The Voice of the Community Since 1909, Serving Moorcroft and Pine Haven, Wyoming
The Voice of the Community Since 1909, Serving Moorcroft and Pine Haven, Wyoming
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The 16th annual Harvest Feastival, hosted by the Moorcroft Area Chamber of Commerce (MACC), entertained around 250 guests Saturday afternoon. Long-time co-organizer Elaine Buckmiller was pleased with the full house, saying, "The tables stayed full all afternoon... It looked like everyone had a good time." Members of the National Honnor Society served attendees from the 21 available soups, sides and desserts and, of those who brought their delicious best, Jodi Clark won the title this year, with...
The State Land and Investment Board (SLIB) has awarded this year’s ARPA funding for capital projects to 18 applicants including Moorcroft’s Powder River Water Main (Phase II) and Pine Haven’s Glenn Vista Sewer Main. Both municipalities have been approved for the full amounts requested of $800,000 and $222,000 respectively. Moorcroft Mayor Ben Glenn was unavailable for comment, but Pine Haven Mayor Karla Brandenburg spoke about the next step and what this project means to the town, “This is to connect the last six lots on Vista Grand Drive t...
At a workshop last week, the Moorcroft Council came together with mobile home park owners to discuss a different option for single meter properties with multiple residences. Moorcroft has never put in place commercial rates that differ from residential rates, yet many towns are beginning to separate the for-profit trailer parks and apartment buildings as commercial endeavors. Councilwoman Heidi Humpal, who owns and operates several rental spaces and has, along with her fellow trailer park and...
At the Moorcroft Town Council’s most recent meeting, Councilman Bob Stewart addressed three concerns he had about the public works and police departments. Public Works Hours Stewart brought forth the issue of how many days a week the Public Works Department works – currently four ten-hour days per week. “I would like to see our city and street guys go to five days a week, eight hours during the winter months like how we have our signs, the first of November to the first of April… that way, we have everybody here on board on Friday in case we ge...
Moorcroft has been awarded funding for the closure of the municipal landfill on Wind Creek Road east of town. The SLIB grant is 85% and Mayor Ben Glenn is happy with the amount. "It's a good deal for the town," he says. This 85% was an increase from the initial 50/50 discussed specifically due to the reserve the town has maintained over the years that was available to match. With this funding, the town will be reimbursed for the work already done and will be moving forward with the official clos...
Moorcroft’s council, like many others in Wyoming, has been struggling to find funding to rehabilitate former school buildings like the Moorcroft Town Center (MTC). Several years ago, such help as grants and loans from the state benefitted many communities, but ended with no more funding obtainable until recently, when possible capital in the form of a grant was made available from the Wyoming Business Council through the Community Facilities Rehabilitation Grant Program. The council has been working diligently to prepare the requisite a...
Moorcroft’s council is attempting, once again, to address the abandoned trailer houses and buildings in town, this time with attention directed to a specific residence on North Powder River Avenue. After accomplishing the removal of the abandoned and wrecked trailer across the street from this property, the town is working to have this singlewide removed and the lot cleaned up. The trailer has not been occupied for around 15 years and the owner is willing to give the structure to whomever would...
A workshop will be held at Moorcroft’s town hall Monday night, October 23, at 6 p.m., to discuss the viability of the town purchasing water meters for individual rental units within the mobile home parks as well as the apartment buildings that have not already complied with the suggestion. The town is again considering the possibility of buying and installing water meters to cover each apartment and mobile home tenement in Moorcroft and billing the property owners for the site-specific costs. This issue has been reiterated through the years a...
Pine Haven is exploring the possible advantages of creating an ordinance governing smoking in public areas, including town parks and streets. According to Mayor Karla Brandenburg, a resident had spoken with Councilwoman Emily Smith on the matter. "She had been asked to bring to the council the question of passing a non-smoking ordinance for any public place in Pine Haven, like many towns have passed," Brandenburg says. This idea is still in question mode: what would the ordinance look like and...
Commercial properties in Pine Haven may be seeing an adjustment in sewer rates in the coming months. The council has been reviewing existing business rates, which have been equal to residential rates for many years, causing a possible funding discrepancy. An increase has been suggested to guarantee maintenance and improvements, ensuring reliable service in the future, according to Mayor Karla Brandenburg. A base rate of $20, which will include the first 1000 gallons and $6 for every subsequent 1000 gallons, will be voted on by resolution in...
Pine Haven's council celebrated their volunteers at a gala fundraiser Saturday evening. Eighty-five places had been set with six per table at the community center Saturday evening, but as guests continued to arrive, these table settings were rearranged to sit eight, "or more", according to Mayor Karla Brandenburg. "It was amazing and a packed house!" As this was the inaugural year for the volunteer gala, organizers assumed turnout would probably be low, but would be better next year. According...
Pine Haven's volunteer fire auxiliary hosted their 21st annual Octoberfest fundraiser this year with numerous guests coming throughout the day on Saturday. Many items and baskets were donated for the draw; a cup is set in front of each item and those interested write their name on a piece of paper, fold it and put it in the cup to be mixed and drawn after lunch. According to co-organizer Vanna Waters, this is a very popular part of the day's celebration. Guests enjoyed hot dogs, brats, German...
