Commissioners handled day-to-day business and negated Fort Bridger street closure during Rendezvous

By KAYNE PYATT Uinta County Herald
Posted 7/16/19

July 2 County Commissioners meeting

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

Commissioners handled day-to-day business and negated Fort Bridger street closure during Rendezvous

Posted

EVANSTON — The Uinta County Commissioners approved two of the three requests at their meeting July 2, which were first on the agenda and moved one to the end of the meeting.

The Award Renewal Scholarship was approved and the appointment of Laura L. Bateman to the Uinta County Library Board were both approved. The third request for a street closure was moved to last on the agenda.

Amanda Hutchinson, county clerk, asked the WIC grant agreement be approved. The State provides $14,899 administered through the county to help WIC clients pay for utilities. It doesn’t fund the whole program. The WIC grant agreement was approved.

Hutchinson reminded the commission they were in the midst of renewal of the County Health Insurance and she asked them to approve the rate increase of 4.18 percent for a portion of the stop block program with the current insurance carrier, which is a subdivision of United Health Care. Hutchinson wanted the commission’s approval to lock in the percentage rate increase. The commission accepted the renewal with the rate increase.

Hutchinson said after the public meeting on the AML Public Facilities grant was held, she received additions which needed to be included. She then asked the commission to redo the prior approved resolutions with the additions regarding all the environmental protections and endangered species act requirements. Also needed was a statement stating any costs incurred before the grant was approved would be ineligible for payment. The grant application needed to spell out the different sources which would be contributing to the $100,000 matching funds.

Aluminum bleachers were the commission’s choice for the rodeo arena, and $1,918,260 would be the amount requested in the grant application. The additions to the resolution regarding the AML Public Facilities grant were approved.

Uinta County Sheriff Doug Matthews asked for approval to renewl an agreement with the Natrona County Juvenile Detention Center to house juveniles for Uinta County. Matthews said the agreement with Natrona was reached when Sweetwater County had to back-off from taking Uinta County juveniles for a while due to lack of space and manpower.

“Even though Sweetwater County is now able to take our juveniles, we want to keep the agreement with Natrona County as a back-up option,” Matthews said. The renewal was approved.

Last was the request from several property owners in Fort Bridger, who had requested the closure of a street during the Rendezvous.

Barney Brisko, Uinta County Road and Bridge Foreman, was asked for his advice. Brisko questioned the fairness of closing a street and said it was hard enough to control the parking during the event without closing an entire street.

Sheriff Matthews said, “It might be okay for two to three hours but for all day and for the 3-day event it would create a problem.”

Commissioner Eric South said, “I agree with Barney and Matthews and we don’t want to set a precedent.”

The request for a street closure during the Fort Bridger Rendezvous was denied.