EVANSTON — Bear River Outdoor Recreation Alliance (BRORA) President Paco Swauger and board member Jason Banks presented the commissioners with an invitation for the community to join the Utah High School Cycling League during the June 3 meeting. Chairman Mark Anderson was absent during the proceeding.

“We’re looking to hopefully sponsor a high school mountain bike race,” Swauger said. “The [sport in the] state of Utah has just blown up. ... We already have our bike trails on the section 26 piece of property that the county owns, and we would like to do a little expansion on that trail system.”

Swauger added that they’d also like to add groomed areas to entertain the crowds that would travel to support the events, including 15 acres for parking spaces.

“We’d need to scrape off the sagebrush, we don’t need to remove any topsoil or anything like that,” he said.

High school bike racing seasons run from mid-August to mid-October.

“The soonest it would start would be next racing season in 2026,” Banks said. He said he attended a trail convention in Utah where he learned that venues for the Utah mountain bike league are scarce and they are very desperate for race courses.

“Their league is the largest school sport in the country,” he said, stating that the league currently has 7,500 kids participating.

“There’s 23 other cities that are campaigning to have race courses ... the trails here have moved very far up that list to accommodate, especially with concerns with hotels, restaurants, things like that.”

Swauger and Banks showcased a 4-minute YouTube video called “Mountain Biking Mania: Pedaling Tourism,” which highlighted the potential for substantial economic growth for participating communities.

Banks explained that the Vernal, Utah, racecourse, built on county property, was invested in during an economic downturn and since 2022, “they think brings in $1 million to $1.2 million dollars every time they race. … Restaurants were running out of food, the first race they had. Hotels [were] full and booked up to months in advance.”

There is currently no mountain biking league in Wyoming, however, Banks said, “It would also make our kids eligible to compete in the league in Utah, which is a big benefit for the potential of the youth in our community.

Mountain bike racecourses must have both two- and single-track, trails, cannot be too steep, nor have big jumps.

“These other communities are spending a lot of time and money, and we already have it,” Banks said.

Banks also explained to the commissioners the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) would provide porta potties, garbage removal and parking authority.

BRORA offered to pay for engineering staking.

“If the county could help out with scraping off that sagebrush, that’d be super helpful for us,” Swauger said.

The commissioners suggested that Swauger and Banks meet with Uinta County Planning and Zoning.

“There’s other stuff being looked at at this time, too,” Commissioner Eric South said.

“We’ll take the lead from planning and zoning,” Commissioner Brent Hatch added.

The next order of business was approval of a sixth penny resolution to be added to the special election ballot in November to help fund a number of projects, including the proposed Evanston Recreation Center Aquatic Center, a second access to and from Deer Mountain in Bear River, Mountain View bathroom improvements at the skate park, renovations at Lyman’s Heritage Barn, as well as upgrading its city sewer system and adding two fire trucks and two ambulances to the county’s fleet.

Uinta County Clerk Amanda Hutchinson clarified that two other municipalities are required to approve the measure.

“The municipalities have to do their part,” she explained.

Mountain View Town Council member Kelly Bonner approached the podium, saying, “We’ve been back and forth with who’s going to pay for this election. Lyman backed out, Mountain View backed out, Bear River backed out. Now we’re being told that Parks and Rec are going to be paying the full amount. Would you clarify for me?”

Hutchinson responded that, to her knowledge, Bear River did not back out and that Evanston Parks and Rec was paying the municipalities’ portion, and the county would pay its portion based on registered voters. While the commissioners approved the resolution, each municipality still has to pass a resolution for itself.

“We were told we weren’t going to be funding it,” Bonner said.

Hatch said, “In order for it to pass or fail, the citizens of those communities need to vote to approve it or disapprove it.”

The commissioners again tabled the older business concerning the future of mosquito abatement funding. In their last meeting, commissioners indicated that, since it’s not a mandated service, it may be cut from the 2025-26 fiscal year budget.

Resident Cindy Crawford expressed dismay, saying, “Wow, we’re getting eaten alive already.” 

“Just to give you an idea,” Hatch said, “mosquito abatement is $318,000.”

After municipalities and weed and pest contribute to the cost of the abatement, the county is still on the hook for $150,000, Hatch said.

“Right now... we’re about $2 million dollars short on the budget,” Hatch said, announcing a substantially higher shortage than mentioned at the commission meeting two weeks prior, which was noted at the time to be $600,000. 

Finally, the commissioners signed the contract for a previously-approved $131,326 for crack seal and slurry for a number of county facilities including the Uinta County Complex, Road and Bridge locations and the Sheriff’s Office.