Goshen County could receive federal funding to improve dangerous area roads, the county commissioners learned at Tuesday’s regularly scheduled meeting.

Road & Bridge Superintendent Gary Korell and County Engineer Bob Taylor told the commissioners they recently a received a county road crash report for 1997-2008 from the University of Wyoming.

With that data in hand, the county can consider applying for funding through the federal High Risk Rural Roads Program, Korell said.

Because he thinks available funding for the state isn’t at a very high amount, Korell said the county wouldn’t undergo major projects if it received funding through the program.

“It’s not going to be just come back in and build a road,” he said.

Instead, funds from the program would likely help pay for additional signage or other less expensive upgrades to county roads.

Commissioner Ross Newman said he felt Buttermilk Road was one of the more dangerous ones in the area, and Korell and Taylor said that was apparent from their initial look at the study’s results.

In applying for funding, the county has to provide evidence backing their claim, rather than simply listing off sections of area roads they feel are dangerous.

Regardless of the county’s success with the federal program, Korell said the crash data should help his department determine which areas and roads might be safety issues. From there, workers can decide whether or not they need to install signage or make other improvements, he said.

Also at Tuesday’s meeting, Anya Bendel from the High Plains Economic Development District updated the commissioners on the district’s current activities.

Bendel presented Monday in Torrington about wind energy and said that area remains one of the group’s main initiatives because of the impact it could have on the region.

“If wind energy comes, it will come to southeastern Wyoming,” Bendel said.

However, Commissioner Robert Ward said he feels spending resources on wind energy development is a waste until the government takes action on the issue besides releasing studies.

Additionally, Chairman Jim Hudelson and Newman agreed that the main sticking point revolves around energy transmission, and said the government should step in and take charge of the situation.

“I think the feds are going to have to figure out how to put transmission in place,” Newman said.

In addition to her efforts with wind energy, Bendel also said she’s involved with discussions for a possible waste-to-energy plant in Guernsey.

Bendel started working for the district in July, and said the commissioners should contact her about regional concerns or issues that she can help the county work on.

“I need the support of the counties in order to exist,” she said.

In other commissioner’s action:

n Taylor presented the commissioners with a document from 1958 that dictates that the city, rather than the county, owns a stretch of 25th Avenue from the city limits to the Torrington armory area. The county recently used about $100,000 in consensus block funds to repair the road.

n In other news involving consensus block funds, Hudelson said he recently learned in Cheyenne that Goshen County faces rescinding its remaining funds if it doesn’t commit them by June 30. The county still has more than $100,000 in funds remaining, Hudelson said. In reaction, Ward said he wondered if the county could use the funds to pay for trucks that could help haul gravel for road repairs. Korell said that option is definitely worth looking into.

“Obviously your efficiency goes up the more trucks you put on (the roads),” he said.

n Korell said work on the prison road seeding project is going well, but said it might take longer and cost more than originally anticipated. The bid awarded was for the amount of about $75,000, but Korell said the project could cost closer to $100,000. The department has contingency money in place for situations like this, he said. Additionally, Korell said workers might need an extension because they’ve been slowed by poor weather conditions.

n The commissioners entered into a memorandum of understanding with the Wyoming Department of Transportation that transfers $48,000 from a legislative account to WyDOT in relation to a recycled asphalt pavement stockpile.

n Korell said his department will likely finish graveling County Road 47 for the year in Prairie Center this week. He said there are still about five more miles of the road that need to be addressed in the future.

n The commissioners reconvened the public hearing regarding the PV Estates I & S District. No one spoke at the meeting, but the public has until early December to file written comments with the county on the issue.



For the complete article see the 11-18-2009 issue.

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