Council sets sights on crosswalk lights

At the recent meeting of Moorcroft's governing body, Councilman Dale Petersen spoke to a need he and others perceive for flashing lights declaring the pedestrian crosswalk across Highway 16, between the school campus and Coffee Cup Fuel Stop.

During the lunch hour, many young students use the walkway in an area where drivers are often speeding up as they leave the town center and of which tourists are often unaware as they approach from the east.

After previous discussions on the matter among council and staff, Petersen stepped up and ascertained a WYDOT initiative currently in play that may be initiated independent of town finances, saying, "I thought that it would be nice if that can get done."

However, when he approached WYDOT traffic engineer Michelle Edwards of the Sheridan office about the matter, she explained, according to Petersen, "Typically, the school district would approach them."

This did not stymie Petersen, "So I did get a hold of [Crook County School District Superintendent Mark] Broderson and talked to him."

Broderson then wrote a letter advocating the extra safety measure to Edwards on behalf of the town that said, in part, "The city is looking for strategies to increase safety for students who may not always be as cautious as we would hope...I'm drafting this letter in support of the city's attempt to place flashing lights near the crossing in order to increase safety first to the crossing in this area."

After Petersen's progress report, Mayor Ben Glenn asked HDR Engineering's Heath Turbiville to ensure the letter is sent to Edwards and also continue moving forward with this endeavor.

Petersen, a principal of more than two decades, recognizes the danger to the youth who use this path, saying, "It's going to get somebody squished. I just think that if we can do something [like] raise some more attention up there, I think we need to do that."