Letter to the Editor: Why is the county addressing concerns on Davis Lane?

Dear Editor:

After reading the article in the October 16 edition about the Big Horn County Commission meeting on the county fence policy section regarding Davis Lane, I have a few things to add to the story.

Forty-plus years ago, the cattle guard on Davis Road needed to be replaced with a larger one. The old cattle guard was too small and was on unstable ground. The county Road & Bridge had to keep resetting it in the old location because of boggy ground.

Road & Bridge chose to relocate the cattle guard for its convenience to a permanent, more stable location. The landowners’ fence joined the old cattle guard on the east side. There was a small gate on the west side that went from the landowner fence to the cattle guard so the cattle could be moved up the road out to the BLM through the gate. 

After the cattle guard was in its new location, a new short fence had to be built by the Road & Bridge on the west side to fill the gap between the landowners’ fence corner and the new cattle guard. The county created the fence for their convince so they could keep from working on the cattle guard all the time. So to say the county doesn’t build fence is not true. Why is the county exempt from maintaining their fence when it is in shambles?

While I’m on the subject of Davis Lane, there is a blind corner that has been brought to the county’s attention numerous times with no results. Davis Lane is used as a haul road; hunters and Devils Kitchen sightseers are routed onto it. The county should be more attentive to providing a safe road to travel on. Wyo-Ben pays taxes and employs a lot of people. The county has turned down help from Wyo-Ben to widen the road out and make it safer. Wyo-Ben even offered to do the work at no cost to the county if they would acquire right-of-way easements. Nineteen people attended the meeting when that was discussed. We have met with various commissioners several times over the years and have only gotten, “We will see what we can do.” Then they look at you like, are you done yet? I even provided lots of pictures to prove my point. I called the Road & Bridge this spring and left a message that the trees and brush were blocking the view on the blind corner and the right-of-way up the lane so it needed attention. Nothing at all has been done, and I never heard anything back from Road & Bridge. 

What does it take to get the attention of the county? Does someone need to die on Davis Lane before something is done or does that matter to them?

Jan Barnett 

Greybull