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Council finalizes peddler policy, reviews current projects

At last week’s regular meeting, the Sundance City Council decided no changes are needed to the ordinance that governs peddler activity within town limits. Clerk Treasurer Kathy Lenz had brought the issue to the council’s attention, sharing her concern about salespeople who ask for permission to sell their wares door-to-door.

Lenz and Police Chief Marty Noonan described recent situations in which background checks were unsuccessful because the person lied or had a fake identification. On one such occasion, said Lenz, a person came in to follow the process of obtaining a peddler permit while “the felon was still in the car”.

Lenz asked and was granted permission last month to no longer issue these permits. Since that time, she and City Attorney Mark Hughes reviewed the ordinance and found no changes are needed in order to follow that policy.

The ordinance now in effect, said Hughes, prohibits commercial peddling without a permit and provides a comprehensive description of peddling. Lenz expressed that she is comfortable with the ordinance and with not issuing permits.

During Tuesday’s meeting, Lenz also provided a description of Constitutional Amendment A, which is set to appear on the ballot at November’s election. The amendment deals with an antiquated statute from the 1890s that puts a cap on how much communities are allowed to spend on fixing their sewer systems, she said.

Brooks urged the community to support this amendment.

The council was asked to approve a right-of-way license agreement with Visionary Communications for a line up to Sundance Mountain. The company is aiming to spend COVID-19-related money before the deadline and will then enter into a franchise agreement with the city if required.

Permission was granted for Mayor Paul Brooks to sign the agreement contingent on a review by City Attorney Mark Hughes.

Clerk Treasurer Kathy Lenz provided an update on the Old Stoney rejuvenation project, announcing that the first occupant of the offices on the lower level is set to move in soon and the current plan is to host an open house for the new cultural center at Christmas. A change order was approved for $5056 for the pressure flow test that was required to secure an occupancy permit.

Public Works Director Mac Erickson shared that the park next door is also coming along nicely. Designs for the restroom and concession building are now finalized, he said; Lenz added that the contractor is still on track for a November completion.

Karla Greaser of Trihydro shared updates on current projects in the city, informing the council that a pre-construction meeting has been held for the Sundance West water tank. Trihydro is working with the contractor on the schedule, she said.

The Sundance Kid water tank project has reached the stage of its 50% design review meeting, she continued, bringing a couple of items from that meeting to the council’s attention. The project is intended to include a replacement of the bores under I-90, she said; these will be moved west to travel along 3rd Street before tying in with the rest of the water system.

The new water tank, which will replace two current tanks, will sit further east than the current Sundance Kit tank, she said, so it will be a little less visible. Greaser informed the council that Trihydro is moving forward with the geotech portion of the project and will coordinate with WYDOT on permitting needs.

The next regular meeting of the council is scheduled for November 3.