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 abandoned and derelict structures in Moorcroft's residential area are not only an eye sore, but a couple of them have been severely compromised by fire and are unsafe. "Like the trailer [on Goshen]," Councilman Rob Stewart shared a specific example, "it's abandoned, rodent infested, there are holes in the roof [and] the insolation is coming down – it's a hazard." Town Attorney Pat Carpenter has attempted to contact the lawyer representing the owner of this trailer house, but has not yet r...
After witnessing the overwhelming response to the two large dumpsters that were provided to residents during the recent Clean-up Day, Pine Haven Mayor Karla Brandenburg voiced her plan, with council support, to have one container installed at the town maintenance shop for public use. This arrangement is now in place and will remain as long as residents respect the restrictions regarding what can be deposited into this dumpster. According to Brandenburg, “What we’re trying to do is add an area where people can dump and they will be able to use...
The repair of the northwest entrance from Crook Street into CDS Services was a question Moorcroft's council discussed at last week's meeting, leading the council to decide it's time to set their project priorities. The approximately 140-foot gutter is severely compromised, according to Mayor Ben Glenn, who had been informed by Public Works Director Cory Allison of complaints from the business owners. Glenn opined, "I feel it is going to start having negative effects on the street if we let it go...
In an open meeting last Wednesday evening, Coffee Cup Fuel Stop representatives Toni Nickleson and Curt Erikson answered questions about the planned liquor retailer within the existing convenience store, for which the company applied for the liquor license formerly held by Hoppers Emporium. Of significant concern was adequate separation between the two areas of business; Erikson, though, assured council that the segregation will be with locking doors and a glass wall. "I was going to put a...
Inviting everyone who loves to watch amazing fireworks burst in the dark skies over the reflective waters of Keyhole Reservoir to Pine Haven's the annual Fireworks Over the Lake Saturday evening, July 1. Entrance at the Coulter Bay Keyhole Park gate is free for the event, beginning at 8 p.m. This event is hosted by the Pine Haven Volunteer Fire Department and is their largest fundraiser each year, helping to dress their firefighters with quality bunker gear, breathing apparatus, etc. to better...
When Freedom Holding Company began excavating the C-Bar Estates subdivision in Pine Haven a couple years ago, Vince Waters of Keyhole Ranch allowed the waste dirt and timber to be stockpiled on his property in a dump pit just beyond the east end of Vista Grande Drive with dirt transported back onto the site as circumstances demand. At first, the rancher was permitting the heavy trucks to use a two-track running along the fence line between the town and ranch; however, he later was made aware tha...
The LEGO Guy (Curtis Mork) visited the West Texas Museum Tuesday, to the delight of local LEGO® fans, young and old alike. Mork has been to Moorcroft a few times through recent years and has become an awaited favorite, entertaining guests with his knowledge of LEGO history and series among other details not widely known. "Most don't know how long LEGO has been around and how it's grown; I like to educate them a little bit," he says. In 2006, Mork started collecting and came to the notice of...
Moorcroft’s Jubilee Days are coming soon! The Moorcroft Area Chamber of Commerce (MACC) has been working hard all year to bring a few new ideas and a few old favorites to the 58th annual Jubilee and everyone’s invited to come have fun. July 6 There is something for the whole family at Thursday’s Family Fun Night, at Robinson Park. Kids are invited to play on the Adventure Zone Inflatable Carnival; with ten wet and dry giant toys, the youngsters will have a blast and adults will have a good time visiting with friends and listening to the live...
Several roadways on both sides of Pine Haven's Vista Grande Drive have been chip sealed this spring with the remaining streets completed in the next budget year, perhaps in the fall, according to Mayor Karla Brandenburg. The reasons for the break in the work is twofold; HDR Engineering's Heath Turbiville spoke to the wetness of the ground at this time, after the substantial rain the area has been otherwise enjoying, "Some places [on Aspen Street] has started to dry up, but when [you] drive over...
A couple of years ago, Pine Haven's volunteer fire department consisted of only nine active firefighters, inciting a rigorous campaign to enlist more volunteers. The response brought the number of active members to 21 and assistant fire chief Don Lancaster is pleased with the bonus of more training for the participants. Tom Lubus, who had been a career firefighter with CalFire in California before moving east, was one of those who joined the Pine Haven Volunteer Fire Department in the recent...
After a literal wash out a couple of weeks ago, Safety Day, hosted by the Moorcroft Area Chamber of Commerce (MACC), was celebrated last Saturday with 16 participating businesses talking to passers-by about a wide range of dangers with which people may come into contact in their daily lives and how to handle them. These local businesses also showcased what they have to offer, encouraging involvement in and enjoyment of the town of Moorcroft, according to event organizer and longtime MACC...
The question of another free day for area residents to haul and dump their construction and demolition (C&D) waste at the Moorcroft landfill was one of the items addressed at a special council meeting last Wednesday evening. When asked for his recommendation, Moorcroft Public Works Director Cory Allison spoke candidly to an issue he is facing. “I understand that we have a lot of people who want to put stuff in there, but I also added up our hours with three guys for two days – we spent 33 hours picking up garbage on Cleanup Day,” he said. “Why...
With the resignation of Kristy Speed in April, Pine Haven’s governing body has been actively seeking applicants for the empty council seat. The council tentatively chose a replacement during an interview session last week. Three individuals stepped forward, offering applications, however, one informed Mayor Karla Brandenburg before the interviews that, due to unforeseen circumstances, they would not be pursuing the position and another simply did not show up, leaving long-time resident and former mayor Dan Blakeman sitting down to the interview...
