BLM land sale set for next year

After nearly eight years of work, two sections of land owned by the Bureau of Land Management will be sold off next year.

The sections of land, formally known as Sections 10 and 12, contain 390 acres and 260 acres of land respectively.

The land is located west of Green River, outside of Jamestown.

For much of his administration, Mayor Hank Castillon worked to have the land sold, which requires an act of congress to accomplish. It was initially seen as a way to help Green River expand outside of the landlocked area the city sits in.

During his last city council meeting, Castillon listed the city’s work in freeing up the sections of BLM land as one of its accomplishments during his last eight years in office.

He said the land can soon be sold to the highest bidder, which might be the city itself.

While the city was deeply interested in the land during Castillon’s tenure as mayor, one of the challenges any developer would need to overcome is the fact water isn’t readily available to the land sections.

The city council did consider working with the Jamestown Rio Vista Water and Sewer District to provide water to the sections as part of work to improve Jamestown’s water service, but the council voted to deny an offer to join into the water and sewer district’s project, meaning the city would need to provide a waterline to the sections of land on its own.

A letter from the Sweetwater County doesn’t object to the land’s sale. A letter signed by Commissioner Wally Johnson, sent Dec. 8, only encourages interested buyers to review zoning regulations prior to purchasing the land.