Bargerville bus stop resolved

by Cat Urbigkit

The Sublette County Commission met Tuesday with Chair Betty Fear absent. First on the agenda was discussion of the continued safety problem posed by having school buses stopping on the highway south of Pinedale in the Barger subdivision area.

Sublette County School District No. 1 Transportation Director John Overgaag reported to commissioners Tuesday that the district had recently received permission from Roger Jewell to construct a bus pullout on his private property adjacent to the highway at Meadowlark Lane.

Overgaag said that the district will soon begin work to establish the pullout and noted that the district "has an individual who has volunteered to keep it plowed for us."

Overgaag thanked the commission for its interest and support in resolving the safety problem, but added that establishment of the pullout "will require nothing from the county: This is a good set up."

Commissioner Bill Cramer said if the school district got into a bind with plowing, to contact the county road superintendent for county assistance.

Overgaag said it's his hope to have the pullout being used within about 10 days.

With recent foggy mornings and 22 to 25 kids getting on the bus in the area in the mornings, Overgaag said, "We're real excited about getting off the road."

Overgaag asked the commission if it would consider plowing Blair to Dale on the frontage road, to get three more Barger-area bus stops off the highway. The length of this stretch would be less than a mile, paralleling the highway.

Cramer asked County Road Superintendent Travis Sour if he would have a problem with doing the plowing, to which Sour responded: "No. Absolutely not."

Sour said he would examine the ownership status of the road and contact Overgaag about when he'll have the county begin plowing the road, so that the district can contact parents to have their children at the designated sites.

When questioned by Cramer, Overgaag also noted that on numerous occasions, he has requested bus stop signs at locations along highways in the county, only to be denied on every occasion by Wyoming Transportation Department district engineer Jim Montuoro.

Cramer suggested that perhaps concerned parents should write letters to Montuoro about the situation.