Tuesday, OCTOBER 28, 2025 |
Photo – Sararoga’s debris piles – Courtesy Town of Saratoga
Saratoga officials are considering moving the town’s unsightly debris pile.
During the October 15th Saratoga Town Council meeting, Mayor Chuck Davis announced that Elizabeth Hilliard, a resident of the Vista Dawn subdivision on the town’s west side, had expressed concern about the staging of waste concrete and rock near her property.
In a letter to the governing body, Hilliard stated that in 2021, she was assured the debris pile on West Walnut Avenue would be removed shortly after she purchased her new home. However, Hilliard wrote that the pile has only grown since that time. Hilliard described the dump site as aesthetically unappealing to all Vista Dawn residents and claimed it is preventing her from selling or renting her property.
Public Works Director Emery Penner noted that Hilliard is not the only west side resident who has raised concerns. In response to complaints, Penner presented a plan to move the pit to a 20-acre parcel of town-owned property on County Road 640, also known as North Spring Creek Road.
The Bureau of Land Management deeded the 20-acre parcel to the Town of Saratoga sometime in the 1960s.
Penner said the property is entirely owned by the town but added that he has received conflicting information about whether the parcel lies within town limits or in an unincorporated part of the county. Penner said the jurisdiction of the land will dictate how it is zoned.
Penner said he would like to fence off 4.5 acres portion of the property to use as the new dumping area.
The Public Works Director noted that the town has used the area off West Walnut Avenue to store construction debris since before the Vista Dawn subdivision was established. Still, Penner said relocating the debris pile would be the right thing to do. Clearing the land would also give the town the option to sell the property in the future.
Penner asked if the governing body would prefer him to look for an alternative site. The Public Works Director said the proposed location is ideal for the town’s debris pile.
Councilman Jerry Fluty asked if the debris pile could be relocated to the east side of the North Platte River, within Saratoga’s industrial area. Penner responded that the town does not own any property in that location, adding that the proposed location has plenty of room and is out of the flood plain.
The Public Works Director said he informed the resident who raised the complaint formally that the town is currently undergoing a water and sewer line replacement with Rocky Mountain Sand and Gravel. Penner said the debris pile won’t be moved until sometime after that project is completed.
Mayor Chuck Davis expressed his approval of the idea. Penner said he will present the proposed relocation of the debris pile to the Town Council once he confirms if the site is located within Saratoga town limits or in the county.
In a written statement to Bigfoot99, Penner stressed that the relocation is only a proposal at this stage and has not been finalized. The Public Works Director wrote that he must first determine if the property can be used to store construction debris before proceeding with the move. Penner added that the town understands the public’s concerns and that he is personally committed to finding a solution.
