Mayor reflects on annual to-do list

Moorcroft Mayor Dick Claar shares his thoughts on the three projects at the forefront this year: the landfill, MTC and the long-awaited splash pad.

Despite all the trials the town is facing at this time, the mayor is hopeful about the future, saying, “I think Moorcroft is on the verge of some expansion, population-wise and business-wise, if that motel that’s rumored goes in behind Coffee Cup [Fuel Stop] takes place this spring, that will be another plus for Moorcroft.”

Landfill

With no county assistance to keep the landfill facility open and bring it to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards, the town has been scrambling to work within the remaining time allotted by the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) for the last couple of years.

Moorcroft’s first attempt to garner a loan for the work included funds for the preliminary engineering aspect and was turned down. USDA, the agency responsible for the rural development funding, did express their willingness to loan the town money for the actual construction phase, though.

Claar states his concern with the time this beginning effort is taking: “We’d like to solidify our pre-engineering work along with the Rural Development [funding].”

MTC

Clarity was brought to the issue of the MTC by the study conducted in 2021. Regardless of the direction the town chooses – discriminatory demolition, total demolition or total rehabilitation – the cost will probably be in the six figures.

“The city council has got to sit down and determine exactly what we’re going to do with that MTC,” Claar advises. “Maybe we do nothing but fix the roof, but we’ve got to meet that head-on, too.”

Splash-pad

Several years ago, the town demolished the town pool and subsequently continued South Little Horn Avenue north to Converse Street/Highway 16. After much back and forth between citizens and council, a splash pad became the objective.

Like so many other small towns in Wyoming, Moorcroft has been fighting to stay afloat while funding state and federal mandates, but is hoping to start construction on a water feature at Noonan Park this year.

“I’d like to see the splash-pad under construction this summer, Claar said. “We filled out the application for the state matching grant.”