Work continues on county GIS database

At the May 2 Hot Springs County Commissioners board meeting, Ardurra’s Brian Clarkson and Maddie Ross gave their Geographic Information Systems (GIS) report via speakerphone. Ross reported that they made minor edits to the HSC Open Data and HSC GeoHub site. They also purchased an ArcGIS Online Viewer License to be used with the HSC GeoHub site. Additionally, they provided the HSC Open Data/Geo Hub tutorial for the Commissioners, traveled to Thermopolis, and attended a work session with them.

Ross also reported that they have scanned, processed, and uploaded septic permit files from 2022 to cloud storage. They also drew new permit locations and attributed the online GIS database. They returned the 1981-1978 and 2022 septic permit files to County Planner Bo Bowman. Also, they drafted and delivered the Scope of Work for HSC 2023/2024 GIS Services.

Regarding anticipated work for the next period, Ross said they will continue adding septic permit information to the online GIS database and continue mapping land-use changes for the Planner’s Land-Use Change application. They will also obtain additional county road easement/ROW documents from Cody Stewart, begin mapping descriptions, and add to the Road & Bridge Department application.

Shane Rankin gave the Road & Bridge report and said that his team has been using GIS and implementing a lot of data into it. Rankin added they have been making road reports and their tablets have nice features that enable them to log issues as they come across them. This includes added county photos. Rankin and the commissioners discussed at length the benefits of the technology but also said that it is still in its “infancy stage”. Rankin and the commissioners also said the data collection in GIS has limitless possibilities that benefit the county 10 to 25 years into the future.

Rankin also reported they have been blading roads and training the staff. They also have been busy fixing runoff damage and replacing some pipes on East Sunnyside. Rankin discussed with the commissioners their Motorola emergency radios that came from a WYDOT grant. Everything has gone as planned, said Rankin. However, the supporting pieces that go with the radios have been delayed. The radios have been budgeted already but they may have to carry over into the next year’s budget depending on when they arrive. 

Rankin presented a right-of-way permit for Lucerne Water & Sewer. They will be exposing the 6-inch main on the south side of West Sunnyside Lane and boring under the road with a ¾ inch distribution line inside a sleeve, and placing a water meter/pit on the north side of the fence line on private property. The commissioners voted and passed the approval of the permit. 

Nate Messenger gave the FBO report and said they had 192 total recorded operations at the county airport, which included two air ambulances. There were five aircraft overnight and four requests for a hangar. Regarding fuel sales, they sold 1,382.67 gallons of Avgas and 2,424.19 gallons of jet fuel. 

Messenger also said, “WYDOT Aeronautics Commission will be touring the airport on May 16 at 4 p.m. They will be here for about 45 minutes. It gives us a good chance to chat with them about projects.” The commissioners discussed, voted, and passed the approval to change their regular meeting time on May 16 to 2 p.m. instead of 3 p.m. so they all can meet WYDOT that afternoon.

Messenger continued and reported, “We are working on getting the mowing equipment serviced for the summer. I will have it all hooked up and on display for the WYDOT Aeronautics Commissioner tour. Maybe they will take note of what I am working with.”

John Dorman gave the maintenance report and said they have the monitor system put into the generator for Public Health. Dorman also said they are finishing getting equipment ready for the summer mowing. He also reported that the brush will be delivered for their Bobcat later that week and that its backup camera will also be installed. The commissioners also discussed with Dorman the new security system on the doors of the county buildings. 

Tricia McPhie and Jen Cheney gave a Prevention update. Cheney said they have been working on creating a loss team for the community, which is a local outreach for suicide support and to provide support for people who have lost someone to suicide. Cheney said, “We’ve been working on this for a while. We’ve got our team formed and we’re working on getting the appropriate training just to make sure we know what we’re doing and that we’re responding appropriately with these families. And so that’s going well. We’ve got a good group of people that are passionate. And so already they’ve kind of like stepped up and have been involved just with our most recent tragedies that we’ve had.”

Cheney also discussed a change in TIPS training that would allow employees to have vouchers for online training. This would allow the employees to get easier access to online training at their own pace and become certified. Once the employee starts, they have 90 days to complete the training.

Cheney discussed vaping prevention and awareness for the ninth-grade health classes. Cheney said she has collaborated with the school and that she has started working with Superintendent Hunt on bringing a speaker that can work with the students, the staff, and the community. 

McPhie reported that their public health response coordinator just got back from a preparedness summit in Georgia with a “wealth of information.” They are also working on their summer planning for community events, such as the preschool fairs and the community baby showers. McPhie added that May 11 is the end of the public health emergency for the COVID pandemic and that vaccines are still available. 

