Schultz honored with Life-saving Award

The Lovell Police Department honored one of their own during last week’s Lovell Town Council meeting.

Before a large gathering in the town hall council chambers, Chief of Police Roger Haney honored Officer Dusty Schultz with the Lovell Police Department Life-saving Award for his actions last spring to resuscitate a man in the throes of a cardiac arrest.

Chief Haney read a statement about the award, calling Officer Schultz’s response “a heroic act, one that reflects not only training and professionalism but also compassion and decisive action in the most critical of moments.”

Haney continued that, on April 18, 2025, Officer Schultz responded to a call at a Lovell residence where a 62-year-old man had gone into cardiac arrest. Upon his arrival, Haney said, Schultz quickly assessed the situation, took command of the scene and ensured that proper CPR was being administered by a family member. He quickly retrieved and deployed his Automated External Defibrillator, “an action that proved to be lifesaving,” Haney said.

“Thanks to Officer Schultz’s swift response and calm under pressure, the AED was used within the vital window of time,” Haney said. “His actions, combined with effective CPR, stabilized the patient before EMS arrived, and the patient went on to make a full recovery.

“Officer Schultz’s professionalism, quick thinking and dedication to duty directly saved a life that day. It is with pride that I get to present Officer Dusty Schultz with this Life-saving Award in recognition of his outstanding service.”

In a later interview, Chief Haney said the award is a way to thank officers for their service to the community, which is so much more than “taking people to jail.” He noted that, while an officer would not have the depth of training or experience an EMT has, he or she is often first on the scene and can start vital, lifesaving procedures.

Pryor View Subdivision

Steven Durtsche and a number of residents of the Pryor View Subdivision, which is located on the southeast edged of town, attended the meeting to request assistance with the repair of a leaking water line. The subdivision is adjacent to but not within the town limits.

Durtsche was the spokesman for the group and addressed the council as such. He said residents of the subdivision have been dealing with water line issues for many years, and over the past three years the main water line supplying drinking water to the homes has been leaking, which affects water pressure in the residences. Pressure has been turned down to 27 psi since 2011 due to the leak, he said, so those on the end of the line receive essentially a trickle of water after paying $6,400 as a group to pay for a pressure reduction station.

The homes “became a subdivision” in 2013, Durtsche said, and over time the situation has grown worse. A year ago residents were contacted by the Town of Lovell and told that the main was leaking around 3,000 gallons a month, so the group hired a consultant to look into the situation, and the consultant informed them that, “until your leak gets to 20,000 gallons a month, it’s like trying to find a needle in a haystack.” The lines are deep, and the leaking water will not rise to the surface and pool, the consultant advised. The line is now leaking 13,000 gallons a month, Durtsche said, a level that started the town assessing a surcharge for extra usage.

“We would like to get on top of this and figure out a way for us to get a new water line, because it’s been patched so many times,” Durtsche said. “We’re basically just putting a Band-Aid on top of a Band-Aid every time we fix it. Since Steph and I have lived up there, and we’ve been up there seven years, we haven’t had a year yet where we don’t get a call from the town saying, ‘Hey, you guys have got a water leak on your main line somewhere.’ And so far, we’ve been able to find them generally. But this one, for the last year and a half, we can’t find it, and it’s just getting bigger.”

Town administrator Jed Nebel asked if the subdivision residents had formed any kind of non-profit association that could apply for grants or loans, and they have not yet done so. He added that, if the town were to apply for a grant, the residents would need to sign no-contest annexation agreements. They wouldn’t necessarily have to be annexed, but the agreement would need to be in place, according to state law, Nebel said, adding that he had contacted the town attorney to explore the possibilities.

“We cannot write a grant for a private line outside of city limits unless it’s owned and maintained by the town,” Nebel said. “I’m still waiting to hear back (from the attorney). If we could do that no contest annexation, and then extend the city line out there, we would maintain it. There are pros and cons to everything. So I’m thinking this is a good conversation starter tonight, but there’s a lot more fact finding we’re going to have to get for an answer.”

