Lady Bobcats Town tables Quarberg 9th at state discussion on pleased with indoor meet 8 housing plan 10 budget work 13

Thermopolis Hot Springs Independent Record SPECIAL INTERNET PREVIEW VOLUME 111, No. 10, March 11, 2010 THERMOPOLIS, WY 82443 USPS 627-300 75¢ Officials: No Airing it out need to fear

911 misdialsministrator and administrative u Thermopolis Police Chief Mark Nelson said individ- assistant for the Thermopolis Police Department, said offi- uals have nothing to fear cials must assume the worst. from a common mistake. In reality, the proper course of by Tom Burkindine action after misdialing is to re- It has been more than a decade main on the line and explain the since cellular phone service has situation. been available in Hot Springs “People simply need to stay County, and a common mistake on the line long enough to tell us still causes dialers to panic. it was a mistake,” Gordon said. Sometimes when callers hur- “That way we can save time and riedly dial Verizon wireless num- manpower.” bers, instead of dialing the 921 In 2009, local dispatch sent prefix for local cell phones, they police officers and sheriff’s depu- misdial 911 and find themselves ties on 95 welfare checks, which connected with emergency dis- is how 911 hang-up calls are cod- patchers. Flustered at being ed. Of those calls, 23 were 911 asked about the nature of the misdials. emergency, panicked callers of- “We don’t mind (sending of- ten hang up without a word. ficers and deputies to the scene While this may seem like the of a hang-up). It’s our job, but easiest way to put an end to the we need to make the best use of situation, it does not necessarily our officers’ time,” Gordon said. produce the expected outcome. “When you consider 24 percent When dispatchers receive a 911 of those welfare calls could have hang-up call, they will try to call been avoided, that’s a significant back the number. If they cannot expenditure.” make contact with the caller, Thermopolis Police Chief law enforcement must be sent Mark Nelson said individuals to the scene. have nothing to fear from a com- This may seem excessive to mon mistake. some, but consider the possibili- “There’s nothing to be afraid ties of the call’s origin. A citizen of,” he said. “Just stay on the line who may be victimized might be and we can avoid having to send forced to end an emergency call anyone out.” abruptly, either by coercion or The fear of an encounter with force. Someone in need of medical law enforcement may be the crux attention may be unable to com- of the issue. While filing a false plete his or her call for help before police report is a crime, there is they lose the ability to communi- no penalty for accidentally di- cate. In either of these cases, it is aling 911. It is impossible to as- imperative that dispatchers send certain the mindset of the indi- authorities to the scene. viduals making these calls, but Hot Springs County fifth-grader Jazmyn Schuft-Clark to practice her trampoline jumping skills at a home out- Without additional informa- it can be assumed there is some takes advantage of the recent seasonably warm weather side of Thermopolis. -- Donna Pennoyer photo tion, Bill Gordon, dispatch ad- fear present. Hot Springs County's school top-visited enrollment jumps by Keith E. Domke state park School district by Cindy Glasson Hot Springs County school enrollment grew by 4.74 per- enrollment by county Visitors to Hot Springs State County 2009 final % change Park and were cent from 2006 to 2009, the fifth- 2006-09 up during 2009, according to a highest percentage in the state, Albany 3,581 2.51 recent report from the Depart- according to figures recently re- Big Horn 2,068 -1.31 leased by the Depart- Campbell 8,221 7.35 ment of State Parks and Cultural Carbon 2,454 1.59 Resources. ment of Education. District 1 to- Converse 2,378 2.94 The report shows Hot Springs taled 654 students at the end of Crook 1,104 2.17 State Park was by far the most 2009 as compared to 623 at the Fremont 6,336 -0.38 Goshen 1,808 -1.62 popular park as far as visitors end of 2006. However, enrollment de- Hot Springs 654 4.74 with 1,214,108, followed by Johnson 1,234 -2.19 in Glendo at creased by one student from Laramie 14,077 2.50 222,688. 2008 to 2009. Lincoln 3,242 2.53 Natrona 11,754 2.64 While Hot Springs State Park According to the WDE data, Hot Springs had 623 students Niobrara 620 41.29 visitation rose just 2 percent, Park 3,972 0.93 visitation statewide rose 11 per- enrolled at the end of 2006, 642 Platte 1,255 -12.67 cent, the highest visitor count for at the end of 2007, 655 at the Sheridan 4,190 3.68 end of 2008 and 654 at the end Sublette 1,655 10.15 state parks and historical sites Sweetwater 7,648 8.94 in four years. of 2009. Those figures add up to a 2.96 and 1.99 percent increas- Teton 2,317 4.23 Numbers indicate about a Uinta 4,395 2.21 quarter-million more people es during those first two annual Washakie 1,437 1.88 toured Wyoming’s parks and Regional wrapup comparisons and a 0.15 percent Weston 1,094 1.65 State 87,494 3.30 historical sites in 2009 than did The Thermopolis boys and girls See “Enrollment,” page 9 in 2008. Hot Springs State Park basketball teams traveled to Doug- accounted for nearly one-half of las last weekend to participate in the 2,841,948 total visitors. the Class 3A East Regional tourna- Visitors to Boysen Reservoir ment. Accompanied by the cheer- increased 17 percent in 2009, to- leading squad and the Bobcat team State: Town can't taling more than 90,000 boaters mascot (Justice Stehlin), which and campers. cheered on the Purple and Gold Sites with the biggest jump in throughout most of the action, nei- use water anymore visitor numbers included the Ore- ther team advanced to this week- by Tom Burkindine uses of hot springs water are lim- gon Trail Ruts in Guernsey, up 50 end's state tournament in Casper. The Town of Thermopolis has ited to bathing, medicinal, main- percent from 2008, Hawk Springs At right, Thermopolis senior Bay- been ordered to stop using water tenance of flow over the terraces recreation area in Guernsey, up lee Dickinson shows her frustra- from the hot springs outside the and irrigation. All use must be 46 percent and the Bear River tion while sitting on the bench state park grounds. confined within the boundaries Walking paths in Evanston, up late in the fourth quarter of Satur- State Engineer’s Office assis- of the park. The letter gave the 41 percent from 2008. day's must-win consolation match- tant superintendent Dave Deutz town options to apply for a per- The most popular museums up against Torrington after she sent the town a letter ordering mit that temporarily would al- fouled out. For complete details on and visitor centers in the state Thermopolis employees “cease low use of the water or file for an the Bobcats and Lady Bobcats at included Lander’s Sinks Canyon and desist from further diver- enlargement of the Big Spring the regional tournament, turn to Visitor Center, the Bear River sion/pumping of water from the for industrial use. Sports, pages 6-7. Trail Visitor Center in Evanston Big Spring within Hot Springs Assistant to the mayor Dan -- Keith E. Domke photos and the Museum, State Park.” Stansill said the town has used also in Evanston. The letter stated approved See “Water,” page 9