County maintenance department created

by Cat Urbigkit

Sublette County Road Superintendent Dan Holgate reported to the county commission that his department is mostly involved in plowing snow right now.

The county has been snowed out of its crusher operations, Holgate said, so the crusher will be moved to the county shop for several weeks of maintenance work, then it will be moved back toward Big Piney and begin crushing again.

"We're about 5,000 ton short of our goals right now," Holgate said.

Sublette County Clerk Mary Lankford joined Holgate and Sublette County Undersheriff Henry Schmidt in discussing the creation of a county maintenance department.

Lankford reminded the commission that during the budget process, there was discussion of the need to take care of maintenance needs for county facilities, noting that with the new courthouse complex, there will be additional needs, such as with the elevators in the refurbished building. Lankford also cited the increase in the number of county facilities, and the constant need for cleaning inside and outside, minor repairs and addressing plumbing and electrical problems as they occur.

Lankford said she had put out requests for proposals, but didn't receive any proposals other than one from county road department employee Andy O'Neal. Lankford said she, Holgate and Schmidt had met with O'Neal and proposed that he be transferred from the road department into a new maintenance department that he would supervise.

"To me, I kind of like that because we have enough here to keep people busy," said Commissioner Bill Cramer.

"I think it's important that someone learn all these systems," agreed Commissioner Betty Fear.

"Sounds good to me," said Commission Chairman Gordon Johnston, noting that as supervisor of the new department, O'Neal will report directly to the county commission.

"I think he'll give you 110 percent," Holgate said.

The commissioners called O'Neal into the meeting and Johnston told him, "It's our opinion that this is the way to go."

O'Neal said he'll have the department ready to operate by Dec. 1.

Johnston told O'Neal, "It will be a department that will be yours to begin with anyway," adding that O'Neal will work for the commission, not the road department, county clerk or sheriff's department. Fear said it was important for everyone to realize that the chain of command is for all requests and complaints to go to O'Neal.

"If we can't do it, we'll find the right people who can," O'Neal said.