City sets rules for man camps

Should a man camp fall under the same rules as a trailer park or campsite? Serendipity led the Sundance City Council to last week consider two separate issues involving this same underlying concern.

The first was a question raised by Brian Marchant of Croell Redi-Mix. The company has several large projects coming up, he said, and would like to rezone part of its property opposite headquarters to industrial in order to facilitate a man camp.

This, he said, would allow for a man camp that would be in use over the next few years.

The council expressed understanding of the necessity, but concern over the potential visual impact on nearby residents, including at a proposed subdivision development to the north of the site. Suggestions were made such as a privacy fence or planting trees to naturally screen off areas where equipment is stored.

Re-zoning requires a formal process that includes advertising and a public hearing, so no decisions were made at the meeting. However, the council was amenable to Croell moving forward with its request.

The question of man camps came up a second time later in the meeting, when the council considered whether to send a nuisance letter to Roth Trucking.

The trucking company’s man camp has been there for several years and is “becoming an issue,” said Mayor Paul Brooks. The city has an ordinance that specifies campers may not sit in the same place for more than 14 days; aside from which, he said, the man camp may not be meeting sanitary codes.

Water and sewer are available in the location, but are not being used. A motion was put forward to write a letter stating that campers not connected to city water and sewer must be moved.

This prompted discussion of whether the council should formalize its request for man camps to hook on to city services. Clerk-Treasurer Kathy Lenz asked if the fee of $549 for trailer park hook-ups should also be charged for man camp trailers.

“I think we have to treat it like a trailer park or campsite,” said Brooks. The council agreed to implement the fee of $549 per site.

Public Works Director Mac Erickson further suggested that the city should implement a maximum number of users for a one-inch line. Karla Greaser of Trihydro, City Engineers, was asked to look into the requirements for campground permits in time for next month’s meeting of the council.