SWEETWATER COUNTY — During the Sweetwater County Commission meeting Tuesday, the Commissioners will consider a conditional use permit request for impound, salvage, and storage at the Sweetwater County Justice Center Complex.

The Commission is scheduled to meet at 8:30 a.m. at the Sweetwater County Courthouse in Green River. At its meeting, the Commission is scheduled to hear a public hearing for a conditional use permit that would allow the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office to house abandoned vehicles within Sweetwater County.

The Sheriff’s Office is responsible for the abandoned vehicles within the county but for many years, the vehicles were stored on a lot owned by Auto Recyclers. However, due to feasibility issues of the abandoned vehicle lot, Auto Recyclers requested for the County to vacate the lot by the end of March 2021.

At the start of March, Sheriff John Grossnickle said there is space available at the Justice Center to host the county’s abandon vehicle lot and that it would be free of charge.

By utilizing this new yard the Sheriff’s Office will be able to have local companies tow the abandoned vehicles directly to the Justice Center. The Sheriff’s office can then hold regular sales of these vehicles once all the statutory requirements are met, according to the documents in the meeting packet.

At the April 14 Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, the board voted 5-0 to approve the conditional use permit with the following conditions:

• Conditional use approval is contingent upon approval from the State of Wyoming for an impound/storage yard.
• The conditional use is for a two-year term.
• Applicant shall screen the impound/salvage yard with a 6-foot fence with either privacy slats or a solid fence.
• No stacking of vehicles is allowed.
• The conditional use is limited to the storage and impound of vehicles.

According to the packet documents, this lot at the Justice Center is currently secured on three sides by a chain link fence. The County will add additional fence and locking double 8-foot swing gates to make the lot secure. Three strands of barbed wire will be placed on the entire top of the perimeter fence and PVC slats will also be installed along the entire fence before any abandoned vehicles will be stored in the lot. The slats will be placed in every other opening in the chain link fence in order to have a 50 percent screening affect.

The lot will also be regraded and roto-milled tailings will be added to the parking surface so that the tracing of dirt onto the adjoining parking lots will be kept to a minimum.

The public hearing for this conditional use permit will be at 8:30 a.m. Anyone who wishes to comment, can send comments ahead of via email to publiccomments@sweet.wy.us, or by attending the meeting in person.

To view the the full meeting agenda, click here. To view the full meeting packet, click here.