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Library property fenced in

Commissioners, director concerned about property in Dinosaur

Brandon Johnson
• Commissioners signed a memorandum of understanding between the Craig Chamber of Commerce and the Moffat County Tourism Association. The agreement states that the tourism association will pay the Chamber $18,000 in 2006 for operation of the visitors center.• Commissioners discussed the county's office-supply contract with Jackson's Office Supply. Commissioners said the county will continue to do business with Jackson's.• Commissioners approved personnel requisitions for the Road and Bridge Department and the Grounds and Building Department.

• Commissioners signed a memorandum of understanding between the Craig Chamber of Commerce and the Moffat County Tourism Association. The agreement states that the tourism association will pay the Chamber $18,000 in 2006 for operation of the visitors center.• Commissioners discussed the county’s office-supply contract with Jackson’s Office Supply. Commissioners said the county will continue to do business with Jackson’s.• Commissioners approved personnel requisitions for the Road and Bridge Department and the Grounds and Building Department.

The director of Moffat County libraries and the Moffat County commissioners are concerned about a piece of property the library owns in a mobile-home park in Dinosaur.

The owner of the Blue Mountain Mobile Home Park, where the property is, put a fence around the park last month.

Donna Watkins, library director, said the fence restricts her access to the library’s lot, which is empty. Watkins discussed the property with the commissioners at Tuesday’s regular commission meeting.



Watkins said she brought the issue to the commissioners so it would be public record that the library doesn’t want access to the restricted lot.

The library’s attorney recently sent a letter to Philip Lochmiller, the owner of the mobile-home park, Watkins said.



The town of Dinosaur is expected to grow, Watkins said, and if the property is leased in the future, she wants to make sure the library receives the revenue.

Lochmiller said last week that he didn’t have a problem opening the property to the county.

Lochmiller plans to put additional openings in the fence, he said, and one of the openings could be placed near the library’s property, which it received as a gift. “All they need to do is ask me,” he said.

Lochmiller said he built the fence to secure the mobile-home park.

The lack of housing in Dinosaur has been a problem in recent months. The town has been without a police force since August, and officials say the lack of housing is in part to blame.

The Moffat County sheriff’s deputy who patrols western Moffat County recently moved from Dinosaur to Craig because there wasn’t housing in Dinosaur.

Moffat County Commiss–ioner Saed Tayyara said the library-owned property could be used to house a sheriff’s deputy. “It’s definitely a possibility,” he said.


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