YODER – In a recent letter to the town of Yoder residents, mayor Norm Feagler expressed his disapproval of a recent decision made by the council during the July 8 meeting which would allow semi trucks in the town limits. 

“I totally agree that we as a town, should support any and all businesses on main street,” Feagler stated in his letter which was mailed to the residents of the small southeastern town with a population of under 300. “What I totally disagree with is the proposed route that was discussed,” the mayor added.

During the regular business meeting held on Monday evening, the council suggested a truck route which would begin on Shuck Street, west of the football field, going north to west 3rd Avenue, and then finally turning east to reach the main street where the small convivence store sits, according to Feagler. Feagler continued by mentioning after stopping at the store, drivers would then continue east on East 3rd Avenue to Boyd Street where they would then turn south to get back on Wyoming State Highway 154.

“My objection to the suggested route is because it is on residential dirt streets that create dust that we have enough of already,” Feagler’s letter explained. “Furthermore, and more importantly, my greatest concern that I have is safety. There are several school bus pick-up and drop-off points on west 3rd Avenue and on east 3rd Avenue to take your children to school and return them home. Semi-truck traffic, school buses, and your children do not mix when it involves their safety.”

According to the mayor’s letter to the residents of Yoder, main street is commercially zoned and paved. Feagler also mentioned the proposed main street truck route “will be much safer for your children,” in his letter dated July 15. 

 Shortly after 7 p.m., Feagler called the special meeting to order. In attendance were council members Jenna Krul, Josh Haffner, Bob Oaks, Amanda Fogle, clerk Lillian Green, town maintenance supervisor, Rod Weyrich, and town emergency management coordinator, Justin Burkhart. Town attorney, Colby Sturgeon appeared via Zoom. 

Several members of the Yoder community waited with tight jaws as the meeting opened with no formal instruction.

Fogle made a motion to accept the agenda which was seconded by Oaks. The agenda was approved as presented.

“I have visited with Bob (Oaks) and he suggested we call a special meeting about this proposed truck route,” Feagler said. “Now to enlighten the people here, let me clarify at our last town council meeting, the town council agreed to let truck traffic come into Yoder to supplement our businesses on main street. We have one right now and hopefully another fairly quickly. Having said that, I want a safe route for those trucks to come in and do business in town and that’s why we are gather here this evening to put our heads together and come up with a viable route for those trucks outside of the residential area,” Feagler continued. 

The mayor turned comments over to council members and the general public regarding a proposition of a new route for semis. 

“Mr. Mayor, I would like to clarify a point, when I talked to you on the phone, you were talking about different possibilities for a truck route,” Oaks began. “I said if you wanted to do something immediately you would need to call a special meeting. I did not call a special meeting. I just said if you want to do something before the next meeting, it would require a special meeting.”

Fogle, who was absent during the last town council meeting asked the mayor for an update of the last meeting where Feagler expressed nothing was improved with the truck route during the last council meeting and he explained there were many suggested routes.

Haffner expressed during the last meeting, there was no proposed route decided by the council for semis to enter the town.

“The last meeting, there is no proposed route,” Haffner explained to Fogle. “It’s for whoever needs to go to get to the convince store they’re welcome to go to the convince store. The main issue is, at the last meeting we had, was no trucks on main street so we agreed that was going to be okay and, in that situation, we found routes for trucks to go across main street so they can still go support the local business,” Haffner continued. “The unfortunate part is there is no direct route and there was no proposed route that we agree upon other than the fact we told these guys that they were welcome to come through.”

Haffner expressed not all of the truckers work for Dietzler Construction Corporation and therefore, the company owner, Bob Dietzler, may not be able to communicate any said changes with all truckers coming into Yoder to access the downtown store. 

Feagler expressed he had been in contact with Dietzler.

“He said although the trucks are contracted to him, he is not in charge of them but whatever route we decide is the safe route in and out of town that he would personally put out bulletins to his contract drivers and their companies and ensure that they would have to follow that route, whatever we decide it should be,” Feagler explained.

Oaks asked the members of the community in attendance; how many trucks had been seen driving in the residential areas in the ten days since the council made the change. 

A few residents spoke up.

“A few of them (semi trucks) have come by my house,” one resident said. “I don’t like it. They come down this highway early in the morning sitting on their brakes and making all of the noise they can make. I don’t want them coming by my house.”

“We get enough dust in the house without having big trucks coming down the highway,” another resident said. “Plus, our neighbors have grandkids to get off the bus on Third Street and they walk over to their house. They don’t want these trucks running in down there. School bus route is something else. But big trucks, no. Why do they even need to come into town for?” she asked the council.

“Because we have a business that we are trying to support,” Oaks explained to which the resident responded it was only one business. 

“That was the concern, these truckers being able to utilize our convenience store,” Haffner reminded the group. “That is the whole reason this even came up is because these guys were told they cannot come into town to stop at the convivence store.”

Haffner explained the council had banned all trucks on main street in Yoder to preserve the road.

“There is no liable location for these guys to come down unless it’s main street, which we have discussed this,” Haffner said. “That was brought to our attention today, with main street, with no U-turns on main street, which we have had the law there for a while. No trucks down main street to save and preserve the asphalt of the one road that we do have. That is our only other proposed location as it is right now.”

“No other town has limitation to what they can do on down their main streets other than the fact that we are trying to utilize our one convenient store. Trying to keep something open as a business as a community to use and that’s why we wanted to have you guys here tonight as well,” Haffner continued. 

The council continued the discussion as Sturgeon spoke from a microphone on the council desk.

“In one other point about all of this I think too is that as of now we don’t have an ordinance, or we don’t have anything to prevent trucks in our town. They can drive literally wherever they want, whenever they want, except on main street. That’s the other part of this,” Sturgeon said. “Part of the whole conversation between all the truckers through Bob Dietzler and his people to try and come up with a route that will have the least amount of impact and still support our business.”

“I am not so sure that we have any restrictions as far as trucks on main street unless [the] said truck is making a pickup or delivery,” Oaks said. “The argument could be made that they are coming into town to make a pickup at the only business in town so there is no restriction. There is nothing on books, at this point the way I read it, to keep them out of town.”

“That’s a fair interpretation too Bob, I may not disagree with you on that,” Sturgeon said to Oaks.

Residents continued to chime in, stating their concerns with trucks from parking and noise to dust and running stop signs.

“What would it take to get an ordinance to keep the trucks out of town?” one resident asked the council. “I get that you’re trying to keep the business open, and I can appreciate that. They are bringing a lot of money into this county but it’s the same deal, does Torrington just let trucks drive up and down their side streets, their residential streets? No.”

The council explained to the residents of Yoder, Torrington had no ordinance for truck traffic.

“I can tell you right now, my opinion is that I am not going to restrict the only business we’ve got,” Oaks said. “In the ten days that this has been in effect, we have seen two or three trucks. I don’t think it’s a big issue. They are not running in here a lot.”

Discussion continued until the council reached a decision to use main street as the preferred truck route. Oaks suggested the information be communicated with the local sand company and he suggested the council change the ordinance. 

“We are getting way of subject and way off task here,” Haffner said. “Right now, we are trying to get a preferred truck route. That is all we are discussing. As it is right now, we have discussed main street. I make a motion that we use main street as a preferred truck route for these truckers as of right now.”

The motion was seconded by Oaks. The motion carried and the meeting was adjourned.