COUNTY BEAT: March 28, 2023

WORK SESSIONS

René Harden, representing the Radino Senior Center, asked if the seniors can take the county bus on an overnight trip in May. The seniors have raised their own funding for a trip and have 14 signed up to go. Permission was granted.

RBC Extension Agent Linda Masters asked about adding two local Hispanic women to the Extension Advisory Board to increase outreach and participation in 4-H and Extension activities among the Hispanic community. Masters said increasing resources for the Hispanic community was a request she received from a community needs assessments survey.

Commissioners said they see no reason to add additional people to the board at this time, noting that the board has only had one formal meeting.

Weed and Pest Director Jane Turnburke briefed the commissioners on an issue with bait for ground squirrels. According to Turnburke, the ground squirrels in Rio Blanco County were renamed “Wyoming ground squirrels,” and are considered a subspecies of Richardson ground squirrels. All the bait available is listed only for Richardson ground squirrels.

Turnburke said they are awaiting a ruling from the EPA as to whether a label change on bait products will make it legal to use those projects for the Wyoming ground squirrels. If that ruling occurs, she would like to include bait in the county’s cost share pesticide program. “The squirrels are getting to be a real problem.”

Discussion continued with commissioners and Rangely Town Manager Lisa Piering about who will be responsible for the cost of upgrading Rangely’s dispatch system. Costs and necessary equipment are still being calculated.

REGULAR BUSINESS

• Awarded agreement for the 2023 fiber map project to VETRO Inc.
• Awarded the agreement for Piceance Creek herbicide hand spraying project to Ebbesen Environmental Services and Osborn Industries; aerial spraying was awarded to Coulter Aviation.
• Approved the 2023 service agreement for the RBC printer replacement project.
• Approved continuation of a solar block lease with WREA. “We’ve been working on this for over a year, it fell through the cracks last year. It should save about $6,000 for the year,” said Budget and Finance Director Janae Stansworth.
• Approved a license renewal agreement for GIS software.
• Approval and agreement with Frontier Paving for the CR8 surface treatment project. “It was a very competitive bid,” said Road and Bridge Director Scott Marsh.
• Approved an as-needed contract with Phil Vaughan Construction Management Inc. for commercial and industrial plan review.
• Approved the 2023 building inspector service agreement with the Town of Rangely.
• Approved a letter of support for the Rio Blanco Water Conservancy District for congressionally directed spending for the Wolf Creek Reservoir Project.
• Approved the RBC precinct and commissioner district lines with no changes.
• Appointed Clerk and Recorder Shawn Luce as the designated election official.
• Approved “the first of a few reports” for the FAA regarding the Rangely Airport Fence Replacement project. The project is complete, the “paperwork side needs buttoned up,” Stansworth said.
• Ratified a letter of support for Rep. Boebert regarding delisting wolves as an endangered species at the federal level.

The board went into executive session to discuss “matters subject to negotiations regarding maintenance and development projects for various county facilities.”

The board reconvened Tuesday afternoon as the Board of Health and heard an update from Public Health Director Makala Sheridan. Results of the next community health assessment — required every five years — will be presented at the next meeting of the Board of Health.

Sheridan is working on alternative options to Title X funding to provide reproductive health services for the county, saying Title X is “not the right choice for our county.” She’s also pursuing grants related to suicide prevention programs.

Following the Board of Health update, the commissioners discussed the protocols surrounding the annual performance review forms with the county’s administrative team, and discussed the possibility of taking on a Department of Human Services “Single Entry Point Program” that aligns the elderly and disabled with services available.

By NIKI TURNER – editor@editorht1885.com