October 1, 2026
Hello Pinedale,
This week I want to simply give you a sense of what the Town is working on. At Monday night’s Council meeting, we continued moving several infrastructure projects forward. One of the largest is at the wastewater treatment plant, where Council approved a $792,000 contract for replacement of the anaerobic pond covers as part of the broader rehabilitation work underway there. The engineering team has also identified a revised Phase 2 layout that could reduce project costs by several million dollars and shorten construction by allowing new treatment components to be built alongside the existing system rather than relying as heavily on temporary treatment facilities.
A brief explanation of how those costs are paid may be useful. The Town’s water and wastewater systems operate as enterprise funds, meaning they are expected to support themselves primarily through user fees rather than general tax revenues. That matters because providing reliable water and wastewater service involves far more than the water that comes out of the faucet. It includes Fremont Lake storage and dam infrastructure, treatment facilities, pumps, meters, miles of water and sewer lines, lift stations, collection systems, and the wastewater plant. Taken together, the infrastructure required to provide those services is close to $100 million in public assets and future replacement needs.
Those systems also have to meet increasingly detailed state and federal drinking-water and wastewater standards. Wyoming recently enacted a statewide effort to inventory drinking-water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure so policymakers can better understand the scale of future needs; those needs statewide could run into the billions of dollars. That is far beyond what a small Wyoming community could reasonably absorb on its own, which is why long-term planning, financing, and outside funding matter. We spread major capital costs over many years and look aggressively for grants, low-interest loans, and loan forgiveness whenever those tools are available.
That same approach to outside funding applies beyond water and sewer. For example, the planned 2028 Pine Street improvements, costing about $4.2 million, are now 100% funded through state and federal awards, including the Governor’s Matching Grant Program, rather than Town general funds.
We are always looking for opportunities like that. Just this week we applied for a $120,000 Wyoming Office of Tourism grant for a public restroom at 210 W. Pine Street, which would make that space even more useful for downtown events and activities. You’ve heard me share about the funding we receive for airport improvements, and the East/West Pathway Connection, which is now fully funded through a combination of Town and outside grant dollars.
Meanwhile, our Public Works crews have been busy as well. September work included repairing a water leak at Trails Creek Park, patching streets, sweeping, completing new sidewalk sections at 210 West Pine, planting trees at parks and ballfields, helping with Brewfest and the half marathon, and beginning fall aeration work across the more than 100 acres of park land the Town maintains. Staff also assisted with Homecoming traffic control and continued the routine maintenance that comes with transitioning from summer into winter.
Traffic safety also continues to come up in conversations with residents. The Sheriff’s August report included 11 traffic complaints, and we continue to hear concerns about speeding both on Pine Street and on residential streets. Most of our interior streets are posted at 20 mph. Enforcement is part of the answer, but so are street design, pedestrian improvements, driver awareness, and common courtesy. That is one reason the Town continues working with the Sheriff’s Office and WYDOT on both current concerns and longer-term safety improvements.
Taken together, these items give a pretty good snapshot of where the Town is right now: maintaining streets and parks, investing in water and wastewater systems, pursuing grant funding, supporting public safety, improving airport and pathway infrastructure, and working through development projects as they come forward.
These are the systems and services Pinedale relies on every day, and maintaining them requires planning for both the needs we have now and those we know are coming. As always, the public is welcome at Town Council meetings. Our next meeting is Monday, October 12, at 5:00 p.m., and questions are always welcome.
September 24, 2026
Hello Pinedale,
Economic development is not always a ribbon cutting, a new storefront, or a large project. Sometimes it is the infrastructure, local organizations, and community investments that quietly make it possible for people to work, visit, raise families, and build a future here.
A good example is the Pinedale Airport. WYDOT’s newly released 2026 aviation economic impact study estimates that the Pinedale airport now supports 72 jobs, $3.6 million in annual payroll, and $13.1 million in annual economic activity, along with approximately $253,000 in state and local sales-tax revenue. Compared with the 2020 WYDOT study, which estimated 34 jobs and about $4.5 million in annual economic activity, that is substantial growth.
Those numbers help explain why the Town continues to invest in the airport. Hangars, aprons, fuel facilities, snow-removal equipment, firefighting support, medical aviation, and day-to-day airport operations are not simply expenses associated with airplanes. They support jobs, businesses, visitors, public safety, and connections to the wider region. The airport is also an important link for emergency and medical transportation when time and distance matter.
At the same time, the latest CREW report is another reminder of how important economic resilience is for our community. Wyoming remains heavily influenced by energy production, and recent energy and employment data continue to move with those markets. Those numbers do not mean we should turn away from an industry that remains vitally important to Sublette County and the nation. They do remind us why we should keep adding strength around it.
There is also a broader conversation underway about Sublette County’s economic future. On September 29, the University of Wyoming’s Center for Business and Economic Analysis will present research on our local economy and opportunities for diversification. The following day, the Wyoming Business Alliance will be in Pinedale meeting directly with local businesses as part of its statewide listening tour. Those efforts join other recent studies asking many of the same questions: How do we build more year-round opportunity, help existing businesses succeed, give young people and families reasons to stay or return, and broaden our economy while continuing to value the energy industry that has supported this county for generations?
