2008 Campbell County
Annual ReporT
Message From The Board Of Commissioners Our mission is to provide quality, efficient and cost effective services for all Campbell County Residents through sound decision making and fiscal responsibility. In 2008 two outstanding leaders retired from their respective positions in Campbell County, Nola Wallace served our citizens for over thirty five years as Public Health Director and Nurse. Craig G. Mader served two full terms as Campbell County Commissioner and chose not to run for re-election. We thank both of these individuals for their commitment and service. During the last calendar year Campbell County benefitted from a strong local economy, with continued growth and development in both the private and public sectors. Employment opportunities in Campbell County held strong for 2008, with a 5.6% growth in labor force and a rate of unemployment at 1.8% through November. • The Black Hills Corporation WYGEN II Electrical Generation plant is fully operational and construction is underway for the WYGEN III facility. • The Basin Electric Dry Fork Station Electrical Generation construction project is progressing well. • These projects add value to our natural resources, create local employment and provide the region with environmentally sound, cost effective electrical power. • • Our current budget continues to reflect a significant investment in capital construction. • The Youth Emergency Services (YES House) Crisis Shelter was completed and the open house held on April 4th. • The Joint Powers Fire Board new Main Fire Station was completed and the grand opening ceremony held on May 3rd. • The Joint Powers Public Land Board Wyoming Center was completed and dedicated on November 6th. • Construction is well underway on the expansion of the Detention Center and remodeling of the Sheriff=s Office, with completion scheduled for early 2009. • The Joint Powers Recreation Center Board began construction on the new Campbell County Recreation Center and Sports Facility on Shoshone Drive. • The Gillette College Technical Education Center broke ground in 2008 and is well into construction. In addition, the Herbert A. and Dorothy P. Carter Health Science Education Center opened to nursing students in 2008. Major infrastructure projects in the initial stages of development include the Northern Drive loop road, expansion of the Landfill and a regional water system.
Campbell County Board of Commissioners (left to right): Chris Knapp, Amir Sancher, Roy Edwards, Steve Hughes, and Dan Coolidge
Further achievements in 2008 are highlighted below: Accomplishments
• Extension, in conjunction with the City of Gillette and State of Wyoming, of major arterial roads: Sinclair Street and Kluver Road. • Streamlined fiscal year budget process, resulting in more efficiency and a reduction in paper. • Enhanced Fleet Management and County vehicle utilization. • Transition to electronic Board agenda format for Commission meetings, progressing with paperless office management. • Five million dollar investment in the Capital Replacement Reserve, providing for the future of Campbell County.
Our goals for 2009 include:
• Maintaining a consistent and stable State revenue stream to local governments. • Working with the City of Gillette and State of Wyoming to establish a long term regional water distribution system. • Completion of the Campbell County Detention Center and Administrative Offices, and additional infrastructure projects currently underway. • Infrastructure investment in the following projects: - Senior Center Expansion - New Fire Station in Wright - Transition Planning Commission to electronic meeting agenda format. - Continued investment in the Capital Replacement Reserve Account. We are grateful to serve the Citizens of Campbell County, and look forward to the challenges and opportunities 2009 will present. We invite you to attend and participate in County meetings, programs and activities. We appreciate the continued commitment of our County Employees to provide quality, efficient services which are second to none. Together, we can all make a difference and build Campbell County for the future.
Campbell County Commissioners Office 500 S. Gillette Ave 682-7283
Cover photograph: Alyssa Hanzlik, Brooke Kendrick and mother look at the Holiday Display made by Hazel and Don Vassar in the lobby of the Campbell County Courthouse. 2
Airport Board
Kelly Peters, President Penny Schild, Vice President Jerry Dilts, Secretary/Treasurer Hein Kalke Will Cunningham Jay Lundell, Director 686-1042
Building Code Appeals Board
Judge Dan Price William J. Edelman Diane Ford Erin M. Youngs Norman (Buckey) Walters Paul Phillips Dena Knox
Fair Board
Arlyn Magnuson Daryl Orbeck Larry Long Van Ewing Micky Shober Kevin King, Director 682-1970
Sharon Rinker, Chairman Linda Lynch, Secretary/Treasurer Dave Slattery Melissa Cantu Glen Terry Debra Sneathen Rob Gallob Betty A. Hough, Coordinator 687-0200
CARE Board
Joint Powers Fire Board
Public Land Board
Anne Ochs, Chairman Rod Smith, Vice Chairman Brian Baglien Mark Christensen Andy Fitzgerald Chuck Land Greg Lindblom Dan Barks, General Manager 682-0552
Parks & Recreation Board
Sharon Stock, Chairman Patrick Carpenter, Secretary/Treasurer Wade Burr Trevor Larson Larry Steiger Dave McCormick, Director 682-7406
Heidi Lowe, Chair Matt Sorenson, Vice Chairman Lori Jones, Secretary Lynne Chastain, Treasurer Stasi Shippy Michael Surface Dan Coolidge Wendy Hauck Robert Boyer
Sam Saunders, Chairman Joe Robidoux, Vice Chairman Marilyn Mackey, Secretary/ Treasurer Christopher R. Knapp Jeff Wagoner Matthew Avery Tom Johnson Don Huber, Chief 682-5319
Kathy Kintz, Chairman Leland Turner, Secretary Christian McDonald, Treasurer Tommie Butler Everett Knapp Terry Girouard, Director 682-5723
Children’s Developmental Services
Library Board
Planning Commission
Ralph Palmer, Chairman Jennifer Peterson, Vice-Chair Linda Jennings, Secretary Carol Yonkee Clifford Knesel Earlene Hastings, Director 682-2392
Board of Commissioners Dan Coolidge, Chairman Stephen F. Hughes Roy Edwards Christopher R. Knapp Amir Sancher
Corrections Board
Chief Richard Adriaens, Chairman Sheriff Bill Pownall
Rockpile Museum Board
Bill Carson, Chairman Jan White, Vice Chairman Dale Belden, Treasurer Kevin Anders Karen Johnson Patty Myers, Director 687-0009
Susan McKay, Chairman Toni Brown, Vice Chairman Donna Robbins Jim Nielson Vicki Schlautmann KEVIN KING, Director 682-1970
Public Health Officer
Weed and Pest Board
Dr. George McMurtrey 682-7275
Public Health Board
Barbara Underwood, Chairman Scott Lindblom, Vice Chairman Maggi McCreery, M.D., Secretary Nektarias (Nick) Bouzis D.D.S. Stacy Hobbs Della Amend, R.N., BC, Director 682-7275
Charles Tweedy, Chairman Leslie Drake, Vice Chairman Duane Joslyn, Secretary Ted Edwards James Tarver Allen Mooney, Director 682-4369
Campbell County
Departments EXTENSION SERVICE Lindsay Taylor, Director 682-7281 ROAD & BRIDGE Gary Lowry, Director 682-4411 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES Phil W. Harvey, Manager 682-7860 Human Resources Charlotte Terry, Director 687-6355 OFFICE OF THE COMMISSIONERS Robert P. Palmer, Director 682-7283 PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT Kevin King, Director 685-8061 County Landfill 682-9499 Building and Planning 682-1970 JUVENILE PROBATION Susan L. Cahill, Esq., Director 682-0746 Emergency Management David King, Coordinator 686-7477 As of Jan. 5, 2009
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The year 2008 for the County Clerk’s office has been with various business and residential subdivisions. extremely busy with the County having significant Two employees work in the payroll/accounts payable growth and development. section of the Clerk’s office. They handle all areas of payThe titling department consists of seven full time roll from enrollment of new employees to issuing payroll employees. This part of the Clerk’s office handles titling checks and payment of all taxes and benefits associated of motor vehicles and filing of personal, federal and state with payroll. An average of 364 employees received paytax liens. Motor vehicle titles issued so far this year total checks from this office. 24,694 in 2008 averaging over 94 titles per day. The On an average there are approximately 500 accounts Clerk’s office saw an increase in titling new vehicles again payable checks issued per month. We also have one full this year. time employee responsible for the budget process and The Campbell County Clerk’s office is responsible for financials. issuing marriage licenses which totaled 337 in 2008. The Election Department has finished implementCongratulations to all the newlyweds. ing a statewide voter registration system which will The County Clerk’s office also issues malt beverage and link Campbell County to all the other counties statecatering permits for county wide functions. wide. The Department saw a very busy 2008 General The recording section (vault) consists of seven full time Presidential Election. The Election Department had a total employees. This section deals with oil and of 3,823 new registered voters for the period of gas leases, royalty deeds, warranty and quit September 27, 2008 thru November 4, 2008. claim deeds. Mortgages, oil and gas liens are The Clerk’s office collected over $740,783 in Campbell County Clerk’s Office also filed in this part of the clerk’s office along revenue for 2008 for the recording of various with overriding royalties, affidavits of heir instruments, titles, marriage licenses, and mis500 S. Gillette Ave ship, survivorship and notary public, military cellaneous receipts. 682-7285 discharges and powers of attorney. The County Clerk’s office has finished impleThe land records department has been busy menting the computerization of the grantor and
processed 111, 0 0 0 bushels of grain this year as compared to 103,000 last year and only Rindy West, Allen Mooney, Christine Cheairs and Quad Schmelzle 3 0 , 0 0 0 bushel the Our long time assistant, year before that. Even though Mervin Griswold, retired in more grain was produced this Nov. of 2007. We have hired year, we did fewer forage certifitwo very qualified individuals, cations than last year. Quade Schmelzle as an assistant We used our entire chemical supervisor and Tanya Daniels as budget (plus a little) $275,710, an assistant supervisor and edubut we only used 83% of our cation coordinator. Our admintotal budget. We had budgeted istrative assistant also resigned for a large prairie dog manageand she was replaced by Chris ment program that did not mateCheairs. Chris has worked with rialize. and knows most of the landownAPHIS (Animal & Plant Health ers in the county. When we get Inspection Service) did an adult everyone trained, I should be grasshopper survey in the counable to retire feeling good about ty and found many areas with the future of the large numbers of grassWeed and Pest. hoppers. Grasshopper The county was populations are cyclic Campbell County again blessed (two Weed & Pest and the numbers have years in a row) with been building for severmore than adequate 213 Stocktrail Ave al years. A few bands of 682-4369 spring rainfall. The mormon crickets were Farmer’s Co-op found in the Northern
part of the county. APHIS is scheduling a meeting in March to go over several scenarios for control programs should they materialize. We have a new chemical, Milestone, for Canada thistle and Russian knapweed control that is showing extremely promising results. We applied 7 ounces per acre of Milestone on 400 acres of Russian knapweed Oct. 15, 2007 with amazing results. A person does not have to have a private pesticide applicators license to purchase and apply Milestone. Landowners should be aware of a relatively new invasive weed we are finding in the county. Saltcedar or Tamarisk is an exotic woody plant that has infested thousands of acres of riparian habitat and stream banks in the western United States. In Campbell County we are finding it near many of the water impoundments related to methane and coal production. This plant has been placed on the noxious weed list in Wyoming and many other western states. Saltcedar was brought to the U.S. in the 1800’s from Eurasia as an ornamental plant and for 4
Maxine Lieber, Terri Blackford, Alton Backes, Cyndi Silbaugh, Teresa Hopper, Belinda Hays, Aneilia Snider, Sharon Gorves, Patricia Elleson, Jean Carmien, Raylene Hart, Linda Grose, Rose Jorgensone, Connie Klinger, Susan Saunders, Dar Kurtenback, Barbara Gregory, Sharry Walter, Alicia Cartwright and Cindy Ewing
grantee records along with the land records receiving book. We feel this will be more time efficient for the public and for our office. This has saved an enormous amount of time for our employees. The employees in this office take pride in their work and continuance of friendly and efficient public service and excellent public record keeping.
stream bank stabilization. Today saltcedar is one of the most difficult to manage invasive species in the west, out competing most of the native vegetation along streams, rivers, and ponds. Most important, saltcedar utilizes water from underground aquifers up to 200 gallons per plant per day. In 2008, Campbell County
Saltcedar
received a grant in the amount of $39,889 from the Emergency Insect Management Program at the Wyoming Department of Agriculture. This coupled with matching funds from the county, city of Gillette, Town of Wright, and private industries total the approximate $105,000 spent protecting the citizens in Campbell County from West Nile Virus.
In addition to applying chemical, Weed & Pest also worked very hard to educate the citizens of Campbell County on ways to protect themselves from mosquitoes and the correct identification of a threat. Mosquitoes are often confused with midges. The area around Kluver Road proved to be especially challenging in this area, as the lake provides ideal habitat for midges and the midges swarmed the people in that area, creating some panic. By fielding phone calls and having the mosquito crew establish a definite presence in that area, we got through the hatch of midges. The Weed & Pest also worked closely with The NewsRecord to get the word out on the mosquito situation. We cooperated with the United Soybean Board in applying an emulsified methyl soyate on two ponds near Gillette. The experimental bio-based larvacide is made from soybeans. They are still tabulating the results of this test. The program was very successful as there 0 reported cases of West Nile Virus in 2008.
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The department of Information Registration system continues to sonnel. He has also been instrumenTechnology Services (ITS) is respon- evolve, and it kept Bob busy through- tal in assisting the User Support staff sible for providing technical support out the year. Some of the major chang- with the creation of self-help training to the users of Campbell County’s es and upgrades he made to the sys- videos, which will be available on the voice and data communication sys- tem included developing reports for Intranet. tems. These users are spread across Disabled Veteran and Prisoner of War Beth Kirsch, Rhonda Larmer, and 23 different departments, and the ser- exemptions granted on motor vehi- Natalie Linneman comprise the User vices they require range from simple cle registrations. This information is Support division. They are responsible software support issues to major rede- reported to the State of Wyoming for for providing front line technical supsigns of network infrastructure. 2008 reimbursement purposes. Bob did an port for the 400+ computer users in proved to be another busy year for excellent job of modifying the system the County. In addition to daily supthe ITS Department, and although the to allow for five digit numeric plate port tasks, each technician has been employees worked most of the year numbers; this modification coincided assigned a lead support role with a understaffed, they still managed to with the new Teton license plates. He particular software package. maintain a high level of customer ser- is now currently working on a system Beth spent much of the year vice and complete a number of major enhancement that will allow a stag- implementing Plant and Equipment projects. gered annual registration for commer- Maintenance modules into the County Coleen, the administrative assis- cial vehicles. financial software package. These modtant, continued her work to reconcile hardware and software inventory records into a new database that utilizes bar code scanning technology. At the end of this year, she will also conclude a three year project to implement Microsoft Office as the County’s primary software package for documents and spreadsheets. The Programming division consists of three iSeries programmers, Nicki Lindahl, Bob Overman, and Rocky Marquiss, and one web development programmer, Justin Penning. In addition to providing support for existing Bob Overman, Dustin Cooper, Phil Harvey, Dave Kelsay, Coleen Winterholler, Cathy Raney, Rocky Marquiss, programs, they also introduced a numJustin Penning, Steve Danaher, Nicki Lindahl, Rhonda Larmer, Natalie Linneman and Beth Kirsch ber of new, custom applications. These changes will allow County personnel to do their jobs more efficiently, and Rocky made a large amount of prog- ules create a more streamlined and will help reduce costs. ress implementing electronically for- efficient approach to entering work Nicki implemented a number of matted accounts payable and payroll orders for facilities and capital projects improvements this year. For example, checks this year. There is one agency throughout the County. Once these she designed an electronic purchase left to convert and then this project work orders are entered, they integrate order. Now that this form is in elec- will be 100% complete. He was also with the financial software so that all tronic format, pre-printed forms are no able to streamline the process neces- costs are entered once and are credlonger needed, thereby reducing costs. sary to print tax notices. Normally, it ited to the correct facility or project. She also developed electronic vouch- takes County personnel approximate- Work has also started on integrating er forms which eliminate the need ly three days to generate and print fleet vehicles into this module to allow for users to hand-write information. tax notices, but the streamlined pro- for more efficient tracking of costs and She designed a procedure that will cess has reduced that time by almost budgetary needs. She also took the allow Road and Bridge administrative a day. In addition to programming, lead role in facilitating a county wide staff to download information about Rocky has configured third party soft- training program for the new Microsoft their vehicles and equipment. This will ware that will take a “snapshot” of Office 2007 suite. Currently, she is allow them to prepare accurate reports the County’s financial data every 30 leading a project team to evaluate, and more easily. She also took on the added minutes. This will allow us to recover ultimately choose an electronic time task of working with the Elections more quickly and completely should clock solution to implement across the Office by helping them set up new we experience a failure of power or County. equipment, and prepare for the elec- equipment. Rhonda continued to administer the tions held in August and November. Justin evaluated several software Fully Automated Courts Transaction Currently, she is writing a new packages last year and is System (FACTS) and act as our departLandfill Management pronow preparing to deploy mental liaison when working with the gram for the Campbell County a completely redesigned District Court Judge’s Office as well as Landfill. This new program Intranet. This project will Crook and Weston counties. This year, Campbell County will be much more functional Info Tech. Services feature many enhance- she facilitated an upgrade to the softthan the antiquated program ments and will provide a ware package; this upgrade provided 500 S. Gillette Ave, they currently use; she hopes to conduit for more effective- users with a number of much needSte. 2500 have this completed in 2009. ly communicating news ed enhancements. She also worked 687-6470 The Motor Vehicle and events to County per- many hours with the staff of Campbell 6
County Public Health to implement a new electronic Medicare billing system. Natalie joined the department in August and began contributing almost immediately. In October, she attended a training seminar to familiarize herself with Questys, an electronic agenda and document routing package. She is now in the process of taking the lead support role for that package, and at the same time, faces the daunting task of becoming familiar with all of the other nuances of the County network. The Network Support division is staffed by Steve Danaher, Dustin Cooper, and David Kelsay. This group is responsible for assisting other County departments with their technical project plans and helping them select appropriate hardware and software. They also ensure reliable voice and data communications by maintaining all of the County’s network hardware. In addition to supporting the County’s primary systems, they also provide technical support for a number of secondary systems. Steve focused much of his time this year on the phone and video surveillance systems. He facilitated the upgrade of every phone system controller to ensure all systems were fully patched, and he continued to convert the Courthouse from a digital phone solution to one that is Internet Protocol (IP) based. He also worked diligently to repair and maintain troublesome video equipment; this led to the formation of a committee to review, and ultimately choose a new standard for hardware and software. When not working on video and voice projects, Steve continued to administer the County’s Internet systems, which included the installation of a new firewall for the Elections Office. Dustin spent a large amount of time this year in a lead role working on the Sheriff’s Office remodel project. This multi-stage project included moving departments from one location to another while maintaining voice and data connections, moving core equipment to a new location, and upgrading several other vital systems. All of this was accomplished with a minimum of service disruption. He has also played a key role in obtaining a new Blade Center and Storage Area Network (SAN). This equipment will allow ITS to consolidate many of its servers by sharing processors, memory, and disk space. David is the newest member of Continued on page 7
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the Network Support staff. He graduated from the University of Wyoming with a Bachelor of Science degree in Management Information Systems, concentrating on Computer Science in 2007. He joined the ITS team in October and has spent much of his time assisting the other staff with projects and becoming familiar with the network. Besides their individual
work, several projects completed this year were collaborative efforts between the network support staff, the ITS Manager, and other County personnel. A few of these projects include designing the network infrastructure for the new Recreation Center, adding additional security cameras to the parking garage, and the installation of an overhead paging system that will allow emergency messages to
In 2008 CAM-PLEX hosted 334 local, regional and national events offered both for entertainment, education and community enrichment. Nearly 350,000 citizens attended these events which stimulated more than $18,000,000 in local spending. CAM-PLEX offers several facilities to accommodate the many diverse events offered. Energy Hall is the setting for many banquets, school events, meetings, conferences, receptions and training seminars. Central Pavilion houses various trade shows, craft fairs, gun shows, auctions, and car shows. East Pavilion and Barn #3 are booked with local horseback riders as well as team roping, rodeos, and dog shows. Morningside Park continues to be the site of the demolition derby, fair activities, and outdoor horse shows. Wrangler Arena houses smaller outdoor events such as the high school rodeo practices and 4-H events. After two years of construction, the Wyoming Center at
of the new facility. The celebration continued the following evening with a performance by the Golden Dragon Acrobats. This event was generously sponsored by Rio Tinto Energy America, Black Hills Corporation, First National Bank, and the City of Gillette. A total of 3,500 people attended the performance free of charge. The grand opening festivities were completed with country legend Kenny Rogers live in concert. Nearly 2,000 people attended the performance. The CAM-PLEX Heritage Center continues their commitment to provide the community with high quality entertainment. The “Theater Series” brought in large scale shows such
CAM-PLEX was completed in November 2008. The ribbon cutting ceremony and dedication was attended by nearly 300 people where local officials as well as Senator Mike Enzi and Senator John Barasso spoke in support
as Peter Pan, Little Women-the Broadway Musical, and Deeply Rooted Dance Theater. The “Arts in Education Family Series” promoted entertainment for the entire family through Wrecked, Miss Nelson Has a Field Day, The
inlets have been photographed and linked to the corresponding data in the GIS. A similar project was also completed for the Parks and Recreation Department. All of the amenities at each of the county parks was located, inventoried, and linked to photos. This data has been loaded into the County’s Spatial Database Engine (SDE) database and is accessible across the organization as well as the Internet.
