said. "They like to do their banking in person."

Vaughn said she used so much hand sanitizer her hands went raw.

Because her husband is high risk, Vaughn stayed close to home, shopping locally and getting packages delivered.

"I didn't see my grandchildren for seven months," Vaughn said. "Usually I see them two or three times a month."

Sharon Kahl, the Hanna police dispatcher and Medicine Bow resident, had to be sent home for six weeks from her job because her health could be at risk.

"I had to be in quarantine for six weeks and it is really hard," Kahl said. "I am a sole provider and it was really tough. I couldn't wait to get back to work. Then when I went back to work, I had to wear a mask, gloves and sanitize everything. It seemed never ending with the rules, but that was the way it was and you deal with it. Its just the way it was and is right now."

Fall has come to Carbon County and all who talked to the Sun, hoped this will be the only Covid-19 summer.

"We can only hope it is," Buchanan concluded. "But if it isn't, our communities and residents of Carbon County have proven we can persevere."