Your source for news in Hot Springs County
Your source for news in Hot Springs County
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At the March 29 Hot Springs Health board meeting, CEO Margie Molitor was out of town and was unable to attend. Therefore, Chief Clinical Officer Scott Alwin gave the growth pillar report and said he welcomed the new Chief Financial Officer Kevin Benson. Alwin then asked Verlene Luna to discuss the new same-day access program for the clinics. Luna said, “We really have been working with established patients from some of our more productive physicians to get them in quicker. So if, for i...
For the past two years, property prices and their availability in Hot Springs County have experienced a significant change. There is a very high demand of buyers seeking to purchase properties here in Hot Springs County and yet there is now a low supply. Cenus data shows Wyoming’s population grew by 1,536 people between July 2020 and 2021. That’s an increase of 0.3%, above the nationwide average of 0.1% in the same time period. Based on real estate sales and availability, Hot Springs County is...
Val Curley and her business Paws for a Moment provide a house and pet sitting service for residents here in Thermopolis. Curley started her business about four or five months ago. For dog walking, at this time, Curley charges $20 for half an hour. However, rates can be discussed. Curley could be described as a “pet whisperer” as she has a heart that connects with an animal. She doesn’t see them just as property, but as animals of value and worth. Curley described that she can quickly bond with t...
Hot Springs County High School senior Jean Luc Willson recently won a full-ride scholarship to the University of Wyoming (UW). The university awards about 100 scholarships every year. As part of the application process, UW first looks at the student’s GPAs and ACT scores. Willson said they look for an ACT score around 32 and a GPA of about 3.9 or 3.8. UW Admissions put the applicants in a selection pool where they then have to do essay questions for a second phase. The school then narrows down t...
At the March 15 Thermopolis Town Council meeting held at Town Hall, Hot Springs County Emergency Planner Bill Gordon presented information on the Hazard Mitigation Plan. This plan was last approved in 2016 but now has been updated and reviewed. It’s 546 pages. However, there is a portion of the plan as an annex just for Hot Springs County, about 38 pages. Gordon mentioned there is a chart of 10 pages to pay attention to that shows the efforts being done by various agencies and its new items. T...
Mark and Liz Dean have purchased the tannery portion of the business from Merlin's Hide Out. The front part of the building and the store are still owned by Merlin's Hide Out and they are separate entities. Kirby Creek Tannery currently has three full-time employees and a few others that are seasonal. Liz provided a tour of the tannery and she described the different stages involved. When a hide comes into the shop, they get fleshed and then salted so they are dry before the tanning process...
A Uhaul Authorized Dealer is back in Thermopolis with their office located at Discover Thermopolis at 541 Broadway. Howie Samelson is managing. They officially started on March 1. Samelson said, "It's a service the town's needed... and is to fill a little niche to keep people shopping in Thermopolis, make it more convenient for them." There has been about a one-year lull since the previous Uhaul dealer stopped their service. At this time they have two trucks that have come inbound and they just...
At the March Travel and Tourism board meeting, treasurer Audra Dominguez presented the financial report. For the month of February, they collected $13,611.70 in lodging tax revenue, which is a change of 84% compared to the previous year. The board has never seen numbers this high before. Additionally, there are no local construction projects going on and therefore these numbers reflect actual tourism dollars. As a reminder, lodging tax revenue is collected by hotels, motels, or short-term...
Hot Springs State Park has a frisbee/disc golf course just north of the Chamber of Commerce Building that is open year-round for play. For those interested in getting the discs to play, stop by the Chamber to play for free. The frisbee golf course is 9 holes with baskets. The sport started about 50 years ago when players would throw the discs at tree stumps but now they have baskets. The course has every hole as a par three, it’s just like golf. If you land the disc in the basket on the first t...
At the March Thermopolis-Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce meeting, the board and CEO Meri Ann Rush discussed the three different focus areas for their strategic plan. The board then voted and passed to adopt the strategic plan as presented. Voting for the 2021 Business/Non-Profit Organization/Citizen of the Year will be April 24 at the Annual Board meeting. Past presidents will also be voting. In new business, the board formed a nomination committee of three board members. There are four seats...
On Tuesday, March 3 Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon visited Thermopolis in an informal meeting at the Hot Springs Hotel in Hot Springs State Park. The meeting was well attended by various members of the community. Gordon said he wanted to have a conversation with the people. Gordon started off by relating his efforts to national matters that affect Wyoming. Regarding the subject of energy, Gordon said, “I know several of us Republican governors, and notably Doug Burgum from North Dakota and m...
At the March 1 Thermopolis Town Council, a brief meeting was held at Town Hall. Council member John Dorman inquired about the garbage transfer station. It was reported that they are waiting on DEQ’s timetable to put in the funding. The landfill’s contract ends in June 2023 and it is filling up. Once the last cell reaches a certain percentage of being full, that will be the trigger point to initiate the funding. During citizen participation, Gary Green represented Main Street Thermopolis and req...
