November 7, 2022 |
During a Rawlins City Council work session last week, department heads provided status updates on accomplishments to numerous projects related to the community strategic plan.
Primary among them was beautification. Parks and Recreation Director Jason Sehon detailed landscape projects in green spaces. These include 45 fruit trees at the cemetery, some of which produced fruit this year. Other improvements include revamped park entrances, some with self-watering planters. Photos of Bolton Park were shown as examples. Sehon said one of the more difficult projects has been initial work to overhaul the green-space islands along the west entryway to the city. He used before-and-after photos to illustrate the work that has been done.
Pictured above: Rawlins City Hall. Photo by Cali O’Hare/Bigfoot 99.
Sehon said the same treatments will come to the gateway islands on the east side of town next year. Sehon also said the replanting of the garden space in front of Rawlins City Hall, which was done in consultation with the University of Wyoming Outreach program, has been a success.
The replanting focused on the south and southwest corners of City Hall. Seehon said once construction work ADA-compliance work is completed in the next few years at City Hall, the drought and deer resistant landscaping will extend around most of the building.
Mayor Terry Weickum said he liked the educational aspect of the landscape work.
Residents pitched in on beautification efforts in the city, this year too. Many took advantage of the free “dump day” vouchers that the city sent out in the spring and fall. The first month-long window to use the “free dump” voucher took place between June 15th and July 15th. The second was in September.
The city introduced the voucher system introduced the voucher system earlier this year to curb abuse seen during “Free Dump Days” in recent years. Community Development Director Lou Lascano updated council members attending last week’s work session on how it all worked.
The 402.6 tons of household and yard waste hauled to the dump during the two month-long promotions using the free, transferable vouchers is 18 percent less than the 487 tons hauled to the landfill during last year’s one-week free-for-all. Landfill employees reported that between June 7 – 13, 2021, 1,489 vehicles came across the scales.
By comparison, nearly 20 percent more trash was hauled to the dump last year. Staff have suggested that the unbridled way Free Dump Days operated in the past may have attracted residents from outside Rawlins to dump their trash at the landfill/transfer station. The intent of the vouchers is to limit access to city residents. Each voucher allows for one free load.
Lascano said some residents have inquired to see if the Free Dump Days using the voucher could be extended beyond the current month-long window.
Council may look at the suggestion for next year. City staff also participates in Wyoming’s Adopt-A-Highway Program. Mira Miller told council that about one-third of all city employees picked up nearly one-ton of trash along a four-mile stretch of Interstate 80 in September.
According to a group photograph taken during the event, at least 27 employees turned out on the Saturday morning for their second clean-up event on the interstate through the city this year.
