Fall cleanup set in Lovell Sept. 20-30

The Town of Lovell has scheduled a fall cleanup for Sept. 20-30, Mayor Bruce Morrison announced at Tuesday’s town council meeting.Morrison said that rather than piling material on a town lot as was done this spring, arrangements have been made with the North Big Horn County Landfill to accept junk and trash from Lovell citizens during the 11-day period with landfill fees paid by the town from current garbage fees.Town residents will have to obtain a coupon from the town by taking a given load to the Lovell Police Dept. at 355 E. Fifth Street, giving their name and address to the dispatcher and showing proof of residency within the town limits with a utility bill or driver’s license.The coupon will be accepted at the landfill, and the town will be billed for the load.The cleanup is intended for property within the Town of Lovell only, Morrison said, adding, “Please do not try to obtain a coupon for anything that comes from outside the town limits.”Councilman Scott Allred said metal will be allowed – and paid for – if it is separated from other material, and Town Clerk/Treasurer Valerie Beal said the town is looking into accepting “E waste” like computers, TVs and other electronics.No tires or hazardous waste will be allowed.“The last round at the lot turned out to be quite a burden (for the town),” Morrison said. “We’re going to fence off the lot and say no dumping. The landfill (board) is excited. They want to see if it can be successful, too.”Road 9 issueJohn Nickle, president of the Pryor Mountain Mustang Association Board of Directors, attended the meeting along with Elsie Martens to talk about issues on Road 12 on the east edge of the Lovell town limits.Nickle said there are nine homes on Road 12 now, one business and the Mustang Center.“We get a lot of traffic down that road,” he said, and since the road is dirt, a lot of dust is stirred up.Nickle wondered if the town could see fit to mix oil with some gravel to put on the road surface to keep the dust and dirt down, noting, “A lot of people use that road,” and the dust affects the Mustang Center, which is drawing visitors from all over the world now.“A lot of people are interested in those horses, and we’d sure like to see some paving or asphalt material to keep the dust down,” he added.Nickle said about a half mile of the road is in the town limits, and the rest is in the county. He said commissioner Keith Grant told him the county would likely team up with the town for some dust abatement. He said the county currently plows the road during the winter.Martens said it would be a big improvement if the town and county would simply fix potholes and enforce the speed limit, noting, “It’s bad.” She said she has seen an oil-type material sprayed on county roads that works quite well.Allred said special improvement districts are often formed for major paving projects, but the council will have to look into how a more minor process could be handled.Nickle also congratulated Councilman Brian Dickson for being the new president of the Wyoming Association of Municipalities, a post Nickle held a couple of decades ago.ProjectsIn the monthly water and sewer report, Dickson reported that he and engineer Andrew Mattie have been meeting with the Wyoming Dept. of Transportation and have cleared up some engineering language between WyDOT and DOWL HKM Engineering.“We’re still hoping to be ready to go to bid in January,” Dickson said, adding that the Wyoming Water Development Commission has requested a statement regarding rights-of-way, which Town Attorney Sandra Kitchen will review.Turning to the North Survey Monument Project, Dickson said a surveyor should be in town this week to mark the monument locations on the north side of town, after which Wilson Brothers Construction will install the new monuments. He said the project should be finished by the end of the month.The crack- and chip-sealing project on the north side of town is finished and has been getting good reviews, Morrison said.Lovell Inc.Lovell Inc. Director Sue Taylor reminded the council of several meetings coming up including a U.S. Forest Service scenic byways meeting on Thursday, Oct. 3, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Big Horn Federal where people will be invited to share their history with the Bighorn National Forest; a home improvement fair on Oct. 5 at the community center; and a Northwest College meeting to discuss and explain health care reform on Tuesday, Oct. 8, from 8 to 9 a.m. at the community center.Taylor also asked the mayor to appoint a representative for a committee that will select a consulting firm for the county economic development planning process.In other business Tuesday:•The council voted to approve changes to the operation and maintenance agreement with the Foster Gulch Golf Course contingent upon agreement by the golf board.•Mayor Morrison read a proclamation in honor and memory of former Councilman Rich Hettinger, who died on August 18.“Rich put in a lot of time and service to the town,” Morrison said. “I had the privilege of serving on the town council with Rich, and it was an honor to do so.”•The council approved an amendment to the town personnel policy.•The council approved a liquor catering permit for the Byron Bar for a wedding at the community center on Saturday, Sept. 21.•After discussion, the council approved a renewed real estate listing contract with Johnson Home and Land for the Lovell Clay Subdivision lots. The agreement is good through Aug. 13, 2014.•During a discussion about the cleaning contract for the community center, Taylor suggested that the town consider a “hosted facility use tier” in the town’s rental schedule where a contracted company or individual would keep the center stocked with supplies and clean during a large meeting.•Allred said the town needs to address a growing sink hole at the community center that could soon collapse some pavement.by David Peck