The Voice of the Community Since 1909, Serving Moorcroft and Pine Haven, Wyoming
The Voice of the Community Since 1909, Serving Moorcroft and Pine Haven, Wyoming
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Scott Green has been with Moorcroft's Public Works since August 2020 and oversaw his fellow crewmen when former department director Cory Allison was not in town and under the interim department management of Ben Glenn. His application for director was approved by the governing body at the August 13 meeting of the town council and, after two weeks in his official capacity as director of public works, he talks about where his department stands now and where he wants to be in a year and beyond....
Retired MHS music teacher Paul Ormseth, now an integral part of the Gillette Chamber Singers, is asking people who enjoy singing great music to fill out an audition form to sing with northeast Wyoming's premier chorale ensemble. Anyone interested may go to gillettechambersingers.com/auditions and, after the group receives the filled form, they will provide all details needed to proceed. All voice types are encouraged to audition as the company is increasing the chorus body to enhance the sound. Call or text Ormseth at 307-756-2482 for more...
Shortly after the removal of the Moorcroft pool around a decade ago, the council listened to the concerns of town residents regarding the need to provide local children with some type of community water play space. At first, the discussion comprised of ways to have another pool, but the lack of interest in the former pool was considered an issue for any future build due to cost. Later, splash pads of varying types and sizes came into the picture. Many municipalities that could not afford or did not have the population to warrant an actual...
The Moorcroft Volunteer Fire Department responded to an accident on the west end of the I-90 construction site a few weeks ago and, after examining the time the crew took to address the situation, Fire Chief Jeff Holberg as well as the town council commended them for their swift and effective response to the call. According to the chief, the acceptable amount of time from the call to extrication is approximately 12 minutes – these well-trained volunteers had the victim free from the vehicle in three. Holberg later called their work, ...
Pine Haven is celebrating their annual Pine Haven Days and everybody's invited! People are encouraged to bring chairs, sunscreen and something to drink to Pine Haven Road, north of Waters Drive, as the festivities start with a parade on Saturday, August 31, at 11 a.m. This year, the parade's theme is "Wonders of the Lake". There is always room for another classic car, golf cart or float for anyone interested in being part of the line up, too; they may show up with their entrance at the baseball...
Simon Construction started this year's chip seal project with Pine Haven's Meadows Drive, completing the pour a few days ago. The east end of the roadway was still closed as of Tuesday due to the addition of the concrete valley pan and apron in front of the community center. Simon has moved the remainder of the chip seal to Lake Court. The work on Meadows has been found satisfactory, according to HDR Engineering's Mike Oakley and Mayor Karla Brandenburg. One concern mentioned by HDR...
HDR Engineering’s Mike Oakley recently discussed the Safe Streets and Roads for All grant (SS4A) now available from the US Department of Transportation as another possible funding source for road work. According to Oakley, transportation projects are notoriously difficult to fund in Wyoming: “It’s easier to find funding for water and sewer than it is for street repair.” This grant was started in 2022 with $5billion available and, according to WYDOT, still has approximately $3billion to distribute until the program’s end in 2026. The engineer...
The Texas Trail Cruisers Car Club, with the help of Devils Tower Country, is hosting their annual car show at the Devils Tower KOA Campground (just before the monument’s entrance) on Saturday, August 17, from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. Last year, this event welcomed 127 entries from around the Midwest and, since 2005, 1578 cherished automobiles have been shown. The show’s inception took place at Robinson Park, in 2003. Club secretary Carolyn Holberg recalls, “It was rainy and windy and we had about six to eight vehicles.” The Texas Trail Cruiser...
Diehl’s Market owner Emanual Chaffee was not sure that he could carry on the Rib Fest during Rally this year due to the departure of the Moorcroft Area Cahmber of Commerce (MACC) volunteers from the event, but Wednesday dawned to a diligent effort by eight of his staff members and Chaffee himself to see the Rib Fest a success. Chaffee had smoked 100 racks of ribs, but the turn out for the picnic was about half that of last year, leaving around 50 racks to be sold over the next few days from the store. The event organizer figures the drop in t...
Pine Haven's water woes have come to an end just as August settles in with temperatures hovering around 100° Fahrenheit. The main water well was damaged, only pumping around 20 gallons a minute, which could not carry the town's residents beyond drinking water and would be entirely unable to support any fire suppression from the hydrants – a working pump of the same size installed pulls approximately 150 gallons per minute. While not the primary, the backup well that had completely failed a co...
Council liaison Dale Petersen watched as the town's public works crewmen Cody Amende and Scott Green sanded the uneven surface of the tennis court and filled the cracks with sealant last week. After the vote to affix a new basketball court to the existing tennis court at Westview Park failed for lack of a second within Moorcroft's governing body last month, the second choice of rehabilitating the tennis court was accepted. This includes the restoration of the concrete and lines for both tennis...
A local emergency was called last Tuesday when one of the two water wells on which Pine Haven depends for drinking water failed completely and the other dropped from approximately 150 gallons per minute to around 20 gallons. Water Systems Drilling was able to install a new motor and pump Wednesday afternoon. The new pump is larger than the one the crew removed and began drawing between 250 and 300 gallons per minute when activated Wednesday evening, subsequently filling the tank over the next...