“I think we should start a conversation, possibly with everyone in that subdivision. And I’m more than happy to sit down with you guys some evening, because we have T zones, which are transition zones if you are annexed. It allows some freedom for bigger lots and stuff like that. You can have livestock in a transition zone.”

Nebel said he’s considering various options for funding that need to be looked into, noting that the cost estimate for a new water line provided by Sammons Excavation is reasonable, noting, “These numbers aren’t bad, way more affordable than I thought it would be.”

He added that, if the town obtains the grant or loan, water users in the subdivision could pay it back over time through monthly water bills.

Mayor Tom Newman said he’s all for investigating ways to get the project done, adding, “I don’t think anybody’s in a position to solve the issue tonight, but I think Jed brought up a good point. Maybe we need to schedule time, or at least Jed, and maybe one or two of us can be there with everybody. We may want to be able to gather a little bit more data, and then Jed could probably reach out to Annella (Prosser) or Steve or whomever, and then you guys can use your chain of communication with everybody to set up an evening.”

Trailer ordinance

The third speaker to address the council under public comments was town resident Dylan Banks, who asked the council to consider modifications to the town ordinance that prohibits residents from parking trailers on town streets more than a few days from Labor Day through Memorial Day.

“I’m here to respectfully request a reconsideration and a modification of the current town code that prohibits parking trailers from Labor Day to Memorial Day,” Banks said.

He said he’s sure there are good reasons for the prohibition such as facilitating snow removal or road safety, he believes a more balanced solution can be found, “one that protects the interests of the town, its citizens and accommodates responsible trailer owners.”

Many residents don’t have the luxury of owning a large property on which to store trailers, and even if, as in his case, they have access to family property on the edge of town, trailers can be vandalized, as his have been twice over the last three years.

He said storing trailers in paid storage garages can be expensive at $50 to $60 per month per trailer and represents an “unnecessary burden put onto town citizens.”

“I personally own one enclosed trailer, one small utility trailer and one boat trailer,” Banks said. “The current ordinance as written only allows us to park our trailers on the street for three months out of the year. For nine months, we are forced to find other means for the storage of our property. An average of $55 per trailer per month adds up to be a total of $1,485, just short of an even $1,500.

“I think that we can all agree that the seemingly endless rising costs of literally everything are affecting everyone in some shape or form. I strongly believe that this ordinance adds an unnecessary burden on citizens of Lovell, and I kindly ask the town leadership to consider a modification of this ordinance in section 15-04-060. I would ask that the section (p) under paragraph 3 be removed in order to allow citizens to park our trailers on the street.”

He said he has no problem with other sections such as restricted parking on corners or near crosswalks or protecting against parking that abuts a neighbor’s residential dwelling. But he said he doesn’t believe the town should “punish” trailer owners who want to keep trailers within eyesight.”

Mayor Newman thanked Banks for presenting his concerns and noted that the council was not in a position to make a decision that night. He noted that a safety concern presented by the school district regarding trailers up and down Shoshone Avenue helped prompt the ordinance about six years ago, and he said it didn’t seem fair to pass an ordinance that only affected people living near the elementary school, so the ordinance was applied to the entire community. He agreed that snow removal was an additional concern.

Newman said he would be in favor of looking at the issue, and Banks urged “a little more flexibility” in the town code.

Other business

In regular business:

• After discussion, the council voted to reject a $5,000 offer from Bob Jensen for Lot 2 on Richardson Drive on the north side of town.

• The council voted to approve a liquor catering permit for the Diamond J Bar for a company launch party at the Oasis west of Lovell.

• Public Works Director Adrin Mayes discussed the possible extension of East Eighth Street for a planned single-family home on the property. Mayes noted that the project would require a budget amendment to the tune of $3,200 to add to money already in the budget left over from a crack sealing project. The council passed a motion to approve the construction per a quote from Sammons Excavation and a second motion to approve the budget amendment.