Cowley council approves variance request

After a tense and dramatic Cowley Town Council meeting the previous week, Tuesday night’s special session was brief and uneventful, lasting less than six minutes.

The issue centered on a variance request from Jeff Samson to build a single-family home in town using a monolithic slab foundation, a single, continuous layer of concrete that serves as both the floor and the foundation, poured all at once with thicker edges for support. Concerns raised at the earlier meeting focused on Cowley’s clay soil, which has high alkali levels and poor natural drainage that can weaken concrete over time.

A letter presented Tuesday from town engineer William Bridges recommended approving the variance on the condition that construction follow International Building Code guidelines. Those include removing at least one foot of natural soil and replacing it with 12 inches of well-packed aggregate material to improve drainage and protect the foundation.

A motion to approve Samson’s variance passed 4–0, with Max Lewis recusing himself.

Mayor Joel Peterson acknowledged that the town’s building code needs to be updated to include newer construction methods and said work on those updates will begin in the coming months.

After the meeting, Samson said he was relieved to have the matter settled and hopes for good weather this fall so he can lay the foundation before winter.

“I’m glad we could all come to an understanding and move forward with the ability to build homes using a monolithic slab as a foundation option,” Samson said. “It’s progress for our town. A big thank you to the mayor and council for their time, along with the residents who shared their thoughts and knowledge as well.”