Concern was recently expressed by a Pine Haven resident over the capacity and capability of the lift stations currently in place on Boe Drive to deal with the installation of the new sewer line in the near future (these lift stations pump wastewater from a lower elevation to a higher elevation). When this question was put to Public Works Director Sean Glasser, he wanted to assure those who live in the area covered by the Boe Drive lifts that the pumps are designed to carry the added load of future housing and are working well right now. To...
With the determination of Moorcroft’s council to eventually move town hall to the Moorcroft Town Center (MTC), which will necessitate moving the food pantry from the building, the Moorcroft Interfaith Community (MIC) has been pursuing an alternative facility for the food stuffs the group maintains and provides to more than 700 people three weeks a month from that location. Monte Reichenberg, one of the organizers of the pantry, spoke to the governing body last week about the possibility of moving the pantry to new buildings built only feet away...
In May, Rage team manager and spokesman Travis Arney approached the Moorcroft Council requesting permission to call Moorcroft home and was approved with the understanding that the group would be responsible for upgrading the upper baseball field in Westview Park, bringing the diamond to regulatory specifications on which their team could play. Arney, at the time, assured the council of the potential for money coming into town via the games and the increase of value by said upgrades, paid for by...
Pine Haven Mayor Karla Brandenburg, along with Public Works Director Sean Glasser and HDR Engineering’s Heath Turbiville met via conference call with KO Construction owner Kelly Lang and Freedom Holdings’ Greg Cottrell to keep abreast of progress onsite at the C-Bar Estates development. Connections from the remaining lots to main sewer lines on the west side of Pine Haven Road will be completed this week with Turbiville and Glasser on hand to evaluate compaction with the contractor. After the testing on the west side, work will be moved to the...
Several young local girls, from ages eight to ten, participated in the Girl Scouts of Montana and Wyoming's newly designed mobile Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) program Saturday. The Mobile STEM Learning Center event began with teacher Jess Carley working with an anatomy model named Annie Tomy. After removing the organs and discussing the purpose and identifying aspects of each part, Carley asked the kids to help her replace them as she named the body component, its...
As Moorcroft attends the final aspects of their landfill closure, Sundance Councilman Joe Wilson came to call during the regular town council meeting last week, joined by Crook County Commissioners Fred Devish, Bob Latham and Kelly Dennis. The topic? Revisiting the possibility of a solid waste district. “I spent a lot of time with former Mayor [Dick] Claar, talking about possibly forming a trash district a handful of years ago, with your landfill,” said Wilson. “It’s been brought out again with the fact that you are looking at the cease a...
Kyle Austin’s 12-plex apartment building was the center of the Moorcroft Council’s attention again last week with the property owner’s disregard of the most recent 30-day shut off notice and his subsequent reference to possible lawsuits over loss of revenue if the town proceeds. The situation is that not all the units are recognized by the existing meters and the landlord, though paid by each tenant, has not fulfilled the connection of the remaining apartments, subsequently not paying on the water dues for every rental using the utility. Moorc...
With the arrival of KO Construction at the C-Bar Estates development last week, Pine Haven's council hopes to see improvement in upholding agreements made between the developers, Freedom Holdings and the town as well as the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). After KO arrived onsite, at first, there was little visible change from Pine Haven Road and concern was expressed, but Public Works Director Sean Glasser assured Mayor Karla Brandenburg that the construction company started at the...
Pine Haven is planning now to continue chip sealing the municipal roadways. The newly formed infrastructure committee has hit the ground running with an investigation of the streets, graveled and paved, throughout town and advised Mayor Karla Brandenburg and council to consider two projects including improving drainage where needed, paving where appropriate and chip sealing. The first to be completed in the 2023/24 fiscal year is Meadows Drive; the mayor explained to her fellow council members...
Approximately two weeks ago, after a drive-by examination of municipal residential lots, letters of violation of the town’s junk ordinance were sent to property owners from the Pine Haven clerk’s office, under the auspices of the council, regarding mowing privately owned overgrown areas. Clerk/Treasurer Tammie McGovern recently noted an unexpected issue as recipients began to call the office in response, namely owners of undeveloped parcels: “We don’t know who the empty lots belong to if they don’t have utilities in the system.” This proble...
The day was warm with a fine breeze as families and friends sat visiting and kids found their best spots to grab up any candy thrown their way; thus began the Pine Haven Days Labor Day Weekend. In the parade, Emily and Bill Smith led as Grand Marshals, waving and throwing the first candy of the event. Best Cart was won by Bob and Tammie McGovern; Randy Blakeman entered two of his fine rides and both tied as Best Classic Car; and Best Float went to Collins Communications. As the parade went by,...
The public is invited to get down with a pitchfork fondue dinner as the West Texas Trail Museum (WTTM) celebrates their 14th annual Heritage Roundup Saturday, September 16; Happy Hour starts at 5 p.m. with dinner at 6. This year's theme is "Boots and Bling" and guests are encouraged to wear comfortable shoes for the dancing after dinner as the Ramblin' Rangers from Hot Springs, SD entertains guests with live music. Many great items will be available in the live and silent auctions. This annual f...
The decorative light posts along Big Horn Avenue were a subject of a recent discussion of Moorcroft's council after the vehicular destruction of a couple of the poles. There are actually two issues the town is facing with the existing status of the posts: the first is the degradation of the pot metal bases, which rust within a short time from salt and moisture that inevitably finds inroads, making the structure unsound. The other is, of course, drivers hitting these posts, breaking them before...
