Commissioners updated on GIS, hear monthly reports

Hot Springs County Commissioners held their board meeting at the annex building November 5, the commissioners voted and passed the approval of the Accounts Payable Warrant Register for $712,056.16. Both Chairman Tom Ryan and Commissioner Phil Scheel recused themselves for part of the register. The commissioners also voted and passed the approval of payroll for $223,161.64.

Ardurra’s Brian Clarkson and Maddie Ross gave the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) report and said they have run an automated parcel update for ArcGIS Online data and drew and attributed 2024 septic permits, uploaded documents to AWS and appended new permit locations to ArcGIS Online data.

They drew and attributed 16 Land Use Change tracts, uploaded documents to AWS, and appended LUC tracts to ArcGis Online data. They also began work on NG911 Address Point Editor applications for the Sheriff Department and created a Field Maps application for the collection of address, gates and common places by deputies.

Ross also said they worked on converting Assessor’s Rural Fire Number Document to GIS data to supplement the address point layer and they continued adding NG911 data layers from publicly available data. They also completed emergency response boundaries and created an updated address layer from the parcel. And, the updated FDGC metadata layers and ensured compliance with Wyoming NG911 standards.

Regarding the anticipated work for the next period, Ross said they will update the ArcGIS Online parcels layer on the 1st and 3rd Monday of the month and they will draw and attribute 2024 septic permits and LUC tracts as necessary. They will upload documents to AWS and append new information to ArcGIS Online data.

Additionally, they will provide Address Points Editor applications and training materials to the Sheriff and schedule a training session. They will begin work on the Septic Permit Inspection Field Maps App and Online Editor and they will complete revisions to the LUC Lookup App.

Ross added that they will continue work on NG911 layers, including road centerlines and address and coordinate with county staff to obtain additional required data to verify addresses in the field. They also will coordinate with dispatch service providers (Motorola, E-Force, etc.) to add layers into the County’s dispatch maps.

Ross also presented to the commissioners the need to purchase two ArcGIS Online Mobile Worker licenses for $400 per license. The commissioners voted and passed the approval to purchase the two licenses. 

Nate Messenger gave the Fixed Based Operator (FBO) report and said they have 150 total recorded operations in October. These included four air ambulances, seven aircraft overnight, three requests for hangar space. Those included a King Air C90 and two Cessna Citations. 

Regarding fuel sales, they sold 1095.31 gallons of Avgas and 701.5 gallons of jet fuel. Messenger added, “October showed a decline in activity as the fishing season wound down. Traffic and fuel sales were behind the number from September. The filters in the fuel systems have been changed and the mowing equipment has been winterized and put away.”

Messenger also said, “I have not heard from Bemidji Aviation and if they are going to be hauling UPS freight in here this winter. Historically, they have started sometime in the month of November”

The commissioners and Messenger also discussed the new hangar project where the Hot Springs County Airport is already known to not be able to have larger aircraft overnight and they have stopped inquiring. Chairman Tom Ryan added they might need to do a marketing campaign once their new hangar is constructed to get the work out they are available.

Shane Rankin gave the Road & Bridge report, and they had a “pretty busy month”. They have been getting ready for winter and spent the previous month doing a lot of patching before the asphalt became too cold. Rankin also said their plows are ready for snow.

Rankin also said he met with Mountain Construction and they have agreed to fix up Jones Road. He added, “What they would like to do is wait until the Black Mountain Road project is finished. At that time, that pit will be mined out. That pit will be closing. But they’re going to have an estimated 50 to 80 trucks a day going in there.”

Rankin continued and said, “During that Black Mountain Road project, they said they could do a greater patch over the top of it. But they recommended leaving it the way it was, just keeping it smoothed up until that project was done and then doing a full four inch pour in there. And then at that time, there’s not going to be any more trucks going in and out of there, so it shouldn’t get torn up.”

Rankin added, “I agreed with them on that. And I’ve gotten a little bit of backlash from some residents on Jones Road, but I told him I would bring it to you guys. But that is my recommendation as we wait until that project is completed and that pit is mined out, and then the road will be put back to the way it was.” The commissioners agreed with Rankin. 

