Evanston local news summary

City Providing Water to Support Uinta Wildfire Response

Major Repair Project for Bear River Bridge Moves Forward

Police Department Seeks Grant for New Vehicle Radios

Council Approves “Workaround” to Save Two Liquor Licenses

Downtown Coffee House Granted Restaurant Liquor License

City Providing Water to Support Uinta Wildfire Response

EVANSTON - The City Council formally ratified an emergency agreement to sell water to the U.S. Forest Service to support efforts battling the significant wildfire in the Uinta Mountains. The water is being used for non-firefighting purposes, primarily to provide potable drinking and washing water for the 600 personnel at the fire camp and to wet down the helicopter landing pad at the local airport to control dust and rocks. Public Works officials assured the council that the amount of water being provided—approximately 26,220 gallons over nearly two weeks—is minimal and poses no threat to the city’s own water supply for residents. The agreement includes a cap of $10,000 for the water sales.

Major Repair Project for Bear River Bridge Moves Forward

EVANSTON - Evanston is moving forward with plans to rehabilitate the aging bridge on Bear River Drive after the City Council approved a cooperative agreement with the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT). The agreement authorizes WYDOT to begin the necessary design work and environmental clearances for the project. This marks the official start of a project that has been discussed in previous budget sessions to address the bridge, which one council member noted currently has a “clunk to it”. Partnering with WYDOT will hopefully allow the city to schedule the construction bid when another state project is active in the area.

Police Department Seeks Grant for New Vehicle Radios

EVANSTON - The council authorized the police department to apply for a Wyoming Office of Homeland Security grant to fund the replacement of 12 mobile radios in its patrol vehicles. The current Motorola radios are obsolete and no longer supported by the manufacturer for use on the statewide WyoLink communication system. The new, compatible Kenwood radios are estimated to cost around $5,800 each. If awarded, the grant would cover the full cost of the radios and installation, requiring no matching funds from the city. The grant application is due at the end of September.

Council Approves “Workaround” to Save Two Liquor Licenses

EVANSTON - In an unusual proceeding, the council approved the transfer of two non-operational retail liquor licenses to prevent them from expiring. The licenses, originally held by APE Wyoming, LLC (dba Wyoming Horse Racing) and Joeco, LLC (dba Queen City Saloon), were at risk of being lost because the businesses were not operational within the legally required two-year period. Following guidance from the Wyoming Liquor Division, the council approved transferring the licenses to newly created entities—WHR Gateway, LLC and Echelon 221 10th, LLC—which allows the new owners to renew the licenses and be granted a new one-year period to become operational. One councilman, while voting in favor, noted that he typically dislikes such “workarounds” but felt this case was a reasonable exception due to visible construction progress.

Downtown Coffee House Granted Restaurant Liquor License

EVANSTON - GiGi’s Coffee House, located at 927 Main Street, received approval for a new restaurant liquor license. The co-owner, Gina Black, informed the council that the license will allow the downtown establishment to serve alcoholic beverages during evening events and offer items like mimosas or bloody marys during weekend brunches. She clarified that serving alcohol would not be a “normal day-to-day thing”. Restaurant liquor licenses are not limited by population in Wyoming but do require the establishment to have food service as a primary component.

Sponsors (click me!)

Found a mistake? Have a news tip or feedback to share? Contact our newsroom using the button below:

citizen journal offers three flagship products: a daily national news summary, a daily Kansas news summary, and local news and school board summaries from 12 cities across Kansas. Each issue contains 5 paragraph-length stories that are made to be read in 5 minutes. Use the links in the header to navigate to national, kansas, and local coverage. Subscribe to each, some, or all to get an email when new issues are published for FREE!