Trash, viaduct bridge top council goal list
By Jodi Rogstad
jrogstad@wyomingnews.com
CHEYENNE -- Settling the question of where to put the city’s trash, completion of the replacement bridge for the Norris Viaduct, and banning new developments within a mile outside the city’s border emerged as three possible goals for the Cheyenne City Council.
Wednesday, the council met to discuss their goals for the upcoming year.
Since six of nine members could attend, the list was not whittled down to five goals that night. Instead, councilmembers will rank the projects on the list, said council president Don Pierson, and vote again if needed.
Councilman Jim Brown said the ever-filling landfill was his top concern among city issues. The three proposed solutions -- building a new one on the Belvoir Ranch, sign a contract with Ault, Colo., to haul trash there, or signing a contract with a waste to energy firm -- have been talked about for some time.
“We need to quit talking and make decisions,” Brown said. This should be done this year, he added.
Right now, the city is in talks with a firm that wants to compress the city’s trash into pellets. These pellets would be sold as a coal substitute and as a renewable energy source.
To prolong the life of the landfill, the city is doing a pilot recycling program on the east side of town in Sun Valley. Councilwoman Georgia Broyles said the first pickup yielded nine tons of recyclables; the second 12. She said many people have expressed to her their hopes for a weekly pickup, rather than the current biweekly timetable.
Councilman Jimmy Valdez wanted to see construction of the long-awaited Norris Viaduct to start.
That is expected to start this summer, said Mayor Jack Spiker. The steel has been purchased, the design is ready to go, but the city had to delay the start of building this new passageway to south Cheyenne.
The holdup: There are a couple of pieces of right of way the city must obtain from the Union Pacific Railroad. Spiker said this will be resolved soon. When that happens, the city will bid for contractors.
Construction of the bridge itself may be cheaper than expected, Spiker said. The word from the Wyoming Department of Transportation is that construction bids in general are coming in lower than expected.
“Contractors are hungry now,” Spiker said.
Councilman Mark Rinne also had submitted a goal of adopting a new policy. The city will not approve any new county developments within a mile of the city.
Under state law, the city has a say in any new plats within a mile outside the city’s border because, presumably, these developments will one day be part of the city.
Rinne wasn’t there Wednesday.
At a recent council meeting, he did say that developments just beyond the city’s boundaries have the growth of the city in a land lock.
These “ranchette” developments are not desirable for annexation. Because they are so far flung, it would cost more for the city to provide services.
Pierson said Casper is in that very situation. It’s “surrounded and can’t grow.”
“Once that happens, you’re up a creek,” Pierson said.
Reader Comments
Delmar Stone wrote on Feb 28, 2008 10:43 AM:
Everyone needs to look at the construction of the Norris Viaduct and the Mayors statement about costs. I have a construction business and therefore deal with material suppliers daily. I've never received any notice of costs going down. Just yesterday my concrete supplier informed me of a large increase and a fuel surcharge. Sure contractors get hungry and need work but there is not a one that can stay in business without making a profit. All we need is some company to underbid the job and then go broke. It's been known to happen. Also you have some contractors bid jobs low to get them and then use change orders to bring the job into their profit margin. Who in the City has the knowledge to over see a project of this size. WE are paying the price for this administrations attention being elsewhere. "
Ralphinphnx wrote on Feb 28, 2008 1:00 AM:
the one then,who needs
to go read the ISO
Inspection Reports
on the City of Cheyenne Fire Dept
and find out the real
answers to what happened to the CFD
Rescue Truck and why
it was taken out of
service,instead of
trying to blow smoke
on the issues here.
And maybe you need to
stop be the LAPD Wayne
of the American Fire
Service and realize that a lot of people
know how to read ISO
and before that the
National Board of Fire
Underwriters Reports
on the CFD say from
1959 on up until today,and then try to
act so high and mighty
toward others buster.
I also sold fire
insurance and worked
with the Underwriters
in do fire underwriting and served on numberous
committees envolved
with up grading the
Cheyenne and for that
matter Phoenix Fire
Services as well as
have worked closely
with the then mental
health crisis center
mobile team that backs
the PFD up on all drug
overdose and crisis
intervention calls,
so still want to play
big shot here John?
Your type braggart
gives the fire service a bad name. "
John wrote on Feb 27, 2008 10:51 AM:
Ralph and all who wonder, I come from the Chicago Area. In fact Chicago, Milwaukee, Cincinnati, and yes even New York and LA all have Mutual Aid Agreements with their neighbors. The true and factual case is; there are two Nationally Recognized Models used today. The first is the MABAS Model, also known as Mutual Aid Box Alarm System and the second The Ohio Mutual Aid Box Alarm System. Is anyone aware MABAS was used in the New Orleans area after Katrina? This system was also put into play after September 11th in a fashion. "
John wrote on Feb 27, 2008 10:50 AM:
I have been in the Fire Service for 28 years and have worked my way up through the ranks. I have been in fires that would curdle your buttermilk, and have had people die while in my care when I was a Medic on the Ambulance. I also have had many Awards for Live Saving and Heroics. These Awards do not mean much now, except for reflection of what I have accomplished. I am an IAFF Honor Guard Member, A Highland Drummer, and a Negotiator. I have been published, I am an Instructor for the Fire Service, and have been a Keynote Speaker. I have also testified in a Court of Law both criminally and civilly on many cases. "
John wrote on Feb 27, 2008 10:48 AM:
As Firefighters, we are mandated by the Taxpayers to do MORE with LESS. That is why there is Mutual Aid. To cover the openings less tax money gives us. Duplication of services without warrant is questioned heavily, and often Fire Chiefs loose their jobs while trying to do the greater good for the public they serve. Yes I said the public they serve. I suggest you begin to read the Standards and Laws Governing the Fire Service today. Please also read the ISO rating requirements you so heartily cited in a previous post. Also, simply living with a relative in the Fire Service gives you a taste, not the actual working Lifestyle. Before you criticize, walk a mile in the shoes of an Administrator. "
John wrote on Feb 27, 2008 10:46 AM:
Chief Cameron is doing his best with what he has to work with. The people you are critical of, other than Chief Cameron, may or may not be doing their jobs appropriately. I am not a Politician; therefore I cannot be critical of politicians outside my area of expertise.
