Both of the Transportation Alternative Program grants the City of Lander applied for earlier this year have been approved, city staff said this week.
Assistant mayor RaJean Strube Fossen called it a “great announcement.”
“Those two grants total projects of about $1.45 million that can be put on the ground,” she told the Lander City Council during a regular meeting Tuesday. “(We’re) happy about that.”
The city will cover about $140,000 of the total cost, she added.
“That’s awesome,” Councilmember Missy White said. “Thank you, and congratulations.”
Councilmember Melinda Cox also thanked the staff for going after the funding – especially for the project that will make Baldwin Creek Road more pedestrian friendly from Main Street to Baldwin Creek Elementary School.
Fremont County School District 1 currently provides a crossing guard in that area, Cox said, urging community members who have “some spare time” and “an inkling to put on a bright vest and hold a stop sign” to volunteer for a shift if possible.
“That’s been a bit of a scramble for the school district, (and) it’s not just the school’s responsibility,” Cox said. “But there is a need for a crossing guard in the morning and in the afternoon, (because) kids cross there that attend school.”
Working with WYDOT
Councilmember Dan Hahn asked whether the city had made any progress working with the Wyoming Department of Transportation to implement automatic pedestrian crossing lights at the intersection of Baldwin Creek Road and Main Street, where a 9-year-old was struck by a vehicle in August while riding her bike to school.
Currently, Hahn said, pedestrians have to push a button to activate the crosswalk signal there, but he has noticed that “a lot of kids are not pushing it.”
Public works director Lance Hopkin said he spoke with WYDOT about the automatic crosswalk signal idea, but “they don’t really want to change that.”
“They would rather provide education,” he said. “They’re really pushing the educational campaign.”
Councilmember Julia Stuble said she was “skeptical” about the effectiveness of an “educational campaign for elementary school students,” asking whether Hopkin knew why WYDOT was hesitant to make the signal change.
He said the decision had to do with “continuity” at intersections throughout the state.
“Most of the new intersections that they’re putting in function this way,” he said. “They don’t want to have some functioning one way, and others functioning differently, (with) a mix of devices.”
He noted that the city plans to compile additional suggestions for WYDOT that could result in more “long-term solutions” addressing approaches, visibility and setbacks at the intersection.
“WYDOT is happy to have us do that (and is) willing to sit down with us and discuss,” he said.
For more information call the City of Lander 332-2870.