The Kemmerer City Council meeting started like every other, with the Pledge of Allegiance. After the last words, the council took their seats and got to work.

In the pre-meeting, before the 7 p.m. council meeting, the council talked about mosquito spraying and snow plowing. They also discussed an application for a $2,000 grant for the J.C. Penney statue. Golf classes at the golf course were also discussed. The proposed classes are a kindergarten through third grade class and a junior league for 8- to 18-year-olds.

In the consent agenda, Scott Miller was appointed to the Planning and Zoning board for Kemmerer.

Brian Muir, city administrator, gave a brief presentation about the demolition of the Hams Fork Bridge on Lincoln County Road 327, milepost 0.6. The bridge was built in 1921 and is currently owned by Lincoln County. According to a report by Stephanie Lowe, the senior cultural resources specialist from the Wyoming Department of Transportation, “Structure ETB has not been modified, as far as records show, since it was constructed, and it has fallen into severe disrepair. The current bridge has been closed to traffic since 2013.” It is proposed that the bridge will be taken down and replaced with a newer bridge in accordance with current standards.

“The City of Kemmerer appreciates this bridge and its history, but can understand that it is necessary to tear it down, and we do not have the resources to preserve it,” Muir said. The Kemmerer Historic Preservation Society was offered a place in mitigation after demolition of the bridge. Mitigation will give opportunities to make up for the historical loss.

There were three agenda items for the council at the March 8 meeting.

The first one was a tabled item for a blanket excavation fee and bond for phase II of the Allwest project. After a cumulative hour of debate among council members, as well as Tom Crank and a representative from Allwest, councilperson Eric Rudy said “Tom handled it well last year. Let’s just keep things the same.” The council then voted and passed to keep the same plan for Allwest as last year — a not-to-exceed amount of $11,524 for Allwest to pay for Crank Co. overseeing the complaints and issues that arise during the project. The city will be alerted once Crank Co. has used 75% of the $11,524. Once the limit is reached, the city will pay for continued overseeing by Crank Co. or using other methods.

The next item on the agenda was under old business. It was the second reading of the updated ordinance for the Kemmerer kids’ fishing pond. Previously, a representative of Game and Fish said the age limit and catch limit didn’t align with Game and Fish regulations, as they are the ones that stock the fish. The representative also said Game and Fish were contemplating adding bluegill to the pond. The council declined the addition of bluegill. The now updated ordinance increases the creel limit; however, Kemmerer will put up a new sign that doesn’t resemble a Game and Fish sign stating the age and disability limit. The ordinance was passed on second reading. There were comments from councilpersons about whether Game and Fish would continue to stock the pond, but it is unknown as of publication.

The final item on the council agenda was under new business. The Joint Powers Board drafted and approved a corrected ordinance for discontinuing water service. This was the council’s first reading. The proposed change would allow the Joint Powers Board to physically cut the water pipe and cap it at the curb-stop or property line instead of cutting into the middle of the street. According to the board, this would save the city a lot of money as well as maintain the condition of roads. Previously, the road would be dug up to shut off the water, then replaced and potentially repaired multiple times because of the cut. The council passed the ordinance on first reading.