Game warden moves into new digs

Alexis Barker
NLJ News Editor
 
The new Newcastle game warden station constructed by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department just north of Newcastle was completed recently with a final construction cost of $505,103.60, according to Rebekah Fitzgerald, communications director for the department. As previously reported by the News Letter Journal, the final cost for the project was expected to total over $600,000 when the property costs and utility installment are included. 
The building project began over a year ago on May 8, 2019, when Game and Fish accepted a bid for $498,354 from Powder River Construction Inc. of Gillette. Also included in the final project price, estimated by the News Letter Journal to total over $608,000, are the purchase of a 5.44 acre lot on Musser Road from the Varner family for $80,000, water line tap fees totaling $4,500, drafting and designing the structure for $1,800, geotechnical investigation into the property for $4,000 and an estimated $13,040.33 to Powder River Energy Corp. for electrical installation, according to documents provided by the Game and Fish. 
According to the summary and feasibility study 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. This condition is outlined in the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission policy stating 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. Game and Fish Director Brian Nesvik said, however, that the policy stated 1,500 square feet during a March 2 conversation with the News Letter Journal. 
The new home, according to Nesvik, will provide 1,800 square feet of living space for game warden Troy  Achterhof and his family, along with a two-car garage and office space. 
“We used an existing plan, a plan that was already designed; it was cheaper to go with an existing plan,” Nesvik said. 
According to Fitzgerald, the design selected meets the functionality needed for a game warden station and home. 
“It meets the functionality and the needs. The homes are also supplied with, as claimed to me as part of the package, … basic things with options presented,” Fitzgerald said.  Any requested options were to be reviewed by the director.
According to the bid documents provided by the department, the options included a propane fireplace not to exceed $3,500, stainless steel appliances for the kitchen, and hickory or another medium hardwood cabinets with brushed nickel knobs and pulls. 
Ongoing costs for the new warden station/home will include utilities, taxes and insurance — all paid by Game and Fish, although Fitzgerald said at the time that those costs would be unknown until the construction was completed. 
As a game warden station, Fitzgerald said, the building is visibly marked at the gate with a sign that says “Game Warden Station” so the public can easily identify the property.  
“There are no specific hours, and it (the station) is available to the public 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, although members of the public may need to call the warden if they are not home when they stop by,” Fitzgerald said. “The public is welcome to stop by the game warden station office at any time. The office portion of the warden station is open to the public, but the house is used as a family residence.”
According to Fitzgerald, an individual may need to visit the local game warden station for various reasons: checking in black bears and mountain lions (both of which have mandatory reporting requirements); conducting disease sampling such as CWD testing; dropping off various applications, forms and damage claim affidavits; conducting hull inspections for boats; responding to law enforcement-related situations; and being provided with some wildlife mitigation equipment. 
“Game wardens also provide general information related to wildlife, hunting, fishing, trapping, access and watercraft, much of which we can provide over the phone at this time, but also in person, if needed. Regardless, the public is welcome to go to any warden station in person for whatever their wildlife or Game and Fish situation may be,” Fitzgerald said. The department does not plan on hosting an open house at the new station, she said. 
All Game and Fish warden information, including phone numbers and addresses, can be found on the Game and Fish website. 
 
Project history: 
Wyoming Game and Fish Director Brian Nesvik said that the department faced several issues while trying to obtain another warden station in the Newcastle area after the previous home/office on 5th Avenue was sold. The game warden moved out of this location in April of 2013. 
Nesvik and Rebekah Fitzgerald, the department’s communications director, said that Game and Fish then provided Newcastle Game Warden Troy Achterhof with $739 a month for rental assistance and that his office in the State Forestry Building was provided free of charge. 
According to the summary and feasibility study, the Newcastle game warden spent a considerable amount of time looking for a suitable replacement for the warden station in 2011-12. The new location was to be within the Game and Fish Commission’s approved budget of $250,000, an amount approved in fiscal year 2013.  
Fitzgerald said that the commission approved adding $175,000 to the budget, making the total budget still less than $600,000-plus in costs associated with the project. She said that the additional funds were to be taken out of leftover monies the department was able to allocate. 
Nesvik said that the department’s first option would have been to purchase a preexisting home because of the cost certainty but that the department “struggled to find something that would work.” 
“As we have highlighted this has not been an easy process. We have had a hard time trying to find or build something that is suitable for the long-term needs and the commission has the responsibility to find the best value for something that will last for decades,” Nesvik said. Because of the government purpose associated with the build, there were certain nuances that other people building homes would not have to accommodate, he said. 
The policy requiring Game and Fish to provide housing for game wardens was last revised in 2007, according to Fitzgerald. The department, however, has been providing housing to wardens since 1937, according to the department’s website. Fitzgerald said the housing policy was not formalized until 1998. 
“In order to better serve the public and protect the wildlife resources of Wyoming, the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department maintain numerous residential structures to be used by department employees on either a temporary or permanent basis,” the updated policy states. 
The policy states that housing is provided to “certain employees and their immediate families” when such housing is for the convenience of the department or a condition of the position’s employment. 
Fitzgerald elaborated on the policy, stating that the housing is considered department infrastructure and is there to serve the public. 
“It is so the wardens can be available; it is especially important in areas without regional offices,” Fitzgerald said. “It is used by the public and houses the warden. Those employees can move throughout the state as they take on different roles. Sometimes a warden stays in an area and sometimes they move.” 
“We look at the role and functionality as it serves the public and department need. We assess our needs holistically,” Fitzgerald added. 
According to Nesvik, when the policy was last reviewed, it was determined that the state as a whole needed to continue with the housing policy. He noted that he is unsure if the policy was ever discussed in Weston County.