Washakie County deemed Storm Ready by NWS

WORLAND – Washakie County Commissioners convened Tuesday to receive a county Storm Ready certification from the National Weather Service, and to hear local concerns regarding the temporary closure of Lane 17.

Tim Troutman, with NWS Riverton, presented the Storm Ready certification, achieved after Washakie County Homeland Security and Emergency Management Director Jeff Schweighart spearheaded an effort to make the county eligible after upgrading a wide range of requirements across the county.

In addition to establishing an emergency command center at the Washakie County Fairgrounds, Schweighart worked with the school districts to establish NOAA weather monitoring radios in Ten Sleep and Worland, established lines of communication between emergency departments and helped coordinate the county’s public alert system.

Troutman explained to the commission that the certification began in tornado-plagued Oklahoma in 1999, so the NWS could partner with counties to improve severe weather coordination and communication.

Troutman reported that Washakie County has seven ways to receive warnings from the NWS, four methods to deliver water and weather information in the county and eight ways to get weather information to the public in case of emergency.

“Washakie County has really done everything in its power to be prepared for severe weather,” said Troutman.

The NWS will re-evaluate the county for Storm Ready recertification in 2020.

Also at the meeting, half a dozen local beet growers were in attendance to address the closure of Lane 17, which the commission gated last year after warning signs were destroyed. The road crosses Nowater Creek, and is the site of frequent overflow, which can be dangerous to motorists. When water levels rise over one foot, the county closes the road by locking gates on either side of the creek.

Due to excessive moisture this spring, and an unusual amount of snow runoff, the road has been closed more than usual. For agriculture workers and landowners in the area, closing of the road means taking an alternate route with their equipment, causing delays and requiring extra crew and safety flaggers.

The growers argued that the gating of the road constituted a “power grab” by the commission, and requested, at minimum, access to keys so they could be the judge of whether it is safe to cross their equipment on Lane 17.

Washakie County Sheriff Steve Rakness and County Attorney John Worrall, both in attendance, stressed the liability involved in letting private citizens have keys to county property, and related the overall safety of the community was the first priority.

Rakness advised the equipment operators to contact County Dispatch when they need access, and he or a deputy will unlock the gate.

When the group of growers balked at the idea of calling dispatch and insisted on having a key made available, Commission Aaron Anderson replied, “Look, we are working on all of the county issues, with a limited budget, and Lane 17 isn’t the only problem we have. Ultimately the liability [if something happened] is held by the county.”

Randy Chenoweth with Washakie County Road and Bridge volunteered to send a group text to the grower’s cell phones when the gate was open or closed, giving them notice before they moved equipment. In the meantime, Worrall advised calling dispatch ahead of any equipment moving, to give the Sheriff’s Office time to unlock the gate.

In other business, the commission revisited a voucher request from Worland Fire Protection District Chief Chris Kocher, requesting reimbursement for flood control efforts during the month of February.

In February, Kocher presented the commission with an invoice for $10,657.54, representing 607 man hours worked by the fire district volunteers. The invoice was then tabled pending a review of the county’s procedures and to schedule a work session.

On Tuesday, citing a lack of an intra-county agreement to define volunteers hours accountable to the county in the case of emergency situations, the commission again tabled the voucher and suggested the county agencies create a working group to see if a formal agreement can be drawn up. Kocher agreed that an agreement should be drawn up, and noted that a previous agreement in 2012 was never ratified.

In final business, the commission approved malt beverage permits for the Ten Sleep Brewery, and the Ten Sleep Merchants Association.