I view that attention as encouraging. A “crossroads” does not have to mean decline. It can mean a community is taking an honest look at where it is, recognizing both its strengths and vulnerabilities, and deciding deliberately where it wants to go next. We have real assets to build from: energy, our airport, healthcare, tourism and outdoor recreation, nonprofits, schools, local businesses, and people who care deeply about this place.
We saw another kind of economic and community strength this past weekend through Foundation 23’s Race to Raise. Dozens of local nonprofits participated, supporting needs ranging from childcare and food assistance to health, arts, youth sports, trails, search and rescue, and animal welfare. That breadth says something important about this community. Economic resilience is not only businesses and tax revenues; it is also the network of organizations and volunteers that make Pinedale and Sublette County places where people want to live.
There is more community activity ahead this weekend as well, with Wyoming Public Lands Day events at American Legion Park and a National Public Lands Day fun run and athlete panel. Our public lands, recreation, nonprofits, airport, downtown businesses, energy industry, and public infrastructure all contribute to a more diverse and durable local economy.
The challenge is not to predict exactly what Sublette County will look like 20 years from now. It is to make thoughtful investments today so that whatever comes next, Pinedale remains a place with opportunity, strong infrastructure, a healthy business community, and reasons for the next generation to stay or come home.
As always, the public is welcome at Town Council meetings. Our next meeting is Monday, September 28th at 5:00 p.m., and questions are always welcome.
September 17, 2026
Hello Pinedale,
Over the last few weeks I have written quite a bit about public process, growth, and the Ridley’s application. An update this week: the applicant has withdrawn the zoning application because the property owner wanted to participate personally in the initial meetings and his schedule did not allow that. The September 15 Planning & Zoning hearing was therefore cancelled. We understand the applicant may submit a new zoning application later this fall. The separate annexation application remains active and may continue through its statutory process.
Applications sometimes move forward, sometimes change, and sometimes are withdrawn. That is not necessarily a victory or a defeat. It is simply part of how land-use and development processes work. Our responsibility as a Town remains the same: apply the code fairly, listen to residents, treat applicants fairly, and make decisions based on the application actually before us.
Meanwhile, Monday night’s Council agenda was a good reminder that much of local government is about preparing for what comes next. In Pinedale, September may feel like the beginning of fall, but Town staff are already thinking about winter.
Council considered the purchase process for a new multi-position snowplow, an articulating compact tractor that can support snow removal and other year-round work, and aircraft deicing and anti-icing fluid for the Pinedale Airport. We also moved forward with bidding for roof replacement at the pavilion in American Legion Park, annual water and wastewater flow-meter calibration, airport gate repairs, and other maintenance items that are much easier to address before temperatures drop and snow begins to accumulate.
None of those items by itself is especially glamorous, but together they are the kind of work that keeps a town functioning through winter. Streets need to be plowed, airport operations need to remain safe, water and wastewater systems need to keep running, public buildings need to stay weather-tight, and equipment needs to be ready when it is needed rather than repaired in the middle of a storm.
One item I am particularly proud of is our Town microbiology laboratory. The lab grew out of the water-quality work that followed mistaken test results concerning Fremont Lake in 2018. What began as a response to that situation has become a high-quality, EPA Region 8- and Wyoming-certified microbiology laboratory that now serves about 25 clients, including more than two dozen public water systems across the region. Monday’s agenda included continued testing-service agreements, including with the Town of Opal, which is another reminder that investments made to solve a local problem can sometimes grow into a regional asset.
As a brief reminder, the Pinedale High School Homecoming parade is September 18 and remains one of our town traditions worth enjoying. It goes without saying, but please watch for students, pedestrians, and the extra activity around town that day.
As always, the public is welcome at Town Council meetings. Our next regular meeting is Monday, September 28, at 5:00 p.m., and questions are always welcome.
September 11, 2026
Hello Pinedale,
Last week I wrote about the Ridley’s application and the public process ahead. I want to stay with that theme briefly, not to repeat all the details, but because how we handle difficult public questions helps define us as a community. The question is not only what decisions we make, but what kind of people we are becoming as we make them: whether we can be honest without being cruel, passionate without being careless, and firm without forgetting that we still belong to one another.
Pinedale will continue to face questions for years to come about growth, housing, traffic, utilities, small businesses, downtown, neighborhoods, and public safety. Some of those conversations will be easy. Some will not. But a healthy town does not avoid hard questions. It works through them carefully, publicly, and respectfully. Large projects can generate rumors, partial information, and social media summaries. The best input from the public starts with the actual applications, staff reports, agendas, and public-hearing materials, and then brings specific questions and concerns into the public process.
Public comment is not a formality. It helps staff, Planning & Zoning, and the Town Council understand what residents see and experience on the ground. It gives business owners, nearby property owners, families, and neighbors a chance to explain how a proposal may affect them. It also gives applicants a chance to hear concerns early, respond to questions, and improve their plans where possible.
