Funds requested for golf course repair, maintenance

At the June 20 Thermopolis Town Council meeting held at the Town Hall, during citizen participation, Kevin Simpson, President of the Golf Board, requested additional funds for the repair and maintenance of the golf course. Simpson explained that the course has aged and is beyond its life expectancy. There is also a need for a new pump at the pump house at the river. Simpson said they want to have two pumps working to create redundancy in case one pump system goes down and they can continue the course’s operation and water sprinkling system. 

Additionally, Simpson reported that they have approximately 50 sprinkler heads that need to be replaced, and they cost $250-$300 each. Council member John Dorman Senior said the cost was “astronomical.” Simpson explained that they have swapped out or borrowed parts for their current heads to keep them operational and the cost involved that the sprinklers cover a lot of ground and are not the typical residential sprinkler. 

Council member Bill Malloy asked Simpson about how many golf course members there are and about fundraising. Simpson said there are 36 single members, 40 couples, 10 families, and 23 juniors. Any child under 12 is free. Regarding fundraising, the golf course had not held an event for the past six years. One of the golf board members present, Jason Ciz, said that it is difficult to fundraise and that it would take six to eight months to organize. There was further discussion about fundraising, including the idea of using advertising on hole signs and scorecards.

The matter was revisited later in the meeting when the council held their third and final reading for the 2023-2024 Budget Ordinance. They had a discussion about the Golf Board’s request for additional funding. After the discussion, they decided that the council would reallocate some funds from other parts of the budget without increasing overall spending and apportion an additional $10,000 to bring the Golf Board’s funding to $60,000. Mayor Estenson added there would be more discussion later about this amount and decided if there would be a future regular increase in funding to the Golf Board. To assist in the council’s decision-making, the Golf Board will need to provide additional documentation and their financial records. The council voted and passed the budget ordinance with the reallocation of funds for the Golf Board. 

 Suzanne and Howie Samelson presented their quarterly update for Main Street Thermopolis. See a separate article on page 7 for their report.

Joe Moon of the Big Horn Basin Nature and Discovery Center (BHBNDC) presented a request for a waiver of the water and sewer tap fees. The total amount needed is $3,600 and is based on the size of the pipes. During the discussion with the council, Town Clerk/Treasurer Tracey Van Heule, and Town Attorney Marshall Keller, they determined they were unable to use the enterprise or general fund for the waiver due to state statutes, the possibility of not passing an audit for grants, and or setting a precedent. Van Heule said she “discouraged” approving the waiver of the fees. Mayor Estenson expressed that they do support the BHBNDC’s efforts, but the council decided to take no action on the item for the reasons discussed.

Toddi Darlington, also of the Big Horn Basin Nature and Discovery Center, presented their TAP grant application and resolution in the amount of $49,798.28. There was also discussion about adding a “whereas” statement to the resolution. The council voted and passed the approval of the grant application with the addition of the “whereas” statement. 

Mayor Estenson held several public hearings. The first was for the reappointment of Audra Dominguez for her position on the Travel and Tourism Board. There were no public comments given. The council voted and passed the approval of Dominguez’s application. 

The second public hearing was on the proposed Fiscal Year 2023-2024 Budget. No public comments were given. 

Town Engineer Anthony Barnett presented the Springview Street Utility Extension for use at the new teacher housing that is located behind the bus barn. No money from the town would be needed for the request and it is for a DEQ permit to be signed. The council voted and passed the approval of the request. 

Barnett also presented a Reconciliation Change Order to draft the final completion of work for the amount of $72,000. The council voted and passed the approval of the change order.

Assistant to the Mayor Jim Jeunehomme presented a right-of-way request for a fence in the 1400 block of Fremont. The request does not include a variance for the height and both sections of fencing fall within the town’s code requirements. The council voted and passed the approval of the right of way.

Council member Bill Malloy gave a report on his attendance at the Wyoming Association of Municipalities (WAM) convention. Malloy said he attended a boot camp that covered a large variety of subjects and training. There was also new legislation that requires municipality members to attend a six-hour course of training. If members do not participate in the training, they could possibly have funding reduced as a consequence. Some of the subjects in the training include matters of ethics, transparency, no conflicts of interest, nepotism, strategic planning, budgeting, planning and zoning, auditing, public records, fees, water and sewer, and many others. The members can either go to the Winter WAM convention, the one next summer, or online. 

Malloy also reported on the difficulty of hiring employees, providing better job descriptions in the hiring process, and increasing awareness of perks. Additionally, Malloy discussed the need for night activities in the town for tourists and residents, as there was a demand for something to do. There were about 250 to 300 people in attendance at the WAM conference. All resolutions passed except one related to medical marijuana which failed by only one vote.