Commission considers ambulance, roads

Some plans the county has previously worked on have been going well, while other plans for the future are still looking for more input.

During this week's Sweetwater County Board of County Commissioners meeting, discussions included both updates on topics including ambulance service and camping in Pioneer Trails Park, as well as overviews of projects regarding the future of certain county roads.

A quarterly update from Castle Rock Ambulance Service was presented during the meeting. Ambulance Director Kim White spoke to the commissioners about the progress and improvements the ambulance service has continued to make. She reported that response times for the ambulance have been improving, and they are usually able to get to a location in under 10 minutes. She also explained that many ambulance staff members are working on doing new training to increase and improve their care service levels. When it comes to finding a new location for an ambulance bay in Rock Springs, which Castle Rock has been discussing as a way to be more centrally located, White reported that they have made an offer on land and hope to be able to start construction in the summer. Lastly, White noted that the financials of the ambulance service have been doing well, and they've been seeing savings, so they hope to be able to reduce the amount of the stipend from the county from $1.8 million to $1.5 million.

"That's pretty exciting to be able to provide the care but also be able to do it in a cost-effective manner," White said.

The commissioners were provided with a income statement breaking down the ambulance service's finances for a nine-month period, a breakdown of the hours worked by ambulance employees, data on the number and types of calls and run times, and heat maps of ambulance service areas. These documents are available in the meeting agenda packet on the county's website.

Commissioner Robb Slaughter commented on the fact that he hasn't received calls about the ambulance service over the past few months like he had been previously, and noted that he believes things have gotten better.

White responded that it's been exciting watching the staff step up and embrace new opportunities for growth.

"It's a different feeling within the service, and it's really exciting," she said.

Commission Chairman Keaton West thanked White and the Castle Rock staff for their increased communication as well, and noted that things are on the right track.

Another plan the county put in place that has been working well is camping in Pioneer Trails Park. The commissioners approved a resolution to allow camping in the park permanently during the meeting. Public Works Director Gene Legerski explained that when the commissioners approved camping in the park, they did so with the provision that the policy should be reviewed in a year.

Now that a year has passed, Legerski noted that only one group used the park for camping, which went well.

He recommended the policy be made permanent so it wouldn't have to continue to be reviewed by the commissioners each year.

Future projects for the county stretch further out but impact a number of county residents. These projects include potential plans for County Road 1 by McKinnon and County Road 124 in the Eden-Farson area

As part of ongoing discussions regarding County Road 1, the McKinnon Road, the commissioners decided to form a working group and ratified a form for grant funds for the road from the Wyoming Federal Lands Access Program (FLAP) Proposed Project Endorsement. The commissioners have been working on plans to address road damage on the McKinnon Road, have heard presentations on different options, and conducted a town hall in McKinnon to hear from residents. Commissioner Robb Slaughter said that the town hall meeting in particular raised "significant and viable questions." In response, the commissioners decided to form a working group including residents of the area to go out and observe processes in order to better understand and share information about future plans for the road. Slaughter said the Public Works Department will work on addressing frost heaves this year and plans to do seal work next year. There are different options for what to do after that, which is where a working group will seek understand and help guide the possibilities. When it comes to funding future work on the road, the county applied for grant funding from FLAP, which helps improve transportation facilities that provide access to or are located within federal lands.

The commissioners also approved a resolution for a notice of intent to vacate County Road 124, Eden East 2nd North, during the meeting. Rob Gerrard from Principal-Western EGI presented a viewer report done on the road and noted that there are some disagreements among residents about what to do. He pointed out that the commissioners approving the notice of intent is the next step in the process to kick off a public comment period. The commissioners noted their desire to follow the process in order to hear what the public has to say and to get different interpretations of the issue from those who are involved.