Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Sheriff urges regional search-and-rescue facility; county architects outline phased plan to support grant applications
Summary
Big Horn County Sheriff Ken Blackburn and search-and-rescue leaders described rising call volume and liability concerns and urged a phased, grant-ready regional training and operations facility; Point Architects provided planning cost estimates and recommended a master plan to improve grant competitiveness.
Big Horn County Sheriff Ken Blackburn and representatives from BHC Search and Rescue told commissioners on Jan. 7 that demand for rescue services has increased and that many operations depend on flight support.
Blackburn said the squad is one of the busiest in the state and that rescues often involve ill-prepared visitors who misunderstand rescue capabilities, increasing operational complexity and liability. Jeff Schmidt of BHC Search and Rescue and Point Architects' Kane Morris discussed options for a phased training and operations facility and emphasized that a shovel-ready master plan and shared occupancy (multiple tenants) would strengthen grant applications.
Morris said preliminary design and engineering costs commonly run near 10% of a project's total and recommended a phased approach to allow construction to proceed as funding becomes available. Blackburn highlighted the Greybull Airport as a promising location because of its north-south access and proximity to flight operations; commissioners and staff discussed incorporating a pilots’ lounge and possible bunking to increase the project's utility.
The commission did not authorize construction funding at the meeting but encouraged staff to pursue planning grants and to prepare a scope and cost estimate that could be used in grant applications. Architects and county officials said pursuing design grants first would improve eligibility for later construction funding.
