They were there to apply for a new building permit, complete with blueprints. The council turned them down, citing the full year that the camper was there without any construction occurring, especially after they said they would live in that same camper while their home was being delivered.

The council requested that they undo all of the changes they made as a sign of good faith. These include the removal of the would-be septic tanks, unplugging from the grid, and removing the Conex container. Once that is done they will also have to pay all new fees as the money from the last building permit was forfeited.

When the couple cited the muddy soil of the lot, that drew the ire of the council, which countered with examples of farmers working their fields and even a foundation having been poured. B’Linda made her displeasure with the council’s decision evident to all in attendance when she slammed the door as she exited.

The lone building inquiry came from Gilbert Parker. He came with a stack of papers and images. The council told him what steps he would need to take and he left.

At the end of the meeting one of Parker’s neighbors, John Trappet, arrived to inform the council of several issues he is having with the man. Trappet said Parker is apparently hoarding shipping pallets to use as building materials for his future home — the images he showed to the council were of a log cabin.

The man breathed a sigh of relief when assured by the council that such a structure would not pass inspection. At present there are over 300 pallets stored with a fuel generator near the quonset building, with no water connection to extinguish any potential fires. Not only that, but Trappet said Parker has made several bizarre requests of John, including but not limited to sharing a private power pole and moving a deer fence or property line, both of which he has refused.

As no building permit has been filed, the council’s hands are tied — you can have as many shipping pallets as you want so long as you aren’t harming anyone or anything.

The final item of the night was the plans for the Pioneer Day celebration. This year Camille Keller has organized an entire committee to help her manage the events of the day.

Everything is still in the suggestion phase, but a few things are more concrete than others. There will be a greased pig, as is tradition. The fee may vary since the pig can prove to be expensive. The winner can either keep the pig or auction it off right then and there. One requirement is that the winner has to not only catch the pig, but bring it to the judges — if it slips out, the game’s back on.

There will be bounce houses and the installation and removal will be handled by professionals. The city tried to save money by doing it themselves one year and has since learned that it is money well spent. One major change is that there will be a foam machine instead of the fire truck spraying water.

Speaking of money, Mayor Greg Garner has earned the city $1,000 for doing the Mayor’s Challenge, where for a month he had to walk 10,000 steps a day. He will be donating the money towards the 5K run along with the usual supporters such as Trails West and Rocky Mountain Power. His sole request was that there be pictures of the event. Apparently that is part of the deal, showing pictures of the money going to good use.

When questioned about the Mayor’s Challenge he revealed that some mayors take it to the extreme, logging 30,000 steps a day. I assured him it was quite easy to reach such numbers if you just strap your smartwatch to a paint shaker. Everybody chuckled.