[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6094229,"mediaKeyId","2844483-6eb9c557075de5a86ba09ec8b9077da6","parentId",2844483,"title","Albany County commissioners approve road chip seal contract, phone‑system evaluation and other measures; decline Laramie growth‑area IGA","audioSeconds",1377,"startMs",4355180,"endMs",5732405,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2844483-6eb9c557075de5a86ba09ec8b9077da6&start=4355&end=5732","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2844483-6eb9c557075de5a86ba09ec8b9077da6/thumbnail_4355180.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6094229/Albany-County/Wyoming/Albany-County-commissioners-approve-road-chip-seal-contract-phonesystem-evaluation-and-other-measures-decline-Laramie-growtharea-IGA","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6094229-7d0157d59aca10dc8b80eb3dcfc80623/orig.mp4?Expires=1770861469&Signature=kC~TEVgkKMyFiJZ~SHMtD0TJSMA74l4YTi72GakTJyK6l2jn-hhuaRYdN49qhPRdgFWBKDH25kwlbOXQKZJzUsYp5M2xlm8BTnTwZm4Ys1wfaqJd8iMKrlhNTneahKvx~H-SIYdq6uB8iQaey6LlvuLFPZ7kZwT-507v6rWwMH5lYU5-SmQpMLOc2xdXMxQnVf78qdJ-B~U9fGstcFetqSOSK5zaKW6TD9TzKdVED3aRwxBBJr-ixy4FiIVZUL8~gM5~3Bc1c9gLZ2JPWoiB9ACdDYB~ElJO~ifiSoYX9S8iC7uMYr3e~-gSopEXlp6kavg7i8EZClybtO~vE0IkUQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Albany County WY","date","2025-04-02T08:33:24.627Z","article","The Albany County Board of Commissioners on April 1 approved a series of contracts and routine items, including a road chip‑seal contract and an evaluation agreement for a cloud‑based phone system, and ratified a federal grant application. The board also voted to decline an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with the City of Laramie to implement a joint growth‑area plan.

The board approved awarding the Albany County Road Chip Seal Project to Intermountain Slurry Seal, accepting the company’s low bid that staff described as “a little under $2.5 million.” County staff told commissioners they had budgeted $3.9 million for the overall project and had set aside $150,000 in a force account for unforeseen pavement work. The motion to award the contract passed on a recorded voice vote; commissioners indicated unanimous approval during the vote.

The commission also approved a CDWG quote for a scheduled IT hardware refresh “in the amount not to exceed $24,037.20.” County IT staff described the purchase as part of a five‑year rotation to replace aging Windows 10 workstations and several detention‑center video stations and to add dual‑monitor setups for greater staff efficiency.

Albany County authorized an evaluation agreement with RingCentral to pilot a cloud‑based communications system. IT staff told commissioners the current phone system will reach end of support in 2025 and that a cloud solution offers broader feature sets, soft‑client capability (so staff can answer county lines from mobile or desktop apps) and improved FOIA‑ready reporting. The board approved a proof‑of‑concept agreement to test RingCentral before a wider rollout.

Other approvals and ratifications at the meeting included:

- Ratification of a Mountain and Plains Environmental Justice grant application for Casper Aquifer monitoring. Staff said the application requested “over $180,000” and that a federal de minimis indirect cost rate of 15% (about $23,550) was included in the request. The commission ratified the application submission.

- Approval of an approach license for Willow Waters LLC on County Road 530 (Lawrence Road).

- Approval of a catering permit for Altitude Chop House and Brewery to serve an event at the Wolf Ranch event space on May 3, 2025.

- Acceptance of an exemption request from the large‑tract subdivision process to create a 35‑acre tract from a 1,211‑acre parent parcel; planning staff said the exemption met the county subdivision resolution criteria and the board approved it.

The board also heard a presentation from J and J Second Chance Small Holdings, a Rock River‑based animal rescue, seeking $25,000 in county community‑partner funding to build an ADA‑accessible multipurpose building; that item was presented for discussion and no county decision was made at the meeting.

On the intergovernmental agreement with the City of Laramie, commissioners debated whether to approve an IGA that would guide growth‑area coordination outside city limits. Commissioners who opposed the IGA expressed concern that the agreement would place requirements on development outside the city and could increase the county’s enforcement burden; supporters said the plan was intended to align streets, utilities and subdivision standards to avoid costly mismatches. After discussion the board voted to decline entering into the IGA.

