One the same day the Park County commissioners said goodbye to longtime commissioner Lee Livingston with kind words, a plaque, cake and punch, they filled a number of board seats Dec. 17 for a variety of local boards, mixing in some new faces with a host of incumbents.

While initially seven people applied for an appointment to one of two seats on the Park County Fair Advisory Board (although one couldn’t make it) along with both incumbents, commissioners eventually determined to keep both Sara Skalsky and Fred Bronnenberg for at least one more three-year term.

Bronnenberg was quickly reappointed to another term, but commissioners considered a possible replacement for longtime member Skalsky.

“I did agree with one of our applicants that we are very livestock heavy,” commissioner Scott Mangold said. “I could see adding maybe a non-livestock person to the fair board. But I appreciate Sara being a part of the fair board all these years.”

Applicant Breanne Thiel had raised concern with a lack of emphasis on static exhibits — she said a return to a paper fair book could help get the word out about all of the open classes available, from canned goods to jerky to crafts.

And Chair Dossie Overfield said she was intrigued by both Thiel and fellow applicant Christi Greaham’s variety of experience, from working security at the fair to showing animals herself and helping her daughter.

Livingston motioned to approve Skalsky, saying there were two other really strong applicants, but it would have been a struggle to choose one.

Commissioner Lloyd Thiel abstained due to his daughter being one of the applicants.

Airport board

Dan Schein, a Cody resident, has applied for a large amount of board positions since moving to the area from Pennsylvania, and the Cody planning and zoning board member finally picked up another gig, being unanimously chosen to fill a vacant seat on the Yellowstone Regional Airport Board.

One of his ideas, he told commissioners, was to better advertise just how smooth it is at YRA compared to the hassle of flying out of larger airports where it can take hours just to reach gates.

He takes the place of Shawn Warner and was chosen over two other applicants, including former county commissioner candidate Ken Montgomery of Clark.

Other positions

There was a bit of disagreement before a majority of commissioners approved sending incumbents Kimberley Wintermote and Randy Mair back to the planning and zoning commission over three other applicants.

Mangold said with the county in the midst of hashing out regulations tied to the new land use plan it was best to keep people in place who had an understanding of what was already happening.

“I don’t see anybody jumping in right now with the land use plan, regulations,” he said.

Thiel, however, asked the motion to approve both be split so as to vote on each separately, but Mangold refused, and Thiel was the lone vote in opposition to the reappointment.

Commissioners also reappointed Brandi Wright to Historical Preservation Committee, Walt Hartung, Jim Cox, Neil Earhart and Mike Forman to the Weed and Pest Board and appointed Christine Houze, the lone applicant, to a vacated seat on the Buffalo Bill Dam Visitors Center Board to replace departing board member Richard Jones. Two other members on the board, Greg Mayton and Andris Vaskis, were reappointed after declaring their intent to serve another three year term.