year for beet growers
, BY PATI'I CARPENTER
The sugar content and quality
is above expectations and the beet
harvest is about 80 percent done in
the Lovell area, according to Ran-
dall Jobman, Senior Agricultur-
alist for Western Sugar. Jobman
said farmers have been feeding a
steady supply to the processing
plant since the campaign began in
early September but have only re-
cently increased their harvest. He
said the warm temperatures expe-
rienced early in the campaign cre-
ated some concerns that the beets
coul'd rot if left in large piles, but
with cooler temperatures in the
forecast, those concerns have been
put to rest.
Lovell plant manager Shannon
Ellis said that in spite of the un-
seasonably warm weather experi-
enced in the early weeks of fall, the
campaign is running “exceptional-
ly well.”
Ellis said though farmers held
back on the early harvest, the plant
is still running at “full tilt” and on
schedule, explaining that it was
the accumulation in the piles that
was delayed, not the processing.
Ellis said the Lovell factory
has been very cautious about ac-
cepting beets when it’s hot because
the beets tend to go bad quickly
and “bad beets do not make good
sugar.”
Both Jobman and Ellis said it
was too early to report on the yield
but said they expected it to be at
least average or above average.
“One of the good things out of
all of this is that the beets in the
ground are still growing, so by not
pulling them out of the ground
we’ll be getting a lot more out of
it,” said Ellis.
Ellis said the sugar content
was at around 17.5 percent, which
Jobman said was normal for the
Lovell area which he said normal-
ly sees about 17 — 18 percent sugar
content in locally grown beets.
“We actually have targets
based on a five year average that
we’re using and we’re meeting
-those targets with no problem,”
said Ellis.
Rec center faces
uncertain future
Recommendations to
halt Rec programs at
Byron center listed by
board president.
BY BOB RODRIGUEZ
Byron Mayor Heidi Brightly
has received several recommen-
dations and related observations
in an inspection report that es-
sentially would prohibit use of
the Byron Rec Center until spe-
cific improvements are made, pri—
marily by the owner of the site.
The former Rocky Mountain
High School, owned by Postern
Capital LLC, serves as the town’s
Rec Center, for which the town
pays $1,000 per month for utili-
ties, but the rent is free. The re-
port from Todd Wilder, appoint-
ed by Brightly as president of the
Recreation Department Advisory
Committee on Sept. 15 after she
unilaterally dismissed the former
advisers and some instructors on
Aug. 26, notes a number of unsafe
“deficiencies and discrepancies”
in connection with safety, insur-
ance and liability issues.
Wilder also serves notice on
“The fact that we, as commit-
tee members, know of deficien-
cies in the building makes us per-
sonally liable if an injury should
occur and we have taken no ac-
tion to remedy the situation. By
advising the mayor and coun-
cil of these discrepancies we
have transferred that liability to
them.” He also states'that the list
is of “deficiencies that were noted
during our visit in the building.
This was by no means a compre-
hensive inspection, just obvious
observations.”
In his five-page, single-spaced
report dated Oct. 18 Wilder ex-
plains that besides a site visit on
an unspecified date he had “con—
SEE ‘BYRON REC CENTER’ page 6
LOVELL, WYOMING - VOLUME 110, NUMBER 20 ' THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015
756
Ellis reported on the harvest
and operations at the Lovell plant
during an Oct. 16 Lovell Area
Chamber of Commerce luncheon
held at the Brandin’ Iron Restau-
rant in Lovell.
He noted that a new building
has been constructed on the plant
property that is being used to re-
move impurities created as part
of the processing. He said the sys-
tem, is environmentally friendly.
He said it will help prevent the po-
tential for a breach in the ponds
that could potentially damage the
nearby river. He said the plant
Brainstorming Saturday
PATH CARPENTER
Local beet farmers could be seen harvesting their fields near Lovell this
past week.
also has a new diffuser and it is
working very well.
Ellis said the plant is, for the
most part, staffed up for the tasks
at hand but continues to hire and
train for future tasks, especial-
ly tasks connected with the new
building. He expects the need for
more hands to increase in De-
cember. He said, though off to
a slow start, he still expects the
campaign to end on schedule in
mid-February.
“With these fresh beets that
are being pulled right now we’re
running great,” said Ellis.
_ Kids to help design
Cowley Fa min Park
BY DAVID PECK
Kids, put on your think-
ing caps. The new Cowley Fam-
ily Park to be built next to the
splash park will need ideas from
the very kids who will use it, and
a brainstorming process to take
place this Saturday will get the
ball rolling on the community
funded and led project.
Wendy Fuller, one of the or-
ganizers of the family park proj-
ect, said some local “moms” have
seen similar parks in Red Lodge
and Laurel, Mont, adding that
Lovell native Amy Pollock helped
with a similar project in Laurel
and has given advice.
Fuller said the idea of the
family park is a community-built
facility where funding comes lo-
cally and the community “comes
together” to build the facility.
“They cost a lot less, and you
get more,” she said.
Under the concept, the park
is kid friendly. In fact, the kids
design it, Fuller said, comingup
with a theme and key compo-
nents. The park, to be construct-
ed south of the splash park and
adjacent to a planned picnic area,
will be enclosed so that young
children can’t easily run out into
the street and parents can watch
kids playing in both the family
park and splash park, which was
completed early this summer.