be broadcast, via the phone system, to the Courthouse, the parking garage, the George Amos Memorial Building, or all locations simultaneously. Cathy Raney continues to be the sole member of the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) division and she completed two major data collection projects this year. In the first, the entire
utility infrastructure for the Campbell County Airport was located using Global Positioning System (GPS) devices. This resulted in the ability to view, with just a few mouse clicks, any, or all of the following: storm and sanitary sewers, gas, electric, and water lines, and telephone services. All physical assets such as hydrants, manholes, and curb
Velveteen Rabbit, The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere, If You Give a Pig a Party, and Jack Sprat Low Fat World Tour. The Heritage Center art gallery featured exhibits by local photographers and artists such as Mark Wigner, Chris Amend and Ariane Jimison. The gallery also hosted a show with Campbell County School District art classes featuring art from all grade levels and an exhibit displaying art by Campbell County senior citizens. Regional exhibits included works by Rapid City, SD artist Deborah Mitchell and Douglas, WY photographer Richard Olveda. The final display of 2008 was the annual charity Christmas wreath show featuring 6-foot Christmas trees decorated by local preschool children. The 17th Annual CAM-PLEX Winter Western was held in February and continued the tradition as a well attended event. The event provided a variety of enter tainment for the community including The Coors Pro Rodeo, Town and County Trade Show, Free Stage shows by TJ Casey, Team Roping, Barrel Racing, Stock Dog Trials, Petting Zoo, and the Fun On the Go Mega Carnival.
was well attended by the public and featured events such as the PRCA rodeo, Demolition Derby and Ronnie Milsap in concert. In September the North American Dog Agility Championships once again held their competitions at CAMPLEX. Dog and handler The sumteams for this year’s event mer of 2008 came from 26 states and was busy with 3 Canadian provinces with 38 RV rallies, conventions, wedding different breeds. Over 5,000 agilreceptions, roping events, trainity runs were performed during ing seminars and reunions. CAMthe 5 days of competition. PLEX hosted the Escapees 30th The largest indoor garage sales Anniversary Celebration RV Rally in Wyoming are hosted by CAMwith 1,200 RV’s on site. CAMPLEX in April and October. Local PLEX was also proud to host the bargain hunters flock to Central BMW Motorcycle International Pavilion to find their treasures Rally which used the facility to its among the booths. full capacity hosting live music, Major events in 2009 will seminars and social events. include the Wyoming Stock The Pyrotechnics Guild held Growers Association Convention, their International Fireworks the Cowboy State Reining Horse Convention in August. Show, the Veteran of Foreign War Approximately 2,500 PGI memConvention, Campers on Mission bers attended seminars and meetRV Rally, Wyoming Good Sam ings, toured local mines, and held RV Rally, Fleetwood RV Rally, the fireworks competitions throughNational Horse Show Association out the week. Three large scale O-Mok-See Horse Show, and the public displays were presented Wyoming Junior Rodeo that week with thouAssociation. sands of local spectaFor more informaCam-plex tors in attendance. tion on the facility or to Multi-Event Facilities The Campbell see a complete sched1635 Reata Drive County Fair, produced ule of events, visit the 682-0552 by the Fair Board, utiCAM-PLEX web site: lized all the buildTicket Office www.cam-plex.com. ings at CAM-PLEX in 682-8802 early August. The fair
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Road & Bridge had another great year. As Campbell County continues to grow, our 42 employees continue to stay very busy keeping the roads of the county as safe as possible. Our shop crew stayed busy with repairs, rigging up new units, fueling and servicing our equipment, and hauling fuel to other departments. They hauled 70,108 gallons of diesel and gasoline to other departments and hauled 39,545 gallons of diesel to our various projects around the county. Time is also spent repairing cattle guards. Snow plowing and sanding were a big part of the first of the year for the
It was a busy year for the Campbell County Rockpile Museum (CCRM) staff with an emphasis on new exhibits. Five new permanent exhibits and six temporary exhibits were opened during the year. The permanent exhibits were researched, designed, and built by department staff, and each month from June through October one of these new exhibits opened to the public. The exhibits highlighted the history of the railroads, blacksmiths, garages, bars, and newspapers in Campbell County over the past century. If you haven’t yet had the opportunity to see the exhibits be sure to stop by some sunny day. The temporary exhibits began with Blast from the Past featuring the framed, photographic collection donated by the Chamber of Commerce last January. This was followed by four wonderful temporary exhibits from the Wyoming State Museum and an excellent railroad exhibit from Sacramento on women’s roles in America’s railroad. The museum was able to bring the railroad exhibit to Gillette through the generous financial support of the BNSF Railroad. A number of speakers came to the museum this past year and spoke on a variety of topics. John Daly started off the year by discussing the changes to Gillette and the ranching industry, and Jeb Taylor ended the year with a talk on the changes in prehistoric projectile point types. During the year, the museum also hosted talks by Bill Montgomery on the railroads in Campbell County, by Dr. Phil Robert’s on prohibition, by Ann Franscell and Jack Nissilius on the newspaper business and
end dump crew. Crack sealing and gravel. In February, everyone was patching weren’t far behind. Hauling involved in 8 hour MSHA refresher scrap metal and helping with the dirt training. Belly dumps were kept busy hauling work at the new recreation center, and dirt moving at the new Bell Nob materials to our blade hands. Between reservoir were just the many added the belly dumps and end dumps, they duties for the year. They also hauled hauled 217,432 tons of material, that sand for Cam-Plex and scoria for the included gravel, scoria and rotomill equestrian parking lot. They took their gravel mix. They helped out in the screening process in our turns at hauling material for yard and Ohman pit. They various road projects. Sign also hauled water and mag replacements are a never Campbell County water for our dust control ending part of their job. Road & Bridge program. The crushing crew spent 1704 4-J Our 11 blades tried to keep their time at the Hakert Pit 682-4411 up with the ever increasing in Johnson County. They traffic on our roads. They crushed 156,122 tons of
Back Row: Terry Girouard, Robert Henning, Penny Schroder, Wendy Legerski Front Row: Butch Schumacher, Betty McAuliffe, Sharon Trigg
its place in Campbell County history, and in September, the Levis and Lace Square Patricia Clark spoke on homesteading and Dancer entertained visitors and taught native edible plants in the Pumpkin Buttes dance steps to staff and visitors. area. During the year, the Campbell County CCRM sponsored a number of events Rockpile Museum received 30 donations through out the year, some of which are totaling 241 new items; many of these well established, community favorites and items are photographs and other archival some new this year. Working with the materials. The archival collection of phocounty’s schools, the museum offered its tographs, books, and documents, includPioneer School program for the third grade ing the original land patents from the classes and an expanded Civil War Day Blue Gate Creek area south of Gillette, are for the sixth graders. The Pumpkin Buttes extremely important to documenting our Trip and the Native American Artifact local history. They allow researchers and Show are also favorites that the museum staff the ability to were organized again this year. understand and interpret the In March CCRM sponsored a lives and the history of the peoCampbell County coin show with exhibitors availple of Campbell County. Rockpile Museum able to answer questions. In July The donated photographs are 900 West 2nd Street blacksmith David Osmundsen also very important in record682-5723 demonstrated smithing teching our local history, as they niques on the front lawn, and allow us to view the growth and 8
took their turns at dirt work at the Recreation center and Bell Nob reservoir. They prepped the roads for dust control and repaired them after heavy rains. In June we purchased 2 big tankers to haul water and mag water to some of our outlying roads. We have already seen a savings in cost and time. We continue to look for better ways to help with the dust problems on the county roads. As we approach 2009, please keep in mind when you see any of our equipment, please stay at a safe distance, as that makes our job a little easier.
change in Campbell County over time. We received interesting photographs of the Belle Ayr Mine operations from the 1980s. Photos do not have to be from fifty years ago to be important. The pace of change in our world today makes recent photos just as important as those taken many years ago. CCRM’s photograph collection is now available on a searchable database in the museum’s research area to make it more accessible and convenient for residents and researchers. The Museum also received many interesting objects this year including a cattle dehorner, a horse fly net, and a 1950s era Gillette Police Officer’s uniform. The museum worked with other organizations in town to sponsor events. CCRM assisted the Chamber of Commerce with its Ag & Energy Tour and Gillette Area Leadership Institute program. The museum also hosted the Guitar Guilds March and May performances. Additionally, this year the museum staff provided a mentor program for some local high school students. The mission of the county’s museum department is to serve as the local history center for the county’s residents and visitors. The Rockpile Museum fulfills its mission by collecting and preserving the objects and documents important to the county’s history, and presenting these materials in educational exhibits and informative programs. In carrying out our mission this year, CCRM welcomed residents as well as visitors from 47 states and 18 foreign countries from as close as Moorcroft and Buffalo to as far away as Russia and South Africa.
Is it “Homeland Security” or “Emergency Management?” Is there a difference? Not in Campbell County. As a result of the 9/11 terrorist attacks the Department of Homeland Security was formed at the national level. This restructuring folded the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) into the massive new department. Until that time, there had been FEMA, the Wyoming Emergency Management Agency (WEMA) and at the local levels, the Campbell County Emergency Management Agency (CCEMA) and designated emergency managers at the city and town levels of government. Wyoming eventually passed legislation creating the Wyoming Office of Homeland Security, which absorbed the responsibilities and operations of emergency management and took on some new roles at the same time. Approximately half of Wyoming’s counties have now renamed their EMA offices as some form of Office of Homeland Security, but in Campbell County, we left it the same. There are some additional respon-
sibilities at the local level and they all involve paperwork, additional reports and some new procedures for the office to follow, nothing that a citizen would notice in their day-to-day activities. Ironically, with the new administration there is talk of removing FEMA and it’s emergency management functions from the Department of Homeland Security and once again making it a stand-alone entity. Even if that happens, it’s likely at the local level we’ll continue to handle the homeland security programs within emergency management, just as we have in the past. Campbell County Emergency Management works as a facilitator between the public and private sectors, providing training, planning and coordination services. A major part of the office’s responsibility is ensuring planning is done for emergencies and disasters and that we stand ready as a community to respond and recover. This can be as direct making sure citizens are trained on how they can avoid becoming part of the “victim pool” to helping to decide how to best utilize federal, state and local funds to train,
prepare and equip our responders. desktop space wedged in at the side of The remodeling/expansion of the the room where the dispatchers operCampbell County Sheriff’s Office and ate and should keep the EOC activiDetention Center has affected emergen- ties from bothering those hard-working cy management operations throughout ladies them as they cope with the stress this summer and fall as a new Emergency of communicating with responders and Operations Center was included in the the public. project, creating a stand-alone room Our annual upgrades and expansion on the south side of the new Sheriff’s of the warning siren system has conOffice dispatch/communications area. tinued with three new sirens added in CCEMA had set aside approximately 2008–two in Gillette, one in Wright, $21,000 in funding from a grant for and two additional new sirens have equipping the new EOC, and at year’s been funded in the current budget end was beginning the move into the along with plans to refurbish or replace area. This will provide five networked one or more of the existing sirens, all computer stations, a ìSmartî boardÆ before the summer of 2009. display, digital TV capability and a Your Campbell County Emergency full suite of amateur radio equipment. Management Agency is located at Also planned for the room is a new the Courthouse and we try to keep siren control console for timely information stocked the warning siren system in in the brochure rack in the Gillette and Wright and it Courthouse lobby. Stop by and Campbell County will also house the county’s help yourselves to any of that Emergency portion of the Emergency material. And, if you’re in the Management Agency Alert System which operbuilding and looking for the 500 S. Gillette Ave, ates through local broadoffice, we’re located within the Ste. 1100 cast radio stations and cable Commissioner’s Office, Suite 686-7477 TV. The new work area is 1100. a far cry from the single
2008 was a bitter sweet year for the Campbell Counties Assessor Office. Our year started out with the tragic loss of long time County Assessor Jerry Shatzer. He is, and will be, sadly missed, but we will all cherish the time spent and knowledge received from Jerry, and with 30 years under his belt, he had a lot to offer. On a brighter side, we continue as a community and county to reap the benefits of our mineral industry. Coal production Front Row: Hazel Vassar, Deb Malli, Angela Williams, Shanda Shatzer. Second Row: Everett Knapp, Troy Clements, was at an all time high, and Lynn Allar, Cheryl Uhler. Back Row: Cindy Langley, Jackie Casey, Alicia Gilliland, Erin Slattery and Butch Schell although gas/methane production was down from 2007, oil continbut as we moved into spring, sales “What will next year bring?” That’s a ued to climb and gain ground, leaving began to pickup up, as did our real tough question to answer, or act to folus with the highest assessed valuation property valuation with record sales. low, when you have just been through ever-$4,722,822,444!!! Over 3 percent Not as many properties were being sold a year that brought us our highest of growth in one year, 9 percent in two as in the past few years, but the prices assessed valuation ever! I can assure years, and we’re not talking pennies being paid continued to climb driving you that even though real property here, we’re talking millions of dollars! the market to new heights. sales may slow down we still have many The end of 2007, beginning of 2008 Everyone always wants to know, valuable resources that will keep our saw some slow times for local realtors, 9
county strong, and among the top of the list in our great state of Wyoming! I would like to thank my wonderful staff for doing such an outstanding job–they are all truly amazing individuals! I would also like to give a special thanks to two gentlemen that spend several days throughout the year doing review for the Assessor’s Office in all sorts of not so pleasant weather conditions. Retired school teacher, Butch Schell, and retired mapping specialist Everett Knapp, would certainly rather be fishing for Walleye or hunting Indian artifacts, but instead, they are slaving away to keep good records for my office–thanks guys!!! Hope you all had a great 2008, and we look forward to serving you in Campbell County 2009! Assessor’s Office
Sincerely, Troy D. Clements & Staff
500 S. Gillette Ave Ste 1300 682-7266
Mission Statement
The Campbell County Sheriff’s Office provides professional, effective and efficient law enforcement, detention and administrative services to the Citizens of Campbell County by exercising sound management; emphasizing customer service and providing opportunity for continuous staff improvement.
area like Campbell County it is as challenging as it is critical. To meet these challenges Campbell County invested in a fully modernized, state-of-theart Communications Center. Our facility has communications stations equipped for 4 dispatchers to work simultane-
In addition to our modernized Communications Center, we also expanded the areas dedicated to Patrol and Investigations. The Patrol area was increased and designed to maximize both the efficiency of tasks and the officer’s utilization of available technol-
we designed and constructed a much larger server room as part of our facility expansion. Our old server room was a 126 square foot converted closet. The new server room is a 368 square foot climate controlled space, protected by an uninterrupted power supply (UPS), and
Another year of growth & change
2008 was another year of growth for the Campbell County Sheriff’s Office. The administrative office remodel and expansion was completed and we moved back into the facility in August after spending nearly a year in the former County Public Health building. The expanded facility is designed to function more effectively and efficiently and allow for future growth as the community grows. A large part of the design and construction of the facility revolved around the modern technological needs of a law enforcement agency. Our Communications Center expansion was a much needed and exciting move forward. Our Communications Center handles emergency and nonemergency calls for services, and provides primary radio communications for all ambulance, fire, and Sheriff’s Office field units. In all communities effective emergency communications are critical, and in a rapidly growing and changing
Bernadette Louck “9-1-1, What’s Your Emergency?”
ously, with expansion available to place an additional 4 stations in the center as the future need arises. A quick glance inside the facility gives a taste of the challenges Communications Technicians face, as each station is equipped with 6 large computer monitors to display and monitor the variety of functions they perform continuously.
