March 8, 2024 |
Photo – Welcome sign – Bigfoot99 file photo
The mayor of Saratoga is proud of the accomplishments the town has made over the last year.
In November of 2022, Saratoga voters elected former Encampment mayor Chuck Davis to lead the town. Davis received more than 64 percent of the mayoral votes, beating his opponent, former Saratoga councilwoman D’Ron Campbell.
Davis was sworn in as mayor of Saratoga during the January 5th, 2023, town council meeting. Also taking their place on the town council that day were Mike Cooley, Jerry Fluty, and Jacob Fluty. Cooley and the Fluty’s joined sitting councilwoman Kathy Beck, who was selected to fill Ben Spaulding’s empty seat in September of 2022.
This January marks one full year under the Davis administration. During the March 5th Saratoga town council meeting, the mayor said he is proud of what the town has been able to do during the past year.
Mayor Davis said in the past year, his administration has appointed a new treasurer, clerk, public works director, and recreation director. The mayor said the town has also hired two new public works employees.
Corina Daley was appointed as town treasurer after Georgia Gayle resigned. Former Saratoga police dispatcher Jenn Anderson was chosen to take Marie Christen’s place as town clerk. After Jon Winter stepped down, Emery Penner from Salmon Idaho, took his place as public works director. And Kim Hemenway was selected to be Saratoga’s recreation director after Sarah Laughlin left.
On top of filling the empty town employee positions, Mayor Davis said his administration has also undertaken several important public works projects. The mayor said under his watch, new water infrastructure was installed and needed equipment was purchased.
Mayor Davis said one of his biggest accomplishments during his first year in office was approving a project to inspect and clean town’s fresh water wells. The mayor said the wells have never been inspected, but are still in good shape.
Mayor Davis said thanks to the efforts of town hall staff, the council has a clear idea of the town’s finances. The mayor said he is pleased that the auditors are close to completing the backlog of required financial reports.
Mayor Davis said over the past year, plans for the town’s oft-delayed war memorial, Never Forget Park, have been finalized. After receiving construction bids that greatly exceeded the project’s budget, the mayor said the design of the park was scaled back.
In 2022, the Spring Avenue Waterline Replacement project was begun using Sixth Penny Tax dollars. The project replaced all the outdated water pipes from the Saratoga Elementary School to South River Street. After numerous delays, the project was finally completed last summer.
Mayor Davis said the second phase of the waterline replacement project is ready to begin. As well as replacing the pipes below South River Street, Mayor Davis said the town will also undertake a large-scale street restoration project.
Mayor Davis said his administration also looked into the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s revised flood plain map. Last fall, the town hired S2O Design and Engineering, out of Lyons, Colorado, to investigate the newly established FEMA flood maps and see if the federal agency made errors when determining which areas of town fall within the flood zone of the North Platte River. After careful review, S2O Engineering said the maps appeared free of major errors.
Mayor Davis also said the town is performing the Saratoga Transportation Alternatives Master Plan. Denver, Colorado-based OV Consulting was hired to determine where, if any, improvements are needed to the town’s walking paths and sidewalks.
The mayor said the town is also working on ways to make the Saratoga Police Department operate more efficiently.
Mayor Davis said he is proud of everything the town has managed to accomplish during his first year as mayor.
