Council approves bid for fire hall roof

Monday night the Thermopolis Town Council approved a bid from Dave Loden Construction, in the amount of $82,885, for a new roof on the old fire hall, with the condition that the completion date be extended from Oct. 30 to Nov. 30, though in a letter to the council Erick Loden stated he is 90 percent sure he can have it done before Oct. 30.

Also during their meeting, council approved a bar and grill liquor license for the property at 942 Shoshoni Street, most recently known as the Raptors restaurant. Approval of the license is contingent upon approval of a food service permit for the location.

Also at the meeting, council approved street closings for the upcoming Farmers Markets. The markets will be from Broadway along Fifth to the alley, and will begin July 27. Sonja Becker spoke at the meeting and said the markets will be on Saturdays from 8-11 a.m. The last one is Sept. 28, though Becker requested there be an option to have them until Oct. 12 if the weather holds.

A question at the meeting was whether anyone had gardens left, due to the hail, though Becker said there are people who like to sell products they’ve made, and hopefully someone still has a garden.

A certificate of substantial completion with a date of June 15, a work change directive and pay estimate were approved for the clarifier painting project. Barnett noted the directive adjusted the quantities to actual quantities used, and adjusted dates for the weather days they had due to rain.

In bad news with the clarifier, Director of Public Works Ernie Slagle reported the final drive has been lost on it; it’s currently being used as storage to bring in the amount of water need for the number one clarifier, to meet the water demand.

The drive is 25 years old and loaded with grease that has turned to tar, Slagle said, and will need to be changed out. The technology will also need to be updated down the line. He said he is currently in the process of getting quotes and will let council know when he receives them.

Barnett also spoke of the sewer project at Springview and Park. The SLIB board recently provided a $150,000 match for the project. Following a presentation by the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) during the county commissioners meeting, Barnett and Mayor’s Assistant Fred Crosby met with several WYDOT personnel, who stressed they plan to let the Thermopolis street project around November. There is concern the sewer project will not be done prior to the streets project, though Barnett said they will be pushing hard for completion.

Also at the meeting Main Street Thermopolis President Suzanne Samelson expressed appreciation to the council for everything they did for the Thermopolis Brewfest, and the work done on the flowerbeds on either side of the flagpole.

Samelson also reported Main Street has been awarded technical assistance funds from Wyoming Main Street for new trash cans. She added they are working out the details.

National Main Street President Patrice Frey will be visiting Thermopolis on Tuesday, July 9, Samelson reported, and there have been some nice working visits over the past few months from members of the senior National Main Street team. Among them has been Matt Wagner, Ph.D., the vice president of Revitalization Programs, who has been working with the Big Horn Basin on strategic ideas for accommodating what has been lost from Shopko closings.

Kathy La Plante, Senior Program Officer and Director of Coordinating Program Services, has been working with the local Main Street board to enhance what’s being done here.

The visit from Frey on July 9 will include a tour of the historic downtown district, and Samelson extended an invitation to council to join them. The tour will begin at the Main Street office at 1 p.m.

Council member Bill Malloy said he heard high praise at the recent Wyoming Association of Municipalities (WAM), for what the Main Street program is doing here.

Police Chief Julie Mathews spoke of the recent Camp Postcard, noting it was very successful as an officer and a child from the community were able to attend. “I think we made a pretty good difference in that child’s life,” Mathews said, and she wanted to re-iterate the importance of the program. Camp Postcard provides kids with few opportunities the chance to attend several activities and demonstrations at Casper Mountain, and Mathews said it is a great self-esteem builder.

Director of Public Works Slagle said the chip sealing has been advertised and he’s hoping for bids on it. Planned areas include a double chip seal on Amoretti from 14th to 12th, then from 14th to Ninth on the street between Broadway and Arapahoe.