LINGLE – Mayor Micah Foster called the meeting of the Lingle Town Council to order at the Lingle Community Center on Wednesday, September 24 at 6 p.m. In attendance were council members Tabitha Lambert and Jeff Jerome. Shelly Duncan and Kathy Wilhelm were absent.
Following the Pledge of Allegiance, a motion was made by Lambert to approve the agenda, which included a presentation from Cheryl Trimble on the Compass Academy field trip. It was seconded by Jerome and the motion carried by vote.
Next, a motion was made by council member Jerome and second by Lambert to approve the bills as presented. The motion carried by vote.
Next, the council moved on to public comment where Trimble spoke to the council.
“I am a special education teacher at the Compass Academy, which is the Goshen County School District transition plan for 18 to 21-year-old students who need support with independent living skills and employment skills,” Trimble said. “I have a couple of students who are not sure what they would like to do for employment.”
Trimble called the Lingle Town Hall about a week and a half ago to arrange a field trip where officials could discuss job roles, skill sets and education requirements with students.
Town employee Logan Dailey was home sick when Trimble called, so she spoke with Jeremy Jackson another employee of the town, who agreed to host the visit. Dailey called Trimble the following morning to clarify her expectations for the presentation.
The town hall officials discussed workplace skills including being proactive, flexible, setting long-term goals, communication, teamwork and building relationships – concepts Trimble had been emphasizing in her classroom.
“It was like they had been in my classroom,” Trimble said. “Everything we have been stressing to our students, all of the skills they need on any job, they nailed it.”
Trimble, who has taught for 34 years, called it the best employment field trip she has taken. She praised the presentation as informative while maintaining strong student interaction.
“I just wanted the council to know what a great team you have here and just very, very personable people and willing to bend over and do anything for this town of Lingle, I think,” Trimble said. “Just a super team. My whole staff was very impressed with them and would have wanted to stay all day if they could probably. It was just an enjoyable experience and I wanted you guys to know what a great team you have.”
Moving on to departmental reports, Lingle Chief of Police, Endra Andrews.
“Logan supervised eight hours of community service for a juvenile this week. We have another juvenile with the very same offense that Tabitha will be supervising a juvenile at the fire hall,” Andrews reported “We have some interesting behaviors taking place. Dogs. We have a Husky that keeps escaping his yard and running around town because his children keep forgetting to put him in the house, so, I’ve been chasing a Husky. Cat issues, cat complaints, traffic, public disturbances.”
Andrews reported the body camera arrived today and is being set up. She noted the devices require more than simply removing them from the box and putting them on.
The speed trailers should arrive soon, Andrews said. She is waiting on the equipment, which had a 30-day lead time when ordered.
“I think it was 30 days they told me,” Andrews said. “So, we should be seeing them here before long.”
Anna Barnes, town attorney, was absent and the council moved on to maintenance items where town supervisor Logan Dailey spoke to the council.
Dailey reported an arborist visited Friday to examine trees throughout the town. The inspection revealed evidence of borers in some trees and fungus at the base of others.
The maintenance crew plans to cut down one small dead tree this week to examine the interior for additional signs of damage. The arborist will prepare a report with prevention recommendations after discussing several possible causes during their hour-long consultation.
Dailey reminded residents the yard waste dumpsters accept only grass, weeds and similar materials. Tree branches and plastic bags are prohibited. Leaves may be placed in dumpsters but cannot be bagged.
The town submitted a state homeland security grant application for emergency management radios for police and fire departments.
The street sweeper broke down again after a main bearing failure on the upper left side. Jeremy managed only two passes before the equipment stopped working. Elgin representatives suggested the timing was right for multiple component failures and provided maintenance recommendations to prevent future breakdowns.
Mike Anderson, who owns the hayfield on Fremont, is working with Barry Greenwald to plat and develop the southwest portion for residential housing. The group met with Black Hills Energy to discuss infrastructure requirements. Anderson must work with surveyors to plat the currently unplatted land before presenting development plans to the council.
Dailey described the project as progressive rather than a single large development, noting it could help address the town’s housing shortage.
Dailey reported working with Firehouse Subs, a sandwich restaurant chain with a grant-making foundation. The fire department plans to apply for a Firehouse Subs grant to purchase a soul monitor for the ambulance.
The equipment would help the department eventually upgrade from BLS (Basic Life Support) to ALS (Advanced Life Support) service. While the full upgrade would take considerable time, the monitor would immediately enhance the department’s current capabilities.
Next the council moved on to the Lingle Volunteer Fire Department report, which was presented by Lambert and Dailey, in absence of fire chief Kasey Bangerter.
Dailey reported the department will be doing a fire safety day at the school and they will be doing the haunted house again this year.
For administrative items, clerk/treasurer Ritch Reyes provided his report to the council.
Reyes and Barnes attended the Chugwater Wind Energy Project meeting where commissioners discussed the project details. NextEra, the company developing the project, has set aside approximately $12.3 million for three counties.
Platte County will likely receive the largest share of funding since it will host the majority of the project. Reyes sent correspondence indicating the town has signed up and needs inclusion in the memorandum of understanding to be eligible for funding.
The counties are working together on the MOU with a deadline, though the specific timeframe was unclear from the discussion.
Reyes attended the Wyoming Association of Municipalities meeting in Cheyenne where officials discussed potential changes to state funding. The appropriations committee is considering eliminating annual direct distribution to municipalities and adjusting the sales and use tax split from the current 69% state/31% municipal division to 61%/39%.
Documentation for the town’s TAN66 was submitted to MHP, the engineering firm. The representative indicated work would continue on the project.
Public health will offer flu shots at the senior center on the September 30 from 9 to 11 a.m.
Reyes submitted the annual electrical report to the Western Area Power Administration.
With no additional council items to discuss, Foster called for a motion to adjourn the meeting. Lambert made the motion, which was seconded by Jerome and the motion carried by vote. The meeting was adjourned at 6:15 p.m.
