Council hears Copper Mountain proposals

Tuesday night, Thermopolis Town Council heard from Ginger Bennett, who is on the Fremont County Public Lands Initiative Committee, spoke to council regarding Copper Mountain. Currently designated a Wilderness Study Area, the committee is looking at possibly changing that designation.

Bennett explained about 18 months ago a group of people in Wyoming decided to look at Wilderness Study Areas and determine what to do with them. In 1991, Congress had areas set aside that were recommended for wilderness, but did not have wilderness characteristics too them for one reason or another so they were not given wilderness status. Copper Mountain is one of these areas.

Proposals currently on the table for the area include motorized access, non-motorized access, grazing, wilderness and non-wilderness recreation, trail improvement, oil and gas exploration, mineral exploration and development, improving rangeland projects by motorized means and purchase by the state if released from federal control.

More information, as well as an area for public, is available online at fcpli.com.

Council also approved a liquor license transfer, filed Dec. 21 by Melvin Guertzgen. Prior to approving the transfer, council conducted a public hearing, during which Guertzgen expressed concern if the license, which is for the business at 500 South Sixth Street, were not renewed, it would be lost.

The license for the business, the former Loonie’s Bin, has been non-operational since 2010, outside a small period where it was operational. Guertzgen said he is the representative of the estate of Claudia Guertzgen, and he is trying to protect the estate from losing money if the license is lost.

With renewal of the license, Melvin has until December or January to sell the property. He said it is on the market for sale.

Becky Dooley, general manager for RT, brought concerns to council regarding the proposed franchise agreement, particularly the increase, from two to five percent, of RT’s gross revenue they would pay to the town.

Dooley said RT operates on 16 exchanges throughout Wyoming, and doesn’t pay more than three percent on a franchise agreement. She also pointed out that, in the past 16 years they have invested over $12 million in the Thermopolis exchange, $5.1 of that in the past three years with the fiber to home buildup.

Dooley said Thermopolis is one of two communities in Wyoming that is fully fiber to home, and we are the envy of a lot of cities in the state. She wanted that to be considered when putting together the franchise agreement.

Concerns were also raised regarding the alleys being torn up during the fiber optic project. Mayor’s Assistant Fred Crosby said the first two phases of the project were a disaster, with fiber being “plowed in,” with much of it on top of, and in one case through, sewer mains, and varying depths. On the third phase, Crosby said, there was some talk of denying the permit, though that phase went better than the previous two.

Crosby said the town received a lot of phone calls with complaints of the project, and Dooley said they got a lot as well and made good on each. Council noted the alley work was not a factor in raising the franchise rate.

Following discussion, a motion was approved to amend the proposed agreement so the rate RT pays would be 3.5 percent, but no lower.

Town Attorney Mike Messenger said there was a call recently regarding the town ordinance for fireworks stands. The ordinance states a fireworks permit may be issued to someone for land they own, though the caller wanted to know if there were any stipulations for leased land. Messenger further noted the caller’s business is fireworks stands that would be more of a permanent fixture, though likely not open year-round.

The council chose to keep the ordinance as it is rather than revise it to include a special provision for leased land.

Crosby also mentioned there have been requests for a couple additional light poles — one at Hot Springs Count Library, the other at the Hot Springs County Rec. District building. He will look further into what the poles would cost.