Commissioners approve subdivisions

At the August 18 Hot Springs County Commissioners board meeting held at the Annex building, the commissioners voted and passed the approval of a corrective quit claim deed for Alfred T. Graham and Ada F. Graham. The original property document was recorded in 1986 that contained some errors. It took a very long time for the issue to be resolved. Certified land surveyor R. L. Hudson examined the property and was able to assist in correcting the matter.

The commissioners held two public hearings for both the Dean Minor Subdivision 2022-04 and the Hetrik Minor Subdivision 2022-03. There were no public comments given in either hearing. The commissioners went through their checklists for each application and then voted and passed the approval for both. Commissioner Phil Scheel commented that he is grateful the applications went through the process of applying before making any changes to their properties.

Tricia McPhie of Public Health spoke with the commissioners about a new AED that is available at the Annex building. The AED would be used in an emergency when someone is having cardiac arrest. McPhie demonstrated the device and its computer tells the user step by step, using voice commands, how to operate it safely and correctly. McPhie proposed that the AED would be placed in the foyer location, so it is accessible to the public when needed. The commissioners agreed and thanked McPhie for her work.

County Planner Bo Bowman presented the final plat of the Red Rim Ranch Subdivision. However, Bowman explained that in a typical final plat presentation, it would be a formal signing of the document. In this case, Bowman said that one of the 15 conditions was not yet resolved. Bowman read all the conditions to the commissioners and said that 14 have been met. The final 15th of the list states, “Prior to submitting the final subdivision plat, the applicant shall provide a written statement from the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) verifying that the Department is not opposed to the use of individual septic systems for the proposed lots.”

Bowman said he received a letter from the DEQ, but the language of the letter did not definitely make a clear statement. Chairman Tom Ryan described the letter as a “non adverse recommendation” but also said “the developer has gone above and beyond” in meeting the conditions and also addressing the septic issues. Ryan also brought up the $1.3 million bond that the applicant has made. After some discussion, commissioner Jack Baird moved to have the chairman’s signature on the plat, which commissioner Phil Scheel seconded. They voted unanimously, and Chairman Ryan and County Clerk Becky Kersten signed the final plat of the Red Rim Ranch Subdivision. 

In other business, the commissioners voted and approved the Black Mountain Road Project STP-CR-CN15022 Payment Request #1 for $21,388.72.

Shane Rankin of Road and Bridge presented the Resolution 2022-09 High-Risk Rural Road Grant for funding the Missouri Flat Guardrail Project. The grant has a 9.51% match involved for a $100,000 grant amount. The commissioners voted and passed the approval of the grant.

Additionally, Rankin presented the TAK Electric Right of Way Permit 2022-0818-1 and the Wyoming Gas Right of Way Permit #2022-0818-2. The commissioners voted and passed the approval for both of the permits.

Continuing in other business, the commissioners voted and passed the approval of both the Guardian ad Litem memorandum of understanding and the signature ratification of the Project AHS022X for the Fly-In Grant.

The commissioners then held a Joint Powers Board Discussion regarding the various water districts in the region and how they wanted to formally bring back the possible creation of a joint powers board. Chairman Ryan wanted to send a letter to all the districts to have them send a representative to create the new organization. Ryan said he hopes to “find them cheaper, better water.” There was also a discussion about maybe getting the Town of Thermopolis on board. 

Dean Peranteaux, with TCi Consulting, also held a discussion about upgrading Hot Springs County’s broadband services to the courthouse, the firehouse by Range Communications, and also with Spectrum. Essentially, Peranteaux went over the numbers and the technical details, and with his plan to upgrade he would save the county $3,648 for the year and greatly improve the speed of the internet services. Peranteaux said, “I’m requesting a motion to proceed with the changes for both providers and signing a five-year contract with Range.”

In addition, Peranteaux requests permission to purchase a new router for the Alternate Emergency Operations Center for approximately $1,800 from this budget. The commissioners voted and passed a motion to proceed.