KEMMERER — The Kemmerer City Council meeting on April 22 opened with discussion about the need for road repair in town, specifically on Cedar and Sage avenues. The money needed for the project could potentially be covered by impact funding and grants. Estimated cost of repair for Cedar Avenue is $914,300 and $976,700 for Sage Avenue. 

Although there is no date set for road repairs, other developments are expected to start soon. Kemmerer City Administrator Brian Muir said he has been in contact with the Gateway PUD developers, and they are hoping to have a final plat packet ready for the zoning board within the next couple of weeks. Muir said the other development that plans to put in multi-family tract housing will possibly move even faster.    

In new business the council discussed how the city will apply the $1,224,595 from Project West Impact Funding. Lincoln County expects to receive $8.4 million of impact funding from projects including the soda ash processing facility near Granger and a solution mining area located 15 miles southeast of the plant. The mayor, city attorney and staff will attend a meeting to demonstrate interest, propose impacts and submit for final funding approval.

The city is anticipating increased demand for facilities and services due to more workers coming into town for upcoming projects. Part of the impact funding will go to hiring more police force and recreation center staff as well as providing more garbage services and public works maintenance for streets and roads.

The council recognized Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month, acknowledging that victims of child abuse and neglect are at higher risk for various mental disorders, lower academic achievement, and delinquency. With an estimated 800 children in the state being subject to child abuse, community prevention programs were encouraged.

Zach Wentz with Tegeler and Associates presented to the council to review the city’s property insurance. Wentz explained some of the changes in deductibles in the policy and presented insurance provider options for the city. The city plans to review the companies and decide on which provider to move forward with before the policy renewal deadline.

WYDOT presented to the council final plans for ADA ramps and obtaining construction permits. The project to fix intersections in the Triangle on Garnet, Topaz and Sapphire streets is slated for September. The existing traffic signal poles will come down during the construction, but there will be signs to accommodate for street crossings. After running projections for the upcoming population increase, WYDOT did not find a need for traffic lights in town.

Kemmerer resident Shane Stoddard suggested the council use money from special-purpose tax to reduce Canyon Road to two lanes instead of four, which, he said, would make snow removal easier. Other comments from the public addressed the community pool.

Resident Courtney McFarland said she thinks it’s important that the town make efforts to keep the community pool and said it offered an important service even if it does not generate revenue. Connie McMillan also spoke about the pool, saying she worked there when she was younger and knows what it means to the community.

“The decision to demolish it is based on the fact that it doesn’t make money,” she said, and argued that other city services do not make money either, but they are not threatened with demolition. “I think kids in our community need that pool.”

City Clerk Natasia Diers said that, as a city employee, she has watched the pool take a lot of money and urged the council to think about what amenities are necessary. Mentioning that the city already has an indoor pool, she asked the council, “Do we need another pool?”

Diers suggested looking at current amenities and finding ways to improve them, such as adding firepits and warming huts at Archie Neil Park.

“I’m looking at it as a community,” she said. “We already have a pool. What amenities could we provide to enhance the assets of Archie Neil Park? I think we need to focus on the sledding hill.”

Resident Cindy Miller said she has an opposite impression of the city pool. She remembers buying a pass where kids could spend all day at the pool. She said she thought it a waste to bulldoze the pool.

Trista Gordon, Director of the South Lincoln Training & Event Center and the Kemmerer Recreation Center, said there will be an outdoor pool workshop to consider all aspects of funding and support options including donations and fundraising. The workshop will be held April 30, at 5:30 p.m. at the event center.

Gordon said, “I am excited and hopeful for the coming summer. Let’s make it the best we can.”

Going through the outdoor pool survey that was recently conducted, Gordon said there were 352 responses with 76.1% (267 people) saying they would like to see the pool stay open.

Gordon said pool records from 2015 to present found average daily usage of the pool around 23 people a day with the exception of the last few years not being open for various reasons including the pandemic and lack of staffing.

Gordon said because the pool license is a general license, it can not operate as a “swim at your own risk” facility. The city is currently hiring lifeguards for the outdoor pool. Applicants must be at least 15 years of age to apply, and applications should be turned into City Hall by May 10.

Lifeguards must be certified in CPR and first aid. A local school survey indicated a major reason for students not wanting a lifeguard summer job is that they are not allowed to have their cell phones on them while working.     

The council will need to decide if they want to continue to subsidize the pool or instead roll those funds into something else such as park improvements.