News from neighbors
Council: Public can decide dispensary
YUMA PIONEER, Jan. 17 — The Yuma City Council addressed the marijuana dispensary issue one more time during its rescheduled regular meeting last week.
The issue came up during council comments at the end of the meeting, with councilman Dan Baucke spearheading the conversation.
“There’s been a lot of feelings both ways, pro and con,” he said. “I do appreciate all of it. I’ve enjoyed some of the conversations I’ve had.”
He continued that he felt it was time for the council to clarify where it sits on the issue, as he feels people think the council already has decided to allow dispensaries in Yuma. He made it clear the council has not done anything of the sort.
“All we had was one conversation about it, and it was cut short,” Baucke said. “Personally, I feel we need to let the public know where we sit on this.”
He said he thinks it should be left to people who want a dispensary in town to get it on the ballot and let the voters decide. “I don’t think it’s the council’s position to bring in a dispensary,” Baucke said, “I feel it should be left to the majority.”
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March start for S-Curve project
STERLING JOURNAL-ADVOCATE, Jan. 11 — Sterling’s roadways are about to see a dramatic change. Jeff Vickers and Joel McCracken, of the Colorado Department of Transportation, gave an update on the S-Curve project, set to start in early March, at a Rotary Club meeting Wednesday.
Construction of the S-Curve, a $16,600,000 project that has been discussed since 2013, has been awarded to Parsons Construction Group. The project improvements include the following:
— New S-curve alignment on abandoned rail corridor between Fourth/Chestnut Street and Main/Division/S-Curve streets.
— Broadway/Third/Sidney Intersection improvements;
— Conversion from one-way to two-way streets along Third and Fourth streets.
— West Main, South Division and U.S. 138 improvements.
— Broadway/Fourth Street intersection improvements.
— New storm sewer system along West Main Street and the S-Curve.
— Devolution and improvements on Third and Fourth streets.
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Well, well, well...
JULESBURG ADVOCATE, Jan. 4 — It should have been a routine state health inspection of the new kitchen at the Sedgwick County Fairgrounds, but ... well it just wasn’t.
The inspection included a review of the fairgrounds well permit, but that permit eluded all members of the county, and there are no records of a permit having ever been applied for or granted.
That discovery prompted a review of a second well located at the County shops and concrete plant. Again, there are no records of applications or permits for the second well.
Those two wells led to the questioning of a third county well located at the County landfill.
The fairgrounds and County shops are considered commercial wells, and they should be participating in an augmentation plan.
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Proposal offers work-around for RV park regs
STERLING JOURNAL-ADVOCATE, Jan. 9 — Groups of travel trailers housing temporary pipeline workers would be regulated as work camps, not as recreational vehicle parks, under a resolution proposed Tuesday morning by Logan County Commissioner Byron Pelton.
The resolution comes after the commissioners denied four applications for special use permits for RV parks a week ago. The issue of the RV parks came up in October when property owners appeared before the county’s Planning and Zoning Commission with requests for the permits so they could rent space to oil and pipeline workers who are part of a temporary workforce.
The Planning Commission raised questions about inadequate water supplies, septic systems and a state requirement for bathing and restroom facilities for RV parks. The commission later forwarded the issue to the county commissioners, who voted on Jan. 2 to deny the special use permits.
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