On Oct. 11, the Kemmerer City Council met for their regularly scheduled meeting. Items on the agenda nominally included an interview with a candidate for appointment to the Fossil Basin Promotion Board and a review of tabled items from the last meeting. However, there was also considerable discussion regarding an unexpected letter that the council had received concerning unauthorized vehicles driving on some of the city’s walking trails. Mayor Thek and Councilwoman Thornock were not present, and a quorum was established with the attendance of other councilmembers.

Of the tabled items, the cardboard recycling proposal was reviewed and discussed prior to the meeting in the council’s pre-meeting workshop, and the proposal was brought off the table during the regular meeting.

Councilman Dale Hicks proposed a motion to move forward with the cardboard recycling program, but no other member seconded the motion, and it failed.

Speaking about the proposal after the meeting, Muir explained that much of the pre-meeting workshop discussion was a rehashing of the last meeting’s talking points. Muir also explained that the possibility of a Diamondville collaboration did not come up, as well as mentioning the landfill’s report that they also did not have the staff to help facilitate a recycling program.

The other tabled item was a volunteer appreciation memo for the recreation center, which had been tabled due to needing minor revisions for whom the memo applied to. Much of the memo outlined specific internal rewards, such as varying levels of credit rewards that can be applied to a volunteer’s account for future renewals or other costs. The tabled item was brought back into play, and the memo was approved by those present.

City administrator Brian Muir then announced that Rocky Mountain Power had invited at least one member of the city council to attend the Governor’s Business Forum that will be taking place from Nov. 16-18 in Cheyenne.

Councilman Hicks mentioned that he had attended a series of cybersecurity lectures and presentations, emphasizing the fact that even on the Kemmerer Community Board Facebook group there had been plenty of scams.

“Watch out for the scams, watch out for people trying to take your money,” he said.

Councilman Price concurred with Hicks, saying that, as an administrator of the yard sale group, he’s personally been removing far more than he’s ever seen.

“I want to applaud [administrator] Dayna Bluemel for the effort that she’s been putting in, actively trying to stop as much as she can,” Price said.

The council then broke out into an executive session in order to interview Dean Sherman for the Fossil Basin Promotion Board, and the Gazette spoke to Muir for some clarification on the letter the concerned citizen had sent in over the past week, which also included a photograph.

“There was a complaint brought forth by a citizen that there’s people driving on the walking trails… Apparently, there’s been a lot of people using that trail,” Muir said.

The trail in question was reported to be east of the golf course, near the third fairway and behind the fishing pond.

During that discussion, Muir explained that the council’s main objectives were to inquire at the cemetery district and ascertain if someone there or a city employee gave potentially unauthorized permission. Another area of concern also revolved around the question of signage and trespassing, but it was clear that the council was moving quickly on this issue.

“I talked with the chief of police, and he did say that he would step up patrols,” he added.

Muir declined to provide a physical copy of the letter or photograph to the Gazette.

After the executive session had concluded, it was announced that Dean Sherman’s proposed appointment to the Fossil Basin Promotion Board had been approved by the council, and the meeting was adjourned.

Afterward, two members of the council spoke to the Gazette about the drivers on the walking trails.

“I am pleased that the city council is taking action along with the administrator to try to correct this problem,” councilman Price said about the issue.

Price then went on, explaining his own philosophy as a member of the council and how he hopes that people will continue bringing their issues to him.

“My personal policy is if you tell me something that’s going on, even if I’m dead set against it, I will bring it up at the meeting. It’s not my job to decide what we can say and what we can’t say. If anyone has a problem or a question, I will bring it up,” he said.

Price also mentioned that the council was under the impression that there were multiple people driving on these trails, and not just the single individual photographed in his white truck.

“One of the things [that were discussed] was that there needs to be a written authorization to be on that road in the first place…putting roadblocks up, so that they can’t just readily go on the trails,” councilman Hicks said about the matter.

The next regular council meeting will be held on Oct. 25, at 7 p.m., with the pre-meeting workshop taking place at 6 p.m. Both are open to the public.

Do you have any thoughts about individuals driving on these walking trails?

Send in your thoughts, experiences, or impressions to editor@kemmerergazette.com