Casper, Wyoming-The Casper City Council voted 9-0 on Tuesday, October 5th to approve the revision of the city's contract with ThyssenKrupp Elevator (TKE) to repair the freight elevator at the Ford Wyoming Center.

The amendment will allow an additional cost of US$183,282 for Snow's Drilling, headquartered in Colorado, to drill a new hole for the main hydraulic jack that TKE originally contracted for maintenance in January 2021, at a cost of US$95,108.81.

The City Council also needs to make budget amendments to the current fiscal year budget to deal with unexpected expenditures.

The City Council discussed the need for drilling at its working meeting on September 28. Due to the failure of the main hydraulic jack of the freight elevator, a preliminary repair project was required.

The municipal staff explained in a memorandum to the city council that when TKE received the parts on July 14 and started the repair work, the contractor removed the existing hydraulic jack and found that the ground had been displaced and a drill was needed. New hole.

TKE was unable to carry out the drilling work on its own and told the city that the only company in the area that could drill new holes for hydraulic jacks was Snow's Drilling.

Kasper City Manager Katnapier told the city council at a work meeting last week that the city contacted drillers in Wyoming and asked if they could complete the work at a lower price. However, Napier said, it appears that Snow Drilling is indeed the only company in the region capable of completing the required work.

"Unfortunately, drilling an oil well is very different from drilling an elevator shaft," Napier said.

The city tried to cooperate with the Wyoming State Risk Management Association (WARM) to obtain insurance reimbursement for the initial hydraulic jack repair work, but the claim was rejected.

Since the freight elevator is essential to promote the performance of the Ford Wyoming Center, the board members stated during the work meeting that they think it is best to continue and bear the cost of drilling new holes.

"This is our building," board member Bruce Knell said at a work meeting. "We must take care of it."

Napier stated that the $183,282 used for drilling will come from the city's permanent care fund. The fund aims to cover the maintenance costs of all facilities in the city funded by an optional one-cent sales tax. The Ford Wyoming Center is one such facility.

Knell said at the work conference: "The fact that funds are available, it's really simple."

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