Council hears Golf Course update

At the March 16 Town Council meeting, the Town Council approved a catering permit for Shorty’s at the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation event set for April 10.

Howie Samelson from Main Street Thermopolis provided his quarterly report and said they will be scheduling their Spring Clean Up for May Samelson also thanked the council for approving the street closure for the coming Brewfest. 

Samelson said that they are working with Brian Beadles, from the Wyoming State Preservation Office to expand Thermopolis’ Registered Historic District to coincide with the Main Street Thermopolis Historic Downtown District. This could facilitate eligibility for certain grant opportunities.

This year’s National Main Street conference will be virtual. They have four board members attending. Members of the board have been invited to participate in the planning of Wyoming Business Council and Wyoming’s Main Street’s new Wyo Wednesdays/Shop Smart, Shop Safe campaign. April’s theme is Spring into Action, followed by Maker’s May, which will celebrate local makers and artisans.

Tobi Johanson gave his report representing the Golf Course Board and provided some highlights of what they have done so far.

He said they sent most of their mowers for repairs and addressing hydraulics issues, spending about $4,000. They sharpened all of their greens mowers as well. He said, “All of our mowers are completely up to date and ready to go.”

For just maintenance on mowers, they spent almost $8,000.

They also purchase a new utility vehicle to replace their old, lower-powered electric utility vehicle.

Johanson also reported they hired a new greenskeeper.

For the next year, they are planning to use liquid fertilizer, which will be better at penetrating the soil and keeping the course greener.

Dealers this year are providing sales on sprinklers, the board will be purchasing 26 new sprinklers which will bring the course back up to close to 300 sprinkler heads working again.

They moved the counter in the clubhouse, which provides more open space for customers.

There will be a spring cleaning event on April 10 at 9 a.m. which is open to the public. After the branches and debris are all picked up, they will have an approved burn pile and cook a meal for the crew. Johanson said, “It should be a good time.” 

Mayor Mike Chimenti asked Johanson what they charge for their memberships. He replied it’s $528 for a single, $792 for a couple and $924 for a family. A junior pass is $100. For new members who have not been a member before, the cost is $100 off. They can pay online and also book a tee time at thermopolisgolf.com. A nine holes course costs $17 and 18 holes are $26. Cart rates increased this year because they had difficulty managing them previously. For $12 you can put whatever you want in the cart. It costs $440 for a cart for the whole season.  

Town Engineer Anthony Barnett reported they will have a pre-bid conference for the town roof project, and he said there has been lots of interest. He will update the council at the next meeting. Barnett added, “There have been multiple bidders, which is a good sign.”

Town Attorney Mike Messenger said he is “working on several little projects and some big projects.” He has recently been coordinating with Assistant to Mayor Fred Crosby and Town Clerk/Treasurer Tracey Van Heule on the amendments to the alcohol beverage ordinances. He will have that ready for the next council meeting for its first reading. 

Under administration, Crosby reported he received a letter from ISO on their ratings. The town’s rating dropped to a different class, even though the town’s code enforcement hasn’t changed.

Crosby explained that the world has changed in how building codes and the industry have been done and because of those new differences that caused the town’s rating to drop.

One of the potential things the town could do to make a remedy is to hire a certified code inspector, but that would cost a lot of money. Crosby also noted that there hasn’t been much building in town for some time.