Town Council Rolls Up Sleeves in Work Session
City water and sewer lines biggest concern
by Jennifer Binning

On Monday night, the Pinedale Town Council met with Ron Brown and Randy Hubbard of the town works crew in order to find out the state of the water and sewer lines which run through town.

The impetus for the meeting is the fact that next year, the Highway Department will be tearing up and resurfacing Pine Street, so it was an ideal time to replace the old water and sewer lines under the street if needed, and according to Ron Brown, the picture "isn't bad, but it isn't great."

Mr. Brown said the main water line runs along side Pine Street west of the Pine Creek Bridge, and east of the bridge there are three street crossings which will need to be dealt with. Mr. Brown said that while the street is torn up, a fourth crossing would be installed for future use.

As for the sewer, Mr. Brown said there were some areas that definitely needed to be repaired, and that slip lining the old clay pipes may be an option. Councilwoman Ann Holman asked how long they could reasonably expect the pipe to last, but there was no definite answer, as it depends on what is put through the pipe. Councilwoman Barbara Boyce said she thought the last major sewer project was in 1958.

Mr. Brown said that throughout most of the original town site of Pinedale, about 20 blocks, the water supply pipes were four inches in diameter, and all four inch pipes had to be replaced.

After quite a bit of discussion detailing the different sizes of pipes through out town, the Council instructed Mr. Brown to create a map of Pinedale that indicated what areas were in most need of attention, and prioritize them. The Town has not set aside much money for major reconstruction work, and has only $153,000 in a depreciation fund that could be available.

Mayor Skinner said that funding could become a big problem, as every small town in Wyoming has the same problem, just at a time when the State legislature is thinking about reducing the funding to towns.

Councilwoman Boyce noted that Town Hall did not seem to have a set of engineering plans for the town, and Mayor Skinner volunteered to ask Rio Verde Engineering for a set of "as built" plans for the town, and continual updating as changes are made.

Mayor Skinner noted that she was still getting complaints about the cable TV service in town, and she had invited the Mallard Cable President, Mr. Jenkins, "to Pinedale to watch a little TV."

Apparently, the cable company is trying to upgrade the system, as they have been trenching in new cable throughout town. The Council hopes that next time they will notify Town Hall that they will be doing work before they start to dig.

Councilman Jeff Reising said he had discovered some possible funding for the Dean geological project on Orcutt Hill through the National Park Service and the Council told him to look into it.

Ron Brown presented the Council with tentative plans for a new Town Shop building, which would stand where the current one is. The price tag for this building was estimated to be between $400,000 and $440,000. The design of the new building is expected to be a vast improvement of the safety and efficiency of the current shop.

Animal Control Officer Julie Early is still recovering from her knee injury, and there have been many complaints about the dogs in the pound making too much noise lately. If the new town shop is built, it will necessitate the relocation of the pound.

Mayor Skinner said she hopes someone will start a humane society in Pinedale, which would help reduce the number of animals the Town has to pick up and care for.

With nothing further to discuss, and being unable to take official action, the Council adjourned until the next meeting in August.