December 6, 2024 |
Photo – Bigfoot 99 file photo
Rawlins officials assure the public that the city has done its due diligence before agreeing to purchase the Lawrence Property.
On November 19th, following a lengthy executive session meeting behind closed doors, the Rawlins city council voted to purchase roughly 12.5 acres of land south of the Carbon County Fairgrounds, along East Spruce Street.
A section of the property was scorched by fire this past summer. On the evening of July 6, 2024, flames were spotted south of Rodeo Court, behind Fremont Motors. The fire burned three properties across four-and-a-half-acres, with most of the damage being sustained by the salvage yard in the area. At the time, Rawlins Fire Chief Allen Robinson told Bigfoot99 that the blaze was most likely caused by illegal fireworks. However, the matter remains under investigation.
Following the announcement of the purchase, Rawlins City Manager Tom Sarvey told Bigfoot99 that after the fire, the city began talks with the property owner to buy the lot.
Sarvey explained that the city, using money from the dangerous building fund, intends to clean up the land, sell it to a private developer. The goal is to bring the property back onto the tax registry.
The dangerous building fund was created decades ago by the Rawlins city council. At the time the governing body set aside $500,000 to buy abandoned and derelict properties, remove any hazardous structures and material, and then sell the land for a profit. The fund is expected to be replenished through those property sales.
The land, referred to as the Lawrence Property, has been operated as a salvage yard since the mid-20th century and contains roughly 20 derelict cars and miscellaneous scrap metal items. Sarvey told Bigfoot99 that he expects the city to recoup the cost of remediation by selling the junk cars and scrap metal.
At the November 19th Rawlins city council meeting, Councilman Darril Garner urged other council members to put the breaks on the project.
Garner recommended waiting until after the city conducts a detailed environmental study of the Lawrence Property before agreeing to buy the land. Without knowing what potential hazards the property may contain, Councilman Garner warned that the city risks draining its dangerous building fund.
Mayor Terry Weickum and council members Chris Weisenburg, Bruce Seilaff, and Jacquelin Wells voted to move forward with the Lawrence property purchase. Vice Mayor Stever Sanger and council members Tonya Lewman and Darril Ganer were opposed to the measure. With a four to three majority, the motion passed.
At the December 3rd Rawlins city council meeting, Sarvey announced that the necessary paperwork has been signed, beginning the process to have the city take ownership of the land.
Later in the meeting, City Attorney Pinita Maberry-Nave said the city understands the implications of purchasing the Lawrence Property. Attorney Maberry-Nave explained that an environmental site assessment, or ESA, was done in the past, which showed no significant contamination.
Attorney Maberry-Nave also said she checked with the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality and found nothing to indicate that the property is polluted. Once the sale is finalized, the city will use an Environmental Protection Agency grant to pay for additional testing.
At the request of the owner of the property, the city has not publicly disclosed the sale price.