Rankin provided a tentative timeline for the Black Mountain Road project and said the culvert lining and cleaning will start after the first of the year in January or February, depending upon the water or the culvert lining will occur in the spring. Larger culverts will be in March or April 2025. Tentative routing of culverts will be made in June. Full depth reclamation on the Black Mountain will begin late May 2025. Asphalt paving will be from August to September 2025 and then chip seal will occur early summer of 2026 if they have money left over for that.

The commissioners voted and passed the approval as a whole for the Right of Way Permits #2024-0004-0011 for the Fiber Optics Install for: South Kirby Creek Road, Skelton Road, Cowboy Mine Road, Sand Draw Road, Red Lane, East River Road, West Sunnyside Lane, and East Sunnyside Lane. 

Stephanie Conrad gave the Emergency Management report and said they have a State Homeland Security grant approved for $39,057 to work on an access control upgrade in the courthouse and in the joint Law Enforcement Center. Conrad added that it is possible they will need an environmental historical preservation study done. 

Conrad also presented a request for Approval of the Motorola Solutions Service Agreement for $63,511.665, effective November 15, 2024 through November 14, 2028. This is for use for their equipment in dispatch. The commissioners voted and passed the approval to sign the agreement. 

John Dorman gave the Maintenance report and said the elevators in the courthouse have some rubber flaps that run down the door and they are preventing the sensors from closing the doors. Dorman received a quote for the repairs of the elevators that ranges from $12,000 to $14,000 to do a door. Chairman Tom Ryan told Dorman to speak with County Clerk Becky Kersten to see if there is any money they can use in the budget to make the repairs. 

Les Culliton gave the Planner/Project Manager report and said they attended the NEPA training conference in October in Pinedale. There will be another session next spring. The Natural Resources Planning Committee met on October 9 where State Representative John Winter provided updates. The Land Use Planning Committee met on October 16 and gave their recommendation to the DeVries application, which will come before the commissioners on November 19. 

Regarding projects, Culliton also said the fair building roof repair was completed on October 27, which took three days to do. For the handrail project at the fairgrounds grandstands, Culliton was able to get a quote for about $18,000 to $19,000 for a spring installation. The hand railing parts would need to be manufactured. The commissioners voted and passed the approval to accept the quote. 

Culliton and the commissioners discussed the recent Water Meeting on October 29, where the state is looking for a new resource for drinking water for Hot Springs County. The commissioners decided that the NRPC would be best to draft a letter in response to the meeting as an endorsement.

Shawn Mohr presented the Prevention/Public Health update and said they had 438 vaccinations for both children and adults. This amount is almost the same amount as last year. Approximately 250-300 vaccinations were for flu shots the rest were Covid. Mohr also said he and Jen Cheney attended the Suicide Prevention Symposium for the state and that the governor spoke. 

The commissioners voted and passed the approval of the Award if Airport Engineering Services at the New Airport Request for Qualifications and Approval of Master Services Agreement to Ardurra. This agreement is redone every five years. Chairman Ryan said it was “ideal to continue to work with Ardurra” and that they are “not dissatisfied” with their services.

County Assessor Daniel Webber presented a Request for Approval of Tax Rebate No. 5-24 for $22.09 for some personal property computer equipment. The commissioners voted and passed the approval to sign the rebate. 

In other business, the commissioners voted and passed the approval to Lift the State 1 Fire Restrictions in Hot Springs County; the Draw Down Request No. 1 for the Wyoming Business Council, Reuse of the Abandoned Airport Property for $15,000; the Request for Reimbursement No. 3 Design and Associated Work for County Hangar for $4,840; the Request for Payment No. 28, Black Mountain Road Project for $6,301.28; the Approval of Federal Financial Report for Fiscal Year 2023-24, Federal Aviation Administration, Airport Rescue Grant; and the Approval of the Federal Financial Report for Fiscal Year 2023-24, Federal Aviation Administration, County Hangar Design Project.

The commissioners also announced that the Big Horn Basin Nature and Discovery Center was awarded a construction TAP Grant for the project total of $523,641. The TAP Funding is $473,843 and the local cash match is $49,798.