In wake of fire, Wellington mayor calls for a hydrant amidst concerns about funeral provisions

By Rhett Wilkinson
Sun Advocate Reporter

After a Wellington fire, a call has been made for a hydrant as concerns were expressed over damaged equipment that was necessary for a funeral.
Mayor Joan Powell said as much after a fire the evening of Sunday, July 16 at the Wellington City maintenance shop on 100 East that caused extensive damage to the building.
“We light of the fire, we need to find funds for the fire hydrant,” Powell said three days later, at a Wellington city council meeting.
But her request didn’t come without some words advising caution on where the new hydrant will be sited.
“We need to identify where the next highways are,” Councilman Kirt Tatton said.
If there ever was a hydrant near the shop, it’s been 30 or 40 years, Recorder Glenna Etzel told the Sun Advocate.
The nearest fire hydrant is across Main Street. The need to deploy that one on Sunday meant for a detour of SR-6 traffic for about 45 minutes.
Powell also voiced worry over a back hoe that was supposed to be used to dig a grave for a July 22 funeral.
“Price and East Carbon are helping with the funeral,” she said.
The hoe was “slightly damaged” in the fire but is functional, according to the public works department, Etzel said.
The cause of the fire was reportedly an electrical light fixture in the storage area, resulting in the shop storage room above the office and one of its walls being burned out. Powell said that everything along all of the walls melted, including gaskets and plastic piping.
“The two bay doors are shot,” she added.
Powell said she inquired about insurance and that it should cover the doors.
Councilwoman Paula Noyes asked if a bid was needed in order to put up more doors.
That issue is addressed in City policy, “but I don’t know what the policy states,” Etzel said.
“If we need to do bids, I’ll do bids,” Powell said, “but if I can do (something else) in emergency…”
“We have the provisions to take care of it,” Tatton said. “I don’t think we are at risk.”
Having worked at the building for a decade, Burt Pulsipher always gazes in its direction when passing by it.
“I’d never seen it on fire before,” he said after checking out his old, burned stomping grounds.
That changed on Sunday, when he and his son David, who called 911, saw flames.
“It was kind of startling,” Pulsipher said.
Over-capacity, and up, up and away
The City also looked forward to providing food at its Pioneer Days celebration to all patrons, something that was not the case last year, when 130 folks paid but only 100 got to eat. A company in the Uintah Basin managed food in 2016.
“There was miscommunication with the people who catered it last year,” Etzel said.
This year, the City contracted with a local, Lynn Wells.
Sarah Norton was granted a business license at the meeting for Jetman Digicade, an arcade where comic books will be sold. The name comes from a 5-year-old boy named Jetson, nickname: Jetman. Norton became a single mom of him and his eight-year-old sister after they were adopted by her family. Jetman enjoys playing video and arcade games; he has a blood disorder that makes it so he can’t go out normally – no public school, no parks, Norton said.
Jetman Digicade has been zoned for 36 W. Main in Wellsville.
“That’s exciting to have something different in town,” Powell said.