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Here’s your Ranch News Roundup for the week of January 5th, 2025:
Tuesday, January 7th, at 10am the Town of Star Valley Ranch (TSVR) conducted a swearing in ceremony at Town Hall for newly elected Councilman Katie Toolson and returning Councilman Taylor Ellis. Immediately following the swearing in ceremony, the TSVR held a Special Meeting (see the meeting agenda here). During the Special Meeting the resignation of Mayor Buyers was accepted by the Town Council. The Council then proceeded to appoint a serving Councilman to fulfill the remainder of the Mayor’s term. [Note: You can watch the swearing in ceremony and Special Meeting, all of which lasted about 10 minutes, via the video imbed below.]
So what happened with the mayoral appointment? In accordance with the process documented in TSVR Ordinance §32.08(B) and Wyoming Statute 15-1-107(d), a nomination was put forward and seconded for Councilman Rok (that’s me) to serve out the remainder of the Mayor’s term. Four Councilmen voted “yea” with Councilman Kirsten Merrill opting to “abstain”. The result—I’ll be your new Mayor effective February 4th, 2025.
I just want everyone to know I very much appreciate the opportunity to continue serving our community as part of your Town Council, only now it will be in a new role. I pledge to do my best as Mayor. Senator Dan Dockstader pulled me aside for a quick 90 second radio interview right after the meeting. Here’s the audio file (immediately below) in case you want to give it a listen.
One final note on all this—going forward I plan to continue publishing the SVR News Roundup as I consider it my personal newsletter of local events. Some of you may have seen the disclaimer I include at the bottom of all SVR News Roundup posts, and that disclaimer will continue to hold true. I.e., “The views and opinions expressed on Close to Home 307 are those of the author and do not reflect the official policies or proceedings of the Town of Star Valley Ranch (TSVR) or the Star Valley Ranch Association (SVRA).”
Okeedok—what else happened this week? Ah, yes, also on Tuesday, at 6pm it’s my understanding the Roads Advisory Board met at Town Hall. Unfortunately, there is no agenda posted for this meeting on the town website. And, I also did not have this meeting as an upcoming event in last week’s SVR News Roundup as it was not on the town public calendar at the time of publication last Sunday. Apologies folks.
On Wednesday, January 8th, 2025 at 5pm the TSVR Planning Commission met at Town Hall. Here’s a link to the agenda. In addition to the approval of one plat amendment the Commission discussed the Mountain Estates subdivision (on the east side of Muddy String Road north of Prater Canyon Road). The Commission plans to make a recommendation to the Town Council on access from the Mountain Estates subdivision onto Vista West Drive.
Other news and notes for the week:
Work continued at the Middle Branch Bridge replacement site this week. I am pleased to report that Cedar Creek is no longer diverted and is now flowing through the newly installed concrete culvert. While enough backfill has also been completed at this point for work crews to traverse the new bridge please note the bridge remains closed for public vehicle traffic. Also, due to an unexpected encounter with a water line at the work site this week, final wrap-up of the project will not occur until the spring. Sorry folks, but there really is an end in sight for this effort and it’s not too far off. Thank you for your patience!
Cedar Creek is now flowing through the new culvert. The Star Valley Ranch Association (SVRA) is doing a stellar job of grooming the Cedar Creek Golf Course for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing! I finally got out on my skis this past week and both areas of the course (front and back nine) were spectacular! Kudos to the SVRA facilities crews for doing such a bang-up job!
Awesome XC ski conditions on the Cedar Creek Golf course this week! You may have noticed work being done at the First Response Center at the corner of Vista Drive and Vista West Drive. New siding and insulation are being installed with the work expected to finish-up in the next couple of weeks.
As of today, avalanche conditions are rated as moderate for the Bridger Teton National Forest, Salt River Range, and Wyoming Range. Get the latest avalanche forecast for our area by visiting the Bridger Teton Avalanche Center.
Lastly, there are a handful of ordinance updates planned for reading at next week’s Town Council meeting to include one that endeavors to update animal regulations in town to address the problem of bears getting into garbage cans. You can review all proposed ordinance updates at this link. [Use the “Current Proposed Ordinance up for Reading” dropdown.]
Here are calendar items for next week:
Tuesday, January 14th has the following schedule of events:
Coffee with the Mayor, 9am at Town Hall
Town Council Work Session, 10am at Town Hall.
TSVR Municipal Court, 2pm, upstairs at Town Hall
Town Council Meeting, 7pm at Town Hall.
The Star Valley Ranch Association is offering pilates classes on Tuesday evenings at 6pm and Thursday mornings at 9am. Classes will be held in the Cedar Creek Center banquet room.
Final thoughts—it has been quite a week! I’ve enjoyed these last couple of quiet days along with watching all those big fluffy snowflakes flutter about yesterday. Big Boy Junior (or BBJ, that’s what I call this handsome fellow) was traipsing about my property in recent days. I’m fairly certain I’ve mentioned BBJ in at least one previous SVR News Roundup; I took this photo of him from the kitchen window. It really is amazing how these mule deer and all our other resident wildlife make it through our difficult winters. Thinking about that make any worries and concerns I may have seem insignificant by comparison. Thanks BBJ.
That’s all for today—hope you enjoyed the read. And thank you for being a subscriber! If you have Star Valley Ranch news or photographs to share, please drop me an email at close2home307@gmail.com. And, if you find this weekly email useful, please invite your neighbors, family, and friends to check out Close to Home 307. Your support and feedback are very much appreciated!
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