Members of the Rage Baseball team were onsite at the upper baseball field at Moorcroft's Westview Park Saturday, starting the restoration of the diamond. Bringing in a frontend loader, the ground was scraped back and the previously capped sprinkler heads reinstalled before the new sod is laid. "This weekend," Rage member Jackie Morgan sad, "We're just trying to get the infield laid out and the bases marked and start on the new dugouts and the new fence. When the sod gets here, we can get that...
Absaroka District Interpretive Ranger Linley Mayer welcomed guests to the Summer Kickoff at Keyhole last weekend. Among the interactive and fun learning activities available at the Tatonka Shelter, there was one that immediately caught one’s attention with a bucket of clay, a bag of potting soil and a sack of wildflower seeds. Mayer explained how to make and use these “seed bombs”. “We mix together clay, dirt and seeds with some water and when they dry (usually in about 24 hours), you can jus...
Auquatic Invasive Species (AIS) technician Chad White discussed the threat of invasive species, plant, fish and crustation to Keyhole and other waterways during the Summer Kickoff event at Keyhole last weekend. Keyhole Reservoir is currently harboring one invasive plant and is under immediate threat from quagga mussels and their cousins, zebra mussels. “Recently, across the border in South Dakota, we’ve had positive identification of zebra mussels at Pactola, which is not very far from here and we do see a lot of cross border traffic of boa...
Trayton Dawson has chosen to begin his career in law enforcement with the Moorcroft Police Department. "I've always wanted to be a cop; it's always been a dream of mine," he says. "I was working out at Quality Agg and Construction and helping with wrestling practice and Cory [Allison] told me that there was a position opening and I should apply so I did." Dawson is a native of Newcastle and has lived in Moorcroft for about five years with wife Hailie. "We got married last July," he says. The...
The North East Wyoming Walleye Association (NEWWA) hosted their annual Kids Day water safety and fishing class last week. With buses bringing fifth graders from Sundance and Moorcroft as well as fifth and sixth graders from Upton, the bright warm day at the Keyhole campground was packed with fun as the 134 kids walked from one to another of the five "stations", among which they learned how to cast, tie knots and make minnows race. Zayden DeCoteau, from Moorcroft Elementary, was one such...
The North East Wyoming Walleye Association (NEWWA) hosted their first Walleye Memorial Tournament last week with the admission of 50 boats, 60 teams and 11 kids. Brendan Garcia won the Too Big Fish award with a weight of 29.25 and the next three leading teams brought in the following total weights for the two day tournament: First position: Team five – Harold Mason Junior and Brianna Tylor Mason, 41.1 pounds; Second position: Team 29 – Cody Barber and Sasha Jacob Barber, 40.82; and Third pos...
With the resignation of Kristy Speed, Pine Haven's council has an open seat. The governing body is currently accepting applications for appointment for this fifth position and anticipates filling it with a new member by the end of May. This appointment is not necessary by law, according to Town Attorney Pat Carpenter. The council may, if they wish, continue without the fifth seat filled. However, the body has chosen to fill the seat, with interviews set to take place at an open meeting on...
Meteorologist Jon Chamberlain of the National Weather Service (NWS) in Rapid City, SD presented a crash course last week on reading cloud formations to determine the severity of storms before they arrive and whether they carry rain, hail and/or the possibility of tornadoes. Chamberlain introduced pictures and short videos from around the area to demonstrate real situations and the conditions above us that create funnels (possible beginnings of tornadoes before they touch ground) and so much...
Spring Fling Cleanup Day opened to a beautiful wet morning. This did not stop the volunteers, though, from gathering more than 225 gallons of used oil, three large bins of metal to be recycled and 104 loads of non-household garbage from curbs throughout Moorcroft. According to co-organizer Elaine Buckmiller, "This year, the barbecue grills were the most collected; some years, it is washers and some years, it is dryers." The young people who had been scheduled to help were not present, however;...
The Wild Woman Artisan Market is an unassuming building on the west side of Moorcroft, on the north side of Highway 14/16. Owner Anita Beth Irving and assistant Alisa Hansen welcome everyone with a smile and are always willing to answer questions as people stroll through the store. Guests are encouraged to peruse the many items for sale from keychains and crocheted blankets to cup coasters, lotions and paintings, to name only a few. Irving has been providing independent artisans from Crook and...
Pine Haven’s council has approved this year’s cleanup day for Saturday, May 20 and dumpsters will be available in the town hall parking lot for residents to deposit their waste throughout the weekend. There is, though, a list of items that will not be accepted in these dumpsters. This list is available at Town Hall as well as on the Pine Haven municipal website, https://pinehavenwy.govoffice2.com/; everyone planning to avail their household of this provision is encouraged to check it out before Saturday. Among these items is household gar...
Commissioners Kelly Dennis, Bob Latham and Fred Devish last week listened to Pine Haven residents Todd Pomeroy and William Greathouse as the men shared their concerns about the planned mine called the Keyhole State Project, owned by Black Hills Bentonite LLC, a Wyoming-based company that is also mining just north of exit 168, along Wagner Road on Pine Ridge. Pomeroy asked questions on behalf of residents in the area. "I work in the oil and gas industry," Pomeroy spoke, "So I don't oppose mining...
