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
Mayor concerned that a reduced version of the plan won’t be enough to keep the landfill open
Moorcroft Mayor Dick Claar met with the Crook County Commissioners last week to request the formation of a solid waste district in an attempt to save the municipal landfill for the benefit of everyone within the county.
After a concentrated effort, the Moorcroft mayor was able to show, via letters, support from Sundance, Pine Haven and Moorcroft for a district. However, even with this, Commissioners Jeanie Whalen and Kelly Dennis did not appear receptive to any realistic arrangement and would consider only a small district involving Sundance, Pine Haven and Moorcroft.
According to the Claar, “Moorcroft, Sundance and Pine Haven don’t raise enough funding to run the landfill. We need the railroads, pipelines and oil companies – we need the industrial part of the county as well.”
Claar spoke of his discouragement with the response from the county representatives: “The thing that frustrates me is that the commissioners have nothing involved in this, all they have to do is form a district, appoint a board and then let the voters decide. Why not just make the whole county a solid waste district and if it gets voted down then that means the majority of the county didn’t want it.”
If a district is formed and three or more mils are levied, the state can then help with funding and households could possibly be relieved from paying landfill costs in part or even totally.
After looking into all available options to retain and maintain the only landfill left in this county, a district is the only feasible answer, Claar advised the commissioners when asked about other alternatives.
The only other choice is closing the place down and everyone will be paying much higher tipping fees, he says, and for some, as was seen last year during the segregation of town and county garbage, dumping along the road or on BLM lands and waterways.
Time is of the essence as the current permitted vertical expansion of the Moorcroft landfill is nearing capacity and after the last inspection of the facility, the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) expressed their reluctance to permit another without an active plan for a district. Rather, according to Claar, “They’re going to shut us down.”
The Moorcroft mayor will revisit the matter with the commissioners January 6, 2021 and will contact the DEQ as per their recent recommendations, to assure them of his efforts to move forward with this endeavor.
A few years ago, Moorcroft’s council sent out a survey to Crook County residents, asking for their opinion and received a majority of favorable responses. He asks now for letters of support from individuals within the county to be sent to the commissioners before the January 6 meeting to help the group understand what the consequences will be for every homeowner who cannot avail themselves of a home style dump.
“I need people throughout the county who are in support of the solid waste district, which I believe, people in these subdivisions are; they have to get rid of their trash,” he says. “If we lose our landfill and we start having to haul to Casper or somewhere, everybody’s rates are going up.”
