Town plans to replace water license

Long time Moorcroft Public Works employee Howard Wicks, the only remaining department member with the necessary licensing to manage the town water and sewer system, has presented to his letter of resignation, effective July 31.

The department’s director Cory Allison, though having worked for the town for more than four years, has not as yet taken the state and town mandated test to receive licensing, thus leaving Moorcroft in the position of working under the auspices of an outside license.

In fact, according to Councilman Ben Glenn, the lack of an in house license for the water/sewer system is not unusual for Moorcroft or many other small communities; the previous director did not have a license with The Water Guy working for the town for several years at more than $2000 per month. Ron Feehan was the last individual to hold a license in house before Wick and JC (John C) Scott began testing for the different levels of licensure for the town.

With the end of the month deadline approaching, Allison and Mayor Dick Claar sought and found the needed assistance from Summit Plumbing’s Irene Hixson of Newcastle, who is charging the town $1000 per month, and Upton’s public works crewman Scott Lindstrom has agreed to be back-up.

Hixson is adamant, according to the mayor, that the agreement ends after six months; that is the length of time an individual must have working with a water and sewer system before taking the test for the license.

This brings the town to another facet of the problem; according to Allison, Kim Parker of the DEQ expressed her doubts in an email conversation that he will be able to qualify for a license, noting the lack of the mandatory 20 hours a week experience he has on the town’s specific water/waste water system.

He and Claar will be sending DEQ an affidavit as to his familiarity with the system, though. “He probably does because he oversees everything we do,” said Claar.

Allison later said that if she does not accept the affidavit, “we may have to switch some things up so I can get [my license].”

Councilman Owen Mathews recognized the council’s lack of options and made an observation: “We should not be in this situation. We have a public works director who was to get it; we’re four years in and he doesn’t have a license yet and we’ve just approved $6000 that he’s already being paid for over four years and hasn’t accomplished. This is money that should not have to go out.”

With this said, the body approved releasing the $6180 for a primary and back up water system license for six months.