Churches Honored

by Mike Armstrong

The Medicine Bow Town Council met at 7 p.m. on June 13 at the Medicine Bow Community Town Hall. Mayor Sharon Biamon was present as were council members Lucy Schofield, Sharon Kahl and Cindy Chace. Council member Dawndee Yocom was absent.

After the minutes from the regularly scheduled meeting on May 9 and agenda were approved, town clerk/treasurer Karen Heath reviewed the financials.

The total expenditures came to $95,511.50. The council approved ratifying the bills presented.

Sunrise Engineering said everything was in place for starting construction on the streets. There is a pre-construction meeting on June 15 to discuss when to start and what hours. Traffic control will be addressed then also.

The streets will be paved by using polymers. This is the first project using this substance Sunrise Engineering has done.

Next Schofield talked about the town having a proclamation on the churches in town. She asked for a proclamation of support for the present churches be read.

“The Episcopal Church of St. Lukes has been an integral part of the Medicine Bow community for over a 100 years and Medicine Bow also recognizes the United Methodist Church has been an integral part of the town, along with the Medicine Bow Baptist church and whereas the town of Medicine Bow recognizes that while there are few members of the churches, there is an interest in the town to revitalize and keep them a part of our town,” Schofield said.”Let it be known the town’s proclamation that the month of June is proclaimed the communtiy church history month.”

The mayor proclaimed June church history month.

The council approved the third and final reading of Ordinance 1-2022B. It is the fiscal appropriations for the town.

Heath said the cost of utility rates of water had not been increased, but with cost of fuel, it was possible it might change.

Ordinance 2-2022 in its third and final reading was approved. It is an ordinance that deals with weed and pest regulations for the town.

The council approved the purchase of a new law enforcement vehicle. The town Marshal’s office found a vehicle priced at $39,425 in NewYork. The price included shipping.

George and Cindy Loose asked the town to wave a tax lien from the town on sewer and water that came with a property they had purchased five years ago. The lien had been put in place in 2011. The owner had passed away and explained how the property went into arrears. The Looses were not sure if they wanted to pursue acquiring the title with such a large lien on it when the tax was more than what the property was worth.

The town waived the lien as long as the Looses would start paying the sewer and water bills starting with this month.

Public works director Hayden Bricker said the meter project was moving along. He said the department was gearing up for the road construction. He said the shops would be getting polymer floors. He said concrete was too expensive.

Deputy Marshal Mark Hawks said since the last town council, the department had issued 76 citations. He said since the department was established about two years ago, $304,437 in citations had been given out. $272,060 of have been collected.

Biamon, the Medicine Bow Museum Director said the summer hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. seven days a week. She said the visitor count was about the same as last year.

The fire department had elections. Robert Maddox was elected fire chief again. The assistant chief is Ed Standish.

Maddox asked the council to consider a permit for fireworks for July 4. Maddox said he had people trying to get licensed. He said a storage area is being worked on. Maddox said to try and bring an outside company to do the event would be price prohibitive.

“We need to get all this done with licenses so we can be ready to do it for the future,” Maddox said. “That is why we are working on it.”

Town Attorney Robert Piper said he would look into the liability if there was no licensed individuals.

The council approved the permit for fireworks if there was a licensed individual in pyrotechnics and there was no insurance liablilities.

Shana Romero, supervisor of South Central Wyoming Emergency Medical Services (SCWEMS) for the north of Carbon County spoke.

“We got the ambulance back here,” Romero said. “As you may know we only have one EMT here now, but we are dual paging calls meaning it goes to Medicine Bow and Hanna. What that means is that it cuts off 10 minutes is Medicine Bow doesn’t have someone ready to respond.”

She said SCWEMS had recently put on four new drivers. Romero said two EMT candidates were set to graduate in early August. They would be serving Medicine Bow.

“It will be a huge help,” Romero said. “Also we are short a representative for Medicine Bow.”

She said attending a meeting could be zoomed for those who hesitated to be a representative because of the drive.

Romero said Stayton Mosbey, the director of SCWEMS was doing an excellent job.

Kahl was appointed as the Medicine Bow representative to the Special Tax board with Heath as the alternative.

The next regular scheduled meeting is at 7 p.m. on July 11 at the Medicine Bow Community Hall.