Moorcroft's council and police department are struggling to control the speeding traffic along Goshen Street. They plan to implement stop signage that flashes to encourage better driving from those who disregard the safety of the kids who walk across the street toward Noonan Park. This trend of speeding will become even more dangerous when the splash pad is installed in the spring as the influx of children to and from the waterwork increases foot traffic. Moorcroft Police Chief Bill Bryant was...
Of the three bids submitted for the splash pad in Noonan Park, one did not acknowledge the addendum, resulting in exclusion from consideration, and the second was $713,130, significantly more than Glenn Construction’s proposal of $433,609.50. Glenn was subsequently recommended for the job by HDR Engineering’s Heath Turbiville at last Wednesday night’s meeting of the town council. The mayor excused himself from this discussion, leaving the chambers as Mayor Pro-tem Dale Petersen oversaw the vote. The lowest bid, provided by Glenn, was accep...
After years of craft fairs and occasion openings, She Shed owners Linda Humes and Renie Bunner have combined their beautiful abilities with fabric and thread before their work to Moorcroft as a store front in the Moorcroft Town Center (MTC), between the Starfish Secondhand Store and the daycare center. The She Shed is open Tuesday through Saturday, from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. The adventure began when Humes' father, who worked with wood, passed away and the two women eventually sold his tools,...
Pine Haven Public Works has been dealing with a complete failure of one of the town's two water well pumps and a drastic drop in the operation of the second. Department director Sean Glass was not able to revive the first pump and the latter, which is supposed to draw more than 100 gallons per minute, was pumping only 20 as of Tuesday morning. Mayor Karla Brandenburg said that if they could get one of these motors to work as they were intended, "We'll be ok." A Code Red had been sent out to resi...
Facing temperatures over 100° this summer, Moorcroft’s family nurse practitioner Laura Richins shares a few warning signs of trouble and tips to keep the kids and ourselves safe from overheating and risking the serious consequences of heat exhaustion or heatstroke. According to Richins, “Most often, this happens when people exercise in very hot or humid weather without drinking enough fluid, but it can also happen to people who are not exercising. People who are older, those with health problems, young children and babies need to exercise addi...
Moorcroft’s popular Rib Rally, which takes place every year during Sturgis’ Bike Week, has quickly become a mainstay of Moorcroft’s summer events. In previous years, the Moorcroft Area Chamber of Commerce (MACC) worked with Diehl’s Grocery Store to bring a shady intermission to bikers, tourists and locals alike from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. on Wednesday to relax, have a seat under the canopy and eat a tasty meal of a rack of ribs, beans and a free bottle of water before continuing down the road. Visitors could talk to neighbors from around the corner...
Celebrating Moorcroft's 60th Jubilee with events to please every kind of wholesome interest, opening with goat roping and a circus and ending with Fun Day at Westview Park, the Moorcroft Area Chamber of Commerce outdid themselves this year. Co-organizer Krissy Hinkhouse shared the turnout for the Friday Night Ranch Rodeo, Saturday's Bronc Ride and the Corn Hole Tournament. Eight teams, eight bronc riders and ten mutton busters competed at the rodeo; 14 riders strutted their stuff at the...
Moorcroft and Verizon have come to a mutually beneficial amendment to the company's lease that has been in effect for the last several years. This new agreement will include the installation of five routers in specific locations around town, "so we can put up cameras and keep an eye out for possible vandalism", according to Councilman Bob Stewart, who advocates this trade of the monthly fee due to the town for this added security provided by Verizon. According to Mayor Ben Glenn, "It sounds...
Moorcroft Mayor Ben Glenn and two other councilmen has been actively working toward installing a basketball court adjoining the existing tennis court in Westview Park. With Councilman Austin Smith quoting the lowest bid for the dirt work, he excused himself from the conversation and vote at last Wednesday night’s meeting, where the formerly tabled subject was presented for consideration. Glenn, whose company had bid but was not chosen, previously asked Town Attorney Pat Carpenter if he could join the discussion was informed that he could, ...
The turnout for the annual July 4 firework display at Keyhold Reservoir, which doubles as a fundraiser for the Pine Haven Volunteer Fire Department was considered a "great success" by Fire Chief TJ Gideon. However, he and his colleagues do believe that the weather before the show, which turned a little stormy, "played a role in attendance, it seemed the numbers were down". Between 35 and 40 volunteers helped clean up the area Sunday morning and the group had the entire site cleared within the...
At last week's monthly workshop of Pine Haven's council, Mayor Karla Brandenburg brought forth a question from a citizen regarding the six benches NEWWA promised in their benefit event in March of 2023. "Where are the benches?" the mayor asked, stating that a couple residents brought this subject to her. Councilwoman Suzette Edwards said she had similar questions addressed to her as well. The invitation to the benefit stated that the group was raising money for six new benches to honor Jason...
Pine Haven's Etched in Time Park has been the center of a few concerns for the last few years that involved a miscommunication between the town's long-lived beautification committee and the last couple of councils. According to the committee spokesperson Tammie McGovern, the council at the time of the park's opening agreed to take over the maintenance and management of the site. But with the changing of the governing body over the years, this agreement was lost. With a better understanding of...
After nine years, Moorcroft Public Works Director Cory Allison has resigned. Allison took over the department after the departure of Dan Blakeman in 2015. The department has subsequently worked under three mayors and a number of councilmen. Allison expresses frustration with the behavior of certain members of the current governing body, citing micro-management and disregard for certain town ordinances by a couple of council members. “They want everybody else to follow the rules…That’s the reason I quit; I was just tired of dealing with them...
