How about getting ready for Halloween?

SUBLETTE COUNTY – As usual, Big Piney has its autumn and early winter events already planned. The Big Piney Town Council heard about a number of them at its Sept. 20 meeting.
Last week was Homecoming with the student activities, Friday’s parade and athletic games.
Oct. 23-29 will be proclaimed “Child Cancer Awareness Month.” Next, the Big Piney Rec Center and downtown businesses are planning a special “Trunk or Treat” on Monday, Oct. 31, from 4-6 p.m. after school.
Immediately on Nov. 1 the town’s off-street parking regulation kicks in and Sheriff KC Lehr asked councilmembers and staff to remind residents of the 2020 parking prohibitions. The purpose is to facilitate snow removal and the sheriff said he’d like to see everyone comply.
People can be cited for the parking offense and fined up to $750 although deputies will probably first give a warning, he said.
The annual Parade of Lights will take place on Saturday, Dec. 3, with winter festival activities and the Christmas tree lighting at 8 p.m. in Centennial Park. It had moved to Norris Park for several years but the conifer died.
Another highlight will be an outdoor Christmas movie screened outside the Big Piney Post Office.
Mayor Pro Tem Stafford Polk IV led the meeting with councilmembers Sherri Redden, Tawnya Miller and Sierra Banks. They reviewed Barb Anderson’s request for a variance to attach new materials to an existing 6-foot-high chainlink fence.
Newer fences can be 4 feet high for 15 feet and go up to 6 feet.
Polk said the existing fence was grandfathered in so Anderson only needed a variance. “If you tear it out though, you’d need to adhere to new guidelines.”
Water-sewer manager Mike Wagstaff informed the council that although the town is not responsible for each residence’s plumbing beyond the curb, state water officials are hoping to get municipalities to work with homeowners to find out what kinds of materials they used where the water comes out of the ground and into the house.
“They want to make sure they are all lead free on the private side,” he said. “There’s no way to enforce it, but they would like them to be copper and PVC.”
Many Big Piney homes use galvanized pipes for water “distribution” that “might have lead ahead of them,” he said. “After 10 or 15 years, galvanized pipes can look like a sprinkler.”
The town will figure out a way to work with homeowners to replace them and the wastewater and sewer “distribution” pipes are not a focus, Wagstaff said.
Wagstaff reminded homeowners to replace old carbon filters and to descale hot water heaters if they notice a smell.
Parks-streets manager Kara Losik reported that the long-awaited mural to wrap on the Farm Bureau building should arrive in the next couple of weeks.
Redden asked Losik if the town’s newest truck is set up with registration and magnetic signs.
“The truck is aluminum,” Losik said. “So we can’t do magnetic. We could go back to vinyl or stickers.”
The council adjourned into executive session to discuss personnel; no action was taken.