FACTS AT A GLANCE (Stats through 11/30/2008)
Animal Control Calls for Service
1,443
Busiest Day of the Week
Friday
Busiest Subdivision
Sleepy Hollow
Driving with Suspended License
368
DWUI
335
Minor in Possession of Alcohol
112
Speeding Tickets
895
Total Citations Issued
3,891
Total Responses to Calls for Service
11,171
Town of Wright Calls for Service
808
ogy. The Investigations area was enlarged to reclaim proper interview room space that was eliminated by overcrowding in our old facility.
an Ecaro 25 fire suppression system. The UPS also serves to protect the Communications Center from power outages
One of the most critical elements, a new E911 system, was first to be installed. This system is co-located, with one rack in our facility, and one rack at the Gillette Police Department. This setup provides reliable redundancy so that if connection is lost at one facility it is automatically and seamlessly switched to the other location without interruption of service. Other functions were then migrated to the new server room, including the Spillman records management system server, network server, router for Livescan, router for NCIC, and router providing connectivity with the Campbell County Courthouse. The room also includes servers that query our database to provide information for our inmate phone system and to the Victim Information and Notification Everyday (VINE) network. When the Detention Center construction is completed the old server room will be completely phased out and disconnected. Other technology upgrades include the installation of an IP phone system (consistent with the courthouse phone system), and an IP based radio system in our Communications Center.
Technology
All areas of the expanded facility rely heavily on computer technology. In addition to the multitude of computer functions in the Communications Center, deputies and investigators file required reports, conduct research, and complete documentation on computers located in their work areas. Supervisors use computers to track and review performance. In-car video systems record audio and video during a deputy’s shift, and those recordings are transmitted wirelessly from the vehicle to the building, then stored digitally on a computer server. This technology requires infrastructure and technical support to function properly. To keep up with the ever-growing needs of a modern facility 10
Sheriff’s Office New Server Room
during the interim between an outage and when the facility generator begins functioning. Racks of electronics were installed in the new server room beginning in June 2008.
The new server room is nearly completely functioning, and when finished will provide services, via a fiber link, through three IDF closets to the whole Continued on page 11
Continued from page 10
designed to insure that total sight and sound separa- save taxpayers money in the future. tion from the adult facility is maintained. - Average Daily Population in 2000- 88 With construction as involved and extensive as that - Average Daily Population to date in 2008- 151 undertaken during this expansion, our staff has had - Total Prisoners Transported out of state, county, to be very flexible and innovative dealing with the court, and medical in 2007- 5,496 Detention Center The Campbell County Detention Center was built day to day challenges and issues that in 1985 to hold 101 inmates. In 2002 additional arise. Security and safety have been housing units were added increasing the capacity maintained at all times and continue Jail Intake Comparison to 117. In 2004 the second phase of that expansion to be our top priority. Inmate programs continue to play a was completed and raised our capacity to its current 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 Jan.-Nov vital role in the jail and allow inmates level of 128. to gain the coping skills and knowlIn 2008 construction continued on the expan2,042 2,195 2,561 2,458 2,693 2,586 Adult Males sion project that began in 2007. This expansion will edge to lead a more productive life out- Adult Females 516 562 649 604 606 639 add an entire housing area that is capable of holding side of jail. In 2007, 553 hours were 162 138 151 156 161 119 Juvenile Males contributed by programs volunteers, an additional 144 prisoners (double bunked). The valued at $7,995. expansion also includes a new booking area, vehicle 46 56 64 64 76 58 Juvenile Females In June 2008 an inmate medical cosallyport, nursing area, kitchen, and a 16 bed juve2,766 2,951 3,425 3,282 3,536 3,402 pay policy was instituted. This policy nile center. requires inmates to pay a small portion The juvenile center has challenges and requireof prescription costs. Inmates are also charged a fee for ments that differ from an adult facilnon-prescription medication and for trans- Moving Forward ity. It will be staffed only by officers that ports to medical appointments. Indigent have received specialized juvenile deten2008 was a year of growth and change at the Campbell County inmates are still provided the same level of Sheriff’s Office. Our facility improvements and techtion training. The new juvenile center Sheriff’s Office care and are managed the same as inmates nology upgrades will help us succeed at our mission of will be staffed with a full-time school diswho are capable of paying their own medical providing quality service to the citizens and visitors of trict teacher on site. We will also provide 24 Hr Non-emergency costs. The new co-pay policy holds inmates Campbell County. We are proud of our accomplish682-7271 a broad range of counseling services and financially accountable for their own exist- ments in 2008, and look forward to more success in Emergency 911 programs, specific to juvenile inmates. ing medical conditions and undoubtedly will 2009. Juvenile booking and nursing areas are department, the new Coroner’s Office, the animal control building and the evidence vault. The design allows for expansion and addition of future projects.
The 2008 annual report for the Campbell County Coroner’s Office reflects only 11 months of the calendar year due to the annual report was requested without the month of December being represented. January started with 15 investigations, continuing to end with a total of 112 calls at the end of November. These investigations included cases dealing with assisting other agencies for help in notification of next of kin, cases that were declined by this office and cases that were deferred to other counties after investigation indicated so. As in previous years, I have broken down some of the statistics that have been of interest throughout the years and noted some of the changes each year brings. I would like to thank all of the very valuable people who assist the Coroner’s Office in the performance of our duties. Many people and organizations work together to help make this office successful in our commitment to the citizens of
Undetermined - 1 Campbell County. I greatly appre- Other statistics include: ciate their assistance and time. I Avg age of deaths - 62.5 yrs old, up .06 Accidental - 5 drug, 4 falls, 1 industrial, 3 auto/pedestrian would like to thank my deputies from 07 Rita Mashak and Lee Centner for In 2007 males 59.8%, females 40.1% Alcohol related traffic fatalities - 4 auto Alcohol related deaths - 5, 2 auto/pedes Traffic deaths up 27% from 2007 their help. trian, 2 suicide, 1 natural Suicide 2007 4 males avg age 32.2, 1 My thanks to all the person Drug related deaths - 6, 5 accidental, female age 34, total avg age nel with the Campbell County 1 natural 32.6 yr, all by firearm Sheriff’s Department, Gillette Police 2008 - 5 males avg age 38.2 yrs, 2 Seat Belt use in traffic deaths Department, Campbell County Fire 4/14 belted, 8/14 unbelted females avg age 40 yrs Department, Campbell County Homicides - dn 100% from 07 Memorial Hospital staff and EMS SIDS - no change personnel, Dr. Woodward, Campbell County doctors and assistants, Frequency by the time of the day called: Wyoming Highway Patrol, Wyoming 0001-0800 - 16% Crime Lab Personnel, Wyoming 0801-1600 - 37% Division of Criminal Investigations, 1601-2400 - 46% Dr. Pat Allen of Forensic Pathology Calls by days of the week Consultants of Loveland, Monday - 14%, Colorado and Dr. Habbe Tuesday - 14%, from Rapid City Regional Campbell County Wednesday -9%, Hospital in Rapid City, Coroner’s Office Thursday - 15%, South Dakota. With the Friday - 13% assistance from all involved, 600 W. Boxelder • Saturday -18%, 687-6179 we are able to provide pro Sunday - 15%. fessional service to our citiDeath does not take a holiday. The zens. Coroner’s Office was called on Thanks again. Tom 50% of the holidays in 2008 thru Eekhoff - Coroner. November. 11
For the Campbell County Fire Department (CCFD), the year two-thousand eight was definitely action-packed. Like all other county entities, the fire department has been hard-pressed to keep pace with growth in the county. New residential and industrial construction, additional population, and elevated traffic counts have greatly added to the organization’ response burdens. CCFD’s board of directors, operations and administrative staff, volunteers, and shop maintenance staff continue to answer the challenge by working hard to deliver the highest possible level of service to the area’s citizens and visitors. The following is an account of some of the highlights of 2008:
FIRE BOARD
CCFD is administered by the Campbell County Fire Board which consists of seven individuals representing Campbell County, the City of Gillette, and the Town of Wright. This group works tirelessly to oversee the general emergency services provided to the public, and to provide financial accountability, strategic planning, and a safe and productive working environment to the volunteer and career staff. CCFD Fire Board members include Sam Saunders (Chairman), Joe Robidoux (Vice-chair), Marilyn Mackey (Secretary/ Treasurer), Tom Johnson, Matt Avery, Jeff Wagoner, and Chris Knapp.
Public. Activities included speeches by Mayor Duane Evenson, Campbell County Commissioner Chairman Dan Coolidge, and Chief Don Huber, a blood drive, guided tours, and a fund drive for 13-year-old burn victim, Jeffery Elam. The new Station One is a 43,000-square foot stateof-the-art facility. It includes a generous apparatus bay area capable of housing 12 apparatus, a wash bay, ample office accommodations, a fitness room with a wide array of exercise equipment, and three meeting/conference rooms. In anticipation of continued growth and an expected demand for 24-hour inhouse emergency response NEW STATION staffing, the facility features ONE FACILITY sleeping quarters for up to After more than three years 12 firefighters. The new fire of planning, construction, and station also includes a wellanticipation, on February 8th designed kitchen and dining the fire department moved area which are situated for into a fantastic new easy access. facility at 106 Rohan CCDF firefightAvenue. Two grand er Ryan Fox and Campbell County opening ceremonies Campbell County Fire Department were organized: One Construction on March 31st for Projects Manager 106 Rohan Ave firefighters, board Matt Zahn acted 682-5319 members, and staff, as oversight for all and another on May phases of the proj3rd for the General ect. Malone, Belton,
Mobile Home Fire
& Abel provided architectural expertise for the project, and Van Ewing Construction, Inc. served as the General Contractor. The Station One construction project was a huge success as it was completed on time and under budget.
who will serve as the Division Chief of Operations.
FIRE GRANTS
In 2008, CCFD was espe-
CCFD STAFF
The fire department’ workforce has also undergone several changes over the past year. After a career of more than 26 years at CCFD, Rich Hauber retired from the fire department in June. Dale Izatt was named as Division Chief of Volunteers, a new position created in early 2008, and J.R. Fox advanced to the Captain position on the “B Crew.” Lori Plessner was hired in February and has since assumed the Financial Specialist position. After working five years at the Campbell County Recreation Center, Jerrica Johnson joined the administrative staff in June. CCFD’s most recent addition is Ed Schwaesdall 12
In early March, officials from the Department of Homeland Security awarded a $989,528 grant to the three-county region. With this new radio equipment, these fire departments will be capable of accessing the new Wyolink System (a statewide digital public safety communications system designed to coordinate and integrate communications between state, local, and federal public safety agencies). In May a spokesman for the U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company announced that CCFD would receive a new Polaris® Ranger Utility Vehicle through that company’s “Operation Ranger Program.” This program strives to recognize the service of the nation’s emergency responders and provide a versatile, practical vehicle that will enhance emergency response capability at the community level. J.R. Fox, Smith, and Murphy also worked on a 2008 AFG grant request to replace CCFD’s aging Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) units. In late-November, Department of Homeland Security officials announced that CCFD would receive a $514,044 grant award. As a result, SCBA equipment will be replaced at all 10 CCFD stations in 2009.
FACILITIES
Accident Scene
cially successful in securing grants. Ron Smith and Brian Murphy worked together on a request for a 2007 Regional Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) to supply new digital mobile and handheld radios to all fire departments located in Campbell, Crook, and Weston Counties.
The Fire Board and CCFD are currently involved in strategic planning to provide reliable emergency response service to the citizens far into the future. Business Manager Tracey Schuh and Ryan Fox are working on a project in which all CCFD facilities are being evaluated. They have worked with City of Gillette GIS personnel to analyze the most effective geographic placement of fire stations. In the future, this will help the fire department deliver the most dependable and quickest possible emergency response services to the entire area. A new fire station will soon Continued on page 13
Continued from page 12
be constructed in Wright thanks to efforts of the Wright Town Council, the Campbell County Commissioners, and the Fire Board. The Town of Wright will contribute land for the project, and primary funding will be secured through a Wyoming State Lands Investment Board (SLIB) grant.
continually analyzed to assure that responders are armed with the most capable and cost-effective equipment possible. Also, a major effort is being organized to recruit new firefighter candidates and
OPERATIONS
Chief Dale Izatt traveled to the Portland, OR area to observe and conduct research on a working 24-hour staffed fire station. In earlyOctober, Volunteer Crew Three, Captain Gene Plessner, and Chief Izatt organized a week of in-station volunteer coverage as a trial run of the “24-hour concept.” With anticipated future growth in the area, CCFD’s fleet will be
Grass Fire Bell Road
to retain existing volunteer emergency responders. Due to mostly to a relatively inactive wildland season, emergency responses numbers for 2008 have decreased from last year. However, with the addition of several new subdivisions, CCFD faces increasing demands on its existing resources of personnel, equipment, and facilities. In 2008 the fire department provided emergency support for two major events at Cam-plex: The BMW Motorcycle Owners of America International Conference in July, and the Pyrotechnics Guild International Convention in August. Everyone at CCFD is excited about the future of the organization. The fire department takes a proactive approach in all its activities to assure that all resources are being utilized to the best benefit to the community. The citizens of Campbell County can rest assured that CCFD is firmly committed to its mission of protecting lives, health, property, and the environment.
The Mission of the mium costs of employer sponsored Campbell County Human health plans increase an average of Resources and Risk 6.73% for approximately the same Management Department is time period. to support County departOne hundred and seventy-five ments, boards and agencies employees have participated in the in the recruitment, retention Supervisor Training Program impleand protection of Campbell mented in 2007. Forty-one employCounty resources and assets ees have completed the entire series – the most valuable of which of classes which includes training is our employees. in leadership, communication skills, The Human Resources/ dealing with conflict, coaching, Risk Management staff Tina Crider-Honeycutt, Gina Carpenter, Charlotte Terry and Kelly Shanley mentoring, teambuilding, and stress added a new face in 2008. management. The program has been Although employee turnover decreased Tina Crider-Honeycutt so well received that it will continue joined the Department in July. In her from 15.4% in fiscal 2006/2007 to in 2009. first few months with the department, 14.5% in fiscal 2007/2008, it may The importance of safety and the Tina is focusing on verification of the increase slightly in 2008/2009 with prevention of accidents continues to be asset inventory insured by the coun- a current projected turnover rate of ty as well as safety and evacuation 15.2%. Therefore, a primary goal of the program development. Future proj- department continues to be maintainects will include automation of the ing a competitive compensation syssystems used to track training and tem, while striving to contain the cost driver’s license/record checks. Because of a comprehensive benefit package. Campbell County Health insurance remains the most sighas been relatively nificant cost component of the benefit unaffected by the package. Employee education, Wellness Campbell County Human Resource/ economic down Committee programs, careful plan Risk Management turn being expe- design and the efforts of all employees Department rienced in the rest have proved to be very successful in 500 S. Gillette Ave of the county, the containing the cost of our health care Ste 1200 local job market benefit. In fiscal 07/08, the three year 687-6355 continues to be average increase in health care benefit Lee Zahn and Jed Holder assist with the County very competitive. cost was only 5.2%. Nationally preFood Drive 13
stressed through educational programs, workplace monitoring and post accident/incident investigation. Additional web-based tools are being utilized to develop management reports. The department sponsors and coor-
Shelly Eliason donates at the County Blood Drive
dinates the Annual County Blood Drive. Many County employees generously give blood every October for United Blood Services of South Dakota in support of the regional blood banks. This year we collected 38 units of blood. The Annual Campbell County Food Drive provides food for the Council of Community Services and the Soup Kitchen. In 2008 our remarkable County employees donated an amazing 5,073 pounds of food.
The year 2008 at Gillette-Campbell County Airport was packed full of exciting changes. The hiring of new employees, re-painting airfield markings, and adding of new airline service to Salt Lake are just a few of the many things that happened this year at GCC Airport.
costs, and passenger leakage to other airport markets are critical in knowing and understanding the local air service market. The Airport believes in order to develop new marketing strategies it needs to partner with a seasoned professional air service consultant who is able to analyze, strategize, and guide the airport to fully develop its air service potential. In December 2008 GCC Airport hired Forecast, Inc. to help analyze and develop new air service marketing strategies. During 2008 the Airport also developed a new logo, and website. You can visit the new website and see our logo at www.iflygillette.com. GCC Airport also placed a billboard on U.S. Highway 59 to help promote the new air service.
Colorado, and Salt Lake City, Utah. With the addition of Delta/Skywest GCC Airport is once again able to offer flights to Salt Lake City. United/Mesa added two more flight options to and from Denver, Colorado along with Great Lakes Airlines giving the GCC Airport traveler five flights to choose from when leaving GCC Airport.
A i r p o Marketing
r t
Because regional air carriers have small marketing budgets, they rely on the communities which they serve to do the majority of their marketing for them. This emphasizes the importance that local comFixed Base Operator munities and the state help them marWith the help of GCC Airport, ket their air service. For a marketing Flightline, Inc. received a new hangar campaign to be successful it must first door during the summer of 2008. Due be adequately funded. to an unforeseen failure of the door, The Gillette-Campbell County the Campbell County Commissioners Airport requested the County funded the new hangar door. The Commissioners approve funding in new door is able to open an extra the amount of $16,000 (20%) to match five feet higher; provide the ability of $64,000 (80%) from the Wyoming Flightline, Inc. to park larger aircraft Aeronautics Commission to leverage in the hangar. Flightline, Inc. is GCC a grand total of $80,000 in necesAirport’s fixed base operator and pro- sary funding to launch and maintain vides certified aircraft maintenance, a successful marketing campaign for flight instruction, charter flights, han- the Airport’s new air service. Both the gar rentals, and aircraft fueling servic- County Commissioners and Wyoming es. Even with the high prices of fuel in Aeronautics commissioners approved 2008 Flightline’s total fuel flowage into the Airport’s request. aircraft increased by 10.5 percent year The GCC Airport feels strongly over year. For more information con- about maintaining the airport’s curcerning their services call Flightline, rent level of air service. Airlines are Inc. at (307) 686-7000. constantly changing their strategies, and the airport needs to be proactive Air Traffic Report The Gillette-Campbell County Air in understanding and anticipating the Traffic Control Tower realized an airline’s strategic changes. Also, the GCC Airport believes increase of 16 percent year over year it’s important to know and underin aircraft landing and take-off operastand its internal strengths and tions. Even with the increase in Air Carrier service the General Aviation weaknesses, as well as its extertraffic at GCC Airport showed an nal opportunities and threats as increase of about one percent year they all pertain to air service strategies, and anticipate those over year. changes within the dynamic Airline Service airline industry. In order to The GCC Airport had a total of continue the Airport’s mar60,000 passengers utilize commercial keting strategies, and develop air service in 2008. This is a nine new marketing strategies it is percent increase year over important to know year. This increase doesn’t what internal and include the private and corexternal forces are porate air travelers using affecting the local Gillette–Campbell the GCC airport annually. County Airport air service marIn 2008 Great Lakes/ ket. Changes 2000 Airport Road Frontier Airlines was to such things 686-1042 joined by Delta/Skywest, as passenger and United/Mesa to offer demographlocal air service to Denver, ics, air fare
Airport Grant and Aid
In 2008, the GCC Airport was reimbursed $606,728 in grants received from the Wyoming Aeronautics Commissioners, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Typically, federal grant projects are paid 95% by the FAA, 3% by the Aeronautics Division and 2% by local county match. The grants were used this year for construction on pavement markings, airfield signs, and marketing projects. The GCC Airport had all the runway and taxiway markings re-painted to the new FAA specifications with an epoxy based paint; giving the
14
new markings an estimated useful life of ten years. The project was funded through FAA Grant 3-56-0012-30 and State WYDOT Grant 2583. Along with the paint markings GCC Airport received grant monies to replace the runway and taxiway signs due to their age and loss of reflectiveness.