Chief of Police Pat Cornwell recently reported on a success story about a patient who was having a heart attack, who was revived by an automated external defibrillator (AED). Cornwell said, "On the 20th of February at 1:07 a.m., dispatch received a 911 phone call from the Hot Springs Hotel. The lady on the phone reported that they had a male, Tim Leader, who was not breathing and CPR was in progress. Officer Bobbi Byrd and Deputy Ken Smith responded." Cornwell added that the wife of the...
At the March 1 Hot Springs County Commissioners meeting held at the Annex Building, Chairman Tom Ryan was absent, but commissioners Jack Baird and Phil Scheel held the meeting with Scheel stating, “in the absence of Chairman Ryan, we will suspend the normal operations of Robert’s rules and carry on.” Via phone, Brian Clarkson of T-O Engineers gave the GIS report. Clarkson and his team have been progressing in adding more easements and right aways to their maps. They are also working close...
At the February 22 Hot Springs Health board meeting, Chairmen Dr. Bill Williams welcomed Jessica Benefiel as a new board member. CEO Margie Molitor gave her growth report and said they have two “highly qualified” candidates coming for an interview for the CFO position. For the new CEO to replace the retiring Molitor, a variety of applicants will be presented on March 22 during staff meetings. Molitor continued and said, “we’ve been working with the sheriff’s office and the police departmen...
Weston Burgess’s Limb Walkers Tree Service is offering its services to Hot Springs County and beyond. They do tree trimming, removals, repairs, and stump grinding. Burgess recalls a big storm that took down a lot of trees that cracked trees over the top of houses. There were trees that had been blown over in the wind and uprooted. Burgess said he has “A lot of experience doing tree work and trimming to address health and hazard issues.” Burgess started up his business in August 2020, worki...
At the February 15 Hot Springs County Commissioners meeting, the commissioners discussed a letter from Budd-Falen Law Offices about the commissioners potentially retaining their legal services to work with county attorney Jill Logan as outside counsel for litigation recently filed and served against the county by Tipi Retreat, LLC. The law firm is located in Cheyenne and the letter states, “This firm has experience in issues relating to zoning and land use planning in Wyoming. We also have e...
At the February 15 Thermopolis Town Council meeting, Mayor Mike Chimenti held a public hearing for comments on the renewal of liquor licenses. No public comments were received so Mayor Chimenti closed the public hearing. Next, the council voted and passed to renew all the liquor licenses. Town engineer Anthony Barnett presented to the council documents and images about the potential school bus parking lot that would replace the old wooden park on the south end of the football/track field. There...
At the February 16 Hot Springs County Travel and Tourism meeting, Audra Dominguez gave the financial report. For the month of January, they collected $9,823.57 in lodging tax revenue, which is above the historical average of $8,895, a 17% increase. Dominguez said, “Tourism continues to rise even in our slower season.” The board voted and approved to accept the financial report. Tourism director Jackie Dorothy said, “Our Winter Campaign has attracted the attention of the Wyoming Office of Touri...
At the February 1 Hot Springs County Commissioners meeting, Brian Clarkson of T-O Engineers gave a GIS update while on speakerphone and said they are continuing to map easements and right-of-way descriptions to link to historical documents and with Road and Bridge. They also developed a plan of land classification features for the Hot Springs County Planning Department. A T-O Engineers representative met with Bo Bowman for a work session to start incorporating land classification records and...
Audra and Ro Dominguez have opened their neighborhood coffee house called Audra’s Copper Coo Coffee and Tea. Their unique name comes from the Highland Cows they own. In Scotland, cows are called “coos” and they have copper-colored shaggy hair covering their bodies. The Dominguez family owns six cows and two are expecting. They officially opened on January 31 and are located at 225 Clark St. They operate Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. The idea of owning a coffee house has been a li...
At the February Thermopolis-Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce meeting, CEO Meri Ann Rush went over with the board a list of monthly events and said, “We have a lot on our plate.” There was a discussion about the timing of the October Chamber Banquet when compared to other months. Rush explained that even though October and the fall are hunting season, there is less competition with other events at other times in the year. Rush also said regarding the potential circus event this summer that the...
Hot Springs Health is now offering a summer internship for high school students. The internship is a paid temporary part-time position that lasts eight weeks from June 6 through July 29 for 20 hours per week. There are two spots available. The internship opportunity is being spearheaded by new Chief Clinical Officer Scott Alwin, who started his position on December 13. He worked prior in healthcare in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. Alwin explained, “Part of our strategic plan on the area of growth is l...
The February 1 Thermopolis Town Council meeting was a very brief meeting. Town Engineer Anthony Barnett reported there has been progress on the transfer station permit application. One of the matters mentioned was the WYDOT turning lane. Barnett also said they are still working on the DEQ water project. Chief of Police Pat Cornwell reported that new officer Dood Jaussaud has passed his physical exam to enter Wyoming Law Enforcement Academy. Town Attorney Mike Messenger presented the late fee...
American past times such as going to movie theaters have evolved since the introduction of streaming services, the effects of the entertainment economy, and the threats of Covid illnesses. Here in Thermopolis, our movie theater has been shut down for almost two long years. There is a buzz and excitement that has returned to the people of our community because the movie theater is back! What was once known as The Ritz, the newly renamed Micky’s Theater has opened. Now locals can enjoy that b...
