RANGELY I Rangely’s Board of Trustees met on Tuesday, April 12, with a work session to interview applicants for board vacancies before convening for the public meeting.
The Board approved Alisa Granger, Todd Thayn and Kyle Wren to four-year terms. The trustees will be sworn in at the April 26 meeting.
Trustee Don Davidson offered updates including highlighting student government day. The Rangely Chamber of Commerce hosted the youth of Rangely as they participated in taking over the board and tried on the various roles of local government. He reported that it was a success and great to see the kids engaged and energetic.
Davidson questioned the Board on the Town’s procedures in the event of an emergency, particularly a weather catastrophe. Mayor Andy Shaffer stated that the town addresses storms as the event occurs and that everyone jumps in to do their part. As the town frequently experiences large snowstorms, the extent of emergency preparedness responsibility typically falls on the public works department to clear the roads and citizens to care for one another. Town Manager Lisa Piering said the special districts work together as opposed to a command center-like scenario. The hospital cares for those who need regular medical assistance, particularly those dependent on power for supplemental oxygen. In the event of a major catastrophe, the town would have to wait for funding from the state to enact anything serious. Davidson also took the opportunity to share updates from connections he has made with a company called Energy Field Security. Their goals include creating a microgrid to support hospitals and data centers in efforts to protect communities from low-frequency, high-impact events. His efforts include working on legislation to help small communities secure funding in the event of emergencies.
Town Manager Lisa Piering offered a brief and positive update after noting that the water treatment plant had sustained roof damage and a few electrical issues. Mayor Andy Shaffer asked about surge protection at the water plant. Piering shared that she hopes that moving forward with the Cogency contract will help protect the local power systems. The Town will be moving forward with planting flowers in the community garden and aiding in repairs to the greenhouse. The greenhouse is used exclusively for the town flowers.
Piering and Town Engineer Jocelyn Mullen met with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to work on grant applications to aid the renovation of asbestos-contaminated housing.
Piering also highlighted the annual interview with the Dinosaur Welcome Center with positive thanks and praise for Cheryl, who manages the welcome center. Piering also shared the news that the Rangely Directory would be updated soon. Compliments were given to Leif Joy of the RBC Geographic Information Systems department for his work showcasing local places on Instagram and an article for Outdoor Colorado.
Supervisor reports were submitted and included in the packet but the supervisors are taking turns report to the board in person. Notable news includes the police department’s second Coffee with a Cop event, Lt. Garner participating in multiple trainings including active shooter training. The Rangely Gas Department has participated in training including travel to Meeker for the annual gas and oil company training. Don Reed submitted a report from the Water Treatment Plant that included a description of the river water quality further declining and requiring the department to constantly monitor and adjust chemicals with expectations that things will get worse after spring run-off. State compliance reports were sent in with no violations and Mueller continues construction on the Headworks project.
In other business, the board:
• Approved the liquor license for Loaf N’ Jug.
• Held a final discussion before approving the agreement between the Town of Rangely and Rangely True Value, Inc. to close the alley south of Rangely True Value during non-business hours. Concerns were brought by the Town’s Municipal Attorney regarding insurance policy compliance. She recommended a fee of $200 to help reduce other requests and precedence to close alleys in town. Rangely True Valley asked this fee to be waived. The Board approved striking this paragraph from the agreement with a motion from Trustee Keely Ellis and a second from Alisa Granger.
Informational Items: Arbor Day celebration on April 21, 2022; Veteran Resource Tour June 7, 2022; The Tank Summer 2022 schedule; Dinosaur National Monument News Release – Rabbit Disease; AGNC Legislative Summary.
The meeting closed with a special thanks to René Harden for her dedication and hard work to maintain the Rangely Community Garden from Shaffer, Davidson and Piering.
By KATIE KING | Special to The Herald Times
