Sundance council starts season with progress

A quiet holiday season gave way to a promising new year for the Sundance City Council, which saw several ongoing projects take steps forward at its meeting on Tuesday.

The project to install a new water tank in the canyon area had been on hold pending the completion of a property sale, which was holding up one of the easements needed for the tank’s site. The sale occurred at the end of December, said Karla Greaser of Trihydro, which means the project can now move ahead.

Some comments from the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) must still be addressed following the 90 percent design meeting, she said, and these will be submitted by the end of the month.

Clerk Treasurer Kathy Lenz informed the council that three easements in total will be needed for the tank, two of which come with conditions. The two landowners would like to tap into the water line in return for the easement.

Public Works Director Mac Erickson noted that the easements are necessary for the project to be completed. “Without these, we’re tied,” he said.

A motion was made to allow Mayor Paul Brooks to sign the easements once a correction has been made to the documents to stipulate that the taps would be used on the parties’ own properties.

Good news was also received for the city’s project to build and open a new construction and debris pit. Technical review comments have been received from DEQ and a response has already been sent.

Once the DEQ deems the application technically valid, there will be a 30-day comment period. “We’re 60 days out now,” Erickson estimated.

The council approved a change order that will allow the Crook County Museum District to install a security system at Old Stoney, which will be done at the district’s expense. It has been tied to the grant, however, so every aspect of the project is under the same warranty.

A lot of concrete has been going down recently in the old schoolhouse, said Brooks, and lights have been installed outside. Erickson confirmed the elevator installers were now on site.

“It’s kind of getting exciting,” enthused Brooks.

Lenz reported that city staff met with the designers for Central Park and discussed a couple of options for the design, picking the one that meets the needs of the community best. Planning has now begun, she said, and there will be a meeting soon about the splash pad.

In departmental reports, Police Chief Marty Noonan reported 415 calls for the year of 2019 and 25 calls for the month of December with no really serious crime but a rash of four or five check fraud cases. He also informed the council that his department has changed its policy on opening vehicles when citizens have locked their keys inside; a local company is now in the business of doing this and he does not want to compete with local enterprise, he said, so except in emergency circumstances, it will no longer be done as a general service to the public.

Fire Chief Gari Gill told the council that he has been approved for a grant to purchase equipment and is now halfway through the task of taking inventory. On March 14, his department will hold a chili feed and auction of donated items from rifles and pistols to smoker grills at the shooting building at the fairgrounds, he said.

The fire department had one call in December, Gill continued, but it was for a car fire near Beulah. As he only had five firefighters in town at that time, he did not allow them to respond as this could potentially have left the city shorthanded had there been an event in town.

The next regular meeting of the Sundance City Council is scheduled for February 4.