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Big Horn County approves right‑of‑way permits and conditionally backs Burlington chip‑seal work
Summary
Commissioners approved right‑of‑way permits for water‑line work, a landowner easement for Shell Creek Bridge and ratified a BLM permit; they conditionally agreed to chip‑seal the west side of Lane 38 if the Town of Burlington reimburses about $56,000. Facilities staff warned of repeated jail AC failures and a potential $70,000 fix.
Big Horn County Commissioners on June 3 approved multiple road right‑of‑way permits and granted a conditional agreement with the Town of Burlington to chip‑seal a section of Lane 38 adjacent to county work.
Engineering/Road and Bridge (Leonhardt) recommended approval of right‑of‑way permits to relocate water lines on Rimrock Road and Road 16; Commissioner Dave Neves moved to approve the permits, and the motion carried. Leonhardt also presented a right‑of‑way easement from a landowner to the county for Shell Creek Bridge construction; that easement was approved after a motion by Neves. The commission ratified a previously signed Bureau of Land Management permit for Road 26½.
Leonhardt told commissioners that Burlington asked the county to chip‑seal roughly a half‑mile on each side of the highway where the county will work on Lane 38 and offered to reimburse the county for the in‑town portion. The mayor’s estimate for the town portion was approximately $56,000. Commissioner Neves said he supported the partnership if the Burlington Town Council approves it; Commissioner Bruce Jolley said he was concerned about crossing the highway but agreed the west side contiguous with county work made sense. The commission approved doing the west side of Lane 38 on the condition Burlington pays for the portion within town limits.
Facilities Manager Jeremy Pouska reported separate facilities concerns: the jail’s kitchen air‑conditioning compressor failed and was replaced at a cost of about $3,700, the second compressor failure in a month. Pouska said the first failure was in the IT room unit, that split units run about $4,000 each, and that a full repair or upgrade could be roughly $70,000 given the equipment and cooling needs.
The actions place several near‑term steps on county and partner timelines: Burlington must approve the reimbursement agreement through its council for the chip‑seal work to proceed; the Shell Creek easement and the BLM permit ratification clear the way for upcoming bridge and road work. Commissioners did not schedule further board action on jail HVAC other than the report; funding and procurement options were not specified in the meeting minutes.
The commission also approved a simple subdivision (#25‑003) presented by Airports and Land Planning staff.
