Commissioners hear reports on bridges, lack of flu vaccinations

Washakie County Attorney John Worrall, Clerk to the Washakie County Commissioners Board Mary Grace Strauch, attended their final Washakie County Commissioners meeting on Dec. 20 before they retire in January.

ROAD AND BRIDGE

During Tuesday's meeting, Stuart Bower of Washakie County Road and Bridge said they will be halting major projects until spring to focus on winter road maintenance; this includes the development of the Cottonwood gravel pit and the moving of the Winchester Bridge. The bridge, which was planned to have been moved on Dec. 7 to a staging area on the grounds of the Washakie Museum & Cultural Center, was instead left at its original site awaiting testing results on the contents of the paint. Commissioners also discussed funding sources in the event that they need to pay to have the paint removed, stating that it will most likely come from funds for Road and Bridge.

The Washakie County Commissioners also reaffirmed their plans to refurbish road grading machines that are due for maintenance.

PUBLIC HEALTH

Washakie County Public Health Nurse Manager Amanda Heinemeyer stated that they are currently out of flu vaccinations due to more people receiving the vaccination than they anticipated.

In the midst of rising numbers of flu cases, Washakie County Health Officer Dr. Stephen Asay recommended the Worland and Ten Sleep school superintendents to remind students to stay home if they felt sick during the last week of school before the holiday break.

Asay is also pushing for more healthcare providers in the county to carry Suboxone, a drug that decreases the severity of opioid withdrawal symptoms and is used to treat opioid addiction. There are currently only two providers in Washakie County that carry Suboxone.

The relocation of the EMS vehicle station was discussed, but a decision by District Court Judge Bobbi Overfield regarding Richard Kroger's Petition for Review has yet to be made.

BUILDING

MAINTENANCE

Tom Schmeltzer gave an update on building maintenance business, of which he had little to report. He had prepared an estimate for the cost of repairs to Washakie Fairgrounds property due to negligent archery practice in their facility, which amounts to approximately $3,800 in materials, not including labor.

Tom has also prepared a guide to help the person that will take his role once he retires next year.

OTHER

The Washakie County Commissioners and County Attorney John Worrall met with Cole Smith, who is responsible for the development of the Red Vista Village subdivision, and Smith's attorney Dave Clark.

The meeting was held to go over and approve a new development agreement for Smith to drill an artesian flow well to provide a source of water to the subdivision. This agreement would update the cost estimate of constructing the well and nullify a previous agreement that had become breached due to Smith not fulfilling his responsibilities by the date agreed on in the document.

The only point of contention during the meeting was the margin of uncertainty given to the new estimated cost and whether that should be reflected in how much the subdividing party put into escrow for the project. Worrall stated that should it happen that costs exceeded the estimate, the responsibility for covering the unforeseen costs should not fall on the county and its taxpayers but the private individual that is doing the subdividing.

After taking such factors into consideration, along with receiving an estimate for the cost of pouring cement to secure the well casing, an agreement was made that will allow Smith to construct the well in the following spring, thereby continuing his work on the new subdivision.