RBC | The Rangely Town Board of Trustees met on March 10 with trustees Alisa Granger, Trey Robie, Luke Geer, Keely Ellis and Tyson Hacking present.
Public Hearings
A public hearing was held to consider a liquor license application filed on Jan. 30, 2020, by California Wok at 321 E Main in VA A SY’s name. Liquor licensing agent Janet Miller and Rangely Police Chief Ti Hamblin presented information obtained during the processing of the liquor license. A translator was provided for Mr. SY during the hearing. Along with an open code violation for refuse on property, Miller and Hamblin expressed concerns about omitted and misrepresented information on the application concerning SY’s previous criminal convictions or arrests and questionable business practices of being visibly intoxicated during business hours. SY said he did not know he had to report the charges because they were from a long time ago and hoped they would forgive him for his past mistakes in regard to drinking. He said he has since quit drinking, and California Wok employees Callista Urbanik and Mark Futch Jr. vouched for him, reporting that he is no longer drinking alcohol and understands that if he were approved for the license he could not drink on the premises. The business owner stated the reason for wanting the liquor license is because a lot of customers have requested a drink with dinner and have walked out after learning the establishment did not serve alcohol. SY promised to set up a class for himself and his employees to learn how to safely serve alcohol if his establishment was approved for the liquor license. After some discussion by the board the decision to approve or deny the liquor license application was tabled. A vote must take place within 30 days from the date of the public hearing.
Committee/Board Meetings
Piering reported that marketing coordinator Jeannie Caldwell will be coordinating the Rangely marketing effort. She has met with all the special districts and is giving tips on Facebook and other digital marketing of our area.
Supervisor Reports
Town Clerk Marybel Cox gave an election update, and said ballots should be going out this week. The office is preparing for the yearly audit. They are also working on updating human resource forms and the personnel manual.
Chief Hamblin reported that interviews for the part time dispatch position will be conducted at the end of March. Last month a study was completed on Rangely’s emergency dispatch service and Hamblin says “they started to implement some of those [suggested] changes”. A report on the study should be ready in the next several weeks. Rio Blanco County law enforcement agency representatives had a meeting to determine how they can better work together and discussed new Colorado laws. Hamblin completed his leadership trilogy through the FBI last month. Lieutenant Coker presented at the February Business over Breakfast. Officer Block completed Intoxilyzer training. In February the department switched from Watch Guard to Axon body cameras and the district attorney’s office reports that the new cameras have made it easier to review camera footage. Hamblin was the advisory witness for a sex assault case last month in Meeker. Rangely will be hosting an ICS 300 class at Rangely District Hospital on May 11-12 for supervisors of emergency incidents.
Town Manager Update
Piering and Ellis attended a meeting in Craig with the governor-appointed Just Transition committee for energy industry communities. There was a large crowd at the meeting to discuss the impact of the closure of the coal mine and power plant in that community. Committee members include local leaders from the counties of Routt and Moffat, the Department of Labor, Office of Economic Development and International Trade, and other executive directors within the governor’s staff. Currently, the committee has no funding to help move anything forward for our communities.
Piering has been attending weekly updates with Rio Blanco County Public Health and other entities updating them on Covid-19. The Town of Rangely will be helping distribute information to the community via social media and the utility billing advertising about the virus. They have talked to employees about critical departments and working towards contingency plans if needed to continue to meet the needs of residents. Mueller Construction completed the installation of the rake arm and the water department is working to complete some additional projects including finishing up some of the manhole project in April. The Main Street Beautification project is back up and running. The final report presentation from the University of Colorado will be available at a later date. The town will be working towards securing grant funding for the project. Piering said that the State of Colorado inspected the wastewater treatment plant on March 9 and were very complimentary about the cleanliness of the plant. They commended the employee who does the monitoring and testing also. The inspector confirmed that the headworks needs repairs and will make recommendations to DOLA for that project.
New Business
Robie moved to approve Resolution 2020-02 a resolution of the Town Council vesting jurisdiction over plumbing permit and inspection to the Colorado State Plumbing Board. The motion was seconded by Ellis and it passed unanimously.