So Ralph, I may not be a expert Journalist, however, when it comes to the Fire Service, I do believe I know what I am talking about. By the way, read the Firefighter Close Calls, and Everyone goes Home web sites. You may see something on the world class departments and their accident rates I cited earlier.
"
Ralphinphnx wrote on Feb 27, 2008 7:22 AM:
is a lie to claim that
no city fire department can cover
all aspects of emergency services and
you sound like a village idiot to make
such an idiotic
remark,John as any
number of city fire
departments do so and
yes that does include
the World Class Phoenix Fire Department and othet
Phoenix Metro Fire
Depts and Cities like
Chicago's CFD,the LAFD and LA County
Fire Dept,FDNY,Dallas
FD,Houston FD,Seattle
FD,San Antonio FD and
San Francisco FD and
all of them also operate the Emergency
Ambulances and EMS and
all and many other cities around the US
all have Heavy Rescue
Trucks and do not need
your volunteer fire
department mutual
aid group nonsense
John so try again
and maybe you will get
lucky. Thank you for
playing anyhow. "
Ralphinphnx wrote on Feb 27, 2008 7:12 AM:
former Co-Chairman of
the CAFD-Citizen
Committee,and as the
brother of a retired
Denver Fire Dept
Captain and a Co-winner of the first
ever Special Press
Award from the IAFF
Union for work to
re-open closed Cheyenne Fire Stations
and as a retired former radio/tv newsreporter so I know why
a city the size of
Cheyenne needs a large
heavy rescue truck. And as far back as the 1970s the
CFD was looking into
getting one. And today
DHS has specific funds
and grants to buy one
for Cheyenne,however
the current
Fire Chief
is afraid
to ask for it.
And,Mr Motor Mouth
John in fact the CFD
took its Light Rescue
Unit out of service
due to a lack of
manpower for it, so
now let me also tell
you again that I watched and reported
on the CFD operations
when I was living up
in Chyenne and big
mouth John the fact is
that I'm also a former
over 40 years resident
of Cheyenne so I know
very well the true
shape of the CFD as
well. "
Wyoming Realist wrote on Feb 27, 2008 6:37 AM:
“Contractors are hungry now,” Spiker said.
It is not my job to check iron prices Ralphy. I was making a comment about the article. By the way Ralphy, have you got to the bottom of the little project I put you in charge of in the "Causus thread"? Probably not. "
John wrote on Feb 26, 2008 12:56 PM:
Ralphinphnx wrote on Feb 26, 2008 2:47 AM:
Norris Viaduct to
collapse before he
will replace it and
Spiker doesn't care
if it kills a few hundred people or that your Cheyenne
Fire Department is so
poorly equipped that
it doesn't even have
a Heavy Rescue Unit and/or a Building
Collapse Unit just in
case no one ever even
thought about that
here now then. But all
of you keep yelling
for more parks,more
ice skating rinks,more
costly recreation
centers,etd but never
once do any of you
really find out exactly what pathetic
shape your local fire
and police departments
are in or how many
Millions of Your Tax
Dollars will be needed
to bring them back up
ot National Standards. "
another citizen wrote on Feb 25, 2008 7:03 AM:
City Councilwoman Georgia Broyles wrote on Feb 23, 2008 6:55 PM:
Thank you for your comment on recycling. Hopefully you will be able to enjoy this convenient and environmentally friendly option as well. "
Ralphinphnx wrote on Feb 23, 2008 1:38 PM:
did you just forget that the price of steel is still sky high in your brillant
calculations that
costs will go down
because "the contractors are now
hungry" brillant remarks as usual? Or
didn't you ever check
the price of steel
before you made it? "
Doc wrote on Feb 23, 2008 4:25 AM:
Jason wrote on Feb 22, 2008 9:36 PM:
Bridge to know where wrote on Feb 22, 2008 6:45 PM:
I have my own bridges to mend. "
Delmar Stone wrote on Feb 22, 2008 9:27 AM:
Wyoming Realist wrote on Feb 22, 2008 12:40 AM:
citizen wrote on Feb 21, 2008 1:57 PM:
hello wrote on Feb 21, 2008 11:16 AM:
Bobby Joe wrote on Feb 21, 2008 11:05 AM:
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John wrote on Feb 28, 2008 3:12 PM:
Sorry! "