New Employees
GCC Airport proudly added two employees to the staff in 2008. A new ARFF and Maintenance Technician, and Air Traffic Controller. Christopher Cole, the new Aircraft Rescue Fire Fighting (ARFF) and Maintenance Tech, comes to us from Florida where he just recently graduated from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University with a degree in Airport Management. Martha Anderson, our new Air Traffic Controller comes to us from Campbell County Sheriff’s Office, but has over 10 years experience as an Air Traffic Controller with the FAA and Air National Guard.
Airport Board Members
The airport board has done an outstanding job in 2008. Comprised of five members appointed by the county commissioners, the airport board generally meets the second Thursday of each month at 4 p.m. in the airport conference room. Airport executive director and current board members: Kelly Peters – President Penny Schild – Vice-President Jerry Dilts – Secretary/Treasurer Hein K. Kalke – Member Will Cunningham – Member Jay Lundell – Executive Director
The information and services that are available for the public and local organizations and boards through the Campbell County Extension Office is researched based through the University of Wyoming. New and innovative topics and ideas are constantly being introduced for the use of its clients by the Extension Office Agents and staff. In addition to its service to the local population, the Campbell County Extension Office works and coordinates with many local agencies and public interest groups. Our office serves children as well as adults in our communities. Some of the programs that we are proud to work on are: 4-H Club programming and youth programs, educational information for children at risk, practical education on financial management, money-wise food education and healthful food choices, agriculture, livestock feeding, small acreage land management, energy innovations and conservation, horticulture and gardening education, the Master Gardeners Program, in addition to several other topics plus new and innovative programs of interest.
Weeds in Campbell County”, “Grazing Livestock on a Few Acres”, “Trees for Campbell County”, and “Well Water Quality.” There were over 60 participants in workshops. The “Living on a Few Acres in Campbell County” landowner reference booklet was also created as a part of this project and is now available at county offices and business-
energy usage plans. Further workshops on these topics are planned for the winter and spring of 2009. Oilseed crop research and education continued in 2008. Several area producers are interested in growing camelina sativa, canola and sunflowers for oilseed production. The oil from these crops can be used in creating biodiesel or cosmetic products and the meal
Archery at 4-H Camp
Gun Shoot at 4-H Camp
Deena Wolf, & Jessica Gladson
More than 400 4-H events were offered in 2008. Program development ranged from Barn Tours at County Fair and Clover Corrals to County Shoot in the disciplines of shotgun, muzzle loading, rifle, pistol and archery. Some popular events in the program in 2008 included: a Donkey Basketball game involving the whole county, a camp focusing on natural resources, shooting sports, crafts, Global Positioning Systems, leadership and recreation, a Chili Supper and Bingo Party and much, much more. The youth at the annual Campbell County Fair were able to exhibit and visit with judges in more than 200 project areas, including but not limited to all species of animals, welding, photography, family and consumer sciences, geology and rocketry. Campbell County had over 300 youth exhibit projects at the Wyoming State Fair, with division champions in areas such as Geology, Visual Arts, Fashion Review, Furniture Refinishing, and Clothing Construction. Campbell County also boasted Champions in areas such as Team Roping and Market Goats. The 4-H Clover Corrals town facility for urban youth to raise sheep, swine, goats, rabbits and poultry was full and youth reported an increase in the areas
Agriculture & Natural R e sou rce s - L i n dsay Taylor
During 2008 the agriculture and natural resources extension education program focused on four main project areas: Small acreage landowner education, wind energy development (commercial and residential scale), oilseed crop research and beef cattle production. There were also over fifty Campbell County residents served by answering specific questions on topics such as water quality, grazing management and crop production in less formal settings. The small acreage landowner outreach program included five workshops offered with informational presentaCooperative tions and handsExtension Service on activities for participants. 1000 S Douglas Hwy, Ste A Topics included 682-7281 “Landscaping in the Rural West”, “Managing
4-H Donkey Basketball
es around Campbell County. This guide includes basic information to consider when moving to the country, as well as contact information of the agencies that can provide more detailed and site specific information. “Wind Energy Development: What Landowners Need to Know” was held in September of 2008. This workshop was designed to inform landowners of the questions and considerations when dealing with wind development companies on leasing agreements for wind development rights. Over 30 people attended the workshop and many have since come to our office for more information. Information is also available for landowners interested in identifying the costs and benefits of incorporating renewable energy sources into their 15
Getting ready for Fair.
produced by oil extraction is a useful livestock feed. Research for this project includes crop trials, creating marketing options and educating producers on the potential for production. Sustainable beef cattle production options included the creation of a unit cost of production spread sheet. This computer program helps ranchers identify cost centers. By identifying costs it is much easier to tailor management strategies to increase profitability and sustainability in agriculture, especially given current economic conditions. Other workshops offered included cheat grass management, estate planning and beef cow nutrition.
of responsibility and teamwork in their lives and project related interactions. Clover Corrals are also utilized by the Shooting Sports Committee for shooting practice and Hunter’s Safety Education certification. Tours of this facility are available through the Extension Office to continue to educate youth in our community on information on livestock and agriculture. The Campbell County 4-H Horse program held workshops, clinics, and contests throughout the year to help educate the youth on horsemanship, safety, and proper riding skills. The 4-H Horse Program has shown great success with the addition of the rodeo events including team roping, breakaway roping, goat tying, calf roping
4-H & Youth Educators-
Continued on page 16
and dummy roping. These events have made a positive change to the program and involved more than 40 new youth in the program. The 2008 year brought a new event to the State 4-H program, the Showcase Showdown held in Riverton, WY. The new contests held at the Showcase Showdown include the Presentation Contest, Horse Judging, Dog Quiz Bowl, Vegetable Judging, and the Rocket Launch. Campbell County boasted several achievements including Champion Senior Quiz Bowl team, High Point Senior in the Quiz Bowl, and the Most Original Senior Presentation. Campbell County 4-H continues to educate the public at county fair by facilitating tours of the events, programs, shows, and booths. 4-H youth and leaders went through training on the fair itself, livestock, and indoor exhibit judging and more to be able to give a quality educational experience to fair goers. This program was beneficial especially to local daycares and the children’s center during the fair. This year there were more than 300 tour participants with 15 youth and leaders presenting. For the 16th consecutive year, Campbell County 4-H held the annual Sewing Conference for members. This conference is a week long event with break-out sessions based on age and skill level. The first session is designed for beginning sewers and focuses on the basic skills needed to become a successful sewer. The skills include picking a pattern and material, laying out a pattern, cutting, learning sewing machine basics. The other session focuses on advanced sewers using more difficult patterns and material. The Clover Bud program saw tremendous growth again in 2007 with over 40 youth ages 5-8 participating. Our young members in this program are able to experience 4-H opportunities along with special ones of their own. The highlight of their year was a two day camp with activities that included gun safety education, wildlife track identification, and preparation of a full meal. Deena Wolf joined our office as the full time 4-H and Youth Educator on June 2, 2008. She is an alumnus of the Campbell County 4-H Program and is very excited to be giving back to the program that gave so much to her. Deena spent the past few months getting reacquainted with the program and all its members, leaders, and parents. Wolf and Gladson worked with more
ment of 36% by the families was realized. While these changes may seem small, they reflect huge health changes. Keep up the good work! Two new agencies Cent$ible Nutrition collaborated with are the Volunteers of America and the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation. Other partnering agencies include the Department of Family Services, Evenstart, Head Start, YES House, Early Head Start, the Council of Community Services, Campbell County High School, and Westwood High School. Special events include the Children’s Festival. The Clean Team handwashing tent is a popular part of this event. Please visit us in 2009 to see how well you are washing your hands.
Working in the Garden
than 250 4-H Volunteer/Leaders and over 450 youth to develop a wide array of educational seminars, events, local and state contests and state and national trips. Educational efforts remain strong due to the volunteer leadership base and in 2008 there were 26 4-H Clubs and approximately 430 youth in the traditional program. 4-H members in 2008 were competitors or ambassa-
more free time. Food Safety showed the least amount of improvements, with only 44% of the families showing improvements. This is due to better food safety practices through education in many other places, especially the media. More families are coming into the program with better food safety practices. The Nutrition category was the winning category for improvements this
Community Garden in Bloom
Community Garden
dors at more than 40 state and national events throughout the year, including members judging at local, state and national contests for wool, horse, and livestock judging.
year. MyPyramid makes understanding and making better daily nutrition choices easier. It is far more personalized than the old pyramid and seems to have clearer instructions. There were 87% of the families that changed their nutrition habits. One of the focuses is to make half of your grains whole grains. Over 60% of the clients reported eating whole wheat bread more frequently. The next biggest nutrition change came in the vegetable category. There were 53% of the families that reported eating more fruits daily. This was followed closely by eating more vegetables daily at 43%. Over 55% of the families are now using the information on the Nutrition Facts Label to make food choices. This is a significant change. Achieving the goal of cooking home-made meals more often was one of the hardest changes but an improve-
Cent$ible NutritionLori Jones
The Cent$ible Nutrition Program provides nutrition, food safety, and resource management education. There were 99 families in the county who completed the program in 2008. In the Food Resource Management category, 80% of the families showed improvements. These improvements included menu planning, preparing a grocery list before shopping, and comparing prices. Although saving money is the biggest motivator in making a change in this category, fringe benefits include less stress, better nutrition, and 16
Horticulture ProgramLori Bates
Since joining the Extension Office as Horticulture Program Coordinator in February 2009, Lori Bates has stayed busy with the Master Gardener Program, Community Garden, Farmer’s Market, yard calls to diagnose homeowner’s plant issues and programming for the Boys and Girls Club Summer Camp. The Campbell County Master Gardeners had another successful year with the Community Garden. All 60 plots at the garden were filled this year, including 3 plots that were designated for soil remediation efforts by the Master Gardner’s Fallow Plot Committee. All three plots had a different remediation process applied and each appeared to be very successful. A true highlight for the Community Garden this year was the chance to be on Robin’s Garden Walk. It was a great opportunity to show residents what the Community Garden and Master Gardeners are about. The Master Gardeners also had great attendance to their second annual Herb Festival held in July at the Community Garden to celebrate the herb beds. An estimated 75 residents attended the Festival to enjoy the live music, local artwork, garden tours, herb samples and free information. In addition to staying busy with yard calls and identifying insects and spiders, Lori also completed many sessions of programming for the Boys and Girls Club. Subjects included plant parts we eat, the effects of deforestation to our oxygen supply, Community Garden tours, a nature walk and others.
OUR VISION:
To promote the value of every child. What Are Our Mission and Goals? All our services are guided by our Mission Statement: “The mission of the Children’s Developmental Services of Campbell County is to serve the community by providing comprehensive quality early childhood services for children and their families, in caring and compassionate integrated environments, so that all children may achieve their fullest potential as unique individuals in society.”
GOALS
• Will nurture each child in developing a positive self-image, knowing he/she is accepted as an individual, while maintaining a sense of belonging. • Provide maximum opportunities to discover, explore and problems solve, in order to make independent choices within a developmentally appropriate and inclusive environment. • In order for families to enhance understanding of child development, opportunities will be given to be involved in CDS-CC programs and greater community. • Embrace a comprehensive vision of health in order to promote a wholesome lifestyle. • Provide a high quality, safe environment to ensure each child’s right to learn. • Honor each child and family’s cultural, linguistic, racial and socioeconomic diversity in order to increase the self-awareness of everyone. • Commit to maintain and promote high standards of Early Childhood and Early Intervention services through quality staff in a state of the art early childhood program, and maintain fiscal responsibility and integrity through proactive governance. The Children’s Developmental Services of Campbell County shall serve the needs of children regardless of race, sex, color or national origin.
VALUE STATEMENT
We believe in maintaining an organization built on integrity, that respects the value of each individual, and promotes personal and professional growth of all who are associated with CDSCC.
families. Without our services, many families would be at a loss as to where to turn for support and direction. • We screen infants and young children birth thru five for delays in development. Screenings include: cognitive, motor, social, self help skills, speech and language. • We provide evaluation and planning in partnership with families to design an Individual Educational Plan (IEP) or Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP) for children demonstrating developmental delays that can assist the child in developing his/ her full potential. Services are provided in a trans-disciplinary approach with an emphasis on collaborative consultation utilizing a diverse group of professionals including regular education teachers, special education teachers, physical and occupational therapists, speech/lan-
Critters Visit Adopted Gramma C
Thumbs Up in the Classroom
Craft Time
Three major service components:
guage pathologists, and the family. ** Early intervention for children • We refer to other specialists and birth to school age with developmental agencies as may be necessary to meet disabilities. the unique needs of individual chil** Early education/child care for dren and families. children 21⁄2 to school age. • We consult with families to help ** Early Head Start for pregnant them meet the challenge of raising a women, infants and toddlers. young child with a developmental disability. Who Uses the • We are the only agenCampbell County S ervices? cy licensed by the State of Children’s Development • This past year over Wyoming to provide these Services ‘ 775 children were referred services in our Region, 1801 Four-J Road to Children’s Developmental which consists of Campbell 682-2392 County. Continued on page 20 • We provide quality child
SERVICES PROVIDED:
What is Children’s Developmental Services of Campbell County? • We are a non-political subdivision of County Government which provides early intervention/early childhood services for infants and preschool age children with disabilities and their
care for children 21⁄2 to school age, of working parents, with priority given to single low income families and children with developmental delays. We are NAEYC accredited and are a Wyoming licensed child care facility. The child care component provides an inclusive environment for disabled and non-disabled children to participate in regular classrooms with adaptations made for disabilities when needed. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires that children shall participate in activities with an age appropriate peer group. • CDS-CC uses “Creative Curriculum” to ensure a high quality experience for young children. Creative Curriculum is research based which follows developmentally appropriate practices and NAEYC and DEC recommendations. The key building blocks for this curriculum focus on; how children develop and learn; the teacher’s role; what children learn; the family’s role; the learning environment. A set of 50 goals and objectives guide the children, teachers and families as each child actively explores and learns at their own developmental level. • We provide Early Head Start services for pregnant women, children birth to age three and their families, in home based and interactional settings, using “Parents as Teachers” curriculum. • The Early Intervention Preschool Classroom provide an environment for children with and without disabilities to interact and promote maximum developmental growth. • We offer parenting classes several times during the year including: Parenting With Love and Logic, and Common Sense Parenting.
Reading Time 17
Recreation
and participate at a recreational level outside of the stressful work environment. The Annual Fourth of July Celebration provided the community with free events throughout the day and into the evening fireworks display.
Campbell County has continued to grow in population which has led to an increase in visits at the Recreation Center. The facility saw an increase of 1,401 people visit the Recreation Center December 1, 2007 to December 1, 2008 for a total of 130,525 total visits. Usage areas include the cardio room, weight rooms, gymnasium, pool, racquetball/squash courts and tanning. Fitness classes are booming with many new participants trying a variety of classes to keep a balance in their exercise routines. Fitness classChalk It Up, 4th of July es included Water Aerobics, Power Flex, Cycling, Cardio Fitness, Step Aerobics, Zumba and Kickboxing. Zumba saw the greatest growth with 333 participants in 2008. The department encourages participants to cross train with cardio classes and weight training. Universal Athletics 5 Mile Road Race Our personal training program is offered by appointment only and has Events included; the early been used for one on one fitness morning fireman pancake feed, and exercise advice for those Firecracker 5 mile road race, that choose to take advantage Parade , Mud Volleyball, Chalk it Up, Free Hot Dog Feed (6,000 of the program. The “Feet Don’t Fail Me Now” hot dogs and chips served), road race series draws runners Strong Man/Woman Challenge, and walkers of all levels and Firemen Water fights, Water ability to participate in a great games for kids, and a Mini community activity encourag- Hot Dog eating contest. The ing a healthy lifestyle. Other fireworks display was accomraces include the Razor City panied by music broadcast on Splash and Dash Triathlon, the Koal 103.9. Other Special Events offered annual Turkey Trot 5K (with a record turnout of 240 runners throughout the year by the and walkers) and the Polar Bear Recreation Center include the Easter Egg Hunt, Fly Fishing 5K Race. The 2008 Corporate Games class, Hip Hop Dance class, including nearly 400 partici- Dog Obedience class, Dodge pants from local community Ball Tournament, Bench Press businesses. The events kick off Challenge, Jingle Bell Hike with a Dart BBQ at the Ice to Santa and the Secret Santa Arena the last two weeks of Program. June. The events then move onto the following competi- Adult Programs tions; Frisbee Golf, Bowling, 2008 was another great Darts, Dodge ball, Horseshoes, year for the adult programs. Billiards, Wallyball and All leagues and classes saw Waterslide Relay’s. Any busi- growth with softball and volness is encouraged to come out leyball increasing the most.
There were a 121 softball teams in the league with an 11 team increase from 2007 and a 56 team increase from 2005. Basketball increased by 7 teams to 52 teams. Adult volleyball is also seeing a good showing at the courts with a total of 115 teams for the spring and fall seasons, which is a 21 team advantage over last year. Wallyball stayed steady at 8 teams. Other tournaments and competitions offered this year was a Dodgeball Tournament that brought in 10 teams and a bench press competition that brought in 11 participants, with
be strong in Gillette with a total of 400 ball players. 1st 3rd grade Bantam Basketball Program had 353 future basketball stars participating in the program. The summer was a big hit with Kids Camp with a total of 527 campers, up 12 from last year. Other programs that are going strong are Girls Softball (154 participants), Kids Night Out (286 kids), Hershey Track and Field Meet (71 athletes) Lil Slugger Baseball (131 sluggers) and Youth Hikes with 21 hikers.
