The Kemmerer City Council meeting on March 11 began with a request to apply for a grant for emergency insect management.

Kemmerer City Administrator Brian Muir presented to the council about updates on The Gateway PUD Development, which plans to build more than 80 townhomes and more than 50 stand-alone homes. He said that, as the developer awaits final approval, they are working with the county for a loan to help with the infrastructure. Muir said more drafts are required before it is ready for final approval.

Kemmerer Recreation Center Director Trista Gordon reported on costs and repairs for the community pool. Gordon said the PVC which covers piping around the outside of the pool will cost just under $13,000 with a one-to-eight-week shipping timeline.

“We will also need chemicals and a pallet of chlorine is around $1,500, which will last half the season,” she said.

To raise wages to match what school lifeguards make, the city would need to come up with an additional $2,000 for the year. In the past, the pool typically opened in the middle of June, but has never been a money maker for the city. Concern about finding enough lifeguards and the lack of funding may require the pool remain closed as it has been the past couple of seasons.

Councilmember Robert Bowen asked Gordon if the splash pad in Diamondville would absorb some of the communities’ needs for water activities and take some of the burden off having the pool open. Gordon said she believes the Diamondville splash pad would affect the numbers at the pool, in part, because of the convenient location to the Diamondville park and it being a free service. The pool in Kemmerer requires lifeguards on duty and charges an entry fee. 

Gordon said she is working on a survey to send out to community members for suggestions of alternate uses for the pool such as a bigger pavilion area or pickleball courts.

“That, too, would have a cost to convert the pool into another space but would not have as hefty of a recurring annual fee around some of those other options,” Gordon said.

Gordon also brought up to the council the Triangle Park Cabin, which was built in 1919. There has been mention that the sagging foundation in the building may require a structural engineer to provide a plan for repairing the flooring.

The building sits on concrete skirting, but to access the full foundation would require tearing up the current flooring. Gordon said there are soft spots on the north end of the floor.

“Once we tear up the floor, we are committed to putting it back before visitor season starts,” she said. She suggested the cost for a structural engineer would range from around $5,000 to $6,000.

Total cost for the project would be around $15,000. Suggestions were made to tear up the soft spot in the floor and patch it, which would reduce costs and eliminate the need for a structural engineer. The local chamber of commerce is currently using the building as a visitor center and office space. 

Kemmerer resident Connie McMillan addressed the council about concerns with the town’s snow removal policy. As the meeting concluded, the council discussed road conditions and potholes in town that remain a concern. There will be a snow policy meeting on April 15 at City Hall for further policy discussions.