Tuesday, SEPTEMBER 30, 2025 |
Photo – Lawrence Property – Courtesy City of Rawlins
The City of Rawlins is moving forward with plans to clean up the former Lawrence Salvage Yard.
On the evening of July 6, 2024, the Rawlins Fire Department responded to a call about a grass fire at the Lawrence Salvage Yard on East Spruce Street. By the time crews got the fire under control, the flames had burned approximately four and a half acres in the center of the city. A five-month long investigation determined that the incident was caused by illegal fireworks use and Rawlins’ resident Jordan Shafer was cited for the offense.
Four months later, in November of 2024, the City began negotiating with the property owners, Jack and Elden Cozort, to buy the land, remove all debris and scrap metal from the property, and eventually sell the 12-acre parcel to a private developer. The Rawlins City Council narrowly approved the purchase in a four to three vote, agreeing to allocate $230,000 from the Dangerous Building Fund to complete the transaction. The Dangerous Building Fund is an account specifically created to purchase and renovate abandoned and derelict properties in the city.
At the time of the purchase, then-Mayor Terry Weickum said revitalizing the fire-damaged property will bring numerous economic opportunities to downtown Rawlins.
Seeing as the Lawrence Property served as a salvage yard for decades, the governing body was concerned about potential contamination. In response, the City contacted the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality to conduct a brownfields assessment of the site. Through the federal Brownfields Assessment Program, Wyoming DEQ performs historical studies of sites that may contain hazardous materials, such as asbestos, lead-based paint, or industrial chemicals, to determine if those substances are present. If the investigation determines that the site is contaminated, the state agency will help municipalities find funding to address the issues.
However, before DEQ can conduct a detailed study of the former Lawrence Salvage Yard, the City must remove the remaining 40 scrap vehicles and other pieces of equipment. As reported by Bigfoot99, despite the potential interest to collectors, city officials have decided not to allow the public to purchase any of the derelict vehicles.
Between July and August, the City issued a request for bids to remove all scrap metal from the Lawrence Property. During the September 16th Rawlins City Council Meeting, Rawlins Buildings Official Mike O’Brien announced that only one contractor submitted a bid: Steed Metals of Rock Springs.
Steed Metals has agreed to pay the city $41 a ton for the scrap metal. Councilman Derek Elliott said he was aware of a company from Utah that was offering higher prices. City Clerk Lynn Shearer explained that only contractors who attended the mandatory site inspection were eligible to submit bids.
Only two individuals participated in the July inspection: a representative from Steed Metals and Levi Rickert. It remains unclear which company Rickert was representing, though a cursory search suggests he may be affiliated with Legend Services Pressure Control, an oil field equipment supplier based in Rock Springs.
Back at the September 16th meeting, Councilman Bruce Seilaff asked if Steed Metals would remove the boundary fence, which was damaged in the fire. City Attorney Pinita Maberry-Nave responded that the contract requires the Rock Springs scrap dealer to take every piece of metal from the property. Additionally, Attorney Maberry-Nave said Steed Metals will conduct a thorough search to ensure nothing is left behind.
As mentioned, the City has chosen not to allow the public to purchase any of the scrap vehicles on the Lawrence Property. Vice Mayor Darril Garner said the Council could vote to amend the contract to exclude the cars from the agreement, making the vehicles available for public purchase.
Attorney Pinita Maberry-Nave said the governing body may either reject or amend the contract, but doing so would require restarting the months-long bidding process. The City Attorney added that the scrap removal is delaying the next stage of the Brownfields study.
The Rawlins City Council unanimously voted to award the Lawrence Salvage Yard metal contract to Steed Metals Rock Springs. The scrap dealer has been given until October 22nd to finish the job.
