Council approves summer events

Tyler Martineau
Posted 6/23/22

Multiple permits were approved at the Torrington City Council meeting on Tuesday in preparation of upcoming summer events.

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Council approves summer events

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TORRINGTON – Multiple permits were approved at the Torrington City Council meeting on Tuesday in preparation of upcoming summer events. 

Valerie Grant with the Torrington Lions Club addressed the council for a special permit fee and for the fee to be waived for the Lions Festival of Sight on July 23. The event will be held at Pioneer Park from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Grant said they want the event to be more like a festival. 

“We’re including a car show, horseshoe tournament and cornhole tournament; we’re having the zoo bring pets for the kids and a bounce house,” Grant said. 

The event will also include vendors as well as a beer garden. Grant added the proceeds from the event go to helping community members get glasses, eye exams and surgeries. 

The special event permit was approved, and the fee was waived as well as a catering permit to Clayton Kilgore with the Open Barrel Brewing Company for the same event. 

Tiffany Leslie with the Broncho Bar requested a special event permit for a street dance on July 29. Leslie asked to close down Main Street between 19th Avenue and 20th Avenue from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. 

Judd Hoos will be coming back to perform for the street dance and the stage will be on the north side of the street facing south toward the industrial area to limit the noise directed toward residential areas. 

“I know we had a few complaints that year that we did have Judd Hoos in,” Leslie said. 

Double fencing will block off the area for alcohol and wristbands will be required to enter the bar. Leslie said they get support from the other bars for the event as they also receive business as a result. 

“I tell them, ‘Open your doors so that way you can get the sound’ and people kind of go back and forth,” she said. “The only thing we do watch is nobody goes in and out of the gates with alcohol because it can’t be carried over.”

The council approved the special event permit and a catering permit to Broncho Bar to allow alcohol to be taken outside of the bar and in the blocked off area. 

CEO of Goshen Economic Development (GED) Brayden Connour also met with the council during information items to discuss the new layout for the Summer Music Series following sound issues after the first event. The band stage will now be on the side of the buildings and face East A Street. Vendor trucks will also be aligned on the side closest to Torrington Cinemas to further block the music from competing with the movie theater. 

In other business, the council approved an agreement with Eastern Wyoming College (EWC) for use of the Torrington Municipal Golf Course as EWC’s home course, an agreement with Goshen County School District No. 1 (GCSD) for use of the Torrington Municipal Golf Course as GCSD’s home course, an ordinance on second reading relating surface water drainage, a resolution to amend the 2022 fiscal year budget, a new policy in the policy handbook relating to communications officer pay and classification and policy handbook amendments relating to vacation leave and amendments. 

The council also discussed the 2023 fiscal year budget on third reading. Clerk Treasurer Lynette Strecker said this was an interesting budget year and the city has a lot facing them including inflation and unknowns in revenues. 

“We are managing and it all effects the budget. The budget is up this year and a lot of it is due to some of these issues,” Strecker said. 

Some items have been carried over, according to Strecker, as they had to be bid out and may arrive in this fiscal year or later. The budget increased by $3.9 million as the total is $39,015,842. 

A public hearing was held but there were no comments for or against the budget from the public. The council approved the budget on third reading. 

Councilman Rick Patterson gave an update on the Wyoming Association of Municipalities (WAM) Convention in which 18 resolutions were proposed and 17 were passed. Patterson said four resolutions dealt with limited liquor licenses in the state which is more of a problem in larger municipalities than Torrington. 

Other resolutions included support to allow municipalities to place leans, enhance penalties to those who target vulnerable persons and professions, changing state statues for gaming revenues, standardized response for missing persons, modify state statutes for flexibility to levy local taxes for community priorities, support tools to manage property taxes and more equitable distribution of sales tax revenue.

A resolution to remove a state statute requiring municipalities to publish minutes in the local newspaper, which was proposed by the Town of Lingle, passed but Patterson noted the city of Torrington voted against it. 

“We like the Telegram… we like local media is what it comes down to,” Patterson said. 

 A resolution to support regulation of pharmacy benefit managers was the lone resolution to fail at the convention. Passed resolutions by WAM must be sponsored by a state legislator to go to the floor at the next general session. 

Mayor Randy Adams provided his information items in which he stated there will be no city sponsored 4th of July fireworks display this year and believes there may not be another for the foreseeable future. 

“The serious accident of two years ago, which very much endangered out volunteer firemen, and the high cost of finding professionals to provide the display make it cost prohibitive,” Adams said. “Unless some sort of funding source comes to us, I don’t expect there to be a city of Torrington sponsored display in the future.” 

Adams also thanked the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion for including him in their flag retirement on Flag Day which took place on Tuesday, June 14. 

During public comment, Buildings and Grounds Superintendent Dennis Estes said he has been receiving calls since the council approved the flood insurance program as lenders have called borrowers in the flood plain and stating they must buy insurance. Estes said anyone who has concerns about the program should contact him. 

The next regular meeting is July 5 at 7 p.m.