News Briefs

Former commissioner added to planning and zoning board

Former Sweetwater County Commissioner Roy Lloyd is continuing his public service career as the newest member of Green River’s Planning and Zoning Commission. Lloyd was appointed to a vacant position last Tuesday night, May 16, at the Green River City Council meeting, receiving unanimous approval for his appointment. Lloyd previously served one term as a Sweetwater County Commissioner from 2019 to 2022. Aside from political work, Lloyd has volunteered in multiple areas, including service on local boards and being involved with youth athletics. According to City Council documents, Lloyd volunteered to replace Marriella Slaughter, whose term expires May 31. Lloyd was appointed to a full term, which expires May 31, 2026.

Fire alert at County Museum resolved

The staff at the Sweetwater County Historical Museum in Green River had a little excitement on Friday, May 19, when it was feared a fire had started.

Executive Director Dave Mead said staff members smelled smoke and detected a smoke haze inside the museum at around 2:10 p.m. The Green River Fire Department was notified and arrived at the museum within minutes. Firefighters and County Maintenance personnel determined that a fan bearing in the building’s air conditioning failed, causing the smell and the smoke haze. There was no fire and no damage to the structure or the museum’s collection.

There were no visitors inside the museum at the time and no one was injured. Mead expressed his special thanks to the Sweetwater County Combined Communications Center, Green River Fire Department, and County Maintenance staff for their swift and efficient response.

Emergency Rental Assistance Program portal closes on June 30

The last day to submit extension requests for Wyoming's Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) is Friday, June 30 at 11:59 p.m. The application portal is closing because the federal funding for the program is nearly exhausted.

ERAP will continue processing all extension requests received before the application portal's closure. No payments will be made to cover rent, utilities and housing stability services for the months after June.

If households have questions about their extension application status, please contact the ERAP call center, which is open 9 a.m. - 6 p.m., Monday through Friday. The toll-free number is 1-877-WYO-ERAP (1-877-996-3727).

Congress created this temporary federal relief program to provide emergency funds for state and local governments to keep their residents housed during the difficult COVID-19 pandemic. Wyoming launched its emergency relief program in April 2021 and has helped a total of 17,143 Wyoming households with a total of $107 million in assistance and counting.