At the same time, public comment is most helpful when it is connected to the decision being made and the standards that apply. For land-use matters, that usually means focusing on things like zoning, traffic, drainage, utilities, lighting, access, sidewalks, pathways, neighborhood impacts, public safety, and consistency with Town Code and adopted plans. Passion matters, but so do facts, process, and practical suggestions.
I know public meetings can sometimes be frustrating. People may feel like decisions are already made, that government moves too slowly, or that their concerns are not being heard. I understand that. But the public process is designed to slow things down enough for notice, review, questions, agency comments, public comment, staff analysis, Planning & Zoning recommendations, and Council action. That process can feel cumbersome, but it also protects the community, the applicant, and the integrity of the decision.
It is also important to remember that disagreement does not make someone an enemy of the town. A resident can raise serious concerns and still care deeply about Pinedale’s future. A business can want to invest here and still need to answer hard questions. Staff can explain code requirements without taking sides. Elected and appointed officials can listen carefully without promising a particular outcome before the process is complete. That same principle applies beyond any one application. Whether the issue is land use, business activity, streets, pathways, public safety, or neighborhood impacts, the Town has to work through real concerns under the rules that apply.
That is the kind of public process we should expect from one another: honest questions, plain speech, careful listening, and respect for residents, applicants, business owners, volunteers, and Town staff.
This is not only about one application. It is about what Pinedale is becoming, and how we preserve our identity as we grow. Growth is here, and with it come real questions about jobs, housing, services, traffic, infrastructure, neighborhoods, and the character of the community. The challenge is not to freeze Pinedale in place or accept every proposal without question. The challenge is to shape growth so Pinedale remains a western town with a strong sense of community, practical opportunity, safe neighborhoods, and room for young people, working families, local businesses, retirees, and longtime residents to see a future here.
Finally, thank you to everyone who helps make public life in Pinedale work: residents who attend meetings, volunteers who serve on boards and commissions, staff who prepare the materials, and citizens who care enough to speak up. We will not always agree, but we can keep working through important questions together.
As always, the public is welcome at Town Council meetings. Our next meeting is Monday, September 14th at 5:00 p.m., and questions are always welcome.
September 3, 2026
Hello Pinedale,
September has arrived, and with it comes the familiar shift back into school routines, fall activities, and a different pace around town. Please be careful in school zones, around buses, near the elementary school, and anywhere children, bicycles, and pedestrians are present.
One public issue receiving attention right now is the Ridley’s application, which involves ~74 acres south of Dollar General and is before the Town in two related parts: a request for annexation and a request to amend the zoning map. The property owners and applicants are asking the Town to annex ~17 acres and rezone ~57 acres already within Town limits. They have included a general development concept with a proposed grocery store, smaller commercial spaces, and housing. The Town is not proposing the development. The Town’s responsibility is to review the applications under state statute, Town code, adopted plans, engineering requirements, and the public-hearing process.
That process has several steps. The Town Council received the applications and referred them to the Town Planning & Zoning Commission, with staff conducting the technical and code review. Staff will also seek comments from outside agencies and technical reviewers, as appropriate, such as the County, WYDOT, Game and Fish, ditch representatives, engineers, and others with relevant jurisdiction or expertise. Agency comments are helpful, but they do not replace public comment from the people who live, work, travel, and do business in Pinedale.
On September 15, the Planning & Zoning Commission will hold the first Town public hearing on the zoning request. Planning & Zoning will review the materials, hear public comment, determine whether the zoning application aligns with Town Code, and make a recommendation to the elected Town Council. I am grateful for the residents who serve on Planning & Zoning and take the time to work carefully through these kinds of applications. After that, both parts of the application will return to the Town Council. The zoning request requires three ordinance readings, and the annexation request will also be considered through three public meetings on the same schedule before final action. Watch the Town website and official Town notices for the most current information.
Public comment is welcome, and it can also be passionate. Fear, frustration, and even anger are understandable when people care deeply about their homes, neighborhoods, businesses, property, and the future of the town. My hope is that we can speak plainly, ask hard questions, and still treat one another, including residents, applicants, business owners, and Town staff, with respect throughout the process.
Pinedale is growing, and I am grateful that businesses want to invest here and serve our community. One of the long-term tests for Pinedale is whether young people and working families can still build a future here. That means jobs, housing, services, and business investment matter. It also means growth must be reviewed carefully, with attention to traffic, utilities, drainage, lighting, pedestrian and bicycle connections, neighborhood impacts, and the character of the town.
Finally, Wind River Brewfest, sponsored by Foundation 23, and the Wind River Art Festival are coming up during the September 11–13 weekend. These events bring people downtown, support local businesses and nonprofits, and help make Pinedale an active and welcoming place as summer gives way to fall. I am grateful to everyone helping make them happen.
As always, the public is welcome at Town Council meetings. Our next regular meeting is Monday, September 14, at 5:00 p.m., and questions are always welcome.