High Plains Thunder Run Water Slide
the winner weighing 175 lbs and pressing 385 lbs. The karate program had another great year with a total of 292 participants. Also offered was Hip Hop Dance to the public, with a grand total of 53 dancers. As a whole the adult programs brought in 306 teams in 2008.
Youth Programs
Aquatics Girls Softball
As Gillette continues to grow, I n t r a m u r a l so does the youth programs Programs for Campbell County Parks The intramural programs at and Recreation Department. the Recreation Center continWith Soccer, Youth Basketball, ued to offer youth of many ages Bantam Basketball and Kids an opportunity to participate Camp being very popular with in recreational participants, the prosports and fun grams saw great growth activities in 2008. Campbell County in 2008. Soccer, which Many of the proPark & Recreation is two sessions (Fall and 1000 Douglas Hwy grams experiSpring) had 1409 par682-7406 - Admin enced an increase Gym-682-8527 ticipants. This is up 103 in participants; Pool-682-5470 from last year. Youth programs such S. Gym-686-9160 Basketball, grades 4 as Junior High Wright-464-0198 6 grades, continued to Boys Basketball, 18
Junior High Girls Basketball and Junior High Tennis, Junior Golf and Soccer. During the season the boys and girls get to experience the excitement of traveling to surrounding counties for away games, but still get the opportunity to play most of their games at the Recreation Center and Bicentennial Park. The Blades and Avalanche Youth Hockey Programs was also a continued success with an increase in participants. There were over 50 participants in each 8 week session of the program. We are fortunate to have many great parents and volunteer coaches that help us make this program fun and successful. Summer trips to various places such as: Tie Hack Reservoir, Rushmore Water Slide Park, Cook Lake, Raging Bull Paintball, offered some summertime fun and excitement for youth ages 12-16. When it gets cold outside and winter sets in, so does the High School Coed Basketball Program. Over 200 young men and women played basketball at the recreation center gym every Tuesday night. As with all our programs, we continued to stress our main goals in 2008: Positive sportsmanship and attitudes, hard work and dedication, developing fundamentally sound skills and HAVING FUN! Overall, 2008 was a great year for the intramural programs at the Recreation Center!
From December 1, 2007 to December 1, 2008 the Campbell County Pool offered a variety of special events and activities to promote wellness throughout the community. Some of our most popular activities included lap swim, water aerobics, open swim and swimming lessons. A total of 1,227 children participated in swim lessons and 587 adults joined at least one session of water aerobics. Some more activities offered were lifeguard, water safety instructor and scuba classes. Private rentals and birthday parties have continued to be two favorite Continued on page 19
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activities. Special events such as Dark Summer Nights, Easter Egg Dive, Hawaiian Luau, Back to School BBQ, Dog Daze of Summer and Christmas Break brought in 1,048 attendees. Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend was definitely our busiest season with the ever popular High Plains Thunder Run Water Slide. The 385 foot slide attracted 18,732 visits from individuals of all ages.
Wright Recreation Center
The year was witness to many changes in the town of Wright. The continued increase in population stimulates versatility at the Wright Recreation Center. The diversity of the Center attracts all age groups and fitness levels. The Wright Recreation Center continues to be referred to, by many, as the “heart” of the community. It is the perfect place for everyone to meet new friends and keep a healthy lifestyle. Through various resources, the community is kept well informed of all activities and events. Youth programs are an
The Parks Division
The Parks Division saw an approximate eight percent increase in visitation to the County parks. An estimated 701,250 people visited one of the 20 parks managed by the Department. Recreation programs added greatly to the increased visitation with both softball and soccer programs seeing added participation. Family reunions, company picnics and church picnics brought several additional visitors to Cam-Plex Park as well as weddings in the Garden Area that also helped to increase visitor use. Visitation figures are based upon estimates of numbers of people who use the parks during the year plus participants and spectators in events such as youth soccer, adult softball, youth baseball, youth football and other organized activities. The parks offer a venue for
important and large part of the Wright Recreation Center. Spring Outdoor Soccer is enjoyed by boys and girls in grades 1 - 6 and Pre-School Indoor Soccer for ages 3 & 4 is played in January and February. There were 48 soccer players combined. Outdoor Flag Football, in addition to Indoor Nerf Flag Football had 52 youth participants. Bantam Basketball, played by 1st through 3rd graders, had 35 participants and 4th through 6th grade basketball had 52 boys and girls. Dance classes, concentrating on ballet, are offered for all ages, pre-school through adult. BBQ’s, healthy snack socials, and swim parties, were held after the sports programs for participants and their families. The pool offers Red Cross swim lessons all year for preschool and youth, a total of 150 youth took advantage of these lessons. A Mom and Tot class for Mom’s and their little ones, ages 6 months to 2 years, rounds out our swim lesson programs. The Center also offers CPR classes, lifeguard training, first aid classes, lap swimming, open
swimming and Water Aerobics. Free inner tubes offered one evening per week during school and two afternoons per week during summer months, along with “Yellow Fellow” the giant inflatable, increased pool usage. The pool helped attract many of our 6,184 daily drop-ins for 2008, not to mention our 6,489 membership visits. Fitness classes have done well this year. Cycling, Aerobics, Water Aerobics, Weight Training and Yoga are offered year round. Those holding memberships to the Center definitely take advantage of the classes at half price. Adding another trained cycling instructor in 2008 allows us to have afternoon and evening cycling classes. Both classes have maximum enrollment even with the 2 additional bikes added in 2008. Akai Ryu Dojo Karate Classes for all ages has a solid enrollment with several students earning belts and winning medals at various tournaments in 2008. Fitness workshops are offered several times throughout the year inviting the public to try our Fitness classes and meet the instructors.
Over 155 youth attended Dive-In Movies in 2008, one of the Recreation Centers favorite special events. The annual Easter Egg Hunt brings the entire community and visiting relatives together. The third annual “Hike to Santa” had over 150 youth and adults hiking to visit Santa. Other special events in 2008 were the Water Carnival, Pre-School Halloween Party, Turkey Shoot free throw contest, family Bingo/Roller Skate, three trips to the Campbell County pool and City Pool along with one trip to the new Spirit Hall Ice Arena in Gillette. Our facility added “Senior Swim” night in 2008 for the high school graduating class. It was a huge success with almost every graduate attending. The Wright Days 5K Run/Walk in June was the biggest yet with 34 participants. Our Wright Days 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament brought 38 contestants. The 2008 total for all “Special Events” was over 800, an increase of nearly 100 from 2007. The Wright Recreation Center is consistently utilized for school activities. This
includes Jr./Sr. High Volleyball and Basketball practices, games and tournaments. The pool is used by Cross Country, Track, Wrestling teams and Physical Education classes, along with grade school swim lessons. School usage numbers increase each year, with 7,200 students in 2008 which does not include spectators. Adult clients were excited with the 2008 weight room updates at the Wright Recreation Center. Adding a new Arc Trainer and Treadmill plus a wall mounted T.V., giving us extra space, appeals to all. The main lobby was painted and front desk updated to give us a fresher, more inviting appearance. The Parks Maintenance crew worked extremely hard in 2008 outside the facility and at the baseball fields. Planting grass, a tree shelter, and building fence at the ball park, expanding the irrigation system, relocating a picnic shelter and fine tuning the new playground, to name a few. Immaculate appearance of the grounds has resulted in more outside activity and many more positive comments.
a variety of community recreation events such as road races and walks, high school athletic events such as cross country and tennis and fun events such as the Annual 4th of July Picnic, the Easter Egg Hunt, the Jingle Bell Hike to Santa and the Festival of Lights. Each of these events enhances quality of life by allowing participants an opportunity to get out and enjoy nature, mingle with their friends and neighbors or just relax and watch others participate in an event. Improvement projects that were completed in 2008 include new ball field lights for one of the Babe Ruth baseball fields and for one of the softball fields at Bicentennial Park. The lighting upgrades have been ongoing over several years and are now complete. An additional lighting project saw the replacement of the Bicentennial Park Tennis Court lights and upgraded the service wiring
for the east end of the park. All of the lighted fields and courts now meet established lighting standards and use more energy efficient fixtures. An additional project at Bicentennial Park was the installation of an irrigation central control which allows the irrigation system to be operated by a computer/radio signal that will allow better monitoring of the water system and allow for adjustments to apply water in a more efficient manner. This system is expandable and can manage the irrigation systems in all of the County parks in the future. The WPA Building located in Cam-Plex Park received new windows this past year as part of an on-going project to improve the structure and energy efficiency of the building. The old single pane windows were replaced with a new double pane glass window that will assist in keeping the building warmer during the winter
months. A new project for CamPlex Park that was started in 2008 was the addition of several new Ponderosa Pine and Rocky Mountain Juniper trees to begin a new shelter belt along the northwest end of the park. The purpose of this project is to have larger established trees up and growing well when the older pine trees in the current shelter belt begin to die and have to be removed. Many of the current elm trees in the tree rows have already lived past their prime and removals have started because of the hazardous nature of some of the dying trees. Additional hardwood trees will be added in the spring of 2009 to complete the first part of the shelter belt project. With trees being such an important and integral part of the parks, Parks Division staff has been working with the Geographic Information System
staff members to develop a tree inventory for the County parks and facilities. Several park trees have been added to the inventory by locating them with a GPS unit and giving it a label in the system. Each tree is analyzed for its condition and given a value. When the inventory is complete, we will be have a better idea of the condition, age and size of the trees planted in the parks, what the species diversity is throughout the park system and what the total value of the park trees is to the community. The inventory can be updated as new trees are planted or as older trees are removed. This year saw the addition of one new employee to assist with maintenance of County facility grounds and to maintain the grounds of County facilities in Wright. Projects that had been planned but had been
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Services’ screening and evaluation program. On the average, one out of four of these children are identified as developmentally delayed and in need of early intervention and related services. • 229 children and families are currently participating in the early intervention component of the program. Services for children with disabilities has increased 132% since 2000. This past year, Children’s Developmental Services of Campbell County has continued a screening campaign “One before Two” in conjunction with Child Development Services of Wyoming. The focus of the program is to encourage all families to have their child screened before the age of two. • Early Head Start provides weekly home visits and twice monthly family interaction activities to 36 families who meet eligibility guidelines. Currently there is a waiting list of 20 families. This past year, Early Head Start offered over 1500 home visits and 72 family socialization activities to 50 children age birth to three, 11 pregnant women, and their families. Pregnant women and children receive medical and dental care through referral. • The Child Care component is serving an average of 60 children age 2 ´ to kindergarten age with a waiting list of 210 age eligible children and 103 children too young to receive child care services. • All of our early intervention` and Early Head Start services are pro-
The Parks Division left undone because of lack of time or staff are now becoming reality. Park staff were able to begin planting a shelter belt area around the Wright Ballfields and install a fence along the property boundaries of the park. The irrigation system on the Little League baseball field at the park was also upgraded to provide better water distribution from the system and to improve the turf grass on the field. A fence was also installed at the Wright Recreation Center to buffer wind and to cut down on the wind blowing the playground surfacing material away. An
vided free of charge to any child who qualifies for these services. A sliding fee scale is established for child care services. • Parenting classes were provided 22 weeks of last year to a total of 38 individuals. There is a meal provided before parenting classes, which enables the participating families to enjoy an unhurried meal together before beginning class-time. • 8-10% of children and families are placed by Department of Family Services or court ordered for abuse, neglect, prevention, or drug endangered. • 20-25% of children and families receive income assistance from Department of Family Services Children’s Developmental Services of Campbell County has been serving families for forty plus years and operates a variety of programs accessing local, state and federal funds for the benefit of children and families. It is the belief of this agency that when resources can be combined, yet allocated appropriately, it is a more cost efficient and people efficient way of doing business. The Children’s Developmental Services of Campbell County fulfills the function of being able to provide an array of services through one provider, in one building, utilizing a team of professionals and specialists. This is collaboration in its truest sense. Each component of services is not the sole support of all operational costs. Children’s Developmental Services of Campbell County operates on sound budget principles, including equita-
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additional improvement project that will enhance visitor use at the Recreation Center is a new picnic shelter pad and sidewalk added to the tot playground. Playground safety is an important goal of the Department and the Parks Division strives to keep all of the playground equipment in good condition and upgraded to meet the most current safety specifications and standards. This year, three playgrounds were slated to be replaced with newer more challenging play structures. The playgrounds in Green Valley Park, Cedar Hills
ble allocations to all funding sources. Science has produced a compelling body of evidence that children who receive early intervention during a time when 90% of brain development occurs, have a significantly higher rate of success in school. Services provided to children with delays during the preschool years greatly reduces, if not eliminates, ongoing problems that would need to be addressed at greater cost in public school.
Monitor review results:
The Division of Developmental Disabilities monitors the programs and services for children with disabilities birth to age five. CDS-CC has obtained 100% compliance. The Early Head Start Program obtained a gold certificate from the Department of Health and Human Services as a result of the triennial PRISM.
Cost benefits of quality Early Education/Child Car e / Interv ention Programs:
Projections have been made that quality early childhood child care programs demonstrate substantial cost-savings. According to the High Scope Perry Pre-School Project (Shore, R. (1997). Rethinking the Brain: New Insights into Early Development. New York: Families and Work Institute.) for every dollar invested in the program they had yielded savings of $7.16 in costs that might have been incurred if
Park and Fox Park have new equipment that will provide them with a safe place to play and allow for more play adventures. Enjoy your Campbell County Parks, Your Big Backyard
the program had not existed. The program’s savings to taxpayers (in constant 1992 dollars discounted annually to 3%) is estimated to be $88,433 per child from the following sources: • Savings in schooling, due primarily to reduced need for special education services. • Higher taxes paid by preschool participants because they had higher earnings once they entered the workforce. • Savings in welfare assistance and other social service programs. • Savings of the criminal justice system and to potential victims of crimes. Other impacts of the study indicate: • Report monthly earnings of $2,000 or more. • Own their own homes. • Own second cars.
Board of Directors
Ralph Palmer, Chairperson Jennifer Peterson, Vice-Chairperson Linda Jennings, Treasurer Carol Yonkee, Secretary Cliff Knesel, Member Christopher Knapp, County Commissioner Liaison
are scheduled to be installed during the winter of 2009. The Community Hall is a popular building for community meetings, wedding receptions, square dancing, parties and classes offered by the Recreation Center.
Rockpile Community Ice Arenas – 2008 Center – 2008 The Rockpile Community Center hosts the Soup Kitchen operated by the Council of Community Services. Meals are prepared and served daily by volunteers. Continued upgrades to the building include new entrance doors with insulated glass. Ceiling tiles and emergency exit lights 20
The new Spirit Hall Ice Arena opened to the public in November. The first weekend of operation was set for free public skating and over 800 people skated on the new rink. Spirit Hall Ice Arena is located at the east end of the Wyoming Center at CAM-PLEX. The ice rink is a full size NHL rink that
will offer a larger area for recreational skating, figure skating and hockey games. The rink offers a full concession stand and a heated lobby for spectators. Permanent seating is available on the mezzanine level overlooking the rink so spectators can enjoy hockey games or figure skating programs in comfortable seating and a warm environment. The Campbell County Ice Arena opened for the year in early October and is used on a limited basis for hockey practice, figure skating practice and recreational programs. Private rentals are available at both ice arenas.
Bell Nob Golf Course 2008 was once again a busy year at Bell Nob that saw lots of changes. We completed phase 2 of the bunker project, installed the GPS units, started a storage reservoir and designed a new pump station and delivery system to continue to look for ways to be a more efficient water user. The completion of phase 2 of the bunker project gave the golf course a new look on some of the holes. The fairway bunkers that were added and moved gave golfers a new view of the course, and gave players the opportunity to hit different types of shots. Along with the bunkers several tees were added to give players different angles on some of the holes. The third phase of the bunker project will start in the fall of 2009 and concentrate primarily on the fairway
The year 2008 was a busy year for the Clerk of District Court Office, with three Judges and three courtrooms the Sixth Judicial District is one of the busiest districts in the state. The duties of the Clerk of District Court, the only mandated county official, are set forth in both Wyoming Statutes and Wyoming Court Rules. These duties are to keep the journals, records, books, dockets, and papers pertaining to the District Court. Other duties include collecting, receipting, recording and processing all monies paid to or through the court. The office enters orders for child support matters and judgments, both civilly and criminally. The District Courts in Wyoming are responsible for handling felony cases, civil matters above $7,000.00, probate cases and domestic relations. In addition, the district courts are also the state’s juvenile courts. The Clerk of Court summons jurors for District Court jury trials. Jurors are paid at the rate of $30.00 per day plus mileage, and most tri-
bunkers on ed by the 3rd the back 9. tee. When comWe are lookpleted it will ing at some hold 164 acre fairway bunfeet of water or kers on 16 a little over 50 and 18 and million gallons. the removal The old wells of the fairon the course way bunker are being rehaon 13. bilitated and 2 The GPS new wells are units were being drilled installed on this winter. the new golf The goal is to Bell Nob golfer hitting ball out of sand trap cars in July and be able to prodelivered a new exciting way to play duce water year around and be able the golf course. These units were pur- to drastically reduce or eliminate the chased with advertising money so amount of city water we use. next time you see one of the sponsors A new 14 inch irrigation line was please thank them for their support. installed from the site of the new In July a storage reservoir was start- pump station to the back of the driv-
ing range, and then continued up the south side of number 9 and made a connection up by the 1 tee. These new connections will allow us to pump water to both sides of the course from one single new pump station. The association has a new concessionaire for the club house next season. Susan and Scott Shackelford will be taking over for Russ and Marilee Bell who have decided to take life a little easier. Susan is a familiar face around the golf course as she has been the morning person in the pro shop the last few years. Make sure you stop in and see Susan and Scott. The staff at Bell Nob is looking forward to next season and doing everything we can to make your golfing experience the best we can. As always our goal is to provide the best playing conditions possible.
