Business as usual for town council

Monday night’s meeting started with an executive session for personnel and, without action taken, continued with the public meeting about an hour later.

MTC

Mayor Dick Claar informed the governing body of a Zoom conference that he, Town Clerk/Treasurer Cheryl Schneider, MTC board chair Nancy Feehan and members of the Wyoming Business Council held earlier in the day to discuss the grant for which the town has applied for a feasibility study. “They asked us some questions and it sounded pretty good.”

The business council will choose the recipients of said moneys from the seven applications on their table by the end of May and that recommendation will be presented to SLIB in June for final allocation.

Also at the MTC, the Moorcroft Senior Center Board plans to purchase an electric marquee to be installed on the grassy knoll at the intersection of Converse and Belle Fourche Avenue. The town has agreed to install the trench and conduit for the electricity at a cost of no more than $1000. The sign will be managed by the town after placement.

The seniors will be mounting a campaign to raise funds for this enterprise soon.

Leaks

Public Works Director Cory Allison has approached the council regarding yet another leak, the fourth within the past year, on the town waterline leading to the WYDOT maintenance buildings northeast of town. There are measurements or costs to be considered at this time and no funding available for the unanticipated project so Allison will assemble said numbers before body and staff effect the 2020/2021 budget.

Farewell Mr. Peck

After more than two decades of protecting and advising Moorcroft among other towns in the area, Jim Peck has notified the town that he is retiring; as of July 1, he will no longer be the town’s attorney.

“In my opinion,” iterated the mayor when apprised of Peck’s predicted departure, “I don’t think there is anybody who knows more about municipal law in the state of Wyoming than Jim. He’s going to be missed.”

The council has begun a search for a qualified replacement. Peck has offered to assist for a period of time until the town settles with their choice.

Taking the plunge

After tabling the lagoon project for the last ten years because of the $2 million+ cost, the council has decided to move forward with the job. The contractor with the lowest bid, still $1 million over engineer’s estimates, will not extend their bid price which expires Friday, April 17. Claar shared his view, “We’ve bid it twice and it’s not going to get any cheaper.”

The town has been out of compliance with the EPA for the last decade and, according to Claar, will not tolerate the town’s procrastination indefinitely.

As for the cost to the citizens for this massive project, Mayor Claar assures, “We have determined that our current rates will cover the cost of the 40 year loan we have to take out, but we can cover the cost at our current rates.”

No schedule of work has been established as yet; however, moving forward with this project was approved.