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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In the summer of 2019, a new well and water tank were installed in Pine Haven for the betterment of the existing population and in anticipation of future growth. As the tank was built and raised onsite nearby, the well was drilled at the corner of Pine Haven Street and Vista Grande Drive. To keep the wells fresh, the plan was to “switch back and forth” between the existing and the newly dug founts, according to Councilwoman Karla Brandenburg. Everything seemed fine as the pump was started the...
Moorcroft Council members donned a different hat Monday night to come together as the municipal planning board until they can reestablish that committee. This was deemed necessary to answer two specific questions from individuals who are in the process of replatting within town limits. The first was for the single lot on which both the former Sinclair station and a “shop” with an upstairs apartment share one water tap to the station and one sewer tap to the shop. Owner Clinton Jones asked for permission to separate the lot into two. The com...
There are currently four individuals from Pine Haven who are receiving assistance from Crook County Family Violence, according to executive director Sandy Stevens, who attended last Tuesday night’s meeting of Pine Haven’s council. She spoke about how the organization has been doing over the past year and sought a donation of $1200 to help in the coming year. The department included three staff members, director, crisis advocate and prevention education coordinator; however because of budget cons...
As Crook County and the surrounding area finally escapes the clutches of the bitterly cold temperatures of the last two weeks that originated at the Arctic, the subsequent 0-20 above of this week seems positively balmy. Like others who are responsible for animals in the pastures, local rancher Rosalie Brimmer (pictured above) comments on feeding her horses through the cold and terrible wind chill, “It makes it miserable [and]hard on livestock.” She said that her animals have “some” protect...
Moorcroft Mayor Dick Claar reappointed the same council members for the standing committees as sat on them last year, adding new councilman Austin Smith to the vacated seats at the meeting of the council last week. These committees include finance and personnel, to which Councilmen Paul Smoot and Dale Petersen are appointed; streets, alleys and buildings: Councilmen Ben Glenn and Smith; water and wastewater: Petersen and Glenn; sanitation and landfill: Smith and Smoot; and police and emergency...
The future of the landfill has long been a concern for not only Moorcroft, but also for the surrounding communities and county residents who take advantage of the lower prices and convenience of a local repository. However, at last week’s meeting of the Crook County Commission, the decision was made to appoint a committee to continue the discussion, rather than form a solid waste district as requested by Mayor Dick Claar. In response, the Moorcroft council has decided to explore the possibility of going it alone and will be investigating p...
The dash cameras Moorcroft’s police department has used for the last several years were sadly out of date and in need of an upgrade, according to Police Chief Bill Bryant. Bryant explored his choices and, about six months ago, became serious in his efforts to acquire three up-to-date dash cams for himself and his officers. The system the chief chose is far better than the camera system the department has been using. Bryant says, “The old system saved two minute clips, didn’t have audio outsi...
Over the last two months, three different vehicles have been stolen from Moorcroft. Each of these thefts was simplified by the actions of the owner. Residents are leaving the keys in their cars and pickups like they’ve done for years, but, according to Moorcroft Police Chief Bill Bryant, “This isn’t the Moorcroft of years ago.” He advises, “Take your keys and valuables inside with you.” The cars were eventually recovered, one from Rapid City, SD; another from Miles City, MT; and the third from...
Due to a reported medical emergency, a local individual driving an SUV westbound on Converse on Monday afternoon lost control while turning into South Big Horn Avenue at a high rate of speed. The vehicle careened onto the east sidewalk, hitting two light posts and two parked cars before crossing onto the west sidewalk and into the Clearwater Xperts plumbing building and the Happily Ever After Daycare, bringing the out-of-control vehicle to a stop. The driver was examined by emergency medical...
Powder River Energy recently donated several poles to Moorcroft that will be used at the landfill to hold the ten- or 12-foot high netting intended to mitigate the flying debris currently contaminating the surrounding ranchland. The existing fence cannot contain the airborne garbage and this is one of the answers, along with crews hired to pick up a radius around the landfill periodically. When the DEQ inspected Moorcroft’s solid waste facility last year, their reaction to the condition of t...
RCS, the contractor working on the mandatory upgrading of Moorcroft’s lagoon has to date used more than a million gallons of municipal water. This amounts to only fraction of the water needed and is an issue that had not been considered when the project began. Heath Turbiville of HDR Engineering explained at a workshop Monday evening that cells one and two each hold around four million gallons. Mayor Dick Claar said of the contractor’s response, “They were a little shocked at how much money...
At 9:54 a.m. Sunday, Pine Haven and Moorcroft Volunteer Fire Departments responded to a structure fire on Pine Ridge, east of both townships. A garage and addition to a cabin was ablaze. Upon preliminary investigation, the father and daughter who reside at this property were found not at home when rescue crews arrived. Two fire units responded from Pine Haven and Moorcroft arrived with six trucks including fire, water and air tank recharging components. Before crews completely contained the blaze, Sundance Fire Department was asked to bring...
Two years ago, Moorcroft Clerk/Treasurer Cheryl Schneider applied for and received a $25,000 Wylite Energy grant through the Wyoming Energy Authority to replace the old halogen lighting in the gymnasium at the Moorcroft Town Center (MTC) with new energy efficient fixtures. This year she again applied and received $25,000 to install exterior LED lighting around the circumference of the building. The work was completed Tuesday morning and will ensure well lit and safer nighttime accessibility for...