Nancy Ratcliff, Krista Merryman, Chris Olson, Michelle Lieber, Gayle Cooper, Denise Fuller, Greta Evans, Donna Elkins, Cheryl Chitwood, Shonna Lundvall, and Pam Francis. Seated: Cheryl Williams and Darlene Fetters
als are completed within three voter registration lists. Jurors days, but can last much longer. are required to either appear 2008 we had a total four times, serve on a of 23 jury trials. The jury trial or complete Secretary of State’s their four-month Office generates a term. Campbell County Clerk of District Court random computer The Clerk of list of possible jurors Courts office has 500 S. Gillette Ave, for our county. This trained staff to Ste. 2400 list is compiled of receipt and distrib682-3424 names from drivers’ ute child support license records and payments. Our core 21
staff function in concert with the Sixth Judicial District Child Support Authority and the State Disbursement Unit staff ensure that child support is distributed in a timely fashion according to federal and state requirements. We continue to have success with Sandcastles. This program requires parents who are going through a divorce to
enroll their children ages six to seventeen in a three and a half hour, one time group session prior to the finalization of the divorce. The program is facilitated by school counselors. It provides a safe environment for the children to discuss issues that worry them and to ask questions. Parents are invited and encouraged to attend the last half hour of the session in order for them to have a better understanding of what their children are feeling and to be able to develop a closer relationship with their children. Planning a trip overseas?? Pick up a passport application at the Clerk of District Court office, or for passport and travel information, please visit www.travel.state.gov. Applications are processed by the Clerk’s office and forwarded to the regional passport office. Our goal has always been and will remain to help each and every person who walks into our office in a professional, efficient and respectful manner.
During the course of 2008, the Juvenile Probation Office handled a total of 423 open cases, 265 of which were newly filed during the year. The breakdown between the Juvenile, Circuit and Municipal Courts is as follows:
• Searches of home and/or vehicles • Mental Health Evaluation and/or Counseling • Substance Abuse Treatment • STARS Program • Community Service • Employment and Payment of Restitution All Open Cases • Assigned Curfew • House Arrest and/or Court Total Males Females Juveniles Electronic Monitoring District Court 211 157 54 • Restriction on associates Circuit Court 49 30 19 In Juvenile Court Courtesy Supervision 3 3 0 cases, parents/guardians Out of County 4 2 2 are also assigned a variMunicipal Court 213 146 67 ety of terms and condiTotal Open Cases 480 338 142 tions which may include providing supervision for their child, cooperation with the Juvenile New Cases Filed Probation Officer and Court Total Males Females Juveniles participation in a variety of treatment modalities. District Court 95 61 34 I n t e n s i v e Circuit Court 28 15 13 Supervision Juvenile 0 0 Courtesy Supervision 0 Probation (ISP): proOut of County 1 1 0 vides “stepped up” superMunicipal Court 191 134 62 vision, by Probation Officer Andreah Leu, for Total Open Cases 315 211 96 those juveniles who have Juvenile Probation not proven successful with the Supervision: The goals of standard probation approach. supervised juvenile proba- ISP offers the juvenile anothtion include: (1) Protection er means of being successful of public safety; (2) Holding before out-of-home placement juvenile offenders account- is considered. In addition to able for the harm they cause the terms listed above, ISP to individual victims and the may include daily contact, community generally; and weekly home visits; closed (3) Improving the juvenile’s school campus; and multicapacities and skills to live as ple drug testing per week. a productive citizen. Juveniles Since ISP Supervision was are assigned to one of our introduced into the Juvenile Juvenile Probation Officers: Probation Office in 2002, 137 Deb Lind-Adsit, Brenda Parks, youth received some level of Felice Williams or Connie ISP with out-of-home placeScigliano. Terms and condi- ment being avoided in 69% tions of probation vary by case of the cases. During 2008, and include some combina- 20 juveniles received the foltion of the following: lowing intensive supervision • Regular meetings services: between the Probation Officer, the juvenile and # Type of Services parents • Visits to home, school, 119 School Visits work or community ser169 Home Visits vice worksites 4 Out-of-home Placement • Monitoring of academic Visits progress, school atten186 Office Check-Ins dance and discipline 696 UA Tests Conducted referrals • Random drug/alcohol testing It is the expectation of the
Program that with continued early intervention and provision of additional services, more juveniles can avoid outof-home placements completely. Electronic Monitoring: Use of electronic monitoring equipment is available for use in the Juvenile Probation Office and enables the Probation Officers to maintain geographic awareness of a youth whose movements or activities may be restricted to certain locations or environments, such as when under house arrest. During 2008, 8 probationers have been subject to house arrest w/electronic monitoring, with periods ranging from 11 to 98 days. Regardless of the Court of referral, or the level of supervision, the statistics demonstrate the high percentage of youth entering the system who are involved with tobacco, alcohol or drugs.
of those 423 youth were placed in some type of an institution.
Juvenile Behaviors: According to the 2008 Wyoming Prevention Needs Assessment (PNA): State of Wyoming Profile Report, in 2008, Wyoming youth report alcohol to be the most commonly used substance in all grade levels, with the prevalence rate for 30-day alcohol use of 23% in 8th grade, 38% in 10th grade and 47% in 12th grade. Reports of one or more binge Cases involving alcohol and/ drinking episodes during the or other illegal substances past two weeks indicate 14% include charges for DUI, of 8th graders, 23% of 10th Minor in Possession (of alcohol), and possession or use of graders and 33% of 12th grade students. illegal drugs. From 2005 In Campbell County, lifethrough 2007, alcohol and time use of alcohol was reportother drug-related offenses ed as 55% of 8th graders, 77% made up 16.9%, 17.7%, and of 10th graders and 83% of 22.7%, respectively, of the cases handled throughout the 12th graders. Use in the last 30 days was reported as 27% of year. In 2008, the Juvenile 8th graders, 43% of 10th gradProbation Office handled a ers and 55% of 12th total of 423 cases graders, well above referred from the statewide averMunicipal, Circuit Campbell County age. Binge drinking and Juvenile Juvenile Probation during the past two Courts. Of those weeks also exceeded 500 S. Gillette Ave 423 open cases, B600 Suite the statewide aver117, or 27.7%, 682-0746 age with reports of involved drugs and/ 16% of 8th graders, or alcohol. During 28% of 10th graders the same year, 118 22
and 41% of 12th graders. Lifetime use of marijuana was reported to be 15% of 8th graders, 38% of 10th graders and 42% of 12th graders. Marijuana use in the last 30 days was reported to be 7% of 8th graders, 17% of 10th graders and 18% of 12th graders. Students who self-reported coming to school when drunk or high during the last 12 months included 12% of 8th graders, 21% of 10th graders and 24 % of 12th graders. PNA. Another dangerous behavior becoming more prevalent in the juvenile population is the use of inhalants. Inhalants are substances whose vapors or gas can be sniffed or inhaled to produce mind-altering effects. Youth who abuse inhalants often mistakenly believe that these products are not addictive or harmful. In fact, inhalants act on the same brain areas and neurotransmitter systems as cocaine, amphetamines and other addictive drugs. Along with the risk of addiction, inhaling these chemicals can cause death from heart failure or suffocation and regular abuse can cause damage to the brain, liver, kidneys, lungs and heart. Most inhalants produce a rapid high that resembles alcohol intoxication with initial excitation, then drowsiness, lack of inhibition, lightheadedness and agitation. In sufficient amounts, use can produce anesthesia, a loss of sensation and unconsciousness. Due to the short window of time to detect inhalant use in urinalysis testing, many youth report switching from their primary drug of choice (alcohol, marijuana, etc) to inhalants to avoid detection. Juvenile & Family Drug Court has completed nearly seven years of operations as of December 31, 2008 and offers an alternative to juvenile incarceration and other longterm residential placements for juveniles entering the criminal justice system due to their Continued on page 23
dependency on alcohol and other substances. The program may be offered to adjudicated youth 13 - 17 years of age, and their families, and focuses on juvenile crime involving the use of drugs and/or alcohol. Key elements of the program include: • Weekly Court sessions • Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment • Family and Individual Counseling • Intensive Supervision Probation • Frequent random urinalysis / breathalyzer testing • Immediate sanctions / incentives for program successes and infractions. The program utilizes a “team approach” in which the Judge, County Attorney, Public Defender, Probation, Department of Family Services, Substance Abuse Treatment Provider, Family Therapist and School District jointly address the needs of the substance abusing juvenile and his/her family. Drug Court Probation Officer Tina Parde provides intensive supervision probation services to the program participants. To date, 42 juveniles and 99 family members, for a total of 141 participants, have entered into the Juvenile & Family Drug Court Program. The program is currently serving 25 participants, 8 juveniles and 17 family members. There have been many significant program successes: • 63 participants have graduated (17 Juveniles and 46 family members) • 91% juveniles are in high school, high school graduates or obtained their GED • 81% juveniles have improved academically • 85% juveniles have improved school attendance • 82% juveniles have decreased school discipline referrals • 92% juveniles report improved family relationships • 71% juvenile graduates have had no new offenses since graduation • 100% juveniles have been involved in an extra-curricular activity, obtained employment or completed community service. • 96.35% of the drug/alcohol testing has produced clean UA tests Although occasional setbacks
Back Row: Felice Williams, Brenda Parks, Connie Scigliano, Andreah Leu, David Anderson, Tina Parde, Susan Cahill. Front Row: Deb Lind-Adsit, Judy Ratcliff, Nikki Burris, Shelly Eliason
Chart below Tobacco Education Group (TEG) - Those juveniles who have committed a tobacco-related offense may be required to attend the TEG Class in addition to their community service requirement. The TEG Class, which includes elements of lecture, video, demonstration and discussion, aims to move the participant through the stages of preparation and action to quit tobacco use. During 2008, 46 juveniles completed the program. Corrective Thinking Curriculum: The use of Corrective Thinking classes, which are aimed at teaching youth to become more accountable for their actions and develop their decisionmaking processes continues into year six. Juvenile Probation Officers are trained in, and utilize on a daily basis, Corrective Thinking methods to help juveniles focus on the choices that they have made to bring them into the court system. Corrective Thinking addresses the juveniles’ thinking errors and reluctance to be accountable for their actions, providing youth with the tools necessary to make better decisions and avoid future involvement in the criminal justice system. In the year to come, the Juvenile Probation Staff will continue to work cooperatively with it’s juvenile service partners -- Department of Family Services, YES House, Personal Frontiers, CCMH and local counseling agencies, School District, Law Enforcement and the County Attorney’s Office, among others -- toward our mutual goal of holding juveniles accountable and
are inevitable, thus far the program niles through the Municipal, Circuit, has demonstrated its effectiveness Juvenile and Juvenile & Family Drug in strengthening family bonds and Courts, as well as those which are a decreasing substance abuse in a man- condition of Juvenile Diversion. The ner not equally seen in traditional juve- benefits of this position are numerous. nile probation. Court orders are being implemented Community Service: A crucial element of the probation process is to require that the Community Restitution Attorney Fees Fines Paid Total Monies Paid juvenile make amends to either Service Paid to Victims Paid Through Hours Performed Juvenile Court an individual victim or the comJuvenile Court Juvenile Court Juvenile Court munity in general. To that end, All Courts probationers may be directed to 7,507 hours $32,129.25 $4,636.36 $1,550.00 $38,315.61 make payments of restitution, court fines and reimbursement for Court-appointed counsel, as well and fulfilled in a more timely man- improving the quality of their lives. as to perform hours of community ner, serving as an on-going reminder We continue to be thankful to the to our youth that these orders should Campbell County Commissioners for service. Community Service Supervisor, be taken seriously, and saving the costs their support of these essential juvenile David Anderson, provides service which accrue with delayed compli- programs. Susan L. Cahill, Director, Campbell to both the Juvenile Probation and ance. During the Year 2008, juveniles County Juvenile Probation supervised by the Juvenile Probation Juvenile Diversion Programs, assigning Office paid monies or performed comand supervising community service hour requirements imposed upon juve- munity service hours as follows: See 23
Engineering ~ Building ~ Planning~ Fleet Management~ Surveying~ Facilities~ Solid Waste Welcome to the 2008 Annual Report for the Campbell County Public Works Department. It has been a very busy and productive year for our department and we are proud to share a bit of our story with you. As with last year, on the capital construction front, we have a number of projects in various stages of planning, construction, or post-construction phases. A few projects include: • The Y.E.S. House Crisis shelter was completed and is a great addition to the Y.E.S. House campus. • The new Campbell County Fire Department facility is complete and is an asset to the community. • The new Recreation Center is under construction and is currently 35% complete. It is scheduled to open in the spring of 2010. • The new Technical Center at Gillette College is under construction and is scheduled to be open late fall of 2009. • The Campbell County Detention Center expansion and remodel project is heading down the home stretch and is scheduled to be complete in March
ENGINEERING
Manager: Phillip Giffin, P.E., Engineering Services Manager The Engineering Division is designed: • To take responsibility for project development, design development, construction oversight and management, construction budgets and the remodeling and modifications to all capital facilities owned by Campbell County. • To administer permit authority for small wastewater facilities, publicly owned sewage collection facilities, publicly owned water distribution facilities and publicly owned non-discharging treatment works as delegated by DEQ. • To provide services to Joint Powers Boards for construction of facilities that fall under these boards. • To recommend and administer District Support Grant applications • To provide subdivision planning services
2007-2008 Construction Projects
• Detention Center • New Fire Station • Recreation Center • Gillette College Technical Education Center • Sinclair Street • Kluver Road • Bell Nob Reservoir • Sunny Slope Road Drainage • Wright Recreation Center park-
of 2009. Our department strives for continuous improvement • Northern Drive planning is progressing and a public and welcomes feedback from the citizens we serve. We meeting has been held. are always on the look for new technologies and tools • The new reservoir at Bell Nob is complete, allow- to increase our efficiency and decrease our costs, foling the County to store water during the winter and lowing my mantra that if it doesnít add value, it adds thus avoid using City water during the peak sum- cost. In the coming year, we plan to incorporate a mer months. document archival system that will allow us to search • A Circuit Court Room was added and remodeling for and recall documents efficiently and quickly. In was completed on two other court rooms. addition, we strive to make major improvements to • Joint County-City projects at Kluver Road and our website, making more information available to the Sinclair Street are substantially complete, improving public at the convenience of using the Internet. Finally, the road network for our citizens. look for updates and modifications to our sub• The Ruby Estates Access Study was division regulations and a complete re-write completed and presented to the pubof our zoning regulations...both designed to lic. make the documents more user-friendly and Campbell County Public Works • Planning is underway for several projconsistent. ects, including Adon, Svalina, and Cow Our door is always open and we are here to 500 S Gillette Ave, Ste Creek road drainage structures, Slate serve the citizens of Campbell County to the 1400 Street extension, Landfill Phase III, best of our abilities. Enjoy the report. 685-8061 and various capital projects at County Kevin King. P.E. facilities. Director of Public Works
ing lot • Fair Board pole barn • Svalina and Adon Road drainage projects • Courtroom addition and remodel projects • Landfill used oil system project • County Parking Lot Repairs • County Road Maintenance • County Facilities Maintenance
2007-2008 Project Design
• Bell Nob water wells • Bell Nob reservoir pumping station • Hoadley Road bridge rehabilitation • Slate Street extension • Warlow Drive resurfacing • Cow Creek drainage structure • Hart Road realignment • Wright Library parking lot rehabilitation • Northern Drive right-of-way • Landfill parking and drainage • Landfill Phase III With continued population growth, the Department of Public Works strives to ensure the best possible services are available to the residents of the county. The department works as a team to ensure public services are housed in safe, adequate facilities; that roads and dust control continue to be a high priority, and that the citizens of Campbell County receive the highest level of professionalism and knowledge available.
PLANNING
Manager: Phillip Giffin, P.E., Engineering Services Manager The year of 2008 was an interesting and challenging one for the Planning Division. Development of new subdivisions slowed, however the number of lots permitted was up from 308 in 2007 to 358 approved in 2008. The County saw a significant drop in the number of proposed lots submitted in 2008 and fewer new subdivisions were submitted for consideration during the year. 2008 also brought the development of the first Recreational Vehicle Park in the County under the new RVP Zoning Regulations. The 30 unit RV Park should benefit in easing the housing shortages within the County. The Planning Division also had a new Planning Assistant join the team in 2008. Kayla Jones started with the department in August 2008, and is a great asset to the planning team. Many projects are in the works for the County Planning Department in 2009. A total rewrite of the Campbell County Zoning Regulations will take place, along with amendments to the County Subdivision Regulations. The Planning Department will continue to work and inform the public of development occurring in the community and work to ensure successful development into the future.
sions and re-subdivisions in order to promote harmonious layout and use of the land, and to insure accurate and legal descriptions and monumentation of subdivisions • To guide the public and private policy and action in order to provide adequate and convenient transportation, utilities, educational and other public facilities, parks, recreation, civil defense, fire protection, light and air • To minimize traffic congestion, air and water pollution, and flood damage resulting from inadequate land planning, including provisions for minimum area and width of lots and tracts, proper location and width of streets and roads, adequacy of water source and of sewage and solid waste disposal methods, and adequacy of drainage and flood control facilities • To protect and preserve the value of land and buildings throughout Campbell County, to minimize the conflicts among the uses of land and buildings, and to safeguard the common interests of the public, the landowner and the subdivider.
The Planning Division is designed:
• to promote the public health, safety and general welfare of the present and future residents of Campbell County • to establish reasonable standards for design and construction of subdivi24
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Continued from page 24
BUILDING & ZONING
Manager: Steve Anderson, Building Official and Zoning Administrator The Building and Zoning Division provides construction inspection, zoning information, and assistance to the residents of Campbell County who live outside of the incorporated areas of Gillette and the Town of Wright. In addition to the following usual responsibilities of the division, a great deal of time has been devoted this year to preparing proposals for review by the Board of Commissioners for the adoption of the 2006 International Building, Plumbing, Mechanical, and Residential Codes and the 2008 National Electrical Code. (Chapter 4 of County Rules) Public meetings are scheduled, and interested persons may send in written comments regarding adoption of the new codes. All written comments must be submitted no later than 5 p.m. January 16, 2009. The proposed changes will be reviewed by the Board at the first Commissioners Meeting in February 2009. The Building and Zoning Division is designed: • To provide information and help
in determining the applicable building codes for new construction, additions, and remodels and provide information regarding the appropriate zoning for a specific use of property • To issue permits for the Minimum Building Standards adopted in Campbell County • To provide assistance and information regarding the minimum type of permitting and inspections required for the type of construction and use of buildings • To explain and help persons unfamiliar with construction or with using the adopted codes to understand what is required of them to obtain a permit and inspections or to simply explain how best they can get through their project The following chart shows a yearly number of permits and inspections of the calendar year from 2000 to November of 2008. While we have seen a few less inspections this year, our inspectors have been very busy with four (4) new sizeable projects; Cam-plex Wyoming Center, Village at Gillette, Settle Inn, and the expansion/addition at Wyoming Machinery.
