Commissioners add to airport lot size to solve hangar issue

With the new year only five days old, the Hot Springs County Commissioners are already hard at work. Opening their monthly full-day meeting, the commissioners took care of the yearly business of reorganization, which included electing a new chairman and vice chairman, setting commission meeting dates, and setting public holidays for 2016.

As a first order of business, John Lumley was named Chairman, while Tom Ryan was named Vice-Chairman. Lumley noted that in his experience as both a sheriff and county commissioner, former Chairman and current commissioner Brad Basse was the best commissioner he had ever seen.

After opening business of 2016 had been settled, the commissioners voted for appointments to the Fair Board, Natural Resource Planning Committee, Predatory Animal Control Board, and the Big Horn Basin Nature and Discovery Center. Billie Jo Norsworth was elected to the Fair Board, Robert Overton and Carl Dockery were elected to the Natural Resources Planning Committee, Robert A. Aguiar was elected to the Predatory Animal Control Board, and Howard Samelson was elected to the Nature and Discovery Center Board. The only contested election was for the Predatory Animal Control Board. All other races were uncontested.

Dave Schlager then presented the Road and Bridge monthly report to the board, which included the setting of speed limits on Cowboy Road, East and West Sunnyside Lane, and East River Road. After extensive study, it was suggested that the commissioners change the speed limit of Cowboy Road to 45 miles per hour, West Sunnyside Lane to 45 miles per hour, East Sunnyside Lane to 35 miles per hour, and East River Road to 35 miles per hour.

Schlager then opened bids for an upcoming gravel crushing project. The four bids ranged from $3,499 to over $17,000. Schlager reviewed the bids for completeness during the morning session and returned in the afternoon to recommend that the bid be awarded to Owl Creek Engineering for the price of $3,499. The commissioners voted unanimously in favor of Schlager’s recommendation.

The commissioners discussed a solution to an issue with the new airport’s hangars. Although the commissioners researched the construction of hangars and received word that they did not need to submit a plan review to the local Fire Marshal, the board recently received notice that the hangars must be placed ten feet from their lot line. Hangars at the airport are currently five feet from the lot lines, which means another five feet is needed to satisfy the 2015 International Building Codes.

After a lengthy call to the fire marshal’s office in Riverton, it was decided that the commissioners would modify Sylvia Lippincott’s lease to add five feet and two inches to the west side of the lot, which would satisfy building codes.

Lippincott, who spent seven hours on the phone with the fire marshal’s office the day before, left the meeting relieved. The Lippincotts have five airplanes at the new airport, and use it to run Aero Plus, LLC.