Pine Haven’s emergency system, including siren, email alerts and text messages informing residents of an emergency situation and what actions are recommended, was tested last Tuesday morning, and a couple of glitches were found. While the siren worked without a hitch, one of the issues with texting is specifically for those subscribed to Verizon. “We discovered people with Verizon phones were only getting the first sentence,” emergency alert coordinator Chris Bingham explained. “We shortened [th...
The Second Annual Coach Mirich Texas Hold ‘em Tournament hosted more than 60 guests at the Pine Haven Community Center Saturday, with 34 players filling the gaming tables. This year’s more than $14,700 has been earmarked to buy a new “Jaws of Life” for the Pine Haven Volunteer Fire Department. The tool the department has their eye on is Battery operated and, depending on the set, will cost anywhere between $12,000 and $20,000, according to former fire chief Don Lancaster. Last year’s event con...
Of the two recently elected Moorcroft Councilmen set to be sworn in at Monday night’s meeting, only Ben Glenn showed up. According to Mayor Dick Claar, Paul Gallegos provided a letter of resignation to the clerk’s office “about an hour and a half” before the meeting began, citing “personal reasons”. This situation reopens one seat within the governing body. The mayor advised Clerk Cheryl Schneider to advertize for anyone interested in serving on the Moorcroft Town Council to have their appli...
For ice fishermen and other winter enthusiasts wanting to visit Keyhole State Park this month, park supervisor Wade Henderson reports that, “The ice is anywhere between six and nine inches, depending on where you’re at. In some areas, the ice is cloudy and not great and in other places, several inches of clear over a couple inches of cloudy.” Cloudy ice is unsafe to traverse, according to Henderson, while clear is sound. The superintendent also warns guests on the reservoir about an unusu...
As 2021 gets underway, Moorcroft and Pine Haven Mayors Dick Claar and John Cook outline the concerns and plans they foresee for the coming year. Moorcroft A solid waste district is foremost on Moorcroft Mayor Dick Claar as the new year begins. “There’s some pushback,” he says of the Crook County Commissioners, but he hopes to convince the body and see a district started before the DEQ chooses closure, leaving no other options for Crook County as a whole. The last phase of the Powder River Water and Sewer Project is also on this list. A few r...
Walls are complete, but no roof yet adorns the new restroom building at Noonan Park....
With the lagoon project reaching 15 to 20% completion going into the new year, costs are looking good. According to HDR Engineering’s Heath Turbiville, “[The cost] is quite a bit less than what we asked for funding.” He and associate Jeron Smith reported to Moorcroft’s town council Monday night the most recent numbers. The 2161 dry tons of sludge dredged from cells one and two was significantly less than anticipated, thus mitigating the total cost of removal as well. The original funding provided by the state paid $965,000 and the additional $4...
Moorcroft’s 2019/2020 audit is complete and was reviewed by Deidre Budahl from Casey Peterson Ltd and the town council last Monday night. There were no unexpected issues, according to Mayor Dick Claar: “It went well, I thought.” Landfill Budahl discussed the problem of possible future closure costs of the municipal landfill, saying that the town will be $41,250 short on funding when this potential closure is embarked upon in 2026, though the governing body set aside $25,000 last fiscal year. Claar later remarked that this annual concern will...
Clerk/Treasurer Cheryl Schneider reported Moorcroft’s position to date (about 5.5 months into the 2020/2021 fiscal year) at a budget meeting on Monday night. She expressed relative comfort with the numbers, saying the town is currently at approximately 44% of the budget and 41% of the water and sewer enterprising accounts. “There is nothing alarming as of yet,” she said. Unbudgeted expense With that said, the town is currently operating under another town’s water and sewer license. That agreement will end in a couple of months, pushing Moorcro...
As winter and COVID-19 close in and a state mandate requires early restaurant and bar closures, as well as obligatory masks in stores and public building, the mayors of Pine Haven and Moorcroft have both spoken. At last Tuesday’s council assembly in Pine Haven, Mayor John Cook, himself wearing a mask, began the meeting by explaining the unaffected policy regarding masks in chambers after the newest advice from Crook County’s health department. “It is the official policy of Pine Haven Town Council that we abide by the county’s mask rule. If you...
The Second Annual Coach Mirich Texas Hold‘em Tournament will be held at the Pine Haven Community Center on Saturday, January 9. The game begins at 5 p.m. with “buy-ins” starting an hour before. This event celebrates the memory of long-time coach and friend to many Carl Mirich, who passed away a few years ago, with a Texas Hold ‘Em Tournament. Benefits from this year’s fundraiser go to the Pine Haven Volunteer Fire Department. “We are going to, hopefully, raise enough money to buy the Jaws of Life for the fire department,” Councilwoman...
With so many activities suspended or cancelled over the last year due to the pandemic, the Pine Haven Recreation Board, organizers of the annual visit from Santa, were determined to find a safe way to have the jolly elf drop by and say hi to the kids while still maintaining safety guidelines. Thus, the first Drive thru Santa is initiated. On Saturday, December 19, starting at 1 p.m., Santa will be at the Pine Haven Town Hall parking lot and as vehicles slowly circle through, like at a fast food window, he will step up to the window and deliver...