“The entrance to the splash
park will be moved,” Fuller said,
“and moms can sit on benches
while kids run between the two.”
South of the family park will
be a play hill and t-ball baseball
field.
The theme of a typical fam-
ily park is “very playful,” Fuller
said, such as a pirate ship, cas—
tle or playhouse. There is always
SEE ‘cowuzv PARK PLANNING’
page
Love_|| Inc.
receives
word of
reprieve on
IRS penalties
BY PA'ITI CARPENTER
Dave Reetz, interim direc-
tor for Lovell Inc., reported this
week that he has received writ-
ten notice from the IRS, that
it plans to abate filing penal—
ties related to IRS form 990 in-
curred in the years 2012 and
2013.
Reetz, with the help of a
taxpayer advocacy service rep-
resenting the organization, re-
cently appealed a notice of pen-
alties assessed by the Internal
Revenue Service for failure to
file a 990 reporting form for
those years.
Reetz said he was referred
to the taxpayer group by the
Wyoming congressional dele-
gation and is grateful for their
help.
“Obviously this is very good
news,” said Reetz. “This all
started with a referral by our
congressional delegation to the
taxpayer advocacy group and I
am grateful for the referral. The
guidance of the taxpayer advo-
cacy group helped us to write
an appeal that made sense and
followed IRS guidelines. This
is a great relief for our future
(Lovell Inc.), to not have this
hanging over our heads.”
Form 990 is an annual re-
porting form required by all
non-profit organizations. Lovell
Inc. is a non-profit economic de-
velopment organiZation Creat-
ed approximately eight years
ago with the goal of bringing
new businesses and jobs to the
community. Sue Taylor served
as director of the organization
during those years.
According to Reetz, the or-
ganization received a notice
from the IRS at the end of Au-
gust assessing penalties total-
ing $7,962.10 for failure to file
the forms following the depar—
ture of Taylor. Reetz clarified
that the form is not a tax return
and does not require payment,
but there is a penalty for not fil-
ing the form, which is strictly
informational.
Reetz stressed that he didn’t
think there has been any fraud
or criminal activity connected
with the oversight on the part
of Taylor. He did however rec-
ommend an audit of the organi-
zation’s financial records, which
he expects will be completed by
Jim Reilly, a certified public ac—
countant located in Cody, some—
time next week.
Strong start to Lovell walking path roject
Sixteen walkers
gather at visitor
center
BY DAVID PECK
An interested group of walk-
ing enthusiasts gathered at the
Bighorn Canyon Visitor Center
Thursday to‘discuss the possibil-
ity of joining forces with the N a-
tional Park Service to promote
and develop a walking and/or bi-
cycle path in Lovell or the sur-
rounding area.
Bighorn Canyon National
Recreation Area Chief of Inter-
pretation Christy Fleming led the
meeting as part of an idea to res-
urrect a project that was in the
works a few years ago since the
National Park Service is working
on aproject to connect the visitor
center’with the Pryor Mountain
Wild Mustang Center.
Sixteen members of the public
attended the meeting, along with
two Park Service employees.
“We get tons of questions
about the wild horses, and then
people have to get back into their
car and drive over there (to the
Mustang Center),” Fleming said
in explaining the genesis of the
“path to the Mustang Center”
project. “It’s not that far, and we
decided it would be a lovely walk.”
Fleming said she would like
to see the sidewalk in front of the
visitor center extended past new
flower beds being developed, then
somehow connect to the town of
Lovell, and she also has a future
idea for a path around the perim-
eter of the Park Service grounds
at the visitor center. As planning
developed, Fleming said she came
up with the idea to bring back
the walking path idea for the
community.
“It was a good time to see if
there’s still interest in a commu-
nity trail,” she said.
An effort a few years ago led
to a lot of planning, but ultimately
the project faded away due to con-
cerns about funding and mainte-
nance, but project leader Marilyn
Haskell and others were quick to
encourage the resumption of the
DAVID PECK
Aubrey Walker (left) and Jill Carpenter examine possible
routes for a walking path in Lovell following the formal
presentation by Christy Fleming at the community walking
path meeting Thursday night at the Bighorn Canyon NRA
Visitor Center.
project during Tuesday’s meeting.
“I made some phone calls,
and people don’t want to give up,”
Fleming said. “I was by no means
The Lovell Chronicle, 234 E. Main, Lovell, WY 82431 . Contact us at:
548-2217 o www.love||chronicle.com
trying to set the path, but Marilyn
gave me all of her notes for every-
thing to make this happen in the
past. She even had permission for
easements.”
Ideas included a path from
the senior center parking lot west
to the Foster Gulch Golf Course
and a path around Constitution
Park in town.
Walking enthusiast Pat
Crumrine said walking in town
is difficult currently because side-
walks zig—zag in many areas —
some next to the street and some
not -— and have dips for driveways.
People want a nice, smooth path
like the path around the Powell
Aquatic Center or the path along
the river in Greybull, she said.
Haskell added that parking and
access are keys, as well.
“Our town has a lot of people
who walk. A walking path would
be safer and more pleasant for
everybody,” Phyllis Bronkema
added.
SEE WALKING PATH PROJECT’
page 6
|l4879 24558“
2
a}
