EVANSTON — A swearing-in of new Evanston police officer Chad Carson started the Dec. 5 city council meeting off on a positive note. Evanston Police Chief Mike Vranish introduced Carson.

“We are excited to have Chad Carson as a member of the department. He served his country in the U.S. Army and completed two tours in Afghanistan. We think he will be a strong force in our town.” Vranish said.

Members of Carson’s family were in the audience to show their support.

Two board appointments followed the swearing-in ceremony. Bill Alexander was appointed to the Evanston Historic Preservation Commission for a term ending in January 2026. Herman Roybal was appointed to the Golf Course Advisory Board for a term ending in January 2026.

Evanston City Attorney Mark Harris then opened a public hearing to solicit public comment regarding the application for a transfer of ownership of a restaurant liquor license from Main Street Deli to The Bakery.

The only person to comment was the owner of The Bakery, Alex Rossi, who said, “We are hoping to be open at least by the first of the year. We are working on getting new equipment and working with the inspector to make sure we meet all the requirements. We plan to be open Wednesday through Sunday, 7 a.m. to 3 or 4 p.m. We will serve homemade breads, focaccia, and soup and sandwiches among other things.”

The hearing was closed and the council voted to approve a motion to transfer the ownership of the restaurant liquor license from Main Street Deli to The Bakery.

The council approved two resolutions requested by Chief Vranish for the annual contracts with the Wyoming Association of Sheriffs and Chiefs of Police for funds to conduct alcohol and tobacco compliance inspections.

“We are required by law to conduct these inspections and we send underage decoys into stores that sell alcohol or tobacco and they attempt to purchase. The decoys are trained and are made aware of the laws and understand the requirements involved.” Chief Vranish said. “If the store sells alcohol or tobacco to the underage person, we issue a citation to that business. It has been a successful program.”

Mayor Williams said two of his daughters had participated as decoys at one time and he thought the decoy program was very successful.

Harris introduced a motion to approve execution of a bill of sale to All West Communications, Inc. regarding the sale of fiber duct conduit. 

“In 2016, the city entered into a conduit purchase agreement with All West Communications, Inc. A meeting or two ago, or maybe it was in a staff meeting, we notified the council that the stock in All West had been sold to a private equity,” Harris said. “The agreement provides that All West would purchase some of the fiber duct conduit located from near the golf course back to the town on Union Road. They were going to purchase and make payments over time on the conduit that was identified in the contract. They have made the payments all along and the city treasurer determined the amount outstanding. All West has asked for a payout on that amount and for a bill of sale submitted to transfer those particular conduits to All West Inc.”

Williams acknowledged that was the agreement all along and asked for a vote on the motion. The council approved the motion to approve the execution of a bill of sale to All West for the fiber duct conduit stated in the original agreement.