Town updates water-tank lining, SCADA rollout and winter preparations

Town Administrator Trevor Aitken told the Star Valley Ranch Town Council on Oct. 29 that the Green Canyon water tank lining project is progressing on schedule despite a minor equipment mishap and that town staff expect the work to be finished the following week.

Aitken said contractors were sandblasting and pressure-washing the interior of the tank; spraying is expected to begin Friday and full completion by the following Wednesday. He said a contractor truck briefly became stuck on the access route because of limited maneuvering space at the top of the hill but was freed without lasting delay.

Aitken also reported issues in documentation from Midco, the company that recently cleaned the Prater Canyon storage tanks. He said the reports contained incorrect tank-capacity figures and omitted requested measurements; he is compiling a list of corrections to send to Midco.

The town has taken delivery of six small SimpliScada units, Aitken said, and Building Official Scott Cazier is preparing Cat5 cables for installation. The system is expected to be operational in two to three weeks, with one unit held in reserve. In addition, the town expects the large water meters to arrive within two to four weeks.

On the Water Improvement Project, Aitken said he and Town Engineer Welling are working through punch-list items with contractor Avail and that the town is withholding a final payment of $84,000 until the work is satisfactorily completed. Aitken also expressed doubt that Hardman Road repairs will finish before winter because of temperature changes.

Public Works has shifted to winter operations, including tire changes and vehicle winterizing. Aitken said crews conducted a controlled brush burn that prompted multiple calls from concerned residents; the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office posted notice on social media asking residents not to call about the planned burn. He said the town’s Firewise plan is due Nov. 21 and is being proofread by Town Clerk Herd and Town Treasurer Mason. The Natural Resource Board shed will be relocated next to the Community Garden and the Fox Run Park well.

Town officials said they are also adopting new administrative tools: staff have been attending iWorQ training to improve tracking of citizen contacts and work orders, and the system will begin logging start and end dates for tasks to measure completion times. Aitken said the town expects a learning curve but anticipates efficiency gains once staff adopt the software.

The council discussed these items during its work session; no further formal actions were taken on the water projects at the meeting.