November 20, 2025 |

Photo – Rawlins’ logo – Courtesy City of Rawlins

In Rawlins, city crews have finished removing debris from the former Lawrence Salvage Yard.

On July 6th, 2024, illegal fireworks sparked the largest fire in the history of Rawlins. The blaze scorched four and a half acres in the East Spruce Street area, with the former Lawrence Salvage Yard sustaining most of the damage.

Four months later, in November 2024, the city began negotiating with property owners Jack and Elden Cozort to buy the land, remove all debris and scrap metal, and eventually sell the 12‑acre parcel to a private developer. The Rawlins City Council narrowly approved the purchase in a 4‑to‑3 vote, agreeing to allocate $230,000 from the Dangerous Building Fund to complete the transaction. The Dangerous Building Fund is an account created to purchase and renovate abandoned and derelict properties in the city.

Between July and August, the city issued a request for bids to remove scrap metal from the Lawrence property.

At the September 16th Rawlins City Council meeting, Buildings Official Mike O’Brien announced that only one contractor had submitted a bid: Steed Metals of Rock Springs, which agreed to pay $41 per ton for the scrap metal. The contractor was given until October 22nd to finish the job.

At the November 4th Rawlins City Council meeting, Interim City Manager Matt Hall announced that Steed Metals had completed its work, removing 384 tons of steel from the former salvage yard.

At the agreed‑upon price of $41 per ton, Steed Metals paid the city $15,744 for the scrap.

Two weeks later, at the November 18th Rawlins City Council meeting, Interim City Manager Hall reported that Public Works crews had finished clearing the Lawrence Salvage Yard, removing another 820 tons of debris from the property.

The next step is for the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality to conduct a brownfields assessment of the site to determine if it contains hazardous materials such as asbestos, lead‑based paint, or industrial chemicals. If contamination is found, the state agency will help the city secure funding to address the issues. If the property is not contaminated, the city may sell it to a private developer.

The post Rawlins Finished Removing Debris first appeared on Bigfoot 99 Radio.