FACILITIES MAINTENANCE
Manager: Vern Fundenberger, Facilities Manager The Facilities Maintenance Division provides maintenance and custodial services for the following Campbell County facilities.
Facilities Maintenance Care Facilities Airport
Public Health New Facility
Bell Nob Golf Course (assist)
Public Health Old Facility
Children’s Developmental Services of CC
Radio Towers
Courthouse (Maint. & Custodial)
Recycle Center
YES House Campus
Road & Bridge
Diesel Tech Center
Rockpile Museum
Extension Office
Senior Citizens Center Custodial)
GARF House
Sheriffís Office (assist)
(Maint. & Custodial) (Maint. &
George Amos Memorial Library (Maint. & Weed & Pest Custodial) Gillette Library
Wright Library
Ice Barn Arena
Wright Recreation Center
Landfill
Wright Safety Building
Parks & Recreation (assist)
The Facilities Maintenance Division is designed: • to provide ongoing maintenance functions to County facilities • to develop and institute preventative maintenance programs to maximize the useful life of County facilities • to maintain clean, attractive and safe environments for County employees and the general public • to identify and mitigate potential hazards in County facilities The combined experience of our Facilities Maintenance Staff enables us to perform most repairs in-house, resulting in significant savings to the County. It also provides the ability to respond to and maintain County facilities at the highest level for the safety and well being of employees and the public. Our Custodial staff is second to none and takes great pride in their jobs. Their dedication is evidenced in the appearance of the facilities to which they are assigned. The Facilities Maintenance Division staff members are dedicated public servants and we are fortunate to have them as County employees.
Back Row: Holly Peterson, Bobbie Schnaible, Ed Wales, Stewart Penfold and Lee Zahn Front Row: Bill Fulmer, Vikki Varvra, Doug Evenson, Jed Holder and Vern Fundenberger Not Pictured: Gail Fulmer, Mary Beth Richards
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FLEET MANAGEMENT
Manager: Rod Warne, Fleet Manager The Fleet Management Division of the Public Works Department exists to literally “Keep Campbell County’s Employees on the Move” which is the motto for Fleet Management.
Here are some quick statistical figures about the county’s fleet.
• This year, 79 vehicles from the sheriff’s department were added to the Fleet Management Division. • Campbell County’s light vehicle fleet is comprised of 192 vehicles. • Campbell County employees will drive approximately 2 million light fleet vehicle miles in 2008. This does not include the large fleet vehicles Road & Bridge drives on a daily basis. • 17 county department utilize the fleet through assigned vehicles to the departments that demonstrates a need. • The other county departments
RECYCLE PROGRAM
utilize 13 vehicles from the Fleet Management Pool by checking them out on an as needed basis. Fleet Management Pool vehicle’s statistical use charts are included below. The charts show trends in miles traveled and vehicle usage for the year (pool vehicles only).
Accomplishments for 2008 include: • Working with the Campbell County Commissioner’s Office and County Clerk’s Office to create a county vehicle replacement account in which the county budget’s yearly for replacement of their vehicles. This
Recycle program points of interest are: • The recycle rate at the Campbell County Landfill is 13.6% while the rest of the state averages 6%. The recycle rate has jumped the past 2 years due to large increases in yard waste and scrap metal recycling and the start of a tire recycling program in 2008. • The national average is 26%, which shows there is an opportunity to substantially increase our recycling efforts. • Efforts have started to increase our recycle rate. Initially we will divert cardboard and steel to recycle from the Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) tipping floor and we will divert clean wood waste to compost from the Construction and Demolition (C&D) tipping floor. • A new “Used Oil” Collection and Storage System has been designed and installed at the recycle center. This system has been designed to meet EPA’s Spill Prevention Control and Containment (SPCC) regulations. The “used oil” is stored in a 6000 gallon storage tank and used in an oil burner to heat the Recycle Center. • We are in the process of streamlining our operations to send comingled recyclables and paper to Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) in Rapid City, Denver and Billings. In the past we used manual labor to sort these recyclables and market them separately. This was a very costly, inefficient operation. By utilizing these “MRFs” we will be able to accomplish our recycling more
process essentially creates a savings account which ensures that monies are available for replacing vehicles when they reach 100,000 miles. • Writing a fleet management policy that creates unity and standardization through countywide organizational rules and procedures. • Researching and providing statistical and background data to the Board of Commissioners for creation of a take-home vehicle policy. • With the assistance of the Public Works Facilities Management Division, organization and assignment of county fleet vehicle parking in the underground garage. • In cooperation with Public Works Facilities Management Division, creating a work area where vehicles can be inspected, cleaned inside, and tires can be aired. • Training and networking at the National Association of Fleet
efficiently, while being able to increase the volume and types of materials that can be recycled. • Recycling operations include #1 and #2 plastics, corrugated cardboard, newspaper, office paper, magazines, phone books, steel cans, aluminum cans, lead acid batteries, used oil, scrap metal, appliances, clean wood waste, yard waste, and household hazardous waste such as paints, antifreeze, pesticides, herbicides and other chemicals. • Campbell County has the largest recycling program in Wyoming, thanks to the community commitment to recycling.
Administrators. • Collaboration with Human Resources and Road & Bridge to provide monthly National Safety Council Defensive Driving training. • Joining with the State of Wyoming Wright Express Fuel Card Service Contract for out of town refueling of fleet pool vehicles. The use of these cards will save the County money by automatically taking out the taxes Wyoming governmental agencies are exempt from paying. Previously, fuel purchased with credit cards was taxed. • The Fleet Manager also serves as an Assistant Emergency Management Coordinator to ensure the functionality of the office during the absence of the Emergency Management Coordinator. • The Fleet Manager serves as a representative on Building Safety Committee and Countywide Communications Committee.
SOLID WASTE - LANDFILL Manager: Mark Swan, P.G., Environmental Services Manager The purpose of the Solid waste Division is to: • Provide a modern, efficient and environmentally responsible system for baling and transferring municipal and construction and demolition solid waste from the transfer station to the landfills north of Gillette. • Dispose of household hazardous waste and used oil. • Provide a modern, efficient and environmentally responsible system, to divert products from the municipal waste stream, to be recycled. Solid Waste Division points of interest: • We are in the process of completing new permits for Landfill #2 (Municipal Solid Wastes ñ MSW) and for Landfill #3 (Constructions and Demolition ñ C&D). • From 2004 thru 2007 MSW volumes increased by 32% and C&D volumes increased by 60%. This has resulted in the Transfer Station being near capacity. We are presently using consultants to plan, design and aid in locating new facilities to cover future growth and eliminate the deficiencies at the present facilities. • The new Landfill #2, Phase III cell design is nearing completion and is planned to be bid late this winter to be constructed this summer. This will ensure completion of construction prior to the present cell being filled in 2010. • With C&D volumes increasing, the life of our C&D landfill has decreased, requiring a new C&D landfill to be designed permitted and built before the present pit is filled in 2013. Continued on page 27
26
Continued from page 26
• As a result of being near capacity at our Transfer Station, employees work 10 to 12 hour days and struggle to keep up with the incoming waste. This has made diversion of recyclables from Landfills #2 and #3 more important than ever. • We are striving to maintain consistency, accessibility and convenience
for the community while maintaining safety at our facilities. This is a challenge considering the increase in traffic experienced at our transfer stations. • A Methane Extraction System is operating in Landfill #1 to evacuate methane gas. Extracting methane gas minimizes the possibility of groundwater contamination and
the build up and movement of gas to adjacent properties. • We have teamed with the Johnston County and Sheridan City landfill operators to complete an Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan to determine the most economic and environmentally responsible approach for solid waste management in northeast Wyoming.
Campbell County Health Department, Division of Public Health Nursing is staffed by 14 Public Health Nurses, 1 Home Health Aide, 1 Public Health Response Coordinator, 4 administrative staff members, and at WIC; 1 nutritionist, 1 nurse, and an office manager. Nola Wallace RN,C, Director of Nursing retired on June 30, 2008 after serving Campbell County for 35 years. In November, Della Amend RN,BC was appointed Director of Nursing for the agency. Dr. George McMurtrey is the Back Row: Sue Edwards, Joli Carr, Penny Eutsler, Deanne Dinsmoore, Judie Howe, Renee Hochhalter, Charlie Messenheimer, Lori Dvorak, Linda Duvall, Tara Wallingford, Amber Grubb, Carmen Harrison, Meranda Allen, Campbell County Health Officer. Pat Heinz, Kelly Hubbard. Front Row: Vivian Watson, Connie Moore, Linda Sassman, Della Amend, The Campbell County Health Dr. George McMurtrey, Jane Bradberry, Reba Lindblom, Patricia David Department, Division of Public Health standards of the State Nursing Service review for a long term care facility Nursing Service provides direct services in the areas of communicable and requirements of the various con- and the Home and Community Based Services Medicaid waiver program. disease, prevention and health pro- tracts, grants and accreditations. motion, maternal and family health, Adult Health: Maternal /Child and pre admission screening for nursing Nursing care of chronic/stable adult Family: home placement, home health care for in the home, office or clinic setting. Services to the mother before, during all ages. It is also the local provider for Personal care by the Home Health Aide and after pregnancy, care of the infant, many Wyoming Department of Health may be included in this service. the child and support to the parents. programs. Most services are provided This program includes home and office free or at a reduced rate. Some of the Home Health: This program provides skilled nurs- visits for the infant and parents. The services are funded by grants or conprogram includes the Best Beginnings tracts. All funds received are deposited ing and personal care to the individual and Presumptive Eligibility Programs, to the County Treasurer toward the in the home setting under Physician the Nurse Family Partnership Program, order. Public Health is a licensed home annual budget. Welcome Home Visits, Children’s The agency is governed by the health agency through the Wyoming Special Health Program, and serDepartment of Health. It is Campbell County Board required to meet the same vices as the nurse to the Children’s of Health appointed by the standards of practice and pro- Developmental Center. County Commissioner’s. Campbell County Health cedures as the Medicare and Communicable Diseases: The nursing policies of the Department Division of Medicaid certified agencies. Services for the prevention of disagency are reviewed and Public Health Nursing ease promotion of health. This proService approved by the Professional Long Term Care gramand includes immunization clinAdvisory Committee, Assessment (LT ics: infant, child,alladult, 2301 Four-J Road flu, and world including the County Health 101): 682-7275 travel. It also includes the throat culture Officer and are in accorThis is a pre admission program, HIV testing and counseling, dance with the policies and 27
communicable disease follow up and referral. The nurses also teach blood borne pathogen classes and other classes to prevent the spread of communicable diseases.
P ublic H ealth P reparedness and Response Program:
This program is funded by a grant from Homeland Security. The Public Health Response Coordinator assists the Public Health Nurses to prepare the agency and the community to respond to a Public Health Emergency. Exercises and drills are conducted to test the plans for our county in the event of an incident.
Women, Infants, Children (WIC):
and
This program is contracted with the Wyoming Department of Health to provide nutrition counseling and supplemental food packages to eligible clients. Pregnant, breast feeding, or postpartum mothers, infants and children up to age five who met nutritional, health and financial criteria are eligible for these services . The active enrollment as of 12/10/2008 is 900 individuals.
2008 Client Statistics Program Total Contacts Adult Health 4625 Home Health 1101 LT101 369 Maternal/Child And Family Services 2738 Communicable Disease 8066 Flu Vaccines 7689 Walk In Clinic 2992 TOTAL 27580
by Jeani L. Stone, Campbell County & Prosecuting Attorney
The County Attorney’s Office is responsible for the prosecution of criminal offenses occurring in Campbell County and represents and advises the various county entities in civil matters. Jeani Stone was re-elected Campbell County Attorney in 2006 and has completed her sixth year as Campbell County & Prosecuting Attorney. Bill Edelman continues to serve as the Chief Deputy Attorney. Jack Sundquist, Charlene Edwards, Carol Seeger, Bill Eichelberger, Wendy Bartlett, Brooke Steele, Dan Reade, Doug Dumbrill and Valerie Thomas served as Deputy County & Prosecuting Attorneys in 2008. In July, 2008, the County Commissioners granted an additional attorney position due to the increasing criminal caseload in the past several years. Support staff during 2008 included Myrna Clark, Lyla Fevold, Jessica DeMott, Toni Ellis, Carolyn Waldrop, Sandy Wilder, Debra Jennings, Jackie Adair, Lorene Stricker, Gail Eliasson, Danalynne Miller, Jonah Buckley, Doug Marler, Sarah Roberts, Lisa Rang, Teresa Kirkpatrick, Renee Proffitt and Jody McGee. Cherilyn Thompson, Bill Monahan, Monica Eskew and Charlie Hardin served in the Campbell County Attorney’s Office Crime Victim/Witness Office. The County Attorney’s Office supervises the Campbell County and City of Gillette Juvenile Diversion, Teen Intervention and Early Age Intervention Programs. The Juvenile Diversion Office staff consisted of Erica Wood, Janet Vaccari, Paula Martinez, and Randy Monk.
2008 STATISTICS
During 2008, the County Attorney’s Office prosecuted 247 felony defendants, compared to 191 the previous year. The Deputy County Attorneys assigned to District Court had 19 felony jury trials, compared to 13 trials in 2007. There was an increasing number of sup-
pression hearings this past year. In addition, the felony attorneys filed 85 probation revocations, compared to 94 the previous year. The volume of misdemeanor cases continues to increase. In 2008, 10,106 misdemeanor charges were filed, an increase from 9,859 in 2007, 8,523 in 2006 and 7,254 in 2005. Of the 10,106 misdemeanor offenses in 2008, 8,654 were traffic offenses. The continuing influx of workers to the community, together with targeted Driving Under the Influence (DUI) patrols, has caused an increased DUI caseload. In 2008, 1,002 individuals were charged with Driving While Under the Influence, an increase from 900 individuals in 2007 and 680 in 2006. Thirteen of the 1,002 DUIs were bound over to the District Court for felony DUIs, as a result of the defendant having multiple prior DUI convictions in a short period of time. The Deputy County Attorneys assigned to Circuit Court participated in 11 jury trials, compared to 16 in 2007, 18 in 2006 and 13 in 2005. Wendy Bartlett, Brooke Steele, Doug Dumbrill and Dan Reade primarily prosecuted individuals appearing in front of the Honorable William S. Edwards and Honorable Terrill R. Tharp in Circuit Court. There were 265 new Juvenile Court cases in 2008, compared to 288 in 2007. Of the 265 new juvenile cases, 78 were for delinquency, 25 for child in need of supervision, 53 for neglect, 73 for probation revocations, and 36 contempt of courts. The county civil department continued to be busy, advising the various county entities, including the commissioners, departments, and boards. In addition, the civil department was busy collecting delinquent taxes and handling involuntary hospitalization proceedings.
FELONY DEPARTMENT
During 2008, the County Attorney’s Office prosecuted
247 new felony defendants in former owner of Hip Hop the District Court in Campbell Hippies, was found guilty County, compared to 191 the of selling drug paraphernalia year previously. In addition to in federal court and was senthe usual hearings that occur tenced to three years in federal in felony cases, the Deputy prison. The federal case stems County Attorneys assigned from an investigation by the to the District Court handled Gillette Police Department in numerous probation revoca- 2006, where a civil suit was tions and appeals that were pro- filed by the County Attorney’s cessed in the District Court. Office in which drug parapherIn 2008, the Wyoming nalia was ordered seized and Supreme Court affirmed the destroyed. murder convictions for Kent The number of murder Proffit, Sr. and Christopher and attempted murder cases Hicks for the murders of Bryce pending before the Campbell Chavers and Jeremy Forquer. County Courts remained fairKent Proffit Sr.’s conviction ly constant this past year. In for the sexual assault of Bryce July, 2008, the jury returned a Chavers was reversed and sent guilty verdict for attempted secback for re-trial. The County ond degree murder against Leo Attorney’s Office opted to not Bloomfield. Brian Brown was retry the matter. acquitted after a jury trial for The County Attorney’s attempted second degree murOffice continues to prosecute der and two counts of aggravatindividuals under the Drug ed assault. A charge of attemptEndangered ed first degree murder is pendChild criminal statute. ing against Cynthia Leonard. Beginning in 2004, parents and caregivers have been pros- MISDEMEANOR ecuted in criminal court and DEPARTMENT juvenile court depending on The volume of misdemeanthe facts and circumstances of or cases continues to increase. each case. There were 23 cases Due to the increased workfiled under this statute in 2008, load, many of the defendants compared to 11 in 2007. charged into traffic court have 2008 showed a remarkable had a substantial wait prior to amount of sexual assault cases, making their first appearance. both proceeding to trial as well In 2008, 10,106 misdemeanor as new cases filed. There were charges were filed, an increase 31 new sexual assault cases of roughly 250 offenses from filed in 2008, compared to 20 the previous year of 9,859. Of in 2007. these misdemeanors, approxiMany of the cases had mul- mately 8,654 were traffic tiple victims. Jack Faubion, a citations. In 2008, 1,002 local chiropractor, was con- individuals were charged victed following trial, on four with Driving While Under the counts of third degree sexual Influence, up from 900 such assault, and subsequently pled caes the previous year. guilty to six additional counts. There are currently 2 charges Former fire chief, Gary Scott, of aggravated vehicular homipled guilty to 10 counts of fel- cide, ony interstate travel with intent or driving under the influto engage in sexual acts with ence where death results, which minors in federal court. He was were filed in 2008. Driving sentenced to 24 years in federal while under the influence of prison. inhalants or “huffSubsequently, the ing” saw an increase County Attorney’s this past year. Campbell County Office filed fourteen Cocaine use was on Office Attorney’s counts of sexual the rise this past year abuse against former 500 S. Gillette Ave, as well, with methfire chief Gary Scott, Ste B200 amphetamine offens682-4310 with those charges es decreasing. (fax) 307-687-6441 pending trial. In 2008, 266 vicJeffrey Doles, tims of domestic vio28
lence w e r e prov ided s ervice by the C ou n t y Attor ney’s Office, compared to 243 victims in 2007, 234 cases in 2006, and 249 in 2005. These offenses included Family Violence Battery, Stalking and Protection Order Violations. In 2008, there were 221 Family Violence Battery, 14 stalking offenses, and 31 sexual assaults. In addition, two (2) felony battery family violence charges were filed in 2008, compared to four in 2007. In 2008, 11 misdemeanor defendants were tried before a jury, compared to 16 the previous year. Wendy Bartlett, Doug Dumbrill, Dan Reade, and Brooke Steele were primarily responsible for prosecuting cases before the Honorable William S. Edwards and Honorable Terrill R. Tharp.
