Medicine Bow Finally Sells Property on Maple Street

MAY 16, 2025 |

Photo – Former Marshal’s house in Medicine Bow – Bigfoot99 file photo

With the price recently reduced, a buyer has stepped forward to purchase the former Marshal’s house in the Town of Medicine Bow.

Last July, the governing body of Medicine Bow voted to sell a town-owned trailer home, located at 724 Maple Street. The town bought the property, after reforming the marshal’s department in 2019, with the intention of offering the house for rent to the town’s marshal and his deputies. According to town hall staff, Deputy Marshal Chris Tirpak was the last person to occupy the property.

The Medicine Bow Town Council placed a minimum bid of $63,000 on the house, the price the town originally paid for the property. A resident offered $80,000, which the town quickly accepted. However, the deal fell through due to unspecified reasons and the town retained ownership of the house.

The cancellation of the sale prompted town employees to examine the property firsthand, discovering extensive damage to the structure that wasn’t noted during an earlier appraisal. It appears that after moving out, the previous tenant shut off all services to the property, except the water, then failed to notify the town.

With the heat no longer functioning, the water pipes froze and burst over the winter, severely damaging the floor of the trailer home. Speaking at the December 9^th, 2024, Medicine Bow Town Council meeting, Councilman Trevor Strauch and Councilwoman Kristi Wickizer both agreed that the house is no longer worth the original asking price of $63,000.

The governing body was left with a choice: spend roughly $30,000 to repair the home or sell the property as-is. At the March 10^th Medicine Bow Town Council meeting, Mayor Justin George suggested reducing the minimum bid instead of paying to fix the water damage.

The council agreed to reduce the asking price for the house from $63,000 to $48,000 and put the property back up for auction. During the May 12^th Medicine Bow Town Council meeting, Mayor George announced he received a single offer for the trailer home. Local rancher Seth Kelly bid $500 over the minimum asking price.

Mayor George explained Kelly’s bid of $48,500 meets the town’s requirements and asked the council to approve the sale. The Medicine Bow Town Council unanimously voted to accept Seth Kelly’s bid. Mayor George abstained from the vote, citing his relation to the buyer as a conflict of interest.