When Phil Oakes took office earlier this month, the new Burns mayor had the future of the community in mind. Creating a strategy to move into the future on solid footing was part of his plan.
Shortly after taking the oath of office Oakes gave his first mayor’s report to the town council. Among the items for discussion was the formation of a long-range planning committee. His first order of business was to fill that committee with a few town officials and as many town residents as expressed interest.
"We have a set of development rules," Oakes explained in a later telephone interview.
He gave two reasons why those rules needed a fresh eye. First, he said there is a bit of concern as to whether the rules fit the town for subdivisions. In addition, he said there are a number of changes going on in the town which now bear consideration in a development plan. Those changes include paving of the streets in Burns, and construction of the new highway — set for completion
in 2014 — and the new school which is set to open mid-way through the coming school year.
"The last two-and-a-half years I have been involved it’s always been nice if someone said ‘this is the direction we want to go’," said the former councilman.
"Change and growth are coming and we need to decide," Oakes continued, "does it come on someone else’s terms or ours?"
Oakes noted in the recent past with the implementation of the 6th Penny tax town officials were faced with a short amount of time to come up with a plan for the money’s use.
"We had a few quick meetings and decided," he said. "In the future, it would be nice to map it out in advance. It is better for the townsfolks to lay out a plan rather than them saying ‘it’s Phil’s idea’ or ‘it’s Jan’s (councilwoman Jan Gray) idea.’"
Oakes saw some initial interest in the long-range planning committee at the June 8 council meeting from members of the council and people on the utility board. More were hoped for from the community; Oakes was loath to put a cap on how many could participate.
"The ideal number is 300 — everybody in town," he said of the interest he wanted to see. "Realistically, if it is too big it could create a problem, but we want to hear from everyone."
A group of seven to 15 people is the goal number Oakes set, but "if there’s more, the more the merrier!"
Oakes has a list of tasks the committee can begin with. Topping that list is a look at the ordinances governing development. The question he wants to ask is if the current subdivisions built in the past were built by the rules or not.
Another question is what the will of the people is regarding 15 acres of town-owned property.
Looming large on the list is what will happen when the new highway is complete. How will it affect the town as it directs truck traffic around the town?
"We are all little towns," Oakes said. "We have to avoid the community becoming a ghost town."
To preclude such a future, Oakes would like to see a general store open in Burns. A task for the long-range planners would be to seek ways to develop the town’s economy. Hoping for a deal between the town and Laramie County School District No. 2 for the transfer of what will be the old elementary school to the town, Oakes and those on council have already discussed possible use of the building.
"We could use a portion of the school as a day care center or a business incubator," he explained. "We have some business in town, but we could use more, even a convenience store."
Also facing the town, and the long-range planning committee, is the question of where the town will get the money to complete paving of the streets and continue with other anticipated projects.
So the questions are, if the town gets the school, how will the town fund it; and if the town wants to look a certain way, how will it be funded?
Oakes said the money from the 6th Penny tax is to fund items on the town’s need list.
"The long-range planning committee needs to determine how people want Burns to look in five, 10, 15 years," Oakes said.
For those interested in planning for the future of the town of Burns, there is no cut-off to sign up for the committee. "There probably never will be," Oakes allowed.
"We are not just looking for John Q. Public," he added. " We can use people with planning experience and with water or electric. The more diverse the background the better off we’ll be."
To sign up to be a part of the committee, Oakes asks Burns residents to call town hall at 547-2206.
