Game station tops 1/2 mil

Alexis Barker
NLJ News Editor
 
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is spending nearly $500,000 to construct a new Newcastle game warden station that will also serve as the home for Game Warden Troy Achterhof, according to information provided by the agency. 
Bids on the project closed on May 8, 2019. The successful bidder was Powder River Construction, of Gillette, which submitted a bid of $498,354. 
The cost of constructing of the home and office space does not include the studies or surveying required to begin the project or the purchase of 5.44 acres on Musser Road where the new station will be located. 
According to the summary and feasibility study of the station provided to the News Letter Journal by Game and Fish, living in a game warden station is a condition of employment for game wardens in the state. Game and Fish Commission policy states that a minimum of 1,300 square feet of living space must be provided, as well as a suitable ground level room for an office. 
“In 2012, it was determined that the old Game Warden station was no longer safe for our employee and that it was going to cost more to fix the station than the house was worth,” the summary says. 
The station, previously located in a home on Fifth Avenue, the summary says, had documented issues for over 20 years and that when Game and Fish purchased the house in 1946, it was not new. 
“In 2012 and 2013, the Newcastle warden station needed substantial repairs, mold contamination clean up, foundation repairs and roof replacement. The mold contamination in the basement and attic was a serious health issue that needed to be addressed immediately,” the summary states. “Foundation repairs needed to be addressed to eliminate flooding, sewage back up, mold development and water seepage into the basement.” 
The repairs in 2013 totaled $142,000: $57,000 for roof replacement, $10,000 for mold contamination cleanup for the basement and attic only and $75,000 for
foundation repairs. The summary notes that the radon mitigation system was also inoperable after extensive flooding in May 2011. 
“Based on the roof, radon, foundation and mold issues identified, the game warden station was not safe to live or work in. The game warden moved out of the warden station in April 2013 due to these concerns,” the summary states. 
The home was sold in November 2013 and is currently being used. 
At the time, it was recommended that the funding for an office space and home rental be provided for the game warden and his family until the department “was financially ready to purchase a new game warden station.” 
Before the warden moving out of the Fifth Avenue home and office, the summary states, the warden spent a “considerable” amount of time looking for suitable replacement homes in the community within the budget set by Game and Fish.
“The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission approved $250,000 in the FY13
budget to replace the Newcastle warden station,” the summary says.
According to the summary, several homes had been
considered, including at least one home that fit the budget while also meeting other requirements. 
Residential and acreage listings in Newcastle and the surrounding area have been extremely limited since 2013, the summary says. Since that time, Game and Fish has continued looking for a home and property within 5 miles of the Newcastle city limits while paying for Achterhof’s home and providing him office space in the Wyoming State Forestry building in Newcastle. 
Game and Fish purchased the land on Musser Road in May 2018 for the purpose of building the warden home and station. Between May 2018 and December of 2019, the agency developed the plans for the home and station. 
Construction is scheduled for completion in spring or summer this year, according to Game and Fish.
Additional information was requested by the News Letter Journal of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, but they did not respond by press time.