CRIME VICTIM OFFICE
Monica Eskew, Cherilyn Thompson and William H. Monahan were the Victim/ Witness Coordinators for the Crime Victim Office in 2008. Ms. Thompson and Mr. Monahan worked with victims of property and non-family violence battery crimes, while Ms. Eskew worked with victims of sexual assault, stalking, and domestic violence crimes. Charlie Hardin is the Assistant Victim / Witness Coordinator. The Crime Victim/Witness Coordinators are instrumental in working with victims in criminal court cases in Circuit and District Court. The Coordinators provide victims of crime an understanding of the criminal justice system and support during the court process. The Crime Victim Continued on page 29
Continued from page 28
Office files Wyoming Crime Victim Compensation claims, provides emergency services for victims in the form of food and gas cards, and provides referrals to other victim service providers as needed. During 2008, the Crime Victim Office took out ads in the local community paper informing the community about services provided by the Campbell County Attorney Crime Victim Office, stalking issues and sex offender registration. The Crime Victim Office also participated in the local Woman to Woman Festival, presenting a workshop on the use of technology in domestic violence and stalking crimes.
JUVENILE CASES
Jeani Stone, Charlene Edwards, William Eichelberger, Brooke Steele, Dan Reade, and Valerie Thomas handled juvenile cases in 2008. Juvenile court cases involve neglected and abused children, delinquent children and children in need of supervision. There were 265 new juvenile cases that proceeded in juvenile court, compared to 288 in 2007, 235 in 2006 and 231 in 2005. Of those, 78 were delinquent children, compared to 100 in 2007, and 28 delinquents in 2006; 25 children in need of supervision, compared to 27 in 2007 and 28 children in need of supervision in 2006; 53 neglect proceedings, compared to 36 in 2007 and 30 neglect proceedings in 2006; 73 revocation proceedings, compared to 93 in 2007 and 54 revocations in 2006; and 36 contempt of court proceedings, compared to 32 in 2007, 31 in 2006 and 25 contempt of court proceedings in 2005. Court-ordered treatment, counseling, probation, community service and the importance of education are emphasized in juvenile court.
CIVIL DEPARTMENT
Carol Seeger, Deputy County and Prosecuting Attorney, was primarily responsible for civil issues for Campbell County
government in 2008, including advising the Campbell County Commission and all other elected officials, appointed county boards and county department heads, other than the Sherifff’s Department who was advised by Deputy County Attorney Charlene Edwards. Some of these matters include road issues, planning and zoning, taxation and tax collection, and contract review. Carol Seeger also handled the majority of the Title 25 involuntary commitment hearings involving individuals who were suffering from a mental illness who posed a danger to themselves or others and who required court ordered treatment on behalf of the State. In 2008, 114 individuals were detained on Title 25 involuntary holds, compared to 97 the year previously. Of the 114 individuals detained, 8 resulted in Title 25 actions being filed. Deputy Campbell County Attorney Charlene Edwards continues to advise the Sheriff’s Department on various issues, including jail policies and procedures.
COLLABORATION OF EFFORTS
During 2008, several agencies have assisted the Campbell County Attorney’s Office in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The Campbell County Attorney’s Office acknowledges the cooperation and excellent job done by the Gillette Police Department, the Campbell County Sheriff’s Department, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, the Wyoming Highway Patrol, Division of Criminal Investigation, Campbell County Juvenile Probation, Campbell County Fire Department, Gillette Abuse Refuge Foundation and the Department of Family Services in the investigation of cases and assistance given to the County Attorney’s Office. JUVENILE DIVERSION PROGRAM 500 South Gillette Avenue, Suite B300 Gillette, WY 82716
687-6311, 687-6441 (fax) The Juvenile Diversion Program, the Teen Intervention Program, and the Early Age Intervention Program are all programs that participate under the auspice of the Campbell County Attorney’s Office. The Juvenile Diversion Program is in collaboration with the Gillette Police Department, Campbell County School District, the Campbell County Sheriffs Department, and the Campbell County Attorney’s Office, City of Gillette Municipal Court, Campbell County Circuit Court, and the 6th Judicial District Court. Without these partnerships, the youth in the community would not benefit from this program. The 2008 Juvenile Diversion Team consisted of Erica Wood, Randall Monk, Paula Martinez, Cindy Erikson and Janet Vaccari. David Anderson is the Community Service Supervisor, located in the Campbell County Juvenile Probation Department, who also works closely with this program. The Juvenile Diversion Program’s mission statement is to turn mistakes made by first time juvenile offenders into an educational opportunity and decrease recidivism of criminal activity. The Juvenile Diversion Program focuses on modifying a juvenile offender’s thinking patterns, curtail their criminal activity, improve school performance, improve parent/child communication, boost selfesteem and encourage positive decision making. The Program offers juveniles a record of no conviction if they complete the six to twelve month probation program under the supervision of the Diversion Officers. To be accepted into the Juvenile Diversion Program, juveniles must meet eligibility requirements and complete a screening process. Youth who have not been convicted of a previous crime and who otherwise qualify for the program must submit to random drug and alcohol testing, maintain a curfew, complete a corrective 29
thinking course, community service, maintain good grades, and often seek outside counseling services. The Juvenile Diversion program began in 1999, largely in response to the overload of the juvenile court system. It has been very successful for juveniles who have committed their first time offense. This program strives to provide the necessary interventions early. Statistics reveal that since the program’s inception in September of 1999 through December of 2008, 4,149 juveniles have been screened. Of those, the program has admitted 998 juveniles. In 2008, 101 juveniles participated in the program, with 69 juveniles completing, 30 failing, and 55 juveniles still in the program. The Juvenile Diversion Program has a 92% percent success rate for juveniles completing the program and not re-offending for a two year period after successfully completing the program. Of the juveniles who did not successfully complete the Juvenile Diversion Program, 80% of them failed due to drug or alcohol use while on the program and 20% failed due to not complying with program rules or committing a new criminal offense. The Diversion Program utilizes corrective thinking, a theory based on Dr. Stanton Samenow, which focus o n decision making skills within
youth and retraining the thinking process of youth to hold “themselves” more accountable for their actions.
The Juvenile Diversion Program is currently in its eighth year of operation and is seeing remarkable gains in changing criminal thinking and reducing recidivism. The Diversion Officers’ backgrounds are unique to many other programs in the United States as ours has both members of law enforcement and those trained in social work. A key component of the program is to improve communication within the family. In addition, education and maintaining grades are emphasized and improved following the corrective thinking class and the diversion program. The Juvenile Diversion Officers continue to participate in Camp Postcard, a week long camp which works with atrisk youth. During 2008, 19 at-risk fifth and sixth graders were invited and attended Camp Postcard with the Diversion Officers. Since the Juvenile Diversion Program implemented Camp Postcard, 48 at-risk youth have benefitted from the Program. TEEN INTERVENTION PROGRAM 500 South Gillette Avenue, Suite B300 Gillette, WY 82716 687-6311, 687-6441 (fax) In late fall of 2005, the Diversion Program developed and began the Teen Intervention Program, which is a voluntary program designed for youth 1217 years of age who are exhibiting defiant and out-of-control behaviors such as skipping school, alcohol or controlled substance use, and disrespectful behavior toward parents and/or school personnel. The program works on modifying behavior through intervention in the home and school, bolstering academic performance and self esteem increasing community safety, and strengthening the individual and family unit, prior to Continued on page 30
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any criminal charges. To date, there have been twentyeight (28) juveniles and their families who have participated in the Teen Intervention Program. EARLY AGE INTERVENTION 500 South Gillette Avenue, Suite B300
Responsibilities in the Treasurer’s office include the licensing of motor vehicles, the collection of sales tax, the collection of property taxes, the distribution of revenues received to the proper entities, the accounting of the revenues and disbursements, the registration of mobile machinery, the movement of mobile homes, and the payment of bonds issued for the hospital, the school, and the county. Shirley Study was re-elected as Campbell County Treasurer in 2006 and will continue to employ thirteen full time employees who share the responsibilities of the office. By the end of June 2008, our office collected and distributed $384,850,568 to various governmental entities. The distribution of these funds is dictated by Wyoming Statutes. We have an optional 1% sales tax that has been in effect since July 1, 1986. The following shows the collections at the end of each fiscal year for the past five years: Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2004
$5,958,972
Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2005
$6,785,304
Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2006
$9,053,842
Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2007
$10,705,358
Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2008
$11,487,733
A voter-approved Capital Facilities Tax was passed May 3rd, 2005 to raise twenty-two million for the Wyoming Center
ity requirements to be accepted into the program. The Early Age Intervention Program encourages parents to attend parenting classes and counseling with their child. Contact with the school, siblings and parents is a key component of the program. Involvement in community activities is explored. In addition, many juveniles in the Diversion, Early Age and
Gillette, WY 82716 687-6311, 687-6441 (fax) The Early Age Intervention Program which began in 2001, is a voluntary program that is offered to youth between the ages of 5-12, who are identified as at-risk. Youth participating in the Early Age Intervention Program do not need a pending criminal offense to enroll in the program. They must meet eligibil-
at the Cam-plex. The tax increase of one quarter percent went into effect on October 1, 2005. The total amount of the approved tax has been collected and the tax will end effective January 1, 2009. The Department of Revenue is required to give vendors 60 days notice and the tax can only change at the beginning of a quarter. On January 1, 2008, we started issuing University of Wyoming plates. To date, state wide 2700 University of Wyoming plates have been issued. The University of Wyoming plate is issued through the University of Wyoming. The applications are online at www.wyoalumni. com or can be picked up at the Treasurer’s Office. A fee of $130.00 must be sent along with the application made payable to the University of Wyoming ($100 fee for UW scholarships or student programming and a $30.00 special plate fee). The application will be reviewed by the University and, if approved, forwarded to the Wyoming Department of Transportation. Plates will be forwarded to the County Treasurer’s Office. You do not have to be an alumni to apply for the plate. The Campbell County Treasurer’s office held its annual tax sale on September 30, 2008 in the Commissioner’s Chambers. It is held late September or early October every year. We had 26 real properties with delinquent taxes this year and 34 people signed up to purchase the taxes. We use a bingo machine for selling the taxes and everyone is assigned a number.
New license plates are issued every eight years. The Department of Transportation is responsible for the design of the new plate. This plate year the plate will depict the Grand Tetons. We will start issuing the majority of new plates beginning on January 1, 2009. In order to issue a new Grand Teton plate the registration must have a 2010 expiration date. As motor vehicle owners renew in 2009 we will be issuing the new plates. Some motor vehicle owners have purchased the new plates already but were required to purchase extra months so that the vehicle expires in 2010. We will hold the reserve number plates throughout the entire year of 2009 and January of 2010. This gives motor vehicle owners 13 months to purchase their reserve numbers. Reserve numbers are 1-2500 for cars and trucks, 1-250 for commercial vehicles, 1-500 for trailers, 1-250 for house trailers, 1-100 for motorcycles and multi-purpose vehicles. Those reserve numbers not picked up will go on sale to the general public on February 1, 2010. The State of Wyoming has also made another change in the license
Teen Intervention Programs participate at the local community garden. The Early Age Intervention Program has assisted 168 youth and their families since the inception of the Early Age Program. Twenty juveniles were admitted to the program in 2008. Seven juvenile failed to complete the program, and 15 participants will be carried over into the next year.
plates. Previously we issued plates 1-9999 before starting with the alphabetical sequences. This plate year we will issue 1-99999 before beginning with the alphabet. Campbell County may not get into the alphabet in the upcoming plate year. Even though plates with be issued with five numbers, prestige plates will still only be allowed with a four digit combination. On March 7, 2008, the Governor signed Senate Enrolled Act 26 into law, which changes the way commercial vehicles are registered. Effective January
1, 2009, commercial vehicles, including the power units and trailers, will have staggered expirations like all other vehicles and will no longer be required to expire in December and will also no longer have the “grace period” from January through March. Vehicles purchased and registered after January 1, 2009, will have their expirations month determined by their month of purchase and fees must be calculated for at least 12 months. A different expiration month may be selected but motor vehicle owners will have to pay for more than twelve months to buy into a different month. The Wyoming Trucking Association initiated this change with the legislature in order to allow their members to have more control of their cash flows. The employees of the Campbell County Treasurer’s office will continue to strive to serve their customers with efficient and friendly service throughout the year to come.
Campbell County Treasurer’s Office 500 S. Gillette Ave Ste 1700 682-7268 30
Front row: Left to right Sue Harrison, Marlo Kruckenberg, Patty Brown, Janelle Cook, Marlene Lujan. Second row: Left to right: Yvonne Wagner, Shirley Study, Ronda Hunter, Jackie Blikre, Cathy Dowdy, Rachael Knust, Marilyn Howard, Becky Brazelton. Not Pictured: Pat Spainhower
“Fairadise Beach Party” was the theme showcased by 4-H and FFA members as for the 2008 Campbell County Fair held well as Open Class animals. Included in July 28 – August 3, 2008. The week was the large animals shows are beef, sheep, packed full of great entertainment, live- horses, swine and llamas. The smaller stock shows and showcased some of the categories of livestock include rabbits, talents of county residents. poultry, dogs, cats and “pocket pets”. The week kicked off with a sold out There are terrific entries in the Energy concert in the Heritage Center featuring Hall including arts and crafts, quilts, country singer Ronnie Milsap. Free stage leatherwork, ceramics and much more. Quilts made by 4-H Members entertainment included the Kahuna Beach Other events included in the weeks’ with local residents all day Saturday from Party Band, The festivities were the Coal Country his booth which included samples of Blonde Curly-Haired Fiddle Contest, Miss Campbell his work wear and a vintage pickup. He Magician, Michael County Contest, Talent Show, and his lovely wife, Sandra Bullock, and Mezmer, Hypnotist, Jackpot Roping, Youth Rodeo, daughter, Sonny, took in the activities The Birdman of Las Team Penning and a new event, of the Fair. His presence created a large Vegas, Caricatures Ranch Sorting, Pioneer Dinner, increase to the Fair attendance. America, Washboard Mini-Animal Show, and Dachsund The 5th Annual Energy Town Pro Willy, the Balloon Races. Rodeo featuring the Burch Buffoon, the Wind Jesse James of Rodeo Stock was held on Friday River Indian Dancers West Coast Choppers Campbell County and Saturday nights, with the and the Pet Stop fame chose our Fair to Fair Board Neighborhood Barbecue, sponPetting Zoo. kick off promotion of sored by the Methane Producers, 1635 Reata Drive As always, some his new line of work kicking off the festivities. We 687-0200 of the best livestock wear. He shook hands saw a significant increase in Hayly Knighten showing in the county was and posed for pictures affection for her cat the attendance of the rodeo this
Adult Drug Court allows for corrective action to be taken by interrupting the repetitive cycle through rehabilitation. Drug Court treats the problem, not the symptoms. Drug Court is strictly voluntary and an individual must meet a screening by the Drug Court Board to be accepted into the program.
year. The ever-popular Demolition Derby was held on Sunday, to culminate the Fair week. The hard work of the 4-H and FFA participants was rewarded by the great support provided by the local community at the Youth Livestock Sale. The sale totaled over $500,000, which was a significant increase over the 2007 sale. The 2009 Fair is already in the planning stages and will be held on July 27 – August 2, 2009. Mark your calendars now and start working on your projects to enter in the 2009 Fair.
Tierney Hofmeister Champion Intermediate Horse Showman
state grant. The Drug Court participant is required to pay for a portion of the cost of the treatment and other housing costs associated with the program. Adult Drug Court personnel are paid through a State Drug Court grant. In addition, many different agencies donate their time and resources to make the Drug Court successful.
Campbell County Facts For the year 2008 (Thru November 30, 2008)
• 1,417 criminal cases filed involving substance abuse (compared to 1,584 in the year 2007) Jon Mau, Kathy Williams and Doug Marler • 384 involved drugs (442 in all of 2007) Profile of a “typical” Campbell County • Never received treatment for drugs or • 860 involved driving under the influ- Drug Court Client: alcohol use ence (881 in all of 2007) • Single, white male G raduations • 173 involved minors in possession • Between the age of 18 & 27 • Campbell County Drug Court grad(261 in all of 2007) • High school education uated the first 3 individuals on • County designated as a High Intensity • Employed February 28, 2003 Drug Trafficking Area • First started using drugs/alco• 11 more graduated in 2003 Of the 14 active Drug hol between ages 15 & 16 • 16 more graduated in 2004 Court participants at the • Considers use of drugs/alcohol Campbell County • 13 more graduated in 2005 end of 2008: Adult Drug Court to be excessive • 17 graduated in 2006 • 3 are female, 11 are • Multiple DWUI’s and perhaps • 19 graduated in 2007 500 S. Gillette Ave, male a possession and/or MIP Ste. 2500 • 7 more graduated in 2008 • 86 have successfully • Drugs of choice include alco687-6470 completed the program: hol, cannabis and stimulants Drug Court Funding • 28 females, 58 males Adult Drug Court is funded under a (including methamphetamine) 31
Taxpayer Benefits Drug Court
of
Without Drug Court involvement: • 6 months incarceration possible • $65 per day for each day of incarceration • If full 180 days incarceration @ $65/ day = $11,800 • ALL TAXPAYER FUNDED With Drug Court participation: • Treatment costs less than jail • Less crime to support a habit • Less insurance costs • A working citizen who pays taxes instead of using tax dollars • A healthy parent to care for their own children • Drug Court treats the problem, not the symptoms Source: Wyoming Department of Health
Commissioner
Commissioner
Commissioner
Commissioner
Dan Coolidge 682-7283
Chris R. Knapp 682-7283
Roy Edwards 682-7283
Amir Sancher 682-7283
Commissioner
Assessor
Attorney
Clerk
Jeani Stone 682-4310
Susan Saunders 682-7285
Coroner
Sheriff
Treasurer
Tom Eekhoff 687-6179
Bill Pownall 687-6160
Shirley Study 682-7268
Steve Hughes 682-7283
Clerk Of District Court
Nancy Ratcliff 682-3424
Troy Clements 682-7266
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