Barb Rice gave the Youth Alternative report and said that she had a busy month. Rice said she has 16 juveniles in her program at this time but will release four students soon. Rice added that they are in full swing with testing over at the Learning Center and in the last two weeks that graduated one of their 18 and over people and one of their 16-year-old people. Rice went into detail about how involved the testing process is for her students. The tests can take around 4.5 hours and are on the level or scale of an ACT standard test. It also takes them three trips to the center in Riverton to complete. Rice said they hope to have successful completion of five or six people in their program by the end of the month.

Rice also reported that they are transitioning the Help Center portion of the program to the Hope Agency building. Also, the Help Center and the Backpack Program food are moving to that building. The Learning Center component will remain at Common Ground. 

Rice continued and said, “The other thing that I did while I’ve been spending so much time at Central Wyoming College, the director of the Career and College Readiness Program, and I met with the vice president of Academic Affairs over there. We had a really nice visit and talked about how our program differs there. Most other adult basic education programs do not have that youth component like we do because most other communities or counties have something else in place. For instance, Riverton has an alternative school. They have those alternative settings. They also have Lander as a whole separate component for them. We’re really doing that. So I was like, how does that look for you guys? Do you have the kind of classroom that we have here? They don’t of course, they mostly deal with adult basic education folks. And that’s a whole different ballgame than trying to have the sizable classroom that we have here. It just requires so much more, which is a good thing.”

Chairman Tom Ryan and Commissioner Scheel asked Rice about whether Central Wyoming College would have a presence in Hot Springs County to perform the testing locally and not require the students to constantly travel to Riverton. Rice replied by discussing the need to have proctors locally for the testing who are separate from those who provide instruction. 

Commissioner Scheel said, “I wouldn’t be opposed to sending a letter from the commissioners to whoever they know needs to hear that they need to be providing these CWC services in Hot Springs.” Chairman Ryan and the commissioners discussed possible avenues to find funding to help Rice and her students.

Bo Bowman gave the Planner report and said the Land Use Planning Committee will meet on May 17 at 6 p.m.

During that meeting, a public hearing will be held on a permit request from Derrick Burrows for a land use change from agricultural land use category to commercial land use category, for an 8.2 acre parcel, to allow a 12-unit tepee campground.

The subject property is a portion of the southwest quarter of the northeast quarter, Section 25, Township 43 North, Range 95 West. Fronting on the west side of Highway 20 North, it is addressed as 191 Hwy 20 N.

Anyone requiring additional information should contact the County Planning Office at 864-2961. Those unable to attend are invited to comment in writing to: County Planning, 415 Arapahoe St., Thermopolis, WY 82443, or by e-mail at hscplanner@hscounty.com.

At the commissioner’s meeting, Bowman said there will be road construction on two subdivisions this summer, one in the Red Rim Ranch and the other in the Shaffer subdivision. Bowman anticipates the roads to be finished by the end of summer. These roads are private but should be up to the county’s standard. 

Regarding septic permits, Bowman reported he approved two the previous week, and he expects to see quite a few this year but is unsure how many. Regarding GIS, Bowman said he has all physical septic files back in his office from being scanned by Ardurra. 

Insurance consultant Melissa Bilby, representing Brad Johnson, from HUB, presented to the commissioners their insurance renewal for review. After a lengthy discussion, the commissioners voted and passed the approval to renew their insurance policy with Allegiance, to have Brad Johnson continue to be their consultant for $7,000 for the year, and for County Clerk Becky Kersten to continue to be the point of contact for the county and insurance matters. 

Also, regarding the end of the national emergency of the COVID pandemic, the commissioners voted and passed the approval for COVID testing to be paid like any other test, for over-the-counter testing to be excluded from coverage, and for the COVID vaccine to be paid the same as other vaccines. 

Sheriff Jerimie Kraushaar presented a request for approval to potentially purchase a new vehicle and put it into the upcoming budget. After discussion, the commissioners said that they are ok with the plan. 

In other business, the commissioners voted and passed the approval of a Request for Information for Old Airport Use. Chairman Ryan explained there are two steps involved before there are Requests for Proposals for the property. The commissioners also voted and passed the approval for the Modification to Agreement with the USDA, Forest Service Shoshone National Forest in the amount of $3,500; the 2023 Wildland Fire Management Annual Operating Plan; the RFR #9 for the Big Horn Basin Nature and Discovery Center (BHBNDC) for $7,772.09 with a match of 20% for a total of $9,715.11; the RFR #10 for the Black Mountain Road Project for $35,776.42; the Notice of Award and Concurrence Letter for Selected Contractor for HSG Pavement Project for WYDOT Aeronautics and the FFA for $145,196.55; and the Geotechnical Engineering and Rimrom Engineering, Inc. Proposal for BHBNDC for $7,500.