The meeting also included standard business: approval of consent‑agenda items, voucher approval for March 2025, and an executive session under the cited Wyoming statute. Commissioners called the meeting to a close after the roll calls on final items.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Albany County Government - County Commissioners Regular Meeting - 04/01/2025","oneSentenceSummary","At its April 1 meeting the Albany County Board of Commissioners awarded a chip‑seal contract, approved IT and communications purchases and ratified a grant application; the commission voted to decline an intergovernmental agreement with the City of Laramie on a growth area plan.","taxTitle","Albany County, Wyoming","taxId",52001,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6094234,"Albany County discussion highlights data centers, renewables and community concerns about wind projects",2151,160,2151375,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2844483-6eb9c557075de5a86ba09ec8b9077da6&start=0&end=2151","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2844483-6eb9c557075de5a86ba09ec8b9077da6/thumbnail_160.jpg","/articles/6094234/Albany-County/Wyoming/Albany-County-discussion-highlights-data-centers-renewables-and-community-concerns-about-wind-projects","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6094234-deeaed72fa1a5acff05d60652e4cd7e3/orig.mp4?Expires=1770861469&Signature=EklxrkCZiGsAfeFABlcoiHjB7gtobSxqwwXhGMRnvkaADSoeQ9RSfwcewUouzBdE~QhgcYAhJjS3R0Ve1oLwKJVx-ru5I0ZNP0tZ6ZHdQ2AAG-YOKJvksK4NJnHvDAwGgpLbo1dIiUyPDUOxaDa4ovA~3f-cBTGIz2DDwpTUWQ645M8idhzyKW6NWO99ENdNYt8dFh5PgmGRj4oz4dCerQwJAHvQLe8gJFEIJyxCvEZtaOLoJa5Plh5FKACss4CEmiWT1ROfIV5uESWV5cBSvxjef5chdvuRNKeN87KA6iyTR2pQrywswZu4YWkBBjVSMkVUGcW60vS9EpBmbKsp~g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Panelists and county officials discussed the prospects for data centers, renewable generation and energy storage, and the community concerns that often accompany those projects during a county-level energy discussion.

The conversation focused on what Albany County — which participants described as largely agricultural and not a minerals county — might see in coming years. “Renewables aren't even we don't have a solar wind,” Panelist 1 said, summing up local limitations on siting utility-scale renewables in areas without strong solar or wind resources. Panelist 5 added that hyperscale data-center developers are looking at Wyoming for naturally cool ambient temperatures and “want to build big buildings that could be cool naturally, to defray some of the cost.”

Why it matters: speakers said the technical and social issues differ by county. Panelists raised three recurring constraints: local grid capacity, developer community engagement, and the divide between landowners who lease for projects and neighbors who object to view-shed or property-value impacts.

On the grid and ownership of electrons, participants described common frustration that local benefits from distant projects are limited. “A lot of utility scale does not help the residents of Albany County,” Panelist 6 said, adding that a developer-owned rail tie must still convince a regulated monopoly to purchase the power; that contract path keeps local customers from directly receiving low‑cost wind energy from nearby projects.

Speakers discussed microgrids and behind‑the‑meter power as partial solutions. Panelist 4 said microgrids are part of the conversation as hyperscalers locate in the region, but noted that even projects that plan to use the grid “1% of the time” still need firm generation and transmission interconnections that are costly. The question of who bears those interconnection and backup costs drew repeated attention.

Panelists raised storage and balancing technologies as options for intermittent renewables. “Pumped hydro seems to be a solution in many places already,” Panelist 6 said, and the group discussed using elevation differences and other local geology to store energy. Participants also mentioned batteries and compressed‑air storage. Panelist 4 noted that losses in long transmission lines make serving distant markets less economically efficient, which strengthens the case for local storage when large power users, such as hyperscalers, are present.

Development and local engagement were a persistent theme. Panelist 3 said that earlier developers engaged with residents and landowners, but after projects were sold some successor companies stopped returning calls. Public hearings were described as well attended — “1 went for 5 hours, in our district courtroom,” Panelist 6 said — and opposition commonly focused on view‑sheds, perceived health or noise impacts, and property values.

On critical minerals and uranium, Panelist 1 said Wyoming’s deposits have not all been designated on the USGS critical‑minerals list and that state advocates are seeking expansion of that list to reflect local resources. Speakers also reported renewed interest in uranium exploration tied to broader national demand for nuclear fuel, but said commercial viability and regulatory paths remain uncertain.

What’s next: speakers asked for clearer technical resources and a clearinghouse of questions for local decision‑makers so county commissioners can evaluate proposals for microreactors, pumped hydro or data centers. Panelist 6 said the project team is compiling guidance and intends to include community engagement tools and permitting checklists.

Ending: participants said Wyoming’s mix of resources and transmission infrastructure could support different energy futures in different places, but added that local benefits depend on developer agreements, grid arrangements and stronger channels for community engagement.","Panelists and county officials discussed data centers, wind and solar projects, grid constraints, storage options such as pumped hydro, and community engagement challenges during an Albany County energy discussion.","actionData","errors"]

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Albany County commissioners approve road chip seal contract, phone‑system evaluation and other measures; decline Laramie growth‑area IGA

Albany County discussion highlights data centers, renewables and community concerns about wind projects