Green River Police Department Sean Sturlaugson presented Former GRPD Captain Brad Halter with a shadow box to honor his service to GRPD. Halter, who retired from the GRPD in January and is now working for the Wyoming Highway Patrol, was honored during the March 18 City Council meeting.
The city of Green River has been making decisions in an effort to keep multiple things moving forward, from permits and grants to studies and events.
During this week's City Council meeting, the council approved decisions and had discussions concerning the new Wastewater Treatment Plant, the Killdeer Wetland Project, a planned study looking for water leaks under city roads, and ongoing planning for the upcoming Flaming Gorge Days.
As the new Wastewater Treatment Plant continues to be built, those working on it are looking ahead to prepare for the transition from the old plant to the new one. Environmental Systems Superintendent Jason Palmer explained that during this transition, there will be a period of time where both plants are being operated. With this in mind, the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality has requested a modification to the city's discharge permit in order to have separate parameters for each plant. The council unanimously approved the change.
An even longer ongoing project has been the Killdeer Wetland Project. The city has worked with a number of partners, particularly the Greenbelt Task Force, to address the impact of high river flows on the wetland system.
"If the City's application for funds through the B2E grant are fully awarded, project partners should have enough funding to complete the project," council documents explained.
Another grant that the Task Force secured in 2022 to help with the project was from the Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust for $200,000. This grant will expire in June of this year. However, the organization wants to continue with the project, and as such the grant will need an extension, according to Chris Meats, who was the acting city administrator for the meeting.
"Given that the City holds numerous grants for this project and will likely be the entity bidding the project, it will be easier to administer grant funding if the City is the holder of most of the grants," council documents said.
The council voted unanimously to transfer the grant from the task force to the city, which Mayor Pete Rust noted was essentially "administrative cleanup." Meats agreed that it will help cut through some of the "red tape" in the process so the project can get done.
A new project that the city council also approved during the meeting was a Pilot Leak Study to test water lines under city streets for leaks. The city has 16 blocks with cast iron water lines that are four, six, or eight inches, many of which are along Flaming Gorge Way and were installed prior to 1950, council documents explained. Environmental Systems Superintendent Palmer pointed out that water leaks in these pipes don't always come to the surface since they are under concrete panels. He also noted that the recent increased traffic along Flaming Gorge Way because of the I-80 tunnel detour could be one of the things that might cause problems with the pipes, and that they can also corrode and have issues over time. The study will use acoustic technology to monitor the pipes and evaluate them for leaks, and is expected to take six to eight weeks. There is also a $3,500 fee for the study, which will be paid from the Water Fund's operation and maintenance budget, council documents explained. The council voted unanimously to approve an agreement with Fluid Conservation Systems for the study.
Continuing plans for Flaming Gorge Days were also discussed during the meeting, with City Communications Administrator Steve Core giving an informal update after Council Member Ron Williams said he would like to hear how event planning is going.
"It's coming along," Core reported.
He noted that local volunteers and the company Adelska are working together through planning meetings. Several events are already in the works, including bringing three-on-three basketball back, according to Core. Announcements for concerts will also be coming out soon, with Core saying he believes people will be happy with the two headliners for the event. The vendor fair and parade are also being worked on. Core noted that the parade will be done by the Parks and Recreation Department again, and they will take community feedback when choosing a theme. The parade will also take place along Uinta Drive this year. Core said he doesn't think the Wyoming Department of Transportation will want the city to shut down Flaming Gorge Way, which has at times been used to divert I-80 traffic following the tunnel accident. Related to the recent tragedy, Core also noted that local first responders will be honored as the grand marshals of the parade.
When it comes to organizing Flaming Gorge Days in general, Core said that progress is being made, adding, "we're a lot further ahead than we were last year at this time."
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