TORRINGTON – The Goshen County Commissioners and several county department heads and employees received an update on the 2017 Solar Eclipse Committee’s preparations from Goshen County Emergency Manager Shelly Kirchhefer during their meeting on Tuesday.
The 2017 solar eclipse begins its journey across the United States on Monday, August 21 at a point near Newport, Ore. and will traverse Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina, leaving the U.S. at Cape Romain, just east of McClellanville, SC. The entire trip across the country will only take one hour, 33 minutes and 16.8 seconds.
In Torrington, the eclipse will be visible starting at 10:24 a.m. and ending at 1:14 p.m., with the eclipse at its maximum (darkest) at 11:47 a.m.
Since the eclipse is only visible across a small swath of acreage in 14 states, it is expected that people who want to view the event will travel to those states and areas which have good views, including
Goshen County.
During her presentation, Kirchhefer told the group the eclipse was formed by a small group of volunteers in August 2016 to help make sure that the event, with it’s large number of expected visitors, goes as smoothly as possible.
Using a Powerpoint presentation, Kirchhefer explained how the committee was formed, why it was formed and the subcommittees that have been tasked with various responsibilities.
“The objectives of the Goshen County Eclipse Committee is to make sure the event is as pleasurable as possible for everyone in Goshen County,” she said. “But to do that it is critical to focus on issues of safety, communication and getting resources where they might be needed.”
Some of the organizations Kirchhefer mentioned that are critical to meeting those objectives include Goshen County Emergency Management, law enforcement, the county commissioners, Goshen County Public Health, Goshen County Economic Development Corporation, Banner Health, Torrington City Council, Goshen County Road and Bridge, county fire districts and fire departments and Torrington Ambulance Service, to name just a few.
“There are a lot of unknowns regarding who and how many will be coming to or traveling through Goshen County,” explained Kirchhefer. “But even if its 30,000 it would not take many incidents to overwork the ambulance service or law enforcement.”
Current projections indicate there could be as few as 1,000 to as many as 10,000 that will head to Goshen County, most from Colorado, to view the eclipse, and many of those could be day trippers. But regardless of where visitors come from there could be significant impact on restaurants, gas stations, cell service, parking, sanitation, medical services and trespassing.
To minimize those impacts Kirchhefer said there will be a series of meetings and workshops to help prepare Goshen County residents and businesses for the influx of eclipse watchers.
On April 20 at 7 p.m., the eclipse committee has a town hall meeting planned at the Lincoln Room at Torrington City Hall, then on May 19 and 20, at Eastern Wyoming College the committee will be holding a two day conference designed to “inspire the imagination, motivate into action and provide information to ensure success.”
Some of the topics included in the conference, said Kirchhefer, include how to view an eclipse, volunteer opportunities, how to plan an event, food and beverage and what retailers should prepare for.
“Many people are already planning events or offering the their homes and property for overnight accommodations,” she explained. “We have a website that will list other events planned around the eclipse and places where visitors can view it or spend the night.”
The website Kirchhefer mentioned can be found at www.gogoshen.net and the committee has developed different applications that can be filled out and submitted to the committee in order to be listed on the website. There is one for activities and events, another for camping and viewing and a third one for vendors.
“It is important for us to know where all the activities are going on in case there is an emergency,” she explained. “That way we know right where to go. It will be crucial to have that information given the number of people that could
be here.”
Other community meetings she mentioned during the presentation included a temporary food vendor permit class in June, volunteer training on July 19, a dry run in August and a debriefing after the eclipse on August 29.
“On August 16, Dr. Kevin Manning, who is an astronomer, will be in town to do a presentation he calls ‘The Universe and the All-American Total Eclipse,” she added. “His presentation is sponsored by the Goshen County Library.
She also pointed out to the attendees that in order to sell food or alcoholic beverages, a temporary permit is needed. For food the permit is obtained through the Wyoming State Department of Agriculture and alcohol permits are issued by the county.
As she ended her presentation, commission chairman Carl Rupp thanked Kirchhefer and the other committee members for there hard work and told the group of mostly county employees that it was critical to be thorough during this planning period prior to the eclipse.
“The first duty of the county commissioners is the safety of the county’s residents and visitors. Ultimately, we are responsible for anything
that happens.”
As the meeting wound down, commissioner Wally Wolski added that “this is a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence in Goshen County and we must be prepared for worst case scenarios whether they are traffic jams, wildfires or personal injuries. But if we are prepared, then everyone will have the opportunity to enjoy an event many of us may never see again.”
