City plans for busy Rally week

Early estimates suggest that this year’s Sturgis Motorcycle Rally could be a big one, with South Dakota authorities reportedly planning for up to a million visitors across the week. With that in mind, the Sundance City Council spoke with Sheriff Jeff Hodge at last week’s regular meeting about protocols for parking and extra deputies.

In the past, said Mayor Paul Brooks, authority was given to the city’s police chief to be flexible in closing the streets. The city normally starts off by closing 3rd Street and has expanded to Main Street if Burnout Wednesday gets big.

Hodge commented that he is planning to bring in extra law enforcement officers for that day. Voicing approval, Brooks said, “I think the deterrent of seeing the police is probably more effective than anything else we can do.”

It’s “uncharted territory” as to how big the event will be, Brooks said, further commenting that he is in favor of discussions over how law enforcement will be handled because, “If something goes wrong, you guys have got to manage the crowd, so I think you should have input on what we do so that crowd management is part of the equation.”

Council Member Callie Hilty agreed with the estimates that this year’s rally will be significant in size, noting that the summer so far has already been busier than usual.

“I think with the way that the tourists are going right now, it’s going to be huge,” she said.

At the request of the sheriff, the council also made official that Sundance will acquiesce to the county’s fire ban at this time of high fire danger.

Rogue Chicken

At Tuesday’s meeting, the conversation turned unexpectedly to the city’s most recent outlaw: a chicken that does not appear to be associated with anyone in particular. The topic was raised when the council heard from a potential purchaser of a 74-acre property in city limits, who wanted to ask a few questions before moving forward.

As well as explaining how to correct zoning that appears to have been imposed incorrectly and how to figure out the water taps, the council addressed the question of chickens. This falls under the livestock ordinance, said Brooks, which means chickens are prohibited within city limits.

That doesn’t seem to phase the “loose chicken” wandering town at this time, commented Hilty. Hodge stated that he’s been hearing a lot about the fowl invader, while Brooks called it the “great chicken conspiracy” and said it appears to be a “rogue” bird because it does not seem to return to any specific house.

City Projects

Karla Greaser of Trihydro, city engineers, provided an update on current projects. Timberline Services has requested final completion on the project to replace the water tank in Sundance West, she said, and a final change order has been prepared to reconcile the final amount.

The change order actually deducts money, she said, reducing the total cost of the contract by approximately $13,000. Though the final version of the change order was not yet available, permission was granted for the mayor to sign it on the basis that it will be identical to the draft that has been reviewed by council members.

Regarding the Sundance Kid tank, Greaser said things are getting started on the construction phase. Trihydro is reviewing the materials list and construction will begin in mid-August, she said, due to lead time on ordering materials. Trihydro will team up with Bearlodge Engineering for oversight in the field, she added.

At the request of City Attorney Mark Hughes, the contract with Hot Iron, the contractors for the Sundance Kid tank project, has been modified to add a $1500 penalty for every day the project extends past its completion date. A motion was passed granting the mayor to sign the contract as amended.

Other Business

An easement with Crook County School District was officially recorded at the meeting. When the district first made the request for an easement for a new fiber line to the school campus, the final route had not yet been determined, said Brooks.

Ordinances instituting franchise agreements with Range Telephone, Sundance Cable TV and Visionary Communications received their second reading. A similar ordinance for Powder River Energy was tabled this month, however, due to “fairly minor” changes that are being discussed, said Hughes.

In departmental reports, Hughes stated that he sent a nuisance letter two months ago and the recipient has since removed one of the old pieces of equipment sitting in the street, but not the second. When he asked if he should give the residents a deadline, Brooks answered in the affirmative, commenting that he wants to see progress on cleaning up the city continue and that, “I don’t want to see a squeaky wheel stop the train.”

Fire Chief Gari Gill told the council that, thanks to a donation from Powder River Energy for new fire gear, “We’ve actually exceeded what we were needing.” This will enable the department to invest in a whole extra uniform, he said.