The Kemmerer City Council convened on Monday, Feb. 10, to address a range of topics, including potential employee bonuses, festival amenities, infrastructure funding and development planning.

Discussion continued regarding canopy costs for local festivals as the council revisited conversations from previous sessions about providing a canopy for the Fossil Fest and Oyster Grass Music Festival.

Concerns over high costs dominated the debate, with the board expressing reluctance to shoulder the expense. They suggested the event venues contribute more funds toward the canopy, emphasizing that the city should not be solely responsible.

As development plans move forward in planning matters, the council reviewed progress on the preliminary approval for Gateway PUD Phase 1. The city’s planning and zoning board conditionally approved the project, and staff is working to ensure compliance with all city conditions before a public comment hearing scheduled for Monday, Feb. 24.

Discussions are ongoing regarding sub-phasing the development and securing a financial guarantee.

Kemmerer City Attorney Dean Stout is drafting a document that incorporates developer suggestions and will submit it electronically to the council once complete.

The council moved to the urgent need for the city’s wastewater treatment plant to obtain funding. Plant Superintendent Brent McClarnon addressed the council about the Kemmerer Diamondville Joint Powers Board (KDJPB) application for a Mineral Royalty Grant (MRG). The grant would fund critical improvements, including a new facility, gravity main upsizing, lift stations, and force mains to accommodate potential population growth and replace aging infrastructure.

“It’s almost a 43-year-old plant, and the normal life-span for a wastewater treatment plant is 20 to 25 years,” McClarnon explained. He praised the maintenance efforts of the plant’s crews but emphasized the fragile state of the infrastructure.

“We are trying to find parts for pumps. It’s problematic,” he said.

McClarnon warned of severe consequences if the plant fails.

“If sewer water leaks into the Hams Fork River, the city could get fined up to $269,000 a day until the problem is resolved. That’s why we are going after the financing and grants,” he said.

Mayor Robert Bowen echoed the urgency.

“It is not a matter of if something breaks down — it’s when,” he said.

Bowen said any significant leakage into the river could bankrupt the facility. He noted the plant was originally designed to serve about 6,000 people, and with anticipated population growth, capacity concerns are rising.

The council authorized Mayor Bowen to sign a letter authorizing a written review for the KDJPB grant application. The MRG request is approximately $35 million. Bowen acknowledged the likelihood of a state-level denial but stressed the importance of federal funding.

“After we have exhausted all our avenues at the state level, then we can go to the federal level,” he said.