NARCAN training, visual observation specialist program topics at recent commission meeting

Big Horn County Prevention Coordinator Travis Sylvester meet with the commissioners via Zoom on March 5.
One topic was NARCAN training. Narcan is an over-the-counter nasal spray for opioid overdose treatment. A training was recently held in Lovell for first responders. Thirty people took the training. Sylvester is working on a training in the south end of the county.  He hopes to combine it with suicide prevention training.
Also discussed was the VOS (Visual Observation Specialist) program. Sylvester told the commission it is an amazing program and one that is a compassion model worth keeping. It keeps people alive. “It also makes a lot of fiscal sense as well,” he said. “When you look at the cost of sending people for treatment. I reached out to the state for the treatment piece. There isn’t a way to take my salary or the stuff we don’t collect through our contract and reallocate that to a coordinator position (for VOS). It is deemed as treatment and not intervention.”
At the last BHC Prevention Coalition meeting, the VOS program was discussed. He hopes to have further discussion with Scott Murphey from North Big Horn Hospital District to find out how they run their program. Sylvester said he is loosely proposing to get the funding through the county’s CDBG Entitlement Program.
He is also looking into two additional grants. One is through the Western Region Agricultural Stress Assistance Program. The other is through Veterans Affairs. There is a Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program and a Veteran Suicide Prevention Grant.
The commission directed Sylvester to research and pursue funding through these sources.
AIRPORT/LANDPLANNING
The airport report was given to the commissioners by Airport Manager Paul Thur. He noted that the access behind the hangers in Cowley was very muddy. The county will work on it to make it more passable.
The application for 2024 drag races at the Greybull airport has been submitted. The county has not heard back yet. Thur reminded the commissioners that a test burnout run will be done in May.
Thur was joined by Stephanie May for the land planning portion of the report. He is continuing to get Memorandums of Understanding with the towns in Big Horn County. He will meet with Lovell next week and hopes to get an attested copy of the MOU from Manderson.
A floodplain development permit will be forthcoming. Thur said it was an after-the-fact approval. The property is in Shell. Land planning is also working on floodplain applications in a subdivision and in Otto.
Thur is continuing to research the implications of a request from property owners for de-annexation from Greybull.
May brought an amended subdivision plat for the commissioners to approve.
ROAD/BRIDGE/ENGINEERING
County Engineer Willie Bridges gave an update on the GP road at the commissioners meeting. He met with WYDOT so a punch list could be provided to the contractor. The project came in under budget. A portion of that is now allocated to drainage work on the road.
Bridges told the commission he has also requested a meeting with WYDOT regarding the road swap. He hopes to have this done in March.
A letter was sent to a landowner regarding a fence made of tires that was in the county road right of way. The tires are to be removed.
Commissioner Dave Neves inquired about the status on the Sidon Canal discussion. Commission chair Bruce Jolley noted that he has not received any of the documentation he requested from that board. Bridges noted he had been told the documentation had been sent. Both he and Bridges will contact board members again.
An executive session was called to discuss pending litigation.
In other engineering business:
• An access permit on Orchard Bench was approved for Gabe Keisel.
• An access permit was approved for Northwest Rural Water on Road 12 ½.
• A flood plain permit was approved for Barrett Energy.
In other commission business:
• Jeremy Pouska gave the facilities update.
• Deany Delaney, accompanied by BHC Clerk of District Court Serena Lipp, shared possible options for the redoing/restoring of the third-floor courtroom.
• A public hearing for liquor license renewals and transfers was held.